Mrs Steel – Page 3 – Carmondean Primary School Blog

P2/1 27th September 2017

We have had another busy week in P2/1 this week. Both the P1s and the P2s have been working with numbers, looking at numbers before, after and between and starting to count from different numbers. The P1s have been doing this with numbers 0-10 and the P2s have been looking at numbers up to 50 and some of us have been investigating numbers to 100! We are enjoying playing lots of different games to help us with this.

In language the P1’s have looked at the sounds ‘p’ and ‘n’ to go along with s,a,t and i. We have been looking at how we can blend some of these sounds together to make words. Some of us have been doing really well with this-please continue to play the homework game we sent home to support this.
The P2’s have been continuing to revise some sounds including -oy, ph, oa, -ck. You can discuss these with your children at home and see how many words they can remember with these sounds in. Nest week the P2s will be beginning to focus on one sound a week and after October break will be getting a Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check style homework to go along with this.

Reminders-
Monday- Common words/ sound cards (P1)
Gym Kit
Tuesday- Maths (every other week for P2)
Reading book
Thursday- Please bring library book back to change

Thank you for your support.
Mrs Steel

P2/1 13th September 2017

This week we have been continuing our work on phonics in Literacy. The P2s have been revising some of the sounds that we already know like ‘th;, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ and ‘wh’. The P1s have already learned ‘a’, ‘t’, ‘s’ and ‘i’. See if you can test your child at home to see if they can tell you anything with these sounds in it from around the house.

This week is Inspirational Maths week throughout West Lothian. The P2/1 class have had great fun completing some problem solving activities and we are hoping that if the weather is kind tomorrow we will manage some outdoor problem solving in the playground.

Last week we went on a walk around the school building and took some pictures of different areas of the school. In Writing we wrote some lovely stories about Mrs Steel and the things we like to learn about in school.

Reminders-
Monday- new common words (P1 and P2) and sound cards (P1 only) come out. Gym kit for indoor gym.
Tuesday- New Reading book. Maths (usually every other week)
Can you please remember to send your child’s homework pack back every day as they love getting their medals to show how good a day they have had.
Thank you for your support
Mrs Steel

P2/1 5th September 2017

Welcome back to all the boys and girls and a special welcome to the new Primary One boys and girls who have all settled in really well and are learning the rules and routines of the classroom.

For the first two weeks of term we have been focusing on rules and routines- getting unpacked and remembering where to hang coats and put bags etc. We have also been looking at the SHANARRI wheel and especially at being healthy. We have talked about healthy food and in the weeks to come we will be discussing hand washing, sleep and brushing our teeth.

We have also started our first topic ‘Our School’. We have discussed what we would like to learn about and are hoping to invite some of the members of staff into our classroom to ask them questions about their jobs.

Some reminders for the week ahead-

Monday- indoor gym, please remember gym kit with name on.

Tuesday- Reading homework, common word book practice, Maths (usually every other week).

Thursday- we hope to visit the library on a Thursday when possible so look out for a library book coming home.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mrs Steel

Primary Five 15th June 2017

Well we have had a very successful week this week with our two performances of ‘What A Knight’. I am sure that everyone who came along will agree that the children worked very hard to put on a fantastic show. We are very proud of all our amazing singers, dancers and actors!

This week we have been making final preparations for The Carmondean General Election. Party Political Broadcasts have been filmed and the leaders are making final adjustments to their speeches in preparation for the election. We will keep you posted with some pictures and of course the winning party as soon as the final count is made.

Reminders-

Friday 16th- Day for change-bring any spare change in and dress as something opposite.

No homework next week.

Wednesday- Sports Day (am)- children to wear a top the colour of their house (Deer Park-blue, Sutherland-yellow, Raeburn-green, Waverley- red.)

Friday- Open Morning to showcase the work we have done on Erasmus. Please return reply slip to indicate how many people will be attending.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 9th June 2017

This week we performed the dress rehearsal of our show to the rest of the school. The children did really well and the staff and pupils gave excellent feedback to us-the children did us proud!

We have also been continuing our Parliament challenge. This week we made speeches to the P7 classes. They then made a ‘postal vote’. These votes will be put together with the P4 and P6 votes on the 16th June and then we will find out the winner of the Carmondean General Election!

Making speeches to P7-Well done everyone!

Can we also remind everyone that we are collecting change for the Day for Change on 16th June. On the day you are invited to come dressed as something opposite- child coming as a teacher, coming to school in PJs, inside out clothes etc.

Reminders this week-

Monday-Spelling, Reading activty

Tuesday-Maths

Wednesday-Show at 1.30pm and 6,30pm

Friday- Day for change, Carmondean General Election

Thank you for your continued support

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 2nd June

This week we have been continuing our show practice which is going well and we are looking forward to the dress rehearsal on Wednesday. If you have not yet sent in your child’s costume can you please do so as soon as possible.

We have also been continuing work on our Political Party Challenge. The children are really enjoying this and we are excited about presenting to the Upper School on 16th June. Below you can see some photos of a couple of our parties.

Reminders this week-

Monday- Reading/Spelling

Tuesday/Wednesday- Maths

Wednesday- Dress Rehearsal

Thank you for your support

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 26th May 2017

This week has been busy with show rehearsals once again. Can we remind all children that they need to continue to learn the words for their part? The performance is fast approaching and it is important that everyone knows their lines for rehearsals. You have all received letters about ticket sales for both performances.

We have been continuing work on our Political Party challenge. The children are really enjoying this and it is an engaging and active way to learn about the election process. We have come up with names for our parties and made rosettes with logos on to wear while we are working in our groups. Most groups have come up with a manifesto for their party and we will be making leaflets and filming party political broadcasts in the next week.

Next week-

Monday- Reading/Spelling/Show words

Tues/Wed-Maths

Fri- Outdoor PE kit

Thank you for your support

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 19th May 2017

This has another busy week in Primary Five with lots of show rehearsals. We are getting on well with our words and have been practicing the dancing lots. We also had a visit from the Scottish Parliament Education Outreach which we really enjoyed. We were put into groups and created manifestos and had a mini election. We are going to build on this in class by making our own political parties, coming up with manifestos, film party political broadcasts and write speeches. We are going to have a Carmondean General Election at the end and see which party has won.

This week we are sadly saying goodbye to Miss MacKay who has spent the last 6 weeks with us. We have loved having her teach us and we wish her all the best for the future.

Reminders-

Monday-Holiday

Tuesday-Reading activity

Wednesday-Maths

Friday-Outdoor Gym

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 12th May 2017

This has been a very busy and sporty week in P5 with our Judo taster, Sky Sports festival and swimming assessments. We all had great fun trying out the Judo and all children received a leaflet to have a free trial at one of the classes. The Sky Sports was a great success and although we didn’t win we all had a great day out. We would like to thank Lauren and Kiera’s mum and Sakina’s mum for joining us on our trip we really appreciate the help.

Next week we are looking forward to welcoming someone from the Scottish Parliament to tell us more about the work that goes on there and the job of an MSP. Following this we will be starting a ‘Political Party’ challenge where children will go into groups and create their own political party. We are hoping to devise our own manifesto for our party, film party political broadcasts and then write speeches! We hope that this will give the children a fun insight into elections and the work of the Parliament. We are also continuing work on the school show and some of you have received letters about costumes. Children are doing really well with learning lines so keep this up – well done!

Reminders for next week-

Monday- Reading, Spelling, Parliament Outreach.

Tuesday- Maths (Mrs Steel)

Wednesday- Maths (Mr Greig)

Friday- Outdoor Gym

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 27th April 2017

This week has been a very busy one preparing for our Parent Assembly next week. We have been practising every day and we are impressed by how well the children have learned their words. You should receive your letter today with information and a slip to return. The assembly will take place on Friday May 5th at 11.30 in the new gym hall. We would be grateful if you could return the slip so we know how many chairs to put out in the hall next week.

This week we have also started looking at our new topic of The Scottish Parliament which is very relevant at this time! We will be looking at the election process, the jobs MSPs do, what a democracy means along with other things. We will also be looking forward to welcoming someone from the education department of the Parliament to the class to discuss our topic further and hopefully answer some questions. We would be grateful for any leaflets or newspaper articles that you do not want/need anymore in the class to use as a basis for discussion.

Mrs Steel’s class welcomed Miss MacKay to their class before Easter. Miss MacKay will be spending some time in the class until the 19th May, and will be responsible for the class for some days between now and then. We are sure that she will enjoy being with us.

Reminders for next week

Monday- Holiday

Tuesday- Indoor Gym (dance so no gym kit required)

Thursday- Inservice

Friday- Assembly for parents ( no outdoor gym due to assembly)

Thank you for your continued support

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 21st April 2017

Welcome back! We hope you have all had a lovely Easter holiday. This is a very busy term for P5 with lots going on so we are really looking forward to getting started.

This week we have started practising for our next class assembly which will take place on the 5th May. Parents are invited to come along to this assembly and letters will be issued with times etc shortly. Words have been given to children so we would be grateful if you could practice these over the weekend as we will be having our first run through on Monday.

The show rehearsals will also be starting in the next week and children have been assigned parts and given scripts home. They are all very excited and have been reading these at playtime and Free Time Friday today. This will be ongoing over the term so keep learning lines in the coming weeks.

Reminders for next week-

Monday- Spelling and new reading book/activties

Tuesday- Gym kit/Maths

Wednesday- Maths

Friday- Gym Kit

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

P5 Trip to Bannockburn

P5 had am amazing day yesterday at the Battle of Bannockburn visitors centre. We learned all about the armour and weapons that would have been used in battle in the 13th Century and we loved trying them on and pretending we were fighting in Robert the Bruce’s army! The guides were excellent at sharing tactics the armies used for battle-which prepared us for when we entered the We were also treated to a fabulous (and slightly scary) 3D experience where we felt what it would have been like to be fighting in the battle of Bannockburn. Then we were taken to the battle room where we used everything we had learned to recreate the battle of Bannockburn. Finally we got the chance to go outside to the real battle site and feel what it was like to be part of a schiltron. We had a great day and it was a great way to learn about part of the Scottish Wars of Independence.

Primary Five 3rd March 2017

This week we have been presenting class talks about life in the 13th Century- Well done to everyone who has done this so far. Some of these may need to be carried over to next week but we hope to have them all completed by Monday.

We have been continuing our Topic of Scottish Wars of Independence and we are really enjoying learning about how the wars started-next week we will be looking at William Wallace and the role he played in the wars. On March 14th we will be having a class trip to the Bannockburn Visitors Centre. This is a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn more about their topic in fun and interactive ways, including trying on some of the armour that soldiers may have used and taking part in a mock battle. Letters should reach parents today- we are asking for two parent helpers for this trip so if you are available and have a disclosure please get in touch with the office.

Reminders-

Monday- Spelling Homework

Tues/Wed- Maths

Thurs- indoor PE

Fri- Outdoor PE

Thank you for your support

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

Primary Five 24.2.17

This week has been a busy one as usual, especially with our visitors being in and around the classes. They were very impressed with all the boys and girls and the learning that was taking place- well done to the children for being so confident.

We have been continuing work on non-fiction texts this week and researching our topic through reading.

In Maths both groups have moved on from fractions and are now looking at decimal fractions.

Next week we will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday. Please could everyone bring in a favourite book on that day. We will be taking part in some shared reading with P3….pictures to follow!

Reminders

Monday-spelling

Tuesday/Wednesday- Maths

Thursday- bring a book for World Book Day, Gym Kit

Friday- Outdoor Gym Kit

We will also be presenting our class talks next week- we are looking forward to seeing these as we know the children have been putting lots of work into them- thank you to the children who have already brought theirs in.

Mrs Steel and Mr Greig

P5 17th February 2017

We have had a great week this week in P5 despite not being at Benmore! We have loved hearing the updates from Mr Shanks and seeing the pictures but we have also been very busy working on some special additions to our classroom. This week we have worked on a challenge to design and create life sized soldiers complete with armour and weapons that a 13th Century soldier would have had. We first researched the weapons that they used and made leaflets on Publisher, then we got to work creating our soldier. We have had great fun drawing round each other and then adding on swords, axes, shields and other weapons we found out about through our research. These have now been displayed around the classroom and some are looking particularly fierce! Next week will be back to normal timetable with reminders as follows-

Monday- spelling/ reading homework

Wednesday- Maths homework

Thursday- Indoor gym kit

Friday- Outdoor gym kit.

Remember that big homework is due week beginning 27th February.

We hope you all have a restful weekend and manage to recharge your batteries after your exciting time at Benmore!

Mrs Steel

Primary Five 13.1.17

This week we have been doing some dictionary and thesaurus work in language along with the start of some note-taking activities. This is in preparation for us starting some non-fiction work based on The Scottish Wars of Independence.

We have looked at our Topic and the children have had a chance to talk about what they know and what they would like to find out. We are really looking forward to starting this topic next week!

To start the Topic we will be looking at timelines and children have been sent home with a little bit of homework this weekend to discuss the ‘Timeline of their life’. We would be grateful if you could talk to your children (and make some notes if you like) about the main things that have happened in their lives so they can place them on a timeline. This is to help them understand the concept of a timeline as things that have happened in the past.

The children have all now got a Scottish poem to learn to present to the class. The children are all really excited about this and we would be grateful if you could keep practising these at home.

Things to remember for next week-

Monday- Spelling and Reading homework

Tues/Wed- Maths homework

Thurs- Indoor gym kit

Fri- no outdoor gym due to Burn’s Assembly

Thank you for your continued support

Mrs Steel and Mr Grieg

2nd December 2016

This week we have been busy completing the Christmas Fair Enterprise products for the Christmas Fair tonight. There will be a variety of things on sale at the Enterprise Zone including tea lights, bracelets, keyrings, baubles and much more. Come and have a look at all the things we have made at our stall in the P6 classroom tonight.

Thank you to the children who have volunteered to help at the stall tonight-check homework diaries for the time they have been given.

Next week the Christmas fun will continue with our Christmas Party on Friday morning! Children can come to school dressed in their party clothes as the party will run from 10am onwards.

Our block of FUTSAL has now ended. The children really enjoyed learning new skills through this and outdoor gym will resume W/B 12th December after the Christmas Party.

Reminders this week

Monday- Spelling and Reading homework

Thursday- PE kit (Miss Inglis)

Friday- Christmas Party 10am

Thank you for your continued support.

Mr Greig and Mrs Steel

Primary 5 25th November 2016

We have been very busy this week preparing for the Christmas Fair. In groups we have been making different items to sell in the Enterprise Zone. We will be giving the children the opportunity to buy something that they have made ahead of the Christmas Fair. We will confirm prices at the beginning of next week when everything is finished and let the children know when to bring money in.

We have also been spending lots of time putting the final touches to our assembly for today. The children have worked really hard at all their parts and the singing is beautiful. We hope the rest of the school are as impressed with it as we are!

Could you please hand back any permission slips for being a helper at the Christmas Fair next week. This gives the children a chance to help sell the things we have been making. Thank you to those who have volunteered so far-we will send a note in homework diaries next week with a time slot for them to help.

Reminders for next week

Monday- Reading and spelling homework

Tuesday- Maths homework and PE kit.

Thursday- PE kit

Friday- Christmas Fair

Thank you for your continued support

Mr Greig and Mrs Steel

P5 Week Beginning 14th November

We have had a fantastic week meeting the Erasmus visitors and entertaining them in lots of different ways. We loved singing our traditional Scottish song for them on Tuesday at the assembly and we hope the visitors were impressed by our talents!

We also got the chance on Tuesday to make and taste some traditional foods from around GB and NI. We had great fun doing this and the food was really tasty. We managed to make and sample champ, haggis and neeps, leek and potato soup and scones with jam and cream. Hopefully Mums and Dads might get a chance to taste these too if the boys and girls are allowed to try some cooking at home-I think we might have some potential chefs in P5!

Below you can see some us cooking and tasting:

We have also had a successful week selling wristbands and badges for Children In Need. We will post next week with how much we have raised. Remember we are holding a Dress Down Day on Friday 18th- wear something spotty!

Next week we will be starting work on our Christmas Fair enterprise where we are working in groups over the stage to create things to sell on Dec 2nd at Fair. The children will be given the opportunity to buy one of their items before the Fair- more information to follow.

Remember that next week is our class assembly for the school so remind your child to continue to learn words for this.

Other reminders

Mon- Reading and Spelling Homework

Tues- FUTSAL and Maths Homework

Thurs- PE kit

Fri- P5 School Assembly

Thank you for your support

Mr Grieg and Mrs Steel

Children in Need

Primary Five are organising Children in Need events in the school this year. This year we will be-

Selling Pudsey wristbands for £1 each. These are adjustable so will fit both adults and children.
Selling Pudsey and Blush Pin Badges for £2 (one of each).
Dressing down on Friday 18th November. We would ask you to wear something spotty as this year’s theme is Spotacular. We would ask that you would donate at least 50p if you would like to dress down.
We will also be selling off last year’s plastic wristbands for 50p.

We hope that you will be able to support us in this fundraising event and hope to raise a large amount of money for this very special charity.

Thank you

Mrs Steel, Mr Greig and the P5 boys and girls.