Year 5

Welcome to Year 5!

This year, it will be Mr Hare, Mrs Allison and Mrs Jackson looking after you! We are all very excited to welcome you in the Upper Key Stage 2 and cannot wait to have some wonderful time learning new things and slowly begin to get ready for Year 6. 

Some important information about this half term, as we will be trying to limit the amount of things moving between school and home:

School day starts at 8.40 and the children have a booklet with activities for Arithmetic and Grammar that will prepare them for SATs. It is therefore important they are in school at 8.40, so that they can have those 15 minutes to consolidate their learning. At 8.55, the answers are presented and the children self-mark and have a chance to ask me any questions about grammatical terms or strategies in Maths. 

Spellings

• spellings are published on our school page under 'Spellings' every Monday to be practised at home and the children are tested on them on Friday.

Homework

• Homework this week will consist of Reading (Either AR or MYon, spellings are on the spellings page and it is expected that all pupils will engage with TTRockstars for at least 10 minutes each day. This needs to be completed electronically by Wednesday. If the children do not manage to complete the homework by Wednesday, they will be allowed access to an IPAD during break time on Thursday or Friday to complete it, so that they have the same chance as the other pupils to consolidate their learning and bridge gaps. (the login details for SeeSaw are stuck inside your children's Reading Journal)
• The children will need to bring in their KEYS books with the knowledge organisers. These will not be sent home but will continue being updated. The KEYS for the topics being taught will be published on Seesaw, so that they are accessible to the children and they can continue completing their KEYS homework and earn some extra ticks! 

Reading at home

• the children are expected to read at home at least 3 - 5 times a week. Once the book is finished and the children's 'Book Review' at the front has been signed by me, they can quiz about it every Tuesday to Friday. In year 5, I like to emphasise it is the children's responsibility to make sure that their reading journal is signed by a parent/guardian/grandparent (either every time they read or once a week), so that they can get awarded Ninja belts for every 25 reads. Please click here to read more about how to fill in the Reading Journal and how the process of assigning your child with a reading level work. 

• Their Reading Journals will be checked and signatures counted every Thursday. If the children forget to get it signed that week, I will not be counting their entries at the back of the RJ that week. Once they manage to get it signed, the next time I am checking the RJ, I will be able to count these towards the Ninja belts. 
• The children need to bring their Reading Journal and book everyday to school. Due to current circumstances, they will not be able to get a spare book out during the time allocated to AR. If they forget their book or RJ, they will be given time the next day during break to access the quizzing platform and change books, so that they can continue their reading practice. 

Times Tables

• The children need to keep practising their times tables as preparation of learning formal methods of division and multiplication and SATs. They are expected to use TT Rockstars for this which is a fantastic, fun tool (even I have it on my phone and keep practising!). They will get tested on times tables every Friday morning. (the login details for TT Rockstars are stuck inside your children's Reading Journal)

PE

• Currrently, we will be only having one PE session/week, which will be Friday afternoon. We ask that your child comes in in their PE kit on that day and they will wear it all day. This is to minimise the amount of things for the children to carry. Currently, swimming will not go ahead – we will inform Parents as soon as this changes.

What should your child bring with them to school? 

• Coat (if needed)
• Water bottle clearly labelled, which the children will keep by them all day (there will be no access to water fountains or drinking cups)
•  A small snack from home following usual healthy snack rules
•  Packed lunch bag (if not having school lunch)
• Reading Wallet with Book (please wipe with a sanitised wipe when returning to school and school will wipe any reading books that are being taken home)
• Sun cream & sun hat (if required, children must be able to apply sun cream themselves. Please label sunhats and explain to your child they must not wear anyone else’s hat).

There will be limited access to cloakrooms and children in Year 5 will need to keep everything they bring to school to keep with them at their desks. We ask that the children DO NOT bring their bookbags or any other bags. Children will not need to bring in any other resources – they will be given their own resources to use in class.

During the day, the children will have access to sinks, antibacterial soap and hand sanitisers which are installed in the classrooms and across our school. If your child has a specific skin condition and are required to use special hand sanitiser, they are allowed to bring that (clearly labeled) into school with them and they will use this in the class' allocated time slots for washing hands/sanitising hands.

Times Tables

• The children need to keep practising their times tables as preparation of learning formal methods of division and multiplication and SATs. They are expected to use TT Rockstars for this which is a fantastic, fun tool (even I have it on my phone) which allows them to practise the TT and progresses them as the master different multiplication facts. Times Tables will be tested on Friday.

Staying in touch

• Our class website is going to be updated so keep checking for photos and videos! Also, make sure you follow us on Twitter @crontony5, where you will get almost daily photos and videos from the children's learning and you can interact with our class by tagging us in your tweets; maybe about a trip your child has been on or the way they continued their learning at home. 

• Communication is key and as you know, I am always happy to answer any queries or discuss concern. However, inn these difficult times, it is very important that staff is not approached at the classroom door as this could put staff and therefore children at risk. I would also ask you not to send any notes in and use this contact form or ring the school. If you have a query, a concern or just a simple message, please ring the school or send an email (you can do that through 'Contact the school' form). I can then email/ring your back as soon as possible. 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding  - I hope you are equally as excited about the school year as we are and we will be looking forward to us working together to look after your children.

Kind Regards,

Mr Hare, Mrs Allison and Mrs Jackson