Amethyst & Emerald Blog - Friday 24th February 2023

 Happy Friday everybody and welcome back to the second half of the Spring Term!

Whole School Trip to Barleylands

This week your child will have brought home a letter regarding our whole school trip to Barleylands on Monday 27th March. Please ensure that you have completed the reply slip and returned this to school by Friday 17th March.

Please keep an eye on the newsletter for any further information regarding this trip.

Wellbeing Sessions

This half term we are lucky to have Miss Hardman, a wellbeing specialist, who will be working with our children on Thursday afternoons. She will be exploring strategies for mental health and wellbeing through simple movement sequences, balances and stretches using our breath to calm and relax us.

We will be alternating each week between Year 1 and Year 2; Year 1's enjoyed their first session this week and Year 2's will begin from next week.

Times Tables Rock Stars Day

This year, at Down Hall Primary School, we have had a big focus on Times Tables through our Times Table Programme as well as Times Tables Rock Stars. These have both helped the children become more fluent in their times tables.

On Thursday 9th March, we would like all the children to take the opportunity to dress up as rock stars for the day. During this day they will take part in a range of maths activities. Prizes for the best dressed rock star will be handed out. You do not need to bring a donation on this day.

In Key Stage 1, we have been looking at the Times Tables Rock Stars app and helping the children understand the features of this program. All children will be bringing home their logins for TTRS before the dressing up day on the 9th March.

Maths Homework

This week, we would like you to look at pages 38 & 39.

For Year 1's this focuses on quarters. Again, it is helpful when discussing fractions to relate it closely to division. So when discussing finding quarter, relate it to the same as dividing it in 4. The game below explores how to recognise halves and quarters in shapes.

Halves and Quarters

For Year 2's this focuses on thirds and quarters. As usual, relate these mathematical concept back to the basic operations of maths - dividing by 3 or by 4. The game below explores finding quarters and three quarters by sharing.

Finding Quarters By Sharing

Don't forget to keep up all your fantastic efforts with your reading at home - it will make a huge impact on your child's reading development. Keep using the range of questions we have discussed previously as well!

If you have any issues or questions, please, please come and see us at the end of the day - we would love to see you!

Have a great weekend!

Kind regards

Mr Jude & Mrs Yuille