Sally Atkins 23/04/2021 Sally Atkins 23/04/2021

Welcome Back

Year 1 and 2

This week in Year 1/2 we have begun our new topic 'Is there anybody out there?'. We started our topic by analysing images and portraits of people of the past. We then focused on Neil Armstrong and found that he was significant because he was the first man to step foot on the moon. This week we also began our art focus. The children were tasked with recreating the same image 4 times and found it very tricky to make each image exactly the same.

Maths was focused on multiplication with Year 1 learning how to count in 5s and Year 2 using their multiplication knowledge to solve problems using number lines and arrays. In science we continued with our longitudinal study, assessing how the weather affects the animals that live on our school grounds. We went to the pond and discussed how tadpoles are a sign of Spring as the weather has become sunnier and warmer which provides better conditions for animals to have offspring. We are very proud of how Year 1/2 have settled into school and are of the work that Year 1/2 have done this week!

Year 3 and 4

This week, Year 3 and 4 enjoyed our Hook Lesson for our new topic 'What makes Chocolate Unique' and what better way to start a unit about chocolate, than tasting chocolate?

Funnily enough, everyone was very eager to take part! Even the adults! We started by developing our vocabulary. Before we could eat any chocolate we had to look at it carefully and describe it's appearance. We then had to smell it and finally we could taste it! We came up with words like; rich, creamy, bitter, milky and delicious.

As you can see, we really enjoyed ourselves, and these photos capture our 'irresistible' curriculum perfectly!

We also started a new Science unit called 'States of Matter'.

It was an exploratory session to see if we could understand the difference between solids, liquids and gases. The children came up with some amazing statements and questions, including:

Solids don't move, they just are a shape.
Liquids are runny. You can't hold a liquid.
Gases are mostly hot.
How do you know that there is gas around us?
How many particles are there in a grain of sand?
We explored with different materials, such as: jelly, custard, rice pudding, shaving foam, sand, and fairy liquid.

Year 5 and 6

This week in year 5/6, we have spent our English lessons immersing ourselves in our new text. ‘Shadow of the Minotaur’. To hook us all in we were all given a lump of clay and a short description of a Greek mythical beast, and asked to create a sculpture which matched. We thoroughly enjoyed using the clay and we were all able to produce some fantastic (and terrifying) creatures!

Nina Lindsay 04/04/2021 Nina Lindsay 04/04/2021

Stanmore Post - 31 March 2021

Dear Parents,

We have had a really enjoyable end of term. The children have been celebrating with an ice-cream, generously donated by Tony’s Ices as a goodwill gesture. Thank you! It was really appreciated. This was arranged by the FOS and I am sure that you agree it was well deserved by the children.

At Stanmore we frequently talk about the Keys for Success: Resilience persistence, organisation, confidence, co-operation, respect. This has been an exceptional term during which we have seen all of these keys used so well by the entire community. Thank you again for all of the support that you have shown towards the school. The children have recovered their stamina and are back into their routines. Looking ahead to the Summer Term, it will be good to be able re-start from the settled position we are in now.

We will be saying goodbye to Mrs Rachel Sanderson, our Senior Admin Officer. Mrs Sanderson has made a significant contribution to school improvement and we wish her well for the future. Mrs Sanderson will be leaving the school at the end of this term. Many parents will also remember Miss Norris, who worked at Stanmore for many years. Miss Norris has been working at Riders Infants on secondment for the past year and has now been successfully appointed as the Head of School and will not be returning to Stanmore. I would like to thank both members of staff for everything that they have done for the children and families at Stanmore Primary.

After Easter we welcome Mrs Emma Holland as our new Admin Officer, working alongside Mrs Eagle in the school office.

I hope that you are able to enjoy a relaxing and happy Easter.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Nina Lindsay 30/03/2021 Nina Lindsay 30/03/2021

Stanmore Post - 26 March 2021

Dear Parents,

We enjoyed seeing the children take part in the Easter Egg hunt organised by the Friends of the School. Thank you to the Friends who were involved in organising this. It is great to see children taking part in whole school activities again, even if they are still limited to their bubbles for now. After Easter, if the guidance allows, we intend to widen the bubbles to year groups and resume after school sports clubs.

One of the positive outcomes of the last 12 months is the improvements that we have seen in the way we use technology to support our curriculum. We now have 45 Chrome Books to use in school. The advantage of this technology is that children are able to find new and inspiring ways to learn about the world around them. As part of their Geography curriculum, Year 1 and 2 children have been using ‘Mote’ within Google Classroom to record their own virtual tours of Winchester, inspired by the 360 tours of London. Our curriculum is designed so that all of our children have the opportunity to ‘appreciate, participate and innovate.’ The opportunity to use technology is one of the ways that we can motivate children to ‘innovate.’

Throughout the school this week there are examples of high quality writing inspired by the curriculum. In Catkins, children have received letters from a fairy who comes to school at night. The children have been inspired to write to the fairy, named Fabian, to ask him questions. In Year 3 and 4 children are writing balanced arguments about whether hunting was acceptable during the Stone Age. Children in Year 5 and 6 have been writing persuasive letters to the organisers of the UK film festival, encouraging them to include the short film Alma in the festival. Children are still recovering their stamina for writing after lockdown, but the quality is there which is fantastic. Where we are noticing a slight dip, is in reading in Year 3, 4 and 5. Please support your child to read independently, perhaps one of the Stanmore 30 books that we have in the library or a book of their choice that they can really enjoy. Reading a range of high quality texts helps children to have an ‘author’s voice’ in their head. Not only is this important for children’s spoken language it leads to better writing too. It can be hard to motivate children to read at home when there are more instant sources of entertainment. If you aren’t sure how to help, please speak to Mrs Kempson our English Leader or Mrs Jones our early reading leader who will have lots of good ideas to share.

You can see more of our work at: https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2021/03/26wonderfulwriters-fg2zp-jzxg

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Sally Atkins 26/03/2021 Sally Atkins 26/03/2021

Wonderful writers

This week we have been celebrating the fantastic writing that has taken place in school. Our English curriculum is based around high quality texts such as Stig of The Dump and The Wonder Garden, and it is wonderful to see the enthusiasm and care that our children are taking in their work. Here are just some examples of the writing from this week.

Nina Lindsay 20/03/2021 Nina Lindsay 20/03/2021

Stanmore Post - 19 March 2021

Dear Parents,

There has been a lively atmosphere throughout school today as all our ‘rock stars’ enjoyed our Comic Relief event 2021. Thank you for supporting this event. The children looked amazing and so far we have raised £213.72 The day brought a smile to everyone’s face from the start of the day at morning drop off. It reminded us of how important these events are in the school calendar and how much children and adults need to have something different to look forward to. After Easter, we have many more exciting events planned as, gradually, we work towards a more familiar school term.

The children all have a log in to Times Tables Rockstars online. Please ask your class teacher if your child has forgotten theirs. The format of the online program successfully boosts times table recall speed. Knowing the multiplication and division structures help children to become competent mathematicians. It is a key component of mathematical fluency. Younger children can benefit from practical experiences of increasing quantities and equal sharing. Find out more about how we teach maths.

Our curriculum work this week has included a virtual tour of Winchester in KS1, with children continuing to strengthen their technology skills using Google Earth to explore their locality. In KS2 children have been learning more about the stone age using our school grounds to collect materials to create cave paintings inspired by the books ‘Stig of the Dump’ and ‘How to train a Woolly Mammoth.’ Children in Oak and Elm finished their literacy unit on ‘The Wonder Garden,’ with a fantastic double page feature on their own Island designs.

Thank you to parents who joined us for online Parents Evening this week. We are always available if you want to have a conversation about your child. Our open door may be virtual or socially distanced at the moment, but it is still open. At the moment there are children who are understandably still struggling to settle either at home or at school after such a disrupted period of time. If school and home are working together to re-introduce high expectations and clear boundaries, there is likely to be a better result. We are reminding children about our values: Belonging, excellence, support and trust. We are continuing to strengthen our keys for success: resilience, persistence, organisation, confidence, co-operation and respect. At the moment, we are focusing on respect, which includes the way in which we treat each other and school property. This includes special areas like the Willow Domes and the new resources that the Friends of the School have bought for us. Thank you for your ongoing support with this.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Chris Lindsay 19/03/2021 Chris Lindsay 19/03/2021

Comic Relief 2021

School had a very different feel today as Staff and pupils came to school dressed as rock stars to raise money for Comic Relief. The theme rock stars was chosen to celebrate all the children’s hard work on Times Table Rockstars and children with the highest scores in each class were given certificates. Everyone looked amazing and it was great to see all the fabulous wigs, stylish bandanas, colourful tutus and even some fishnet gloves!

The school managed to raise £213.72 for Comic Relief and we know that this will go towards people and organisations who need our help in the UK and around the world.

Many thanks to all the parents and carers who supported with this event: the children had a brilliant time and managed to raise money for a great cause. We hope you enjoy the photos below.

Nina Lindsay 06/03/2021 Nina Lindsay 06/03/2021

Stanmore Post - 5 March 2021

Dear Parents,

World Book Day provided us with the perfect end to our Blended Learning Approach. Children at home and at school have had positive shared experiences over the past couple of days. Helen Griffiths, author of the book ‘Treasure beyond Measure’ led an inspiring assembly from her home in New Zealand, on the themes within her book. Children enjoyed creating their own collective nouns for different groups of animals, spotting the globe on every page. This has resulted in excellent writing, not to mention a collection of creative veget-a-pals. I was very impressed with the children’s awareness of conservation and their suggestions for ways in which humans can improve their impact on the planet.

Children will receive a £1 book token on Monday.

Thank you for your ongoing support through the lockdown this term. The new skills learned by children and parents have been quite remarkable. If your child has been learning at home, I am sure you are pleased to see them return to school but there may also be some mixed feelings. This period of time has brought families together in a way that is unique and there will be many good lasting memories. Please reassure your child that Monday is a new beginning for everyone. We are looking forward to seeing children who have been learning at home and children who have been in school ‘bubbles’ return to their usual classes. Children are remarkably resilient and capable of surprising us. It is likely that with the right support and enjoyable challenge in their school day, they will quickly adapt. If you are struggling in any way, we are here to help as much as possible. Please email the school to contact Mrs Fenton, our Inclusion Leader, Mrs Atkins, our Assistant Headteacher or Mrs Taylor Headteacher

We will be continuing to follow our Covid risk assessment to keep the school community as safe as possible. I am confident that the systems of control that we have in place are as effective so far as it is reasonably practical, if we all stick to them. We have already demonstrated how effective we are as a whole school community if we work together in the best interests of everyone. For that reason I need to ask you, as Parents and Carers to continue to support the following measures.

· No-one with symptoms of Coronavirus or self-isolating should be on the school site

· Everyone on the school site must adhere to the Government hygiene regulations to reduce the spread of Coronavirus

· Everyone on the school site must practise social distancing, being careful of pinch points like the entrance to the school and the gates.

· All visitors to the site must adhere to the one-way system without fail. If you have any accessibility or mobility issues we can arrange to collect your child from you at the entrance to the school and walk them to the classroom. Please arrange this with the office.

· All adults and visitors to the site should wear a face covering

· No child should arrive on site before 8:30am unless they are attending breakfast club. Doors open at 8:40am Gates in front of the office close at 8:55am.

· Parents and Carers should arrive no more than 10 minutes before pick up and leave promptly. Children without siblings in Catkins Maple and Rowan can continue to be collected at 3pm.

· Please leave all toys at home. Children only need their book bag with a water bottle and lunch box if necessary

· Children will remain in their class bubbles, including at break and lunchtimes

· Children may continue to wear PE kits to school on PE days. Year R children in Catkins do not need to change for their PE lessons:

Monday Maple and Rowan including all Year 1

Tuesday Oak

Wednesday Birch and Sycamore Maple and Rowan including all Year 1

Thursday Elm

Friday Willow

If your child is unwell and unable to attend, please contact the school with the reason for absence. If, for any reason, your child is showing signs of anxiety about attending school, we can help, please contact the school office. Quickly re-establishing a routine will be a priority in supporting their wellbeing.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Chris Lindsay 05/03/2021 Chris Lindsay 05/03/2021

World Book Day 2021

Despite still being in ‘Lockdown’, all of the children and staff at Stanmore Primary School participated in celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 4th March. The event was launched by two ‘live’ assemblies, featuring our guest author, Helen Griffiths, who joined us from her home in New Zealand! Helen shared her incredible book, ‘Treasure Beyond Measure’ with us, explaining how she came to write her book, and the inspiration behind it.

This formed the ‘hook’ from which the children’s writing was based on for the next two days, which included exploring animals in different biomes, developing vocabulary and learning about fascinating collective nouns. This led to some inspired poetry writing on Friday, as well as the creation of animals using fruits and vegetables. In the afternoon, the children enjoyed a ‘Pyjamarama’, sharing books with hot chocolate and biscuits. The wonderful staff at school created a ‘Hidden Reader’ version of ‘Treasure Beyond Measure’, and a ‘Virtual Library’, where the children could click on a book cover and hear the book being read aloud, which was shared with children at home and in school.

World Book Day vouchers will be distributed week commencing Monday 8th March.

Year 5/6 wrote some fantastic Kennings poems using the Treasure Beyond Measure book.

Floating on the rushing river was a snapping caiman herd

They soon alarmed the crackle of the cockatoo bird

Flying low, the flutter of moths

Rudely awoken a slumber of sloths!

Mahika – Elm class

Meandering slowly through the vulnerable river

A bite of piranhas begin to quiver,

A flash of ants climbed up a rigid tree

Hoping they will soon be free.

But all they see is a whisper of slow sloths

Always waving to a flutter of moths.

Ava K and Olivia H – Oak

Nina Lindsay 26/02/2021 Nina Lindsay 26/02/2021

Stanmore Post - 26 February 2021

Dear Parents,

With the announcement of the Government ‘Roadmap’ taking us out of Lockdown and some better weather, it seems as though positive change is on the way. We are really looking forward to welcoming children back on Monday 8thMarch. We recognise that this date represents mixed feelings and children will experience the return in different ways. It is helpful to start preparing your child for this. You might choose to say that this is just another change in a year of changes and since they have coped brilliantly so far, there is no reason to believe that they won’t manage the change back into school. It is also worth reminding them that everyone is likely to feel a bit wobbly for a day or two but those feelings will soon pass. In school we will continue to focus on wellbeing. Throughout this year we have learned that the best way to help children resettle is to quickly re-establish routines and high expectations. You can help with this by ensuring that your child arrives on time, in full school uniform and attends every day.

Breakfast club can re-start on Monday 8th March. Please book this a week in advance. A booking form will be emailed separately, please return to the admin office. Payment is via scopay. Further restrictions will not be lifted until 29 March at which point outdoor mixing in groups of 6 and organised outdoor sport can resume. Our school clubs will resume after Easter.

This week our blended learning model has continued to deliver inspiring curriculum activities. This has included designing imaginative islands based on the book ‘Wonder Garden by Kristjana Williams and to write instructions from the book ‘How to wash a Woolly Mammoth’ by Michelle Robinson. Children in Year 3 / 4 at home and in school followed instructions to make a Woolly Mammoth of their own, and afterwards, evaluated the instructions to improve them for future use. In Year 1 / 2. The book ‘Diver Bill’ by Judith and Kenyon is inspiring Year 1 and 2 to find out more about Winchester Cathedral. Find out more about learning this week at:

https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2021/02/26/super-science

https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2021/02/26/woolly-mammoths

Next week, our final week of blended learning, we have some exciting events planned. World Book Day will extend over 3 days and will include a theme of maths through story amongst other events through story this year. We have different activities planned in school outlined in a separate letter and we will share photos on the website next week. Further information about these events can be found at:

https://www.mathsthroughstories.org/#

https://www.worldbookday.com/events/

On Friday 5th March children can wear their pyjamas or comfy clothes to school to celebrate World Book Day (and stay in them all day at home of course!)

Parents evening this Term will take the form of a 5 – 10 minute phone call. We will be offering telephone appointments during the week beginning 15th March. The purpose of this meeting will be to focus on how your child has managed within the Blended Learning phase and to evaluate their progress to date. Booking will be via Scopay and will open from tomorrow. This year, we will aim to offer an additional face to face Parents Evening in June.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Chris Lindsay 26/02/2021 Chris Lindsay 26/02/2021

Super Science

KS1 children have been busy being scientists this week and exploring how to tell if an object is a bean or a seed! They have all used fantastic scientific vocabulary and have identified all the different parts.