MAXWELL PRIMARY

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER – April 2021

April showers bring May flowers or at least that is what ‘they’ say. This month everyone at Maxwell Primary rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty to sow a variety of seeds. We ended the month celebrating stories for Storytelling week, and launched a competition allowing the children to retell stories in the format that they are most drawn to.

 

Miss Monica’s Class

Although Miss Monica’s began the month teaching the children from home, the Reception/Year 1 routine was not interrupted. The children have been busy applying their phonics knowledge to writing and learning news stories about their families. There was laughter and excitement when Year 4 and 5 came to tell the children a series of traditional tales. Everyone enjoyed being able to get together on the patio while keeping a safe distance.

 

For Green fingers,  their new IPC topic, the children have planted lettuce, radishes and other summer vegetables/fruits in hope that they can harvest a selection of goods to make a summer salad at the end of term. In addition to this, the children have been sharing what they know about plants in their weekly Show and Tell sessions and have considered what everyone can do to keep our planet healthy and green. Reception and Year 1 have not just had green fingers this month, as they examined Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, the children got stuck in with their fingers to recreate their own impressionist paintings of plants and flowers.

The children took to the kitchen to bake delicious recipes. Just look at these healthy carrot cupcakes our Maxwell mum’s were treated to this week for Mother’s Day.

Miss Claire’s Class

In English this month, Year 2 and 3 have been learning about poetry. They have learned that there are tools that can be used to make poetry more exciting when it is performed. Each child learned and recited a poem in front of the class. It was impressive to see how the children considered the volume, tone and pace of their classmates’ performances. Reading poetry has helped them to expand our vocabulary and become more confident when performing in front of an audience.

 

Math lessons have been fun as the children began learning about the properties of shapes. They used nets to build our own 3D shapes and enjoyed exploring symmetry by completing symmetrical pictures with partners. As the children moved on to the topic of fractions, they got the kitchen utensils out to cut tortilla wraps and cakes to show whole amounts, halves, quarters and eighths.

Year 2 and 3 have shown a great interest in their new IPC topic, Let’s Plant It! They successfully planted sunflower seeds and in recent days have seen the first seedlings sprout in reach of sunlight. The children have also been very interested in carnivorous plants. In Show and Tell sessions the children have taught each other more about them by sharing photos, songs, a Korean dance, hand-made models and presentations. The children used close-up observations for scientific and artistic purposes, first becoming botanists to dissect tulips and examine their parts and later to paint beautiful lilies in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe. 

 

Miss Christina’s Class

Throughout April the Year 4 and 5 children have been exploring the art of storytelling. Each student chose a traditional tale that they loved when they were younger and rehearsed retelling it orally. They considered how actions and use of voice can improve the understanding and  enjoyment of the story for the audience. After designating areas of the patio to each student and a small audience, the children shared their stories with Miss Monica’s class. The younger students enjoyed this so much that they have requested that Year 4 and 5 return with more stories soon…watch this space!

 

Roots, Shoots and Fruits, the new IPC topic this half-term, has taken the children down so many learning paths. They learned that to become an expert in plants they will need to follow in the steps of a botanist. The children have learned that observation, examination, and investigation are very important processes for scientists to undertake. They are essential to extract information to answer the questions they have about the world. As they work towards becoming botanists in their own right, the children have dissected seeds, a variety of big flowers and have learned the role that insects (especially bees) have in pollination. 

Having spent time observing flowers so close up, the children were inspired by the art of Georgia O’Keeffe and her observational drawings/painting of flowers. Using pastels, paints and pencils the children recreated their own beautiful pieces of flower art. 

 

Miss Rebecca’s Class

As the Year 6 group reaches the final stretch on their primary school journey, they are consolidating skills in all areas of the primary curriculum. The children have been exploring the meaning of new vocabulary using Vocabulary Ninja’s Vocabulary Laboratory and are using the new language in their weekly Show and Tell presentations.

 

 

As part of their IPC Topic, Roots, Shoots and Fruits they began to look at trees and their importance to the health of the planet. The children have learned that deforestation is having a huge, negative impact on the planet and are keen to counteract that. They have begun to plant their own plants/trees in the knowledge that everyone can help planting just one seed at a time.

 

 

The Year 6 group treated the whole school to a fantastic assembly performance in Spanish. This was a huge success and has inspired our younger students just in time for Storytelling week. Now all groups in primary are preparing performances of their own to share, showing the impact our older role models can have on our younger students.

Lengua and Cultura with Miss Maria

Year Y5/6 

En Lengua : Este mes hemos comenzado a trabajar en nuestros dos temas principales del trimestre: El teatro (historia y características) y el análisis sintáctico. Para ello hemos repasado las categorías gramaticales y aprendido a analizar oraciones paso a paso, a través de explicaciones esquemáticas. También hemos estado aprendiendo sobre el origen del teatro en grecia y roma, y los tipos de representaciones teatrales del mundo, a la vez que hemos practicado y realizado nuestra propia obra de teatro, la cual hemos presentado frente a todos nuestros compañeros de Maxwell en la asamblea del viernes. Los alumnos de year 6 han hecho un trabajo increíble aprendiendo sus diálogos, expresando sus emociones en el escenario y preparando sus disfraces y decorados. ¡Enhorabuena! 

Year 4 

En Cultura

Hemos continuado aprendiendo sobre diferentes pintores españoles, nos hemos centrado en el cubismo aprendiendo sobre pintores como Picasso, Juan Gris o María Blanchard.

 

 

Year 2/3 

En Lengua: En lengua continuamos desarrollando nuestras habilidades de expresión oral y escrita y conocimientos relacionados con las categorías gramaticales, ortografía y gramática.  También hemos dedicado algunas de nuestras clases a aprender un poco sobre la vida de algunos personajes literarios muy relevantes de nuestro país como María Goyri, Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Concepción Arenal y Cervantes. Aprendiendo a su vez sobre los diferentes tipos de géneros literarios y sus derivados que empleaban estos autores.

 

Y1/Rec

En Lengua: En lengua continuamos desarrollando nuestras habilidades de expresión oral y escrita. Hemos introducido el tema de las plantas y la agricultura y también hemos dedicado algunas de nuestras clases a aprender un poco sobre la vida de algunos personajes literarios muy relevantes de nuestro país como María Goyri, Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Concepción Arenal y Cervantes. Aprendiendo a su vez sobre los diferentes tipos de géneros literarios y sus derivados que empleaban estos autores.

 

Volleyball with Miss Grace

As the summer draws near, the children are developing their volleyball skills with Miss Grace in PE. Gradually, building on their passing, setting, spiking, blocking, digging, and serving skills, the children have recently been playing small games to put this learning into practice. They will be ready to compete just in time for those upcoming matches on the beach!

WHAT IS COMING UP IN APRIL?

Staff Meetings:

• Staff will be sharing what they have learned from their March/April CPD sessions
• Moderation of the children’s assessments to ensure consistency across primary groups
• Topic planning for IPC – How to get the most of the cross-curricular approach
• Looking at the teaching of Science Investigation in IPC topics
• Thinking ahead to next year: orders, planning and preparation

Events and Enrichment coming up in Term 3:

Trip to the Botanical Gardens:

• Year 2 and 3 on Monday 10th May
• Reception/Year 1 and Year 4 – 6 on Thursday 20th May

Parent Zoom Sessions

• Maths on Thursday 20th May
• IPC on Thursday 3rd June

Important Dates in Term 3:

• Story Telling Entry Due Date – Monday 10th May. Winners to be announced on Friday 14th
• San Isidro on 15th May (will be celebrated in school on Friday 14th)
• Monday 31st May to Friday 4th June – Primary Assessment Week
• World Music Day on June 21st
• Trips to the Natural Science Museum TBC
• Sports Day TBC
• Final Day of Term Friday 25th June
• Parent Teacher Conferences Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th June

A big thank you to our wonderful Maxwell parents for your continous support and cooperation,

Christina and the primary team