Maple Class Blog 2025 Onwards
Maple Tree Class Blog
Weekly Update 3.2.22
Miss Bairstow (d.bairstow) on: Maple Tree Class Blog
Hi,
This week has been incredibly busy but also incredibly exciting! Prepare for a long blog entry...
Firstly, thank you to everyone who participated in our "Two-sday" non-uniform fundraiser on Wednesday (2.2.22!) and brought in 2 coins to help raise money for school.
Our exciting D.E.A.R challenge began on Monday to celebrate National Storytelling Week. Each class were given a slot to go and ring the bell and when it sounded we literally had to "drop everything and read"! This happened once every morning and every afternoon. Each class were read to by their teacher for the sessions to encourage a love of reading aloud and sharing stories. In Ash Tree, we decided to read 10 different books for the challenge as we had recently completed a list of our top 10 favourite books. Each time the bell rang, we read the first chapter of a different book on the list! Lots of children in Ash Tree have already picked up copies of books we started to read to have as their library books as they enjoyed hearing the first chapters so much.
Here are the books on our class list:
On Wednesday, we were visited by a storyteller who told UKS2 a gruesome traditional tale which had them hooked! They were full of questions and suggestions to help develop the story as it was told.
Finally, to finish the week, UKS2 received a visit from Dave Bunting this afternoon as part of our Mountains topic. Dave is a real life mountaineer (and luckily for us - a parent of a Y6!) who has led many expeditions - including to the Himalayas and Mount Everest! The children loved listening to him speak about his adventures and seeing all of the equipment he uses. I'm sure it will have given them lots of inspiration and ideas for the rest of the work we have planned linked to mountains!
Have a great weekend (and a rest to recover from such a busy week!)
Miss Bairstow
P.S. Parents' evening appointments are still available to book for next week via School Cloud if you have not already done so.
Weekly Update 28.1.22
Miss Bairstow (d.bairstow) on: Maple Tree Class Blog
Hi,
I have been really impressed with Ash Tree's writing this week as we continued with our exciting adventure stories. We are hoping to finish and publish them next week and are looking forward to sharing them with other children in school as part of National Storytelling Week.
Mr Cooke talked to us in assembly today about National Storytelling Week and the plan to D.E.A.R (DROP EVERYTHING AND READ!) at certain points next week when the bell rings.
In maths, my group have started to learn about fractions and have been recapping how to find equivalent fractions and how to compare and order fractions with different denominators.
Mrs Trotter and Mrs Senior's groups have been learning about equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages.
We are really looking forward to next week!
Have a great weekend!
Miss Bairstow
Weekly Update 21.1.21
Miss Bairstow (d.bairstow) on: Maple Tree Class Blog
Hello!
This week in English we have started writing our exciting adventure stories based on the video clip "The Ridge". Ash Tree have come up with some really imaginative ideas for their stories and I am looking forward to seeing the finished result next week!
In maths, Mrs Trotter and Mrs Senior's groups have been converting decimals and fractions and will be moving on to percentages next week.
My group have been focusing on formal methods for division and applying these skills to problem solving.
We have also enjoyed reading more of our class guided reading text this week, "King of the Cloud Forests" by Michael Morpurgo. We thought about what it would have been like for the main character, Ashley, to leave the only place he had ever lived and leave his father behind due to the war. We wrote diary entries from Ashley's perspective and Year 6 were able to draw comparisons between this text and another wartime text, "Goodnight Mister Tom" as they read this last year.
See you on Monday!
Miss Bairstow
Weekly Update 14.1.22
Miss Bairstow (d.bairstow) on: Maple Tree Class Blog
Hello!
We have been continuing to learn about our new topic "Rivers and Mountains" this week by researching record breaking mountains in the computer suite and using atlases in the classroom to identify mountain ranges and the highest peaks in Europe.
In English, we have been writing setting descriptions of a mountain landscape based on the imagery in the video clip "The Ridge".
In maths, Miss Bairstow's group have been learning the formal method for long multiplication. The children developed their arithmetic method and then applied this knowledge to solve a range of problems. Again, the work we have completed this week has highlighted how important it is that children know all of their times table facts by the end of Year 4. Please continue to practise these at home if your child is not yet confident with this. We finished the week with a consolidation long multiplication game which the children enjoyed playing in pairs.
Mrs Trotter and Mrs Senior's groups have been multiplying and dividing decimals.
In other exciting news, Year 6 Book Club started this week and the 16 children in the first group had a really positive first meeting on Monday. Book Club has been set up to introduce the children to new authors and to inspire them to read a wider range of books for pleasure. If your child is part of Book Club this half term please support them with their reading by talking to them about the books they have been assigned and reminding them to fill in their journal each week.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Bairstow :)
Weekly Update 7.1.22
Miss Bairstow (d.bairstow) on: Maple Tree Class Blog
Hello and welcome back!
It has been so lovely to see all the members of Ash in school again this week. We hope you all had a relaxing break.
Everyone has worked hard this week and made a great start to the new term!
We have started learning about our new topic "Mountains and Rivers" and have been completing some writing activities in English linked to this.
In maths, Miss Bairstow's group have been practising the column method of short multiplication and will be moving on to long multiplication next week. This unit of work heavily relies on children having secure recall of all their times table facts to 12 in order to be working at age related expectations. At Rufford Park and nationally, the expectation is that children have this understanding by the end of Year 4. Please practise times tables regularly at home if this is something your child is not yet confident with to ensure they make maximum progress in school.
Mrs Trotter's group have been learning about decimals up to 3 decimal places.
Please remember Y5/6 football and netball club both resume next week.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Bairstow