Dear Parents/Carers,
Re: Virtual Learning
I sincerely hope that this letter find you and all of your family members safe and well during this challenging time.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outstanding effort and time you have put into completing work with your child/children and sending it back to the teachers for them to see.
We find ourselves in unprecedented times during which we are all having to adapt our way of life to fit in with the current situation. I do not for one single minute underestimate how difficult it has been juggling family life and work and still being able to find the time to complete school work with your children and I commend you all for managing it so well.
The number of children that have accessed our leaning platforms such as Reading Eggs and Mathletics has been improving. The work that has been shared with the class teachers has been fabulous and they have all enjoyed reading it as you will see further along in this letter.
Completing home learning with your children will further support them in preparing for the move to their next year group.To support you and your child/children with their virtual learning we are going to simplify our class pages and have a consistent timetable for all classes.
We have looked at the amount of time that children are spending on tasks and these are the minimum expectations. Children are to complete a minimum of three tasks a day. Each task should take no longer than the times listed below:
Reception & Nursery: 25 minutes per task
Year 1 & Year 2: 30 minutes per task
Year 3 & Year 4: 40 minutes per task
Year 5 & Year 6: 45 minutes per task
Core Tasks:
These daily tasks will be as follows:
Optional Tasks:
If your child/children have time and for further learning, we will have a project sheet on the page with different: Art, Writing, D&T, History, Geography and Maths tasks. Please email your class teacher with a photo of the work completed for us to celebrate with their class.
We will also list all of the websites should you require further support.
Each week the class teacher will post a timetable and a short video celebrating the work from the previous week and explaining the core work for this week. Who will get a mention from their teacher?
On the next page you will find message from all the class teachers about how proud they are of all the children and what they have planned for future home learning.
Messages from Class Teachers
Mrs Watts- "To all my lovely Nursery class, our toys, books and resources miss you all so very much, our classroom is not the same without you. I miss you so very much too! It makes me feel so happy to see that you are enjoying this extra time at home with your lovely families. The photographs that you are sending in to nurseyclass@stlukesbury.co.uk and on Tapestry are fantastic.
You've been making rainbows, planting sunflowers, building sandcastles, baking the most delicious treats, learning to write your name counting, listening to story books, playing on your leapfrog games, watching phonics shows, colouring by number, decorating, making wooden stick love hearts, caring for your pets, bird watching, making cards, pairing socks, writing numbers, doing jigsaws, washing your hands, dancing, making junk shakers, working out with Joe Wicks, playing snakes and ladders, researching facts about dinosaurs, making pizza dough, going for walks and skimming stones.
Each Monday there will be lots of new activities set on our school's website under the section - children then - class pages. These will help you to further your learning and get you ready for your big move into Reception. I hope we can have lots of fun together very soon. I want to hear your cheeky giggles, see you having fun with your friends and to teach you lots of new things. We're looking after each other by staying at home for a little while longer. In the meantime, please keep sending me your messages and photographs of your home learning - I'm celebrating everything on twitter too @stlukesburyN. Stay safe my little friends."
Miss Holt – “Hello everyone,I have been absolutely blown away by all the children’s work! It hasbeen lovely to receive emails from lots of different parents showingoff their children’s amazing work.I miss all the children lots but seeing their faces in pictures andvideos sent really is brightening up my days!! I am so impressed withhow much the children are practicing their learning at home.
Please don’t forget to check the class page and twitter (@rhstlukes)for your tasks. I do try to add fun activities daily to both as weknow children learn best through exciting activities!!Please remember to have fun!! Learn some new skills, cook together,play together, enjoy this unusual sunshine we are having together andplease stay safe together.
Don't forget to send any work, jobs or even games you do at home to myemail; rh@stlukesbury.co.ukI can't wait to see you all again soon. Until then keep smiling, keeplearning and keep being you!”
Miss Fisher– “Hello Reception, I am missing you all so much and hope your all safe and well at home with your families. I understand how tricky home learning is and I’m very grateful for all the work I have received from you on Twitter, through our class email and Tapestry.
Each week online tasks will be posted on our class page which you can access through the school website. Also on our class twitter page which is @stlukesburyrf. Please send any work you have done to our class email so I can post in on our class page. Remember to keep checking as you might see your work on there. Each week I will post a message and give a shout out to celebrate the work I have received.
Thank you for all you are doing and remember to have lots of fun learning at home, stay safe and keep in touch I am so pleased to receive updates about your learning it makes me so proud.”
Miss Shaw- “I am so overwhelmed by the support of all the parents, it has been wonderful to see all of the amazing work that is being sent to our class email. Each week I will be setting a weekly overview of what needs to be covered. This half term is super exciting as we are covering Julia Donaldson books and there are lots of numeracy challenges on White Rose Hub. There are lots of interactive activities for you to complete and you can even give some of your own ideas a go. I will be updating Twitter with the TOP USERS for Mathletics and Reading Eggs. Will your name make the list? In addition, certificates that are earned on Reading Eggs and Mathletics will also be shared on the class page and Twitter. Thank you for all that you are doing and remember to have lots of fun when learning at home!”
Miss Lawrence– “We are very lucky to have access to wonderful websites such as Reading Eggs, Mathletics and Purple Mash. I have been setting daily activities on these sites through which you can achieve certificates for all your hard work. This term we are focusing on Julia Donaldson and exploring the themes and meanings behind these stories. Each Monday I will update our class page and Twitter with the activities you can complete for the week ahead. Please email any photographs of the activities you get up to and I will upload them onto our Twitter to celebrate all your successes and share them with the world! If you have any questions please let me know, as I am here to help through these unprecedented times. Do what you can but the most important thing is to stay safe and to share your strength, laughter and love with your children. Thank you for your incredible continued support.”
Miss Foster– “Hi all! I hope you are all keeping safe and busy at this difficult time. I wanted to thank you for all your efforts with the children so far. I am so excited to hear from them and yourselves.
Home learning is proving a difficult challenge for us all and I thank you for the adaptations you have made to support the children. We have been providing home learning ideas and tasks on both our class webpage through the school website, and on our Twitter page (@FStlukesbury2). These will be linked to the topics we would be studying in class to ensure the children are continuing to have access to the National Curriculum despite school being closed. In History this half term, we would be studying the impact of technology on our lives. This seems appropriate at this time, due to the world becoming reliant on technology to keep us going! In Science, we are going to be looking at plants and hopefully this lovely weather will help us to explore in the outdoors all around us. Online learning tasks will be based around these, but please use this chance to talk to your children about these topics in your own ways.
In terms of online learning, we are working hard to make sure the children have lots of Reading Eggs and Mathletics activities to keep them busy. Keep logging on and seeing what challenges await the children! I am so proud of all the progress the children made between September and Easter, and hope these online tasks will help us to continue with this until school is able to reopen. I am trying to keep up with sharing their progress with certificates and badges earned online and sharing these through Twitter. Times Table Rockstars is a new app that the children will love where you can test yourself on all the times table facts - have a go yourself it really tests you! I can't wait to see who is going to be top of the leaderboard!
I have tried to make writing tasks exciting and relevant for the children and have loved the efforts that have been sent in. Please continue to do this and let us know of any extra work you have completed at home. I can't wait to share it online. We have had attention on Twitter from Guide Dogs for Aliyah & Maryam's fabulous letters. Let's try and get some more!
I understand how tricky home learning is, and just want to thank you again for all your efforts with the children. I can't wait to celebrate all their wonderful work when we are back together. Please use this time as best you can - share your passions and talents with the children, whether that's cooking or baking or art or craft. Teach them new skills and encourage them to try new things. I love every update I receive and am so pleased to hear from you.
Please continue to send work to our class email address: 2f@stlukesbury.co.uk, check out our Twitter feed @FStlukesbury2 and continue to stay safe.”
Miss Byrne– “A huge well done to all of the children in 2B who have completed home schooling tasks and online lessons so far, it puts a big smile on my face to see all of your efforts and achievements. To access the weekly activities please take a look on our class page every Monday morning, where you will find a word document full of exciting ideas and challenges. All activities can be found on the document link to the Year 2 curriculum and the current topics that we teach in Summer 1. I have loved tweeting the fantastic work that has been sent to me so far, please keep it up, it is truly inspirational!
Reading Eggs and Mathletics are fantastic online resources that can be accessed daily, here the children can re-cap on prior learning, practise new skills and take quizzes on their understanding. It has been brilliant to see some children earning bronze, silver and gold certificates so far, keep up the hard work! Each day, I look forward to sharing the success of the 'Top Users' from Reading Eggs and Mathletics on our class pages and Twitter - these have even been retweeted by Mathletics - how fantastic!”
Mr Thomas– “My amazing class, I miss you all so much! In Literacy, we have started work based on a new book this term, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - there are plenty of links and activities to be completed on our class page, which gets updated daily! In Maths, links are provided on the class page and Twitter for White Rose Maths – it is great to receive pictures of you doing this work! Reading Eggs and Mathetics are resources that can be accessed daily and work is set and monitored closely. Please access these websites as much as you can!”
Miss Poricka– “In Literacy, 3P have started work based on their new book this term Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - the links to the audio book are shared on the website making it accessible for all to read along with! Reading Eggs can also be accessed daily to help further support with reading and spelling. There are lots of fun activities to complete! For Maths, along with the links to White Rose Hub that can be found on the class page and twitter, there are also lots of activities to complete on Mathletics. Work is set and monitored closely with the Top 5 users getting a shout out on Twitter and class pages! It would be great to see some children earning Gold certificates on Mathetics for earning 3000 points in a week! You can find links to Reading Eggs and Mathletics on our class page! Have fun learning!”
Mrs Heywood– “It has been fantastic to see the work that is being produced by you; from baking to making dens to PE with Jo Wicks, as well as beautiful pieces of artwork, amazing stories and brilliant maths work – it is wonderful to see it all! I am so proud of all the effort and I love sharing all your hard work on Twitter so that the world can see how fantastic you are! I am currently setting up lots of work on Mathletics and Reading Eggs, make sure you log on to help your home learning. I will add the top 5 users to our class page and Twitter (@stlukesbury4h) every week! Each week there will be new and exciting work for you to complete including work on poetry, great videos to watch and learn from The Literacy Shed, great lessons from BBC Bitesize and exciting work from White Rose Maths – check our class page for updates! Keep safe, I miss you all so much!”
Mrs Edwards– “We have some fantastic websites for you to access all your home learning! On Reading Eggs – you can complete lessons on your map, read books and quiz from the library! I have also set spelling and comprehension challenges for you to complete! On Mathletics, I have set challenges on there for you to complete, as well as tests. As the term progresses I will continue to add challenges. On our class page on the school website, you will find links to White Rose Maths. Following the link on the home learning timetable I send out weekly, you can complete daily maths challenges to help your learning!
This term in Literacy we will be looking at and writing your own poems, as well as practising the features needed to create them. In Science we will be looking at the classification of different animals and their habitats. We will also be researching deforestation and looking for ways to help the environment and keep it safe for animals. In Geography we will be researching the different seas and oceans and the different creatures that live in them.”
Miss Smythe– “It has been amazing to see how hard many of you have been working and how supportive the parents have been. Each day I am uploading work onto Reading Eggs and Mathletics for 5SM as they are such great online learning resources. On Reading Eggs there is a comprehension, spelling lesson and chapters of a book to read. On Mathletics there are activities with questions to answer, revising units the children have previously learnt.
It would also be amazing if children could complete the White Rose Home Learning lessons daily, as this teaches the children the current summer curriculum. Finally there is a document on class pages that I upload every Monday with the weekly topic activities. At the moment in Science we are looking at Earth and Space and I would love to see some of your amazing work, so please send it to the class email. I am celebrating the top 5 users of Reading Eggs and Mathletics on Twitter and the class page on our school website. Good luck and keep up the good work!”
Mrs Rehan– “First of all I would like to thank each and every one of you who have been emailing me work since we have started home learning. I wholeheartedly thank you and your parents for being actively involved. Each week I am setting online learning and an overview of the content that needs to be covered. This can be found on our class page.
We are particularly asking you to actively take part in Reading Eggs and Mathletics. Reading Eggs consists of a daily comprehension, spelling and reading a chapter from the nominated book for that week. In Maths we have set tasks for you to do everyday. To celebrate your learning, three times a week I will be doing a shout out to the top 5 users on Reading Eggs and Mathletics on our Twitter page and class page! Also please try and complete your daily task on White Rose Maths too as that covers your summer learning. Miss Smythe and I are looking at others ways to make your learning fun so watch out for that!
Keep up the good work and I look forward to receiving your work via the class email.”
Mrs Carroll & Mr Dean– “We have been setting tasks for 6DC each week so that your child's learning can continue even though we are not in school.
Please encourage your child to log in to Mathletics and Reading Eggs so that they can complete the fun activities that we have assigned to them and they might even make the top 5 users that we list each week on Twitter, for all the world to see!
The challenges we set on Reading Eggs give the opportunity to win certificates and trophies, each week there are comprehension and spelling activities to have a go at. Our Maths work is based on the White Rose Maths that we use in school, so your child will be used to the way that it is set out and the Mathletics activities are linked to this as well so they can show what they have learned!
We love to see what you have been getting up to while away from school so please send us any completed work or pictures of whatever you have been doing to keep busy, send these to our class email address 6DC@stlukesbury.co.uk and, with your permission, we will share them with the rest of the class on our webpage and the rest of the world on Twitter!
Lastly, we hope that you are keeping safe and well; we are missing you all and hope that we can get back to school soon! “
Miss Bolton & Miss Sharp – “We have a number of exciting and challenging home learning activities that you can find on our class page and on our twitter account! Our tweets have been re-tweeted by White Rose Maths, Mathletics and Reading Eggs, so people all over the country can see the amazing learning we are doing. We always show the fantastic work children are doing and every week we share our top 5 Reading Eggs and Mathletics users, so the more your child accesses their account, the better chance they have of being a top user!
Both myself and Miss Sharp love the Narnia book and we are now using this as our next class text! We have placed a pdf copy of the book on our class page so that you and your children can enjoy the book too. We would love to see your child's completed activities based on the book Narnia! We have received some super pieces of creative writing based on the photo prompts found on our class page and we always try to share amazing examples of writing to inspire others! Our Reading Eggs challenges can sometimes be tricky but they are a super way to prepare your child for high school. We are currently working through a range of comprehension and Spelling activities, which are set weekly. We love to see who is achieving certificates and trophies!
Two of our favourite ways to build on our mathematical knowledge is through the White Rose Maths home learning lessons and the tricky activities on Mathletics. We often try to match the White Rose Maths lessons to the tasks on Mathletics so that your children can really build on their new knowledge and apply their new skills. They are super resources to use at home and will definitely support their mathematical understanding ready for Year 7.”
We love to receive emails of all the fantastic work your children are doing at home, so please keep us updated using our class email address 6sb@stlukesbury.co.uk.
I hope you have enjoyed reading all the lovely messages off the teachers and that you have been able to watch the messages they have added to the class twitter pages. Keep safe one and all and we will hopefully be back together soon.
Kind Regards
Miss M Michael
Headteacher