Year 6 – Darwin Class

Darwin Class 2023-24

English Week - World Book Day and more!

What a week of activities we enjoyed this year in celebration of English Week! We kicked off our festival with the Year 6 Spelling Bee. Congratulation to Fatima, Zaid and Szymon P, who proved impossible to beat: we had to get out Mr Clarke's 'evil' list of the most grotesque words in the English language just to distinguish between them. Bedtime Stories was a hoot with hot chocolates. On Thursday, the responsibility was on us to organise and host the Book Swap and Tea Party for the whole school, but the events went off without a hitch due to our fantastic efforts. We rounded off the week with a jaunt to Henbury Library, where we could not have been more relaxed after a  busy week.

Science - Airbus Workshop

We were lucky enough to receive a visit from three engineers who work for Airbus. They inspired us with their stories of how and why they chose their STEM careers. They were impressed by our knowledge of planes (our Concorde anniversary lessons came in handy here!) and how thoughtfully we spoke about the forces acting on planes when they move. We then took part in an engineering workshop designing and flying paper planes.

English - The Savage

Our class book is The Savage, written by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean. This is the first book we have read where the illustrator has been equally acknowledged on the cover. We have been reflecting on the significance of the illustrations to our understanding of the book and the emotions of the characters. Here are our own portraits inspired by the Dave McKean's savage.

SMSC - Class Celebration

Despite a challenging term, we had made it through with enthusiasm, curiosity and smiles on our faces! We had earned a celebration. We conducted a democratic vote and settled upon a 'Wheels' party followed by an ice cream sundae workshop! What a n-ice way to spend the day; we had a wheely lovely time...

Computing - Safer Internet Day

We  were challenged to debate a statement: 'Gaming is a safe activity'. This immediately caused controversy and we practised respectful debate. See the outcome of our discussion below, which resulted in a vote where we decided it was 73% safe.

PSHE - Children's Mental Health Week

This week, we have been reflecting on our well-being. On Wednesday, we took part in a carousel of activities across KS2. It was so much fun to meet up with friends across year groups and explore how craft, sports and meditation can help to make time and space for our mental health.

Science - Visible Electromagnetic Spectrum

We have been investigating Newton's Colour Theory and how we can prove that 'white light' is in fact made of all the colours of the rainbow. We have experimented with reflection, refraction and absorption. Check out the videos below to see what we have discovered.

SMSC - Christmas Dinner Day!

Woohoo! Today, we celebrated our success in 2023 with an end of year party. All agreed the food tasted even more delicious, because it was served by the staff. The class dined like royalty!

RE - Christmas Tree Festival

Darwin Class entered a tree into the Christmas Tree Festival at St Mary's Church. They asked that your tree represent your industry. Can you spot how we linked our decorations to life in school? St Mary's kindly invited us to an exclusive viewing of the trees and a tour of the church with Reverend Rod. We felt like detectives as we spotted the nativity story in the stained glass windows and other familiar characters from Christian Bible stories. While some children toured the church's grounds, others were invited to sing Christmas carols with a special guest... Father Christmas himself!

History - WW1 Experience

The Year 6s took part in a WW1 experience day. We pretended to sign up to the war effort and travel to France. We used VR to explore reconstructions of WW1 trenches. We then followed a play script in our mock trenches, which traced some of the highs and lows of trench warfare. The class agreed that the idea of fighting in the trenches was initially exhilarating, but it quickly became cramped, exhausting and hopeless. We ended our experience by singing Silent Night in English and German, as they did in the Christmas Truce of 1914, and were relieve to escape the trenches even for a short while...

SMSC - Visit from the Lord Mayor

We were lucky enough to be visited by the Lord Mayor Steve Pearce, who kindly led the grand reopening of our school library. He explained that, until he puts on the ceremonial clothing, he is just an ordinary guy - Councillor Steve! However, when he puts on his civic regalia he represents everyone in Bristol. This, he says, is why the Lord Mayor is invited to open new buildings: when you invite the Lord Mayor, it is like inviting everyone in Bristol to the party!

Music - Protest Song

In Music, we have been studying the inspiring efforts of the Suffragettes and their fight for equal rights for women. We investigated the ways in which they protested: often using their voices to unite their community and ensure their message was heard. This inspired us to write our own protest songs about change we would like to see in our community. Here we are protesting about environmental change, mental well-being and acceptance of all people.

PSHE - Anti-Bullying Week

Brentry 'made some noise' this week to raise awareness of Anti-Bullying Week. We discussed scenarios where we - or our friends - might experience unkind behaviour and how we might deal with the situation. We reflected on the definition of bullying and who bullying should be reported to. We even wore odd socks to celebrate our differences. At the end of the week, we used drama to summarise our learning in a series of short pieces. Can you infer what is happening in each frieze?

Science - Investigating Heart Rate

As part our Animals and Living Things unit, the Year 6s were set the task of devising an experiment that would test a hypothesis - fancy, right? Darwin class learned how to check their pulse and set about designing activities, where they would record their heart rates at regular intervals. Can you guess the sports they were testing?

SMSC - Black History Month

This term, we have been learning about just some of the heroes of Black History. In RE, we studied Maya Angelou and Ta Nehisi Coates. In History, we learned the moving story of WW1 soldier Walter Tull. We created a display to recognise the inspirational figures we had researched.

French - Ordering Crepes at Chez Darwin

At the end of term, the class' French learning was put to the test at Chez Darwin, where only orders made in French would be put through the till. Fortunately, our well-rehearsed Year 6s were able to to order using their French speaking skills and create the orders using their French listening skills. Oh la la!

Literacy - Non-Chronological Reports

This week, our class has been preparing to write non-chronological reports reflecting the diverse cultural holidays celebrated in our class. We visited our school library to investigate effective formatting features and layouts. Here is what we found...

PSHE - World Mental Health Day

Today, our school has been raising awareness of the importance of mental health. We reflected on what makes us happy and took part in well-being exercises we can use to calm and recentre ourselves. We enjoyed taking some time to explore The Happy News website. Grown Ups, we recommend you follow The Happy News on Instagram for daily, family-friendly, joyful news videos.

Check them out here: https://thehappynewspaper.com/?v=79cba1185463

French - Anyone for a crepe?

On France camp, the children will get opportunities to buy snacks at shops and cafes, so we have been helping each other to prepare. Ask us to translate these videos for you.

PE - Yoga

Year 6 have been learning about wellbeing in mind and body through their yoga sessions. When did you last take a moment to stretch and breathe?

Literacy - National Poetry Day

Today, we celebrated National Poetry Day with a whole-school Poetry Slam. Year 6 did us proud with their incredible performances.

French - Greetings

Darwin class have been helping each other to prepare for France camp. Do you think we will be mistaken for locals?

Maths - Place Value

Look how much fun Year 6 are having in these totally candid - and not in the least bit staged - photos of building Place Value towers using Dienes. The class always have these exaggerated smiles and their thumbs up... I swear!

PSHE - School Council Elections

Thankyou to everyone who prepared a speech for our school council elections. We were wowed by your thought and your passion. If only we could have you all as councilors, you would make quite the cabinet! Congratulations to Roha and Zaid. Your outstanding presentations won the class over. We know you will represent us well.

Happy New Year ... kind of!

Hello Year 6s. I hope you have had a restful summer. I have had a brilliant time visiting the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where I saw lots of people perform: comedy, music, magic, shadow puppets, a man playing a violin using his hair... At one point, I even ended up on stage - you can ask me about that when you see me! I am sure some of you are wondering what the classroom might look like. Here is a video below to help you picture it.

Looking forward to catching up,

Mrs Stinson x

Darwin Class 2022-23

PSHE: School Nurse Services

Today we received a visit from representatives of Bristol's School Nurse team. They explained to the Year 6s the services they can access through their School Nurse at primary and secondary school. Eight hours sleep, they say, is the key to happiness, as it provides us the energy we need to get in our 60 minutes exercise, to choose healthy foods and to tackle our worries. They also introduced the ChatHealth app which 11-19 year olds can use to contact their School Nurse directly for support.

PE: Sports Day

Well done to everybody for taking part in this year's Sports Day. Our Year 6s certainly did us proud, as they guided and encouraged the younger members of their house colours. Shout out to Jayden who ran the Tree Champions plant stall helping to raise money for environmental work around the school. Here are some snapshots from the day.

Science: Speaking Up For Nature Competition

AT Brentry, our students are extraordinarily passionate about the environment and no more so than our Year 6s. In recognition of this, a select group of our most enthusiastic ambassadors for nature were invited to the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. Our Tree Champions took part in a full-day conference and the brilliant Belle represented us with her inspiring speech.

Art: South and Central American Art

We have come full cycle, as our art topic this term links back to our Term 1 History topic: Ancient Maya. Explore our artwork below, which links to celebrated South and Central American Artists and themes.

PSHE: Dogs Trust Assembly

This week, we were joined by a representative of the Dogs Trust. She helped us understand how to act safely around dogs by thinking empathetically. We learned that it is always responsible to ask the owner's permission before petting a dog and to touch them on the shoulders, rather than the head.

Maths and English: SATs Breakfast Club

Prepping for our SATs in style! Year 6 have enjoyed a gourmet menu this week to get their brains in gear for their end of key-stage assessments: breakfast burritos, avocado toast, bacon bap, pain au chocolat, croissants... Friday's breakfast was my personal favourite - waffles, fresh fruit, squirty cream and sprinkles. SATs week doesn't have to be all bad!

History: Coronation Party

Today, we were part of History in the making, as we celebrated the coronation of King Charles III. We shared our hopes for the new monarchy and what the United Kingdom might look like in another 100 years.

English: Poetry Slam

This week the Year 6s hosted the school Poetry Slam. Every class took part in sharing their poetry with the school. We reflected on the mood, themes and effective devices used in the performances. In the afternoon, we joined by two members of Poetry By Heart (a national poetry scheme). They watched the Year 6 small group and solo performances and were delighted to see their resources in action. They asked for four of our groups to be put forward for the national competition! Check out our entries below.

PSHE: Healthy Choices

We were visit by Joanna from BE Project. She helped us to define key terms in the Year curriculum: dependency, stimulant, depressant, alcohol, drug, cannabis and vape. She created a safe space for us to discuss what we know about substances, addiction and users we had seen in our local community. By the end of the session, we felt more able to make informed choices and more confident sharing with adults in school.

Science: Coded Messages

In Science this term, we have been investigating the properties of light. We put our understanding to the test when we developed our own system for coding messages using filters. Can you work out how we used the principles of absorption and reflection to write hidden notes and animate cartoons?

British Values: Democracy

This week Year 6 were fortunate enough to be invited to the Houses of Parliament. We were given tour through areas of the building, which usually have restricted access. We even sat in the Strangers' Gallery in the House of Lords and listened in on a debate in the House of Commons. We don't have many photos, as our phones would have been confiscated if we had taken them without special permission!

Maths: Algebra

The Year 6s were surprised to find out that algebra was part of the primary curriculum, but once we got started we realised it was as easy as a, b, c... or is that x, y, z?

Maths: Ratio

For every 1 teacher, there are 29 children in Darwin Class who will happily get on board with ratio if it involves baking! We used scaling to adjust a recipe intended for 10 to calculate ingredients for 60 flapjacks cooked in groups of 5.

Art: Poppy Imagery

This term we have been studying the novel War Horse  by Michael Morpurgo. To help us reflect on the text, we created artwork in the style of Rae Smith (the illustrator of our special edition copy borrowed from Mrs Collins). We thought about the 'poetry' in the pictures. We felt that the budding poppies might represent the young men, who were forced to grow up quickly under the weight of war. The bunches of poppies in full bloom showed how the soldiers worked together. The poppies which have lost their petals might represent the lives lost. We hope our pictures help you to reflect too.

SMSC: Forest Schools

We frolicked in the leaves, built innovative dens and decorated tree cookies to create festive decorations. This week's Forest School was a hit with the Year 6s, though all agree the smores really took the biscuit!

History: Trench Warfare

Using our research of trench warfare, our skills of improvisation and a lot of scrap paper, we reenacted what it may have been like to have been recruited to the frontlines in the First World War. We used VR technology to explore modern reconstructions of the trenches and then acted scenes similar to those which would have taken place in the build up to the Christmas Truce of 1914. We finished by singing Stille Nacht in our trenches. We hope today's experience will inspire and inform our WW1 letter-writing in Literacy next week.

History: What events led to the outbreak of WW1?

Ever wondered how the death of an Austro-Hungarian Archduke led to a war between, well, most of Europe and beyond? Watch our re-enactment:

History: A Mayan Breakfast Banquet

We ended our Term 1 History topic with a Mayan Banquet. To maintain historical accuracy, we designed elaborately decorated headdresses to ensure we had the correct status to enjoy a cup of Ancient Mayan Hot Chocolate (just add cinnamon and chilli to dark chocolate power, if you want to recreate this at home). We each played a part in preparing a traditional Mayan breakfast: egg and guacamole wrapped in a corn tortilla, as maize was the most common ingredient in their cooking at the time. Admittedly, we then added a homemade salsa... introduced by the Spanish, who invaded Ancient Maya toward the civilisation's end. We decided our headdresses and high statuses may have allowed us to enjoy some European delights, while we negotiated Maya's future.

Maths: BIDMAS and the Four Operations

What an excellent name for a band: BIDMAS and the Four Operations! Here we are trying any means possible to remember our order of operations ahead of our end of unit assessment. We just so happen to look effortlessly cool doing so...

RE: Moral Dilemmas

We have been comparing the similarities and differences between a Humanist's and a Christian's code for living in RE this term. In this lesson, we considered the classic 'angel and devil' sketches, when a character faces a moral dilemma in TV and film. We suggested that a Humanist may be guided instead by their head (science) and their heart (compassion). Here we are responding to moral dilemmas empathising with Christians and Humanists, before comparing their potential responses to our own World Views.

PSHE: Hello Yellow

In celebration of World Mental Health Day, we participated in a well-being workshop. We explored activities which engaged our senses and promoted mindfulness. We reflected on how to look after ourselves and collected our ideas into a positive affirmations poster. We also had quite the giggle in our photobooth... below are just some of the 200 hilarious pictures Mrs Stinson sifted through!

French: Lotto

We revised our numbers to 100 by playing Bingo en français! We then used these numbers to describe distance between different cities in France.

Maths: Place Value

Who says Year 6s always have to learn stony-faced and sat down? Here we are racing to order our 6 and 7 digit numbers, while revising place value.

British Values: Rule of Law

Being top of the school comes with responsibilities. Luckily, our Year 6s do not shy away from their duties, particularly if they come with a shiny badge. Meet our Term 1 Prefects and Playground Buddies:

Well hello there everyone,

I hope you have all had glorious summers filled with adventures, excitement and lots of books. I for one have had a rather fabulous summer, as a result of which I shall be returning to you as Mrs Stinson... that's one for all of us to get used to! If you are feeling nosey, check out the photo below.

I am eager for the new academic year to begin, so I can share with you all the wonderful events and lessons we have planned between now and the winter break. In particular, I can't wait to start our Ancient Maya topic, which will inspire our writing in Literacy as well as our research in History. 

Don't forget Monday is an INSET day; therefore, I will see you bright and breezy on Tuesday morning. Remember to pack lots of snacks on your first day back, as you will need all the energy you can get for the thrill of wearing those red jumpers.

See you then,

Miss Trotman  

Mrs Stinson

Darwin Class 2021-2022

Welcome to Darwin Class! I hope you all had a fantastic Summer - it felt so good to have a bit of 'normality' back in our lives didn't it? It's only been a few days, but the children have been brilliant so far. They have settled into the new routines of Year 6 really well, and have impressed me with their attitude and behaviour. They've sat through information overload from me in a very hot classroom, so well done them! 

On our first day back, we looked through our school Mission Star to remind ourselves of what we want orur pupils to achieve at Brentry. We then used it to create our Class Charter. Our new History topic - the Maya Civilisation - was introduced with making hot chocolate - with a twist! See the photos below to see their reactions! 

There will be a 'Back to School' meeting via Zoom on Monday after school (exact time TBC). I will send out the Zoom link very soon, so I hope to see all of you there. Don't worry if you can't make it though. I will send out a letter with all of the information next week. 

3rd May

Revision Packs

Hopefully, your child will have brought home a revision pack on Friday, in preparation for our Assessment Week coming up on the 14th June. Each pack contains study books and question books for maths and English, plus some practice papers. The pack also includes a blank timetable, which the children can use to plan out their revision sessions. How you want to organise this is completely up to you, but I would recommend planning in at least a couple of sessions per week. Every night would be too much, but once a week probably wouldn't be enough to make a difference. Little and often (with breaks in between) is the best approach! Remember that there will be no homework set between now and the assessments - revision will take its place.

If there is anything your child is really struggling with, or doesn't understand, please encourage them to bring their books into school so that we can go through it with them. Also, bear in mind that we haven't covered everything in the books yet, so if something seems very alien to them, it could be that we haven't even taught it in class yet.

At the end of the assessments, we will be asking for the study books to be returned (the red and blue books only), plus the plastic wallet that the books come in. Please look after them and do your best to keep them in good condition!

Good luck!

1st April

We did a spot of gardening and general tidying up around the Outdoor Classroom area this week. The children worked hard on weeding, pulling up brambles, litter picking and raking up dead leaves. Thank you Year 6!

Class Treat

The children chose a water fight as their class treat. What a way to end the term! I think they all went home with soggy shoes....

17th March

It's been so good to have the children back in class, and to have the school busy again. We really did miss them all! As always, they have adapted brilliantly to being back, and have enjoyed catching up with their friends. Last week, we focused on getting them used to the routines of school life again, socialising and playing with their friends, and learning outside.

It was Science Week, so we welcomed back our student teacher, Mr Speirs, for a fun lesson all about Science and Engineering. The children were set various challenges, such as to make an object that can float, using different materials. They had to choose carefully, depending on their properties. Some were more successful than others! Take a look at the photos below.

We also spent some time in the Outdoor Classroom, measuring the entire area so that we can map it out and start to plan how we are going to improve it. The children have got some interesting ideas, so watch this space!

This week, we are back into the swing of things, with a focus on fractions, decimals and percentages in maths. Literacy has been all about reminding the children of the basic punctuation and sentence structure needed in their writing, as well as lots of reading comprehension. We have been learning all about the changing coastline of the UK in geography, and have started a new unit - 'What do religions say when life gets hard?' - in RE. Phew!

This Friday is Red Nose Day, so don't forget to wear something red, and have a go at the competitions coming home today. Good luck!

Mrs Ochiltree

Competition Time!

Can you guess which member of the Brentry staff team is behind each mask?

Fill in the entry form below and email it to Mrs Ochiltree at lochiltree@brentryprimarychool.org.uk by Wednesday 10th March for a chance to win prizes!

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone! We hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, despite the restrictions. We were very much looking forward to seeing all of the children and hearing their holiday news, and are disappointed we can't see all of your lovely faces in real life.  It's hard to believe we're in another Lockdown, but fingers crossed it won't last long!

We are currently working really hard to get online learning set up and ready to go for Monday 11th, and in the meantime, there are plenty of links to websites, games and videos to keep the children busy. There is also a Home Learning pack with various activities in if you have an extra-keen bean at home! Just take a look in the Home Learning tab above and scroll down to the bottom.

We will be in touch again before Monday to outline our expectations for Home Learning, but for now, please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions: lochiltree@brentryprimaryschool.org.uk or jbutters@brentryprimaryschool.org.uk.

It's a strange time for all of us, so let's be kind to each other, and to ourselves. We're all in this together!

Mrs Ochiltree and Mr Butters

18th December

Happy Christmas to all of the children in Darwin Class, and their brilliant families! Make sure you watch our Christmas treat (link above) - the Reindeer Rap - as the children are very proud of it. Here are some photos of the children enjoying their festive lunch during the last week of term.

Happy holidays to all!

Mrs Ochiltree and Mr Butters x

26th November

For a few weeks, the children have been reading a 'choose your own adventure' style story, set in the town of Storyhaven, online. The children have been working in teams, with each team member playing a different character. Along the way, the teams have been able to gain reputation, increase their stamina, spend gold and make choices depending on their team members' skills. At the end of the adventure, they used the story runes they had found to create stories, which they shared with the Shaman yesterday, via the time portal.

The children did brilliantly. The Shaman was very impressed, and they made me a very proud teacher! 

24th November

'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...' Too early? I think with everything going on at the moment, it's only fair that we get a bit of an extended lead up to Christmas this year. Sadly, we won't be able to enjoy one of my absolute highlights of the year, Carols by Candlelight, next month. However, we are hoping to put together a little treat for the Year 6 parents - watch this space!

In class, the children have been working on fractions in maths. This is a tricky unit, with so many new strategies and methods to learn, but as always, the children are impressing me with the way they have picked things up. In literacy, we are writing diary entries from the perspective of a WW1 soldier in the trenches. The children are so engaged with this topic, and love learning all about life in the trenches. I've been hearing all about their projects too - they sound great! As usual, on Fridays, Mr Butters is teaching the children science, and has just started our new unit, Animals Including Humans. He is also teaching Geometry, including coordinates.

And finally, a reminder that if your child is isolating, please have a look at the Home Learning page above. You will find links to plenty of resources to support your child to continue their learning at home. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at lochiltree@brentryprimaryschool.org.uk 

Mrs Ochiltree

6th November

Hope you all had a great half term, and managed to get out and about before Lockdown #2 began!

This term, our topic changes to WW1, which I know the children are really excited about. We've already looked at how and why the war began, and will be covering topics such as life in the trenches, the Battle of the Somme and how life changed for those at home. It is such a shame that we aren't able to go to France this year, as the trip really brings this topic to life for the children, but hopefully the activities we have planned in class will help the children to get a good understanding of the war and how it affected life in Britain.

Linked to this, the homework for this term will be a project based on WW1. There are three options for the project, which can be found in the Homework section above. The deadline isn't until 14th December, but please encourage your child to start having a think about what they are going to do. Please don't leave it all until the last minute!

Next week, we will start a new reading and writing project called Storyhaven. It is an online reading game which takes the children on their own 'choose your own adventure'. They will create their own characters and settings, and collect special objects along the way, with the ultimate aim of creating a story to share over Zoom with the Storyhaven team. Please look out for an email asking for your permission for your child to take part in this. This week, the children created their own 'Adventure Journal', which they will use to record their Storyhaven journey. The journals look fab!

2nd October

Well Autumn is well and truly here, and wet playtimes are becoming more and more common. The children have been coping brilliantly with the new lunch time system though, and seem to be enjoying their takeaway-style lunches! Fingers crossed the rain eases next week though, as it's great for them to get outside, even if it's just for a quick runaround.

In class, we've been revising column addition and subtraction, and exploring factors and prime numbers. Literacy has been all about writing our mythical stories, linked to the Mayans. I have been so impressed with their attitude towards writing. They seem to really love it, which makes me very happy! I am looking forward to reading their stories once we've put the finishing touches to them next week.

We continue to learn about the Maya Civilisation in our History lessons, with this week's focus on their writing and number systems. Turns out the Mayans were a very clever bunch!

Next Wednesday, the children will be treated to an afternoon of Forest School activities, so they will need to come into school dressed appropriately. A text will be sent home with more information nearer the time. Even more reason to wish for dry weather next week!

Don't forget, you can find this week's homework in the Homework section above. Have a great weekend everybody!

Mrs Ochiltree

17th September

We're having another great week in Darwin Class. The sun has been shining (typical, now that we're back at school!) and the children seem to be enjoying spending time playing with their classmates again in the playground.

In class, we have been continuing our work on Place Value in maths, this week exploring numbers up to 10 million. Next week, we will move on to addition and subtraction. In English, we are still looking at mythical stories, and will begin to plan our own next week. This links well to our topic work this week on Mayan Gods and religion.

One of our tasks in PSHE this week involved discussing our hopes and dreams for Year 6. The children had some really sensible ideas about what they would like to achieve by the end of the year, and they made some spirals with their ideas on, which look very pretty hung up in the classroom!

Don't forget that homework has been set this week. It can be found in the Homework section above. Completed homework should be emailed to Mr Butters by next Thursday .

11th September

We made it through the first week! The class have settled in so well, and it's been great to see every single one of Year 6 back in school. They have adapted to the new rules and systems brilliantly, even reminding me of one or two throughout the week! Alongside our Recovery Curriculum work, in which we have been focusing on the children's mental health and well being after such a long time away from school, we have already been getting stuck in to some hard work.

In maths, the focus this week and next is on Place Value. We have been exploring numbers up to 10 million and will be working on negative numbers and rounding next.

In literacy, we have been reading the Mayan myth, The Hero Twins. Our first literacy unit is based around this story (linked to our topic) and the children will eventually be writing their own mythical stories, complete with mythical beasts!

Finally, I thought I'd share some photos of the children making Mayan hot chocolate as an introduction to our Maya Civilisation topic earlier this week. I'm not sure they were expecting the secret ingredient - chili powder! Some were braver than others....

Welcome back Year 6!

We hope you're all excited about coming in on Monday with your new red sweatshirts on, looking so grown up . I know that it will feel a little bit strange, especially after spending so much time at home with your families, but hopefully you will feel much more relaxed once you've seen a few familiar faces. Although things are a little bit different in school, and we have new ways of doing some things, we will all soon get used to them.  Remember that neither of us have been in the school for a while either, so you will need to look after us too!

Year 6 is a really exciting year - you're the oldest in the school now! - and we know that you're going to make a fantastic Year 6 class. 

We are very much looking forward to seeing your smiling faces on Monday (and Friday for Mr Butters). Have a brilliant weekend and get plenty of sleep!

Mrs Ochiltree and Mr Butters

2018-2019

12th July

We had a brilliant day in the sunshine at Butlins today! The children did us proud with their fantastic behaviour and attitude. What a great bunch!

Friday 14th June

This week, we introduced Reading Buddies between the Year 6s and KS1. The pupils in Darwin Class all listen to children in Year 1 or 2 read, or they read a story to them. We do it three times a week, and the children absolutely love it!

Friday 7th June

What a week! We've had a fantastic Science Week this week. The focus has been on the environment, so we have been outside a lot, which the children have loved. As well as learning all about classification of living things as part of our current science unit, we've been identifying trees from their leaves, we've taken part in a scavenger hunt, and we've built dens, whittled wood for marshmallow-toasting and gone pond-dipping for minibeasts with Forest Schools. To top off the week, today was Art Day. A whole day of art linked to saving the planet - what more could you want?!

Friday 24th May

We've had a great final week of term 5 in Darwin Class. We've done lots of science, including an investigation all about electricity. We've also been writing newspaper reports for our end-of-year assessments, and today we have enjoyed Mojo Active Day. The children really impressed me with their 'have-a-go' attitude on the climbing wall and obstacle course. And then, of course, there was the slime making. Apologies for any sticky messes that came home with the children today! Lots of fun was had in the sunshine though.

Enjoy the week off! Lots to look forward to next term too. See the 'Y6 Camp' page above for important information, including a kit list, for the week beginning 17th June.

Friday 17th May

SATs Week is over! Congratulations Darwin Class! The children have all worked SO hard this week and have made me a very proud teacher. We’ll get the results on July 9th. Good luck everyone! 

We spent Thursday afternoon in the sunshine creating some huge pieces of art to celebrate finishing. Sadly, the sunshine didn’t stick around for us when we went to Blaise on Friday, but the children loved it. A great way to let off steam after a tough week! 

Friday 26th April

Welcome back to Term 5! It's going to be a short but very important term for Year 6, with SATs week coming up on the 13th May. Until then, we will be doing lots of revision of maths, SPaG and reading, both in class and in our booster sessions on a Monday and Thursday. We have two more after school Revision Club sessions left - the last one will be on Tuesday 7th May. 

There will be a letter coming home soon with a SATs timetable, and information about Breakfast Club, which will run Monday to Thursday of SATs week. There will also be a consent form to sign for the children's end-of-SATs treat at Blaise.

Like I said, lots to think about this term! Any questions, please don't hesitate to come in and see me, or give the office a call.

Friday 5th April

It's been a busy end to the term this week, with assessments, Brentry's Got Talent, and of course Mr C's birthday celebrations. As always though, the children have done us very proud. A huge well done to Lashantai, Lacey, Ruby, River and Alice, who were all brave enough to take part in the talent show today. Alice, alongside her sister, was even crowned the overall winner! What a talented bunch they are.

Have a brilliant Easter everyone - enjoy the break!

Friday 22nd March

Today, we had a Greenpeace speaker in to talk to Year 6 all about the campaigns that they run to tackle global issues such as climate change, plastic in the ocean and deforestation. It was really interesting to hear his views on how we can work towards making positive changes, and the children felt inspired to come up with some possible fundraising ideas for later on in the year. So watch this space!

Friday 15th March

This week, we visited the old school, and it felt very strange to be back! There is still a lot of work to do, but we could see how things are shaping up over there. It's just a shame this lot won't be able to enjoy it in September! 

8th March

It's my favourite week of the year - English Week! We've had a fantastic week in Year 6, with our visit to the library on Monday, a Spelling Bee on Wednesday (well done to our Spelling Champion, Viraj!), Bedtime Stories (eek!), our Family Read on Thursday and, to top it all off, some fantastic World Book Day costumes on Friday. Phew! Take a look at some of the photos below to see what we've been up to.

Friday 1st March

Welcome back to Term 4 - where is this year going?! We started our SATs Booster sessions this week. On Monday and Thursday mornings, the children are split into 3 groups for maths and literacy, and are taught in smaller groups by either myself, Mr Clarke, Miss Ransom or Mrs Peacock. So far, the children seem to be really enjoying the chance to work in more focused groups. They also took home their SATs revision packs this week, and I was so pleased with how many children came along to the SATs revision club on Tuesday. They are a hard working bunch!

Thanks to everyone who brought in their projects this week. As always, they are very impressive! The children shared them with the rest of the class today:

Friday 15th February

This week, we've been celebrating International Week. On Wednesday, the children were treated to Mr Clarke's International Quiz, where they worked brilliantly in mixed year group teams. On Thursday, it was 'Around the World' day, where the classes visited different countries, in different classes, throughout the day. They went to Russia, Iran, Ghana and China. A very busy day! On Friday, the children came in dressed up in some very impressive costumes, and they got the chance to try some food from around the world. Some were braver than others! 

Thanks to everyone who has given in a £5 deposit for a SATs pack. These are essential for the children in the build up to SATs, and will be given out to those who have given in £5 at the end of the first week back. 

A reminder that projects are due in on the first day back after half term - Monday 25th February.

Happy Half Term everyone! 

Wednesday 13th February

The children have completed their deforestation balanced arguments, and they look fantastic on our display in the classroom. Well done Year 6!

8th February

Thank you to everyone who came along to the SATs / Camp information evening last night. For those of you who couldn't make it, I have saved the Powerpoint in both the SATs and Camp sections of this page. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to come in and see me. 

Deposits for Camp are due in today. Please do pay these as soon as possible, so that we can calculate the total cost for each pupil.

Thursday 31st January

This week, professional footballer Jack Rutter came to school to run a sports session with the children. Year 6 loved it and put in a huge amount of effort. I think it's fair to say that they were pretty exhausted after it - and then we went swimming!

Friday 18th January

We've had a great week this week in Darwin Class. The children are all enjoying their swimming lessons on a Monday and have already begun to make progress. We will continue with these sessions until the end of this term.

In class, we have been debating the pros and cons of deforestation, gathering ideas for our balanced arguments, which we will begin to write next week. As well as this, the children have been practising using adverbs such as 'however', 'therefore' and 'furthermore' - all of which are great to use in more formal writing.

In maths this week, we have moved on from coordinates to multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. We have also been revising how to use the formal written short multiplication method to multiply larger numbers together. Hopefully, most of the children have cracked this one now! 

I hope you're all getting on well with your projects, and have at least decided on what you're going to do. I will continue to send home a spelling rule to work on each week, ready for our weekly Friday test. It is important that the children do practise these, especially with SATs coming up.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Friday 11th January

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and are settling into 2019 well. We've been getting straight back into hard work in Year 6, with the focus on maths being coordinates this week. We have been plotting coordinates to create simple shapes, and learning new skills such as translating points on a grid.

In literacy, we are working towards writing a balanced argument all about deforestation. We have been thinking in particular this week about the effects of palm oil, and have enjoyed discussing Iceland's banned advert, 'Rang-Tan'. It provoked a lot of emotion from the children. They may try to convince you not to buy products with palm oil in them from now on!

Our new topics between now and Easter are 'Brazil' and 'Rainforests'. This week, I have sent home the instructions for this term's project, all about Brazil. Please have a look and encourage the children to think about which of the options they would like to have a go at. You can find a copy of the sheet in the Homework section of this page.

Please also look out for a letter all about Year 6 Camp. It should be in an envelope. It is a really important letter, so please ask for another one if your child has mislaid it.

Friday 30th November

This week, we have continued our work on fractions in maths. The children have really impressed me with how they've tackled some tricky fractions reasoning tasks. Next week, we will be looking at the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages, and at how to calculate percentages of amounts.

In literacy, we have been reading the Mayan myth, The Hero Twins. This links in with our current topic, The Maya Civilization. We will b working on planning and writing our own myths over the next few weeks.

We have been making Mayan masks in Art this week. Here are a few photos of the children hard at work:

Friday 23rd November

This week, we visited the Houses of Parliament in London. It was a brilliant day, and the children were fab. We even got to watch a live debate in the House of Commons! Apologies for the late return - I must remember to factor in traffic coming out of London next year!   

Monday 5th November

Welcome back to Term 2 - where did that first term go?! It'll be Christmas before we know it!

This term, in maths, we will be focusing heavily on fractions. There are many different elements to this area of maths - equivalent fractions, adding fractions, multiplying fractions, finding fractions of amounts... - and I'm sure that by Christmas the children will be experts at it all!

In literacy, we will be finishing off our Battle of the Somme newspaper articles, and then moving on to persuasive writing in advertising. Alongside our writing, we will continue to work on our reading comprehension, grammar and spelling. Lots to fit in! 

As well as literacy and maths, we will be learning about the Mayans in our new history topic, animals and their habitats in Science, and completing some more WW1-themed artwork. On top of all of that, we'll soon be starting rehearsals for Carols by Candlelight - eek! A busy, but exciting, half term ahead.

Hope to see you all for Parents' Meetings next week. A letter will be sent home shortly and a sign-up sheet will be out in the playground. :) 

Friday 12th October

It's been very blustery and miserable outside today, but we've managed to stay cheerful in Darwin Class! This week, we have been working on written methods for multiplying and dividing larger numbers. This is an important skill in Year 6, and we will keep working on it throughout the year. Next week, we will be looking a factors and multiples, as well as prime and square numbers.

In literacy, the children have finished their fantastic diary entries, written from the perspective of a WW1 soldier. They also wrote some great letters home to their friends and families, which we wrote up on paper made to look old with tea and coffee. The display isn't quite finished, but I think it's going to look great!

Thank you to those of you who have already paid for the London trip. The children are getting very excited about it already, as am I! It's a fantastic trip and a brilliant opportunity to have a nose inside the Houses of Parliament.

Have a great weekend everyone. Let's hope this weather improves!

Mrs Ochiltree

Friday 28th September

It's been a great week in Darwin Class. The children are fully settled into life in Year 6, and have been carrying out their roles and responsibilities brilliantly. In maths this week, we've been focusing on mental calculation. This group seem to be particularly good at it! Next week, we will be moving on to written formal addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. In literacy, we continue to work on our WW1 diary entries, with a focus on time and place adverbials this week.

The children have also started their WW1 artwork, which is already looking impressive. Here are a few photos of them hard at work:

Friday 21st September

We've had a busy week this week, with lots of activities going on outside of our usual lessons. Wednesday was particularly exciting, when St John Ambulance came in to train the lovely Year 6s in First Aid. They learnt so much, including how to put a bandage on, how to put someone in the recovery position, and what to do if someone is choking. The lovely leader Sarah commented on what a credit they all were to the school, and I totally agree!  

In maths, we have been learning about negative numbers and how to calculate across zero. Next week, we move on to mental addition and subtraction strategies. Literacy is all about our topic, WW1, this term. The children have been working on creating powerful descriptions of a trench, in preparation for writing diary entries from the perspective of a WW1 soldier.

Letters went out about the France trip today. Don't forget, there is a meeting next Thursday at 6pm for those who are interested. It really is an amazing trip, and ties in brilliantly with the children's learning in class this term.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Ochiltree

Thursday 6th September

Welcome back to school! I hope you have all had a fantastic break - the children have been telling me about all of the exciting things they got up to in the holidays. It's always good to be back though, and we're enjoying our new temporary classrooms so far. There will be lots of things that we have to do differently, and it might take a while to get used to everything, but we'll get there!

The new Darwin Class settled in brilliantly today. They all look very grown up in their new red jumpers, and seem more than ready to take on the challenges (and excitement!) of Year 6. Today was all about getting to know how we do things in Year 6, new responsibilities and routines, and generally catching up after a long break. Next week, the hard work begins!

I have sent a letter home today with more details about homework, PE days, etc. The letter is saved in the 'letters' section above if you didn't get one. There will be a 'Back to School' meeting next Thursday, and I am in the playground every morning, so please just ask if you have any questions.

Mrs Ochiltree

Last Year 2017 - 2018

Goodbye and Good Luck

Darwin Class!

28th June

We had a fantastic time at the Virtual Reality workshops today. We went to Space, dived into the bottom of the ocean, visited Brazil and flew to Italy! The children also really impressed me with their geography knowledge - I think they know more than me!

14th June

Happy Friday everyone! It's Camp Week next  week, and for those children who are going, here are a few last minute reminders:

• The coach will be picking us up at 9:15am, ready to leave by 9:30am. Please bring the children to school at the normal time of 8:45am.
• Don't forget to check the Kit List that was sent home for a list of all that you will need. There is a copy in the Camp section of this page if you have lost it.
• We will be keeping you posted on what's going on via out Twitter page @brentryschool. Please let us know if you DO NOT want your child to appear in any photos.
• There is a strict NO MOBILE PHONES rule on Camp.
• Please bring any medication to me in the morning, clearly labelled.
• Don't forget your suncream! (I'm feeling hopeful...)

It will be a fantastic week, and I know the children are all really looking forward to. See you Monday!

25th May

Happy Half Term! It's hard to believe it's the end of term 5 already - only one term left at Brentry Primary for Darwin Class! A huge well done to all of the children for surviving perhaps the toughest week of Year 6 - SATs Week. They all did us and themselves proud, and thoroughly deserved our little celebratory trip to Blaise on Friday. A huge thank you to Nana's mum for the ice-creams on Thursday, and this amazing cake made by Michael's mum on Friday.  

A few reminders for Term 6:

• Swimming begins on Monday 4th June. Pleased don't forget swimming kits.
• Year 6 Camp starts Monday 18th June. All money should have been paid on the Gateway app by now. A letter with further information will be sent out at the beginning of the term.
• Project sheets have been sent home. The title this year is 'Art Around the World'. Please see the Homework section of this page if you have misplaced your sheet.

Finally, have a relaxing half term, whatever you're up to. You deserve it Darwin Class!

16th May

We're over halfway through SATs week. The children have been coping brilliantly. They have impressed us all with their attitude, and most of them actually seem to be enjoying it! This afternoon, they were treated to a Yoga session to help them to relax and de-stress. Thanks to Yoga Buddies for coming in.

4th May

Another few weeks of term 5 have gone by - where is the time going?! We continue to revise hard in preparation for SATs week, and the class continue to impress me with their attitude. And in just 2 weeks, it will all be over, and we'll be off to celebrate at Blaise!

Speaking of which, a letter went home this week asking for consent to take your child to Blaise for a morning of playing in the (hopefully!) glorious sunshine. We might even treat them to an ice-cream! Thanks to those parents who have given consent already.

Speaking of treats, a letter also went home about our trip to Butlins in July. Please see the 'letters' section if you didn't receive a copy.

Just a reminder that SATs week is the week beginning 14th May, and the children will sit tests on Monday to Thursday. Below is a timetable and timings for the week. There will be a cooked breakfast available for all of the children in Year 6 that week, at the cost of £1 per day. This will start at 8am. I would encourage all of the children to attend, as it's a great way to start the day and ensure that we can deal with any last-minute nerves. A good breakfast will also set them up nicely for the day!

SATs Timetable

Monday - Spelling Punctuation and Grammar (60 minutes)

Tuesday - Reading (60 minutes)

Wednesday - Maths Arithmetic (30 minutes) and Reasoning 1 (40 minutes)

Thursday - Maths Reasoning 2 (40 minutes)

20th April

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter break and are enjoying the sunshine we've got at the moment. We need to make the most of it, because it might be all we get this year!

The children have 3 weeks to go until their SATs week, and they are working very hard in preparation for it. We have been doing lots of maths and English in class, as well as in our Booster sessions. Their hard work is paying off, as we have seen so much progress over the last month or so. I know a lot of the children are working hard with their revision at home too. I keep reminding them that it's not forever - soon enough SATs will be behind us and we'll be able to enjoy all of the other subjects again which have been put on hold for a bit. Plus, there's Blaise to look forward to, and then the much anticipated Exmouth Camp. I can't wait!

Soon, a letter will be coming home with details of SATs week, including the Breakfast Club we put on for Year 6 that week. There will also be further details about Camp. Thank you to those of you who have paid the deposit already.

Last week, the Year 6s did us very proud by helping to organise and run our Sports Relief Skipathon. They were on their feet all day, helping the younger children to count their skips, and did a fantastic job. As well as helping out, they did their own skips at the end of the day too, and smashed the whole school total with over 13,000 skips! An amazing effort. Don't forget to bring in any sponsor money next week if you haven't done so already.

23rd March

Well, SATs Week will soon be upon us – only 5 weeks after we get back from the holidays and then we’re there! You have all been working so hard on your revision, in school and at home, and this is the final slog. Over the two week break, it is important that you don’t completely forget about your revision. We don’t want all your hard work going to waste! However, it’s just as important to make sure you get a rest too. Have fun with your friends and family, play games, eat ice-cream and ride your bike in the sunshine. It’s all about getting a balance. Just put half an hour aside every so often (in between all of the fun), to look through your Maths, Spellings, SPaG and Reading. Just so that you’re all still super switched on by the time we get back to school for the home straight!

More information will be coming out about SATs Week, Breakfast Club, and a little end-of-SATs celebration trip to Blaise after the Easter holidays.

HAPPY EASTER from Darwin Class!

16th March

Bedtime Stories (for Year 6 ONLY) has been rescheduled for Wednesday 21st March, from 6pm - 6:45pm. A letter was sent home today.

15th March

Look who came to see us today! Evie's auntie brought in her baby bunnies, Charlie and Copper. We fell in love with them!

9th March

Happy (postponed) World Book Day! I think we had some of the best costumes yet this year. Thanks for all of your efforts!

6th March

The children loved their Taekwondo session today...

5th March

Well, things are back to normal after the Beast from the East took over. Hope you all made the most of the unexpected Snow Day - I'm sure the children loved it! Unfortunately, quite a few of our English Week plans were affected by the snow, but we did manage to get our library visit in on Monday. The children behaved brilliantly and seemed to really enjoy exploring the wide range of books they have on offer at Henbury.

Huge congratulations to Kristel, who was crowned our Year 6 Spelling Bee champion. Very impressive!

Don't forget that Revision Club will start this Tuesday after school, and on Friday morning at 8am. Please note that next Tuesday's Revision Club will be cancelled due to Parents' Meetings.

23rd February

On Monday, we kicked off our Booster sessions, which will continue until SATs week. Every Monday and Thursday morning, the class will be split into smaller groups, which will help the teachers to focus on their particular needs. It also helps those children who are less confident in larger groups to share what they might find difficult. Hopefully, the children are enjoying the sessions so far. They are doing really well!

SATs revision packs were sent home today. Please see the 'homework' section above for further information on these.

Don't forget - next week is English Week. On Monday, we will be going to Henbury Library, and need the permission slips for this returned.

9th February

INTERNATIONAL WEEK

This week, we have been learning about, and celebrating, different cultures from all around the world. One of the highlights was seeing the children's faces as they tried food from different countries. Here's a selection of what we tasted. The ackee was a particular favourite....

Thanks to the parents who came to the Camp / SATs information evening last night. Hopefully, you found it useful. More information will be sent home after half term, along with the SATs revision packs. For those of you who couldn't make it, I have saved the presentation in the 'letters' section of this page.

2nd February

Finally, January is over, and we can start to look forward to longer days and (fingers crossed!) a little bit of sunshine .

It's also the start of a busy few months for Year 6. After half term, we will be starting our SATs booster sessions, a revision club, and SATs revision packs will be given out. It's an exciting time, and we want the children to view it as such. Whilst they need to realise that their SATs are important, and that they need to put in a great deal of effort over the next few months, we also don't want them to get too stressed. It's all about balance! With that in mind, I invite you to a meeting on Thursday evening, at 6pm, all about SATs and what to expect. I will also be giving out important information about Year 6 Camp. A letter has gone home with more details; you can find it in the 'letters' section of this page.

26th January

In Year 6 this term, we've been learning all about rainforests. Linked to our literacy lessons, the children have been writing impressive rainforest setting descriptions, which we will be turning into stories. Next term, we will continue our work on rainforests by writing balanced arguments about the effects of deforestation.

In maths, we have been learning about decimals and percentages, and looking at how to calculate percentages of amounts. It's a tricky area to master, but the children are getting there!

Next Monday, don't forget about our trip to Henbury School to watch their performance of Beauty and the Beast. We might see some familiar Brentry faces in it too - exciting! If you haven't returned the permission slip yet, please do so on Monday.

The deadline for projects to be handed in is Friday 2nd February. Not long now!

4th January

Welcome back! Hope you’ve all had a fantastic Christmas and a very happy New Year. Just a few reminders for the term:

• Homework Project sheets were given out at the end of last term. Some of the children have already been telling me their plans, which is great. If you didn’t get one, I have lots of spares in class! There will be no extra homework set until after the deadline for the projects, which is Friday 2nd February.

• Thank you to those of you who have returned the slip regarding Year 6 Camp. Apologies to those who have tried to pay the deposit on Gateway and found it isn’t there. I will endeavour to sort this out ASAP, and a text will be sent out when it is up and running.

   

• SATs week begins Monday 14th May. After half term, we will begin SATs Booster revision sessions, which will involve the class being split into smaller, more focused groups twice a week.

• I will be holding a SATs / Camp information evening just before the half term. The children will also receive their SATs revision packs.

   

• An after school revision club will be available in Term 4. A letter will be sent out soon for those children interested in attending.

I think that’s it for now. A busy few terms ahead! Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Ochiltree

17th November

This term, the children have been learning all about World War One. They have been learning about the causes of the war, propaganda and life in the trenches. As part of our literacy this term, the children have been using noun phrases to write powerful descriptions of the trenches. We have been looking at WW1 soldiers' diary entries and letters home, and we will be writing some of our own next week. The children have also been creating some amazing pieces of WW1 artwork. Photos will be posted soon!

In the meantime, here's a photograph of the brilliant 1950s adverts that the children were working on last term. We have created a display of them in the corridor. Take a closer look next time you're in school!

In maths, we have been learning all about fractions. There is so much to learn, and the children have done so well to keep up with all of the different methods and strategies. Next week, we will be working on finding fractions of amounts.

In PE this term, we are doing gymnastics. The children have been creating counter balances in pairs. Here are some photos of the amazing shapes they created.

3rd November

Our school trip to the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday was a huge success. The children were an absolute credit to the school and behaved impeccably throughout the day. We learnt so much about the history of elections and voting in our People's Parliament workshop - I think we have some budding politicians in the group! The tour was fascinating, and made even more special by the fact we were able to watch a live debate in the House of Commons. A once in a lifetime opportunity!

10th October

It's Mental Health Awareness Week, and we joined the #helloyellow Young Minds campaign by wearing something yellow today. Mental health is such an important issue, and this morning we spent time discussing ways in which our mental health can be affected. We also thought about some coping strategies, and ways in which we can help ourselves and our friends. The children came up with some excellent ideas and had a brilliantly mature attitude to the whole topic. Here they are in their #helloyellow outfits...

15th September

This week, we've continued our work on Place Value in maths by working with negative numbers. We had fun playing a game of 'Tug of War', which involved adding and subtracting across zero.

5th September

Welcome to Year 6! We've had a great first day back. The children have been full of enthusiasm for the year ahead, and seem excited about being the oldest (and most responsible!) members of the school. They looked so grown up in their red jumpers...

A letter came home today about our Back to School meeting. This will be held on Thursday, after school at 3:30pm.I hope you can all make it. For those of you who can't, I have also sent home a letter outlining some of the most important information about Year 6. This can also be found in the 'Letters' section above.

Any questions, please don't hesitate to come and see me!

Miss Evans