This week in art, the children selected a landscape photograph from around Cleethorpes and began sketching their chosen image in preparation for painting next week.

They developed key skills such as drawing a horizon line, considering perspective, and thinking carefully about the size and placement of objects in the foreground, midground, and background.

We also discussed that this is just a sketching stage. Next week, the children will bring their artwork to life using paints, exploring tints, tones, and shades.

Great focus and creativity shown by everyone!

The children have been revising parenthesis in preparation for SATs. They explored what punctuation is used and where it should be placed within a sentence. The class loved playing “Be the Teacher”, where they marked a set of sentences to decide whether they were correct, demonstrating excellent reasoning and teamwork.

We had a great start to our tennis topic in PE! The children practiced forehand and backhand shots using our Cone Shot activity. They worked independently inside a cone rectangle, placing the ball on the floor and striking it with the racket to aim for cone targets. This helped develop control, accuracy and confidence with racket skills.

This week, the children explored the metamorphosis of a frog, learning about the different stages of its life cycle: frogspawn, tadpole, froglet, and adult frog.

We encouraged the children to think deeply about our enquiry question by discussing similarities and differences between the life cycles of mammals and amphibians. This helped them develop their scientific thinking and observation skills.

The children used "Tell Me More" cards to share ideas, ask questions, and challenge themselves as they learned more about the fascinating life cycle of a frog. They showed great curiosity and thoughtful discussion throughout the lesson! 

This week we had a fantastic visit from author Luke Temple, who introduced us to the exciting world of his Felix Dashwood books!

Felix Dashwood and the Traitor’s Treasure
Luke started by introducing the first book in the series.
We met the main characters Felix, Casper and Drift, and learned about Thistlewick Island, where the story takes place.
We discovered that Drift’s family can no longer afford to live on the island. Meanwhile, Felix ends up in detention and finds a mysterious note hinting at hidden treasure. Felix hopes that finding it will help Drift’s family stay on the island-so the three friends set off on a treasure hunt! Along the way, they meet Captain Traitor, a pirate aboard The Tormentor!
We even watched a trailer… but if we want to know what happens next, we’ll have to read the book!

Storytelling Game Fun!
The children then played a hilarious storytelling game, adding one word at a time to create a wild adventure.
Their main character was Maddison, who was kidnapped by pirates from Disco Land to Disco World by Pirate Disco! The story took some very funny turns, including a dancing-related injury and even a hippo!
 

Today in Science, we explored gestation periods and investigated how long different mammals are pregnant for. The children compared a range of mammals and used this information to create their own bar charts, showing the differences clearly.

We discovered an interesting pattern:
Typically, the larger the mammal, the longer the gestation period.
However, the blue whale added an unexpected twist! Despite being the largest mammal on Earth, it has a gestation period of around 11 months, which is noticeably shorter than the elephant, whose gestation lasts about 22 months. This surprising exception made for great discussion and careful thinking.

The children showed fantastic enquiry skills, analysing data and spotting patterns like real scientists. Well done, everyone! 

 Learning About Why Rainforests Are Important 
This week we explored why rainforests are often called “the lungs of the Earth.”
The children learned that rainforests are an integral part of life on our planet because they:

 Release oxygen and store carbon dioxide - just like lungs, they help keep the air clean and balanced.
Are a diverse cathedral of life - home to around 50% of all Earth’s animal species.
Help regulate the world’s climate by absorbing heat and moisture.
Produce around 25% of the world’s medicines, including many everyday treatments.
Provide a huge variety of foods, such as bananas, chocolate, nuts, spices, and more.
The children then created their own infographics, illustrating how rainforests act as the “lungs of the planet.” They loved turning their learning into colourful, creative posters to share their message about protecting these vital forests.

Great teamwork, creativity, and environmental awareness from everyone this week!

This week in PE, we consolidated our sprinting technique and looked at how these skills can be applied during a relay race. The children learned the success criteria for safely and effectively passing the baton, including maintaining speed, using clear communication, and making a smooth handover.

We then took our learning outside to put these skills into practice, and it was brilliant to get outdoors again in the sunshine! The children showed great teamwork, focus, and enthusiasm throughout. 

This week, our young artists have been delving into the bold and vibrant world of Henri Matisse. Inspired by his expressive use of colour and strong, simplified forms, the children created their own still life arrangements using everyday classroom objects. After carefully observing their composition, pupils produced detailed sketches before moving on to paint. They explored how to mix tints, tones, and shades, experimenting with contrasting colours to bring energy and balance to their final pieces. The results were wonderfully imaginative and full of personality!

This week, the children took part in a Compass Go workshop all about self-esteem. During the session, they explored:

What healthy self-esteem looks like

What low self-esteem might feel like

How to recognise the differences

The children also discussed the many things that can impact our self-esteem - and how these can be different for everyone. Together, they identified a range of strategies that can help support and strengthen self-esteem, both in school and at home.

It was a really positive session, and the children engaged brilliantly with all of the activities and discussions. 

In art, they recapped different shading techniques, studied still life compositions, and created their own arrangements, finishing with a class gallery to discuss their choices and the sketching techniques used to create depth.

This week in our My Happy Mind session, the children learned all about strengths and how these can help them solve problems and manage tricky feelings.
We talked about the different personal strengths we all have—such as kindness, patience, bravery, creativity and perseverance—and how these strengths can support us when we face something difficult.

• The children then completed an activity where they:
• Thought about which strengths they use every day
•  Identified strengths that help them solve problems
•  Reflected on something they feel worried about
•  Considered which of their strengths could help them deal with that worry

They showed wonderful insight and positivity, and we are really proud of how thoughtfully they approached the task 
Feel free to chat with your child at home about the strengths they chose and how they can use them in everyday situations!

 We had an incredible immersive experience at Jorvik, stepping back into the Viking era and exploring what life was like in York over a thousand years ago. The children loved every moment, from the sights and sounds of Viking streets to the surprising historical details.

Key Highlights & Facts:

• Viking Arrival: The first Viking raid was in 793 AD, and they took control of York in 866 AD, during the Anglo-Saxon era.
• Population: Around half of York’s population would have been Vikings, living side by side with others along its bustling streets.
• Fashion & Status: Vikings were known for showing off—wearing bright colours, jewellery, and expensive gear. Red dye was the third most expensive colour in the 10th century!
• Children’s Role: Children were considered property and could even be sold.
• Curious Artefact: A fossilised Viking poo (worth £250,000!) has appeared on Blue Peter, QI, and even travelled to Australia for study.
• Money Matters: Silver was the main currency. For example, 1.5 grams of silver could buy 16 chickens. Coins bore the king’s stamp to show ownership. There were also gold coins like the shilling, reserved for aristocracy.

The visit was both fun and educational, giving us a vivid glimpse into Viking life and culture.

This morning, the children enjoyed a fantastic visit to Cleethorpes Academy, where they explored how to create a piece of still life using oil pastels and paint to design their own tropical bird.

During the workshop, they learned how to divide their artwork into sections and identify the shapes within their subject to support accurate drawing. After completing their sketches, the children selected their preferred media to add colour and experimented with harmonious colour schemes and blending techniques.

We are very proud of all the children for their creativity and enthusiasm during this inspiring experience.

This week in science, we explored the fascinating properties of different materials! The children investigated:
Magnetic materials – Which objects are attracted to magnets?
Transparency – Is the material transparent, translucent, or opaque?
Conductors and insulators – Which materials conduct electricity and which do not?

Ask your child to share what they discovered and see if they can remember our key vocabulary:
transparent, translucent, opaque, magnetic, conductor, insulator.

They loved being scientists —why not test their knowledge at home?

This term, the children have embarked on an exciting musical journey as they learn to play the ukulele. They have been discovering how the strings create different notes and developing the skill to find these notes with confidence. Through practice and perseverance, the children have learned to play a cheerful tune, showcasing their growing sense of rhythm and melody. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and creativity shine as they make music together!

Our children recently took part in an inspiring online event: Greatness Comes From Everywhere, delivered by the Premier League Primary Stars in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. This special session featured award-winning poet Joseph Coelho and radio DJ and presenter Lauren Layfield, who guided pupils through the theme of diversity and how it can be celebrated through poetry.

The lesson encouraged pupils to think deeply about inclusion and equality, drawing on the Premier League’s No Room For Racism campaign to champion respect and unity. Through creative writing, pupils explored how the theme “Greatness Comes From Everywhere” can be expressed in powerful and imaginative ways.

What did the children do?

• Learned about different forms of poetry and how they can convey important messages.
• Discussed inspiring quotes from the Premier League and the No Room For Racism campaign.
• Created their own poems celebrating diversity, individuality, and the idea that greatness truly comes from everywhere.

This experience not only developed literacy skills but also helped pupils understand the importance of inclusion and respect in our communities.

Our young chefs put their cutting, measuring, and cooking skills to the test as they created planet-friendly burgers! After exploring sustainable ingredients, they designed their own recipes and worked together with fantastic teamwork. The highlight? Tasting their delicious creations at the end of a fun-filled Thursday afternoon!

In indoor PE this week, the children have been revisiting and practising rolls they have learned previously! They all did excellently and have begun creating a gymnastic sequence including a roll and a balance. Over the next few weeks, they will be developing their own gymnastics routine incorporating all of the skills we have learned so far!

Silver Birch had a fantastic Compass Go workshop this week with Amy! We explored body image, self-love, and the power of positive words. Pupils listened attentively, shared thoughtful ideas, and asked brilliant questions—well done, Silver Birch!

In Gymnastics this week, the children have been creating their own balances. The have been practising creating solo and partner balances: exploring counter balance and counter tension!

Black History Month is a time to honor the achievements and contributions of Black individuals throughout history: a month-long celebration observed in October. Its purpose is to recognise the struggles, triumphs, and cultural impact of Black communities worldwide.

This week, we are learning about Nelson Mandela, a key figure in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Born on 18 July 1918, Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing racial segregation. In 1994, he became South Africa’s first Black president, leading the country toward racial reconciliation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his efforts to dismantle apartheid and promote equality.

This week in English, we’ve been exploring homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings! The children worked hard to match pairs of homophones such as herd / heard, stationary / stationery, father / farther, and cereal / serial.
They then matched each pair to the correct definitions, showing great attention to detail and growing confidence in spotting the differences between tricky words.
Everyone did a brilliant job and had fun becoming homophone experts! 

In PE, the children have been learning how to perform the standing triple jump! 
We broke the skill down into its key stages – the hop, step, and jump – and practiced each part individually. Once confident, the children combined all the movements to perform the full triple jump. 
Everyone showed fantastic focus, coordination, and enthusiasm. Great effort, team! 

In Maths this week, we have been exploring place value and numbers up to 10,000,000. The children worked together to create a giant number line on the floor, using intervals of 10 to place numbers accurately. They discussed where different numbers should go and challenged each other’s thinking. We then began exploring number lines with different intervals, such as 2, 5 and 4, to see how this changes the way numbers are represented. The children showed great teamwork and problem-solving skills!

The children have settled into Silver Birch beautifully, quickly adapting to their new classroom and embracing the daily routines with confidence. They are already enjoying a variety of fun and engaging activities, exploring new learning opportunities with enthusiasm and curiosity. It has been wonderful to see their smiles and excitement as they make new friends, grow in independence, and begin to feel at home in their new environment.