Meerkats

Welcome to Meerkat's Class!

Hello and welcome to the Meerkat's class page. Miss James is the class teacher with support from teaching assistants Mrs Evans (am), Mrs Thompson (pm) & Miss Summerfield (one to one support).

We are really excited for this year as we have lots of fun things planned! 

PE

Our P.E days are Monday so please send the children in their full PE kit on this day.

Reading Books

Please bring book bags into school on Tuesdays and Fridays. Staff will change the children's books for them. We will also look at reading diaries.

Homework

Homework is sent home on Fridays. This  is a list of spellings and a piece of Maths, both linked to learning in the week.  

Please return all homework by the following Friday.

Week Commencing 27.06.22

This week we have started reading a new book called Tidy by Emily Gravett, which is about a badger who loves tidying up but gets a bit carried away! In Maths we have been learning about money and recognising coins and notes. We have been developing our map reading skills in Geography and in topic we continued to learn about world habitats. Tomorrow we are making our clay sculptures in art. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Jack for his amazing Maths skills!

Harry F for his fantastic listening and speaking skills on the carpet. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 20.06.22

This week we have continued to read Last Tree in the City and have focused on feeling adjectives and creating a story map. The children have loved listening to our class book, The Enchanted Wood, being read to them each day. Afterwards they read parts of the text independently and answer comprehension questions. In music we have been exploring myths and legends of the UK, such as the Loch Ness Monster and the Giant's Causeway. In Maths we have been using 'chips and peas' concrete resources to count in 10s and 1s. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Darcie for her wonderful counting skills in maths

Scarlett for her creativity in music

Well done! 

Week Commencing 13.06.22

This week we have started reading a new book called The Last Tree in the City and we have been using ambitious adjectives to describe the setting and characters. In Geography we are learning mapping skills of our local area and school. In our Topic, It's Alive, we have been exploring local habitats in our wildlife garden. In Maths we have explored numbers to 100. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Violet for her fantastic handwriting. 

Leo for trying hard to focus on the carpet.

Well done! 

Week Commencing 6.06.22

We have had a great first week back in school and have enjoyed starting our new topic 'It's Alive!' which is a Science based topic looking at the difference between living, once living and never living things. We did our phonic screening tests this week and all the children did really well! I am very proud of them for all of their hard work :) We are doing a ceramic project this half term in Art. This week in English we are writing a biography for Sir David Attenborough and in Maths we have been learning directions. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Alyssa for her kindness and thinking of others.

Layla for her amazing listening and speaking skills on the carpet. 

Week Commencing 23.05.22

This week we have been writing a book review and comparison between Florette and the Secret Sky Garden using our own opinions. We wrote a reflection on our moving part pictures for Design Technology and in Maths we have been learning about halves and quarters. Today we had a lovely day celebrating the Queen's Jubilee! We hung up the bunting we made outside and had a special picnic lunch. We were also given a book each to celebrate this special occasion.

Enjoy your half term break! 

Week Commencing 16.05.22

This week we have been writing a narrative recount of the book Florette, which we have read for the last two weeks, using feeling adjectives and commas. We finished making our moving parts pictures in DT today and we are very proud of our achievements! We independently used split pins and leavers to make our woodland animals move amongst the the flowers and plants we printed in a previous lesson. In Science we compared two different plants and in Maths we have been exploring halves and quarters. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Freddie for his enthusiasm and kindness to others.

Amber for taking on feedback very maturely. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 09.05.22

This week in English we have been reading a new book called Florette which is about a little girl called Mae who moves into the city and can't take her garden with her. Mae is very sad so creates her own garden in the city. We have been describing her new home and garden using ambitious vocabulary. In our topic we have examining fruits and vegetables and making comparisons. In Maths we are continuing equal sharing and recapping number bonds. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Meilah for improving her phonics.

Evelyn for her wonderful drawings and printing in DT. 

Well done  

Week Commencing 02.05.22

This week we have been growing seeds and writing instructions in English. In reading we have continued Winnie the Pooh and in DT we printed our styrofoam boards to make our William Morris inspired backgrounds. In Maths we have been using arrays and doubling. In our Blooming Marvellous topic we have compared seeds and bulbs. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Ekko for his great phonic and maths skills.

Lilly for her interesting ideas in her writing. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 25.04.22

This week we enjoyed visiting our chicks each day and seeing how they had grown! We even got to hold them :) In English we have written a narrative recount of The Secret Sky Garden using synonyms for how the main character, Funni, was feeling. We have started reading a new guided reading book, Winnie the Pooh, which we have enjoyed. In Art and DT we are looking at William Morris' prints and making our own repeated pattern print with moving parts. In Maths we have been learning about equal sharing and arrays. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Molly for her fantastic use of synonyms in her writing.

Violet for her very neat handwriting.

Well done! 

Week Commencing 19.04.22

We have had a great first week back in school and welcomed some very cute chicks to school, which we have visited each day to see how many have hatched! We have been reading a new book called The Secret Garden which is about a garden that is built in an abandoned car park. We created our own 3D secret gardens and wrote descriptions of our gardens. Our new topic is Blooming Marvellous and we will be learning all about plants, flowers and trees. In Maths we have been counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.  

Our Stars of the Week are:

Isabella for being kind to her friends.

Alissia for being caring towards her table group. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 28.03.22

This week we have continued to read Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain and we have written a recount of the story using adjectives and similes. In Reading we read The Tale of Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter and in Maths we have revisited subtraction. It was the last week of our Africa topic and we made a poster to showcase all of the facts we have learnt about Kenya. Their have been lots of amazing Easter bonnets today and the children enjoyed our parade. Well done to Esme for winning the best bonnet! 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Hugo for working hard to improve his writing and being mature in class. 

Jake for his fantastic Maths and neat handwriting. 

Week Commencing 21.03.22

This week we started reading a new book for our Africa topic called Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. It is a rhyming book that explores a folktale about a boy who brings the rain by shooting an arrow into a raincloud. In Maths we have been recapping addition and subtraction. In Reading we continue to read a new Beatrice Potter book each week, this week it was Jemima Puddle Duck. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Fallon for working hard on her neat handwriting.

Sophia for her fantastic listening skills.

Well done! 

Week Commencing 14.03.22

This week has been art week and we have been lucky to experience lots of amazing things! Each afternoon we have been making art and learning about the art work of Lubaina Himid, who was born in Zanzibar and lives in Preston. Lubaina makes all different kinds of art such as paintings, sculptures, textiles and prints and each class have been making a different kind of art work like her - the Meerkats have made sculptures. Lubaina's work is about celebrating diversity and making everyone feel special so we have been learning about some important people such as Lenny Henry and Floella Benjamin and we have made portraits of them. We also took part in an African Drumming workshop and today we went to Patchings Art Centre in Calverton and made paintings in the style of Edward Tingatinga, an artist from Tanzania! 

In English we wrote a fact file about a school girl who is part of the Maasai Tribe in Africa and in Maths we learnt about capacity and volume. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Violet for her wonderful and careful writing.

Molly for her super writing and listening skills.

Week Commencing 07.03.22

This week we have been writing a diary entry for Lila and the Secret of the Rain, imagining that we if were Lila how we would feel if we had no rain to help us survive. We have been using wonderful adjectives and similes and writing independently! In our Africa topic we have compared animals in our local area to animals in the Serengeti. In maths we have been learning about mass and weighing different objects. 

Next week is art week and we are very excited to be making art each afternoon, taking part in an African Drumming workshop and going on a trip to Patchings Art Centre to learn about painting! 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Oliver for his fantastically creative writing and always being kind to his friends. 

Lily for her wonderful ideas in her independent writing and working hard to keep her focus.  

Week Commencing 28.02.22

This week we have continued to read Lila and the Secret of the Rain and we wrote a recount of the story using our adjectives and similes. In our Topic lesson we have been comparing Kenya's geography to the UK's, and our new PE topic this term is dance with a superhero theme! In Maths we have started a new topic of measure, using different methods such as objects and rulers. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Harry K for his amazing Geography knowledge.

Tyler for working really hard on his phonic skills.

Well done! 

Week Commencing 21.02.22

This week we started reading a new book called Lila and the Secret of the Rain which is set in Kenya, linked to our new Africa topic. We started to learn some facts about Africa in our topic lesson, such as Africa is a continent made up of 54 countries. In Maths we have been counting in 2s and 5s. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Leo for his focus in his writing lessons.

Sienna for working hard to improve her writing. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 7.02.22

This week we finished reading Fantastic Mr Fox and wrote a book review. We also made felt puppets of Mr and Mrs Fox and have displayed them on our underground burrow display! In English we made apple muffins and then wrote the recipe using verbs and adverbs. In Maths we have been using base 10 material to make numbers to 50.

Our Stars of the Week are:

Darcie for her wonderful attitude in all her lessons and very neat handwriting. 

Jack for making super progress in Maths and improving his handwriting as well. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 31.01.22

This week we have been finding all about Roald Dahl and writing a fact file about him. We like reading his stories because in his books children are always in charge and the adults always do silly things! We have also been researching Wes Anderson who is a film maker that made an animation film of Fantastic Mr Fox. In Maths we have been counting forwards and backwards within 50.

Our Stars of the Week are:

Harry F for his concentration on the carpet and great answers.

Esme for her amazing improvements in Maths and writing. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 24.01.22

This week we have continued to focus our English on LOTS, The Diversity of Life on Earth and we have been writing descriptions of the ocean and ocean creatures. We are still enjoying reading Fantastic Mr Fox and have been using our prediction skills to predict what will happen next. In Maths we are counting in 10s up to 50. We enjoyed our visit from Cricket Stars today are learnt ball and batting skills. 

Our Stars of the week are:

Layla for her concentration skills and mature approach to her independent work.

Alyssa for her enthusiasm in her work and improving her hand writing. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 20.01.22

This week we have been reading a lovely book called LOTS, The Diversity of Life on Earth, which is all about our planet and the huge variety of animals and plants that live on it. We have been using this to write a description of a jungle using adjectives and similes. In topic we have made an observational drawing of a fox's face focusing on details and texture. In Maths we have been subtracting to 20. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Amber for her fantastic writing and kindness to other children.

Freddie for his creative writing and his enthusiasm in every lesson.

Well done! 

Week Commencing 10.01.22

This week we have been continuing our topic Our Wonderful World by exploring the local wildlife in Calverton. We did a wildlife hunt around school and found lots of birds, insects and said hello to the chickens in the Nursery! In English we have been writing a fact file on foxes and continuing to read Fantastic Mr Fox. In Maths we have been bridging through 10 and practising number bonds. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Meilah for improving her concentration in Maths.

Evelyn for her amazing writing which is always so funny and creative. 

Well done!  

Week Commencing 5.01.22

It has been lovely to be back in school again and hear about everyone's Christmas holidays! This week we have written New Year's resolutions in PSE and explored the The Magic Box Poem in English. In Maths we have been counting on to 20. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Fallon for trying hard to keep her focus during lessons.

Jake for his fantastic Maths skills.

Well done! 

Week Commencing 12.12.21

We have had a lovely end to the year this week with our Nativity performance, a message from Father Christmas and his reindeer, as well as him leaving everyone a present. We have been enjoying making festive art with our calendars and Christmas trees cards. In English we have been recounting the story of Edgar the Dragon from the John Lewis Christmas advert and in Maths we have have been comparing quantities. 

Week Commencing 06.12.12

This week we have been reading The Snowman book in Literacy and have been writing a recount, using adjectives and commas to describe the characters and story. We have been making some lovely art work to turn into calendars which we will send home next week. In Maths we have been subtracting from 20. We are looking forward to showing you our Nativity performance next week.

Our stars if the week are:

Alissia and Harry for improving their  writing. Well done! ☺️

Week Commencing 29.11.21

This week we were lucky to have a panto come to school and perform a very funny version of Aladdin which we really enjoyed. In English we have been writing a recount of the Nativity story using commas and adjectives. We have been practising hard for our Nativity performance which is going well. Thank you for helping the children learn their lines. In Maths we have been counting up to 20 and using tens and ones. 
 

Our stars of the week are: 
Oliver for using commas well in his writing.

Sophia for showing good listening skills during learning time.

Well done! 

Week Commencing 22.11.21

This week we have been writing our letters to Santa. We have enjoyed thinking about what we would like for Christmas and reflecting on the year. We have also started rehearsing for our Nativity play, learning the songs and giving out roles. In Maths we have moved onto 3D and 2D shapes. In dance we our responding to a poem about the life cycle of a flower.  

Our Stars of the Week are:

Amber for being proud of her letter to Santa.

Alissia for independent sounding out skills in writing. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 14.11.21

Today we enjoyed supporting Children in Need, getting dressed up and learning about the charity. Thank you for all of your kind donations. This week we have been writing a recount of our trip to Brakenhurst using time words and adjectives. In Maths we have been comparing greater than and less than with both addition and subtraction. We have moved on from Gymnastics to Dance in our PE lessons. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Isabella for her fantastic writing this week and sounding out independently. 

Tyler for improving his focus and listening during his learning. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 8.11.21

We have had a fantastic week this week culminating in our trip today to Brakenhurst which we all really enjoyed; exploring the gardens and playing cooperative games and activities together. In English, for our last lesson on the Great Fire of London topic which we have loved, we have been writing a newspaper report and in Maths we have began subtraction within 10. We also made our Paddington artworks so thank you for sending in your toilet rolls!

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Freddie for always being so positive and trying really hard in all of his work.

Molly for her focus and working really well independently. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 01.11.21

We have enjoyed our first week back after half term and have been having a creative week making artworks inspired by the great fire of London. I have been very impressed by the children's artworks made over half term as well, with some spectacular 3D bakeries! In English we have been learning how to write a recipe for bread and we have also made and tasted bread. In Maths we have been continuing to learn about addition and number bonds. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Lily for showing great focus in recent weeks and really applying herself. 

Sienna for showing great improvement in Maths. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 11.10.21

We have continued our Great of Fire of London topic this week by delving into Samual Pepys' life and his diary. We retold his dairies through drama and actions to help us remember as well as storyboarding the sequence of events through pictures. We have written our own diaries from Samuel's perspective using personal pronouns, feeling adjectives and similes. I am sure your children would like to share some of their creative sentences if you ask them! :) In Maths we have been recapping greater than, less than and equal to and will have a test on all we have learnt this term. We have been creating artwork inspired by our topic drawing timber framed houses as well as creating scenes of London burning with chalk, pastel and cutouts. 

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Scarlett for making good improvements in Maths and English as well as sharing her ideas on the carpet.

Harry F for always been keen and ready to learn each day with a big smile on his face! 

Well done 

Have a wonderful break! 

Week Commencing 04.10.21

This week we have been preparing for our Harvest Festival celebration by learning new songs and stories. On Thursday we performed a song and story for the Minister of Calverton Methodist Church which was recorded and will be on our website for parents and carers to enjoy. Thank you to all families who made a kind food donation. 

In English we have been learning about fire fighters in order to write a non-chronological story or fact file this week. In Maths we have continued to explore number bonds to 10. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Jack for always trying his very best in each lesson.

Darcie for fantastic focus and taking on feedback to improve her work. 

Well done! 

Week Commencing 27.09.21

This week we were so excited for the fire fighters and their truck to come and visit us! From them we learnt about the differences between the modern fire service and what it was like in 1666 when the Great Fire of London happened. In English we have continued to read our narrative story of the Great Fire of London and have been describing different aspects of the book each day. In Maths we have started learning about part-whole models as we begin to explore addition and subtraction in more depth. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Violet and Alyssa - both for their fantastic descriptive writing which has really developed this week. Well done! :) 

Week Commencing 20.09.21

This week we started our new topic The Great Fire of London which we will be doing for the rest of term 1. Our question this week was 'where did the fire happen?' and we have begun reading our new book which describes the event alongside lovely illustrations. In English and reading we have been recounting the story so far and in Maths we have been learning how to order numbers. 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Esme for her focus and improvement in Maths.

Hugo for always being so kind to all of his classmates and teachers. 

Week Commencing 13.09.21

This week we have continued our 'Me and My World' topic by learning about being healthy. We had a visit from Life Education who came to talk to us about how to keep our bodies healthy and we have been exploring the Eatwell Guide to maintain a balanced diet. In English we read 'Oliver's Fruit Salad' and we even made and tried our own fruit salad this week! It was tasty! We then used this to write a recipe. In Maths we have been leaning about more, less, greater and equal.

Our stars of the week are:

Leonardo for his fantastic listening on the carpet and wonderful reading.

Layla for all of her hard work this week and showing great improvements in her writing. 

Week Commencing 06.09.21

We have had a lovely first week getting to know each other and enjoying being back in school. Our topic this week and next is 'Me and My World' where we have been exploring family and friends as well as our school ethos and rules. In English and Reading we have been learning about emotions through the book 'In My Heart' and in Maths we have been practising counting to 20. Have a look at our drawings exploring different emotions and our self portraits! 

Our Stars of the Week are:

Evelyn for fantastic listening and focus in her work.

Sophia for showing great resilience and following instructions very well.

Well done Evelyn and Sophia!