St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Week 1

This week we started our swimming lessons and I couldn't be prouder of how well everyone did, especially those who had previously been nervous about going into the water! Everyone gave it there all and we can't wait for the next few weeks!

Week 1

After a relaxing break, Year 5 have thrown themselves into the beginning of this term. In Literacy, we have begun reading persuasive speeches and analysing their features and in Maths, we have continued with our topic of Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. This term the children will be doing gymnastics in PE - please remind children to wear the correct kit on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Week 2

What an exciting week we have had! Reception's chicks came to visit us and we loved giving them a cuddle. We also had a fantastic day on Friday where we were outside for the whole day. We planted bulbs, had popcorn from a campfire, painted in watercolour and made woodland crafts to name a few. Please do have a look at our photos below!

Week 3

This week, we learnt all about the greenhouse effect and climate change. We acted it out with the children playing the roles of the sun's rays, the Earth and the atmosphere.

Week 4 - Trip to the Wind Turbine and Reading Hydro

What an informative trip we had! We learnt all about how wind power works and how it can help to combat climate change. Getting up close to the turbine is certainly something we won't forget! After this, we visited Reading Hydro and learnt about the Archimedes screws, how the power generated reaches the Thames Lido and the benefits for fish and eels. Please have a look at the photos below!

Week 5

As this term came to an end, we finished off our persuasive speeches about the environment and got ready for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. This consisted of making bunting, painting flags and practising our song ready to perform to the rest of the school. We had a brilliant day!

Week 2

As part of our Anglo-Saxons and Vikings topic, we are reading Michael Morpurgo's Beowulf. As there is a lot of archaic language, we have been focussing on vocabulary by playing matching games. Please have a look at the words below and see if your child can use them in a sentence! We have also been discussing the key characters: King Hrothgar, Grendel and Beowulf (the hero). 

Week 3 and 4

We have been learning lots about the Norse mythology and what made Alfred the Great so great! Have a look at us acting out the events from his life. We have also been considering the importance of the sacrament of Reconciliation. After writing our own prayers, we said them in the Prayer garden.

The final weeks of term

What a busy week we have had! Not only have been doing our assessments, but we have also been on a school trip to Reading Museum. We did a workshop about the Bayeux Tapestry and the events that lead up the Battle of Hastings. Additionally, we explored Reading F.C., Huntley and Palmer's and the animal exhibition at the Museum. Please do have a look at the photos below! On Thursday, we did our class assembly about our values: Intentional and Prophetic. We are all very proud of how well we did :) In RE, we have been learning about Holy Week. We made paper chains to show the links between Passover, the Last Supper and Eucharist alongside drama about different parts of the story.

Week 1

To kick off our topic, Year 5 designed and tested paper airplanes. Watch this space for our future engineers!

Week 2

To finish off our Christmas unit, we have been considering the difficult decision King Herod made. Have a look at the photos of the children's drama and diary entries written from Herod's and Mary's perspective.

Week 3

As we have been learning about Buddhism, we have heard different stories and acted them out. We have also been testing whether the aerodynamics of cars affects the distance it will travel. In PE, the children have been creating their own dances which include unison, canon, pathways, levels and formations. We have also been matching words with their synonyms in Literacy. Please do have a look and see if your children can use them in conversation!

Week 4

In Maths, we have finished our multiplication and division topic - please do keep practicising these key skills with your children. We have moved on to fractions and have been using concrete resources to learn about equivalent fractions. In Science, the children have been investigating forces and measuring weight.

The final week of term - Brooklands Museum!

Wow, what a week we have had! Our trip to Brooklands Museum was absolutely fantastic and everybody learnt an incredible amount. Some of the activities included:

- Guided tour of cars, bikes and F1 racing cars throughout time.

- A bus musuem.

- The aircraft museum where children 'clocked in' and completed 8 areas of essential work. They were rewarded with a stamp for each one.

- Exploring different airplanes throughout history. The children even got to sit in the cockpit and learnt Morse Code from an old RAF training plane.

- A workshop where the children made a fast car, experimenting with the weight and types of wheels. They then tested their accuracy and distance travelled.

Please have a look below at a large selection of photos from the trip!

Have a look at the photos of Year 5 doing judo!

After spending a lot of time practising, Year 5 lead the KS2 Christmas Carol service brilliantly! 

Creation

The first RE unit we have done this year is Creation. We have learnt about the creation stories in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 and discussed the different reasons we should praise God the Creator. After studying Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle to the Sun, we wrote our own Canticle to Creation. Please have a look at some of the examples below. 

A visit from Dr Diane - a Maya Archaeologist!

We were fortunate to be visited by Dr Diane, the only archaeologist who specialises in the Maya. She shared her experiences of being an archaeologist and living in the rainforest alongside teaching us lots about the Maya. She showed us some artefacts, busted some Maya Myths and signposted us to her website. Be sure to check it out! https://www.mayaarchaeologist.co.uk/ 

Percussion Workshop 6/10/21

Today, Year 5 and 6 took part in a body percussion workshop by The Beat Goes On. The children experimented with the different sounds they could create with their bodies and explored rhythm. Please ask your child to show you what they can do! 

The Maya

This term, our topic is The Maya. As part of this, we have learnt about the ancient ball game of pok-a-tok. Not only are we reading a book about it (Rain Player by David Wisniewski), but we also tried to play it! Have a look at some of the photos below!

The beginning of term

We were so excited to welcome the children back into school. We started the year by learning that St Anne's has partnered up with Ol Moran School in Kenya. We considered 'what's outside our window' and decided to create and annotate some art about the facilities we have at school and our experiences. By doing this, we hope to create a dialogue about the similarities and differences between our schools. We are really looking forward to developing this friendship further.