Middlestown Primary Academy: February 2019

It feels like we have only just come back after Christmas and it is al-

ready half term! Thank you to all the Year 1 and 2 children who took

part in the Science project. It was lovely to see all the different ideas and we appreciate the effort made by the

children (and the parents). The sleepover was also a great success and the children actually got some sleep this

time which the staff were pleased about!

We are all looking forward to Spring coming and have lots of exciting things planned for next half term including

a film night, Foundation stage sponsored pancake flip, World Book Day and a family quiz night (to name a few).

There will also be celebrations for Easter including a disco, the Easter service and a raffle. We hope you will con-

tinue to support these events which help us raise much needed funds .

January

LF: Blake Morley-Ward

UF: Gracie Blezzard

Y1: Corabella Beaumont

Y2: Sydney Durrant

Y3: Poppy Verity-Melling

Y4: Jack Rollin

Y5: Maia Rawson

Y6: Karina Lister

This half term school council have

had an input into the new menu for the

Summer term. They have provided feed-

back on the current menu and had input

into the new dinner choices.

School council are also planning Red

Nose Day which this year falls on the

15th March.

They also have some exciting plans in the

pipeline for a fundraising event for

Wakefield Hospice. More details to fol-

low!

What better way to explain how amazing Hi

-5 Club is than to ask the children them-

selves to write us a review. Take it away

Fabian and Jack!

“I love everything at Hi-5 Club! My favourite thing is to have

a picnic at Coxley Woods. We played a game called ‘Capture

the Flag’ where you had to try take the other teams flag with-

out being caught. On another trip we had lots of fun crunch-

ing through the leaves and throwing them high in the air”.

FABIAN, Year 2

“There are lots of things that I like but my favourite has been

THE CONSTRUCTION BRIGE CHALLENGE. My bridge held up

all the weights that it tested and even supported our young-

est member when he stood up on top of it!” JACK, Year 4

Places on the Hi-5 Sum-

mer Club are booking up

fast. (Monday 22nd July

to Friday 2nd August

2019) so please contact

the office for more details

on how to book.

Foundation The children have had a very busy and exciting half term and we’re pleased to say that the

new starters have settled in so well to Lower Foundation.

The children have been on a dinosaur hunt where they found an abandoned dinosaur egg! They then made a

nest for it and watched it hatch! They also went on a dinosaur hunt where they had to find dinosaurs in the out-

door area and make marks to record their findings; made their own dinosaurs out of junk modelling materials;

made a ‘Bottle Neck Dinosaur’ out of bottle tops, and also made a ‘Texture-saurous’ out of different materials.

Foundation have been celebrating and learning about Chinese New Year by making lanterns and a Chinese drag-

on. They also took part in a Chinese festival where they tasted Chinese food and listened to Chinese music.

Next half term there is a sponsored pancake flip day taking place in the unit and the new topic will be ‘All about

ourselves’.

Years 1 & 2 This half term the children have really enjoyed the topic ‘To Infinity and Beyond’. The chil-

dren have been learning about Neil Armstrong and the first moon landing as well as reading fictional stories

about space including Aliens love Underpants and Man on the Moon. Thank you to all the children (and parents)

who made something for the Space project. It was lovely to see all the different ideas.

The Year 1 and 2 Multiskills team took part in a competition at Horbury Academy. The team worked really well

together and came third overall so well done!

The next topic Year 1 and 2 are to cover is called ‘On Safari’ which will include a trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife

Park. As you can imagine the children (and staff) are very excited about this!

There will also be a Year 2 SATs information workshop next half term on Wednesday 27th February at 3:30. More

details will follow on this. Year 1, 2 and 3 will also be taking part in a Handball festival Wednesday 6th March at

Horbury Academy.

Years 3 & 4 This half term Year 3 and 4 have been reading the book ‘Bill’s New Frock’ by Anne Fine, and

produced some lovely character descriptions, diaries and newspaper reports. In Science, Year 4 have been learn-

ing all about the digestive system and different teeth in our mouths. They are currently completing an experi-

ment to see which drinks cause tooth decay (using an egg).

This half term Year 3 and 4 have been learning about the Romans. They have learnt about mosaics and designed

their own Roman shield, ready to make next half term. The children have been working hard in PE when learning

gymnastics with Mrs Beaumont.

Year 3 took part in the Benchball festival and came first! Year 3 also entered a team into the Unihoc festival and

came first again! Next half term Year 3 and 4 will be reading the book ‘Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes, they will be

completing lots of writing around this including a setting description, newspaper report and argument.

In Science, Year 4 will be looking at the topic ‘Living things and their habitats’ and learning about how we can

group different animals and that environments can change and pose dangers to living things.

Year 3 will start their fundraising activities to raise money for their residential to Lineham Farm in June and Year

4 have The Cube festival at Horbury Academy to look forward to on Wednesday 13th March.

Years 5 & 6 This half term the children have been studying the Amazon rainforest. They have

been looking at the different layers of the rainforest and the animal habitats within these layers. In

Writing, Y5 have been reading the graphic novel “Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief” and they have

written character descriptions and diary entries. Year 6 have continued studying “Room 13” and have

focused on the gothic character of Dracula. They produced character descriptions, and a newspaper

report covering the history of Bram Stoker. In Science, both year groups investigated the topic ‘Living

Things’ and in particular their habitats, lifecycles and classifications.

In Geography, Year 5 and 6 learned about rivers and their features. They looked at how they start high in the mountains and then meander through valleys to the ocean. In Maths, the children developed their skills using the four operations.

Sporting-wise Y6 had a Basketball tournament and came 3rd place, as well as a Badminton competition where they were placed individually rather than in teams.

Next half term the children have a trip to Blackpool Zoo to look forward to which will fit in nicely with our continuing Amazon topic. Year 5 will be looking at how this rainforest differs from that in the UK. In Art, they will be creating stencils and using oil pastels and watercolours to create a rainforest scene. Year 6 also have the annual Robinwood residential trip in March which the children are all very excited about!

Sport events coming up are Orienteering for both clas-ses and Netball and Wake Up Shake Up for Year 6.

The winner this half term is...

Thurs 14th Year 3/4 Assembly to parents—9.10am

Fri 15th Red Nose Day

Tues 19th Y1 & Y2 Trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Thurs 21st Down Syndrome Odd Sock Day

Fri 22nd Family Quiz Night at 6.00pm

Mon 25th – Weds 27th Year 6 Robinwood Residential Trip

April

Weds 3rd Y5 Samba Assembly to parents at 2.45pm

Thurs 4th Wakefield Hospice Fundraiser Day

Thurs 4th Easter Disco: KS1 3.30-4.30 & KS2 4.45-6.00pm

Fri 3rd Year 3 Tuck Shop

Fri 5th Break up for Easter Holidays.

Mon 22nd BANK HOLIDAY – School Closed

Tues 23rd Return to school for Summer 1 Term

Weds 24th Year 5 Parents Evening 3.00-5.00pm

May

Mon 6th BANK HOLIDAY – School Closed

Mon 13th – Fri 17th KS2 SATS Week

Fri 24th Break up for half term

February

Thurs 14th Break up for half term

Fri 15th INSET DAY (school closed to children)

Mon 25th Return to school for Spring 2 Term

Weds 27th National Coal Mining Museum in to see Y3

Weds 27th Y2 SATs workshop—3.30pm

Fri 28th Y5 & Y6 Trip to Blackpool Zoo

Fri 28th Parent Partnership Meeting: ICT Online Safety at 6.00pm

March

Fri 1st Film Night: 3.30-5.00pm

Tues 5th Foundation Sponsored Pancake Flip (parents in at 2.30pm to taste!

Tues 5th Parents Evening: 3-5pm (not Y5- see April)

Weds 6th Parents Evening:5-7pm (not Y5– see April)

Thurs 7th World book Day

Mon 11th – Fri 15th Science Week

Mon 11th Class Photos (Tempest Photography)

Tues 12th Coffee, Cookies & Conversation at 9.00am

School Gallery

Bottom left: Year 5 & 6 at the Basketball tournament;

Bottom right: Year 4 at Nell Bank.

Top left: Foundation

looking at the dino-

saur nest; Top right:

Choir at the Young

Voices Event in

Sheffield; Below left

and right: Year 1 & 2

Space Projects.