Kentmere Academy

The Kentmere PostMay 2019

Including:Headteachers UpdateKey DatesEcoChange to FeesAnti-bullyingClass UpdatesSmallbridge Street FestivalCommon Sense MediaSchool UniformYour Child’s Birthday

Headteacher’s Update Another half term is upon us. Firstly, I would like to congratulate all of the KS2 children who have completed their SATS tests last week. The children did a brilliant job throughout the week. They showed their resilient attitude to learning. We were so proud of them. Well done Year 6.

Over the course of the next half term we have a number of school events coming up including sports days, the summer fair and many more. A new addition to our school calendar for next half term is the Isingpop concert the children will be taking part in. This is a whole school event and you will all be invited to join us and watch. It is such an exciting opportunity for the children.

Please could I remind you about the importance of all children wearing the correct uniform each day. In the hot weather, grey shorts and summer burgundy dresses can be worn. Leggings are not permitted in school. Please could I also remind you that a sensible hair style is necessary e.g. no shaved lines, patterns, extreme hair styles - which includes hairstyles where the sides are much shorter than the top. Thank you for your support with this.

We hope you enjoy the half term break. We look forward to seeing you back on Monday 3rd June 2019.

Kentmere Academy

Pupils return to school - Monday 3rd June

INSET Day - Tuesday 4th June

INSET Day - Wednesday 5th June

Eid Celebration Day & Eid Lunch (children invited to wear bright clothes) - Thursday 6th June

Year 5 Taster Day to Wardle Academy - Tuesday 25th June

Sunshine Day, advance notice that parents are invited to join us. Children must wear school uniform - Friday 28th June

Key Dates

Changes to FeesChanges to Nursery FeesThe cost of our nursery fees will increase from September 2019. They will go up by £5.00 per week, from £35.00 to £40.00 per week. We have tried to keep our prices low, whilst ensuring to provide the highest possible standard of service we can.

Changes to school dinner chargesOver the past 2 years, despite food cost rising considerably, we have managed to keep school meal prices the same. However, from September 2019 the cost of a school lunch will increase by 10p per day, from £2.10 to £2.20. We do try to keep our prices as low as possible, whilst still ensuring the same high quality meals.

We have managed to keep prices the same for the last 2 years, despite food costs having risen considerably.

Think about ways you can respond if somebody is doing something you don’t like.

For example, practice saying: “I don’t like itwhen you say that/do that – please stop.”

Anti-bullying

Eco UpdateIf you recycled absolutely everything you could in your bin, you could power a TV for 5000 hours, plenty of time to get those boxsets in!

Class UpdatesNursery

Reception

We have been learning how frogs grow from frogspawn into a frog. Mrs Blackburn brought in some tiny tadpoles to use to observe and to learn how we can look after them. We have noticed that they are getting bigger, but they are still waiting for their back legs to grow, at which point they will enter the froglet stage of development. We made some binoculars and took them with us on a Bear Hunt that involved following some mysterious footprints; Mrs Idoko even found some mushrooms in our school field that the bear had been eating and we got to taste some of the 3 Bear’s porridge; we prefer it warm, not cold and not too sweet, mmmmm! We have also been exploring different materials using our senses, for example we have been feeling the different surface textures on trees and exploring mud, grass and hot/cold water. Finally we had a go at sorting items into groups such as hard and soft.

The staff in reception have been developing the mud kitchen for the children in Early Years, so we have spent some time exploring it this week. The children have created wonderful recipes using natural resources and have enjoyed developing their physical skills when stirring, pouring and even cutting. The children have been able to build on their communication and relationships within this area through sharing the resources and discussing how they have made their food and drinks. There has been a lot of problem solving developing in the mud kitchen too and we have observed children showing high levels of determination to complete their self chosen task. The children’s favourite thing to do has been to take care of our flowers and herbs, and alongside this it has given the teachers the opportunity to talk about the natural world and how we care for our environment.

Year 3/4To help us learn more about our ‘Flow’ topic, we enjoyed a day at Hollingworth Lake with NatureEd. The activities linked with the curriculum and were designed to develop teamwork and motivation. We learnt about how rivers feed into the water cycle and how they impact on nature in the surrounding environment of the river. As part of exploring the local river environment we enjoyed pond dipping, during which we were able to identity lots of creatures that live in freshwater. We also measured flow rates and discussed the impact flooding has on local communities. We all had a great time.

Lots of exciting events happening in Mrs Hayward’s class!! Year 6 enjoyed a well-deserved end-of-SATs party, filled with delicious food, balloon games, singing, dance-offs and obviously cake! We then had an Egyptian Day where we constructed a headdress and sarcophagus each, similar to that of Tutankhamun’s! And finally, Kayla represented Kentmere as a finalist for the Rochdale Spelling Bee at the Town Hall.

Year 5/6

In Year 1/2 Science lessons, Class 3 have had a fantastic term exploring a variety of plants and flowers and discovering the name of some of them . In lessons, we wanted to see the plants and flowers more closely so we have used our senses to explore and have even cut parts of the plants to explore them in more detail. We have carried out a range of investigations to discover more about plants and flowers. One of our investigations was to find out what a broad bean needs in order to germinate. Another investigation that we have carried out is how plants and flowers transport water. The children have thoroughly enjoyed this topic in Science and have learnt a a great deal of new information.

Year 1/2

On Saturday 22nd June, Branches Christian Fellowship are having a fun day in Stevenson’s Square, behind the library, from 3:00pm onwards, and our free School Uniform Pass Around service will be there for you to bring along any outgrown uniform and collect items for the new school year. There will also be various craft stalls, where you can buy gifts at bargain prices, plus free activities for all the family, including a free children’s play area and bouncy castle.

Watch out for further details!

Smallbridge Street Festival

If it seems like the world of apps is overwhelming, that's because it is! But never fear - the editors of Common Sense Media have combed through the thousands of apps out there to pick the best. Whether you want to teach your preschooler the ABCs or read a great interactive story, yes, there's an app for that. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-lists

Common Sense Media

Hopefully warmer and sunnier weather will soon join us! As this approaches, please make sure that your child is wearing suncream and has a sun hat with their name in it for when

they are in our outside areas.

Thank you in advance

Please ensure that the office have your correct phone number as this is one of our main

methods of communication.

Reminder

Your Child’s Birthday

School UniformIf your child has grown out of their uniform, but it is still in good condition, please drop it off at the school office. Your donations would be greatly

appreciated.

We are happy to celebrate your child’s birthday in school, bus as Healthy Schools ambassador, we would like to move away from sweets/treats being shared. As an alternative, we would really appreciate the gift of a book that your child and their class can share and enjoy. To make it easier to choose a suitable book, we have book lists set up in Phases (Year 1/2/3/4 etc), on Amazon. To view the list and/or purchase from Amazon, please click the blue year group and this will take you directly to the associated year group. When the book arrives at school, we will provide your child with a bookplate onto which they can write their name and the occasion for which it was given.

Year Group List LinkNursery Book List NurseryReception Book List ReceptionYear 1 Book List Year 1Year 2 Book List Year 2 Year 3 Book List Year 3Year 4 Book List Year 4Year 5 Book List Year 5Year 6 Book List Year 6

Please remember to write in the comments box when placing your order to indicate who the gift is from!

Even if your child’s birthday has passed – take a moment to look at the great recommendedbooks from your children’s teachers on the links.

Smallbridge Street Festival

Common Sense Media