Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had another busy and exciting week in Pegasus Class, with lots of fantastic learning taking place!

This Week

As writers, we have continued exploring Traction Man is Here! by Mini Grey. This week, we have been learning about prepositions and using prepositional phrases to describe where things are. We have also been imagining Traction Man embarking on his next daring adventure: rescuing the plates, cutlery and Scrubbing Brush from the dastardly bubbles lurking in the kitchen sink! What might look like an ordinary washing-up session to us is, of course, a dangerous mission for Traction Man! The children have been using their imaginations to explore this exciting setting and develop descriptive language.

As mathematicians, we have been developing our addition and subtraction skills, focusing particularly on bridging through ten. The children have been using practical resources, including number lines, to help them understand how numbers can be partitioned to make calculations easier. A secure knowledge of number bonds to 10 and 20 is absolutely essential for this learning. Please practise these regularly at home! Being able to recall number bonds quickly and confidently will make a huge difference as we move on to more challenging calculations. Even five minutes of practice each day can have a real impact.

As scientists, we have begun our exciting new unit exploring everyday materials and their properties. This week, we have been thinking about how scientists carry out investigations and how we can test different materials. We focused on absorbency, investigating a range of different types of tissue to discover which was the most absorbent. The children enjoyed making predictions, carrying out their tests and comparing their results. We also began thinking about what makes a test fair and why it is important to keep some things the same when conducting an investigation.

As athletes, we have continued learning about fitness and the importance of keeping our bodies healthy and active. The children have been completing fitness circuits, taking part in a range of exercises designed to develop their strength, stamina and coordination.

As musicians, we have been busy learning and practising the carols for our upcoming performance of Captain Cats on Tuesday 8th December. The children are working hard to become familiar with the songs, and we are looking forward to bringing everything together for the performance!

Next Week

As writers, we will continue our adventures with Traction Man, developing our ideas about his daring missions and using descriptive vocabulary to bring our writing to life.

As mathematicians, we will continue strengthening our addition and subtraction skills, building confidence with number bonds and using these to solve increasingly challenging calculations.

As scientists, we will continue investigating the properties of everyday materials, exploring how different materials behave and considering why particular materials are suitable for different purposes.

Home Learning

Spelling

This week's spelling focus has been the 'or' sound spelt 'al' or 'all', as in walk, talk, ball and small.

The children have now received their new spelling logbooks, which they will use to record and practise their spellings during the week. Please support your child by practising their spellings with them regularly at home. It is important that spelling logbooks are brought into school every day, as we will also be using them during our spelling and writing lessons.

Every Monday morning, the children will complete a Speed Spell (spelling test), revisiting the spelling rules taught during the previous week. This will help us assess how confidently children can apply the rules they have been learning.

Maths

Please complete week 8 of the White Rose Maths book and continue practising number bonds to 10 and 20 at home. You could challenge your child to answer quick-fire questions, play number bond games or ask them to find the missing number in calculations such as 7 + __ = 10 or 13 + __ = 20.

Regular practice will help children develop the fluency and confidence they need to succeed in Maths.

Captain Cats – Christmas Performance

We are very excited that Pegasus Class will be taking part in Captain Cats, a joint Christmas performance between North Hinksey and our sister school, St Frideswides.

The performance will take place at University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford on Tuesday 8th December, from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. Parents and carers are warmly invited to join us, and you will be able to collect your child directly from the church following the performance. Children who are not collected will walk back to school with staff, arriving just after the end of the school day.

In preparation for our performance, we will be travelling to St Frideswides for rehearsals on the next three Tuesdays. These rehearsals will take place during the morning, with children travelling by minibus/taxi with a member of staff. We will return to North Hinksey before lunchtime on each occasion. Please complete this Google Form to give permission for them to travel to St Frideswides. 

The children are already busy learning their carols, and we are looking forward to seeing the performance come together! We will share further information about costumes once the roles have been finalised.

Important Information

Please could you make sure that children come to school with indoor and outdoor shoes. As the weather deteriorates, the field is likely to get muddier, making it essential that students have indoor shoes to change into after break and lunchtime.

 The HSA AGM is on the 1st December at 8pm. This meeting will be held online, with a link below to the meeting. We warmly welcome as many parents as possible to hear about the amazing work of the HSA over the last year and the funds raised. HSA AGM Link.

 We kindly ask for your help in reminding children that personal toys should stay at home. Bringing toys into school can cause unintended upset and disruption to learning, and school cannot take responsibility for lost or broken items. 

Items brought in specifically for Thought of the Day are still very welcome! These will be kept safe and put away once your child has finished sharing.

Upcoming Dates

• 1st December – HSA AGM, 8pm (online)
• 8th December – Captain Cats performance, 1:30pm–2:30pm, St Mary the Virgin Church - Oxford
• 10th December – Pegasus trip to see Snow White at Oxford Playhouse
• 11th December – HSA Christmas Bazaar, 5pm–7pm
• 11th December – Christmas Dinner Day (children may wear Christmas jumpers)
• 14th–18th December – Spirit Week (details to follow)
• 17th December – Upper School Christmas Service at St Peter and St Paul, 10am
• 18th December – End of term, school closes at 1pm

Thank you for your continued support. Have a lovely weekend!

The Pegasus Team