Dear Parents,
Many of you have probably read this message on the website. However, I thought an e mail my reach more of you.
I hope you all had a lovely half term and were able to make the most of the beautiful weather. As the second half of the summer term approaches, we look forward to welcoming some of our year sixes back into class. We hope that if the situation is right more of the children may be joining us for our ‘socially distanced’ learning, and an opportunity to celebrate the end of primary school together.
For year 5, home learning continues for a while. We understand that this is not ideal and children miss their friends. We want to thank you all for your incredible support and correspondence keeping us updated on how the children are doing.
As teachers, we plan lessons for children differentiating for different ability groups. On a day to day basis, we review our plans deciding if the children need consolidation or to ‘move on’ more quickly. We may realise that they have come as far as they can with a topic or abandon a maths sheet half way through when we realise it is just too difficult for them to grasp. As the children will tell you, it is their mistakes we are interested in not just their success. Were they silly mistakes or have they not understood the concept? None of this is as easy when we are not in school so it is here that I ask for your help…
It is a very long time since your children have been in the classroom and we have worked with them. Some of you have already pointed out gaps you have realised or areas where the children need more work. If you feel, particularly in maths, that there is an area that your child needs consolidation, please get in touch as it may be appropriate for the whole class to look at this for a few days or we can send you additional resources. It is great to have feedback on any of the learning we are setting across the curriculum as it helps guide our planning.
We fully understand that many of you are trying to do your own work from home, and your children may have to get on independently. However, we ask if you can check they understand the task before they start the activity, and then you look at it once they have finished. We know only too well from class teaching that children can start off enthusiastically on their independent task but when we return to their group, they may have not really understood what is asked and are doing the wrong thing. This is particularly damaging in maths and it is important misconceptions are cleared up straight away. We appreciate that many of you are already discussing their finished work with them looking at their errors and making them feel the task is worthwhile
We are very sad to say goodbye to Mrs Deards who I know is equally sad to be saying goodbye to Blue. However, we are lucky to have Mrs Bernsaconi back teaching two days a week who knows our year 6 well.
At the start of last term, I managed to speak to most of you. If any of you would like another phone call, then please leave a message in school or e mail
benson.g@claverly.shropshire.sch.uk
bernasconi.r@claverley.shropshire.sch.uk
Once again, we wish to thank you for your support. Do not expect to fill the whole day with lessons. Teaching just a few key workers over the last nine weeks has made us realise how much quicker children in very small groups can complete their work.
Keep safe
Yours truly,
Mrs Benson
