Week Beginning 8.1.24

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Happy New Year! I hope you all had a joyful Christmas and a nice break from the everyday routines.

It was so lovely to welcome the Year 6 children back to school on Monday; they were all very excited to be back with their friends and the rest of the school community!

The class have started the new term with a great attitude towards their learning. They began the week with a special assembly about the Feast of the Epiphany, where they got to wear their celebratory crowns, along with the rest of the school. They then created some beautiful Epiphany art work, and wrote about the gifts that they would give the baby Jesus.

In Maths, Year 6 have been getting to grips with percentages- finding equivalent fractions and decimals, and working out the percentages of numbers. They have also been applying their learning to real life problem solving.

In, English, the children have been learning how to create tension and suspense in their writing, by using short, snappy sentences and onomatopoeia. As well as this, they have been learning how to use figurative language to convey mood and atmosphere in their narratives.

The children had lots of fun in their music lesson this week; their new unit began with an exciting session on body percussion. At the end of the session, the groups each performed their own rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star using their body parts!

The PE focus for this term is gymnastics. In today’s lesson, the children explored different ways of jumping and balancing. They enjoyed putting together a sequence of actions and performing them to their peers, at the end of the lesson. Please note, from next week, Year 6 will be having PE on a Monday and a Friday.

It was lovely to see the Year 6 children with their Reception reading partners again this afternoon. The younger children were VERY excited to see their partners!

As explained in class, home learning is as follows:

  • Spelling Shed- spellings and a SPaG activity focussing on identifying antonyms and synonyms
  • SPaG.com- subject-verb agreement
  • Mathletics- percentages
  • Daily reading

Please find attached here a letter about the RHE (Relationship and Health Education) curriculum that will be covered this term in Year 6 following our Life to the Full Programme.  If you have any queries about the sessions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Reminder– I will be taking everyone’s reading record in on Friday morning. Please ensure you have them in school Year 6!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Ms Pemberton

 

 

 

 

Year 6 Last Week of Term

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Year 6 have had great fun over the past couple of days!

On Monday, the children had their party day, where they enjoyed playing lots of games, meeting Father Christmas, dancing and spending time with their Reception reading partners. The photos speak for themselves!

 

Yesterday, we joined the rest of the school in celebrating Pope Paul’s Got Talent! Well done to all of the children from Year 6 who took part performing on the stage- you were all fantastic!

Finally, thank you for all the cards and gifts you have given the Year 6 staff, and for the support you have given over the past term- they are very much appreciated.

Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful Christmas,

Ms Pemberton

Year 6 Week Beginning 11.2.23

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What a busy week Year 6 have had once again!

On Monday, Christoph’s mum generously gave up her time to come in and talk to the class about the customs and traditions of Christmas in Germany.  We have been focussing on exactly this in our RE lessons, and so it greatly enhanced the learning! Thank you so much!

The children have worked so hard on their home learning, exploring how Christmas is celebrated all over the world; they have begun presenting this learning in class and will continue to do so next week.

On Tuesday, Year 6 were treated to the KS1 performance, along with the rest of the school. They thought it was fantastic!!

On Wednesday, some of our own class performed in the UKS2 music concert. Well done to all of those children who entertained us with their musical talents!

On Wednesday, the children also had their delicious Christmas Dinner together!

On Thursday afternoon, the auditions for Pope Paul’s Got Talent took place, and wow, do we have a talented bunch of Year 6 children!!

Acts ranged from comedy to singing and dancing. We are all really looking forward to watching the final next Tuesday!

Today, Isabelle, Lucy and Christina led the class in an act of worship focussing on Diversity. This was planned and organised completely independently by these three girls, who also led it with maturity and reverence. Well done girls, it was simply beautiful!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

See you all on Monday!

Ms Pemberton

 

 

 

 

Year 6 Week Beginning 4.12.23

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It has been a very busy week, as Year 6 made their final preparations for the Advent service that took place on Wednesday evening.

Thank you so much for helping your child to practise lines and songs, and by supporting this special event for their final time.

The whole of KS2 made both their parents and teachers very proud with their beautiful singing and acting. We hope you enjoyed it!

 

In Maths, the children continued their learning on fractions and have been adding and subtracting fractions including mixed numbers. In English, the children began their new writing unit based on the short, spooky film, Alma.

Alma is a little girl who ventures into town in the snow.

She is drawn to a shop window by a familiar looking doll.

She enters the shop, but something terrifying happens to her when she is inside…

Please see the whole school home learning for this week.

Have a lovely weekend,

 

Ms Pemberton

 

Please see below for details about this weeks whole school home learning.

 

Year 6 Week Beginning 27.11.23

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It has been a very busy week in Year 6, with preparations for the upcoming Advent service well underway. The children have done really well to learn the lines to both the songs and their readings, and are now really looking forward to performing in their last ever Advent service on Wednesday evening.

In Maths this week, the children have been simplifying and ordering fractions. They have also been reasoning about fractions and changing fractions to find common denominators.

In Science, the children have continued learning about light. This week, they learnt about how light is reflected. They set up experiments to explore incident and reflected rays, and had fun changing the direction of light, with the use of torch light, sunlight and mirrors!

In English, Year 6 finally finished the final copies of their Windrush Child diary entries; they are looking forward to starting their new film inspired narrative topic, next week.

Well done to Samarth, Hannah, Amber, Lena, Christina and Panayiotis, who led the school so well in a special Advent assembly earlier today; this included the whole school presenting their Advent promises and the children carefully displaying them on their behalf.

Home learning is as follows:

  • Continue to practise your lines for the Advent service
  • Fractions- Mathletics
  • General grammar consolidation/ revision- SPaG.com
  • Spelling Shed
  • Daily reading

Have a wonderful weekend,

Ms Pemberton

 

Year 6 Week Beginning 20.11.23

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On Monday, 12 members of Year 6 had the most wonderful time at London’s Royal Albert Hall, performing alongside the world famous Royal Symphony Orchestra!

Although the day was long, the children still managed to have some fun in the park when they took a break from rehearsals. As day met night, the lights illuminated the Royal Albert Hall and the surrounding buildings and monuments, giving off a sense of excitement and magic. When the time came to perform, the children wowed the huge audience with their voices, making their teachers and parent very proud. It was an experience that no one will forget!

In Art, the children finished their propaganda art piece based on the work of artist Sheperd Fairey. This art piece required the children to use and further develop collage, intricate cutting and painting skills. During this unit, the children were introduced to the idea that artists can use their skills, vision and creativity to speak on behalf of communities, changing the world for the better.

Year 6 have expressed their own message to the world through creating their own individual art pieces.

As the Advent service draws ever nearer, your home learning this week is to continue to learn the words to the Mexican song- Los Posadas. Please use the video to ensure that you get the pronunciation correct. Please also rehearse your lines for the service, speaking clearly, slowly and loudly!

Los Pasadas

Information about the song:

In Mexico over 9 evenings until Christmas Eve, a group of singers called “peregrinos (pilgrims)” reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for room in an inn. They go to different homes, and the “posaderos (innkeepers)” sing call and response with the carolers. After singing all verses, the peregrinos enter the home, where they all  sing together.

Lyrics – Spanish

(Mexican folk carol)

En el nombre del cielo os pido posada,
pues no puede andar mi esposa amada.

Aquí no es mesón sigan adelante,
yo no puedo abrir, no sea algún tunante.

No seas inhumano, tenos caridad,
que el Dios de los cielos te lo premiará.

Ya se pueden ir y no molestar
porque si me enfado los voy a apalear.  (Christina solo)

Mi esposa es María, es Reina del Cielo,
y madre va a ser del Divino Verbo.

¿Eres tu José? ¿Tu esposa es María?
Entren, peregrinos, no los conocía.

Dios pague señores vuestra caridad,
y que os colme el cielo de felicidad.

Dichosa la casa que abriga este día
a la Virgen Pura la hermosa María.

Entren santos peregrinos, peregrinos, reciban este rincón
no de esta pobre morada sino de mi corazón.

Have a lovely weekend,

Ms Pemberton

Year 6 Week Beginning 13.11.23

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This week has been Anti-Bullying week! The week launched with both children and staff wearing odd socks to school; this  fun opportunity encouraged everyone to express themselves and celebrate their individuality!

As we are celebrating the Year of Diversity at Pope Paul, our Anti-Bullying Week focussed on the message of anti-racism. In class, the children learnt about what racism is and how they can be actively anti-racist. They also learned about unconscious bias. During lesson time, the class explored different scenarios where an anti-racist would speak out against racism through actions and words. They also made connections between anti-racism and our own school mission prayer, where we strive to respect and care for each other and to build a better world.

In Maths, Year 6 have been focussing on prime numbers, factors, common multiples, square and cube numbers and they have begun to write and edit the first drafts of their diary entries, in English.

In Science, Year 6 had lots of fun creating models using themselves, to show how light helps us to see.

Home learning has been set on the following websites:

Mathletics

SPaG

Spelling Shed

Please remember to practise your multiplication skills regularly using TT Rockstars.

Regular daily reading

Please familiarise yourself with our class song for the Advent service. Parts and lines will be given out next week.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Ms Pemberton

Year 6 Week Beginning 6.11.23

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This week, the children in Year 6 have been thinking about Remembrance and began the week by making special prayer poppies which were displayed in our prayer area in the classroom; it ended today with a whole school pilgrimage around the school. This was a wonderful opportunity to visit each class and see their remembrance displays with their reading partners.

In English this week, the children began planning their Windrush diary entries, ready for the write-up sessions next week. The children are REALLY enjoying this text and complain every time I stop reading, so I am expecting some fantastic writing next week!

In Science, Year 6 began their new topic on ‘Light’. This week, the children had to find out how light travels and enjoyed setting up their own investigations; as a result, they learnt that light travels in a straight line!

In PE, the class continued their new dance unit based on the themes from WW2. They had lots of fun putting together simple dance steps to create routines in pairs. This was set to music from WW2.

Home learning has been set on:

Mathletics

Spag.com

Spelling Shed

Please continue to read daily and please bring your reading logs in on a daily basis. Thank you Year 6.

 

Have a good weekend,

 

Ms Pemberton

Year 6 Week Beginning: 30.11.23

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windrush-child-benjamin-zephaniah-16x9 - Mill Hill Schools

This week, Year 6 began their new writing unit based on the story Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah.

The book tells the story of a 10-year-old boy called Leonard. In 1958, Leonard travels with his mother from Jamaica to England to join his father. The novel follows Leonard as he struggles to adapt to life in Britain.

Although Windrush Child is a fictional story, Benjamin Zephaniah was inspired by historical events when he wrote Windrush Child. He also drew on his own experience of growing up in Britain in the 1960s.

In class, the children have been doing lots of  learning about the Windrush generation, in order to have a better understanding of the themes within the book. They learnt:

The Windrush generation

In the book, Leonard’s father is a passenger on the Empire Windrush. This was a real ship which travelled to Britain from Jamaica in 1948. Many of the people on board had left their homes in the Caribbean having been encouraged to find work and a better life in Britain. They were all British by law so they were all free to stay. This group of people were the first of the Windrush generation. Many stayed and built lives and families in Britain.

The Immigration Act 1971 granted permanent leave to remain in Britain to those who migrated before 1971. This meant that those who were part of the Windrush generation remained legal migrants and could stay in Britain to live and work. However, no paperwork stating that they had the right to permanently remain in Britain was given to these individuals.

In 2017, the Windrush scandal revealed that many people who were part of the Windrush generation, like Leonard, had been wrongly arrested or forced to leave the country because they had no proof of their legal status.

By 2019, the British Prime Minister apologised and promised to pay compensation to the 15,000 people affected. 

In Maths, Year 6 have been solving real life maths problems by working backwards. They also had lots of fun learning and playing a strategic Chinese maths game called ‘Nim’.

In Science this week, the children finished their Animals Including Humans topic by creating ‘Healthy Living’ information booklets for younger children.

In PE, the children had lots of fun participating in a war themed dance lesson!

Home learning this week is:

Mathletics– Four operations

Spag.com– Parenthesis and commas activity and a general grammar quiz based on the learning you did in Year 5

Spelling Shed

Daily reading

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy any fireworks displays you may be going to!

See you Monday,

Ms Pemberton

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What a wonderful One World Week Year 6 have had!

This week, the children have been very busy finding out about Zambia.

On Monday, the class baked vitumbuwa, a type of Zambian fritter. Year 6 opted to use an air fryer rather than the deep fat fried variety- everyone agreed that they were delicious!

On Tuesday, the children found out about why Zambia celebrates Independence Day. They also researched some unknown facts and presented the information in the form of posters.

On Wednesday, Year 6 presented their inspirational Zambian people home learning to the rest of the class.

Thursday was a jam-packed day! The class painted Zambian scenery inspired paintings in acrylic, on canvas. The results were simply stunning!

The class then had a fascinating visit from Mrs Heymoz, who shared a PowerPoint about the time she lived and taught in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Straight after that, the children participated in an African dancing online lesson, which proved to be both lots of fun but very tiring!

Today, Year 6 were treated to a wonderful visit from Naomi and Julia’s mum. She talked to the class about lots of different aspects of Zambian life and brought lots of different food for the children to sample. Finally, she explained that because Zambia gets long electricity power cuts, families have to find other ways to cook- she demonstrated this by cooking sausages over an open fire in the peace garden. Thank you so much for visiting us and helping us to bring learning to life!

Finally, this afternoon, the class took part in a whole school One World Week sharing session, where the class were split up into groups and went off to different year groups around the school. It was fantastic to find out about all the lovely learning that has taken place around our school this week.

Thank you to all the parents who joined Year 6 for a class mass on Wednesday. The children’s behaviour was exemplary and the reading and singing were superb!

It was lovely to catch up with parents this week during parent consultations- thank you for coming to see me!

No home learning over this half term break. Instead, spend time having fun with your loved ones.

Have a well deserved break Year 6. You have all worked incredibly hard this first half term and you have been a pleasure to teach.

Ms Pemberton