Welcome to Year 6, we have lots of exciting topics to study this year including WW2, Ancient Maya, Mountains and Space. We love a school trip and in Year 6 we will be going to Newhaven Fort and having a visit from the planetarium. Every year children look forward to our residential trip: this year we went to Blacklands Farm, next year we hope to go to the Isle of Wight!
Please find below the answers to questions that we often get asked at the beginning of each term.
Which adults will be working with my child?
Mrs Adams and Mr Powe are the teachers in year 6. Mr Powe has the class on a Monday and Mrs Adams teaches from Tuesday- Friday. Mrs Cook is our morning TA. Zak is our PE coach who teaches the class on a Thursday afternoon.
What do the children do when they arrive in the morning?
- Your child should enter school from the atrium door.
- From their book bag, your child should take out their water bottle, reading book and diary to bring into the classroom.
- They should open their diary on the current week’s page and hand it into the reading record box to be checked by Mrs Cook.
- If your child has a school dinner, they should read the menu displayed outside the classroom for what’s on offer that day and sign up for which meal they would like. If they are packed lunch, their boxes should go on the shelves outside of the classroom.
- We discourage children bringing in mobile phones unless it is absolutely necessary for your child to walk home from school. If your child walks home and needs to bring in a mobile phone, they must hand it to me or Mr Powe, switched off, as they come into class. It will be returned to them at the end of the day.
Will my child get homework?
Yes. Homework in Year 6 is slightly different from other years in order to help prepare the children for the expectations and organisation of their workload in secondary school. Written homework must always be presented to the best of your child’s ability, in pencil or black/blue biro only.
- Homework will be given to the children on a Friday and is due the following Friday.
- Tasks are always written in school diaries and Class Dojo.
- Homework books will be sent home on a weekly rotation in order to allow time for marking and to reduce paper/ printing. Therefore, one week children will have their homework tasks stuck in their homework books, and the following week children’s homework will be a game or tasks to be completed on online.
- Whilst online maths will be set every other week, children are encouraged to log in to TTRS and Freckle regularly to help with revision and gain points!
- If your child has problems with completing the homework, encourage them to speak to me before it is due in so we can help them complete it in time.
- If your child doesn’t have access to a computer to complete online work, it is their responsibility to inform us in plenty of time before the deadline so arrangements can be made for them to use computers in school.
- If your child has missed or lost their homework there is a tray of spare copies, as well as on Class Dojo. Please encourage your child to be responsible if they have missed homework being handed out to get another copy, as homework will still need to be completed.
Late, unacceptable or incomplete homework will be sanctioned by children completing it during their lunchtime.
Completed homework will be celebrated with Dojo points and an entry on the homework bingo board.
Pupils will receive the following homework:
- A maths, SPAG and reading task to complete every week.
- Their chosen Accelerated Reader book, which should be read every day, either independently or shared with an adult. I encourage reading out loud to an adult at home as much as possible though I appreciate this isn’t possible every day. Children are responsible for recording the book and pages read in their school diary, however reading will only be counted if signed off by an adult at home. Children will have their reading records checked every morning, so it’s important they keep on top of recording their independent reading every day and not just writing it all in on a Friday.
- I encourage a wide range of reading for different purposes to expose children to wider vocabulary, as well as promote reading for pleasure. So your child’s home reading can be from their library book, an audiobook, newspapers, magazines, comics, recipes, instruction manuals, ingredients lists, play scripts- the list could go on- be creative and you may earn your creative star!
- Children will be set a termly creative homework linked to our topic/ science learning which will be set to be completed over the course of the term.
What day is PE?
PE is on Thursday.Children will need to come into school wearing their PE kits (white T-shirt and black shorts/joggers) on a Thursday. As the weather becomes colder, ensure children have their school jumper to wear over the top and black or green trousers/leggings instead of shorts.
As the children are getting older, personal hygiene is key and therefore kits need to be washed regularly and children should keep a roll on deodorant in their bags. Spray antiperspirants are not allowed.
Earrings should not be worn for PE and long hair should be tied back.
What do I do if my child has a problem or if I have a query?
With children given the privilege of being able to walk home in Year 6, it means I often don’t get to see many parents face to face at the end of the school day. However, keeping in touch about your child, their learning and achievements is just as vital in this final year of primary school as it was in the first.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss your child, please talk to me or Mr Powe in the first instance.
You can drop us a quick message on Class Dojo, leave a note in their home school book or contact the office to make an appointment should you wish to meet with us after school.
What can I do to help my child?
Supporting your child in Year 6 can be quite daunting. So many approaches and ways of learning have changed and evolved- let alone all the jargon that goes with it! Children in Year 6 are now expected to know and achieve things that previously Years 7 & 8 pupils learnt and this can leave adults at home bewildered. Fear not!
Reading, writing, spelling
You can help your child by listening to them read regularly. When reading a book, ask questions about the book/story or how certain parts have made them feel as a reader to show that your child understands what he/she has just read.
Discussing interesting or unusual words is crucial, so much of the year 6 expectations in reading and writing revolves around children having secure understanding and use of wide and ambitious vocabulary. Talking with your child about what they think these words might mean by using what they already know, noticing spelling patterns or thinking about how the word originated will help them greatly. Exposing them to lots of different and challenging reading material will also support your child.
Maths
Any real- life experience with counting, telling the time, reading data, measuring or handling money is of great value to your child to see maths being used in context. Crucially however, it is a secure understanding and quick recall of their times table and related division facts which is of most value and will help unlock other areas of mathematics that they find tricky.
Keep in touch!
Keep up to date with school newsletters, check bags for letters and our class page on our school website for updates.
This year we will continue using Class Dojo. It allows you to connect with what’s happening in the classroom and see what we’ve been up to in our learning! It’s a great interactive way to discuss learning with your child.
Finally, throughout the year we use film/TV clips or for a marble treat we will watch a film. If you do not give permission for your child to view PG rated films, please inform me.
I hope that this answers most of the questions you may have at the beginning of the term. If you have any further questions I’d be happy to help, I look forward to meeting you and to a successful year.
Mrs Adams
Year 6 Class Teacher