Welcome to Year Five

Friday 25^th May 2023

This week, we celebrated Art Week, which involved taking part in something creative every day from leaf printing to sketching and painting. We worked as a team to produce a class project based on the children’s interpretation of a Henri Rousseau painting. We discussed the tiger’s point of view and decided to call our project ‘Hide and Seek’ – a mother playing with her cub. On the back, we included messages to discourage poaching – let’s say NO to endangering animals! 

After weeks of research and designs, we also got round to creating working Automata’s, in DT. Please have a look at the wonderful pictures! As they are all so brilliant, our work will stay on display in the classroom; the children will get to take them home towards the end of the academic year.

Home Learning:

• Spellings x 8

Please learn the meanings and spellings of these words from the Y5/6 list:

achieve / aggressive / attached / available / community / competition / criticise / curiosity  

• OPTIONAL Maths Reasoning Questions attached (Please use them for practice / revision at home with no time limits and no pressure to complete all the questions in one go. I am very happy to mark your answers and go through them, if you would like to bring them in after half-term)

On Friday’s, we will have …

• a Spelling Test - 8 learnt spellings and 2 surprise words from a previous test
• a Mental Maths Test - 10 questions. Please find attached an example of what the questions may look like

After half-term…

PE will be on the usual days of Monday and Thursday.

PSHE (Growing and Changing) will be taught every Tuesday afternoon (as the last lesson of the day). Mrs Crilly will be sending out more details. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

In Maths, we will be learning about regular and irregular polygons and the properties of rectangles (missing lengths and angles).

Books we will use in English over the last six weeks:

• ‘Stone Girl, Bone Girl’ by Laurence Anholt
• ‘The Promise’ by Nicola Davies and Laura Carlin

Have a wonderful half-term! I will see you on Monday 5^th June J

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 19^th May 2023

This week, in Maths, we have been learning about converting units of time (between hours, minutes and seconds) as well as how to interpret timetables. I would like the children to continue practicing the 24-hour clock at home, to see if they know it off by heart! I will be checking next week. For example, 6pm is written as 18:00 and 6am is written as 06:00.

In Science, we learnt about the process of metamorphosis in insects and amphibians. The children had lots of input and were very creative in their thinking and questions. In particular, we looked into the lifecycle of a butterfly and how it changes from a caterpillar (larvae) to a butterfly.

Home Learning: Due Wednesday 24^th May 2023

• Maths (Progress Test - pages 27 and 28) - independent as possible please!
• English SPAG (Linking Ideas in a Paragraph - pages 26 and 27)
• Reading Record – please continue to sign and read 5 times a week.
• Spellings x 8

Please learn the meanings and spellings of these words:

brake, break, grate, great, dessert, desert, allowed, aloud

Next Week

Next week is ‘ART WEEK’!

PE will be on Monday and Thursday.

In Maths, we will be revising all of the topics we have covered so far and we will be checking our progress.  

In English, we will be planning and writing a narrative to re-tell the story of Macbeth in an engaging way, by putting together all of the skills from our learning this half-term. This will be our last week on Shakespeare; I’m looking forward to seeing the writing Year 5 will produce.

Have a lovely, sunny weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Reminder:

If you took home a school football kit, please may you bring it back to school on Monday? Thank you! 

Friday 12^th May 2023

Even though it’s been a shorter week, we have been very busy in Year 5! In English, we became investigating officers and reported a crime scene that was found in our classroom. We definitely have suspicions about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth... I wonder what they will be up to next! We included prepositional phrases and expanded noun phrases in our writing.

In Music, we have been learning about remixing and looping. We learnt how to play the original tune from ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ and then remix it with a backing beat, finishing our lesson with a mini concert of performances.

I LOVED seeing your creative Science projects this week – fantastic work! J

Home Learning: Due Thursday 18^th May 2023

• Maths (pages 54-55: Imperial Units)
• Comprehension (pages 28-29: Tracking Basking Sharks)
• Reading Record – please continue to sign and read 5 times a week.
• Spellings x 8

Please learn the meanings and spellings of these words, from the Y5/6 list:

average, awkward, controversy, correspond, definite, desperate, occur, opportunity

Next Week

PE will be on Monday and Thursday.

In Maths, we will be moving on to TIME: problem solving which involves reading timetables and calculating time.

See you on Monday,

Miss Bhanderi

Little update:

I hope you had a fantastic bank holiday. I just wanted to let you know that my ankle is on the mend and I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday! I will be walking using crutches, but there's no need to worry, I'm just using them to help me rest. Hopefully I'll be running around again in no time! 

Everyone was wonderfully well-behaved on the school trip to London Zoo - I am one very proud teacher.  

(Mrs B was also very impressed). A BIG thank you to everyone who helped out!  

Please may you return your clipboard and jacket to school if you took them home.

From Miss Bhanderi 

Friday 5^th May 2023

London Zoo photos to come shortly…

Home Learning:

• Science project: Think about your trip to London Zoo. What was your favourite animal and why? Why are some animals like chimpanzees endangered? How can we help?

Key words: conservation, endangered, extinct, habitat, life cycle, London Zoo, mammal

You can choose how you present your work, whether it is in the form of writing or creating a poster on paper. Or, you could type it up or create presentation slides.

Writing / poster = A4 paper OR presentation slides = maximum of 3 slides

Please bring in your project / or email it to Mrs Palmer by next Friday (12^th May) or earlier.

• Please continue to read at least five times per week and bring in your record on Wednesday 10^th May.

• No spellings or Maths homework this week

Next week:

PE will be on Thursday and Friday.

The story of Macbeth will be coming to life in the Year 5 classroom. We will become detectives by investigating a crime scene and writing reports on our findings!

In Maths, we are moving on to converting imperial and metric measurements.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 28^th April 2023

Happy bank holiday weekend!

This week, we have explored language from several Shakespeare texts and have read two versions of Macbeth. We worked in small groups to rehearse a theatre performance, focusing on our use of expression, intonation and volume when performing. In Maths we have developed strategies (methods) for solving problems involving multiplication and division. When using long multiplication to times by two-digit numbers, we must remember to put in our place holder (zero).

Home Learning: Due Wednesday 3^rd May

• Maths (page 26, Solving Calculation Problems)

Top Tips from our Maths lessons this week: Remember to highlight or underline the key words first. Then, draw a picture or bar model if it helps you. Please show your workings-out.

• Comprehension (pages 20-21, Video Gaming Grandma)
• Reading Record – please continue to sign and read 5 times a week.

Spelling Test will be on Thursday instead of Friday

• Spellings x 7

Please learn the meanings and spellings of these words, containing -ough

although / bought / cough / enough / plough / rough / thought

Can you match the sounds with the rhyming words below?

cow / off / puff / toe / sort

Next Week

Bank holiday (SCHOOL CLOSED) on Monday 1^st April.

PE will be on Thursday.

Friday school trip: Please wear school uniform with comfortable shoes for walking in. Meet promptly outside Rickmansworth Station at 8:45 am. Collection will be around 3:10pm. I’m really looking forward to it – let’s hope the weather stays dry!

In Maths, we will be solving problems scaling simple fractions.

Have a wonderful three-day weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

This is the Music software we are using at the moment. It should be compatible with most devices if you would like to have a go at home: 

Chrome Music Lab - Song Maker (chromeexperiments.com)

Friday 21^st April 2023

Welcome back for Summer Term! Today, we celebrated World Earth Day and how we could make the world a better place, which was a great success! This morning, I took the children outside for Forest School, where we created habitats for woodland creatures and critters. They were incredibly excited, as they haven’t had an opportunity to do this for a couple of years now! Now that the weather is hopefully getting better, I will look into including this on our timetable. Later on in the day, we got mucked in with some gardening, planting and digging, and we created posters about renewable energy and saving electricity.

In Science (Living things and their habitats) we are learning about life cycles and the process of reproduction in plants and animals. The summary of what we are learning about, including the key terms, can be found in the National Curriculum for Science Upper KS2 Year 5. You may wish to discuss this at home with your children or if you would like to speak to me about it, I’m happy to help. I explained that it is only appropriate to use these key terms in a scientific way and these should not be discussed with children from other year groups. We won’t be learning about how humans develop changes as they get older, or body parts, until after May half term.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study#upper-key-stage-2--years-5-and-6

This half term, I will be teaching Computing and Mrs Allen will be teaching PSHE (Being my best: keeping healthy, having aspirations and improving the school community).

In Computing this week we programmed LEDs to light up in different ways on Microbits. 

Home Learning: Due Wednesday 26^th April

• Maths (Calculating angles) – 2 x worksheets sent home today
• Spellings x 8 (individual spellings will also be tested next week)

Please learn the meanings and spellings of these words with silent letters.

Can you identify which letters can be seen but not heard?

foreign / guarantee / muscle / neighbour / rhyme / rhythm / thorough / wrong

• Reading – please continue to sign and read 5 times a week

Next Week

PE will be on the usual days of Monday and Thursday.

In English, we will be begin reading and exploring the language in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’.

In Maths, we will practise strategies for formal multiplication and division, including solving worded problems.

Have a great weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Summer Term 1:

Value = SERVICE

School Trip to London Zoo! (Friday 5th May 2023)

• Science - Living things and their habitats
• Geography - Enough for everyone (land use and conservation)
• RE - Gospel: What would Jesus do?
• PSHE - Being my best
• DT - Mechanical systems: Making an automata
• Music - Remixing and looping
• Computing - Programming (selection in physical computing)

In English, we will be writing non-chronological reports. Then we will focus on Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', perform scenes from the play, write a diary entry and write a narrative.

In Maths, we will be recapping our learning about angles (how to measure and calculate angles). 

Other topics we will cover in Maths:

• Formal multiplication and division strategies -  including remainders 
• Scaling simple fractions
• Converting imperial and metric measurements (pints, inches, pounds)
• Solving multi-step problems

Friday 31st March 2023

Happy Easter holidays! 

This week we have finished off our topic learning journeys - from researching new materials and inventions in Science to learning about the Anglo-Saxon Kings and how they worked with (or against!) the Vikings. In RE, we looked out the sacrifices Jesus made in the Bible, for the greater good, and discussed what we'd be willing to sacrifice to make the world a better place - for example, giving up some of our time to help with gardening or picking up litter.

I will be attaching our new topics and some suggested reading soon, so watch this space! :) 

Home Learning:
Individual Spellings - everyone took home a sheet with 5 spellings on it. Please learn how to spell these words and also how to use them in sentences. After the Easter break, I'll check progress and will give out a new set of spellings to learn. 

Reading Records - Please keep reading and signing! I see that there are a few GOLD badges to be awarded when we get back!

I am so proud of all the things Year 5 have accomplished so far and I really look forward to Summer Term! 

Thank you!

Miss Bhanderi x

Friday 24th March 2023

In English this week, we explored the book 'Cloud Tea Monkeys' further. We wrote a balanced argument about Tashi going to the tea plantation instead of her poorly mother, which included subordinate conjunctions.  These words will be included in our spelling test. We finished the week by discussing the ingredients for writing expanded noun phrases: determiner + adjectives + noun + prepositional phrase. We wrote our own about the monkeys from the book. 
In Science, we investigated oxidation and observed the speed at which different liquids cause apples to go brown. Our results concluded that the apples in lemon juice were the least brown after 24 hours and the apples in vinegar were the most brown. The apples with no liquid went brown in the first 30 minutes and then stayed the same colour for the rest of the experiment.

Home Learning: Due Wednesday 29th March

Maths - pages 68-69 Angle Rules (NOT the 2 pages before that please)

Spellings x 6 AND sentences please: subordinate conjunctions

after, although, because, before, since, until 

Can you try writing these in your own sentences? Try to vary whether it goes at the start or middle.

Remember to include a comma when the sentence starts with a subordinate conjunction. 

Example: After I finished football training, my parents picked me up. 

               My parents picked me up after I finished football training.

(Optional English: page 22)

Next week:

PE days will be Monday and Thursday.

Monday -  please arrange for your child to be picked up from The Reach Free School at 2:30pm, following their Tag Rugby Event.

Wednesday - homework

Thursday - please drop off at 9am in the Church for our Easter Service.

Friday - Easter parade. Please create a bonnet / cap / hat / headwear piece, at home, to wear on Friday. 

We will finish at 1:10pm.

In Maths, we will be continuing to learn about Angles.

Have an incredible weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 17^th March 2023

This week we celebrated STEAM week! In Science, we made bath bombs, using kitchen ingredients, and tested out how long they took to fizz in water. We learnt that the chemical reaction caused by the bath bomb being exposed to water was an irreversible change from solid to gas.

In English, we read our new book, Cloud Tea Monkeys. We took on the role of becoming “Royal Tea-Tasters” and discussed our likes, dislikes and predictions about the book (and the tea of course!). We will be continuing to use this book to inspire our narrative writing until Easter break. If you would like to read it at home, here is a link to access the free PDF version:

http://www.st-jo-st.dudley.sch.uk/Files/Download/871b4384-6a4f-4b1b-95a4-2507d64f874c/2fcf3467-2463-41c5-96d2-c481772e51b0/Reading%20Cloud%20Tea%20Monkeys%20with%20Page%20numbers.pdf

In Maths, we reflected and translated shapes and began calculating the perimeter of rectilinear shapes.  

Home learning: Please hand this in by Wednesday.

No English

Maths – Reflection (pages 74 and 75)

Maths – Translation (pages 76 and 77)

Spellings x 8 – (tricky words/ topic words) - please keep practicing at home!

although, answer, irreversible, perimeter, probably, restaurant, solution, straight

Reading – Please continue to read and sign your record at least five times during the week. 

Next Week:
PE will be on the usual days - Monday and Thursday.

Parents Meetings will be held remotely on Wednesday and Thursday. Please book a slot online.

Have a great weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 10th March 2023

Home Learning (please bring this in on Wednesday 15th March)

English: Prepositions (pages 24 and 25 in CGP book)

Maths: 3D Shapes (pages 64 and 65 in CGP book)

Spellings x 6: (multisyllabic words from the Year 5/6 list):

accommodate, according, appreciate, communicate, exaggerate, vegetable

Reading: Please continue to read and sign your record at least 5 times. 

Next Week:

We will be starting a new learning sequence in English, based on the book 'Cloud Tea Monkeys'. On Tuesday, the children will have the opportunity to try some different flavoured teas in class. The teas won't be boiling hot and also won't contain caffeine or added sugar. Please speak to me if you have any concerns. 

In Maths, we will be learning how to translate and reflect shapes and we will be solving problems by calculating the perimeter and area of shapes. 

I look forward to seeing you on Monday for our Book Look!

Miss Bhanderi 

Friday 3rd March 2023

What a BRILLIANT BOOK WEEK we had! On Monday, every class read 'The Day the Crayons Quit'. We wrote our own dialogue scenario between two of the crayons. On Tuesday, we explored Tanka Poetry and wrote poems based on characters, that we know from books. Yesterday, it was so fantastic to see all of your wonderful costumes! (I will upload some photos over the weekend). Thank you for all your support with helping the children find their love for reading this week! It was so lovely to have you in the classroom this morning, as I don't usually get to see you.

IMPORTANT DATES for next week: 

Next Friday will be the only day to wear normal school uniform. 

• On Wednesday, it is Viking Day! 
• PE days will be on Monday and Tuesday (just for this week). 
• You will also need to wear your PE Kit on Thursday because we have a fun whole-class Tag Rugby event at The Reach Free school. Please read the letter and sign up online. Everyone in the class will be taking part.
• Each year, Year 5 and 6 take part in a K'NEX challenge, which will be on Thursday morning. 

Home Learning (due Weds 8th March)

Maths - pages 46 and 47 (Fraction, decimal and percentage problems) Please see the help sheet. 

Spellings x 6 - (Spelling rule: -ant / -ance)

important, relevant, restaurant

appearance, hindrance, nuisance 

Reading - Continue to read and sign your record 5 times during the week.

In Maths, we will be taking a break from percentages and fractions. Instead, we will be learning about 3D shapes and their 2D representations (eg. cuboid nets). We will also learn how to reflect and translate 2D shapes. 

See you on Monday,

Miss Bhanderi

My apologies about the Maths Homework books... I took some of them home over Half-term and forgot to return them to school. Please find attached a scan of the Maths pages (Percentages 44-45). You may hand in your homework on Thursday instead of Wednesday, if you need an extra day to complete it. I will bring the books back on Monday. 

Friday 24^th February 2023

Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful half-term. On Monday, we were very lucky to be visited by Electric Umbrella, a very engaging, talented music group, who taught us some songs and showed us that a smile is the best super power we could have! We really enjoyed singing and dancing along and we look forward to hopefully seeing them again next year.

Please read the letter from Mrs Palmer about our exciting Viking Day coming up on 8^th March. We will have the opportunity to make cardboard props at school before then, should the children wish to use them as part of their costume. I recommend wearing layers on underneath and bringing a coat as it will be chilly and they will still be going outside for their normal break times. Any props that are brought into school will remain inside.

Today, we conducted a Science investigation to find out which materials dissolve in water. Our key words were dissolve, soluble and solution. 

In English, we finished our Mystery and Suspense writing unit on Boy in the Tower, but will be continuing to read the book in Guided Reading sessions and at the end of each day. We are now on “Part Two”. Thank you for bringing in copies from home – this has been really worthwhile! In Maths, we began learning about percentages and how they relate to decimals and fractions, which we will continue next week.

Home learning:

Maths – Pages 44-45 (Percentages) in your Maths CGP book.

English – Viking Longships Comprehension.

Spelling – Please learn the spellings and meanings of these words, ending in –ent and –ence:

ancient, apparent, different, sufficient, conscience, convenience, existence, experience

Reading – Please continue to read and sign your record at least five times per week. 

Next Week:
Next Week is Brilliant Book Week! We will take part in a different book-related activity each day. I’m really looking forward to hearing about your favourite books and seeing your costumes for World Book Day on Thursday. If you would like to bring a book in to show the class, you are more than welcome to on any day next week!

In English, we will start a new writing unit, using a book called “Tales from Outer Suburbia” written and illustrated by Shaun Tan. This book is full of wonderful artistic work and peculiar short stories that reveal the mysteries of everyday life.

In Maths, we will continue learning about how to convert between percentages, fractions and decimals. We will find the percentage of a number or quantity in a problem-solving context.

Have a great weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Spring 2 Topics:

RE - Christianity: Salvation

History – Viking Invasion!

• Viking Day: 8^th March

Science – Changing Materials

• Dissolving investigation

• Bath Bombs and Irreversible Changes

Art – Illustrations

Music – Representing and Making Music with Colour

Computing –Collecting Data

P.E – Athletics and Hockey

Friday 10th February 2023

Happy half-term! 

For Wellbeing Week, we took part in a different activity each day, from Road Safety to Staying Safe online and we took part in some mindfulness too. Thank you for all your amazing walking / cycling to school this week - as a whole class, Year 5 have walked over 10km! 

We finished our topic lessons (I will attach some wonderful photos of our learning!) 

Home Learning:

Reading - Please continue to read and sign your record at least five times per week. 

There isn't any other home learning - enjoy your break, rest up, and come back ready for the second part of Spring Term.

If you would like to, please continue to practice your times tables. 

After half-term:

PE will be on Monday and Thursday as usual.

In Maths, we will be calculating percentages and looking at how they relate to decimal numbers and fractions. 

We will learn about the Vikings in History (and take part in a Viking Day - more details to come) and we will learn about Changes of Materials in Science. I am really looking forward to the investigations and experiements I have planned for us!

Have a brilliant half-term,

Miss Bhanderi :) 

Friday 3rd February 2023

I can't believe we are already in February and half-term is fast approaching! This week, we have explored Anglo-Saxon village life in History, and we have investigated thermal insulators and electrical conductors in Science. In Maths, we learnt how to estimate and calculate the area of shapes. Some of them had missing lengths! We learnt that a composite shape is a shape made up of more than one different shapes. I am very impressed with the children's courage and determination in Maths, learning new concepts week after week - SO impressed that I felt compelled to give the whole class a Progress in Learning certificate. They stood up in celebration assembly and received a round of applause from the rest of the school. What a proud moment! 

Next week, it is Wellbeing Week. We will be taking part in a different activity each day, that relates to this. In PSHE, we discussed what wellbeing and mental health mean to us and we decided that it's about keeping your mind healthy, which is just as important as keeping your body healthy!

Home Learning

• Maths - pages 58-59 Area (I have attached a "help sheet" for children to use if necessary) 
• Spelling - We will be using these words in our suspenseful writing.

                        New spelling rule for some of these words (-cious)

                        cautious / disaster / disastrous / mystery / mysterious / malicious / suspicious / vicious /

• Reading - Please continue to read at least five times per week and sign your reading record. I will ensure that everyone takes home their reading record on Monday, if they haven't done so already.
• English -  I have sent the children home with photocopies of Chapters 9-11 from Boy in the Tower, that I would like them to read at home, preferably by Tuesday please. In class, I will be asking them to think about how the author builds mystery and suspense. Please annotate / highlight any words or phrases that you find tricky or find interesting and would like to share in class. (Feel free to read on, but no spoilers please!)

Boy in the Tower (click the link below to read online or go onto Youtube to find audio version)

BOY IN THE TOWER Read Online Free Without Download - PDF, ePub, Fb2 eBooks by Polly Ho-Yen (readanybook.com)

Next week:
PE will be on Monday and Thursday.

In English, we will begin the week by identifying the features of news articles and writing our own based on the events so far in Boy in the Tower. By the end of the week, we will have also written a suspenseful scene including dialogue. 

In Maths, we will learn about cubed numbers in order to understand how to estimate and calculate volume and capacity.  

Have a restful weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 27th January 2023

What an amazing week of fun learning we've had! At the beginning of the week we celebrated Chinese New Year and were very lucky to have a member of the class bring in Red Pockets as a gift of good luck and hope. It was a special moment and really brought the learning to life! 

This week in Science, we learnt about a magnetic field and conducted an experiment to test which types of metals (and other materials) are magnetic or not. We also created a compass by magnetizing a paper clip and placing it on a leaf floating in a bowl of water.  

In Art and History, we painted our Anglo-Saxon Crosses and learnt about how and why the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain. We discovered that some of the places in England we know today are from the time of the Anglo-Saxons - like Kent! 

Home Learning

Maths: Page 52 only - Metric Units (I have attached a measurement conversion table that we used in class this week)

English (SPaG): Pages 9 and 10 - Adverbs

Spellings x 8 : Recap of Y4 suffixes; words ending in -ous and -ious

dangerous / enormous / famous / poisonous 

curious / obvious / serious / various 

Reading: Please continue to read and sign your record at least 5 times. 

I have noticed a wonderful improvement in spellings across the class, as they are beginning to embed the vocabulary in their writing! Thank you for supporting them at home. 

Next week:

PE will be on Monday and Thursday.

In Maths, we begun converting units of measure, which we will continue next week. 

In English, we read the book 'The Water Tower' and identified the features of mystery and suspense writing. Next week, we will start reading 'Boy in the Tower' by Polly Ho-Yen. 

If you have a copy of 'Boy in the Tower' at home, please bring it in to school. At the moment, I have enough for one book per table plus some photocopies. We will be using this book all the way up until half-term. 

Have a great weekend!

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 20th January 2023

This week, we started our History topic (Anglo-Saxon Invasion). We were very lucky to meet an author, Robin Price, who delivered an online creative writing workshop today. Robin Price is the author of the 'Beowuff' book series, that tells similar Viking stories to the book 'Beowulf', which is one of our passport reads! We also started designing and creating our Anglo-Saxon crosses in Art - we will paint them next week. 

I am incredibly impressed with the children's written poetry work in English over the last couple of weeks. We have been using powerful adjectives, exaggeration and metaphors, to bring our work to life. 

Pencil case reminder:

Please may you check that you have the following items for school - blue writing pen, green writing pen (for editing), pencil, ruler and eraser. 

Home learning due Wednesday:

Maths book - page 36 only. (Multiplying fractions - I will attach some guidance)

Comprehension book - pages 2 and 3 (Portrait of a Dragon)

Spellings x 6 - Please learn the spellings with the suffixes -ably and -ibly

reasonably / understandably / comfortably 

possibly / terribly / horribly 

Reading - Please continue to read 5 times a week and sign your record, to earn your stamps.

Next week:

• PE will be on Monday and Thursday.
• We will be starting new sequences of learning in both English and Maths. 
• In English, we will learn about Mystery and Suspense writing (fiction). The book we will be reading is The Watertower, by Gary Crew.
• In Maths, we will learn how to convert units of measure (metres, grams, litres and units of time) and problem solving with these.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Bhanderi 

Friday 13th January 2023

We started off the week with an Epiphany service at church. 'Epiphany' became our word of the week! We began all of our topic lessons - from testing the properties of materials in Science to researching Anglo-Saxon tools in Art/History. The children have shown a wonderful attitude to learning and are off to a great start! 

We were invited to watch a dress rehearsal at Rickmansworth School, along with Year 6. We couldn't believe how amazing all the singers, actors and dancers were - and the stage and lighting crew (all roles taken up by the students themselves!). On the morning of that day, in English, we discussed performance techniques when reading poetry, so it was rather interesting to see those techniques being brought to life.

Thank you to those parents that came along! As always, myself and all the staff at St Mary's really appreciate you making these trips possible. 

Home Learning

Maths - Problem Solving. Your child(ren) should have taken home a sheet today, which reflects the learning we have done this week. Try having a go at the Challenge X question if you can! 

English (SPaG) - Pages 82 and 83.

Spellings - Please learn the spellings. Words ending with -able and -ible are adjectives used to describe something. 

• adorable / enjoyable / noticeable / reliable 
• horrible / incredible / possible / sensible

Reading - A massive well done to the children who have earnt their Silver Reading Badge this week! Please remember to keep reading and signing at least five times a week. You can change your reading book on any day - just let me know! 

Next week:
In Maths, we will be multiplying fractions by whole numbers. 

In English, we will continue on our learning journey, Poetry. We will be using illustration and research to make our writing meaningful. Every line counts!

We are currently enjoying reading 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' by C.S Lewis, in Guided Reading. 

Have a superb weekend,

Miss Bhanderi  

Friday 6th January 2023

Happy New Year! Welcome back to school, for Spring Term. Please continue to read, sign your reading record and bring this in on Wednesday. There will be no other home learning for this week, as we settle back into class routines and begin learning new topics. 

Please bring in cardboard for our Art topic, if you have any (deadline 20th January). It must be easy to cut and no smaller than an average sized cereal box. I have managed to collect some over Christmas, but I would love for the children to have enough material to make their own Art project. I appreciate your support as always! :) 

Spring Term 1 Topics: Invasion!

Science - Properties and Changes of Materials

History - Anglo-Saxons and Vikings

Art - Collage (making Anglo-Saxon crosses and jewellery)

RE - How is faith expressed in Islam?

Computing - Creating and editing videos

Music - South and West Africa

PSHE - Keeping Myself Safe

PE days will be on Monday and Thursday. 

Home Learning and Reading Records will be due on Wednesdays. 

Next Week

We will meet at Church for the opening service on Monday morning. 

Also on Monday, Year 2 and Year 5 will have a Muslim visitor, who is coming to talk to us about the first pillar of Islam and the Qur'an. I have asked the children to come prepared with any questions they might like to ask her.

On Wednesday, we will attend Rickmansworth School to watch a performance. (Please see the letter from Mrs Palmer)

• Over the next two weeks in English, we will be writing poetry, using the book 'Locomotion' written by Jaqueline Woodson. Our learning focus will be about making purposeful vocabulary choices to create a dramatic, poetic performance. 
• In Maths, we will problem solve and use models to support our reasoning skills and interpret statistical data.

Take care,

Miss Bhanderi 

Wednesday 21st December 2022

Christmas break has arrived! This week, we finished our Discussion Text writing unit and practiced adding and subtracting fractions in context. We completed our Science: Space learning journey, by looking at the phases of the moon. We discovered that the moon doesn't change shape; it only appears to because of the Earth's shadow. We also made Christmas cards and crafts, sang songs and took part in fun games!

Thank you for your generous cards, gifts and kind words! I feel very blessed to know such a wonderful group of children and families. I shall pass on a huge thank you from Mrs Mcleod too! We are both looking forward to seeing you all in the new year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Miss Bhanderi :) 

Friday 16th December 2022

What a fantastic last full week of Autumn Term! This week has been packed with all sorts of exciting festivities. On Tuesday, we watched the pantomime at Watersmeet Theatre and on Wednesday, we had Christmas Jumper Day/ Christmas Lunch. My favourite part of the week was the Carol Service, which was led amazingly by Year Five. I am so proud of the children's efforts and beautiful singing. Thank you for coming and thank you to the parents who assisted us with our chilly walk back to school! 

Home Learning

Please continue to read and record your reading. Over the Christmas holidays, I would like you to rest and have a well-deserved break. Eat lovely food and spend time with your loved ones. I look forward to hearing how you have shown compassion this Christmas. If you would like to practise some spellings, I will upload the spelling list next week. I will also update you with our topics for Spring Term. 

Next week

PE will be on Monday. 

In English, we will finish writing our discussion texts and in Maths, we will finish our unit on adding and subtracting fractions. We will also finish our Science topic on Space. Whilst I am sad that such a brilliant topic is already coming to an end, I am excited for what's to come in the New Year - watch this 'space'...! 

On Wednesday, we will break up for Christmas at 1:10pm. 

Have a nice weekend and enjoy the rest of the snow!

See you on Monday, 
Miss Bhanderi 

Useful Link

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zhdwxnb/articles/z9n4k7h

Friday 9^th December 2022

This week, we had our DT Cooking Day. We were very grateful for Mrs Mcleod and Mrs Allen’s help throughout the day. The children showed amazing listening and resilience when learning new chopping and cooking skills. They learnt the importance of hygiene when preparing food, how to make pizza dough, and how to chop different shaped vegetables, from peppers to mushrooms. I’m sure the pizzas were as tasty as they looked!  

Home learning due Wednesday:

• Spellings x 5: learn the spelling and meanings of the words with -cially and -tially suffixes

              officially /  especially / partially / essentially / potentially

• English: Page 77 (‘shul’ sound)
• Maths: Adding and Subtracting Fractions (please find attached)
• Reading: Please read and sign your record at least 5 times. 

Next week:

In English, we will start reading ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’.

In Maths, we will revise converting improper fractions to and from mixed numbers.

On Thursday, Year 5 will be leading the Christmas Carol Service reading - 9am at St Mary's Church. Our song is ‘Silent Night’. It is sounding beautiful - please continue to practise the lyrics at home.   

I look forward to seeing you all on Monday,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 2nd December 2022

We have started our Advent time of the year! Each morning of December, we reveal part of the Nativity story, unwrap a wooden character from it, and open our chocolate advent calendar. Year 5 have been very lucky this year, as they have been visited by two Christmas elves - Eddie and Elfie. The elves have already managed to leave glitter everywhere and take a s-elf-ie on my laptop! (I wonder what else they are going to get up to...)

This week, we have continued our learning on Fractions in Maths. Before moving on to ordering, and adding and subtracting fractions, I would like us to become more confident with using our division skills in order to simplify fractions. Therefore, I have uploaded different Maths homework for this week, rather than the CGP book. Today, we used multilink cubes to practise sharing numbers into equal parts. We focussed on multiplication facts. If you know "3 x 4 = 12" then 12 divided by 3 must be 4, and so on.

In English, we planned and started writing a persuasive speech, answering the question: Should Shackleton go on another journey to Antarctica? We have worked really hard on making effective vocabulary choices to make our writing even more convincing. Keep up the amazing work, Year 5!

I noticed some children accidentally left their English homework book behind. If you are going to the Christmas Market tomorrow, you may pick it up from the school office. (I have also attached a photocopy) 

Home learning:

• Spellings x 8: learn the spelling and meanings of the words with -cial and -tial suffixes

        official / crucial / special / artificial / essential / partial / potential / torrential  

• English: Pages 8 (Adjectives) and 36 (Capital letters and Full stops)
• Maths: Simplifying fractions (attached to the blog). If you would like a paper copy, please get your child(ren) to let me know on Monday. I have added my own examples to the sheet. "Challenge X" is for anyone who is confident with simplifying fractions and would like to try an extension. 
• Reading: Please read and sign your record at least 5 times. 

Next Week:

• On Tuesday (6th), we will have a DT day, where we will be making and cooking healthy, vegetarian pizzas as part of our DT topic: Exploring UK's Seasonal Vegetables. If you don't already have an apron or old t-shirt in school, please bring one in. 
• In Guided Reading, we will revise comprehension skills. 
• In English, we will write paragraphs for the counterargument and conclusion sections of a persuasive speech. 
• In Maths, we will continue with Fractions and recap division.
• PE days will be Monday and Thursday. 

Have a fantastic weekend,

Miss Bhanderi 

Friday 25^th November 2022 

I would like to start off by saying how proud I am of Year 5 for taking part and trying their best in the Fun Run! The way they conducted themselves and cheered everybody on, was superb. And thank you to all the parents and Coach Jack for supporting this.  

Parents Evening Feedback 

Thank you for coming - it was so lovely to meet with you face to face! 

• Please find attached the Year 5 Writing Objectives and Weekly Timetable. The timetable is rough guide, as I like to vary topic lessons in the afternoon every week. PE remains the same - Mondays and Thursdays.  
• Each week, there will be an extra home learning sheet, which has a few Maths examples and (optional) extra challenges that match the homework set. Hopefully this will support you at home.  

Home Learning due Wednesday 

No spellings 

• Read at least 5 times per week and sign your record 
• Maths – page 32 (Equivalent Fractions) 

Whatever you multiply or divide the numerator by, you must do the same to the denominator.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsxhfg8/articles/zhbxxbk

• English – choose one of the following questions and write one paragraph either ‘for’ or ‘against’. Can you persuade (convince) me to agree with you?  

1. Should animals be in zoos? 
2. Should robots replace teachers? 
3. Should young people help to look after the environment?  

Next Week 

In Maths, we will continue learning about fractions – comparing and ordering fractions. 

In English, we will be writing persuasive speeches, using the writing skills we have built up over the week.  

Have a great weekend, 

Miss Bhanderi 

Friday 18th November 2022

This week was Anti-Bullying Week. We discussed what bullying looks like, acted out some scenarios and suggested ways that we could help if we see bullying happening; for example, telling a trusted adult. On Monday, the children worked together in their school family groups; I was very impressed by how they showed compassion and worked well as a team when taking part in the activities.  

In English, we started a new book called ‘Shackleton’s Journey’, by William Grill. Our writing focus over the next couple of weeks will be on persuasive language. Some of the writing techniques include using facts to give evidence, fascinating the reader/ listener with interesting points, using short sentences for emphasis, and using the power of three words.

In Music, we have started learning our song for the Christmas Carol Service. It sounded so beautiful that I wanted to cry (with happy tears)! We also had a “jam session”, where we discussed listening skills and rhythm, and then took the instruments outside and performed in small groups.

Home Learning due Wednesday

There was a significant increase in children handing in their home learning on time – thank you so much!

• Maths - Complete page 24 (Written Division)
• English – Complete pages 16-17 (Basic Relative Clauses)
• Reading - Read at least five times this week and get your reading record signed. 
• Spelling – (words with –le, -el, -il, -al endings)

middle, little, travel, tinsel, pencil, fossil, metal, spherical

Next Week

Children will need to wear PE kit on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.  

On Thursday, we are going to take part in a Fun Run. Please wear suitable trainers for running in and bring plenty of water.

In Maths, we will be starting a new unit on fractions – how to identify equivalent fractions, improper and mixed number fractions.

I have now spent a week living in my new home. The children were asking me lots of questions - I certainly missed them last Friday! I look forward to seeing you all at parents evening next week. 

Have a delightful weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 11th November 2022

In Geography, we used Atlases to study a detailed map of Europe. We discussed the difference between human and physical features and found real-life examples on St Mary's grounds. We created our own map of Europe, by each cutting out a country and working as a team to piece it all together. 

I was exceptionally impressed with the children's editing in Writing this week! They worked very well in pairs to read their cinquain poetry to each other, and then edit them together. 

Unfortunately, there have been a number of children not bringing their homework in on time, which means they are missing out on consolidating their learning when we go through it in the classroom. Please talk to me if there are any issues surrounding the homework, and I will be more than happy to support you.   

Wednesdays - hand in your home learning:

• Maths: Written multiplication (page 24).
• English Comprehension: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth (pages 4-5)
• Spellings: (Words with a 'soft c') nice, dice, notice, sacrifice, decide, excellent, exercise, existence  
• Reading Record (signed 5 times per week)

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Bhanderi 

Friday 4th November 2022

Our first week back after half-term is already complete! We have made a fantastic start to our new topics this week. In Science, we sang about the order of the planets, based on their distance from the sun. We used Chromebooks to research the planets in more detail. I was amazed by the number of curious questions by the children and their eagerness to learn more - they certainly kept my brain ticking! In Maths, we worked on written methods for addition and subtraction, which involved reasoning and problem solving skills. 

Wednesdays: please hand in homework and your reading record

Home learning:

• Maths: Written addition and subtraction (pages 12 and 13). Please show your working-out!
• Maths: Please revise your times tables up to the 12's.
• Spellings: (the planets - starting with capital letters) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
• Reading Record (signed 5 times per week)

Next week:

PE will continue to be on Mondays and Thursdays. 

In English, we will be writing cinquain poems, linking to Remembrance Day.

In Maths, we will look at written methods for multiplication. 

I look forward to seeing some of you on Sunday for St Mary's Firework night! :) 

Take care,

Miss Bhanderi 

Autumn 2 Topics: Explorers
Science: Earth and Space

Geography: Maps (Exploring Europe)

RE: Incarnation 

DT: UK Seasonal Food

Music: Composition and Notation

PSHE: Valuing Difference

Friday 21st October 2022

I can't believe we have already finished our first half-term in Year 5! This week, the whole school presented their learning about different women of Black History in assemblies. Year 5 have been learning about Alice Ball, a chemist who created a cure for leprosy. We conducted thorough research and presented our work to the school in the form of a narrated role play. I was so impressed by their enthusiasm and ideas, and what they managed to achieve in a short space of time! 

There will not be any home learning or spellings set this week. You have all earned a well-deserved break!

• Please sign reading records 5 times a week and hand them in on Wednesdays.  

After half-term changes:
From now on, homework books and reading records will be due in on a Wednesday. 

Have a restful half-term,

from Miss Bhanderi :)

Friday 14th October 2022

Wow - what a fantastic week! First of all, I would like to say how wonderful the children were on the Legoland Trip. They were very engaged in the Science Workshop and showed great listening throughout the day. Thank you all for giving them the opportunity to go. (Photos pending!)

This week, at school, we undertook a science experiment called 'How does the shape of a boat affect the water resistance acting on it?' We made boats out of tin foil and compared a canoe shape to a rectangle shape. We found, as predicted, that streamlined boats move more easily through water. They have a similar shape to most sharks, planes and professional front crawl swimmers. However, the rectangle boat could hold more mass and would stay afloat longer, meaning it was more resistant to the water underneath it. The children wrote a prediction, method and conclusion; they also recorded their results in a table.

Home Learning – Please bring in on THURSDAY

• Maths – Pages 19 and 20 (Factors and Primes)
• Comprehension– Pages 6 and 7 (Recycle: Non-fiction)
• Spelling (-ed / double consonant) –  label, labelled, travel, travelled, transfer, transferred, prefer, preferred, 

Reading – Please continue to read 5 times and bring in the signed reading record on THURSDAY.  I will double-stamp the ones that were missed this week.

Next week: 

• In Maths, we will be using all of the skills we've learnt so far, to find a variety of strategies to add and subtract numbers. These skills includes rounding, estimation, place value and problem solving. 
• In English, we will continue to write non-fiction explanation texts. 
• Our new class read is 'The Explorer' by Katherine Rundell. 

See you next week,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 7th October 2022

As we came to the end of studying 'Monsterology Handbook' in English, Year Five wrote a non-chronological report about their own mythical and magical creature. We are working really hard to use the tools around us (thesaurus, dictionary, word bank...) to up-level our vocabulary - editing is a powerful skill to have and makes us great learners!

Thank you for all the recycled materials you brought in for DT. Our all-terrain vehicles are complete and filled with imagination and creativity!

Home Learning – Please bring in on WEDNESDAY (so they can be marked and go home on Thursday) *

• Maths – Pages 3 and 4 (Year 4 Objectives Test: please try to complete independently)
• English – Pages 6 and 7 (Modal Verbs)
• Spelling – There will be no spelling test this week, as we will be going on a trip to LEGOLAND Windsor. 

Reading – Please continue to read 5 times and bring in the reading record on THURSDAY.

* Please find attached copies of the homework. I believe some books have been left in the classroom. 

Next Week: 

• As this week came to a close, the children were buzzing with excitement. Next Friday, we will be going to LEGOLAND Windsor. We will be taking part in a Science workshop about Forces and we'll have plenty of time to explore the park too. Please see more details in the letter. Please bring a warm, waterproof coat, as we will be outside for most of the day, and the weather is (as always!)  rather unpredictable. 
• On Wednesday morning, Year 5 and Year 2 and very lucky to have a visitor from church come in and talk about the effect of singing in church and why it is valued by many Christians. This links into our RE topic this half-term - Christianity: God and worship. 
• In English, we will start a non-fiction sequence on explanation texts. Our core text will be 'How to be a World Explorer' by Lonely Planet. 
• In Maths, we will learn about Prime and Composite numbers. 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday, 30^th September 2022

This week has flown by! Year 5 have been up to lots of incredible learning - Bikeability, research projects and DT modelling (and that’s just to name a few of the things!). Thank you for bringing in recycled materials. Please continue to do so, as we will carry on with this next Friday. So far, we have created linkages and levers out of coloured card and split pins; we made windscreen wipers (moving in a parallel motion) and snow shovels (moving in a perpendicular motion).

Home Learning – Please bring in on Thursday

Maths – Page 7. (Place Value in Big Numbers)

English – Page 15 (Clauses)

Spellings – Consonant Letter Suffixes (-ment/ -ness):

1. movement
2. enjoyment
3. environment
4. measurement
5. sadness
6. forgiveness
7. happiness
8. laziness

(happy -> happiness / lazy -> laziness)

Please continue to read 5 times and bring in the reading record on Friday.

Next Week: 

In Maths, we will multiply and divide numbers by 10,100 and 1000.

In English, we will plan and draft non-chronological reports based on our own mythical creatures, inspired by the ‘Monsterology Handbook’. Even though our creatures are made up, we will be writing in a non-fiction style, so we will aim to include facts, detailed information and multi-clause sentences in our writing.

I hope you have a brilliant weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 23rd September 2022

Another excellent week in Year 5! In DT, we designed all-terrain vehicles, which we will be making out of recycled materials next Friday. It would be a massive help, if you’d kindly bring in any cardboard boxes (no bigger than a cereal box), cardboard tubes, and bottle tops. No plastic bottles, please!

We created information leaflets/ survival guides in Geography, which were so brilliant that I’ve displayed all of them in the Key Stage 2 corridor for the rest of the school to enjoy reading! We used Chromebooks to conduct research on famous mountain expeditions and explorers. I was very impressed with the range of conjunctions the children were using in their Topic writing.   

Home Learning – Please bring in on Thursday

CGP books have been handed out today: 1 Maths and 1 SPAG. I have their Reading Comprehension books at school, which will alternate with SPAG each week. Home learning will always correspond with the learning we are doing in school.

• Maths – Page 6 (Counting backwards through zero)
• English – Page 21 (Co-ordinating conjunctions)
• Spelling – Plurals: signatures, century, centuries, thief, thieves, family, families, churches

Reading – Please continue to read 5 times and bring in the reading record on Friday.

Next Week: 

• We are undertaking our cycling proficiency training next week (Bikeability). Please make sure children are suitably equipped to be outdoors for part of the day, if they are attending Bikeability. 
• On Thursday morning, we are at church for our Harvest Service.
• The Bishop is visiting us on Tuesday to bless the KS1 prayer garden, and will meet with the Ethos Council during his visit. 

Have a restful weekend,

Miss Bhanderi

Friday 16^th September 2022

Hello everyone,

First of all, I would like to say how blown away I am by the exceptional level of work produced across the curriculum this week - what a fantastic start to the year! We have enjoyed researching temperature differences, mountains and extreme terrains, and have written short stories based on the book 'The Wolves in the Walls'. It was also my pleasure to teach the children how to play a chord (2 or more notes at a time) on a xylophone, as we begin to study the 'Blues' in Music. 

Thank you for being patient with me on Zoom in our meeting yesterday! It was lovely to meet more of you. I have uploaded the “Meet the Teacher” slides, for anyone who wasn’t able to make it. I am also available after school if you ever have any questions. Your child/ children will have gone home with at least one reading book that they picked today. Some of them have chosen to keep the same book as last week. They are welcome to change a book at any time during the week or read a book from home. 

Home learning:
Please complete and return this by Thursday, so it can be marked in school with the children. We are waiting for the CGP books to arrive. In the meantime, I have photocopied some work. Please find it attached. Spelling tests will take place on Fridays. I have underlined the tricky parts of the spellings.

• Spellings – Commonly used and misspelt words: fruit, quarter, Wednesday, island, separate, therefore, medicine, sentence
• Maths – Place Value. Top tip: Write a place value chart above your numbers like we worked on in class  (H T O, H T O).
• Comprehension – ‘The Word Party’ poem and questions. Top Tip: if the question is worth 2 marks, try to write two pieces of information.
• Reading – 5 x signed reading record by Friday

Over the next couple of weeks:

In Maths, we will compare, order and round decimal numbers. In English, we will start studying a book called ‘The Monsterology Handbook’ by Ernest Dr. Drake. The spelling focus will be ‘plurals’. 

Have an excellent weekend,

Miss Bhanderi :)

Friday 9^th September 

Welcome to Year 5! We have already had such a fun-packed week and it is only week one! They have settled in wonderfully this week and are already demonstrating such fantastic attitudes towards their learning. At our Start of Term Service at Church on Tuesday, the children thoroughly enjoyed walking back to school with Year 2 and were exceptional role models. Thank you to all the parent helpers that joined us; it was lovely to meet you.  

We have begun learning about our new topics, such as Forces (Science) and Mountains (Geography). The children took home their reading books and reading records today. Please may they read at least 5 times per week and bring in their record every Friday, so they can be praised accordingly. More details about the Year 5 curriculum and reading books will be covered in our Meet the Teacher Meeting on Thursday 15^th September. 

Next week 

In Maths, we will be learning to calculate with negative numbers and to interpret data on graphs involving negative numbers. We will be carrying out a mathematical investigation on the average temperatures of mountain climates around the world.  

In English, we will be writing a report, with a focus on including co-ordinating conjunctions.  

PE will be on Mondays and Thursdays – please come to school in P.E kit.  

Home learning 

If your child is interested in becoming part of the School Council, Ethos Council, Sports Council or Eco Council, they can either write a letter to myself, design a poster, create a presentation or make a video.     

I hope you all have a restful weekend.  

Miss Bhanderi