Welcome to Squirrels' Class Page!
Class Teacher: Mrs Howell with Mrs Jefferies
TA team: Mrs Hobbs and Mrs Johnson
The story of Squirrels 2024 - 25 is well underway and I'm enjoying seeing what each new chapter holds for us all! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone flourish and shine very brightly all year!
I know there'll be loads of good learning happening every day, as well as an array of triumphs to celebrate, challenges to master and ideas to explore. There will definitely be some great memories built along the way too and we'll enjoy sharing them with you!
As our new class began, back in September, we created and signed our Class Charter to make sure that the class we have together is always happy, kind, ambitious and respectful; a place where we feel safe and encouraged to shine and be our very best selves..
Squirrels' Class Charter 2024 - 25
These links make it easy to stay up to date with
This Week's Homework & This Week's Spellings
Terms 3 & 4
Mountains, Myths and Marathons
We're off exploring again! We're scaling new heights in Term 3 as we discover mighty mountains and some of the most awe-inspiring mountainous regions across the world.
Then, in Term 4, we'll travel back in time to the ancient world of Mount Olympus. From there we'll learn more about the rich history of the Ancient Greeks: their myths, their achievements and their incredible legacy.
As always, all our work will come from the planned learning & key questions in our
In Squirrels, we like making lots of connections in our learning so we'll be finding lots of links with things we already know, with our new learning and with things we want to find out more about.
As always, there are big questions to explore in RE, History and PSHE, some great lives to encounter, new stories to hear and key skills to learn. We're going to stay creative and curious and, every day, we'll make sure that we bring a Growth Mindset and our Gem Powers to everything we do. Remembering these Learning Powers will be useful too!
What we'll be reading...
We'll finish Ellie Irving's brilliant book, "The Matilda Effect", which we've all loved reading.
We're hoping they make it to Stockholm in time to disrupt the Nobel Prize Ceremony as they seek justice for long over-looked space scientist, Granny Joss.
It's been quite an adventure getting there so far!
And then we'll be on to this fabulous book by Maz Evans. It's such a great read and I know the children will love it.
"When a shooting star crashes to earth, it lands Eliot smack bang in the path of Virgo - a young Zodiac goddess on a mission. But when the pair accidentally release Thanatos, a wicked death daemon imprisoned beneath Stonehenge, they’ve got nowhere to turn for help but to the old Olympian gods."
"Hilarious and brilliantly anarchic" Waterstones
"Greek gods on the loose haven’t made us laugh this much since EVER." Scholastic
Other Important Information
1. Personal Reading Books
The children should all have an ongoing book which they bring into school every day. Free readers will have a colour banded Free Reader book as they continue to refine their reading skills and they can also choose books from home, from our class collections and from the Library to enjoy too.
Those not yet free readers can bring in a book of their choice as well as their school reading book.
Our regular "I recommend..." sessions are great opportunities for the children to hear about the books others have loved reading too.
Please remember to sign your child’s home/school book each day that they read at home so that they can get all their certificates and rewards. Thank you!
Squirrels, if you're deciding on your next book, take a look at some of these suggestions. You could encounter some unforgettable new characters, meet some very familiar faces or discover lots of fascinating new facts! Which books would you add?
50 Great Reads Y4 50 Great Reads Y5 Poetry BooksNon-Fiction Choices Similar to... Books of the Month
2. Other Weekly Homework
A main Homework task is set every Friday and is due in the following Wednesday unless otherwise stated. These tasks will also be available through the link at the top of this page.
Spellings: Also found via the link on this page, our weekly spellings are set on Fridays now & tested the following Friday. Please encourage your child to regularly practise their words. In the back of your child's home/school book you'll find the lists of the Y3&4 and Y5&6 words that they'll need to be certain of too.
Doodle Maths (& Doodle Tables): Each child has a Doodle login and a personalised weekly target. Spending at least 10 minutes a day on each of these will help them meet their target.
T
imes Tables: The 12 Times Tables are used and tested lots each week as they underpin so much Maths work. Lots of practice at home is always key in getting everyone to be quick, secure and confident in their recall. There's Monster Multiplication and the timed Multiplication Check on Purple Mash and lots of other online games and activities available to help too.
To find Monster Multiplication, log on to Purple Mash and then either
1. Check in your 2Dos to see if it's been set for you or
2. Go to Games and find it there or
3. Go to Mathematics then Times Tables and find it there.
Thank you for your help and support in all this.
3. P.E.
Our Term 3 PE will be Wheelchair Basketball on Wednesday mornings which replaces the usual Tuesday P.E. lessons. Our Thursday PE lessons will carry on as before so children need to come to school already dressed in their correct kit then. It's HandBall this term and we'll aim to do all lessons outside and suitable outdoor school PE kit is important. A reminder that our school PE kit is as follows
- Farmborough House Group t-shirt or a plain coloured t-shirt in your House colour
- Navy blue/black sports shorts, skorts or joggers
- Plimsolls or trainers
- Sports socks
- Outdoor kit for cooler/wetter weather eg long joggers and plain/school hoodie or sweatshirt
We won’t run lessons outdoors in very wet weather, but it will be really useful for the children to bring in a spare set of clothes especially footwear when the weather's not so great. If preferred, these spares can be left in school in your child’s P.E. bag.
** All items coming into school do need to be clearly named. Thank you! **
4. Anti-Bullying Resource
Click on this logo to see the Anti-Bullying Alliance's Parent Pack, published to accompany this year's Anti-Bullying Week in November 2024
5. Staying Safe Online
Children, whenever you're online, remember to practise your online safety skills so that you stay Sharp, Alert, Secure, Kind & Brave.
Click on these images, either to explore Interland or to watch the Family Adventure together:
And here are some good places for parents and carers to visit for useful advice and information too:
Parent Zone Be Internet Legends Parents' Page & Parent Info
Thinkuknow Internet Matters LGfL Net Aware
6. General Reminders:
- The children will all need to have a water bottle in school every day.
- They'll also all need a rainproof coat with hood and wellies in a named carrier bag in school every day. Again, please check that everything that's worn or brought in is clearly named.
Thank you!
Finally, if you need to get in touch or you have any concerns or queries about anything, please come and speak to me after school as I'll be in the playground at the end of most days. You can also message me via Class Dojo although, if there's an urgent or time-sensitive matter, it's always best to phone or email the Office. We still have the Class Mailbox which I'll check regularly. Thank you!
Looking Back & Looking Ahead: 
In our Collective Worship at the end of Friday 20th March 2020, as we closed for the first lockdown, this traditional Blessing was prayed for our school community. Now, whatever this year brings, we still value these words and hold them for everyone.