Welcome to Year Six 2023 - 2024!

Class teacher: Mr Newall

Teaching assistant: Mrs Belfield

Arrival: It would be fantastic if you could do everything you could to ensure your child is at school for 8:45am. That first half an hour of the day is such a vital time for learning and revisiting prior knowledge alongside settling down for the day.

Homework: Homework will be set every Friday and should be returned by the following Wednesday. 

Spellings: The Children will get a new set of twenty spellings every Tuesday and will be tested on them the following Tuesday. Please see the Vocab Ninja sheet in your child's file for alternative ways they can practise their spellings. Please also ensure that your child knows the definitions of the words and can use them in context. 

Reading: We will be doing lots of reading in class on a daily basis but it is still really important that your child is reading at home. This does not have to be recorded but there is no harm in using the Vipers question stems to ask your child about their book a couple of times a week. I will send home the Vipers resources with your child’s file.

Covid Closure January 2021

As you will be well aware, our year 6 adventure has taken an unexpected turn of events and some of us are now operating from our remote learning camps.

DO NOT FEAR!

I will be posting videos onto our webpage each day with activities for you to do and new skills for you to learn. 

Just click on the link below 

You can always decide for yourself what extra learning you would like to complete by using Education City, TTRockstars or the searching on the Oak National Academy (I have put all the links below)

Welcome to Year 6 - 2020/21

The staff working in year 6 this year are Mr Cusick, Mrs Belfield and Miss Hopwood and we are very much looking forward to getting back as close to normal as possible by having children in school and getting on with helping the children develop their skills, knowledge and personalities.

Our first topic this year is about The Black Death plague that struck Europe in the middle of the 17th Century. We will be focusing especially on the village of Eyam in Derbyshire where the inhabitants chose to quarantine themselves from the neighbours to stop the spread of the deadly disease. We will develop our History, Geography, Art, Design Technology, Creative Writing and Science skills and knowledge throughout this learning (and have some fun learning about the icky bits too!)

Did you know that one of the suggested treatments for curing the plague was to rub chicken bottoms all over your sores and blisters!

Outdoor P.E. kits MUST be in school so that the children can continue their rugby sessions on a Monday. These kits can remain in school until half term - when we will send them home to be washed - as long as they are in a bag that can be closed up.

Thursday is our swimming session until half term. The children must bring their swimming kit and their towel in with them when they enter school. We are no longer permitted to accept parents dropping off forgotten kit after the children are in class.

Thank you for your co-operation

Mr Cusick

Welcome to the Year 6 Page

I know that this is a tricky time for all of us and that you will be missing your friends, your social activities, your clubs and maybe even school! The teachers are all feeling the same way and we are missing you very much too. 

We have decided to put some home learning tasks up on here (there they are, at the top of the page!) so that you can keep having a go at some of the stuff we have done in year 6 ready for your return to school (whenever that might be). New Videos will appear (hopefully) ready for every Monday and Thursday. Try what you can, don't worry about what you find tricky - just have a go!

I will also put some other links up here for test your knowledge questions on testbase and some learning pages and activities on Education City.

Keep a lookout on our twitter page too, the link is at the top.

Stay safe, look after the people around you and I will see you all soon

Mr C

National Geographic For Kids

Want to do something a bit different?

Have a look at 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXVCgDuD_QCkI7gTKU7-tpg/videos

Year 6 Update - 06/04/20

It is now just over two weeks since we were all together (it feels like an awful lot longer to me) and we are starting to settle into our 'new normal' routine. Keep working on your packs from THE BOX (sorry Miss Head-Girl!) that we sent home, do your best but don't worry if something is tricky... if it was all easy it wouldn't be doing you as much good!

Today is the still the start of the Easter Holidays so remember to have a break, try having a go at some more art or DT. I have had a go at some Easter Artwork (the results will appear below) so why don't you have a go and share the results (which will be better than mine!) with your friends.

Keep going outside into your gardens or outdoor areas and enjoy the sunshine as much as you can.

I am sure by now that everyone in your house will be frustrated with not being able to leave, try and be patient with each other and help out where you can.

Be warned.... in just 2 short weeks you will have to hear my voice again (poor you) as I will be uploading some short videos of things I want you to have a go at while you are at home. Enjoy the break from me while you have it 

British Red Cross Balloon Race

We have been invited to take part in the British Red Cross virtual balloon race which is happening in a few weeks. I have sponsored one of the balloons for Year 6 and we will be able to track it's progress online once the race has begun. There are prizes for the winning balloons - those which travel the furthest - so fingers crossed the wind blows in our direction!

Year 6 Update - 25/3/20

Last week was an extremely difficult and uncertain time for us all. I want to say a HUGE thank you to all of the children for how brilliantly you faced the uncertainty and got on with learning and preparing for an indefinite time off school. 

You all have your packs and will be working your way slowly through them, try and make sure you do little and often. Don't try and complete everything in a few days, spend about 90 - 120 minutes a day doing school related activities: your personal project, reading, writing in one of our genres, SPAG activities, spring maths challenges and online learning. 

If you can, go outside into your gardens or outdoor areas and enjoy the sunshine... I certainly have been doing so!

Do your best to get along with your families (yes I know it is hard, brothers and sisters can be very annoying!) and keep in contact with each other and anybody you know who might be alone or lonely. Show your St Mary's heart and be a positive sign in this challenging situation.

Keep your eyes on this page over the next few weeks where I will update you on new activities for you to have a go at.

See you soon and keep safe

Mr Cusick

The Spring term is upon us and we are now well into the year. All of our class have made progress and have developed a great deal of confidence in themselves and their abilities.

Useful Information

It is now around two and a half months until the children will sit their SATs tests in May (11th - 14th). The structure of the week will remain broadly similar to what the children have experienced so far in Year 6 although there will be a slightly increased focus on English and Maths activities as the term progresses. 

Our indoor and outdoor P.E. sessions for the first half term are Monday afternoons and will be taught between both Mr Cusick and Mr Quinn. Therefore, your child will need both pumps and trainers with them each week along with BOTH their kits. Even though the weather might be chilly, we WILL still try to get outside whenever possible.

In science, we are studying 'Adaptation and Change' where the children will look at the different ways animals have adapted to their habitats and how these changes have come about. We will look at evolution and why this has allowed species to thrive.

Homework: Mixed spellings will be given out each week to allow the children to practice the whole range of rules and sounds studied over KS2. They will be tested on each weeks spellings on a FRIDAY.

Each child will also receive homework in English and Maths that will need to be returned on the date printed on the piece of homework.

Looking Ahead

The children will receive their high school offers at the beginning of March. If your preference has not been selected, it is important to discuss the place that your child has been offered as a family and decide on what your next steps will be. The local Authority will provide you with more guidance on this when they inform you of your offer.

One of the other major events in Year six is SATs week which begins on Monday 11th May 2020. Your child will continue their journey of preparation over the coming months by practicing what they already know, learning new skills and improving the ones they already have. I would encourage you to support your child by making sure they attend school every day, complete homework on time and talk about how they are feeling during this build up period.

The children are already looking forward to our residential at Robinwood in mid June and I am certain that it will once again be a wonderful chance for enjoyment, personal growth and skill development for each and every member of our travelling party.

The Rockstars Need To Keep Practicing

Year 6 have done amazingly well with their Times Table Rock Star work and EVERY child has improved their initial rock speed (some by more than 3 seconds per question!) and this is having a really positive impact on all of the maths learning we have covered.

Keep up the good work!

Safe Squad 2019

We will be taking part in a series of safety sessions on Monday 23rd September. During these sessions we will discuss what the children already know about keeping safe in the community as well as online. They will take part in a variety of scenarios where experts will be on hand to suggest suitable approaches for a variety of situations.

This is usually an excellent learning experience for the children and I am sure that they will benefit from the opportunities to take part.