What a great week Year 4 have had! After the break, Year 4 started their new states of matter topic during their Science lessons. They have looked at how solids can turn into liquids and the melting point each object requires and they have also looked at how solids can turn into a gas. They have been classifying materials into the 3 groups. It was an interesting investigation as some children were unsure which group slime would be put into as it fills the container but is easy to hold.

Year 4 have also been writing up their explanations of the water cycle where they have been explaining evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. They have been using technical vocabulary, which links to their learning in Science. It has been fascinating to read the writing and we will be recording audio recordings of these

On Tuesday, the entire Year 4 cohort visited the Wrekin – a 407m hill located in Telford. We set off at 9:15am and all the children were thrilled when they first glanced at the Wrekin in person. After 20 minutes of walking up the steep hill, we completed a science investigation which looked at which insects we could see in the woods. We then set off for another 20-minute hike. Once we reached the half-way point, we stopped for 15 minutes to complete some art rubbings of local plants. It was interesting to see how different leaves create different shades on the paper. Finally, after another 20 minutes of hill climbing, we reached the summit. The views were out-of-this-world! The children were sharing many comments:

“Wow, I can’t believe we actually made it to the top.”

“I don’t think I can see my house from here,”

“I can’t wait to tell my mum, she’s going to be so happy,”

We then sat at the top eating our lunch for the next 15 minutes. After a quick group photo, it was time to make our descent down to the coach. What a fantastic achievement for all involved! It was a great day spending time with the Year 4s, and we can’t wait to go on our next trip!

This week celebrates World Book Day and to kick start our week off and to continue our love of reading, the children were lucky enough to participate in a story-telling dance class run by an outside dance company. The children in nursery and reception danced to ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, the children in year 1 and 2 danced to ‘The Gruffalo’ and the children in year 3, 4, 5 and 6 danced to ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Our children enjoyed this so much and both their performances and laughter were lovely to see and hear! 

On Thursday, we celebrated World Book Day. It was fantastic to see all the children come into school dressed as their favourite book character or in their pyjamas. Throughout the morning, each year group visited another to take part in reading buddies. The children shared how they enjoyed helping each other read.

After that, the children spent time in their classrooms completing activities themed around their class’ book. Year 3 were looking at Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Year 4 were looking at Holes and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Year 2 were looking at Meerkat Mail. Activities included retelling the story, drama, creating bookmarks, designing new front covers and much more.

After lunch, the children were very excited to find out who the masked readers were. Chants of ‘take it off’ could be heard throughout the building. To wrap up the day, the children then headed to the hall to check out this year’s themed potatoes. They look absolutely amazing.

In memory of his older brother, during February, William in Year 5 will be taking part in a 24 hour gaming session to raise money for the charity Sands.  Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK and exists to reduce the number of babies dying. They ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it. You can find out more about the charity here: www.sands.org.uk

We wish William the best of luck with his fundraising! If you would like to find out more about the challenge, or wish to donate, you can contact his Mum Kelly, via email at Friendsofbloxwichacademy@outlook.com

In Nursery, we have started to focus on our new topic ‘Long Ago.’

The children have been exploring photos of events that have happened in the past. Some of the photographs the children have explored are in black and white. We have spoken about how photos have changed over time. We have been drawing pictures of our family using black charcoal and black wax crayons – the children have described their pictures brilliantly.

Last week, we all went outside to see how the weather had changed. After being outside for a few minutes the snow started to fall from the sky. The children put out their hands and caught lots of snowflakes. They felt the snowflakes fall on their face with joy.

Some children commented:

“It’s white!”

“It’s freezing now,”

“Where does the snow come from?”

In maths, we have been looking at patterns in the environment from spots to stripes. Some children have been very creative with their mark making skills and have made their own patterns. Well done everyone – keep looking for different patterns at home! In literacy, we have started to focus on a new story called ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar.’ The children have been able to join in with telling the story and have enjoyed counting the fruit the caterpillar has eaten. We have been drawing caterpillars and comparing their size too. Some caterpillars were long and thin, and others were long and fat.

A quick reminder: The weather is getting colder please wrap up warm! We advise children to bring a hat, a scarf and gloves every day.

Keep working hard everyone!

During the Christmas holiday, Bloxwich Academy Primary received the incredible news that one of our Year 6 pupils had won MP Eddie Hughes’ Christmas Card Competition! Holly’s amazing design had been chosen out of the hundreds submitted by children across the borough to be the official Christmas card of our local MP, and even the Prime Minister himself has been pictured holding the winning creation!

The news even made it into the Express & Star, and all the staff took great pleasure reading about Holly’s success over the holidays. The article is here if you would like to read more HERE.

Well done Holly, from everyone at Bloxwich Academy, and keep up the amazing work!