Year 2

Take a look at what Year two has been doing this week:

Year 4

Welcome to the first Year 4 newsletter of the academic year!

It is fair to say that most of the children, including those who are new to Year 4, have settled in very well in our new location. We are delighted with how positively the children have adapted to their new surroundings, routines and expectations. Without wasting any time, we have dived straight into our curriculum and the children have already produced some amazing work. Please take a look at some of the pictures showcasing their fantastic efforts.

📚 Maths

We have started our unit on Place Value. The children are developing their understanding of the value of digits within numbers and are beginning to record their work directly in their books rather than relying on worksheets. We are encouraging children to show their working clearly and take pride in their presentation.

📖 Reading

The children have started reading The Firework-Maker’s Daughter. Most children have demonstrated a good understanding of the first chapter we have read so far and have been able to answer questions about the text. We will continue to develop their comprehension, vocabulary and ability to discuss what they have read.

✍️ Writing

In Writing, the children have begun learning about the book River. They are beginning to identify different word classes, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions. The children have also started gathering vocabulary and ideas to help them describe different scenes creatively and effectively.

🔬 Science

We have started our new unit on States of Matter. The children will be learning about solids, liquids and gases and exploring the different properties of each state of matter.

🌍 Geography

In Geography, we have begun learning about the water cycle. The children will have an opportunity to put their learning into practice during our visit to Cassiobury Park on Wednesday 30th September.

🎨 Art

The children have completed work inspired by our class artist. We have been very pleased to see the creativity and imagination demonstrated by many of the children. It has been wonderful to see them developing confidence in expressing their ideas through art. Please provide your child with an empty, clean package/box/plastic for their work on packaging. See the class dodjo message sent by Mrs. Mohamed on 8th September.

🏠 Home Learning

A quick reminder to please ensure that your child completes their daily home learning tasks. Regular practice helps children retain knowledge, strengthen their understanding and build confidence in their learning.

Home learning includes both online and offline activities, so please encourage your child to complete all tasks set. We have already seen some fantastic spelling work and we would like to thank you for supporting your children with their learning at home.

Spelling words for the whole half-term were also posted on class dojo.

👨👩👧👦 Year 4 Curriculum Meeting

Our Year 4 Curriculum Meeting will take place on:

Monday 14th September 2026

2:30pm – 3:00pm

In your child’s individual classroom

Please refer to ClassDojo or the school newsletter for further information.

✖️ MTC – Times Tables Test

The children should practise their times tables every day and aim for full marks: 25/25.

Login details for Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) have been provided. Please encourage your child to complete Soundcheck every day as regular practice will help them develop speed and accuracy.

Please also keep the home learning book safe, as it contains important information and login details for the various learning platforms your child will be using throughout the year.

📢 Updates

Please continue to check ClassDojo and the school website regularly for weekly updates, important messages and information about upcoming events.

💛 Thank You for Your Support

We would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome all our Year 4 parents and carers. We are very excited about the year ahead and look forward to working closely with you to ensure that your children have a happy, successful and rewarding year.

Your support and partnership are incredibly important. Please continue to encourage your child, support them with their home learning, promote regular reading and times-table practice and celebrate their achievements. When school and home work together, children are given the best possible opportunity to thrive.

We look forward to a fantastic year of learning, growth, continued support, encouragement and cooperation and success together!

Kind regards,

Year 4 Team

Nursery Update

Gruffalos galore!

This week the Nursery looked at the story of “The Gruffalo” by Julia Donaldson. The children painted lots of amazing pictures of the Gruffalos describing his features. This is what some of the children said:

“He had brown skin, orange eyes and purple spikes” Sidra

“It’s Gruffalo. He wanted to eat the mouse in his burger” Lolia

“The Gruffalo wants to eat the mouse. In my dream the Gruffalo actually ate the mouse” Aadam

“It’s Gruffalo” Hadiyah

“It’s Gruffalo and his baby. It’s a baby Gruffalo and she is a girl” Sidra

“It’s the Gruffalo. Gruffalo is so hungry. He wants to eat pasta” Acsa

“The Gruffalo has orange eyes and purple sprinkles all over his back” Amar

“The Gruffalo said I want to eat you but the mouse said NO!” Khadija

Wild Science visit Nursery

On Monday Nursery had a visit from the Wild Science company. The children were given a unique experience to interact with exotic species while learning about their habitats, behaviours, and welfare needs.

We met a boa constrictor, a python, a tarantula, a hissing cockroach, a scorpion, a gecko and giant African snails.

We learnt a lot about these species, how gentle, harmless and easy to care for they are. Robbie gave us an insight into their world that changed the way we perceived them.

Did you know that...

Tarantulas are usually calm creatures that spend much of their time resting quietly.

African snails have between 14,000 to over 25,000 tiny teeth

Cockroaches are the cleaners of the earth. They are one of the cleanest creatures and they wash up to 60 times a day.

Year 1 Update

We are pleased to share that our Year 1 pupils have successfully completed their Phonics Screening Checks this week. The children worked exceptionally hard, and we are incredibly proud of their efforts and positive attitudes throughout the process. Please note that individual scores cannot be disclosed at this time; these will be formally shared with you alongside the end-of-year academic reports this July. Thank you for your continued support with your child's reading at home.

In other learning, children have been reading the story of Supertato and have all designed their own super vegetable/fruit and their own villains. Next week children will be using their planned ideas to write their own versions of Supertato.

In maths, children have been counting to 100, identifying tens and ones of various numbers and representing numbers with resources and on a number line.

In science, children have identified all 4 seasons we experience in the United Kingdom and they have discussed changes to weather, nature and special events which happen in each season.

In DT children have been looking at where our food comes from. They identified which foods come from animals and which come from plants. This week, children looked at different fruit and vegetables and where on the plant they originate (roots, stem, leaves, flower and fruit).

In computing, children have been accessing scratch junior. They have identified how to add a character (sprite) and how to make it move in different directions by dragging blocks to create movement algorithms. You can access at home for free on https://codejr.org/ scratchjr/index.html

This year, 80 schools took part in the Wondermaths Challenge Heats. The schools were split into 7 heats which took place this week, and only the winning schools from each heat was guaranteed a place in the finals. We are very proud to say that our school came 1st place and has qualified for the finals!

Our journey began in November. After an in-school tournament in February, five children were selected to represent the school: Aarlyn 5K, Fiona 5K, Mathias 5K, Manas 5ST and Rihma 4H. Since February, we have attended maths club twice a week and practised tricky games at home every day to prepare for the competition. We were trained by Mr Gorsia, who helped us improve our maths skills, speed, confidence and teamwork. We would also like to thank the Wondermaths Mentors who gave up their time after school to help us: Pelumi 6L, Musa 6L, Habibah 6B and Hani 6O. A special thank you also goes to Mrs Carroll for supporting us throughout the competition.

The competition was exciting and challenging. One of the hardest games was code breaking because it was very tricky and made us think carefully under pressure. My favourite game was the 24 Game because I enjoyed sitting and competing against children from other schools. When our school was announced as the winners, I felt very happy because it was my first tournament and our team came first place. It was also very surprising to hear that this is the 7th year in a row that our school has reached the Wondermaths finals.

We are all excited about the finals, although a little nervous because we will be using double digit cards in the 24 game. To prepare, we are going to practise as much as we can and continue working hard together as a team. Finally, thank you so much to Mr Gorsia, the Wondermaths Mentors, Mrs Carroll and our parents for all their encouragement, support and dedication throughout this journey. We are very grateful for the time they gave to help us succeed. We are looking forward to representing our school in the finals and doing our very best!

Written by Rihma 4H

Wondermaths Challenge Heats 2026

Year 3 Update.

Maths

This week in Maths, we have been learning all about time. We practised reading clocks using 5-minute intervals and explored different ways of telling the time using “to” and “past”. We also started the week by learning about Roman numerals and enjoyed recognising and writing different numbers using this ancient number system.

English

This week in English, we finished writing our thank you letters in the role of Tashi from our class book, Cloud Tea Monkeys. We used first person, present perfect tense and emotive language to help express Tashi’s thoughts and feelings clearly. We worked hard to make our writing thoughtful and engaging for the reader.

Science

This week in Science, we have been learning about seed dispersal and the different ways seeds are spread to help plants grow in new places. We explored different types of dispersal, including wind, water, explosion and animals, both internally and externally. We enjoyed investigating how different seeds are specially adapted to travel in different ways.

Geography

This week in Geography, we have been learning about the topographical features of the UK, including mountains, hills, valleys, rivers and coasts. We explored maps to identify where these features can be found across the different countries of the UK and discussed why topography is important. We also worked collaboratively to create our own maps, using symbols and colours to show different physical features.

Art

This week in Art, we have continued exploring the style of Claude Monet. We practised sketching the landscape of our playground, carefully observing shapes, lines and natural features around us. We focused on using Monet’s ideas about capturing outdoor scenes and thinking closely about detail and perspective in our drawings.

RE

This week in RE, we have been learning about Hinduism and some of the special Hindu festivals celebrated throughout the year. We explored festivals such as Holi, Navratri and Diwali, learning why they are important and how they are celebrated by Hindu families around the world. We also discussed the meaning behind different traditions, colours and celebrations.

Year 4 Update

Please see below a snapshot of what Year 4 have been learning this week.

Maths

We have completed our unit on money. Some children are now working confidently at Year 4 level, while others would still benefit from further consolidation. Practising one and two step money word problems at home would be very helpful.

English

The children have begun learning about dialogue and speech marks. Many pupils are developing a good understanding of the concept and the rules surrounding inverted commas.

Writing

There has been noticeable improvement in writing; however, many pupils still need to further develop their creative writing skills by including features such as adjectives, adverbs, alliteration, compound sentences, and fronted adverbials. In addition, children should continue proofreading their work carefully, ensuring the correct use of punctuation including capital letters, full stops, commas, question marks and exclamation marks.

Science

We have continued our investigation into the effects of different drinks on eggs. This week, we brushed some of the eggs with toothpaste to demonstrate the importance of brushing our teeth twice a day.

Geography

The children learned about different land uses and carried out a survey to gather opinions from others. They discussed whether we need more commercial, recreational, agricultural or industrial land and explained their reasons.

Computing

We have continued developing our editing, cropping, and resizing skills. The children have also started using Paint.net, which offers more advanced features for photo editing.

Art

We are currently studying the artist William Morris and exploring his artistic techniques and styles. The children have planned their stencil work, and some classes have already completed their designs and prints. Please take a look at the photographs.

Home Learning

A quick reminder to ensure your child completes their daily home learning tasks. Regular practice helps children retain knowledge and strengthen their understanding. This includes both online and offline activities.

Children’s University

Please remind your child to log their extracurricular activities each week.

MTC Times Tables Test

A letter has been sent home regarding the Multiplication Tables Check. Children should now practise daily and aim for full marks (25/25). Login details remain valid each day until 4pm, and children may practise as many times as they wish. The formal test will take place from the week beginning 1st June 2026.

Updates

Please keep visiting the school’s website for weekly updates and upcoming events.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Year 4 Team

Year 6 Update

We would like to say a huge well done to all of our year 6 children for working so hard and getting through SATs week with such a positive attitude and determination. We are incredibly proud of them all.

A big thank you also goes to all of the staff who volunteered at the SATs breakfasts and helped the week run so smoothly.

The children enjoyed ice lollies and a special treat on Thursday to celebrate all of their hard work. Well done everyone — please see the photos below!

Firefighters Visit Nursery

On Wednesday Nursery Hepworth were treated to a special visit from Stanmore Fire and Rescue Service, who arrived in their fire engine and shared insights into the vital work they do. During the visit the firefighters told the children how they help our local community; the children had a go at testing some of the equipment. Their favourite activity was using the hose and siting inside the fire engine. We had so much fun!

Year 1 Visit London Zoo

On Thursday 16th April, Year 1 went to London Zoo. We went to see different examples of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians which we had learnt about in the Spring Term.

The drive to the zoo was very wet but almost as soon as we stepped in to the zoo the sun was shining and the children enjoyed seeing many animals including giraffes, zebras, gorillas, lions, tigers and penguins to name a few.

The children were all sensible and kind and workers at the zoo commented on how fantastic Elmgrove children were.

A huge THANK YOU to all the parents who attended and supported classes on the day and the staff who have spent a long time organising this trip for Year 1.

Year 4 Update

In Year 4, we have been learning about fractions and decimals, focusing on tenths and hundredths. Many children have been able to recall their prior learning from last year, which has supported their understanding as we continue this unit into next week.

In Reading, we have started our class text The Boy at the Back of the Class. The children are thoroughly enjoying the story, which is evident through their enthusiasm and thoughtful contributions during oracy discussions.

In English, we are focusing on persuasive writing, which links closely to our class text. The children are developing their ability to express opinions and justify their ideas effectively.

In Science, we are beginning a new unit on healthy eating, with a focus on teeth and the digestive system.

In RE, children are learning about places of worship. Two classes visited Harrow Central Mosque last term, and the remaining two classes attended this week. The children learned a great deal about both the internal and external features of a mosque, as well as its wider role in the community.

In Computing, children are developing their photo editing skills, including cropping, cloning, and enhancing images.

In PSHE, we have been learning about the dangers of smoking and alcohol, as well as the importance of maintaining healthy friendships.

A gentle reminder: please speak to your child about using the school toilets sensibly, including using tissues appropriately and not blocking the toilets.

Thank you for your continued support.

Year 4 Team