​This week has only been short but as always we have managed to pack in a lot of learning. Our focus text this week was a lovely story called The Very Helpful Hedgehog. The hedgehog in the story helped the donkey by feeding him apples and we talked about how we can be helpful at school and at home. We then wrote letters to the hedgehog, printed hedgehogs using paint and forks and made cvc words on hedgehogs.
We have also been learning about pattern and the children have been using lots of different things to make simple repeating patterns.
The most exciting thing this week happened on Wednesday when the children watched the pantomime ‘The Wizard of Oz’. It was really good and the children thoroughly enjoyed it.  They did so well to sit and watch for almost an hour. Back in the classrooms we have been listening to and singing along to the songs ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ and ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road.’
Next week we will be learning our number bonds to 5 and revisiting the correct formation of the letters we have been learning to write during our phonics lessons each day. 

We have been enjoying our outdoor area whatever the weather this week! We've been digging, weeding and getting pretty wet while we do it. The children have been learning the importance of taking care of themselves, taking care of others and taking care of nature in our muddy puddle sessions. 
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The children have been busy learning about Diwali this week and painting their diva lamps. There was a small glitter explosion in every classroom! We shared the story of ‘Rama and Sita’ and some of the children talked about how they had celebrated over the weekend with their families.
In Literacy we have been listening to the sounds in simple words and trying to write them. We have been practising lots as a class; playing phonics games and building words together. In Maths we have been learning to use the part-part-whole model to make 5. We use a range of different objects and pictures to make this visual and engaging for the children.
Next week is short but jam-packed! We have an exciting theatre production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ to look forward to on Wednesday morning. We will be writing a letter to Isaac the hedgehog who needs lots of friends, focussing on writing our name really neatly. In Maths, we will be learning about repeating patterns and making patterns of our own. 

Year 2 finished their Coastlines topic by making a clay coastal scene, including some of the natural and man made features we have been learning about. We started our next topic with an investigation into bread !

This week Reception have been looking at the story Pumpkin Soup. We decided to make our own vegetable soup. The children enjoyed chopping up the vegetables, watching it cook and of course... tasting it. The children said their soup was "tasty", "fantastic", "delicious", "great" and "yummy". 
In Maths, we have been looking at weight and which vegetables are 'lighter' and 'heavier'. We have also been learning about Diwali and making diva lamps which we will decorate next week. 
Next week we will be looking at addition to 5 and ways to make 5 as well as making/writing CVC words using the sounds we have learnt. E.g. cat, dog, sit etc. 

Today, two of our Year 4 students visited the local shop to put their knowledge of money to the test. A huge thank you to Miss Lau and Miss Lawrence for helping bring the learning to life. 

Mr Dixon was so impressed with the children's artwork completed for the Harpur Trust Fabric of Bedford Competition, he decided to show it off with a display! Well done to all involved & thank you Mr Dixon

Today some of our students learned their spellings and practised reading in a rather magical way. We love finding interesting and engaging ways to encourage learning. 

To launch our exciting new topic "Frozen Kingdoms", Year 4 carried out a variety of ice realted challenges. They insulated ice cubes to protect them and melted ice cubes to reveal the letters for Frozen Kingdoms. It was good fun and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. 

The Reception children have been really busy talking and learning about fireworks this week. We have listened to what sounds fireworks make, made name rockets and used pastels in art to create our very own firework pictures. We have also been enjoying painting outside on silver foil and using 2D shapes to make rockets.