17th December 2015 LETTER 25

Dear Parents / Carers

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

School closes for the Christmas break tomorrow, Friday 18th December 2015 at 12.10pm and re-opens on Tuesday 5th January 2016 at 8.20am. May I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

PRIMARY SCHOOL - CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY

Tomorrow is ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ in Primary. Children can wear any kind of Christmas jumper or cardigan. Please do not go out and buy a jumper especially. Why not fashion your own jumper? Get creative and decorate your own glitzy knitwear with tinsel, stars, baubles and snowflakes!

Instead of sending in money for non-uniform we asked for donations of tinned food for staff to make hampers to be delivered to less fortunate, local families before Christmas. You were very generous and we managed to make almost 30 hampers. Thank you for your kind donations. I am sure they will be well received.

STAFF CHANGES

Our Year 3 teacher Miss Skinner will be leaving us on Friday. We would like to wish her all the best in her future ventures and thank her for her valuable contribution to Bradford Academy. We welcome Mr Gill, a very experienced teacher, who will be teaching pupils in Year 3 Anne Fine class after the Christmas break.

As you may be aware, I will be leaving Bradford Academy this term. I would like to take this opportunity to say how much I have enjoyed teaching your children and watching them grow over the past years. Anne Fine class will be taught by their new teacher, Mr Gill. Anne Fine have had the opportunity to meet Mr Gill, they have also created some ‘All About Me’ profiles to share with Mr. Gill.

Thank you to parents/ carers of Anne Fine class for your support and cooperation.Kind regards,Miss Skinner

WHAT WE ARE LEARNING IN SCHOOL

What we are learning in NurseryIn maths we are learning to recognise our numbers to 10 and counting to 10. You can help at home by providing your child opportunities to recognise numbers in the environment i.e. Shopping centre, supermarket etc. In Literacy we are learning about The Christmas Story and discussing the reasons why we celebrate Christmas. You can help at home by discussing why we celebrate Christmas and how your family celebrates at home. In topic we are learning about different traditions of Christmas that you might have and the topic of giving and receiving gifts. We are also doing some Christmas baking and making lots of Christmas crafts. You can help at home by discussing what traditions your family might have and the importance of giving.

What we are learning in Reception In maths we are re-capping what we have learnt over this half term. We are using numicon and matching the amount of objects to these. We are counting on and back from a given number and we are making Christmas repeated patterns. You can help at home asking your children what they have been learning about and help them practice this. In Literacy we are learning about Christmas stories, we have read ‘Frosty the snowman’ and ‘Norman the slug who saved Christmas’. We have talked about Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus. You can help at home by reading Christmas stories and talking about traditions at Christmas. In topic we are learning about Christmas. We have been making Christmas cards, writing letters to Santa and making Christmas craft. You can help at home by discussing Christmas and making Christmas pictures.

What we are learning in Year 1In maths we are learning about Christmas maths and working co-operatively. You can help at home by

playing some dice games with your children getting them to add quicker and quicker. In Literacy we are learning about The Snowman. You can help at home by getting the children to retell the story to you. In science we are learning about the science of Christmas. You can help at home by getting your child to tell you about any experiments we have done in class.

What we are learning in Year 2In maths we are learning to calculate our knowledge of addition and subtraction to solve Christmas problems. You can help at home by asking your child to add and subtract numbers in random orders, to ensure they can switch between the two operations. In English we are writing our own diary entries about when we went to the North Pole. You can help at home by talking with your child how they might feel about meeting the elves and Santa at the North Pole. In topic we are continuing to learn about looking at using Christmas to produce different art forms. You can help at home by looking at the different forms for art used at Christmas, from television adverts to Christmas cards, Christmas lights to Christmas jumpers!

What we are learning in Year 3In maths we are learning about adding 2 and 3 digit numbers with extended addition methods, and solving addition word problems. You can help at home by practicing addition with your child. In Literacy we are learning spelling and grammar (nouns, adjectives, rhetorical questions, etc.) and using them in our writing. You can help at home by reading at home with your child and having them identify key literary devices. In topic we are continuing our learning of copper miners, how copper was made, and its significance in the Bronze Age. You can help at home by doing research at home about copper miners and the process to make bronze. In science we are learning about nutrition, and the human skeleton and the function of our bones and muscles. You can help at home by discussing the important bones in the body and the type of nutrition we need to be healthy.

What we are learning in Year 4In maths we are continuing to use addition in different contexts. We are applying our knowledge of addition to calculate the perimeter of the different buildings on our models of Saltaire. We will also be doing lots of addition activities with a Christmas theme. You can help at home by encouraging your child to practice expanded column addition or partitioning at home. In English we are writing our own persuasive texts. We will be using our test maps and knowledge of what makes a good persuasive text. You can help at home by by talking about persuasive language in advertisements. In topic we are continuing to build our clay models of Saltaire. We will be evaluating what went well and what we could change next time. You cab help at home by discussing the different buildings in Saltaire and why these were important. In science we are learning about electricity and conductors and insulators. You can help at home by talking about the different materials used with electrical appliances at home and why they use these materials.

What we are learning in Year 5In maths we are learning to use our knowledge on adding fractions and common denominators, to solve problems with mixed numbers and improper fractions. You can help at home by challenging your children to create sums of improper fractions and show you how they can create mixed numbers and take a mixed number and create an improper fraction. In Literacy we are learning to read and explore the snow queen story. You can help at home by asking your child what the story “The Snow Queen” is about and what ideas they have come up with in class to innovate the story. In topic we are learning about how cracking the Enigma Code changed the war for the allies. You can help at home by asking your child what is an Enigma machine and why this was important during the war. Ask your child what made this a turning point in helping the allies win? In science we are learning about what a balanced diet is and why during the war people struggled to be healthy. You can help at home by challenging your child during tea time to show you how they can balance their dinner plate and make healthy choices.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs J. ClarkeExecutive Principal

MondayTeacher training day

TuesdayBbq chicken pasta bake orQuorn chilli and rice served with roasted baby potatoes, carrots and peasTreacle sponge and custard

WednesdayTandoori drumsticks or Vegetable patty served with savoury rice, mixed vegetables and saladChocolate wellington fudge cake

ThursdayTuna and sweetcorn pizza or Marguerite pizza served with chips and baked beans or saladChef’s Dessert of the Day

FridayChicken tikka wraps or Macaroni cheese served with potato wedges, coleslaw and garden saladIce cream tubs

SCHOOL MENU – WEEK COMMENCING 4th JANUARY 2016