Larch Class

2020 - 2021

Christmas dinner and jumpers 

Christmas dinner day means Christmas jumper day at Ickworthpark Primary School. Larch class looked splendid in all their festive jumpers. The children decorated their tablecloths ready for their wonderful Christmas dinner. After lunch we watched the production that the whole school took part in, it was fantastic. This was followed by a very special visitor (virtually). It was a fabulously fun day today. 

Computing

Our new topic is 3D modelling, where we have been designing and making  3D Christmas decorations to hang on our tree. Also, we have made our own Christmas wrapping paper with matching tags, using 2paint on Purple Mash. Look at our amazing work. We can’t wait to take it home to wrap some presents.🎄  🎁 

Break times

Larch class are thoroughly enjoying their free time during break times. They spend these important parts of the day playing chase, football, skipping, basketball, making use of the play and gym equipment, socialising and this week enjoying the fallen leaves. Today the sound of happy laughter was quite deafening, it was wonderful. 

Children In Need

This year, for Children in Need years 5 and 6 took part in Joe Wickes "Five To Thrive" meaning that every day for a week they took part in five minutes of exercise. Mrs Woodley worked out a set of daily activities for the children (and staff) to do. Great fun was had by all with the children realising how much better they felt with just five minutes of raising their heart beat.

As a school we have raised a massive £524, thank you very much to everyone who donated. 

Music

We were able to play our brass instruments in groups in the hall. It was great fun to actually be able to make some noises and read the music once again. 

Happy birthday Thomas!

and

well done Tia for achieving this weeks teachers award for constantly working hard. 

PE

For PE this afternoon we were able to go into the hall as we were only half a class so we had fun doing socially distanced yoga. 

This week Larch Class have been put into 2 groups to take part in bike ability. 
They start off on the playground ensuring they have control of the bike and learning basic skills needed for the roads. After lunch on day one they are taken out onto the roads around the school. Then on day 2 its the whole day out on the roads. 

Art and Humanities 

During our Art and Humanities lessons we have been learning about The Grand Canyon. We have created our own pieces of symbolism art (using symbols for meanings). As well as painting our own backgrounds of The Grand Canyon, we have been looking into both physical and human geography affects on this wonder. 

2/10/20

Every Friday morning we do a virtual whole school assembly to celebrate children’s achievements and house points. It is lovely to be able to see the whole school albeit on a screen. 
This weeks teachers award was to Thomas and Ryan very excitedly celebrated his birthday. 

French

This half term Larch class are learning all about l’ecole (school) including subjects and equipment.  

PE

For the 1st half term Larch class will be working on their fitness levels, focusing on stamina, strength, speed, balance and agility. They will also be learning to choreograph their own dances to different music genres. 

Music

Mrs Chester is our new music teacher on a Friday afternoon. As we are not allowed to play our brass instruments we played lots of musical games and challenges. There was lots of dancing going on too!

A fun last day for Larch Class 2019-20 with friends reunited, games, pizza, ice cream, sweets, laughter, some tears, autograph books, hoodies and not forgetting the much requested Mr Men certificates.

We all wish you all lots of luck as you leave us here at Ickworth Park and move onto your new schools.

Happy half-term, Larch Class...no home-learning this week because of the holiday!

Remember, it's half-term for whoever your 'teacher' at home is too, so perhaps you could do something to make it a special week for them! 

Have a fun week and stay safe,

Love Mrs Sledge and Mrs Woodley.

Happy Easter

I hope that the Easter bunny has been to you and left some goodies.

Take care and stay safe,

love

Mrs Woodley xxx 

Wednesday 8th April

Good afternoon Larch class,

I’m writing this to you whilst sitting outside on my hammock enjoying the glorious sunshine. I hope that you too are making the most of this fabulous weather. 
What are you all up to? 
Oscar and I have this week worked very hard on our vegetable patch that we created last week. We have been digging, sifting and destining the soil to make it ready to plant. Today we have planted tomatoes, strawberries, different lettuces, celery, different sorts of carrots and onions. We are very much looking forward to harvesting them. You never know it might encourage Oscar to eat some of them. 
I hope that you are all finding lots to keep you occupied and that you are being kind to your siblings and parents. 

Hope you have a great Easter,
Missing you all 

love

Mrs Woodley xxxxxx

Monday 6th April:

Hi, Larch Class,

Well, we should all officially be on Easter Holidays now, so make sure that you are having fun, relaxing and enjoying time at home. If you want to keep busy I'm sure that there are plenty of jobs that you can help out with at home!

Remember that we are using Purple Mash blog and email now, so you can message each other as well as Mrs Woodley and I; we love hearing what you are up to. I will keep checking Purple Mash over the holidays.

I'm hoping that the Easter 'Bunny' visits me, maybe with a Malteser egg ... luckily my daughter is at home and I keep dropping hints!

Take care all of you,

Love Mrs Sledge

Purple Mash Blog - 2/4/20

I have today set up a blog - it would be great if you could have a look and comment on each others posts. To access the blog, after logging into Purple Mash, click on the green sharing tab which has a picture of the world on it. The second tab along is 'Shared Blogs' and you will see 'Larch Class Home Learning'. Mrs Woodley has already written her first blog.

Mrs Asker

Purple Mash emails- 1/4/20

Just to let you all know Larch Class, I've sent you all an email on Purple Mash. You can use this function to send and reply to emails to/from each other as well as Mrs Sledge, Mrs Woodley, Mrs King and myself so that we can all keep in touch! All emails will be approved by one of these adults so please remember our rules about online safety and our Computing code of conduct. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Mrs Asker

Computing - 1/4/20

Good afternoon Larch Class,

Please look at your Purple Mash account. If you'd like to do some Computing work for your home learning, I have today set you a 2Do to create your own database and write 5 question for your class to answer. 

Stay safe and take care,

Mrs Asker

Monday 30th March

Dear all in Larch Class,

I hope that you are all well and keeping yourselves occupied.

I am loving my Joe Wicks workouts every morning. How many of you are joining in with it?

Oscar and I had a lovely week last week out in the garden. We  have made a patch at the bottom end into an allotment so hopefully we can start growing some fruit and vegetables. We both spent a lot of time on the trampoline and playing games in the garden.

How are you all spending your time?

I will try to write to you all every week telling you all how we are and asking about you all. If you would like to reply to me you can always do so in your orange books as I would love to read them all as soon as I can.

Stay safe and take care,

Mrs Woodley

xxx

Monday 30th March:

Hi, Larch Class,

Hope you are all well!

I've had a lovely morning chatting to some of you on the phone (I'll be phoning all of you at some point this week ). So far I've heard one of you playing the piano and someone told me they'd improved their 10 minute test score, fantastic news...I've even interrupted someone doing their school work!

I'm feeling very proud of you all; it's clear that you are keeping going with your learning and remember that's important.

I've finally finished 'Boy in the Tower'..wow, I wish we'd read the end together! I think that I've finally worked out why Ade's Mum was the character she was. I also think it would make an amazing film, do you? Please, please write your thoughts on the book in your orange exercise book...I want to hear your reactions, you could write it as a letter to the author. 

Take care,

Mrs Sledge

Thursday 26th March:

Hi, Larch Class,

I went for my daily walk today and saw something that made me smile…more than once! A rainbow…then another…and another!

You may have already heard that during this difficult time some people are trying to share brightness in the world – with rainbows.

All over the country, children have been drawing and painting rainbows to put in the windows of their homes to help spread the message that we are all in this together and to spread hope, happiness and smiles.

Perhaps you could make a rainbow and display it for others to see. When you go for a walk see how many you can spot. You could draw a map of your route and show where the rainbows are, maybe more will appear as the days go by. Ask other friends and family whether they’ve seen any, have they displayed a rainbow too?

If you are able to, take a photo of your rainbow for your orange book…I’d love to see it,

Take care,

From Mrs Sledge

 Tuesday 24th March:

Hi, Larch Class,

I hope that you are all well.

I have just sent an email to your parents, please ask them to share it with you.

Happy home-learning, have fun and keep safe,

From Mrs Sledge.

Home Learning!

Hello Larch Class. As we embark on our journey of home learning, I thought it would be useful to add links to websites which may support your learning. I will try to add to this list as I come across resources. Some website may require your parents/carers to 'sign up' so please ask them for their permission and help before you do so. 

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/offer - offer code is PARENTSTWINKLHELPS 

https://www.tts-group.co.uk/home+learning+activities.html - link to the activity pack sent home

https://www.dancemattypingguide.com/ - touch typing

https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/free-home-learning-packs/ - Maths, Grammar and Reading activities

https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/ - Maths

https://worldbook.kitaboo.com/reader/worldbook/index.html?usertoken=Mjk5MzQ6MTpJUjA5MjAxNjoyOmNsaWVudDE2OTc6MTY5NzoyMjE2Mjg4OjE6MTU4NDM4MDExMzA2Mjp1cw%3D%3D&fbclid=IwAR1hh_Hi8TbY0Xl3Rj55MPjHqvJVYLdsU1FCI9F-gs32RWtr-8HBwfxNvwQ - link to free ebooks

https://www.primaryartskills.co.uk/product/year-5-6-sketchbook-art-skills/ - Art

Remember to have fun, keep active and stay safe!

Mrs Sledge

p.s If you can't tell the time, now is the time to learn!

£5 Santa challenge

Years 5 & 6 have now completed the challenge set at Christmas in which Santa gifted each group £5 and hoped that they could strive to spread 'good cheer' with their money.

After displaying many entrepreneurial skills and completing a very busy week in school, we are happy to report on their success. 'Good cheer' has certainly been widespread; the pupils themselves have greatly enjoyed carrying out the challenge, from toast to raffle, their ideas were amazing; buying goods and trying their luck at different activities. Now the money they have raised will be donated to each groups chosen charity to spread the 'good cheer' beyond our community. With a grand total of over £750, these charities, listed below, will benefit from a share, alongside a letter from the group who raised the money.

We are very proud of the children's efforts and also thank you all for your support.

Kind regards

Mrs Sledge and Mrs Wilson

Charities are as follows:

• Australia Koala Foundation
• W.W.F
• Cancer Research
• Air Ambulance
• Stroke Foundation
• East Anglia Children's Hospice
• National Autistic Society
• Australian Bush Fires

A surprise visit from Father Christmas

During our afternoon carol rehearsals, we had a surprise visitor bringing gifts for each class. Willow and Larch's gift was an investment of £5 and the challenge is to arrange themselves into groups and grown their £5 into even more money so that they can spread the Christmas cheer to others!  We look forward to seeing the development over the next two terms.

We were lucky enough to have Jess from West End in Schools come and visit us for a couple of days. She showed us how to retell a story using dance and music. We worked in groups on a small section of the Diwali story and came together to produce the whole piece.

Larch class have started their science unit of Classification in a fun way by classifying sweets.

Working in pairs or groups of three the children sorted a range of sweets into different groups, i.e; soft, wrapped, jelly, hard, boiled etc.

2019-20

Autumn Term

DT

Larch class spent a couple of fun days planning, designing, making and evaluating an adventure map for a Bee Bot.  They worked groups of 4/5 working together to build on their team work and working together skills each taking it in turn to be group leader. The aim was to design a map, with obstacles, for a floor robot, that they had coded themselves to move around.

World Book Day

For World book day this year children were asked to come to school dressed as a character from a book and also bring a book in a box. Lots of fabulous and imaginative boxes came into school. 

Each class picked their favourite from the class. Rosa's was selected from Larch class, she had constructed her box to tell the story of the Borrowers. 

West End Stage Show Professional Visit

The whole school were lucky enough to spend a session with West End star Oliver over 2 days.

Larch class worked with him to build a performance retelling the Micheal Morpurgo book Kensuke's Kingdom. The children were split into small groups with each group working on an individual section of the story. At the end of the day the class put together their dances and performed the story to their parents.

Larch's Special Lunch

A large percentage of Larch classes parents joined us for a special lunch. The children very much enjoyed having their parents in for lunch and showing them what goes on at lunchtime.

29th January 2019 what a day and night to remember!

Years 5 and 6 left school at 11:30 full of excitement and anticipation, London bound. The excitement rose the closer we got to the O2.

Once there,  we found our seats quickly and settled down ready for an afternoon of rehearsing with all the professional acts and the rest of the  8,149 children.

After the lights went out at 7:00pm a deathly hush suddenly burst into a deafening noise of cheering, clapping and even excited screaming as the start of the show was announced. All of the children sang beautifully and waved their torches enthusiastically.

Time flew past and until sadly the show was over, ending with the Greatest Showman Finale: all of the Young Voices' choir, Urban Strides, Tony Hadley, Sharlene Hector, and Beau Dermott took part coming together to perform a spine tingling last song, there was even a message from Hugh Jackman!

It really was a truly amazing and memorable experience.

Cooking at Ickworth Hotel

Larch Class were lucky enough to have been invited to Ickworth Hotel to cook in their kitchen with George their Head Chef. The children were split into 2 groups over 2 weeks with 1 group a week going to the hotel where they were then divided into groups of 4 or 5. 

George talked the children through the rules of the kitchen, he then showed them all the ingredient that they were going to be using for the 2 pieces the children were cooking. These were Ickworth Country  Loaf and Monkfish Kohlrabi & Sea Vegetables, a signature dish of the kitchen.

Most of the children were extremely surprised as to the size of the monkfish. 

Once shown what to do it was the childrens chance to try and master the dish. Everyone there was amazed at how well the children had done with some of their dishes looking almost identical to Georges. After plating up the food children were given the chance to eat it, all the children tried it with mixed opinions of it.

An  amazing time was had by all.

Larch Class took part in a music concert this morning along side Lime and Hazel classes.

The children have been working very hard in the lead up to this mornings spectacular demonstration of what they have learnt this term during their clarinet lessons. 11th December 2018.

This half term for PE Larch class are doing OAA and Yoga. 

On a Friday morning the whole class thoroughly enjoy the calming of yoga, leaving them focused for the rest of the day.

Scratch - Animated stories

This term in ICT, Larch class are creating their own animated story using Scratch. This week, they have begun to use the broadcast and receive message blocks to make their sprite characters appear in a sequence. The children are also debugging their project as they go if they find any errors.

TUCK SHOP BAKING

This year, year 6 are selecting, cooking and selling the produce for tuck shop themselves. They are taking it in turns to cook with Mrs King on a Thursday afternoon so all food is fresh for sale on a Friday morning during break time.

The price of each piece of tuck shop is 50p and all children in Keystage 2 are invited to purchase one thing of their choice.

Monies raised this term are going towards the cost of the Tee Shirt package for each child to have for our fantastic trip to the O2 when we sing with Young Voices.

Welcome to Larch Class

Year 5 and 6

 .

Child Safety Week - Monday 4th to Friday 8th June 2018

As part of child safety week we had a visit from Abbeycroft Leisure to talk about the importance of water safety and how to always following the SAFE code -

Spot - spot the dangers whenever you're near water

Advice - take advice, read the signs, ask a lifeguard or adult for help

Friend - always go with a friend or family, its more fun, and they can help in an emergency

Emergency - know what to do in an emergency

The children perform some rescues using jumpers, balls, ropes, paddles and woggles.

ICT

This term in ICT, we are using a program called 'SketchUp' which is computer aided drawing. The children are designing their own house and bedroom including making the furniture. This involves using dimensions, measurements and making 2D shapes into 3D shapes.

Spellodrome

We currently have a two week free trial of Spellodrome - similar to Mathletics but with a focus on spelling. Children need to use their Mathletics login information to gain access to the site using the link below.

http://uk.spellodrome.com/#/home

Christmas Jumper and  Christmas Dinnner

In the festive mood and ready for Christmas.

We have been raising money for Save The Children!

Mathletics

We have recently signed up to the Mathletics program. This program is linked to the curriculum standards and is designed to motivate and engage children in their maths' learning both in school and at home. The children will be using the site at school, within maths lessons, for homework activities and also to take part in games and challenges where they can earn points and rewards.

Children can access the website here:

https://community.mathletics.com/signin/#/student

Or alternatively by downloading the app on an iPad or tablet. Each child has their own login. Please keep your login details safe, if you do happen to misplace them, please let me know and I can provide the details.

ICT

Larch class have been learning to design, write and program a Scratch game during ICT.

2016 - 2017

Larch Class Visit to the Natural History Museum.

​We began our science work on evolution and inheritance with a visit to the Natural History Museum in London.