Friday 14th July 

A huge WELL DONE to all of year 5/6 on their performance of the Jungle Book. We are so proud of all that they have achieved and the play was a real success.

Thank you to our wonderful parents for supporting the children with learning their lines. A special mention to our parent make up artists, singing coaches and film director! 

In English, we have been working hard on creating suspense in our writing.

In maths, we have been applying our knowledge of perimeter, area and decimals to create our own farm.

w/c 3rd July 2023

It is Art Week!

This week, Crested Eagles are looking at anonymous graffiti artist, Banksy. So far, we have researched him and created artist study pages and experimented with different graffiti art styles. 

What do you think of our work?

Friday 23rd June

We took a group of year 6s to the Sustainability event at ICC. The children represented our school very well and spoken about ways we are looking after the environment. The inspirational speakers were also great- particularly Al Tait.

w/c 5th June 2023 

Welcome back Crested Eagles! I can't believe this is our final term as a class. We have so many exciting things to look forward to this term. 

We have already been working hard and kicked off the week by looking at autobiographies. We have been reading different styles of autobiography and have begun to spot the key features. 

In maths, we have been looking at coordinates and translations. We have learnt how to solve missing coordinate problems. 

In science, we discussed energy input vs energy output and the importance of making sure your body has the right nutrition for your lifestyle. 

On Friday morning, we took part in a whole school cross county event. A huge congratulations to the Year 5/6 medal winners, James Co, Maddie, Lucas, Alfie C, Matilda and Emily P. Well done everyone for taking part.

We also had an inspirational speaker, Al Sylvester, come to speak to us about his expeditions in Antarctica and his experiences during his career in the RAF. Ask us about his team mate Pita, or what happened to Al’s fingers and thumbs. A key takeaway was ‘never give up and follow your dreams’.

w/c 22nd May 2023 - STEM Week

This week was STEM week here at Watlington. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We have focussed on these four subjects in school and have been very lucky to have been visited by multiple professionals in these areas.

Science/Technology = forensics workshop with Jo from Thames Valley Police, brain and neurology workshop with Dr Elizabeth and heart dissection for Year 6 at Icknield Community College

Engineering = completing our 3D printing projects! 

Mathematics = tackling problem solving from 'nrich' 

Have a look at our pictures below to see what we have been up to. It really has been a brilliant week. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed - the children will remember these experiences for a very long time. 

Forensics

On Monday, we were visited by Jo from the forensics team at Thames Valley Police. She taught us all about fingerprints and all things DNA! The talk was absolutely fascinating and all of the children were very engaged. We asked LOTS of questions which she answered in detail. Thank you, Jo! 

3D Printing 

We have been lucky enough to have a 3D printer in school for the past few months. Back in March, we used the Tinkercad App to design our own 3D models. These models have all now been sent to the 3D printer and been created! Each model can take between 1 - 6 hours to complete which is why we have only just finished printing our designs. Both of the Eagles classes now have a unique 3D printed model to take home. Have a look at our creations below 

Friday 19th May 2023

We have enjoyed a lovely week in the sunshine here in Crested Eagles! This week, we have been learning about:

English - writing persuasive letters using a formal tone

Maths - Year 5 have been consolidating their work on calculating the area and perimeter of composite shapes and Year 6 have looked at calculating the area of triangles and parallelograms

Science - we looked at the structure of blood and had a go at making our own! Check out our pictures below

PE - we practised our badminton skills and completed some mini matches against our friends 

Topic - we learnt about the different features of rivers. We drew and labelled our own rivers. Some of us even pushed ourselves to write a short story as if we were a river, detailing the different sections of its life cycle

Friday 12th May

Congratulations to Year 6 for their amazing attitude during SATs week. We are so proud of the way you have conducted yourselves and tried your very best. A huge well done. Enjoy a well deserved rest this weekend. 

Some of our highlights:
- Year 6 enjoyed a celebration on Friday afternoon, including some competitive games of rounders and and some party food!

- During topic, we explored the 5 main biomes. We learnt key facts and additional information, including; weather and climate, animals, seasons, physical features and vegetation. Can you tell your adults what the 5 biomes are?

- We also looked at the water cycle. The 4 main parts of the water cycle are evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.

- The Year 5s have been looking at negative numbers and in English they wrote heir own narrative from different points of view, focusing on inner monologue.

- Year 5 looked at different media and techniques in art then created some wild fire art.

- We have been enjoying athletics in PE this term. Have a look at our pictures below. Thank you to my special photographers for capturing so many pictures! 

Useful Year 6 resources

Good luck to all of our lovely Year 6s for their SATs tests next week. You have been working so hard and I am sure it will all pay off. Make sure you are well rested this weekend! 

Year 6 Maths Challenge - 3rd May 

We entered the Quiz Club Maths Challenge area heats today. 2 teams took part and the quiz consisted of a variety of rounds that increased in difficulty. Mrs Doran logged onto zoom and the quiz master gave us instructions for how to take part. It was lots of fun! Watch this space to see if we reached the next heat. 

w/c 24.4.23

Welcome back Crested Eagles! We all had a fantastic time on residential last week and are now ready to learn. This week, we have been learning about:

Science

We started our new topic, 'Animals including Humans'. Our focus will be the heart and circulatory system. Have a look at our live action videos that show how the circulatory system works below. 

Friday 31st March 2023

Happy Easter everyone!

Year 6, don't forget your half term homework! If you lose your SATs papers then you can locate them here. I have also uploaded the cover sheet below.

Residential: Find a copy of the kit list below. Please arrive at school promptly on Monday 17th April. 

w/c 20th March 2023

This week, year 5 and 6 were lucky enough to be invited to go and see Icknield perform Little Shop of Horrors. We had the best time and the performance was absolutely incredible. The next day, we attended a drama workshop run by Dr Legg, Mr Rowe and their talented group of actors. We practised some of the songs from LSOH and rehearsed a scene from the play. The children had to think carefully about their accent and body language. Well done to some of our children who were brave enough to perform their pieces to the entire audience! When we got back to school, we rehearsed our scripts again and then made sure that everyone who wanted to had a chance to perform to the class. Have a look at our videos and pictures below! 

w/c 13th March 2023

This week, Crested Eagles have started planning their robot inventions. Next week, they will pitch them to the class and we will vote for the best one! Have a look at James' example below. We are also going to incorporate the inventions into our English work by composing 'hot' non-chronological reports all about the robot. Watch this space! 

In maths, we have been looking at percentages of an amount. Check out one of our problem solving examples below. 

w/c 6th March 2023

This week, Crested Eagles have been working hard on their reading and maths assessments. We have also been getting up to lots of exciting things both in and out of the classroom.

In science, we investigated the spectrum of light by shining a light source through a prism. We watched the light refract and separate into the colours of the rainbow on the white wall.

On Wednesday, KS2 were lucky enough to take part in an interactive showing of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Well done to all the brave children who went onto the stage and played a part!

We have had some interesting weather this week, but that doesn’t stop Crested Eagles from being active! When our outdoor session was called off on Thursday due to torrential rain, we moved all the tables in the classroom and had a yoga class! I think a lot of the children were surprised with how much they enjoyed themselves. 
 

On Friday, Footy Kids came to school with their inflatable football pitch. Each class had a taster session. Footy Kids will run a lunchtime club every Wednesday on the school field. Look out for a leaflet in your child’s bag with information on how to sign up! 😊

w/c 20th February 2023

Welcome to Term 4! I cannot believe we are half way through the school year already. Crested Eagles have, as always, embraced new learning with a positive, 'can-do' attitude this week.

In English, we started learning our new model text 'What is DNA?'. This term, we will be focussing on non-fiction writing and will be composing our own non-chronological reports.

In maths, we have begun work on decimals which we will continue next week.

In science, we conducted an experiment to test whether different materials were transparent, translucent or opaque.

Below are some videos from our French lesson on Wednesday. We have been learning how to name different classroom objects in French. 

w/c 6th February 2023 - Children's Mental Health Week

This week, we will be completing different activities to mark Children's Mental Health Week. One of the things we are participating in is the Taskmaster Education challenge! More information about this can be found via http://taskmastereducation.com 

Challenge 3:

Create a self-portrait using only things you have found outside.

Challenge 2:

Create a game involving only one piece of equipment and three instructions.

Our first challenge was the create the best rainbow. Have a look at our masterpieces below - which one do you think is the best?

w/c 30th January 2023

This week, we have been writing up our science fiction stories. I have attached some examples below for you to read. We will publish the finished stories on one of our displays for the whole school to see. Well done Crested Eagles, you had some brilliant ideas! 

In maths, we have started looking at algebra. We have looked at formulas and are beginning to understand the concept of algebra a little more. We will continue our work on this next week. 

We have been loving playing netball on a Thursday afternoon. We have some very talented netball players in our class - keep your eyes peeled for a inter-school netball match coming soon! 

 THANK YOU! 

Thank you to all the parents who managed to come and visit us during the Open Afternoon on Friday. It was lovely to see you in the classroom and the children enjoyed showing you their work. If you couldn't make it on Friday, don't worry! We will make sure that you can see your child's books at Parents' Evening next week. 

 WELL DONE! 

A massive well done to all the children who competed in the athletics tournament on Wednesday. You were absolutely amazing and represented Watlington brilliantly. It was great to come home with a win! 

w/c 16th January 2023

Maths: This week, we began our work on ratio. We can now recognise ratios and understand what the ratio symbol means. We had a go at solving some ratio problems including simplifying ratios. 

English: We have started the 'innovation' stage of our sci-fi writing unit. This means we are changing the model text. We have focussed on character and setting description. 

Science: We tested our boats! Some were more successful at moving across the water than others. Why do you think this was? Key words to think about: water resistance, streamline, buoyancy 

Art: We have continued our work on Eric Joyner and created some great robot/doughnut artwork! We are hoping to display these somewhere around the school soon. 

 Welcome Back Crested Eagles! 

We have had a great start to Term 3.

Our new topic this term is Robots & Inventions. We have learnt what a robot is and had lots of discussions about the different robots that we rely on in our day to day lives.

In English, we have been looking at science fiction writing. We have learnt a new story map and began to pick out appropriate vocabulary to use in our writing. 

In maths, we have been recapping our arithmetic skills as well as focussing on written methods for multiplication and division. 

Thank you for donating so many types of junk modelling materials! We made our boats this week and are looking forward to testing them out next week on the water.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday 16th December 2022

We are nearly at the end of term! We have had a festive (but very chilly!) week in Crested Eagles. We have finished our discussion hot writes, planned and budgeted festive meals and enjoyed eating our Christmas dinners wearing our Christmas jumpers. 

Well done to all of the children who came to the church service on Wednesday. You sung beautifully. Thank you to all of the parents who came along, it was a brilliant way to end 2022. 

One and a half days to go now!

Miss Harman x

English

This week, the children completed their discussion hot writes. Have a read of their work below! 

Maths 

The children were given the task of creating a Christmas dinner on a budget! Each team was given a different budget, for example:

Budget = £20

Family of 2

Vegetarian 

Budget = £60

Family of 5

3 children + 2 adults (2 vegetarian)

They flicked through food magazines to create the perfect Christmas dinner within their budgets. They all did a brilliant job! 

Friday 9th December 2022

English: This week, we planned and started writing our 'hot' discussion texts based on the Tudor era. Here are some examples of the questions we chose to discuss:

• Should the Tudors have been allowed to execute people for their crimes?
• Should Henry VIII have been banned from re-marrying after he beheaded Anne Boleyn? 
• Was the Ducking Stool a fair trial for witchcraft?

Look out for our finished versions on the class page next week!

Maths: We have started a new unit on measurement this week. We had a very tricky lesson converting miles and kilometres. Have a look at our example questions below!

DT: This week, we visited Icknield to use their fantastic facilities to bake some Tudor knots. The children were absolutely amazing and created some brilliant bakes! Watch out for some of Crested Eagles on The Great British Bake Off in a few years' time! 

Friday 2nd December 2022

That's the end of another busy week in Crested Eagles! 

English - we have continued our work on discussion texts. We created debates with a group and filmed them. We had to compose clear points 'for' and 'against' the argument. Have a look at our videos - which side are you on?! 

Maths - adding and subtracting fractions.

Art - painting our clay Tudor Roses.

PE - benchball and a football session with WR Sports, as well as swimming at the TLC. Both the WR coaches and swimming coaches have commented on how well behaved the class are and how lovely they are to teach. Well done, Crested Eagles  

On Wednesday, Year 6 were visited by IMPS (The Injury Minimisation Programme for Schools) to complete some first aid training. They learnt how to safely put a person into the recovery position and how to treat common injuries such as head trauma, bone breaks and cuts. Check out our pictures and video below. 

Friday 25th November

Crested Eagles have been working incredibly hard on their assessments this week. We have been really impressed with everyone's attitude towards these 

In Science, we have been experimenting with force meters and measuring in Newtons. This was our first time using force meters - thank you to Icknield school for lending us the equipment! We have also conducted experiments involving air resistance. We had to make parachutes with the aim of creating one that falls the most slowly, therefore having the most air resistance.

In Art, we have been working with clay and modelling Tudor roses and other Tudor pieces. Once the clay is dry, we will paint our creations. 

In Maths, we have continued our work on fractions. This week, we have been focussing on adding fractions. We had to ensure that our fractions had the same denominator in order to add them effectively. 

 CONGRATULATIONS CRESTED EAGLES ON YOUR FANTASTIC CLASS ASSEMBLY! 

You all spoke really clearly and confidently. I am very proud of you! 

Friday 11th November

This week, the children created their own Remembrance poems. I was so impressed with their ideas! In maths, we have been solving multi-step problems using all four operations. We had to solve clues to find missing numbers. Here is an example, can you figure it out?

Find the 4 digit number. The digits are between 0 and 9.

- If the second number is n, the third number is n - 3

- The second number is 75% of 8

- The last number is an odd square number and so is the first number, which is smaller

- All the numbers add up to 19

Welcome to Term 2! 

It has been great to have all the children back in school this week. As always, they have embraced new challenges with a positive attitude and a 'can-do' mindset. This week, we have been looking at war poetry to go with the theme of Remembrance. Below is a video of Maddie, Matilda and Imogen performing Maddie's poem. We also made some poppies during our art lesson - please look out for these on display in the Granary window. In maths, we have been tackling long division. The children were brilliant with this and picked it up really quickly - well done, Crested Eagles! 

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Friday 21st October 2022

That's the end of Term 1! Well done Crested Eagles, you have all had a fantastic start to Year 5/6. This week has been as busy as ever, with the children completing practical science experiments (see explanation below), newspaper hot writes reporting on the death of King Henry VIII and some challenging multiplication calculations. 

Thank you to all the parents for coming to Parents' Evening this week. It was great to catch up and let you know how your children have been getting on.

I hope you all have a lovely half term!

Miss Harman 

Science

The Apple Experiment

We know that when an apple is exposed to air for a period of time, it begins to go brown. This is because the inside of the apple reacts to the air and this reaction causes the apple to change colour. The class cut up an apple into four different segments to see what would happen to the inside of the apple when it was exposed to the air AND a different reactant.

We experimented with four different reactants:

• Sugar
• Salt
• Vitamin C tablet
• Apple juice

We will change the type of reactant on the apple.

We will keep the fruit the same. We will also keep the amount of reactant on the apple the same.

Our predictions:

1. We predict that the apple juice will delay the effects of oxidation on the apple. We think this because the juice is alkaline and we think that might begin to prevent oxidation.
2. We think the sugar will make the apple oxidise the fastest because too much sugar can be unhealthy for your teeth, so maybe extra sugar will also make the apple turn brown.

Our results:

• When the vitamin C tablet touched the apple, it caused the apple to bubble up
• The sugar made the apple soft and squishy
• The apple juice stopped the apple from oxidising
• The foam on the vitamin C apple disappeared after ten minutes
• None of the apples really turned brown

Friday 14th October 2022

Happy Friday Crested Eagles! 

Science: This week, we carried out two different science investigations involving irreversible chemical reactions. Check out our videos below 

Maths: We have been investigating prime, square and cube numbers. 

Thank you to all the parents who came to our Harvest Assembly. Well done to all the children for their singing, and to the School Council and Sports Captains for coming up to the front and speaking so clearly! 

Friday 7th October 2022

What a busy week we have had here in Crested Eagles! 

English: This week, we started our new text type - newspaper reports. The children had to put a newspaper report back together, making sure that it was in chronological order. They then had to label the key features of a newspaper report. We have been focussing on adverbials for cohesion and created a class list of adverbials we found. We will use these words and phrases in our writing next week. 

Maths: We have been continuing our work on addition and subtraction, solving multistep addition and subtraction problems. 

Science: Looking at states of matter and the particle arrangements of solids, liquids and gases. 

PE: Enjoying tag rugby and gymnastics lessons with our WR Sports coaches! Year 6 have also been having fun playing hockey with Miss Harman and Mrs Doran on a Thursday afternoon. 

Topic: Creating double page spreads on Henry VIII. 

We ended the week with an Outdoor Learning Day. Crested Eagles were brilliant and really got stuck into all the activities. They created autumn scenes using only natural resources, helped weed and tidy outdoor areas (including moving some very heavy tyres and rehoming some VERY big spiders!) and building dens in Forest School. Have a look at our pictures below  

Friday 30th September 

This week, we have been busy composing our 'hot' setting descriptions. We had to describe a scene from a battle from the Wars of the Roses. We had to make sure to use figurative language and a variety of sentence types to ensure our writing was descriptive and interesting. Have a look at Matilda's example below! 

In Maths, we looked at using knowledge of rounding to check answers. This can be especially useful when working out budgets and costs. We solved some 'real life' problems - see Sophie's work below. 

Friday 23rd September 2022

This week, we have been looking at the Wars of the Roses. We acted out the key events during our Topic lesson - thank you Freddie T, Marley, James, Charlie and Sophie for your fabulous acting skills! We then created comic strips of the event.

In English, we began to imagine what it must have been like to be on a Tudor battlefield. We created a series of freezeframes and performed them to the class - see our pictures below 

In Maths, we have been looking at rounding numbers. We have had some very tricky problems to solve, such as:

A and B are integers. 

A = 300,000 to the nearest 100,000

B = 300,000 to the nearest 10,000

What is the greatest possible value of A + B?

What is the smallest possible value of A + B?

What is the greatest possible value of A - B?

Do you think you can work it out? 

Friday 16th September 2022

What a brilliant week we have had! Crested Eagles have been working extremely hard and have been learning about:

English - using figurative language to describe a setting, such as similes, metaphors, personification and hyperbole. 

Maths - representing and partitioning numbers up to 1,000,000. 

Science - creating and describing different solutions (see pictures below!)

Topic - locating the countries and oceans visited by Sir Francis Drake and mapping out his route 

Year 5 began their ukulele lessons this week and Year 6 have spent more time getting to know their Year 1 buddies. 

Welcome Back Crested Eagles!

We have had a fantastic start to the new school year - have a look at our photos below of some of the things we have got up to this week!