Welcome to Class 6!

For the first few weeks of this half term (Autumn 2), we are finishing off our Stargazers topic! During this topic, we’ll read information texts to find out about the Solar System and the Sun, using mnemonics to help us remember the facts. We’ll make a Solar System and investigate the cycle of day into night. We’ll learn about Galileo, the ‘father’ of modern astronomy and his famous astronomical discoveries. Taking on the roles of the planets, we’ll use movement to demonstrate the motions of the planets and moons. We’ll investigate lunar myths and write astronaut poetry. Then we’ll design a space shuttle or satellite (choosing materials for durability) and we’ll program and encode toys to explore a lunar landscape. At the end of the project, we’ll look at alien-themed comics, invent our own aliens and consider the big question: why is there life on Earth? 

Useful Information

• Every week there will be an e-newsletter to parents/guardians via email, which will let you know what we have been up to that week. It will also detail any homework to complete. This will be emailed out on a Thursday and can also be found on the class page of the website.
• Home learning books have been sent home with the children in the case of a bubble closure (yellow exercise books which have a 'Home learning' front cover). These are only to be used in the event of a bubble closure and not for homework.
• For the foreseeable, PE will be on a Thursday. Children will need to arrive at school in their kit and bring trainers and an additional jacket (if required) - recommended now it is getting colder!
• Pencil cases are to remain in school. 
• A clean, fresh water bottle is to be brought into school every day and kept on the table if there is space, or on the floor next to their place.
• Please name all clothing and equipment.

• Handwriting and spelling will take place every day ensuring these skills are being taught, practised and applied. We have a Recovery element to our spellings, meaning that for this first term we are recapping and recovering areas of the curriculum missed towards the end of Y5, weaving in Y6 spellings as we go.

• Spellings will be tested every Friday. Any words which the children have spelt incorrectly will be written in their diaries and will need to be practised at home for retesting the following week. If they have no words in their diary, the likelihood is they achieved full marks on their test. As we move through the term there may be additional spellings that the children bring home as homework, but these will always be detailed/explained in the weekly e-newsletter (emailed and available on the website).

• The organisation of reading books and diaries will be different in the current school climate. When returning books to school they are placed in a Quarantine Box for 2 days before being returned to the school library. Children are welcome to bring in books from home, but once in school they will need to remain here until read, and not be taken home in bags each night.

• It is worth keeping in mind that if you are able to fill in forms online for the office, or email these, rather than children bringing in printed versions, this is much quicker. When paper comes into school it has to be quarantined for 2 days before the office staff can handle it, which can delay your requests/communication.  

If you have any queries, please feel free to use brownley6@st-peters.notts.sch.uk to contact me directly, as we are unable to book face-to-face appointments at this time - I check this mailbox immediately before and after school and aim to respond to you as promptly as I am able. If your query is urgent and requires an immediate response, please call the school office as the first point of contact on 01949 20226.