My name is Mrs Cislo and I will be teaching the class this year alongside Mrs Braham who will be teaching Jewish Studies and we are also joined by Mrs Sussman our wonderful teaching assistant.

 

As some of you may know last year I joined Etz Chaim. During my 10 years of teaching, I have been extremely fortunate to have taught in all year groups at different points. For the past three years I have taught Year 5 classes, preparing the children not only in subject knowledge but in independence and mindset.

 

Year 5 is an exciting part of your child’s education where we will continue to work in a creative and integrated curriculum. We will build upon your child’s experiences from Year 4 and develop their knowledge and understanding in all areas of the curriculum and support them in becoming enthused and motivated learners. We will continue to use a blended learning approach, which includes the use of SeeSaw to set activities and record explanation videos, and record the children’s ideas and responses using photographs, videos, text and voice clips. The children will continue to learn through our exciting IPC topics in which they will investigate, explore and discover as they engage in a variety of practical tasks to help secure the facts, skills and teachings in a memorable and meaningful way.  

 

In this upcoming academic year, we will be celebrating Etz Chaim’s 10th Anniversary. There will be a range of fun activities for your child to participate in, allowing them to investigate the history of the school and explore what community means to them. In addition to this, we will be returning to pre-Covid practices, reinstating the much-missed whole school community feeling, allowing the children to be with children from the other classes; including sharing break times, participating in whole school assemblies and other whole school celebrations.

 

Our first topic this term is called ‘Moving People’. The children will be able to investigate, explore and discover as they engage in a variety of practical experiences and tasks, working both independently and collaboratively. This will include a historical look at Jewish migration to the UK and a chance for the pupils to delve into their own identities. The second half term will focus on our topics ‘Being Human’ and ‘Full Power’ where we will be exploring electricity and how our bodies function.

 

We will continue to focus and develop their mathematical skills in number and calculations, problem solving, shape and measuring.  The children will be given lots of hands on, practical opportunities to consolidate as well as develop their learning in a purposeful manner.

 

In English we will continue to focus on spelling, handwriting and developing their writing and reading skills. We will also be focusing on ways pupils can improve their own work.

 

In Jewish Studies we will be sharpening and deepening our knowledge and understanding of the Tishrei festivals: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. We will focus on how both the cycles of the moon and sun are used to determine the Jewish calendar.

 

We will continue to build on our Chumash textual skills, focusing on the narrative of Avraham finding a suitable wife for his son after Sarah’s death. Exploring relevant ways in which to apply the values we learn from the text to our own lives, we will also make links to Literacy, Art and ICT.  The children will continue to learn about the different Parashiot and general Jewish knowledge, in preparation for the exciting national Etgar challenge which will take place in the Summer term. The children will have the opportunity to experience and understand the meaning and beauty of Shabbat through our exciting Year 5 Shabbaton in February.

 

Your role as parents is invaluable and learning is also important at home too. We aim to create strong links between the home and school environment. We believe good communication between home and school is key to this. So, if you have any concerns or questions, please contact us via the children’s Home School Diaries.

  

Please also check your child has the full school uniform PE kit and the correct sized trainers. These should be brought into school on the first day of the term. Please ensure all items of clothing are labelled with your child’s name. Also, please ensure girls’ skirts cover the knee. 

 

The children can bring in fresh fruit or a vegetable snack in a named container each day.