Year 1 have had an exciting start to our topic. This week, we had a visit from ‘The Animal Man’. He brought in lots of different animals and told us lots of interesting facts!

First, we saw an owl, he had huge eyes and kept looking at us. We found out that he is 6 years old – just like some of us. We also got to meet two snakes, a hissing cockroach, two lizards and a hedgehog! 

We got to stroke all the animals; we were very brave. The snakes felt very different to our skin and the cockroach felt like the floor. 

We had so much fun meeting all the animals.

Early Years had a wonderful memorable day as part of their topic learning all about farm animals.  ‘Farm on wheels’ were invited in to share some of their amazing small animals with us. The children listened to a talk all about caring for animals and they explored the question “Do cow’s drink milk?” The children were enthralled throughout and were a credit to Bloxwich Academy (Primary) with their listening skills and their impeccable behaviour.

Well done children! What a super day we had!

Reminder

A reminder that all children are expected to wear the correct school uniform and to adhere to the school guidelines. Uniform is an important part of a school’s identity. It reinforces who we are as a community and helps allow students to feel pride in their school. It also ensures students are not put under any pressure because of the type of clothes they wear and all are treated equally.

It would be fair to say that, over the last academic year, uniform compliance has slipped. Understandably, as the nation went in and out of lockdown, it was difficult for parents to know whether children were going to be in school and in need of a uniform, and as we came back to school full time, uniform demand increased and existing school clothes would have no longer fit our pupils.

We have used our discretion since returning to full time education however we currently we have a number of interpretations and misconceptions of what is and is not acceptable uniform. We believe it is time to clarify our expectations for children and parents; our uniform policy is as follows:

· Black Jumper or Cardigan

· Black Zip Up Fleece for Outside (Optional)

· White Polo Shirt

· Plain Black Trousers or Black Skirt (No Leggings or Jeans)

· Plain Black Shoes (No Identifying Marks)

· Black or White Socks

· Black Small Bow or Band for the Hair (If Required)

· Hair neat and, if long, tied back.

· Extreme Hairstyles: Mohicans, Tram-Lines and Carvings are not permitted.

PE Kit

• Plain Black Jogging Bottoms
• Plain White T-Shirt or Polo Shirt
• Plain Black Sweatshirt (for outdoor use)
• Black/White Socks
• Plain Black or White Trainers (for outdoor use)
• Plain Black Pumps (for indoor PE – Left in School)
• Earrings Removed (and left at home)
• Optional Plain Black Rain Mac (for outdoor PE)

In essence, we need to support you in buying affordable, good quality clothing for school which your children accept they have to wear because the rules are very clear. We want to make it easier for parents and help reduce any issues there may be over what is and isn’t acceptable uniform and believe that this guidance does that, and also gives you lots of choice over possible suppliers. Please make sure uniform is plain black and there are no visible logos.

Children will be allowed to wear their PE kit on the days that they have PE lessons. Please ensure that all of your child’s uniform is labelled so that any mislaid items can be returned to them quickly.

Thank you in advance for your support and co-operation in this matter.

We have had an exciting delivery of eggs that we are hoping will hatch into yellow, fluffy chicks for us to care for. When the chicks are eight days old, they will return to the farm where they were laid. 

The Process

Since returning to school after the Easter holidays, Year 4 have been learning all about the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. During our memorable experience day, the children created some spectacular Viking longship silhouettes using different medias of art: watercolours, paper and card. We then spent the afternoon making and testing our craft boats.

In our afternoon lessons, we have looked at the daily life of an Anglo-Saxon villager. We now know what they used to eat and drink, wear, who they worshipped and who used to rule over them. During our Design & Technology lessons, we made Saxon medallions out of clay – using specific tools to carve the design.

In maths, we have been recapping place value. We have spent some time looking at ordering, comparing and partitioning numbers. In our writing lessons, we have been spending a lot of time looking at diary entries and working on all the skills required for one. We can’t wait to share our end products on the newsletter in a few weeks.

It has been a fantastic start to the term Year 4 – especially for Mr Watters who has really enjoyed his first two weeks with you. Keep up the fantastic work.

Mr Watters & Mr Baugh

Over the last few days in Year 2 we have been continuing to enjoy our amazing topic ‘The Scented Garden’.  We have been looking at plants, seeds, bulbs and using our senses to smell and feel different herbs.

We have been on a nature walk, planted some sweet peas which will be some wonderfully scented flowers when they grow. We are learning that we need to be patient while we wait for our seeds to germinate and grow. It has been wonderful watching the children explore all the different herbs and plants. We will be planting some sunflowers, growing our pizza garden, and learning how to look after plants as they grow in our school garden.

Here at the academy  we will be providing a broad and balanced curriculum based around the Cornerstones Curriculum, a nationally recognised approach for delivering outstanding learning opportunities for children.

What is the Cornerstones Curriculum?

The Cornerstones Curriculum is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the 2014 primary national curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. It is based on a child-centred pedagogy called The Four Cornerstones and is delivered through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) and Knowledge Rich Projects (KRPs), which provide a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of children’s learning. We believe children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning to engaging contexts. Our curriculum provides many learning challenges throughout the academic year that require children to solve problems, apply themselves creatively and express their knowledge and understanding effectively. Cornerstones also provide a rigorous skills and knowledge framework that outlines the end of year expectations in all subjects. These skills and knowledge are tied to activities and are age-related so that staff can track children’s progress and identify their individual learning needs.

These are the following ILPs/KLPs that each Year group will be covering, each one will start with a ‘memorable experience’.

Summer Term:

Nursery: Can I have a dog?

Children will begin to gain knowledge of how to care for animals

Reception: Do cows drink milk?

This topic will be an opportunity for children to learn about farm animals

Year 1: Childhood Experiences & Family Life

Children will spend the term exploring childhood experiences, and compare their own to those of children from the 1950’s.

Year 2: The Scented Garden

For this topic, we have planned some amazing activities linked to gardening, and will be creating a herb garden for everyone to enjoy.

Year 3: Rocks, Relics and Rumbles

Children will be learning about different types of rocks, volcanoes and earthquakes, and we will be looking at world maps, locating where volcanoes are around the world.

Year 4: Traders and Raiders

Year 4 will be looking at the collapse of the Roman Empire in Britain, and how the Anglo-Saxons stood up against the Vikings. Children will also be using their geographical knowledge to help them with locating famous Saxon sites around the UK.

Year 5: Sow, Grow & Farm

During the term, children will become gardeners with a passion for growing and encouraging the environment, and will learn about sustainability and the way in which all different manner of food is grown and harvested.

Year 6: Victorians & The Revolution

Pupils will explore and sample life in the Victorian times and much more!

This week, our new topic is all about the life and workings of a farm. We have been learning about all the animals that live on the farm and the important jobs that farmers have to do.

Our new story, Farmer Duck, is about a duck that does all the work for a lazy farmer! We have spent this week learning the story and making our own story maps to help us retell it. We have also been engaged in lots of farm themed enhancements including making animal masks and using our new farm shop role play.

We received a special delivery of eggs that we are hoping will hatch into adorable chicks for us to care for. The chicks will then return to the farm to do their job and lay lots of delicious eggs. 

In Maths, we have been practising subtraction. Now we have become more confident, we have been using Numicon and Numicon covers to help us write our own number sentences and check our working out. We have been working hard at number formation to demonstrate our knowledge. 

Meet Ollee

Parent Zone have developed the app ‘Meet Ollee’ who is a virtual friend that helps your child think about how they’re feeling.

Meet Ollee is aimed at 8–11-year-olds and their parents. https://parentzone.org.uk/Ollee

PlayStation

We’ve put together a few pointers to help keep your child safe whilst online. We would always recommend that you check the age ratings of any games your child is playing/wishes to play to ensure they are appropriate and also spend time with your child playing on their games console so you can monitor what they are doing and who, if anybody they are interacting with.

This will also lead to more open conversations.

PlayStation Network Rules

Playstation have created the PSN Rules for children to read specifying what players aged 7-17 need to know before going online with friends.

PlayStation: https://bit.ly/2M5jMMP

Block Players

Show your child how to block players should they need to: https://bit.ly/3aiocYu

Report Inappropriate Behaviour

Show your child how to report any inappropriate content/ conversations. https://bit.ly/3cj3RoI

Parental Controls

Make sure you set up appropriate parental controls (as well as any additional settings that are offered within any games your child is playing). Parental settings on a PS include features such as restrict communication with other players and setting spending limits.

PS4: https://bit.ly/39ptQce

PS5: https://bit.ly/2KXO3fJ

Further information https://bit.ly/2YnW6FE

Accessing Microsoft Teams Via a Games Console

Below is a link to a guide on how to access websites and Microsoft Teams via a games console, which you may find useful. Modern day consoles, such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, come with internet browsers pre-installed. These browsers enable you to access remote learning sites and Microsoft Teams. www.sway.office.com/