Merry Christmas, Year 5

Merry Christmas, Year 5!

We have had a wonderful fun-filled Christmas week; there have been many wonderful activities. Throughout the week, we have enjoyed watching Year 3 and Year 4's Christmas service and Nativities plays put on by Preschool, Reception and KS1. On Wednesday, we enjoyed watching 'Cinderella' – the panto version – which gave us lots of laughs and giggles. We also enjoyed a fabulous Christmas dinner which was delicious. It was lovely all being together and sharing our Christmas spirit. Today, it was time for our Christmas party. Your outfits looked fantastic and we enjoyed playing a variety of games.

When we haven't been celebrating Christmas, we've been busy with our normal lessons. On Monday's RE lesson, we discovered that Jesus and his family were actually refugees. It was Matthew's version of the Christmas story that told us this. Mary, Joseph and Jesus had to flee their home in search of safety because of King Herod, who posed a threat to their lives. This story not only highlights the challenges they faced but also invites us to reflect on the feelings of those who find themselves in similar situations today. We discussed how frightening it must have been for Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus as they left everything they knew behind. To conclude our lessons, we then created an acrostic poem using the word 'REFUGEE'.

In English, Miss Griffiths helped you embody the role of Dr. Watson so you could write a formal report addressed to the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. This activity allowed you to explore the art of writing in a more formal tone while adopting the persona of a character from literature. It was thrilling to see how each of you creatively crafted your reports, using technical vocabulary, formal language, and even incorporating historical references from the period in which Sherlock Holmes' adventures took place. You have worked hard and should be extremely proud of what you have achieved. Well done, team!

We've been continuing our journey with fractions in Maths this week, and I'm pleased to see how well you've all grasped the concept of subtracting fractions! We've now moved on to subtracting from mixed numbers, which can be a bit tricky. Remember, sometimes it's necessary to convert mixed numbers into improper fractions before you can perform the subtraction. Towards the end of the week, we've been applying our knowledge to solve word problems which showcased excellent teamwork and resilience.

Science has been a focus in our afternoon lessons. First up, we dove into the world of friction! We conducted a thrilling experiment where we tested different surfaces to see how they affect the distance a toy car can travel. It was fascinating to observe how some surfaces created more friction than others, which ultimately impacted how far our little cars rolled. I was impressed by your thoughtful discussions about the results. Keep up the great work! Next, we shifted gears--quite literally! We learnt all about gears and mechanisms. We discovered how gears work together to make things move, and even had a hands-on session, where you designed simple gear systems. Your ingenuity in constructing these mechanisms was delightful to see, and I hope you found it as engaging as I did. Finally, we wrapped up this unit by completing an end-of-unit check to reflect on everything we've learnt.

In PE this week, we kept the theme of Christmas going. We embarked on an exhilarating adventure around the school grounds. Each of you ran energetically to various control points where you gathered letters that helped spell out festive Christmas words. It was fantastic to see everyone working together, showing great teamwork and enthusiasm!

It has been a wonderful Autumn term, and I want to say a huge thank you for all your hard work and support this term. Mrs Whittingham, Miss Griffiths and myself would also like to say a huge thank you for our lovely gifts and cards. You have been very generous and we feel very blessed from receiving each and everyone of them.

I hope you have an amazing Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

See you all in 2025,

Miss Pennance