During this week pupils have continued working hard - some have been eagerly awaiting their residential trip to Stubbers. 


Before we mention the school trip, let's explore some of what has been going on in the classrooms.
6LC and 6CP have been partaking in an inter-house basketball tournament. Pupils have also been practising their photography skills through their computing lessons by focussing on macro photography. The children had to take close-up shots of natural things within the field and playground - some of these looked amazing.


At the moment, we are on our residential trip at Stubbers Activity Centre and pupils have the opportunity to take part in a plethora of activities such as: paddle boarding, rock climbing, abseiling, team building activities, leap of faith, vertical obstacle course and orienteering. Tonight, we even had a disco set up for our school in a large tent - which pupils really enjoyed, some showed of their dancing skills; others their singing... even some of the adults did too.
So far, pupils are thoroughly enjoying it and are looking forward to the rest of the activities this week.

Science
It has been great to see children enthusiastically exploring their new science topics so far this term:

• Year 1 have begun to learn about everyday materials and where they come from. They looked at natural and manmade materials and had fun exploring the different materials around them, saying whether they are manmade or not.

 

• Year 2 have been learning about what a micro habitat is - they went on the search for micro-habitats around the school and observed the types of animals that live there.  

• Year 3 have begun to explore the topic of rocks, alongside their history topic of The Stone Age. In science lessons they have learned about the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and will soon be learning about how fossils develop. They have had great fun examining real rocks for this topic.

 

• In Year 4 the children have been learning about the classification of animals.  They started by investigating various ways they can group animals and what the similarities and differences are between the groups - for example: mammals, reptiles, amphibians or birds.  They then considered various habitats and how they are beneficial to their respective animals.

 

• In Year Five this term the children have been exploring materials and substances. They have been explaining the meaning of properties of materials and categorising them by their properties. Children have also been experimenting with which materials are thermal and electrical conductors and insulators.

 

• Finally, this term Year 6 have started to investigate the topic of electricity. The children have thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with the equipment: creating series and parallel circuits; analysing why some circuits may not work; and discovering the affect voltage has on the brightness of a light bulb.

​Maths is crucially important in the learning of every child. From a young age, children need to understand numbers in context – counting, saving and spending pocket money and birthday and celebration money. As they grow into their teenage years and young adults, they may have a ‘Go Henry’ card and/or their own bank account. Eventually they will need to budget for themselves, so maths is a really essential skill needed by everyone.
We begin our school year with counting and understanding place value. We work with children until we feel they are ready to progress to the next stage of their learning. Here is what each year group is doing in their first unit of work this term:

If you want to know more about the way we teach maths, please contact us by email [email protected] or via the parent portal on the school website East Tilbury Primary School - East Tilbury Primary
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​In class we have been reading Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’ (as chosen by the children). We have been enjoying finding out about Mr and Mrs Twit and their grumpy ways! As we are halfway through the book, we have a good understanding of the main characters and the story, so we have written our very own book reviews (see below). 

Welcome Back! I Cannot believe It’s nearly the end of the second week already! The term has started with a bang and the children have returned eager to learn.  There has been a great atmosphere around the school with children telling friend and staff about their adventures over the holidays. It has been lovely to see how well the children have quickly settled into their new classes and daily routines.  They have been amazing!   
Each class should have been introduced to their new topics for this half term and the children seem eager to explore these more, from toys in year 1, the Stone Age in year to Vikings in year 5, with discussions, questions and ideas are being shared in class. I can’t wait to see to amazing work that will be produced.  ​