Valley Primary Academy Newsletter -13th October 2023

Year Group News

Starship

Starship have been working hard to finish a unit of maths about place value. We have started making model toucans for our rainforest display, as well as learning about the features of animals living in a rainforest habitat. In PE we have continued developing our ball skills and working together in small teams.

Reception

This week in Reception we have been looking at Elmer. We had lots of fun making our own colourful elephants and creating a communal piece of art. We also really enjoyed sharing our learning with our parents during our Reading Cafe.

Year 1

In Sharman Class we have been learning about trees and the different parts they have. We have also looked at the nuts and seeds they produce, such as conkers, acorns, beech nuts and pine cones. If you go on a walk and find any of these, please bring them into our classroom. We really enjoyed having our parents come in for our 'Reading Cafe' and showing them how we learn our Phonics and then apply this to our reading. All of Sharman class have worked super hard this term and we look forward to a restful half term and coming back fresh and ready to learn more after the break!

Year 2

Year 2 have started learning about textiles. They began by making templates which they then used to draw shapes on fabric and cut out. They then stuck the pieces of fabric together to create their own felt houses! This week they started learning how to sew using an overstitch technique.

Year 3

Year 3 have had another busy couple of weeks! We have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Pinnock and making boxes out of cloth. We had a lovely time on Monday with our parents and had a creative time making Stone Age landscapes. Year 3 have been thinking a lot more about what careers we want to do when we're grownups, thanks to a visit from Into University. Some of us are especially looking forwards to the half term as we have our birthdays to celebrate! 

Year 4

Year 4 have had weekly visits from Norfolk County Cricket coaches leading PE lessons on a Tuesday, we have been studying the book 'Young, Gifted and Black', which has tied in nicely with Black history month, and we have learnt specifically about the inspirational Martin Luther King. We had a successful parent cafe based around our topic of the Anglo-Saxons, and the children/parents made some lovely Anglo-Saxon shields.

Year 5

Year 5 have really enjoyed learning about biomes this week and continuing to learn about Ancient Greece. We have discovered what Athens and Sparta were like, as well as how democracy worked in Athens. In PE, we have continued to improve our karate skills but we are sad that last week will be our last week of karate! 

Year 6

Class update written by a Year 6 pupil.

Gressenhall Trip

Introduction

Yesterday, my school went on a trip to Gressenhall.We did several things such as picking up stones and going in an air raid shelter.I really enjoyed the trip because it was so fun ,we got to do lots of activities.
The trip activities

My favorite activity was poking bags with sticks (what was supposed to be Hitler) because it was so funny charging at bags. It was led by a man in green clothes. This happened outside.The reason for us doing this was to learn how to fight.If I had to do this again I would do it more dramatically.

The air raid shelter

Yesterday the person explained what we had to do and everything about it. When the alarm went off,we all rushed to the air raid shelter which had no door,it was very dark inside we could barley see anything.Three things people did were singing,playing cards and tell jokes.The cards had planes on then and people used to tell if the planes on them and people used to tell if the planes where friendly or if they were enemy planes.

The garden shop with granny

Another favourite thing we did was going to the shop.We went in the shop because granny needed to buy some food for herself and ingredients for a birthday cake and a rationing book where you have a certain amount of food per week and she needed four eggs but she was only allowed one egg per week.But ,she was good a sewing so she could fix the farmers jacket in return for some eggs so she could bake a cake for her son called Tommy who is turning ten years old she also needed a gift for her son.She was thinking to get him a toy car but they didn't have toys because they needed plastic for planes and bombs so she got him a box of chocolates.

Farm with the women's land army

One thing a lady talked to us about is farming the women's land army. Ages ago women had to step in and help with the farm because men went to fight in war. But the women got paid less when they did the exact same job and they got paid less because apparently men were more important than women.

The house

One interesting thing was the house .In the house we saw a bedroom,a kitchen,a laundry room/bathroom and a living room. There was a bunny rabbit hung up on the ceiling (which was sadly dead) for her to eat one day.One thing that was also on ration was wool because people used to knit clothes  because brought clothes was very expensive.We tried a food called potato based chocolate truffles-the moment I put it in my mouth was the moment I instantly regretted it, it was so disgusting.

Conclusion

After all I really enjoyed Gressenhall I would go again If I could go.My second favorite thing was the air raid shelter it was very interesting.