Reception Weekly Blog 23.10.26 - "They who are filled with love are filled with God Himself." - St Teresa of Calcutta

And so our children have reached the end of their very first half term at school, and what a wonderful half term they have had! This week we celebrated Harvest with our lovely Nursery and Year 1 friends. We sang, prayed and said, “Thank you God," for the beautiful world He has made for us. It really was such a happy celebration.

In our classroom the children have continued to be lead by their interests, and have thoroughly enjoyed exploring our small farming world, sharing great conversation and turn taking skills. Very also put our story telling skills to good use as we enjoyed retelling the story of The Little Red Hen, using actions to help us remember what came next in the story.

GOING DEEPER IN CONVERSATION

8 wonderful weeks you have had in school! You have learnt so much in so many ways. This week I want you to think about what you are most proud of from your first half term in school. Each and everyone of you has already grown, we are so proud of you all!

MAGICAL MOMENTS OF LEARNING

The children had such an exciting Thursday with an interesting visitor who taught us important ways that we can bust those germs! The children listened beautifully and asked some great questions too. After this we had our FOREST SCHOOL TAKEOVER, what a hit this was! The children gained so much from their time outside in our forest school. There was such wonderful conservations, exploration and happiness… it really was magical!

(Photographs will be added - I’ll send an email when they are on.)

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Parents day appointment - I will be in contact with some alternative times for those of you who I missed on Friday - Huge apologies!

Maths Challenge Day Friday 6th November - Come dress as your favourite Numberblock!

c.bassett@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bassett, Mrs Summersall, Mrs Krol, Miss Canham and Miss Woodend.

Year 6 Weekly Blog Friday 23rd October - Happy Half Term

We have reached the end of our first half term in Year 6! Well done, everyone – you have come into Year 6 and shone like the stars you are! You have taken on your new responsibilities and challenges in your stride, showing maturity, kindness and a fantastic attitude.

From our unforgettable trip to Castlerigg to our Terrible Tudors morning at the theatre, you have given 100% in everything you have done and I am so proud of you all!

Next half term promises to be just as exciting! After getting straight back into our learning routines, we will be preparing for our dance show and class assembly in the second week. There is plenty to look forward to!

It was lovely to meet with parents today to celebrate the children’s successes and discuss the next steps in the children’s Year 6 journey. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to make this a happy, successful and memorable final year at primary school.

Have a wonderful half-term break, everyone. Rest, recharge and come back ready to shine even brighter! 

Mrs Naylor and Mrs Barker

Information & Reminders

  • PE days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. PE kits (school tracksuits) can be worn to school on those days. Please make sure that the children have shorts for indoor PE on a Tuesday.

  • Maths Challenge Day Friday 6th November - Come dress as TT Rockstar!

  • Year 6 Class Assembly 9:15am Tuesday 10th November

  • Dance Festival - Tuesday 10th November (Please see separate blog post)

  • Please send in your empty shoes boxes ready for out DT unit of work with Mrs Mather after half term.

Year 5 Weekly Blog - Friday 22nd October - Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

This week, the children led a beautiful liturgy for our class and our partner class in Year 1. During their RE lessons, they thoughtfully planned and prepared every part of the celebration, drawing on the key learning from this half term. Through their reflections on virtues in action, Catholic Social Teaching and the example of Mary, the children shared the important messages we have explored together.

It was wonderful to see the children pray so reverently alongside their Year 1 partners, guiding them carefully through the Rosary and helping them to deepen their own understanding of prayer. The liturgy was a truly special time, filled with reflection, faith and togetherness, and was a beautiful way for us to end the term united in prayer.

MAGIC MOMENTS…

What a magical week we have had in Year 5, filled with creativity, reflection and excitement for learning! Our week has centred around writing our own narratives inspired by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The children have thoroughly enjoyed building their stories one paragraph at a time, carefully using the feedback they received to improve and develop their writing. It has been wonderful to see how reflective and determined they have been, with the children becoming increasingly confident in their individual writing targets and keen to achieve them in every lesson. In Science, we have also embraced our inner scientists by carrying out experiments to investigate different ways of separating materials. They showed great curiosity and enthusiasm as they explored, predicted and observed the results, making it another week full of deep learning and discovery.

The highlight of the week was undoubtedly welcoming our grown-ups into the school to celebrate all the wonderful learning from this half term. The children were incredibly proud to share their work, showcasing the progress, effort and achievements they have made across the curriculum. It was a joy to see their confidence shine as they talked enthusiastically about their learning and reflected on how much they have grown. Sharing these special moments with family made for a truly memorable experience and was a fantastic way to celebrate all of the hard work, determination and success that has taken place this half term.

GOING DEEPER IN CONVERSATION

What are your writing targets and how are you going to achieve them next half term?

Notices

  • Throughout our study of the book ‘The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe’ I have planned to show the children clips of the film to enhance their writing and understanding of the novel. This film is a PG. If you do not give permission or have any concerns regarding this then please do let me know via email:

    k.harrison@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk

  • Homework- Please check the homework blog for your child’ weekly homework, including the deadline date.

  • Sports Timetable- A full timetable for all of the sports opportunites this half term is available on the sports page of the school website [engage-sport]

Have a wonderful half term from Mrs Harrison, Mrs Tierney and Miss Simpson

Time flies when you're having fun!!

How time flies when you’re having fun! With the odd exception, we have been blessed with dry weather which has meant that the children have opted to spend as much time as possible outside. After a hard days’ work, there is nothing better than fresh air and time to relax.  The children have settled in so well to the new year at All Stars and have enjoyed an array of activities. Inside activities have included drawing and colouring with some lovely art for our Autumn Display. Although a long half term, the children have enjoyed relaxing and being together and playing games. Friendships are blossoming and new ones made on a daily basis.  

As the evenings draw in, we will be offering a warm snack a couple of evenings a week, in the form of beans and crusty bread and chicken and tomato soup. You may also spot the high visual jackets and head torches out as we have some twilight fun!

Just a little shout out – As Christmas draws near, you may be having a little sort out ready for Santa! We are currently trying to enhance toys and role play for the girls. If you have any old dolls, dolls clothes or buggies or anything suitable for the girls, we would love to have them.

Thank you for your continuing support in our venture- I cannot believe we have completed our first half term already!  It has been a joy and a pleasure to be able to support you and your children with our wrap around care.

We will reopen on Tuesday 3rd November at 7:45 am for breakfast club.

 

Have a lovely half term break,

 

God Bless

The All Stars Team

Year 1 Weekly Blog 23.10.26

And just like that, we have reached the end of our first half term in Year 1! It has been a busy few weeks, full of new routines, growing confidence and so much learning. We have finished the week with lots to be proud of, and I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved half-term break.

RE

This week, we have been thinking about prayer and what it means to us. We talked about how prayer can help us share our thoughts, feelings, and hopes with God. The children then wrote their own acrostic poems using the word HEAVEN, thinking carefully about the words and ideas they wanted to include.

On Wednesday, we also came together with Reception and Nursery for a special Harvest worship. It was a lovely opportunity to celebrate Harvest together, reflect on what we are thankful for, and think about the importance of gratitude and sharing with others.


Magic moments!

English

Our Supertato adventures have continued! This week, we have been doing both modelled and independent writing about Evil Pea and Supertato. The children have been putting their ideas into sentences and using everything we have practised to help them become more confident writers. It has been lovely to see how much more willing they are to have a go at writing and spelling independently.

Maths

We have now finished our unit on counting forwards and backwards within 20. The children have worked so hard and made some brilliant progress with their number skills. We are ready to begin a new Maths topic when we return after half term!

Wider learning

In PE, we tried some yoga, which was a lovely way to practise balance, movement and relaxation.

We also welcomed a nurse into school who taught us all about germs and how to wash our hands properly. The children were really engaged, and it was an informative and exciting session. We learnt why handwashing is so important and how we can help keep ourselves and others healthy.

We have been exploring guided meditation within My Happy Mind, and the children have really enjoyed having some quiet time to relax, focus, and settle their minds. It has been a lovely opportunity to slow down during our busy school days and practise taking a moment for ourselves.

We also had our Book Look, and the children absolutely loved showing their adults their books and sharing what they have been working on. It was wonderful to see them taking pride in their learning and showing off their hard work.

A Love of Reading!

We enjoyed spending some time in the library this week, where every child chose a book to take home and enjoy reading with an adult or to be read to. Reading for pleasure is such an important part of building a love of books, so I hope you enjoy sharing these stories together over the holidays!

I have also sent home a set of cards with high-frequency words on them. The children should practice these little and often throughout the week and will be given a higher set when they are fluent!

GOING DEEPER IN CONVERSATION

A little question to get your child talking about what we have been learning in school. See where the conversation takes you!

“What are you most proud of learning in Year 1 so far?”

Can they tell you about something they have found tricky but can do more confidently now? It could be writing a sentence, counting to 20, sharing their ideas or trying something new!

A Few Reminders:

Forest school takeover day!

This will take place in the afternoon on the 5th November! Please send your children into school in their warm forest school clothes, a coat and appropriate footwear!

Numberblocks Dress-Up Day – Friday 6th November

We have another Own Clothes Day coming up on Friday 6th November, when the children can dress up as their favourite Numberblock!

We will be having a fun day including lots of fun Maths activities, so I am sure the children will be very excited to get involved.

There is a letter in the window with more information, which you are welcome to read at home time.

Harvest collections

Thank you for all your boxes of cereal! We will do a cereal dominos on the first day back after the half term!

Show and tell:

Show and Tell will now take place on Friday afternoons. Children are welcome to bring something in to share with the class, but please remember that toys should be left at home. We look forward to hearing all about the things the children would like to share!

Notices

  • Homework- Please check the homework blog for your child’s weekly homework, including the deadline date.

  • We are celebrating the month of the Rosary, so the children are welcome to bring in Rosary beads if they have any at home.

  • Forest School- For those children attending forest school this term, please make sure they are dressed in appropriate clothes and shoes as it is getting colder now; please make sure they can be wrapped up! Forest school takeover day is 5th November for the whole class.

  • Email- a.edwards@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk


Have a wonderful Half-term!

Miss Edwards, Mrs Hunter, Mrs Hennessy, Mrs Davis & Miss Canham

Drawing- Tone and Texture

What a wonderful half term it has been! My word, time flies when you’re having fun! I cannot believe we are at the end of the first term! This term, we have turned our attention to our drawing skills. We have looked at how to shade using the four golden rules, thought about and explored how we can add texture into our work to create realistic work. We have seen like an artist by using shapes to help aid us in the development of forming an idea. We have of course, used our teddies from home to combine our skills in the form of observational drawings. They are looking fantastic! We will be completing these after the half term.

Next half term, we will be getteing mucky with clay! Please ensure your child has their art shirt in school, thank you.

Have a lovely Half term break

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Depth, emotion and movement

What a busy half term we have had! Throughout our unit, we have drawn on a memory we hold most dear to enhance our drawing techniques. Thinking about composition, we have looked at foreground, middle ground and back ground and how we use these to enhance the focal point of an art piece. We have taken inspiration from Charlie Mackesy (The boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse) to refine our drawing skills in readiness to create a print. The children’s work has been exceptional as they have explored new techniques to add to their final piece.

After half term, we will be moving onto DT, where we will be learning how to blanket stitch.

Have a lovely half term

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Exploring line and Shape

I cannot believe we have come to the end of the first half term! It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know the class and exploring their creativity with them. Over the last 8 weeks, we have been exploring line and shape and have studied theartists Bridgett Riley and Paul Kley. The children have talked about their artwork, what they have noticed, how a piece makes them feel and sharing their opinions.

We have then gone on to use these artists as inspiration to create our own peices using an array of lines and shapes.The children have had a wonderful time exploring and experimenting with different tools and media to create their own artwork.

We have had such a lovely time! Next half term we will be turning our focus to Design Technology where we will be learning how to sew using a running stitch.

Have a lovely half term break.

God Bless

Mrs Mather

This week...

It’s hard to believe that we are already at half term! When we return after the holidays everyone will be preparing for Christmas, a truly magical part of the school year! We can’t wait!

Prayer and Liturgy

This week we have had a lovely week learning all about Harvest. Our child led worship on Thursday began with our words from the Bible:

One day, Jesus looked out at a massive field of ripe, delicious fruit and vegetables.

He said to his friends, "Look! The harvest is ready! There is so much good food to gather, but there are not enough helpers to bring it all in."

Jesus didn’t just mean real apples and corn. He meant people! He wanted his friends to go out and gather people together with love, kindness, and big smiles.

We spoke about all the things that God has provided for us and how we all help each other. We watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1nOmmhbe7E

We finished with a lovely hymn, ‘He’s got the while world in His hands’ Click here to sing at home.  

Learning Landscape

A week full of mathematical concepts. We have been:

  • Measuring ourselves using our lighthouse height chart

  • sorting objects using different rules

  • making bread…mmmmm yummy

  • construction crazy. Using combined materials the children have independently made the most magnificent structures!

  • counting to 3 and understanding, what numbers can make three 3

and we have also been:

  • writing m, a, s and d in yellow illuminous sand using lolly sticks

  • dancing the Harvest Samba

  • reading stories to each other

Half term home challenge

The children have worked very hard to be able to put on their coats independently but when we return after the holidays it will be ‘zipper club’ time. If you could practice with your child zipping their coat up that would be great…they can be part of the zipper club straight away when they return! Good luck everyone.

Maths Challenge Day

Don’t forget that Friday 6th November is Maths Challenge Day. Nursery are asked to come to nursery dressed as a ‘Numberblock’. It will be a day full of maths challenges and fun!

Lastly, a big thank your for your generous donations for Harvests and for Mary’s Meals. As always it is greatly appreciated.

Have a wonderful half term and remember nursery reopens on TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER.

Stay safe and God bless

Barbara

Exploring tone and Texture

Time flies when you are having fun! We have had a wonderful term exploring tone and texture with the help of some lovely chocol;ates and sweets! Starting from observational drawings of some delicious Heroes, we have continued our journey by exploring proportion and composition.We have been thinking about how we use light and dark tones, alongside mark making to create 3D realistic artwork. Through using collage as an aid to help develoop our skills on presenting on the space given, we have the used this knowledge to guide us in our final piece.

Next half Term, we are moving on to DT, where we will be exploring, designing and making a helmet. We will be getting a little mucky as we will be using papier mache, please can you ensure your child has their art shirt in school, thank you.

Have a lovely half term

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Expressing Ideas

Time flies when you’re having fun! The children have really gotten into this topic! We have thought about what the difference is between Street Art and Graffiti, not only in design but in legal terms. We have had the opportunity to explore the street art in Blackpool and have thought about what their story is. The children have created depth and distance by having a go at one point perspectives and vanishing points, along with scaling up using a grid. Using their new found knowledge, the children have planned a piece of work inspired not only by street art, but also an Ecological topic that is close to their heart and feel strongly about. They have really shone out and have challenged themselves every step of the way. Well done Year 6!

Next half term we are turning our focus to Automata toys, please can your child bring in their shoe box if they haven’t already done so, thank you.

Have a lovelyBreak

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Developing Drawing Skills

What a busy term we have had! The children have been learning how to add detail into their art by learning the four rules of shading and using their observational skills to draw realistic flowers and seeds. We have then then gone on and let our imaginations run wild as we created our own imaginary blooms. With this done, the children recreated these in the form of Digital Art. They came up with fantastic ideas that would make any garden look colourful and bright!

We are now moving on to Textiles where we will be learning key sewing skills to make cushions.

 Have a lovely half term,

God Bless

Mrs Mather

Year Three Weekly Blog 22.10.26

What a wholesome and wonderful first half term…

This week, we have enjoyed a wonderful time celebrating Harvest and reflecting on the many blessings we have in our lives. It has been a special opportunity for our children to think about gratitude, kindness and how we can make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Throughout the week, the children have been learning about the meaning of Harvest and the importance of being thankful for the food we eat, the world around us, and the people who care for us. We have had thoughtful discussions about how not everyone is as fortunate as we are and how even small acts of kindness can have a big impact on those in need. A highlight of our celebrations was our beautiful Harvest Mass at church on Wednesday morning. We would like to thank all of you for supporting our Harvest celebrations and for helping us to teach the children the importance of gratitude and generosity.

We would also like to say a special thank you to our Prayer Leaders this week, Alex, AJ and George, who led us so thoughtfully in worship on Tuesday. During our time together, we said a prayer for somebody in need or someone who holds a special place in our hearts. We reflected on the many blessings we enjoy each day and considered how we can use these blessings to support and care for others. Each week, it is such a joy for me to see the children plan their worship collaboratively and deliver this with such pride and meaning!

Magical Moments of Learning…


Our Forest School takeover afternoon has been the highlight of our week!! The children had the most wonderful afternoon…immersing themselves completely into the world of nature! Lots of the children used natural materials to create beautiful nature frames, carefully selecting leaves, twigs, flowers and other treasures they discovered around the woodland area. Some of us were even brave enough to climb the tree! To finish our special time, we all sat around the fire pit and listened to a gorgeous story, whilst enjoying a yummy biscuit! It was lovely to see their curiosity, teamwork and sense of adventure shining through as they explored, created and connected with the environment around them. Thank you so much to Mrs Tierney for such a wonderful afternoon!

In Maths this week, the children have been working incredibly hard on adding and subtracting two-digit numbers from three-digit numbers. They have been developing their understanding of place value and how they can use strategies to help them work these calculations out! I have been so impressed by their determination, resilience and willingness to challenge themselves when tackling tricky questions.

Going Deeper in Conversation…

“Why do we celebrate Harvest and how can we help others who are less fortunate than us?”

A little question to get your child talking about what we have been learning in school. See where the conversation takes you!

Let’s Celebrate…

As we come to the end of our first half term together, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of the children in Year Three and their wonderful families. Looking back over the past few weeks, I can honestly say it has been such a special start to the year and I feel incredibly lucky to be part of it.

I am so proud of how the children have settled into Year Three. They have approached every new challenge with enthusiasm, positivity and a real willingness to learn. It has been amazing to see how much they have grown already, making fantastic progress, building new friendships and gaining confidence every single day. They fill our classroom with smiles, laughter, kindness and curiosity, and they make me proud every day.

A huge thank you must also go to our families for all of your support and encouragement. Everything you do at home helps the children to thrive and makes such a difference to their learning and happiness in school.

On a personal note, I want to thank you all for the kindness, support and care that you have shown me this half term. Your lovely words, understanding and encouragement mean more than you know. Teaching Year Three is an absolute joy, but it is the wonderful community around it that makes it so special. I genuinely look forward to each day, and that is because of the incredible children and families I have the privilege to work with.

Thank you for making this first half term one to remember. I am so proud of everything we have achieved together so far, and I cannot wait to see what adventures, opportunities and successes the next half term brings for our amazing Year Three family.

Key Messages and Reminders…

  • Thinking ahead…on Friday 6th November (after the school holidays) we are asking for Year Three children to come dressed as a rockstar! This is to celebrate all things Maths.

  • OPTIONAL homework is available below:

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to pop me an email:

e.brookes@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk

Thank you once again for all of your continued support. We hope you have a fabulous weekend and the most wonderful week with your children.

Miss Brookes and Mrs Austin





Reception Half Term homework!

Thank you for all of the wonderful home learning that you are supporting at home, the impact of how you all value school learning is incredible and the children are thriving! We are so proud of each one of them for their wonderful, very first, half term in school! Let’s celebrate just how much they have learnt! They have worked so hard to learn new routines, expectations, built friendships, developed concentration skills… I could go on and on! They have certainly earnt their half term!

You will have noticed that your child has brought a new reading book home. Please enjoy this book at home together. Continue to practise using your sound cards (I will have extra sound cards if you are missing some when you come to parents evening- I will also create a PDF of these for my blog on Friday). Please watch this space for parent open sessions- this will be a time to see your child in their reception classroom and a time for you to learn more about FRED TALK and you can then practise this at home.

Below you will see your autumn challenges. I will provide these challenges at the end of each half term. I am hoping you find that these challenges allow you to enjoy the half term whilst still having activities to support our learning in school. Please send any photographs, create drawings/marks in your homework book. YouTube has lots of Pen disco videos to encourage the children to continue to practise their pencil grip and mark making skills.