Today, our Year 2 children enjoyed an action-packed cricket taster session with Rachel, with Year 1 set to have the same opportunity in a couple of weeks’ time. It was wonderful to get out onto the field in the sunshine, have lots of fun and discover a new sport for many of our children. During the session the children practised a range of skills, including aiming at a target, correctly using a cricket bat and developing their throwing and catching techniques. They also loved working together as a team; encouraging one another throughout which is always so wonderful to see and we hope that some of our children may have been inspired to take up this team sport!

This morning we all enjoyed getting out and about in Yateley on our lovely Spring walks. Linked to our classroom learning, we made observations of many features including: buildings, schools, fences, pathways and signposts. We also saw some physical features including trees and hedges. When we returned to school we made our own maps with keys to show the route we took. All of the children were exceptionally well behaved and enjoyed the opportunity to complete fieldwork!

Year R  - Plants, Year 1 - Animals, Year 2 - Humans

We then all enjoyed our Science Federation Session where each of our infant classes worked with a junior class to complete a collaborative activity. Year R worked with Year 5 to explore “How do animals and humans communicate?” Our Year 1s worked with Year 4 children to explore “What’s the best design for a paper aeroplane?” while Year 2 went over to the Junior School to explore “What is an eco-system?” After lunch we all spent some time designing a poster around the theme of “Childhood of the Future” for a national poster competition, be sure to look out for details about our chosen winners in the next couple of weeks!

It was a super Science Day and we sincerely hope it has inspired some scientists of the future!

We began with a whole school assembly, where we explored this year’s theme, Go All In and shared the different kinds of stories we love. Throughout the day, each year group immersed themselves in a brilliant dragon themed book as part of our Fiery Fiction focus, all designed to spark a love of reading. Reception set off on an adventure with Julia Donaldson’s Zog, heading to Dragon School to practice roaring, flying and even mixing magical potions! They wrote about Zog’s Magic Medicine Mix-up in Drawing Club and created medals and dragons of their own. Year 1 stepped into the hilarious world of Josh Lacey’s, The Dragonsitter, discovering the chaos that comes with looking after a dragon. They designed their own dragons and imagined what might happen if they brought them to school. Year 2 explored Andy Shepherd’s, The Boy Who Grew Dragons; learning how Tomas accidentally grows a dragon from a dragon fruit and the escapades that follow. They created their own dragons too and wrote about what magical things might grow from an enchanted tree.

Alongside all the classroom excitement, we held our Storybook Stones Character Competition. The creativity on display was incredible and although the School Council (with a few staff helpers!) had the tricky task of choosing winners, every entry was something to be proud of. There was also a real sense of excitement as the children headed to the Book Swap, eager to trade a well loved story for a fresh, exciting new read. On top of all this fun, we also paired up with WJS for our Big Federation Read. Children had the opportunity to share their favourite books with a different year group buddy and enjoyed reading together in comfy spots across both schools - even outside in the glorious sunshine!

We hope the children loved the day as much as we did. Thank you to everyone for the amazing effort with costumes and storybook stones - what a wonderful celebration of reading!

· AI is a tool, not a person;

· It does not have feelings.

· We use it with a trusted adult.

· We think carefully about what we share.

· We check information with an adult.

· We always use technology kindly and responsibly.

As with all technology, children are reminded to speak to a trusted adult if they ever feel worried, upset or unsure online.  

To celebrate their brilliant efforts, each child was presented with a sticker at the end of the event. The children thoroughly enjoyed this extended curriculum opportunity and their behaviour was exemplary throughout.

Each year group focused on a different world religion. In Reception, the children were introduced to Judaism by exploring key beliefs linked to the Torah. They learned about the Jewish creation story through dance, music and art. Year 1 turned their attention to Islam, learning about the mosque as a place of worship and discussing important beliefs for muslims. They created geometric designs and painted patterns to make their own prayer mat artwork. Year 2 welcomed a visit from Year 6, as both groups were studying aspects of Hinduism, including the creation story. Their activities included painting and crafting lotus flowers, as well as designing colourful Rangoli patterns. We are confident that the children thoroughly enjoyed the day and that their knowledge and appreciation of different religions have grown.

We would like to say thank you to Mel, Jen, Lucy and our magic kitchen fairies who created such a memorable meal. To add to the excitement of the day (and supported by WISPA), following our lunch, a rather special visitor and his elf friend popped in to say hello to all of the classes across the school… what an absolutely fabulous Friday!