Dear parents and carers,

In Maths, we looked at related facts – where the children used their knowledge of number bonds to ten to help them add tens numbers up to 100. They did a fantastic job with this and are becoming far more able when spotting helpful patterns in numbers.

In English, we have spent time looking at different types of instructions. We then spent time playing with time conjunctions, imperative verbs, nouns and adjectives before making plans for our very own set of instructions that we will be writing next week.

In Art, we continued our work looking at line making and took on two challenging tasks. The first required the children to draw the outline of a cityscape – without taking their pencil off the page. Then, they had to draw another cityscape, but this time using their weakest hand. It was a real challenge and the children persevered very well but I think they would all prefer to use their strongest hand and have the option of lifting their pencil!

Reading Books and Reading Records

We have had a few queries and questions regarding reading at home and the reading records. Here is a summary of the information that has been sent previously:

• Reading records and fluency books need to be returned to school on Thursday, every week.
• Please make sure you have made a note of your child’s reading at home, in the Reading Record.
• Reading records will then come back home on Friday with a new fluency book for you to read at home.
• Your child’s current reading level is based on our in-school assessments from both the end of last year and the beginning of this year. We then used these assessments to place them in a group, reading a book that is appropriate to their level. The children will read their fluency book at school 3 times before they bring it home in addition to completing some reading activities based around the book. The hope is that they should then come home and be able to read the book confidently with most words being read automatically. Current research shows that this is an appropriate model to help improve children's reading.
• Due to the way the groups work and the availability of books, there will be occasions when your child will read a book for a second time. We assess the children regularly and move them up a level so they can move onto a new batch of books when ready. We are currently finishing our latest round of assessments so levels will change if your child is making the expected progress.
• If you would like to know your child's reading level, it is written on the back of the book they bring home.
• You are welcome to buy or borrow books from a library to help supplement your child's reading at home and there are also library books coming home from school too, on a Tuesday.

After all that, Reading Records will come home on Monday next week as we missed a fluency session on Friday due to Fluffy. The children can keep these for half term and return them on the following Thursday.

• Half term – Early finish on Wednesday 23 October at 1:15
• Fire Safety visit from the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service - Wednesday 6 November
• St Paul's Cathedral – Monday 18 November
• Parents evening – Tuesday 12 November and Thursday 14 November