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.

Victorians, Romans and Scientists!

Maple

Maple Class was turned into a Victorian school room last Wednesday afternoon to help the Year 1 children understand how different school was in the Victorian times compared to now.  The children were sat in rows and wore smart white collars. They started their afternoon with an inspection of their hands and fingernails, then enjoyed arithmetic, handwriting and science using slates and ink pens. 

Rowan

This week Rowan class have been trying out sewing! They have been using a template the create a bag tag and have begun sewing on their embellishments. They have been really focussed in tackling the challenge of creating a running stitch. Some brilliant persistence and resilience show so far. Well done Rowan class

Birch

This week Birch Class were transported to Ancient Rome for their Roman Day! The children started the day by making shields for battle and then had a go at making some Roman honey and oat cakes. After lunch, the children had a banquet of plums, dates, grapes, cheese, honey and figs and some discovered they really some new fruits! They then enjoyed their honey and oat cakes whilst watching each other perform pantomimes of Roman myths. To end the day, the children were challenged to make Roman aqueducts. This was very challenging and the children had to be really resilient but, in the end, all of the aqueducts were able to transport water!  The children had a really fun day and looked the part - thank you to everyone who helped make Roman costumes or donated junk modelling to create such a magical day!

Sycamore

Lots of cooperation was in display in Sycamore Class this week! 

We were trying out some really tricky coding using our Micro:bits, so tricky that we invited Daniel from year 6 to come and be an expert helper! By the end of the session, it was great to see so many people helping other members of the class to debug their instructions. 

Aspen

This is week in Aspen class we have been being our very own scientists, we have been looking at filtration. Each group had their own filter paper and had the challenge to filter the dirty water into clean water. We discussed what we thought would happen, how it would happen and if the 'clean' water was drinkable after.

A hot week!

Hawaiian Disco

Thanks to the fabulous FOS! Another successful (very sweaty!) disco! 

Maple

Maple Class had a wonderful time this week in their Forest School session. They loved exploring the weaving, using the scramble net and playing with the mud kitchen. 

Children in  Maple Class have been historians this week, handling and discussing artefacts from schools in the Victorian era. We talked about the importance of handling artefacts carefully and thought about what the objects were used for, comparing them to what we have in schools today.  In maths, children have been learning about money using real coins and purses! We have also been learning about mapping and using positional language to describe positions in our small world models and maps. Can you spot the children who enjoyed the dressing up? 

Rowan

This week rowan class have begun to learn about coding in their new computing unit! They have experimented with what Scratch Jr can do and have been choosing sprites, changing backgrounds and making simple code to make their characters move. They have really enjoyed it and are looking forward to doing more

Birch

Birch have been working really hard to finish their poems. They've worked really hard to think about how to make their poems rhyme and are excited to publish them tomorrow!

Sycamore

This week Sycamore Class have become technological experts! 

We used micro:bits and programming technology to create short messages using LEDS! Some children wrote their name, some created an emoji and others even created a short melody to accompany their message. 

Sssshhhhh!!! Sycamore Class had a sneaky extra visit to Forest School this Friday! Some children were hunting for sticks (for a secret project which will be revealed in the near future), while others were building dens and others were relaxing in the shade on a very warm day! What a lovely treat! 

Aspen

Aspen class this week were engaged with their swimming session which focussed on the importance of water safety. They were shown different types of flags that they may come across when out by large bodies of water, what every day items could help people stay afloat if they found themselves or someone else in distress. The children then got to have their own go at saving a peer from the side of the pool using key skills and remembering to keep themselves safe too.

Elm

Elm class opened a suitcase full of artefacts from the 2nd World War to reinforce their understanding of their topic ‘Britain at War’. The children were enthralled by the contents and spent time drawing, researching and trying on the items of clothing. Elm class also enjoyed making weaving looms out of sticks fastened to the trees in Forest school. They then weaved natural materials between the twine. 

Positively you

This week the children in year 6 started a three week program called Positively You supported by Winchester University. In this children the children look at ways to remember information using story maps or journeys, and then mapped their own goals and thought about how they could achieve them. It was fantastic watching the children remember large amounts of information (like the 7 ages of Britain or how to count to 10 in Japanese), just through the creation of a story or mind map, and seeing how they managed to retain this information right the way through the day. We can’t wait until the next session.

R2L

What an incredibly hot week! We have had to use all of our keys to success this week in order to stay focused!

Another fabulous week in R2L! Children are really enjoying all of the learning opportunities in their classes with their friends and it is truly lovely to see their confidence grow.

Our focus this week has been learning to organise what we need so that we are prepared and successful. We completed a variety of enriching activities including sorting resources into different groups; taking care of our school resources so that we would always know where they are and that they are in good condition. Perhaps the most fun activity this week

was in Forest School where the children made their own natural paint brushes out of sticks and leaves. They then used the "brushes" to paint their own pictures. We hope that you like them!

High Aspirations

More fantastic football

This week the children took part in two football tournaments held at Nightingale School. There were two year 3/4 boys teams who took part on Tuesday and a year 6 boys team who played on Thursday. Everyone played really well, with the year 3/4 boys finishing second and third and the year 6 boys finishing top of the league out of 8 schools. Sadly we lost out on the final by one goal but we were excellent. Well done to everyone who played, and thank you to all the parents who supported us and came to watch.

R2L

How good are you at ignoring distractions and focusing on your own tasks? This was the theme of this weeks target as the children in R2L worked hard to ignore distractions. Through using a range of activities including science experiments; imagining and creating our "peaceful place", we decided that ignoring distractions resulted in high quality results. Did you know that a primary age child requires between 9-11 hours each night to help our bodies to rest and repair? A good nights sleep and breakfast helps to contribute to a more focused day.

Maple

What a busy week we have had in Maple Class this week! We have started our new topic, 'School Days', and have been thinking about how our school might have been when it was built in the 1920s. Children have learnt about what life was like for some people in Victorian times and thought about how Victorian toys compare to toys that we have today. As always, the children have loved exploring and creating within Discovery Time - I love the mini beast wings that they have made this week!

Rowan

This week Rowan class have completed their Year 2 SATs. Everyone completed them and showed an absolutely fantastic attitude to their learning. I am so impressed and proud of their hard work. Well done Rowan class. 

As well as that they have been progressing with their English writing on the book by Micheal Morpurgo, ‘There Once is a Queen’. They are planning their narrative poem using exciting vocabulary and thinking carefully about the story. 

Sycamore

Sycamore Class have been getting creative, making clay tiles with intricate details and using an Islamic style of repeating patterns. 

Aspen

This week in Aspen class we have had lots of fun with marbling in art, each of the children had the chance to mix the inks together, create their pattern and then hope it printed onto their paper. We had lots of different colour combinations and lots of lovely artwork at the end of the day!

Elm

Year 6 have been working hard this week on learning all their words for their play and have also explored observational art. They concentrated hard on detail and how to make the pictures look as realistic as possible.  

Elm class also enjoyed Forest school. Inspired by the environmental artist, Andy Goldsworthy, they used all the key skills to produce some wonderful sculptures using natural materials.

Welcome back to Summer 2 (with a bang and a whizz)

Science with Kings

This week in KS2 we enjoyed a science lesson led by King's school about forces and chemical reactions. The children had fantastic knowledge of the topics and shared ideas really well. The children then got to design their own rocket caps and tested them by launching then from empty milk cartons. There are definitely some future scientists in our school!

Maple

Maple Class had a wonderful time in Forest School this week. Some of the children made story strings using wool and natural resources to retell the story of 'Peace at Last'. We have planted out our beans and enjoyed learning collaboratively. 

Birch

This week, Birch have been looking at calligrams. The children have thought really carefully about the criteria of a calligram before having a go at making their own inspired by nature.

R2L

The children in R2L were excited to share their half term news when they returned to school on Monday. This was a perfect opportunity for us all to practise this week's target of "I am learning to wait for my turn to talk" . We agreed that it was polite to show good looking, good listening and good sitting when someone else was talking so that we didn't miss any news! Lots of turn taking practise and speedy hands up games have really helped us all to slow down and wait for our turn to talk because no one wanted to be an interrupting chicken!! The children continued to complete their learning in class which this week also included joining in with the explosive science experiments led by staff from Kings School. A fantastic start to the last half term of the year.