Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
-
HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE – 25/9/2020
Fri 25 Sep 2020Another wonderful week has come to an end in school. The children continue to follow the new school expectations remarkably well and are showing enthusiasm and smiles in and around school which is lovely to see.
Our assembly this week was linked to perseverance and personal growth; I have enjoyed talking to the children throughout the week about their ambitions and personal goals. So many of the children have such high aspirations which I know they will achieve.
Even though we are unable to all meet together to celebrate the children achievements, we are still awarding the Golden Trophy each week and celebrating this in the class and across the year groups. During the week, I have visited all the classes and seen lots of incredible work.
In year 2 this morning, the children have been investigation different ways to make 2 digit numbers and how to use manipulatives to exchange.
Some of the Daffodil children wanted to tell me all about their learning.
George H told me “In maths you don’t always need what you think you need”
Thea and Lorelei explained “We had tens and ones and we used the base ten to make the numbers"
Noah was excited to share that he found five different ways to make 21.
In Year 4 they have been examining the human body, looking closely at our digestive system and how amazing the body is. The children were surprised to discover that the human body produces between 1 and 2 litres of saliva daily and that the small intestine is about 22-23 feet long while the large intestine is only about 5 feet long.
What super scientist they have been!
Thank you all for your patience and understanding with our entrance and exit arrangements. You have been incredible and that support is wonderful to have. I am pleased that so many of you report how effective you feel it has been.
Just a polite reminder to please be considerate of our neighbours and their property. We teach the children respect and so we should model this ourselves, as adults. We all need to be kind and considerate, some of our local residents are elderly and will find it intimidating if you park across their drives.
Finally, I would like to end by reminding you about the importance of reading. At Glenleigh Park, we place so much importance on reading at home. All research and studies show that children who read every day do better at every stage of their education. We see it in school; the pupils that read at home are making better progress. The majority of our parents do find time to enjoy books at home with their children and do record this in the home school books – thank you.
-
HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE – 18/9/20
Fri 18 Sep 2020Dear Parents and Carers,
Glenleigh Park has been very busy this week! Pupils have shown such resilience and perseverance in class and the teachers have been super impressed with their eagerness to learn and adapt to new routines. In my assembly on Monday, I shared the importance of perseverance; it has been wonderful to hear and see the children thinking about this in their learning and friendships this week.
On Monday we welcomed our Reception children into school, it was delightful to see their smiley happy faces and we are all very impressed with how well they have settled well. They are building new friendships and learning new routines beautifully. Thank you to the parents in Reception for your support and encouragement, it has been gratefully received.
In all the classes this week, I have been impressed by the amount of work the children have been producing, there has been a theme of place value in maths and in reading the children have been discussing effective reading behaviours. Throughout the school, the children have been thinking about their new learning journeys and working on developing their research and enquiry skills.
Finally, thank you to all of you for continuing to helping us to reopen safely for all pupils. It has certainly been a challenge to make sure that we do all we can to minimise the risk of Covid-19 and enable all the pupils to arrive and leave school smoothly.
-
HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE – 11/9/20
Fri 11 Sep 2020Dear Parents/Carers
Welcome to my first heads update for this academic year.
I would like to start by saying a huge well done to all the children, for many of them Monday was the first time they had been in school since the end of March, and to say they have coped fantastically is an understatement. The classrooms have been a hive of activity and the children have been remarkable in the way they have settled back into the school routines and expectations. Adjusting to the new procedures for lunchtimes, playtimes and the start and end of the day seems to have been amazingly straightforward for the children; they have calmly and sensibly entered the school and made everyone at school very proud, demonstrating such remarkable resilience to the current circumstances.
Also, I would like to thank all the parents who have supported the end and start time arrangements. I am aware that some of the gates are busy; I really appreciate that so many of you are social distancing and leaving the gates promptly once you have seen your child safely through the gates. Please be reassured we are constantly reviewing our arrangements and we are following all the guidance from the DfE to ensure we are prioritising the safety of all the school community.
On Monday, we welcome both our nursery and reception children into school, with these children being so very young and this being their first time at the school, we have made the decision to allow only the parents of these children to enter the main gates, where members of staff will be available to ensure the safe handover of the children. If you are a parent, of a child in one of these classes you will receive a letter that explains the arrangements in more details.
Hopefully, the children have told you all about the learning and wonderful work they have completed this week. My thanks to all of the children and staff for their dedication and focus.
In Year 1, the children have been looking at the history of toys, running the golden mile and using manipulatives to help their place value understanding.
Mrs Russell and Mrs Sinfield asked the children how they felt about being back at school and the children said:
“I was a bit nervous, but when I got to year one it was good.” Benny
“I feel good because I like it.” Tyler
“My heart is happy because my heart likes you.” Frankie.
“I feel happy because I missed school.” Bella
In Year 2, the children have thought about wellbeing and recapped some learning on the different areas of the brain. They read the Lenny and Lily story about returning to school and created a stick person to share their thoughts and feelings.
Mrs Blake and Miss Pierce asked the children how they felt about being back at school and the children said:
“It’s been a really good week” Amber Mae
“I have enjoyed being back because my friends are too and I can play with them” Oakley
“I have really enjoyed writing” Tuleah
In Year 3, the children have begun their Stone Age topic by creating cave paintings using pastels, the children drew animal outlines as this was thought to bring good fortune when hunting back in this period.
Mr Marchant and Mr Wheeler have said that the children have settle brilliantly into KS2.
Isaac said, “I am very happy to be back at school because I love seeing my friends and my new teacher.”
Elise said, “It is really fun to be back learning interesting things.”
In Year 4, Miss Sargeant and Miss Saunders shared that they have had a fantastic week. All the children have settled excellently and have been doing some brilliant learning. They are all excited about their first Learning Journey – Walk like an Egyptian. In Maths, they have looked at place value and used base 10 to support us.
“I have been excited to be back to school learning.” Willow.
“I have loved the tricky year 4 maths challenges.” Dexter.
In Year 5, Mr Hare and Miss Cross shared that children from both classes have been particularly excited about their history topic, ‘We’ll Meet Again’. They already have some experts in the classes and have loved sharing their knowledge with the other children. Some children even have relatives who they have been able to interview to find out first-hand information from the time.
Birch class have been looking at features of descriptive writing, exploring techniques to make it more sophisticated and impressive! This has included similes and personification.
In maths each class has begun to explore place value, showing an impressive understanding of last year’s learning. They have confidently tackled bigger numbers and answered a number of challenging problem-solving tasks.
In year 6, they have completed their pop quiz on Ancient Greece and are fully engrossed in the hilarious bestselling ‘Who let the Gods’ out by Maz Evans.
The children have said:
“The changes were a bit weird at first but it means we can be safely back in school learning and playing with our friends. I’ve loved seeing everybody again! I’m also so happy I can use the library again.” Molly
“Being back in school means I can see my friends again. Lockdown was getting boring so I’m glad to be back.” Summer
“I’ve been writing a lot of stories over lockdown. I can’t wait to write stories in English (lessons) again!” Ava
Thank you again for helping us make the return to school a positive experience for the children. I hope you have a lovely weekend and the children have a well-deserved rest.