Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School

Hello and welcome to Year 6!

Year 6

 

We wanted to take the opportunity to introduce the team and welcome you and your child to Year 6!  Ms Pieters and Miss Joseph and I are looking forward to another year with the class. There will be many interesting topics and activities planned for the year ahead. I am looking forward to another year of helping the children grow in confidence and continuing to instil a love of learning and curiosity.

 

We are excited to be celebrating Etz Chaim’s 10th Anniversary. There will be a range of activities for your child to participate in, allowing them to delve into 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. Leadership opportunities for the Year 6 children will be fully reinstated, allowing them to make a valuable contribution to our community.

 

Developing independence is an important part of Etz Chaim, especially in Year 6. We are very aware that part of our role in school is to prepare our children for their move to secondary school and with this in mind, much of the Year 6 curriculum fosters responsibility and independence. The children will continue to develop their learning through an integrated and creative curriculum and become more resilient and reflective learners through independent provision and guided group learning. From the moment the children enter Year 6 they are responsible for their own learning and expectations are high. We expect high standards so that they will be well-prepared for the next stage in their education.  We ask that parents support this by helping to develop children’s independence and encouraging them to be responsible. Children should pack their own bag for school, be responsible for their home learning tasks and bring their home learning in on time.

 

As part of our blended learning approach, we will continue to use SeeSaw to set activities, record explanation videos, and record the children’s ideas and responses using photographs, videos, text and voice clips.

 

Our first topic this school year will be ‘Moving People’. The children will learn that sometimes people choose to move and sometimes this movement is forced upon them. These can have an impact on them emotionally and socially. We will be exploring this through our writing, PSHE, historically and geographically. This year, the children will continue to develop and apply their mathematical knowledge which will include problem solving and algebra. The children will continue to explore a range of quality texts in English and write for different purposes. There will also be an emphasis on handwriting and presentation as well as the skill of editing and improving in order to up level writing. Over the summer, the children should continue to read a variety of different books and be ready to share some of their reading recommendations with the class.

 

As in previous years, each week two children will be delivering a “hero speech” at our weekly youth service. They can choose a Jewish hero from ancient or modern times who they wish to speak about.

 

Also in Jewish Studies, the children will continue to develop Rashi skills including reading the Rashi letters and understanding Rashi’s commentary on the Torah. 

 

We are also looking forward to the Year 6 residential to Grosvenor House near Ashford. The trip will combine challenging outdoor experiences with exciting evening activities to create an unforgettable life-changing adventure in a safe, controlled and nurturing environment.

 

As your children embark on the final chapter of their primary school journey, we welcome your support in the challenges and experiences that Year 6 has to offer!  If you have any concerns or questions, please use the home-school diary for which your child will have ownership. This book should also be used to write on the day if your child will be going home with a different person.

 

There are a number of ways you can support your child at home:

·         Continue the fantastic support you have been giving over the years

·         Encourage your child to believe in themselves and be confident in their learning, ‘You can do it!’  It’s okay for them to find things tricky and make mistakes along the way. Remind them that they are always supported in everything they do

·         Approach a subject from lots of different angles. Software, games, activities, books, flash cards and practical applications will all support your child

·         Ensure your child has the best possible attendance at school

·         Support your child with any Home Learning tasks and suggested activities on the weekly class newsletter

·         Make sure your child has a good sleep and healthy breakfast every morning

·         Ensure your children continue to read for pleasure and from the scheme books

 

We kindly ask that you please provide one box of tissues and five large Pritt Sticks 43g (only clear Pritt Stick no other make).

 

A reminder of some other items the children will need to bring on their first day are: a non-uniform cap to keep in school and for the boys and a spare named school kippah, also to be kept in school. 

 

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 girls’ skirts cover the knee. 

 

The children can bring in fresh fruit or a vegetable snack in a named container each day. This does not include corn snacks, apple crisps or any other processed food item.

 

Please click here  to see what we have been learning this year.

 

Please click here to see the new National Curriculum end of year expectations.

Please click here to see the spelling appendix for Year 6

Please click here to see the grammar appendix for Year 6

Please click here to see the common exceptional words for Year 5 and Year 6