Reminders

• Please continue to read with your child five times a week and record this in their reading record.

• Regular practice on Times Table Rock Stars will support confidence and fluency with multiplication facts.

• Please can everyone have goggles for swimming and all girls have a swimming hat packed for week 3, thank you! 

Forest School
The children thoroughly enjoyed their first Forest School session, with the marshmallows being a particular highlight! 

Swimming
We have now completed our second swimming lesson, which was another great success. The children represented Brook Valley brilliantly, showing excellent behaviour, resilience and confidence in the water.

Reading with Owls
This term, we have also begun Reading with Owls on Friday afternoons. The children have been incredibly kind, patient and caring towards the Owls, and it has been a real pleasure to watch the empathy and encouragement they have shown. 

Curriculum Highlights

English
In English, we explored past and present tense and the different ways these are represented in writing. This learning is preparing the children to write about both past and present weather events as part of our non-chronological reports. The children then practised applying this knowledge in their own writing.

Maths
In maths, we focused on factor pairs. The children learnt how to identify these using their times table knowledge and also used arrays to support their understanding.

Science
This week, we modelled the digestive process using a very hands-on (and memorable!) investigation involving tights, orange juice, water, a plastic bag and food. There were some wonderfully curious questions and a few very disgusted faces — be sure to ask your child to explain the process to you at home!

Religious Education
In RE, we learnt about the story of Moses in more detail. The children created storyboards to retell the key events, including learning about some of the plagues and discussing how Moses was chosen by God to set the Israelites free.

Geography
In geography, we developed our map skills by revisiting compass directions and using atlases to locate Florida within the USA, as well as identifying where the USA is in relation to England. The children thoroughly enjoyed this exploration.

Poetry
We also revisited our poems from before Christmas, editing and improving them before creating a final, best copy.