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  Denby Free CE
PRIMARY School
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  • Welcome
  • Information
    • September 2020 Guidance
    • September 2020 Pack
    • Parents >
      • COVID Winter Grants
      • Prospective Parents 2021
      • Free School Meals
      • Health Advice
      • ParentPay
      • Flu Immunisations
      • Online Safety
      • Support Groups
      • Staff Update
      • Documents
      • School Uniform - Loopwear
      • Book Week
      • ECO NEWS >
        • ECO activities
      • The School Council
      • Forest School
      • Anti-Bullying
      • Mega Multipliers
    • Governors
    • Staff
    • News
    • Celebrate
    • Diary Dates
    • Friends >
      • Events
    • Key Information
    • Travel Smart
  • Curriculum
    • overview and policies
    • Maths
    • P.E
    • THE ARTS
    • Collective Worship
  • Children
    • Weekly Challenges
    • Epiphany Activities
    • Sparrows Home Learning >
      • Sparrows: Award Winners
      • What have the Sparrows been doing?
    • Doves >
      • Doves Learning >
        • Maths Worksheets
        • Topic Resources
      • Dove of the Week
    • Owls >
      • Owls Spelling Year 4
      • Owls Spelling Year 3
      • Owls' Homework
      • Owls 2020/2021
      • Year 4 Home Learning
      • Year 3 Home Learning
    • Falcons >
      • Falcon Class Blog
      • Falcon Class Home Learning
    • Eagles >
      • Eagles Home Learning
      • Eagles blog
    • Reflection Space
    • United Against Bullying
    • School Council
    • KS 2 Song
  • Useful Links
    • Coronavirus Information
    • Coronovirus: Supporting Children's Mental Health and Well-being
    • Coronovirus - Public Health Update
    • Emotional Health and Wellbeing Support
    • Every Mind Matters
    • DFE Performance Tables
    • St Mary's Denby
    • Derby Diocese
    • Derbyshire County Council
    • Gov.uk
    • Department of Education
    • Parent View
    • NSPCC
    • CEOP
  • Contact
15.01.21 - We have all been roaringly busy this week continuing to learn about dinosaurs and Mary Anning. The amazing activities you have been doing at home look like such fun, I hope you are all well and enjoying yourselves?
Everyone has been learning about the number 12 and pyramids. You have been making 'Top Trump' cards and writing dinosaur fact files. Some of you have even been visited by dinosaurs at home?!?!?! Reception have been learning the 'f/ff' and 'l/ll' sounds and Year 1's have been continuing with the Phase 4 work (see Spelling Shed Year 1's).
We have all been doing lots of dinosaur activities including making dinosaur fossil biscuits, dinosaur skeleton pictures and hunting for fossils in the sand.
It is so lovely to see you all doing so well and having fun at home, we are missing you at school but we are so happy you are safe.
Enjoy the weekend, Mrs Foulke and Mrs Dawes x

08.01.21 - Well what a week it has been! I am so sorry for the current situation we all find ourselves in and what that means for our Sparrow children, missing friends and school and for you the parents working in difficult situations and now home schooling. Starting the new year in lockdown was not what any of us would have wanted but it is very important that we all follow the government advice at present in order to stay safe and well. I appreciate everything that everyone of you is doing. I hope you are finding the Evidence Me app a real bonus and that the children are enjoying the little tasks I set. Please let me know if this isn't the case or if you are having problems with the app.
This week we have all been learning about the number 11. Year 1's have been practising place value, number bonds for 10 and adding and subtracting. The children in school have loved learning in the new dinosaur world, they have been freeing dinosaurs from ice eggs, making split pin dinosaurs and exploring the appartus in PE. I know at home you have been working really hard and we all love looking at your photos and film clips (we really miss you). Reception have been learning the 'b' sound and Year 1's have been practising writing and reading ccvc words.
Next week we will continue to learn more about dinosaurs and in particular Mary Anning. The planning and resources for next week's home learning will be put on the webpage over the weekend. If you have any questions or problems with this or need any resources please just let me know. This is the same if you need any reading books.
Many thanks to every single one of you for everything you are doing.
Please take care.
Mrs Foulke and Mrs Dawes.

18.12.20—We have had a VERY busy but festive week. May I begin by thanking you all for bearing with us during this hectic time. I am sorry there have been mixed and missed messages and that the nativity costumes didn’t run as smoothly as    normal. Hopefully the nativity film will make up for all of the confusion. The children made us so proud on a very busy and cold day of filming, we really do hope you all enjoy watching it. The film is available from the 'Children' tab by selecting Nativity - Everyone Loves a Baby.
The children have made calendars, Christingles, cards and lots more this week. We have enjoyed Christmas dinner, films and parties. 
When we return on Tuesday 5th January 2021 we will begin our theme of ‘Pirates, bones and dinosaurs’ and the topic webs can be found on the Sparrow home page.
Many thanks for all your support through this very strange term and we would like to wish you all a very Happy     Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Lots of love
Mrs Foulke and Mrs Dawes x

11.12.20—We’ve all enjoyed a very busy and Christmassy week. We have of course been practising the nativity ready for filming next Wednesday. Alongside, we have been knocking cylinders down with snowballs, making paper bag Santa, Elf and Rudolph puppets, enjoying the Christmas dress up, finding out what our cheeky elf has been up to, loving the wonderful light up snowman Darcey's Mum in Dove's made for us and lots, lots more.
We have had our second Advent Assembly with the children being very respectful throughout and using the wonderful wreath made by Darcy’s Mum and sister. We have been watching and listening to the Christmas story, with the Year 1’s         sequencing the story and writing about the events on that first Christmas.
We have all been learning about cylinders. Reception have been learning about the ‘r’ sound with rockets and the ‘h’ sound with hats. Year 1’s have been recapping all the phase 3 sounds and using these alongside the phase 2 sounds to write cvcc words and make their own farmyard animals book. 
For Nativity information please see the Sparrow home page.
Wednesday is Christmas dinner day. On Thursday we have a film in the morning and a party in the afternoon (food guidelines were on Mrs Bell’s letter—small amount in a named box). Friday we will have our premiere and also the Christingle service.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

04.12.20—Hello everyone—It is so good to have the Sparrows back in school, we have really missed them. A HUGE THANK YOU to you all for your support and understanding during the closure. You all seem to have had lots of wonderful fun alongside learning and I understand how stressful and difficult this must have been whilst juggling everything else.
We have been going over the sounds you have been learning at home alongside some teen number and adding practise. The children seem to be enjoying the Christmas themed classroom and activities; it didn't take them long to have decorated the tree and wrapped lots of presents. We have also begun practising for the Nativity.
May I take this opportunity to thank you all for the bird seed decorations you have added to our tree and say a big thank you to Mr Brown and the Brown Family for sourcing the wood and making the fantastic tree in the bus shelter.
Another huge thank you to Mrs Longdon and the Longdon Family for the wonderful Advent wreath they have made for the class for our Advent assemblies. The children seemed to really enjoy the first candlelight service we had in class on Thursday.
You should have all received a letter asking for your permission to use Evidence Me. We already use this in class to record observations of your child and their learning activities and this will give you a better idea and insight into what your child has been learning in class. It will also allow you to easily send photos and information about what they have been up to at home. This really is a great app that I hope you will see the benefits to very quickly. I look forward to receiving your permission slips soon so I can begin setting you up on the system.
Once again a huge thank you and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Foulke and Mrs Dawes x

26.11.20 - Thank you so much for all the learning you little Sparrows have been doing at home and a huge thank you to the Mum's and Dad's for their support with this. 
I have seen wonderful Gingerbread Man story maps, fantastic number cards, things beginning with e, lots of number 10's, 2D and 3D shapes, yummy gingerbread men (and other animals) and lots, lots more.
You are all amazing. We miss you so much and are looking forward to seeing you all next Thursday.
Lots of love
​Mrs Foulke and Mrs Dawes xxx

20.11.20—We have all enjoyed being united against bullying this week and considering how what we say and do impacts on others. We have looked at how we are all different but part of one human race. We have also loved listening to, watching and acting out the story of Handa’s Surprise. We have found out about life in Kenya and made African animal masks, painted fruit, balanced things on our heads and threaded pasta necklaces. We have made cubes with magnetic sets and had fun with the number 9 and enjoyed jumping in muddy puddles.
Year 1’s have been writing letters to Handa to tell her what happened to the fruit and comparing life in the UK to life in rural Kenya. They have been comparing addition and subtraction number sentences and in phonics learning the ‘air’ and ‘ure’ sounds (spellings are on Spelling Shed). Reception have been learning the ‘c’,’k’ and ‘ck’ sounds and have drawn some wonderful cats and kicked some balls.
Next week we will be learning about ‘The Gingerbread Man’, about the number 10 and cylinders and beginning to learn more about the nativity as we begin practising for our performance (more details to follow).
Many thanks to everyone for your continued support.

13.11.20—A slightly shorter week due to Monday’s closure –thank you for your support with the online learning. The children have had great fun this week retelling and acting out the story of The Enormous Turnip with the Year 1’s sequencing this story. We have been threading around turnips, cats and dogs, using the farm animals to retell the story, we have made portraits using fruit and vegetable pictures based on the work of artist Arcimboldo, we’ve had water beads in the water tray and made poppies and learnt about Remembrance Day and it’s importance.
We have all be learning about the number 8 and cones. Year 1’s have been working on their subtraction skills and learning the ‘oi’ and ‘ear’ sounds. Reception have been learning the ‘g’ and ‘o’ sounds.
Next week we will be basing our learning on the story of Handa’s Surprise and it is also a special week where we will celebrate and learn about being United Against Bullying. On Monday (16th) your child needs to wear odd socks and on Friday (20th) a superhero  costume to show we are all special and together we will stop bullying.
Wishing you a lovely weekend.

06.11.20—It has been great to be back with all the children this week. We have been basing our learning around fireworks and bonfire night. We have been putting out chalk fires in the water (then decorating everywhere with chalk—sorry for the chalk dust), rolling spheres at the skittles, using Fireman Sam to put out fires, practising our letter and number formation in the glitter and making fireworks with tubes and cones. We have also been lucky enough to get the instruments out in music, watch performances of Abba and other songs from the children and enjoy two amazing chatterboxes which included fossilised dinosaur poo and magic tricks.
The children have been listening to and writing a class firework poem with the Year 1’s writing their own. They have been thinking up some great adjectives to describe the sights and sounds of fireworks and also pretending to be fireworks. We have been learning all about spheres and the number 7. Year 1’s have been adding numbers together by counting on and using the laptops safely to write and perform their own firework shape poem. In phonics Reception have been making maps for the ‘m’ sound and dinosaurs for the ‘d’ sound. Year 1’s have been surfing with the ‘ur’ sound and learning the ‘ow’ sound, Spelling Shed concentrates on these sounds this week.
​We have even done some Jedi Master letter and number formation this week.
Next week we will be learning ‘The Enormous Turnip’ story alongside learning about cones and the number 8. Please can I ask that you continue to listen to your child read each night and practise any keywords and sound cards they have to support their progress.
Wishing you a peaceful weekend.

21.10.20—We have reached the end of the half term and the children have had another wonderful week. We are so proud of how the children have settled into Sparrow Class or Year 1 life, they are all superstars! We have been learning about knights and in particular St. George. We have made castles, counted the Queen’s treasure, mark made with feathers, designed shields and spotted signs of autumn at the park. At the park the children found 6 leaves each. They found large leaves, small leaves, red, yellow and brown leaves. They used long, short, thick and thin branches to make triangles and they found lots of conkers. The favourite part seemed to be the play park at the end though!
Reception have been learning about the number 6 and the ‘i’ and ’n’ sounds. Year 1’s have been finishing their dragon stories, learning all about the number pairs that make 10 and learning the 'ar' and 'or' sounds.
Due to the shorter week the children have only read to an adult once this week.
When we return we will begin our new theme which is food stories such as The Gingerbread Man, The Enormous Turnip, Handa’s Surprise etc. The topic webs will be put onto the Sparrows homepage.
Thank you for your continued support and we wish you a lovely break.

The children had a great time on the field this afternoon finding signs of autumn, planting bulbs and enjoying their surroundings.
16.10.20—What a worrying but exciting week in Sparrows! Hopefully you have heard and seen the posters but Crackle’s dragon egg hatched on Saturday and I brought baby Crackle into school on Monday but let him out of my sight (and you trust me with your children hee hee!). Anyway the Year 1’s and some of the Reception children made some wonderful posters to help us locate the missing dragon. The good news is both Crackle and her baby are safely back home.
The children have made fire breathing dragons this week alongside lots of activities for the number 5 such as making and selling 5 currant buns, 1,2,3,4,5 fish in the water along with 5 speckled frogs, Numicon and shape challenges and lots more. Reception have been learning the ‘t’ (making tigers) and ‘p’ sounds (they loved having the p p p parachute out) and the Year 1’s the ‘oa’ and ‘oo’ sounds (spellings on Spelling Shed).
All the children have been thinking about why Christians believe God is so special and learning about the stories of ‘The Lost Son’ and ‘Jonah and the big fish’.
Next week we will complete our castle topic by learning about knights and life in medieval times. If you would like any extra reading books for the break please pop a note in the communication book.
I have asked the children to get you to email me any photographs of shapes or numbers they have spotted at home or when out and about please.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

09.10.20 –We have had a wonderful week full of dragons which will continue into next week (maybe with our own dragon if our egg hatches!). We have been looking after a real dragon egg, designing our own dragons, matching dragon eggs with numerals and amounts, making ‘Toothless’ dragons, threading fire breathing dragons and lots more.
The Year 1’s have been writing a handbook to care for our dragon egg and dragon when it hatches. They have been learning about whole and part models and learning the ‘ee’ and ‘igh’ sounds (spellings on Spelling Shed). Reception have been learning all about the number 4, rectangles and they have been learning the ‘s’ and ‘a’ sounds (sound cards for recognition and letter formation have been enclosed in a small plastic wallet).
Many thanks for your continued support.
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