Swinefleet Primary School

Email: swinefleet.primary@eastriding.gov.uk
Website: www.swinefleetprimaryschool.co.uk
Location: Swinefleet Primary School, Low Street, Swinefleet, Goole, UK
Phone: 01405 704386
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SwinefleetPrimary

Instagram: Swinefleet Primary (@swinefleet_pr) • Instagram photos and videos

Welcome to our April round-up. It has been an action packed month and next month looks to be even busier. Of course May brings the Y6 SATS which I am sure our children will take in their stride. The annual SATS water fight will also be on the cards so I am very much hoping we continue to have some nice warm days!

I hope that you all have a lovely bank holiday and we look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 5th May.

Don't forget to check out our Swinefleet Primary School Facebook Group, our Little Pearls Nursery page and our instagram for further photos and insights into our learning.

I cannot believe we are in week 3 of our Summer term already, time has really flown!

This half term our theme has been linked to stories about people who help us (real-life superheroes) and some of our favourite superhero character stories.

So far, we have enjoyed reading:

'Doctorsaurus'- 🩺
We have enjoyed lots of doctor and nurse roleplay, searching for x-rays in the sand and naming the body parts we found. Having a go at drawing around our friends and drawing ourselves.

'Zog and the Flying Doctors' 🧴
We made some super magic potions using our fine motor skills to use the water droppers and had a go at writing our own labels, thinking carefully what our magic potion/medicine would do!

'Peppa Visits the Dentist' 🦷
We have had some great fun exploring lots of sensory play when learning about how to keep our teeth clean, cleaning the teeth with shaving foam, exploring brushes to paint and using the dentist tools to scrape and clean the teeth in our playdough area.

This week we have read 'Mog and the Vet' 🐈 and 'Farmer Duck'🚜
Focusing on farmers and vets and the important jobs they do. With animal roleplay, building tractors from loose parts, playing farm shops, and cooking up some delicious food in our mud kitchen.

This week we have had a fantastic trip to Acorn Hollow, visiting the farm.

🍼We have helped mix the milk for the lambs

🐑Fed the hungry lambs

🐖Met the pigs and chickens

🙈Played hide and seek

🔥Tasted popcorn and hot chocolate cooked on the fire,

and had so much fun exploring the field.

During phonics, the N2s have been enjoying 'What's in the box' focusing on a new sound each week, last week we focused on J and this week we are learning V, playing lots of listening games and rhyming pairs activities. The N1s are showing an interest in our rhyme of the week and enjoy singing along. N1s have also been taking part in their own 'What's in the box' activity strengthening their understanding of new vocabulary.

In maths we have learnt about 'same' and 'different' and 'equal' amounts when looking at collections of objects. We have fed the hungry hippos' balls, adding on or taking away balls to ensure the hippos had the same amount to eat.
We have filled Handa's baskets, from Handa's surprise story, with lots of different fruits, again making sure we had an equal amount. Last week we enjoyed a tasty fruit salad, where the children selected different fruits and tried to make each collection the same.

Each day we practice our number line to 10 using our flappers, the children enjoy getting outside for our morning count along with Reception.

Next week we are reading 'The Real Superheroes' with a focus on superhero roleplay, making masks and learning different jobs people do.

As always, we are working on each child's individual next steps and preparing our older children for their transition into reception.

🏫 Welcome Back!

It has been absolutely lovely to welcome all the children back after the Easter holidays. They have returned with fantastic energy and are already diving deep into our new topics. We are looking forward to a term filled with discovery and growth!

🌍 What a Wonderful World

In Religious Education, we have been reflecting on what a "wonderful world" we live in. The children have been listening to the classic song What a Wonderful World and identifying specific reasons why our planet is so special to them. It has been heartwarming to hear their thoughts on nature, family, and friendship.

💂 Discovering London

We have officially started our new London topic, and the children are loving it!

• Drawing Club: We’ve had great fun in Drawing Club using stories like The Queen’s Hat and The Queen’s Knickers to inspire our creativity.
• Geography: We’ve been busy with maps, identifying the different parts of the UK and successfully locating both our home in Goole and the capital city of London.
• Landmarks: The children have also been learning to recognise and name the iconic landmarks that make London so famous.

🔬 Science: The World of Plants

Our young scientists are exploring the life of plants. We are currently identifying various types of trees and learning how they change their appearance across the four seasons.

🦸 Music: Superhero Pitch & Dynamics

In Music, the classroom has been full of "superheroes!" The children have been identifying different pitches and dynamics in music to match their superhero personas, learning how loud, quiet, high, and low sounds change the "feel" of a piece.

🌳 Adventure at Acorn Hollow

Our recent school trip to Acorn Hollow was a huge success, filled with muddy boots and big smiles. The children fully immersed themselves in the great outdoors, learning new skills and making wonderful memories together.

The day was packed with excitement, including:

• Fire Skills & Treats: We gathered around the crackling fire to learn all about fire safety. Once we knew the rules, we enjoyed making (and eating!) fresh popcorn, followed by delicious hot chocolate and biscuits.
• Farmyard Friends: A huge highlight was visiting the animals where the children got hands-on experience bottle-feeding the lambs.
• Outdoor Play: From epic games of hide-and-seek to getting creative in the mud kitchens, there wasn't a dull moment. We even made time for the simple joy of rolling down the big hills!

It was a fantastic day of fresh air and fun. A huge well done to all the children for their excellent behaviour and enthusiasm!

The children in Rubies have, as always, continued to impress the staff at Swinefleet. Their progress is continuing the grow, and they continuously shown how enthusiastic they are about their learning. The Year 2 team are always so proud of them, and cannot believe we only have 1 term left!

Maths
We have completed our topic on measurement, focusing on capacity and volume, and have now moved on to fractions. The children have done well recognising equal groups and objects, and have begun identifying simple fractions such as one half and one quarter. We are also very proud of the resilience they have shown when using Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) in class—it’s great to see their confidence growing.

English
In English, we are writing diary entries based on Mary and the Great Fire of London. The children have been focusing on using adverbs ending in -ly to describe verbs, which has really helped to improve their writing. They have also worked hard to gather rich descriptive vocabulary, particularly to describe the burnt houses, the fire, and the smoke. I am so excited to see their writing as all the children have taken a real interest in this topic and book.

Phonics and Reading
We are always incredibly proud of the children’s progress in phonics and reading. We have now completed all of Phase 5 phonics and are moving into a review stage. This will allow us to revisit key learning and fill any gaps, ensuring all children feel secure and confident in their knowledge.

RE
We are coming to the end of our topic on worship. The children have engaged very well and can now explain how different religions worship, as well as compare similarities and differences between them.

PE
In PE, we continue to work with Hull FC. The children are developing their teamwork and sportsmanship skills and are working hard during each session.

Science

We have finished our topic on plants. The children can confidently explain what plants need to grow and why these things are important. Next, we will be moving on to learning about living things and their habitats, with a focus on food chains.

History
We have begun one of my favourite topics: The Great Fire of London. The children have really enjoyed immersing themselves in this topic so far. They have been drawing what they imagine the fire looked like and even acting out what they would do in the event of a fire, bringing their learning to life.

Thank you for all your continued support at home, the children amaze us everyday and we are excited to see the work they produce this term!

In English this week, Diamonds have finished writing their narratives, retelling the story of the Sword in the Stone. Mrs Thurlow and Mrs Moffatt were very impressed with how well our children worked- they were so enthusiastic about this unit! We have now begun writing Kenning poems in an Anglo-Saxon style, to describe Grendel (an evil creature from Anglo-Saxon mythology that we have been learning about in Guided Reading sessions). We are so excited to see the final result!

In maths, children have been working on fractions. They have mainly been matching equivalent fractions. We have also been spending plenty of time practising all of our times tables, in preparation for Year 4's looming multiplication check. We have engaged in fun activities, such as chanting, singing, speed-writing and Beetle Drives to help us do this!

We have also had a visitor from Hull FC in to school to help teach us about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Children designed their own balanced meal and then made a fruit kebab. It was fantastic to see lots of our children trying new fruits!

In Geography, children have been learning about our world, by exploring the importance of time zones, the northern/southern hemispheres, the Equator and the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. We even role-played our own weather forecasts of the Amazon Rainforest!

The Sapphires have had a fantastic start back after the Easter holidays, with all children returning refreshed, focused and ready to learn.

Year 5 have continued to enjoy their Mini Police programme and are also taking part in an additional PE session called Let’s Move with Hull FC, which has been a great opportunity to stay active and build teamwork skills.

Year 6 have been working incredibly hard in preparation for their SATs. They have been focussing on key areas such as maths (statistics and measures, including conversions) and taking part in writing workshops. The children are particularly enjoying writing a discussion piece on whether mobile phones should be banned in schools, producing some thoughtful and well-structured arguments.

In reading, Year 6 have started The Explorer during guided sessions and are thoroughly enjoying The Final Year as their class text in the afternoons.

Our new History topic on the Ancient Maya has sparked lots of curiosity. The children have been exploring ancient cities, creating timelines, and comparing this fascinating civilisation with the Romans and Egyptians, using their prior knowledge effectively.

In Science, we are learning about adaptation and evolution, while in RE we are exploring the concept of pilgrimages. In PSHE, the focus has been on relationships, with thoughtful discussions taking place.

PE lessons have included rounders, with great enthusiasm and teamwork on display. We have also enjoyed some wonderful assemblies led by pupils, sharing information about inspirational people.

To celebrate Earth Day, the children created posters and performed dramas focussed on protecting our environment and we discussed different careers linked to saving our planet.

We are also proud to see the children enjoying their roles as reading buddies every Friday afternoon, and many are excited to begin their responsibilities as sports and play leaders during break and lunchtime.

Looking ahead, we have lots of exciting events planned:

• David Attenborough’s 100th birthday celebration
• Reading reward activities
• A post-SATs water fight for Year 6
• Continued Mini Police and Let’s Move sessions for Year 5
• Barclays workshops on gaming
• “No Pens Wednesday”
• Lego Spike sessions for Year 6, run by Drax

Finally, a reminder to continue completing maths homework, practise on TT Rockstars, and continue reading regularly on Seesaw.

Thank you for your continued support from the Sapphires team

April's Stars of the Week

This month's Writers of the Week

Our maths medal winners for April

All of the children in Reception to Year 6 are placed in one of our house teams where collaboratively they can earn house tokens each week for showing our school values. Throughout the year we also take part in events such as Sports Day in our teams.

The winning house team at the end of the year will receive a special reward.

April's House Team Results:

13th - 17th April - Winners Scafell Pike

20th - 24th April - Winners Ben Nevis

27th - 1st May - Winners Snowdon

Current standings for the year

1st Place: Ben Nevis (13 steps up the mountain)

2nd Place: Snowdon (12 steps up the mountain)

3rd Place: - Scafell Pike (7 steps up the mountain)

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It is important to attend school regularly but we understand there are times that this isn't possible.

If you want further information or advice regarding attendance and supporting high attendance then please take a look at our resources below or speak to a member of the team.

Each week we aim for at least 97% attendance.

April's House Attendance:

13th - 17th April - 95% Below Expected Standard

20th - 24th April - 94% Below Expected Standard

27th - 1st May - 95% Below Expected Standard

Information and advice on variety of areas such as children using Snapchat or playing games online.

There is an app which we would like to make you aware of called Polybuzz. This is an AI chatbot which will take on the role of many different characters however the content is often highly inappropriate and concerning. I have attached a really useful link below which gives guidance on putting parental controls on a range of devices including how to stop children downloading apps without your authorisation.

We know that conflict is a normal part of relationships, and we also know that it's not conflict that is the problem, but how we deal with it.

Evidence shows that ongoing, poorly-resolved conflict can have a damaging effect on children’s well-being and happiness. The Relationship Matters website provides tips and support local to you and within the site, there are some great tools, such as the Amity's Little Book of Relationship Care, and links to a broad range of websites, including Mind, and the One Plus One site, which supports separating parents to handle arguments better.

There is also Separating Better, a useful app for families going through separation.