A Christmassy Musical Week
Our Choir
Our amazing choir represented the school beautifully this week at Winchester Cathedral. They sang amazingly and looked very smart. Well done everyone.
Christmas Fair
Thanks to everyone who attended the Christmas Fair this Friday and to the fabulous Friends of Stanmore for all their hard work. We had a great performance from Integrate and it was lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves.
R2L
This week, R2L have been thinking about the impact of having kinds hands and feet.
We all agreed that having kind hands and feet meant that other children were more likely to want to play with us and that adults are more likely to trust us with precious things.
We demonstrated how marvellous our hands and fabulous our feet are by playing co-operative games such as football. We also had lots of fun making creative festive crafts in preparation for decorating our beautiful Christmas tree.
Maple
Children in Maple Class (Y1) have been practicing their number bonds to 10. To help them remember, they made some 'handy hands' which they can use at home to practice them quickly and speedily!
Rowan
This week Rowan class had their Listen 2 Me concert to parents. Over the past term they have been learning to play different songs on the ukulele by plucking and strumming. They achieved an excellent performance and impressed everyone in the audience. They showed their keys to success over the term in their resilience and persistence to learn to play to such a high standard. We are very proud of them.
Well done Rowan class.
Sycamore
Sycamore class were invited to attend a fantastic school trip earlier this week at Winchester College. First, they saw some genuine Anglo-Saxon coins that were over 1,000 years old at the Treasury and then they were treated to a live music concert of ‘Peter and the Wolf’.
This week in Apsen's music lesson we have been working on our own pentatonic scales and mirror music. The children then performed their pieces to the class.
Elm
This week Elm class have been finishing their Maafa topic and explored how Africa was colonised after the abolishment of the slave trade. The children thought really carefully about the topic and were able to express their views through discussion and questioning. In RE the children explored two different versions of the nativity and compared the versions written by Luke and by Matthew.
Moovers and Shakers
Be Bright, Be Seen
Last week the children took part in our Be Bright, Be Seen day to promote keeping safe on the roads. Our fantastic Junior Road Safety Officers held an informative assembly highlighting the importance of reflective clothing and thinking carefully about road safety. I don’t think anyone will our children in these clothes.
Book Awards
This term, children in Year 5 took part in the Hampshire Illustrated Book Award. They read and discussed a 6 shortlisted picture books for older readers, before submitting their vote for their favourite text. The books are now available in our school library for everyone to enjoy.
Maple
Children in Year R Maple Class have been enjoying the snow that we had recently. They loved finding the ice in our outside area and trying to catch the snowflakes in their mouths!
Children in Year 1 Maple Class have been developing their IT skills including using the mouse and keyboard. They have been using these skills to play jigsaw games and a painting app.
Rowan and Aspen
This week Year 5 and Year 2 went to Goodwood Home Farm in preparation for their upcoming topics. The children had a tour of the dairy farm and process as well as looking at the machinery used throughout. Both classes got to try some organic milk, grind flour and churn their own butter.
Birch
This week, Birch Class have been investigating forces using force meters. The children all had different objects that they pulled across different surfaces to compare how objects move across different materials. They saw how friction makes objects move slower and that smooth surfaces (like the tables) generated less friction than the rougher surfaces (like the carpet).
Sycamore
Sycamore class have been making junk modelling musical instruments and performed them in a short performance to their peers. Some created twinkly lullabies, others created a tune as if they were preparing for a battle!
Elm
This week in Elm, the children have been exploring what it means to be an archaeologist and what discovered artefacts can tell us about the past. This will link with our new book 'Tales of Ancient Worlds', which looks at civilisations throughout history and is written using information texts and factual narratives. The children were able to find some replica ancient Roman artefacts, as well as a few modern day items!
Learning in different ways
Children In Need update
The children raised £136 for Children In Need this week and they all looked amazing in their pudsy outfits.
Birch
This week, Birch Class have been learning about UK cities and counties. Each group had a different city or county to research before sharing what they had learnt with the rest of the class.
Sycamore
Sycamore class have been learning about weaving in our new art topic. We had to research different types of fabric and yarn to see what we would like to include in our wall hanging. We used high quality vocabulary such as glossy, muted, drab and vibrant.
In addition to this, in our music unit called “Use it, Make it, Play it” we have been making musical instruments from junk modelling. Check back next week to see our musical orchestra with a difference!
Aspen
This week Aspen class have started their new science unit - Earth and Space. The class enjoyed learning about the nine different planets in our universe coming up with different mnemonics to help remember them. We also looked at who orbits the Sun and who orbits Earth.
Elm
Year 6 have been working hard on their final outcomes for English this week based on their text 'Pig Heart Boy'. They have written newspaper reported about the ground-breaking scientific advancement and have tried to incorporate formal and informal writing in their work. Next week they become archaeologists!
R2L
This week, R2L have been learning about the purpose of rules, both at school, at home and in the community.
We agreed that rules are in place to keep us safe, to ensure that things are fair and to help us to get along with each other.
We learnt that human brains are a little similar to chimp's brains - both have thinking brains and emotional brains! However, a chimp's emotional brain is much bigger than it's thinking brain so we had to decide which was the best part of our brain to use to follow the rules. Chimp choices or My choices.
Definitely My choices!
A colourful week at Stanmore Primary School
Children in Need
This week the children combined Children in Need with Maths by wearing Pudsey related clothes on Friday and taking part in daily Pudsey Maths Challenges. The children used this as an opportunity to collect donations for Children in Need and improve their problem solving skills!
R2L
Ready to Learn have been very creative and co-operative this week whilst thinking about how our behaviours can affect other people.
Using the theme of anti-bullying week, we considered how it is important to celebrate our uniqueness!
We each decorated a jigsaw puzzle to show that although we are different, we make a perfect team when we work together.
Co-operation was also demonstrated when team R2L made a beautiful Rangoli pattern together to celebrate Diwali. First, we dyed the rice and then we worked together to make a beautiful picture.
Teamwork definitely makes the dream work.
Maple
This week, children in Maple Class have been starting to learn about 'Our Wonderful World'. They used Google earth to spot land and sea, zooming in to find Stanmore Primary School! They located the continents on a map and used this knowledge to label them on a globe.
Rowan
Habitat hunting
This week Rowan class went on a habitat hunt around our beautiful school grounds. They were thinking carefully about what animal and plant life could be living in our local environment and found a wide selection of invertebrates. The highlight was hunting down a centipede's family and seeing some squirrels scurry across the trees.
Sycamore
What a busy week it has been in Sycamore Class! We’ve been to Forest School, we’ve watched a choir performance, we’ve carried out the next part of our longitudinal study about the school grounds and we have written persuasive speeches in role as Erik the Viking, convincing his friends to join him on one final quest! We also wore odd socks for Anti-Bullying Week!
Aspen
This week the children in Aspen class have been researching important people in history and have created their own information text based on what they found. We have also started our new Geography topic 'Investigating our World'. The class enjoyed using Digimaps to explore the local area, particularly looking at the contour lines of St Catherine's Hill and comparing the height to Ben Nevis.
Elm
Year 6 have been working hard this week on their Topic and Science, learning all about the abolishment of the slave trade and researching famous cardiac scientists. They have explored the ways that enslaved people managed to revolt whilst working in the plantations and we discovered about communities called Maroons which consisted of enslaved people who had escaped and live in freedom.
Learning through experiences
Rowan
This week Rowan class has their fire safety talk with the Hampshire Fire services. They learnt what the fire service does and how they can stay safe at home. They learnt about the importance of testing their smoke detectors once a week and how to make a 999-phone call. One of the children also got the opportunity to dress up as a firefighter and race me in getting the suit on in less than 1 minute. It was a brilliant and valuable talk and the children really enjoyed the opportunity.
Sycamore
Sycamore are very privileged to be enjoying the first Forest School sessions this year. They had a great time, making badges and dens and enjoying all of the brand new equipment that was funded by Friends of Stanmore! Thank you - I think you can tell from the photos that they enjoyed themselves!
Elm
This week year 6 have been fortunate enough to visit Winchester College twice as part of our Stanmore enrichment curriculum. Our first visit showed us how a heart worked and we got to see a heart dissection. It was fascinating to see how the diagrams translate to real life. Our second session was to listen to the annual Primary Schools Wildlife Talk. This year we learnt all about elephants and projects around the world that are helping to limit the poaching of these beautiful creatures and also promoting female rangers in Africa.
The last week of a successful term
Choir
Our amazing choir sang at Winchester Cathedral this week to celebrate the university students graduating. They looked and sounded brilliant. Year 3 were also very excited to find Diver Bill!
Maple
Children in Maple Class have started their DT topic of 'Shade and Shelter'. They have been discussing what these terms mean and enjoyed an afternoon in our Forest School to explore the shelters that are there, the materials that could make shelters and why the materials might be suitable. They will be using this as a starting point for their own shelters which they will design and build after half term. They have also been using their colour mixing skills to create a selection of vibrant pumpkins using different printing techniques. We think they look amazing!
Rowan
This week Rowan class became still life artists. They had a selection of items and completed some observational drawings on their choice of object. They practiced using different grades of pencil for line work and shading.
Sycamore
Sycamore have been looking at a range of humorous poems by Joshua Siegal’s book entitled ‘I don’t like poetry’. The children chose their favourite poems to work in small groups to perform! The most popular poems were called ‘Gamer’ and ‘Don’t call out!’
Elm
Year 6 have been working hard on their hockey skills this half term. They started off practising their dribbling and defending and culminated in a fantastic set of matches in the final lesson. Everyone has been involved and coaches and teachers have been very impressed with the gusto with which the children took part. We may have some future gold medal winners in our midst.
Stubbington
Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic residential trip to Stubbington last week. They took part in a whole range of activities, from sketching to den building and even navigating an Earthquake. We even got to see some real life badgers and foxes. All the children were amazing and although we ended the week very tired, everyone agreed they had a brilliant time.
Exploring the world around us
Maple
Year 1 children in Maple Class enjoyed a wonderful time at St Cross meadows on Tuesday, hosted by the Hampshire Wildlife Trust. They used nets to find invertebrates in the chalk stream and identified what they had found using a chart. They also collected a variety of minibeasts from the meadow area. We enjoyed the walk to and from St Cross, especially the railway bridge and looking at the beautiful autumnal colours
Rowan
This week Rowan class had the wonderful opportunity to go to the St Cross meadows with the Hampshire Wildlife trust. They did some stream dipping and found lots of amphibious invertebrates such as a shrimp, water scorpion, mayflies and even some small stickleback fish. Then they explored the meadow for any other bug life and found various spiders, beetles and slugs hiding in the tall grass. They had a wonderful time and learn a lot about the local habitats. They were impeccably behaved and respected the Hampshire Wildlife trust leaders. Thank you to them for providing this opportunity to our school free of charge.
Birch
This week, Bich class became historians to investigate the Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae. They had to use their knowledge of the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic eras, maps of Stone Age settlements across the UK and information packs to discover what Skara Brae was and why it was an important discovery.
Sycamore
Sycamore Class have been working hard on addition and subtraction, using place value counters to help us with exchanging.
Aspen
This week in Aspen class we've been exploring air resistance and it's impact on day-to-day objects. The class enjoy designing and creating their own parachutes and then putting these to the test.
A fun week of learning at Stanmore Primary School
Outdoor learning
This week in forest school some of us have made fairy potions and witches brew and other made a tornado shelter.
Maple
This week in Maple Class, year 1 children have been learning to sort objects using Venn diagrams. They will be using this new skill to sort different materials in science. Year R children have been learning to find 1 more and 1 less of a number in maths and are using this new learning in their Discovery Time continuous provision. They have also been making playdoh food and learning to use a knife and fork correctly to cut it.
Rowan
This week Rowan class have been learning about William Walker, the man who helped to save Winchester Cathedral from sinking into the ground. They have been learning about his life, his achievements and why he is significant to our local history. They designed a 'Wanted' poster for a deep-sea diver and had to think about what the job would include and what qualities they would need.
Birch
This week in gymnastics, Birch Class have been practising different rolls and balances and creating sequences with their partners. They have been focusing on making their sequences flow continuously and making sure they are in synch with their partner.
Sycamore
Sycamore class have been getting creative in our music lessons! We have been tasked with writing a theme tune for a Norse God, selecting the instruments that will create the right mood for the God or Goddess and their powers. Next week we will record our compositions using graphic notations.
Aspen
This week in Aspen class we have been looking at justice in everyday situations, the children were given 3 situation cards and had to create freeze frames around each card, each group had to act out a different scenario reason what was happening, why it was unjust and provide a resolution as to how they could change the outcome in order for it to be just.
Elm
In year 6 the children have been learning about the triangular slave trade that happened between Britain, Africa and America. They have looked at the human cost but also how people in Britain and America financially benefitted from the trades. The children looked at the three journeys between the countries and explored the goods that were shipped, including the enslaved people of Africa.
Our new and improved Outdoor Learning
Outdoor Learning
This week we opened our new Forest School and some of the children have enjoyed their first forest school session. The children loved the new equipment such as the mud kitchen and made clay tree faces, fairy doors and clay woodland animals.
Maple
The learning in Maple Class this week has been amazing! Year R children have been working on creating repeating patterns and counting to 3 in Maths, whilst children in Year 1 have been learning to partition numbers using the part-whole method. In RWI Phonics, Year R are using the magnetic letters to build words and are developing brilliantly as emergent readers.
Rowan
This week Rowan class have been learning all about the life and accomplishments of Katherine Johnson, the woman who helped astronauts land on the moon and saved the Apollo 13 mission. In English they wrote a postcard as Katherine back to her their loved ones to tell them all about what she had achieved while working at NASA.
Aspen
This week in Aspen. We were looking at colour mixing and the differences between tints, tones and shades. The children explored and these can be made and we discussed how this can influence artist perspective.
