Brilliant Balancing Bikes

Maple

It was Bikeability Week for YR Maple Class children this week. They loved learning to scoot, brake and glide on the balance bikes - what brilliant progress they made throughout the week. Y1 children have started their new art unit; Funny Faces and Fabulous Features and have started to explore portraiture. Who do you recognise?

Rowan

This week, Rowan and Birch were joined by Eli from Christ Church to help us understand why harvest is an important celebration for Christians. We sang some harvest songs and learnt that harvest is a time to be thankful for the world around us. We had a think about the things in nature we're grateful for before thinking about how we can look after nature and protect the world we live in. 

Birch

In geography, Birch class have used atlases to locate the capital cities of Europe. We followed this up with a game of capital cities global, which required them to find capital cities across the world. This sparked a lot of conversation, with children explaining why certain countries and capital cities were special to them.

Sycamore

 Sycamore have been creating instructional writing. They could choose to write about anything that they were an expert in… we had a real range.

Aspen

Aspen class have been having a great time learning some key hockey skills such as passing, blocking and maintaining good control over the ball. They had their first whole class vs class match. It was so hotly contested that in the end no team could score! The defenders and goalkeepers were on top form and even the amazing attackers could not get past them.

Elm

Elm class have been investigating the Benin Bronzes. In small groups the children were given the task to answer a question about what the Benin Bronzes tell us about the Kingdom of Benin. They began to interpret the different images presented on them.

Artists, explorers and a very hungry caterpillar

Maple

Maple Class have loved being artists this week, developing their colour mixing skills and have enjoyed learning to use watercolours. As part of their 'Mix It!' project, Year 1 children worked collaboratively to make a stunning autumnal wreath which demonstrated their knowledge of primary and secondary colours. 

Rowan

In geography this week, Rowan have been thinking about human and physical features that are in our school grounds. We had a think about what we might expect to see on the playground and then went outside to collect our data. We lost count of how many trees we could see! 

Birch

Birch Class have continued to practise their brass instruments (and hopefully are beginning to practise at home). Alongside this they have started to try using other tuned instruments. This week, alongside Rowan class, they have composed a short piece of music on the glockenspiel and tried performing it in time with a partner. Some of them even tried implementing crescendo into their piece. 

 In history, Birch have been looking at the stone age. This week we looked at the tools they used in the stone age and how they changed through the stone age. We talked about why some tools have surviving examples while others have decayed. The children have come up to adults several times on the playground to tell me what they think various sticks would have been used for.

Sycamore

Sycamore Class have been creating a timeline showing the important events of when the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain. They also discovered a very strange looking creature in the school grounds - watch out! 

Aspen

This week in science Aspen class have been exploring friction. They created and planned an experiment where they would roll a toy car down different types of ramps (one covered in foam, carpet and wood) to see which would create the most and least friction by measuring the distance travelled. They discovered that the carpeted ramp created the most friction due to the rough, treaded surface, and the wooden surface created the least friction as the surface was smooth. Well done Aspen.

Elm

This week in Elm we have been using our data collection skills we built on at Stubbington in order to carry out a class experiment. Linking to our Evolution and Inheritance project we are in the midst of answering is our eye colour and height a continuous feature or discontinuous.

Stanmore and Stubbington - home and away

Maple

Children in Maple Class Y1 have been exploring the concepts of greater than, less than and equal to in maths. They used concrete resources to compare the numbers. 

Painting, building and learning maths using natural resources are just a few of the activities that Year R children have enjoyed this week. We also built on our art skills by learning to mix blue and yellow to make green. 

Rowan

This week, Year 2 have been thinking about number lines to 100. The children have worked really hard to look at what the number line is counting up in and how to find 1s and 10s on their number line - we've found this is much easier to do when we label the number lines! We've ended the week by thinking about how to estimate where numbers would go on a giant number line outside!

Birch

Birch class have been writing instructions to tell people how to wash a tiger during English this week. Before they did this, they attempted to follow some terrible instructions telling them how to build a mammoth, so that they got an idea of what to avoid doing. Thankfully their instructions were much better than their mammoths!

Sycamore

Sycamore Class have been enjoying the last of the summer sunshine in our Forest School session. They have been making faces, monuments, magic potions and games using the different spaces and equipment available. Let’s hope the sunshine continues! 

Aspen

This week Aspen class have finished their first English unit on 'The Willow Pattern Story'. They have written some beautiful narratives, retelling the story in their own way. They have incorporated speech and used brackets to add extra detail. They have been editing their work for clarity and have created some vivid and thrilling narratives. Well done Aspen class. 

Elm

Elm class successfully completed a week of exciting environmental and team building activities during their Stubbington Study Centre residential. They had fantastic September weather to enjoy everything this amazing centre has to offer. Well done Team Stubbington.

Lift off, learning and landings

Maple

Children in Reception have loved their first week full-time in school. They are learning the routines of the classroom, playing together and making new friends. They have also been learning to sort objects in different ways, such as shape, colour and size - what a clever group of children!

 In Year 1, children learnt to log into the Chromebooks - brilliant! They used their colour mixing skills to create their versions of Kandinsky's circles. We think they look fantastic.

Rowan

In maths, Rowan have been working really hard to write and recognise numbers to 100 in words. The children have thought carefully about the spelling of each number and really enjoyed working as a team to match their number cards in a game of dominoes!

Birch

In geography, Birch have been learning about human and physical features and sorted pictures into these categories. The class did really well at this, remembering the terminology from last year. We also looked at compass directions, and how these can be used with maps.

Sycamore

Sycamore Class have been writing detailed descriptions using a range of sentences to bring the setting to life. We have been practising using a wide range of conjunctions and using the best adjectives to set the scene.

Aspen

Aspen class have been enjoying their new gymnastics unit in PE by practicing different balancing and movement techniques. They really enjoyed going on the apparatus and working on their travel and jumps. Well done Aspen class. 

Elm

This week in Elm we were practising our table top jumps, thinking about balance and timing. The children worked at different heights focussing on the preparation to their landing on the box.

ECO

This week Year 6 Eco reps met with Dave and Dominic from Winchester Rotary Environment Team to find out about a project to plant disease resistant Elm Trees in the school grounds.

Toby (Y6 Eco Rep) gave our visitors a tour of the grounds to identify suitable locations to plant the Elm trees which included an area of the back field and the front field.  We hope to plant up to 8 trees.  Planting will start in January and will involve Winchester Rotary Team, community volunteers and the Eco Team. 

Did you know…The primary butterfly associated with elm trees, especially in the UK, is the White Letter Hairstreak which relies on elms as the food source for its caterpillars.  

By planting Elm trees in the school grounds, we will be providing a habitat for this beautiful butterfly.

New books, new topics, new challenges

Maple

It has been a pleasure to welcome our new Year R children into Maple Class this week. They have enjoyed exploring their new classroom and making friends. We are looking forward to learning and playing together this year. The Year 1 children have returned to school brilliantly and settled well into Year 1. This week, we have been continuing our learning of the colour wheel in art and have been identifying which materials objects are made from in science. 

Rowan

Rowan have settled really well into Year 2 and have been working hard in their learning! In maths, the children have been thinking about how to use place value charts and how many tens and ones make up 2 digit numbers.

Birch

In art, birch class have been learning about colour mixing. We made the secondary colours using out of the primary colours. The children have then painted pictures using just yellow, blue and red paint, mixing any other colours they needed.

In geography we have been looking at how to find information including countries and capital cities, using atlases, maps and globes. The children have used atlases and maps to find our mystery countries in Globle, even finding Fiji!

Sycamore

Sycamore Class have experienced their first Forest School session, they have succeeded in a 'temptation challenge' relating to our RE unit, and have enjoyed being on the apparatus in our first PE session of the year. On top of that, in English lessons they have been engaging with our new book called 'Arthur and the Golden Rope' and have been showing off their place value skills working with numbers up to 10,000! 

Aspen

This week Aspen class have been exploring ancient China by looking at artefacts found in an archaeological dig. They made predictions about what the artefacts were once used for and then researched into what they were actually used for. Its been a great start to the term. Well done Aspen class. 

Elm

This week in Elm class we were exploring whether Muslims and Christians believe that God is just and what justice means. We complete a conscience alley to decide on how we would advise the Prodigal Son.

Welcome Back

Welcome back to the new school year. It was good to see everyone, including some new faces – welcome to our Stanmore family. We are looking forward to another year of working together to be the BEST that we can be.  Thank you to all of our staff for ensuring that everything was so well prepared. We are all so proud to be part of this school. If you have a school age child we may have places - If you would like to know more about us, please contact the office to arrange a tour.

Final week before summer.

Beyond the Beat

This week our musicians performed in their final Beyond the Beat concert of the year. Birch class were amazing with their brass instruments, our continuing musicians showcased all their talents, and we were even treated to a performance by a Kings band.

R2L

As we reflect on this year, we are able to notice, appreciate and celebrate how far the children have come so far in their learning journey at Stanmore Primary School. R2L plays a vital role in some children's journey and yet again, we have seen how R2L has become part of a child's journey, but never their destination!

All of the children have increasingly enjoyed participating in whole class and whole school events. The particular highlights have been : Red Nose Day danceathon; bikeability; Roman Day; DT projects in class; the reading festival; forest school and so much more! This is alongside joining their peers for the daily core subjects of English, maths, spelling and reading.

Well done to every parent and carer who supports their child to be BEST that they can be! Enjoy a safe and happy holiday from all us in R2L.

Maple

Following on from their planning session last week, Maple Class enjoyed making their supermarket sandwiches and presenting them in very smart containers. They used a variety of preparation skills previously taught, including chopping, slicing, grating and spreading, making sure that they were working hygienically. The sandwiches looked delicious and I hear, tasted even better!

Rowan

VE Day celebrations

This week some visitors from the Royal Logistics Museum came in and gave us a talk about VE day and WW2. They delivered the school some bunting which will go up in the museum for their special celebration event. The children absolutely loved decorating their bunting and took pride in helping to celebrate VE day. Well done Rowan. 

Birch

Last week Birch enjoyed a day out to the Sustainability Centre. The children spent the day in the sun learning about the South Downs National Park, why is it important and how we can protect it. The children used a Japanese craft technique called hapa zome which involves hitting leaves onto a piece of cloth with a hammer and toasted bread over a campfire! The children even had a go at grinding wheat to make flour. We all had lots of fun but the highlight of the day for some was the outdoor compost toilets which at times, had a very long queue! 

Sycamore

Last week, the Year 4 children finished publishing their stories and they read them to the children in Year 3. Birch class were brilliant audience members and loved the stories written by Sycamore Class! 

This week Sycamore class have been learning about how to print on to fabrics to make a repeating pattern design to be used in a soft furnishing. They then had to sew the material to make some kind of case or cover. 

Aspen

 This week in Aspen class we have been working on our final Art unit - Expressionism, the children have been thinking about how we use our faces and features to show how we are feeling and what colours these can be reflected in. We started by using photographs before building on our own portraits including colour and words. 

Elm

Year 6 class completed their make do and mend project by designing and sewing their own pet cushions. They practised three different stiches, before choosing their favourite and using this to finish their project. The results were amazing. 

Fun in the sun with Fairs, Music and Plays

Summer Fayre

Thank you to everyone who supported the school by coming to the summer fair on Friday. It was lovely to see all the Stanmore children (past, present and future) enjoying themselves in the sunshine. A big thank you to the FOS who worked tirelessly all day to set up stalls and arrange everything for us all to enjoy.

National Youth Orchestra

Our children had the opportunity to play their instruments and sing with Marharyta from the National Youth Orchestra. Marharyta arranged 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay which the children learned and performed together; an incredible achievement in just one session with our young musicians. We listened to Marharyta play her cello and everyone was inspired. It was a very enjoyable and impressive session - thank you Marharyta.

Rowan

Bug Hoteliers!

This week to finish off our science unit 'Animal Survival', Rowan class undertook their Innovate project. They had to think about how they wanted to improve their environment for the local wildlife. They were inspired by last year's bug hotel and decided that they would make their own. So now Rowan class have their very own bug hotel outside our classroom! We are very excited to see if any bugs will take up residence. At this rate we are going to need to start our own chain of hotels 🙂 

Birch

This week, Birch have been thinking about properties of 3D shapes. They worked hard to build 3D shapes in different ways which helped them to identify the number of faces, vertices and edges each shape had. In science, we've been exploring light and observing how light can affect our vision. In their investigations, the children found that coloured cellophane can change the colour of shadows, a rainbow could be seen when they shone a torch through a prism, optical illusions can make it look as though objects are floating in mid air and some mirrors can alter the way we look!

Sycamore

Sycamore Class have been working on using photo editing software to manipulate and edit photos. The children have been learning about checking that photos and information are from appropriate and reliable sources. 

Elm

This week the children in ELM class performed their play 'Cinderella, Rockerfella' to the whole school as well as taking part in two performances to their families and friends. We are incredibly proud of how well everybody did and impressed by the talent that was shown. Thank you to everyone who has helped the children practise at home or at school and supported them with costumes and props.

Positively you celebration

This week Elm class walked up to Winchester University to take part in the final ‘Positively You’ day. They were treated to a tour around campus, a magic show and some dance lessons! Finally the children went to the auditorium where they were all presented with certificates and goodie bags - Well done everyone.

Starting reception

Your child's journey to school starts at home There’s lots you can do at home to build your child’s confidence and independence, helping them feel emotionally and practically prepared to start school. If your child is due to start reception class this year, then please click this link to access resources to help you support your child at home. Alternatively use the QR code below.

Reading Festival

Reading Festival

This week the whole school took part in our annual Reading Festival based on the classic tale of Cinderella. The children made wands, decorated coaches, wrote invitations and learnt and performed a dance. Thank you to everyone who was involved for making it a brilliant day for Stanmore pupils

Dancers

The children who dance in our after school Integr8 class at Stanmore recently performed at our Dance Off show at the Theatre Royal.  They did brilliantly and were awarded the trophy for ‘Best Concept’ on the evening.

Well done Stanmore - we are so proud of you and you were excellent representatives for your school

Maple

Maple Class have started their new DT unit, 'Chop, Slice and Mash'. They have been learning about where our food comes from and this week, have ben learning to prepare different vegetables using a range of techniques. They have been learning about the importance of handwashing before preparing food as well as how to use kitchen equipment safely. 

Birch

This week Birch have been making mosaic coasters inspire by Roman mosaic art. The children thought really carefully about where to place their tiles to create a pattern and found that putting the tiles onto the coasters was a very fiddly task that required lots of patience! Birch also enjoyed being in the sun on Monday and taking part in the Reading Festival - they had lots of fun visiting each stage and reading outside on the sun.

Aspen

This week Aspen have been working hard on their athletics skills ready for Sports Day. 

Elm

This week the children in Elm class were delighted to receive their leavers jumpers. Even in the sweltering heat everyone was keen to put them on and we want top thank FOS for making this possible. In other news the children took part in transition day to their secondary school and had their second 'Positively you' session. What a busy week

Safeguarding visit

This week we have a visitor from our wonderful governing body looking at our school’s safeguarding procedures. Children from different year groups were invited to come and talk and they did a wonderful job, showing all our Keys to Success.