Pre-School children have been looking at the artist Vincent Van Gogh this week to kick off our learning all about light and dark. They have created their own ‘Starry Night’ paintings on black paper selecting the correct colours to recreate his famous painting.
Boom! Pop! Crackle! Whizz! The children have been learning a new word to describe these sounds - onomatopoeia. With the best night of the year fast approaching (fireworks night), the children have been using this a stimulus to write words to describe their drawings of fireworks.
The science block echoed with gasps of awe and wonder as the children observed and hypothesised. It was a firework frenzy! The children made good use of all prior knowledge to predict the outcome of chemical reactions with heat and stepped back as Mrs Cookson created mini explosions and bangs! The self-made sparklers were, by far, the winner!
This week we started a new book in English called ‘Invisible’ which the children have been loving. Scenes have been created from the book in creative ways using paint, collaging and drawing which got the children’s minds whirring with ideas. They delved into dictionaries and thesauruses and created mind maps with high level vocabulary and have been able to put themselves in the shoes of the characters from the book.
What a beautiful week we have had down in Forest School. We have experienced many different types of weather conditions, some all in the same afternoon. This has prompted me to respectfully ask you to check your children's wellies for size and holes and ensure they have plenty of clothes in their bags to keep them dry and warm this term.
We have used this fabulous opportunity to use the leaves that the gardeners have collected for us to make giant spirals, these are large spirals you can walk around to find a special quiet, peaceful space in the centre.
On a much smaller scale, our Reception children have made natural paint brushes from leaves. They have then gone on to create Autumn shades with paint and used the brushes to create a camouflage effect to hide their leaves.
It's going to get much colder so please remember to layer up and always have your hat and gloves in school.
Year 3 - Year 3 were transformed into archaeologists this week as they took part in a Rocks and Fossils workshop. The children found out how fossils are formed and took part in a series of investigations to uncover the names and descriptions of various rocks. Year 3 were particularly excited to be shown a real fossilised dinosaur egg which had a baby inside. Well done Year 3 for showing our visitors your lovely manners and for engaging beautifully with the workshop.
In maths lessons this week the children have been using the column method to answer addition equations. They were challenged by the end of the week to use this method to answer word problems. In preparation for Bonfire Night, Year 3 started to write their own firework inspired poetry. We learnt a new word this week - onomatopoeia. The children had great fun thinking of onomatopoeic words that they could use in their poem.
The children started their new volcanoes topic this week and so they spent their first two lessons investigating the location of various volcanoes around the world. Well done to all of the pupils who created their own volcano projects. The Year 3 teachers were amazed by the standard of these projects and it was clear that a lot of time and effort had been put into them.
In design and technology lessons the children were continuing to create popup cards and puppets. In P.E lessons the children were preparing themselves for the summer term as they focused on their throwing skills.
Alongside this, Year 3 have been learning their months and numbers in French and Spanish. The children have also started a new unit in science this week and they are going to be looking at igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. It has been impressive to hear just how much Year 3 already know about rocks and their formation.
The next few weeks of term are expected to be very busy so the children have been rehearsing their pantomime songs in their music and drama lessons. As the evenings grow darker and colder it felt appropriate that the children were learning the full lyrics to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!
Year 4 - This week Year 4 have been practising their lines and stage directions for the pantomime (Oh no they haven't, oh yes they have). We have been very impressed by the hard work and dedication shown by the children both on and off stage. We definitely have some stars in the making.
The new half term has meant a selection of new topics to learn about such as electricity in science which the children have been buzzing about! We have been learning about renewable and non-renewable forms of electricity. The children have been careful not to get their wires crossed when describing the difference between the two.
In maths the children have been solving word problems involving the six times tables with an emphasis on being flexible with numbers. They have been using the inverse to solve division problems and even reminded themselves how to use the bus stop method.
Morals have been high on the agenda in English as we are currently exploring fables by Aesop. The children have had fun writing dialogue between two characters based on the fable the wolf and the lamb. This was then developed into practising writing direct speech.
Year 5 & 6 - It was lovely to welcome the children back to school this week after what I hope was a fun October half term. It has been another busy week with Wednesday’s Hockey and Football fixtures against Beechwood Park and Thursday’s year 5 theatre trip to watch The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. News travelled quickly this week of the amazing Upper School information evening presented by Anna Warren and Ed Balfour on Thursday night. We hope those of you who attended this event enjoyed hearing about what Edge Grove has to offer in the Upper School. We were disappointed to not be able to see you all at the fireworks display on Saturday but look forward to celebrating this soon!
Within our academic lessons this week Year 6 have begun studying the novella Clockwork by Phillip Pullman in English and investigate the way the author foreshadows sinister happenings in the Prologue.In Science they have been learning about energy efficiency, working out how efficient everyday appliances are. I am sure some pupils may be coming home asking you to swap your filament light bulbs for LED ones!
Year 5, in English, have been enjoying the first of a range of narrative poems and learned The Lion and Albert for a performance in the theatre, having been inspired by their trip to the West End!
In science they have been investigating the relationship between mass and weight, dismissing the misconception that you can weigh yourself using a normal scale.
In Maths year 5 have explored the area and perimeter on our very own school grounds!
Mr Stanley had the pleasure of presenting Rex with this impressive trophy that he won recently for his go-karting achievements. After eight rounds of intense racing in the Jenson Championship at Rye House (where Lewis Hamilton first started his career), Rex has won the cup, becoming the champion with one more round still to go. Well done Rex.
Well done to everyone who took part in fixtures last week in some tough conditions. You can read the Match Reports here.
Music - Radlett Music Club FREE concert for Edge Grove pupils
Wednesday 9th November, 7:30pm
https://radlett-music-club.weebly.com/london-bridge-trio---wednesday-9-november-2022-at-730-pm.html
The Trio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYjnfhEEGVs
Parents often ask me for advice on preparing children for the type of questions that might be asked during a music scholarship interview, for example. Certainly one of them will be: What has been your favourite or most recent concert you have attended? Particularly if the concert programme features the same instrument that their child plays. I highly recommend, therefore, that our Edge Grove pianists and string players attend, even if pupils attend only the first half of the concert and leave at the interval.
Experiencing a professional classical concert can have so many benefits. Hearing an accomplished, virtuoso play can be quite an enlightening experience as well as inspiring. Experiencing the etiquette and concentration required to be part of the concert hall audience itself, often mixing with people of all ages, can also be a valuable skill.
Mr Leutfeld will also be at the concert (with his own son!)
Art - In Pre Prep, pupils have been learning how to create a piece of art work using different materials to create a night time scene of a fireworks display. The results are very impressive!
Drama - Bah Humbug rehearsals are now in full swing and we have blocked the whole show this week. Now we are able to focus on the acting and delivery of lines to make it a fabulous show. The year 4 have been so enthusiastic in the rehearsals and I know they are looking forward to performing to you all at the end of term.
Year 3 have continued to broaden their understanding of facial expressions and body language and how important they are whilst performing to reflect emotions and feelings of characters. They are incorporating them into their Bah Humbug songs which they are doing very well in learning. Now just to begin remembering all of the lyrics!
Year 5 have had a busy week writing and performing news reports for a well known fairy tale. They have learnt about what is needed in a news report and the formal language that is used. Next week they will start to plan their own fairy tales using all the key features they have learnt so far.
In year 6 the pupils have been looking at split scene, cross- cutting and marking the moment. They have been writing their own superhero and villain scenes that demonstrate these dramatic techniques. We will film their scenes next week.
Year 7 continue to look at the development of drama through the years and this week we have been looking at Shakespeare and his use of the prologue in Romeo and Juliet. Pupils have annotated the prologue in pairs using Greek theatre techniques such as unison, cannon and echoes to enhance the performance and we will look at these next week.
Year 8 are looking at film marketing and in particular film posters. They have been understanding that different genres of films use different colours, different lighting, font and staging for their posters. This is so the audience can sub -consciously recognise the genre of the film. For example: Fantasy films use blue, grey and saturated colours with shadows and cold lighting.
