September 11, 2018
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Primary 2 Curriculum Update

Dear Parents/Carers,

Primary 2 are continuing to settle well into school life. Day by day, the boys and girls are becoming increasingly more confident and familiar with the routines of the class and the wider school.

We are all very excited for a fun year of learning here at St. Brendan’s. All the children looked so smart starting the school year and with your support we know this will continue. This term with your help we aim to ensure your child achieves their full potential in all aspects of learning.Here is a brief overview of some of the learning experiences planned for this term:

Literacy

We will work on stage 2 North Lanarkshire’s Active Literacy programme for spelling and phonics. Children will revisit the phonemes taught in primary one before being introduced to new sounds and words each week and this will be consolidated through class work and homework. For reading, the children will continue to read one or two books per week. I would be grateful if you would continue to support reading at home and ensure that your child brings their book into school each day. In taught writing the children will be working with Mrs. McLauchlan on developing skills in recount and narrative writing.

Numeracy

This term we will be focusing on four key areas of numeracy: time including days, months, seasons and calendars, number and number processes (place value to 100), estimation and rounding and mathematics and its impact on the world(past present and future). The children will experience a variety of active lessons as well as written tasks in order to develop their skills in each of these subject areas. We will also continue to work on addition and subtraction as well as mental calculation skills.

Health and Wellbeing

In P.E. the children will be taking part in a variety of ball games and will be working on ball control as well as developing a co-operative spirit within a competitive setting. P.E. days are currently Thursday and Friday. Children should bring their P.E. kit to school on Mondays and take them home each Friday.

This term we will also be exploring the theme of ‘Growth Mindset’. This aims to help children become engaged with learning and activities that they may otherwise try to avoid through fear of getting things wrong. The children will learn that intelligence isn’t fixed – it can change depending on how much effort is applied. Their brains grow and learn by effort, and hard work.

Religious Education

This term we will be focusing on the themes ‘Beginning the year’ and “My uniqueness”. We will be listening to stories from the Old and New Testament and exploring how God speaks to us through bible stories as well as learning and taking part in our daily prayers.

Interdisciplinary Learning

Our topic this term is ‘Under the sea’. For this, we will be learning about sea life in different parts of the world comparing it to our local environment. We will look at different sea creatures and where they are found around the world as well as considering our local environment and how we can care for it by exploring the impact of pollution, The children are excited about our new role play area that will shortly be set up in the classroom which will run alongside our topic and the children will be heavily involved in the creation of this also.

Thank you for all your continued support and if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards,

Miss Degnan

Primary 2 Class Teacher.

September 11, 2018
by Miss Burns
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Primary 5B Curriculum Update

Dear Parent/Carer,

A big hello and welcome back to all of the children who will be joining me, Miss Burns, this year in Primary 5! The children have really enjoyed catching up after the summer break and have settled in for what is sure to be a busy and exciting year! I am very much looking forward to a year of learning and fun with the boys and girls!

Literacy

All children will continue to follow the North Lanarkshire Active Literacy Programme to support their learning in spelling, reading, writing, talking and listening.

The children will continue to read a variety of quality texts, in class and at home. We will start the term by exploring the novel ‘Emily’s Surprising Voyage’ as a class. This will allow the boys and girls to refresh their memory and consolidate what they know about the comprehension strategies, before moving to work within their own reading groups later in the term.

The class will continue to consolidate their awareness of different sounds, common words and spelling rules this year. This will help the boys and girls to write with increasing accuracy as the year goes on.

Numeracy

In numeracy, the class will continue to apply what they learn in active and practical ways. Each week, the children will experience direct teaching, partner/group activities and written tasks to build and consolidate their understanding of concepts.

Throughout the year, there will be a continued focus on mental arithmetic and problem solving skills. Over the course of the first term children will revisit familiar topics including place value and measure as well as addition and subtraction.

In RE, our class has already spent some time learning about different parts of the Bible, particularly the Epistles, and about the importance of Icons as a focus for prayer. The class will now spend some time learning more about the life of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. Later in the term, the children will learn more about Mary and how she is celebrated in Catholic tradition.

Health and Wellbeing

At the start of this new year, the class will be spending some time focusing on the importance of challenges in learning and how we can face these with confidence and positivity. A wee reminder that PE for Primary 5 will take place on a Wednesday and a Thursday. We would encourage the children to bring their kit into school on a Monday and take it home on the Friday. All items of children’s kit should be clearly labeled with their name and class. This term, our focus will be on Games. .

Cross Curricular

Our class topic for the first term will be ‘Children’s Rights’. The class have already started to learn more about the rights that they are entitled to under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and worked very hard to plan and prepare for our very successful ‘Day of Play’ last week. The class will now be looking to the past with a focus on the lives of children in New Lanark. They will learn about how things have improved for children in Scotland over time and will be drawing comparisons between what life was like for children in New Lanark and their own lives today.

I am looking forward to working together with both you and your child to help him/her to make the very best of their year in Primary 5. Please feel free to communicate any comments or concerns using the homework diary.

Many thanks

Miss Burns

Class Teacher

September 11, 2018
by Miss Mitchell
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Primary 6 Term 1 Curriculum Letter

Primary 6 parent letter

Dear parent/guardian,

I hope you all had a lovely summer holiday. I can’t quite believe that another school year is upon us but we cannot wait to get started here in Primary 6. This is an important year for the children with them making the Sacrament of Confirmation, becoming full members of the church. Here is a brief overview of what your child will be learning in Term 1.

Literacy

The children will work through the North Lanarkshire’s Active Literacy Programme for Spelling, Reading, Writing and Talking and Listening. They will be given new words weekly and will complete active tasks within the class and at home. During this first term the class will complete a modelling block. The novel this term will be ‘Saving Finnegan’ by Sally Grindley and this will enable them to revise the comprehension strategies, ensuring that they are confident in the layout of these. I will also give the children a homereader and this should be read every night to develop fluency and encourage reading for enjoyment. We will also be continuing with the ‘Big Writing’ programme throughout the school. The children will be asked to prepare a solo talk on a topic of their choice at some point this term too.

Numeracy

In Term 1 we will be looking at Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, Length and Weight, Symmetry and Length and Area using the Pathways Programme. The children will have the opportunity to learn these skills and concepts through a mixture of both active and written tasks with assessments at the end of each topic. Number Talks will be the starter activity of every maths lesson to ensure that the children’s mental agility is of a high standard.

Health and Wellbeing

Health and Wellbeing will be taught across the curriculum. This term we will be studying bullying, where the children will learn about the effects and consequences. Additionally, the children will also explore Growth Mindset through a series of lessons designed to change their mindset and develop their self-belief, resulting in a more positive approach to their learning and well-being. The P.E days this year for Primary 6 are Mondays and Thursdays. We have been lucky enough to have been chosen as one of the classes who will receive lessons from a specialist. The specialist will be in taking the children every Monday for their P.E lesson and I will take the lesson on Thursdays. We will be focusing on fitness this term, with the children looking at ways in which they can increase their fitness levels. Could you please ensure that your child brings their full P.E kit in every Monday to remain in school until the end of the week.

Interdisciplinary Learning

Our I.D.L theme for this term is ‘Climate Change’. It will have a particular focus on Social Studies, Science, Expressive Arts and Technologies. The children will be exploring the concept of climate change including what is the cause and effect of it, global warming, local and regional impact and how we can help reduce our involvement in climate change itself. There will be a particular focus on what we do here at St Brendan’s to overcome this global problem. Our Science focus for this term is Planet Earth and this will be combined with our IDL theme as it links in well. The children will also carry out an investigation on ‘The Water Cycle’ to link in with this theme further.

R.E

We will be continuing with the ‘This Is Our Faith’ programme this term. Primary 6 will explore The Kingdom of God, Mary and Justice and Peace. We will also be expecting all of the children to sing out well during mass, acting as good role models for the younger children.

There has been a change in the homework tasks for this year. The children will be asked to complete one active and one written spelling task per week, assigned maths work on Sumdog and any reading chapters that are given. I would appreciate your support in ensuring that children carry out all of these homework tasks.

If you have any queries don’t hesitate to use your child’s diary as a means of contact with myself. Thank you in advance for all of your support this year.

Many Thanks

Miss Mitchell

St. Brendan's Primary School and Nursery

We are voyaging together in a community of faith, love and learning.

Primary 2 Curriculum Update

Primary 5B Curriculum Update

Primary 6 Term 1 Curriculum Letter