Friday Headlines

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Nursery to Year Six Highlights

06 June 2025

It has been wonderful to welcome Prep girls back to school this week The teachers have shared some of the exciting activities that took place. Browse the gallery below for pictures!

Everyday Shapes

In Nursery, the theme has been oblongs. We began the week with a shape hunt around school, where the girls searched for oblongs in everyday objects. Equipped with iPads, they became shape detectives—taking photographs of the oblongs they found. This encouraged not only shape recognition but also built their confidence with technology and observational skills. The girls used different sized oblongs to make a robot. This activity helped them develop important fine motor skills as they glued and assembled their robot. To reinforce their understanding of the differences between shapes, the girls took part in a sorting activity, where they grouped shapes into two sets: oblongs and squares. This helped them to notice key features such as sides and corners and supported their mathematical language and reasoning.

In our physical development sessions, the children enjoyed a variety of races—running, using hoppers and scootalongs. These races not only supported gross motor skills and coordination but also gave the girls the opportunity to work on turn-taking, resilience and cheering each other on.

Future Aspirations

Kindergarten girls have learned about the letter “y” and the sound it makes. They looked at their baby pictures and talked about what they looked like when they were young. The girls could see how small they were and how much they’ve grown! They looked in mirrors and talked about the differences they can see. It was also interesting for them to share things that they can do now they are older, like writing their names and zipping up their coats. The girls also talked about their aspirations for the future!

Creativity in Reception

Reception pupils returned to school full of life and energy this week. They have missed their friends as this was evident with the laughter and discussions taking place on their first morning back. We continued to explore their favourite topic work on “Creatures Great and Small” and have been learning about life on the farm through a hands-on art design. Girls worked in pairs and created collage farms using a mix of materials such as paper, fabric, cotton wool, and recycled items. The activity helped pupils explore different aspects of farm life, including animals and crops. Pupils designed their own farm scene and thought carefully about what to include and how to represent it using different textures and colours. They really enjoyed the freedom to make choices and use a variety of materials themselves. The results were lovely to see and included:
•   a fence made from lollipop sticks
•   a field out of tissue paper
•   a cow lying down with a bell round its neck
•   a swordfish in the pond
•   robins in the trees and even ducks eating pond weed!

What a great creative start to the week!

Beautiful Bear Books

This term, the Year One girls are in the midst of an exciting project—creating their very own Famous Bear books! Each pupil has chosen a well-known bear to research, gathering interesting facts to include in their writing. As part of the process, they are carefully crafting their sentences, making sure to use capital letters and full stops correctly. Alongside their writing, the girls are producing fantastic illustrations to bring their books to life. We can’t wait to see the finished books published and shared later this term—it’s a beary exciting time in Year One!

Athletics in Action!

Year Two have been making the most of the sunny weather by using the athletics track to practise their running and relay skills in preparation for Sports Day later this term. They rose to the challenge of the hurdles, focusing on timing their jumps carefully. The girls also worked on their relay technique, learning to pass the baton quickly and accurately to the next team member, while avoiding any drops. Finally, they practised the skipping relay, which brought great energy and enthusiasm. The girls are looking forward to showcasing their talents on Sports Day.

Pollution and Our Planet

As part of their Geography topic, Caring for the Environment, Year Three have been investigating pollution and its impact on the planet. They explored the different types of pollution and learned how these contribute to the greenhouse effect. To deepen their understanding, they carried out a traffic survey on Westbourne Road, recording the types of vehicles and the number of passengers in each. Back in the classroom, the children discussed practical ways to reduce the traffic that causes air and noise pollution around their school.

Electric Time in Science!

Year Four have been learning to build their own circuits to test if different materials are electrical insulators or electrical conductors. They then used this knowledge to build working switches out of household materials. An excellent experiment, well done girls!

Outdoor Scientists

During Science lessons, Year Five have donned their wellington boots and headed down to the allotment. There, they have been conducting some biological sampling, including dipping nets into the pond, to compare the bugs and creatures that were found whilst we were at Cranedale. Much excitement was created as mayfly nymphs, luminous green spiders, shield bugs and tiny snails were discovered, some brave girls offering to hold them!

Budding Artists

Our budding Year Six artists are currently working on a unique art project that’s sure to impress! They are creating collage tiles using a range of exciting techniques, including paper folding, weaving, sewing, knitting, layering and tearing. These creative approaches allow them to showcase their skills in colour blending, texture building and composition. Each tile is a miniature masterpiece that reflects the artist’s personal style and creativity. We are excited to see how their hard work comes together in the final display in a few weeks. Stay tuned for more updates and photos of their brilliant work!

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Nursery to Year Six Highlights

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