Cranbrook Education Campus News

Dear CEC Families

It was such a joy to connect with so many of you during our two Pupil Progress and Wellbeing Evenings on Tuesday and Thursday this week. I loved hearing about how your children are settling into their new year groups, the progress their teachers have already seen, and all the things that make them special as individuals. It was also wonderful to speak with families during our ‘Talk to the Head’ sessions and SENDCo meetings.

Year 6 had a fantastic time this week at The RAMM, working towards completing their Discover Arts Award. They will now spend some time developing and completing their award during their art lessons.

Looking ahead to next week, our final week of the half-term, we are looking forward to Year 2 exploring the Country Park and our Year 3 pupils embarking on an adventure at Kent’s Cavern, where they will consolidate their learning. We are also looking forward to welcoming prospective Reception families at a number of events throughout the week and, of course, ending the half-term on a high with our much-anticipated Gem Jar Treat afternoons.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our PPW sessions this week, it was so lovely to share how well the children have settled into Preschool. If you were unable to attend an appointment and wish to discuss your child’s progress please speak to a member of the team, our door is always open.

This week the children have been reading their new book ‘Daisy Eat Your Peas’ and have been laughing themselves silly as Daisy’s mum gets carried away promising Daisy lots of things to persuade her to eat her peas! The children have been thinking about foods that they like and dislike and practising using ‘talk partners’ to share their points of view. The children have been using paint to create their favourite dinners on paper plates and have also been exploring the texture of real vegetables. In maths this week we have been exploring different types of patterns, from remembering the repeated refrains in our nursery rhymes to copying clapping patterns.

We look forward to seeing you all next week for the final week of term, how the time has flown!

Firstly, thank you to everyone who attended the Pupil Progress and Wellbeing Meetings this week. It was a joy and a privilege to share how amazingly your children have settled into school and the progress they have made since starting with us.

In Drawing Club, this week, we haven’t focused on a story but on sentence structure and learning how to write sentences correctly. We have explored the importance of capital letters, finger spaces, and full stops, and brought our learning to life by using actions to help us remember each element. The children have shown great enthusiasm and are becoming increasingly confident writers. We are so pleased to hear that so many children are teaching their phonics to family members at home. We have now added the final four sounds for this half term into the children's phonics packs. Don't worry, we will make sure to pre-warn the children before they come home, as we know many of them eagerly look forward to sharing their new sounds with you each week! Next week, we will be carrying out our phonics assessments. We will share any gaps in learning with you so that these can be practised over the half-term break.

In Maths, we have been exploring patterns. We started the week by identifying and completing repeating patterns before moving on to creating our own. The children showed great creativity and confidence when designing and explaining their patterns.

The mornings have certainly become more autumnal, so we have continued to theme our learning around Autumn. Outside, the children have enjoyed finding numbered leaves in the water tray, searching for phonics sounds hidden on conkers in the sand, and helping the farmers harvest vegetables in our small-world area. Inside, we have decorated autumn leaves and matched sounds to Autumn pictures. However, our favourite activity this week was definitely our Autumn scavenger hunt! The children worked hard to find different signs of Autumn outdoors, count them, and record what they had discovered. It was wonderful to see their excitement and teamwork as they explored the outdoor environment.

An exciting reminder that next Friday, although it is the last day of the half term, it is also our very first Outdoor Classroom session! We are incredibly excited to begin this new adventure and add it to our Friday routine. We wish you all a wonderful weekend and look forward to seeing everyone next week for another busy week of learning!

What a super week of learning in Year One!

The children are very proud to be becoming authors! Using the structure of our text Knock Knock, they have written about their own characters. In Maths, we have been using practical activities to strengthen our understanding of part-part-whole models and develop our ability to explain our reasoning using mathematical language.

In Art, we have embraced the festive season by creating our own Christmas designs, ready for families to order.

Yellow Reading Records

There will be no Reading Unity next week as class teachers will be carrying out phonics assessments. As reading books will not be changing, Yellow Reading Records do not need to be returned.

Trip to Dinosaur World!

You should have received a message via MCAS with details of our exciting trip to Dinosaur World, which will enhance our History learning about dinosaurs. Each class will visit on a different day, so please check your MCAS message carefully for your child’s trip date.

Please inform your child’s class teacher if your child requires a school lunch.

If you are available to support us on the trip, please email Year1@cranbrook.education.

Thank you for your support!

Firstly, we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended Parents' Evening this week. It has been lovely to meet with you, celebrate your children's achievements and discuss the progress they have made so far this academic year. We really appreciate your continued support and the opportunity to work together to help your children thrive.

It has been another busy and exciting week in Year 3, with lots of fantastic learning taking place across the curriculum!

Art – Exploring Stone Age Cave Paintings

In Art, the children have been continuing their exploration of prehistoric cave paintings. They have been investigating how Stone Age people used natural resources, such as rocks, soil and plants, to create colourful pigments for their artwork. This has encouraged the children to think creatively about how people produced art thousands of years ago, long before modern paints and materials existed.

History – Life in the Stone Age

Our Stone Age topic has certainly captured the children's imaginations! They have been discovering what everyday life was like for prehistoric people, including how they hunted and gathered food, prepared and cooked meals, built shelters and made clothing from natural materials.

The children have also explored the challenges of surviving in prehistoric times and how early humans protected themselves from dangers in their environment. It has been wonderful to see their curiosity grow as they make comparisons between life in the Stone Age and the world we live in today.

Science – Investigating Our Heart Rates

Our young scientists have been developing their practical investigation skills by exploring how exercise affects our heart rates.

The children have taken part in physical activities, measured changes in their heart rates and recorded their findings in tables. They have then used this information to identify patterns, compare results and draw conclusions about how our bodies respond to exercise.

This has been a fantastic opportunity for the children to practise working scientifically while developing their understanding of the human body.

Exciting Trip to Kents Cavern!

There is a real buzz of excitement across Year 3 as we prepare for our much-anticipated trip to Kents Cavern on Tuesday 20th October!

This promises to be a fantastic educational experience, giving the children the opportunity to bring their Stone Age learning to life. Exploring the caves will help them develop a deeper understanding of prehistoric life and make meaningful connections with everything they have been learning in History.

Important trip information:

• Date: Tuesday 20th October
• Arrival at school: 8:30am, as normal
• Collection from school: 3:15pm, as normal

We are very much looking forward to sharing this experience with the children!

Homework Expectations – A Gentle Reminder

We would like to take this opportunity to remind families of our Year 3 homework expectations. Establishing small, consistent routines at home makes a real difference to children's confidence, independence and progress in school.

Spellings

Spellings are sent home every Thursday for children to practise.

• 10 house points will be awarded to children who return their completed spellings the following day (Friday).
• 5 house points will be awarded to children who return their completed spellings before the following Thursday.

This week, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many of our parents and guardians during our Pupil Progress and Wellbeing Evenings. Thank you to everyone who attended. If you were unable to make an appointment, please do get in touch via the Year 6 email address and we will be happy to arrange an alternative time.

In English, we have been busy publishing our Macbeth-inspired potion instructions, based on the witches and their mysterious concoctions. The pupils have taken great pride in their writing, carefully applying the skills they have been developing over the term. We are incredibly proud of the effort, creativity and attention to detail they have shown in producing their final pieces.

This week, each Year 6 class also had the opportunity to visit Exeter's RAMM Museum. The children had a wonderful time exploring the museum, learning about the fascinating range of exhibits and engaging enthusiastically with the experiences on offer. They represented the school brilliantly throughout their visits.