****************Well done to Bella; our Star of the Week! ****************

Reminders for week commencing 8th December

• Thursday 11th - trip to Hercules in London- Collection is from Hildenborough at 18.40. Let the office know if someone else is collecting your child. Children need smart school uniform, with black or red coat, a red school hat, a packed lunch and an extra snack for train journey home
• Friday 12th  - Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas lunch

Friday 5th December

It's been a good week for science in Year 5. We've moved on to our topic all about the properties of materials and how some substances can change from solids to liquids and gases. We spent several interesting afternoons testing various materials for their elasticity, absorbency and thermal and electrical conductivity. It was great to see the children working in teams to set up an investigation into thermal insulation by wrapping cans in bubble wrap, tin foil and fleece to see which material was most efficient at trapping in heat. The results were interesting and we'll spend time discussing them next week.

We have also been looking at ways of separating different mixtures using sieves, magnets and filters. Children are beginning to think scientifically and to consider how to create a 'fair test'.

In maths, we've been revising some of the concepts we have been learning since September. It is useful to tread water a little at this time of year to ensure learning is embedded.

Next week is very busy. We're looking forward to welcoming Able Seaman Eric Bateman into school for an assembly to celebrate his 100th birthday. It will be wonderful to see him again after his visit for VE Day last year. We'll also be previewing the KS1 Nativity when we watch their dress rehearsal on Monday afternoon............Thursday, children are heading into London for the much anticipated trip to see Hercules and on Friday we have Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper day......phew!

There will be a post box in the classroom from Monday for children to post Christmas cards to their friends - we'll hopefully have the tree up by then!

Happy weekend.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

Maths - Atom Learning

Comprehension in CGP Books - due on Tuesday

Spelling - Revision of the term's spelling rules

 **************************Congratulations to Mia; this week's Star Of The Week ***********************************

Friday 28th November

Reminders for the week commencing 1st December

Wednesday 3rd December - Year 5 and 6 Book Club

Thursday 4th December - KS2 Choir Trip to Edenbridge Manor Care Home.13:30 – 15:30. Children involved in the choir will be transported to Edenbridge Manor and will return to school in time for normal pick-up.

Another week has zoomed by, and we can’t believe it will be December next week! As ever, Year 5 have been extremely busy.

In Maths, we have been reading and answering questions based on timetables and line graphs. In English, the children have been planning written descriptions of some truly ghastly monsters inspired by our class text Beowulf. Earlier in the week, we completed the Geography section of our topic, creating beautiful posters focusing on the human and physical geography of Chiddingstone. The children thoroughly enjoyed finishing the topic with a class quiz this afternoon, giving them the chance to showcase their knowledge and understanding.

Well done to everyone for remembering their PE kit on Thursday this week. We enjoyed a complete change from invasion games with a lively session of Bollywood Dance! I was incredibly impressed by the children’s enthusiasm and how confidently they embraced the new moves, fantastic Indian beats and all, with big smiles throughout. Special mention to Lyla and Alfie who bravely performed their brilliant solo dances in front of the whole class – not everyone’s cup of tea, but they did wonderfully!

In Computing with Mr Miles, the children became stars in their own documentaries about different geographical continents. They loved being both in front of and behind the camera, as well as working in the editing studio. They demonstrated excellent teamwork and thoroughly enjoyed the creative experience.

Well done Year 5 – another fantastic week of learning!

Enjoy your weekend, 

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

Maths - Atom Learning  - tables and line graphs

English - Comprehension in your books due on Tuesday

Spelling - homophones and near homophones

heard herd

led lead

past passed

farther father

guessed guest

      **Well done to Bethany; this week's Star of the Week**

Friday 21st November

Important to remember this week:

• PE will be on Thursday - please bring PE kit in on Thursday morning.

It's been full steam ahead in Year 5 this week with our maths focus shifting from multiplication to division. We only teach the short method of dividing large numbers and children have absorbed this well. Times tables are absolutely crucial to allow meaningful progress with maths in Year 5 and we would be very grateful if you could make this a focus if your child still hasn't quite mastered them.

In English, we've been thinking about how to introduce dialogue into stories to create interesting characters and move the narrative along. Children have produced 'speech sandwiches' to help them develop the structure of their writing - the results are very positive.

Our geography topic has taken us all over the world this week as groups of children created presentations on each continent. We will finish these next week.

Well done to everyone who presented their Powerponts at Parent Consultations on Wednesday. We have been impressed with the confidence and proficiency demonstrated in these meetings.

Everyone is very much looking forward to the Christmas Fair tomorrow - hopefully Father Christmas will be listening carefully.

Lastly, don't forget Book Club on Wednesday 3rd December - we'll be discussing A Box Full of Murders by Janice Hallett.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

Maths - mental multiplication and division on Atom Learning

English - I will be setting Comprehension Homework on Monday to be returned on Monday 1st December.

Spelling - more prefixes - de-, re- and over-

deflate deforest defrost dehydrate

reclaim recreate rehydrate relaunch reproduce

overbake overcharge overdue overexaggerate overprotect oversimplify

Well done to Anna, this week's Star Of The Week

Friday 14th November

Another week has flown by. The whole school showed great maturity and respect during our Remembrance service on Tuesday and listened intently to our guest speaker.

In English, we began the week by planning and writing an introduction to Grendel, focusing on creating tension and suspense. We then explored Hrothgar’s thoughts and feelings after enduring 12 long years of misery while trying to stop Grendel’s attacks. The class thoroughly enjoyed using Hot Seating to delve into his character—there were definitely some budding actors on display!

In Maths, we are learning to multiply 3-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers. The column method seems a popular method for the class so far, but it can still be quite tricky. Some extra practice at home would be beneficial.

In Geography, we have been studying climate zones, vegetation belts, and biomes. The children enjoyed spotting global patterns and discovering how different plants and animals adapt, survive, and thrive in specific biomes.

On Wednesday, Mrs Hester and I enjoyed meeting parents and were proud of the children's insights about their year 5 experience so far. It was a great opportunity for the children to show off their Powerpoint skills too. We all agreed they were better than some board room examples. We look forward to seeing the final group of parents next Wednesday.

Finally, please could you check that your child has a working writing pen in their pencil case? A few children have been kindly lending their spare pens to classmates who have lost theirs or need refills.

Have a restful weekend, 

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK: 

Maths - Atom Learning - Level 1 is more straightforward and Level 2 more difficult. There is no need to do them both.

English - Atom Learning - Grammar - Phrases

Spellings: Adding the prefixes dis- and mis-

disloyal        misunderstand

dislocate       misspell

displease       misjudge

disqualify       miscalculate

********Well done to Bodie, this week's Star Of The Week.***********

Friday 7th November

It was great to welcome the children back into school this week. We wasted no time in getting started with this term's endeavours and have already been scrutinising Ordnance Survey maps of our area, looking at contour lines, land use, and grid references and considering how human and physical geography shapes our landscape.

In maths, we're beginning to work on multiplying large numbers using column multiplication as well as revisiting learning from last term to ensure children are confident with the new maths vocabulary they have been taught - square and cube numbers as well as factors, multiples and prime numbers.

The text we're focusing on in English lessons this term is Michael Morpurgo's BEOWULF. Children began by considering what might happen in the story and we moved on to discuss the nature of legends through reading two different versions of St George and The Dragon. Children then wrote their own version of the famous tale.

We're looking forward to commemorating Remembrance Day next week - poppies are available from outside the office if you would like your child to have one.

Have a restful weekend.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

English - Spelling on Atom Learning possessive apostrophes (comprehension homework will start next week)

Maths - Atom Learning levels 1 or 2 - your child may choose the level that best suits them.

Dates for your diary for next term:

• Family consultations 12th and 19th November 14:30 - 18:45. Children will be present as they give a short presentation about their experiences and successes in Year 5 so far. Book a slot via the Office.
• School Christmas Fair Saturday 22nd November.
• Year 5&6 Book Club Wednesday 3rd December 3:30 - 4:30 pm we will discuss A Box Full of Murders by Janice Hallett.
• Trip to London to see Hercules - Thursday 11th December.
• Christmas Lunch Friday 12th December.
• Christmas Carol service Wednesday 17th December 6pm St Mary's Church.
• Break up for Christmas Thursday 18th December 1:30pm.

Friday 17th October

********Congratulations to Neave and Jack, chosen for this term's Head Teacher Awards!******

We can’t quite believe it—that’s the first term in Year 5 done! What a term it has been. Everyone has settled in so well to the class routines and the demands of daily life, and we have truly enjoyed getting to know the children. What a lovely bunch they are.

On the same note, a big welcome to the newest member of our class, who joined us this week. The children have shown such kindness and support to ensure a smooth transition—thank you, everyone.

This week, the class completed their final art project: impressive and striking self-portraits focusing on expressing intense feelings using vivid colours, distorted features and poignant words. The children thoroughly enjoyed this topic and have showcased techniques inspired by their learning about Expressionist art. They are so proud of their creations that we just had to share them with you below.

Looking ahead to next term, our topics will include:

• Science: Properties and Changes of Materials
• Geography: Investigating Our World
• Art: An exciting Mixed Media project, where Mrs Hester will work with the children to create a large whole-class canvas for our Year 5 RE learning on Salvation. This forms part of a whole-school RE initiative led by Mrs Cheshire—so watch this space!

We wish you all a fun and restful holiday and look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 3rd November.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

Maths - Atom Learning. I have set 2 different levels for all children as I have had feedback that it can be extremely tricky.

Level 1 is slightly more straightforward. If that suits your child better, there is no need to do Level 2.

We will start regular comprehension homework after half-term. Please keep reading in the holidays.

***********************Well done to Kitty, our Y5 Star of The Week***********************

Friday 10th October, 2025.

Firstly, I hope you all enjoyed the Harvest celebration as much as we did. Y5 absolutely smashed their drama performance. Thank you for all your donations and for supporting the children with line learning, method-acting advice, and preparing costumes and props. But we all know the real hard work was done by the children. Each one of them spoke clearly, confidently, and with poise. We had several comments about how impressive the class were as a whole in their presenting and speaking. So well done to you, Y5.

In English, the children have started their final piece of writing: a series of diary entries or recounts of Annie’s daring feat. It’s the culmination of this term’s work, ideas, and planning. The children were keen to use many recount skills and proudly used paragraphs to organise their work into themes, the first-person viewpoint, and a mix of appropriate tenses, as well as astounding vocabulary and impressive punctuation to add meaning. They included super-detailed descriptions and feelings to entertain the reader. A sprinkling of fronted adverbials were used, along with lots of contractions and focused spellings from the term. Well done, everyone, for such an effort. The classroom was very peaceful today, as the children were focused and really enjoying the opportunity to write for fun and purpose, and to show off their superb writing skills.

Netball was fun today as the class explored the different types of passing and the appropriate times to use them within a game situation. We have been remembering the rules of footwork, keeping our distance, and using timely, varied passing. I’m excited to say that everyone was trying their best, and we have a very able set of netballers.

Please see below for the homework and keep up the reading at home. I'm sure we will have a good final week of term, ready for a well-earned two-week break.

Have a good weekend,

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

Maths - Mental Multiplication and division on Atom

English/History - spend a short time researching your chosen person for Black History Month. Don't forget to include KS2 or children/kids in the search engine. Email or bring in notes for Monday.

Spellings: the 'ay' sound spelt ei or ey

• beige
• disobey
• obey
• eight
• freight
• grey
• neighbour
• osprey
• prey
• reign
• they
• vein
• weigh
• sleigh

*********************************** Well done to Theo - this week's Star of The Week *************************************

Friday 3rd October, 2025.

Year 5 has been a hive of activity this week. We have come to the end of our Maths chapter on addition and subtraction and will be moving onto a new chapter covering multiplication and division.

In English, we have been working on writing and organising our recounts, focussing on a first person account of Annie’s day when she went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. The class are writing with flare, using exciting vocabulary to add interest, and punctuation to clarify meaning. They are working really hard to include all our Mastery Keys and we have even spotted some fronted adverbials, go year 5! We are encouraging the children to use their five senses in their writing, in order to hook the reader, and it seems to be working.

Our topic has moved on to Expression, the children have been learning the origins of this art movement and what it entails. The class were keen to get sketching some self-portraits expressing their inner most feelings, with vibrant contrasting colours and unrealistic facial dimensions and distorted faces. Such a fun type of art we can all get on board with.

Having had 5 glorious weeks of football in the sun, ok apart from Friday when we were all a bit soggy, we will be starting netball. Their skills of passing, shooting, footwork and team work will be put to the test, we will work on balance, hand-eye coordination, ball skills and game tactics. So many of y5 are already involved in Netball Club which is great to see. It's such a fun sport and a popular game at secondary school. 

Looking ahead to this week, the whole school will be celebrating Harvest, at the church, Wednesday 8th October at 09:15. The Y5 actors have been working hard memorising lines and delivering them with confidence and enthusiasm, and are excited to share a short piece of drama with you. Please check your emails for ideas on each child's costume. Any problems, do let us know. Over the weekend, please can each child have some fun decorating a harvest envelope, with an optional donation inside and bring it in along with a non-perishable food donation on Wednesday (see list below from the food bank). The cash donations will be going to our partner school in Bondeni and the food items will go to Edenbridge food bank.

Also a reminder for this Friday, 10th October - Friday 💙 Wear It Blue Day.  Purpose: Support West Kent Mind – raising awareness and funds for mental health in our community 👕 Wear anything blue, no school uniform required 💰 Donations Via JustGiving link on the school website: 🔗 https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/wearitblueforwkm2025

A quick staffing update for next week only, Mrs Silander will be with the class on Monday and Friday, with Mrs Hester teaching on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 

We hope you have a restful weekend.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Homework this week -

HARVEST - please go over your Harvest lines, look out your Harvest costume, food donation and decorate your envelope.

SPELLING -

Key spelling rule: An apostrophe is used for contraction to show the place of missing letters. Contractions are two words shortened into one with letters removed and an apostrophe in their place. Contractions are often used in speech as they are easier to say e.g. I wish I’d remembered my pocket money.

Examples : should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, must’ve, might’ve, mustn’t, won’t, mightn’t, you’re (your), shan’t, it’s (its).

Thank you.

********************************Congratulations to Molayo- this week's Star of The Week************************************************

Friday 26th September

We've had another busy week in Year 5. The Harvest Service is fast approaching on Wednesday 8th October and Year 5 are doing a short drama so we have been practising for that. There's no homework this week as I would like the children to familiarise themselves with their words - see attached script.

On Wednesday, the children took part in a drama workshop based on Jack and The Beanstalk and run by WestEnd in Schools. They  engaged with enthusiasm and their workshop leader was impressed with their creativity and confidence. We were lucky enough to be able to pay for this through the Enrichment Fund so thank you for all your contributions.

In maths, we are looking at various ways to add and subtract large numbers and have been discussing using number lines, column addition and place value counters. Children are beginning to grasp the concept of rounding numbers to estimate a total before adding or subtracting.

One of our English lessons this week involved the children taking part in a short debate. It was wonderful to hear them articulate themselves brilliantly while also being respectful of the views of others  - they could teach our MPs a thing or two!

Have a relaxing weekend.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander.

HOMEWORK:

Learn words for the Harvest Drama

Spellings: we will be covering the same spellings and rules as last week.

******************************************Congratulations to Arti, this week's Star of the Week. ******************************************

The class has had a wonderful balance of fun and hard work this week. Our trip to Hampton Court really engaged the children and brought Tudor times to life. They loved seeing and experiencing it for themselves, which always helps to cement the learning we have been doing in class for our topic Off with Her Head. The children returned full of fascinating facts and stories about the Terrible Tudors. The sheer size and grandeur of this historic venue truly impressed them and made for a memorable trip.

Back in the classroom, we completed our baseline assessments. The children responded brilliantly and impressed us with their positive attitudes. Mrs Hester and I will use the results to inform our planning and to support each child’s learning as we begin the year.

We also enjoyed an exciting art session this week. The children worked hard to create striking Tudor self-portraits, filled with symbols, royal colours, regal head dresses, and powerful poses—worthy of impressing noblemen and countrymen alike.

We hope you have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing the children on Monday.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

Maths: Atom Learning - mental addition and subtraction

English: Atom Learning - sentence structure

Spelling: adding suffixes -ed and -ing to root words

• Key spelling rule: The e at the end of the root word is dropped before adding -ing, -ed e.g. interfering.

• Key spelling rule: The y is changed to an i before adding -ed but not -ing e.g. occupied.

• Apply to the words below.

achieve, bruise, persuade, queue.

accompany, magnify, qualify, simplify.

****************************Congratulations to EMILY, this week's Star of the week.*****************************

Our trip to Hampton Court is on Wednesday:

• Arrive at school at 08:30
• Red hat
• coat
• Snack
• Packed lunch
• Water 
• We hope to be back by 4pm but will keep you informed 

Friday 12th September

Two weeks into term and the children have settled in very well. Their engagement and enthusiasm are infectious and we are enjoying getting to know them.

Our first 'buddies' session was definitely a highlight this week. Each child has been given a reading buddy in Year 1 and they spent a pleasant 15 minutes sharing a couple of picture books with their young partners, reading aloud to them and discussing the text. This, weekly, session is extremely popular and happens every Monday. Feel free to send your child in with a (named) book or two from their younger days if they would like to share these with their buddy. We will ensure the books return home safely in their school bags.

In maths, we have moved on to rounding numbers. Many children find it difficult to round large numbers into the tens and 100s, often forgetting to include the tens and hundreds of 1000s. For example: 56,724 rounded to the nearest hundred, frequently, mistakenly, becomes 700. It helps to put these numbers in the context of money - no one would be happy to receive a paltry £700 when they'd been promised £56,724.

Our new English programme is proving effective and fun. Children have already rattled out a diary entry, postcard and piece of description - their writing is ambitious and imaginative which is fantastic.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK: 

Atom Maths: Rounding Numbers

Atom English: Punctuating sentences

Spelling: adding the suffixes 'ed' and 'ing' to root words

1. grab/grabbing/grabbed, thud/thudding/thudded, stop/stopping/stopped

2. admit/admitting/admitted, control/controlling/controlled, begin/beginning

3. lengthen/lengthening/lengthened, happen/happening/happened, straighten/straightening/straightened.

RULES when adding the suffixes -ed and -ing.

1. Double the last consonant to keep the vowel short when adding a suffix.

2. If the second syllable is stressed, double the final consonant when adding a suffix.

3. If the first syllable is stressed, no doubling of the final consonant. 

Friday 5th September

What a delight it has been to welcome the children back into School. They bounced into year 5, eager to learn with gratifyingly well stocked pencil cases - thank you.

Keen not to waste any time, we have begun the maths curriculum with revision of place value, looking at numbers to a million. Many children find reading large numbers challenging so we have spent time on how to ascertain whether a number is in the millions, hundreds or tens of thousands. There is Maths Homework this week - see below - please avoid giving your children too much help with this as it is better to allow the algorithm to set the challenge level. If they are finding it too difficult, please let us know.

In literacy, we have begun our new Pathways to Write programme, hooking the children in with a hair-raising true story about an elderly woman who decided to throw herself off the Niagara Falls in a barrel - she survived with a few bumps and bruises but never quite reached the level of fame and fortune she expected. (See below for more details on Pathways to Write and Spell).

We have also started reading our class book, TREASON; a story based in Tudor times with a nail-biting plot and brilliantly wrought characters. 

The children are already engaged with our Tudor topic and have begun by taking part in a Tudor drama and by making Tudor Roses - we hope to be able to share both with parents at some point.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hester and Mrs Silander

HOMEWORK:

MATHS - Place Value on Atom Learning (ALL LOGINS ARE THE SAME AS IN YEAR 4)

SPELLING -  the words we're covering next week are from the KS2 list of statutory spellings - the attached document details the rules we'll be covering this term as well as a poster with some strategies for learning spellings.

NOT ALL CHILDREN WILL BE EXPECTED TO LEARN ALL THE WORDS EACH WEEK - WE WILL ADAPT ACCORDINGLY.

Next week's words include - achieve, bruise, marvellous, muscle and temperature (this has been edited as the original list was published by mistake - apologies)

New Writing and Spelling Programme

We are in the process of introducing a new writing and spelling programme called Pathways to Write and Pathways to Spell. This enables us to conform to the Government's latest advice in the newly published Writing Framework, and will lead to a more consistent approach across the School. As a result, we will no longer be doing weekly spelling tests . Our focus will be on techniques for learning spelling rules and spelling words, encouraging children to first recognise and understand the words before breaking them down in order to recall their spellings. Teachers will still put the weekly focus words and spelling rules on their web pages and we encourage you to go over these with your children. We will, however, no longer be working towards a test. This is a far more inclusive approach and we hope it will help broaden children's vocabulary while embedding strategies for learning how to spell. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me via the office if you have any queries.

Kind regards

Rosie Hester (English Lead)