Summer 2006

Dear Bowden parents,

Dear Bowden parents,

I would like to begin the Summer class newsletter by welcoming Lucy Ruff. As a student teacher from Exeter University we are fortunate in having her spend her final school placement with us. She has already been busy getting to know the children, and teaching groups. As usual we have got off to a busy start, particularly for year 6 with the SAT tests soon coming upon us. These first two weeks will involve some work preparing for the tests which take place in the week beginning May 8th - year 6 children should already have taken home a timetable for the week. It is important to help the children not to get stressed, and to get plenty of rest and sleep. Please could they be in school on time during that week as we will be organising ourselves straight away each morning. In the week following the SATs year 5 will do the QCA tests for their year group, as a part of the school?s assessment. Back to top

Various activities have been planned for the term, including a trip to the Leonardo de Vinci exhibition and Exeter museum and a ghost tour with kennick on 23rd May, a Kwik cricket festival for a group of year 5 children on 22nd may, a Knex challenge (date to be confirmed) at school, a bracken bashing and Dartmoor walk near Dartmeet and a year 6 Alert, Alive Aware afternoon. Further details will be sent home closer to the time each takes place. Back to top

PE will continue to be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday but the children should bring their kit every day as I hope to take advantage of the good weather when we get it. For this summer term, as well as a plain white t-shirt the children need white shorts and plimsolls or trainers. In PE we will work on striking and fielding games-cricket and rounders, net games-tennis, and athletics. In athletics we will work towards awards, for which the children can buy badges to show their achievements if they wish.

Homework will continue to be given out on a Wednesday, to be returned on the following Monday. For year 6 the homework may be slightly different, such as taking the form of a project. Back to top

The children will continue to be given a list of spellings on a Tuesday to learn for a test the following Tuesday. These lists will tend to follow spelling patterns and will be linked to the literacy strategy. They will also be tested for multiplication tables as a part of the numeracy lesson on Fridays. It is important that the children learn both their spellings and their tables. By year 6 the national expectation is for them to know (or be able to quickly work out) the tables to 10x10.

Literacy will continue to follow the national strategy, focusing on stories from other cultures, classic literature, poetry and persuasive texts (e.g. letters and advertising). Back to top

Numeracy will also continue to follow the national strategy, focusing on multiplication and division, fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio and proportion, handling data, shape and space, measures, mental calculation strategies and properties of numbers.

The science topic for this term is on living things. We will look at keeping healthy, the life cycles of plants and animals and micro organisms (eg in mould and decay). Back to top

The geography topic is on comparing our locality with a contrasting place. Lucy Ruff will cover this, looking at the Teign valley in comparison to London.

In personal social health education the children will look at taking responsibility for a healthy lifestyle, and how bodies develop. In music we will focus on singing and playing music in 2 or more parts. In art the children will look at artists? viewpoints. In design and technology the children will be looking at shelters. Back to top

I hope this has been informative and will help you to support your child. Please get in touch if you have any further questions.

Alan Butt Back to top