Dear Parents and Carers

Moving Up - Transition

Last week we shared the information that explains the structure of class organisation across the school and have talked to the children to begin the transition process. Children will spend some time with their new teachers, in their new setting this week and we hope that the children are excited to find out a little about the year to come. We are looking forward to another happy and successful year ahead and would like to reassure you that we will support the children throughout this period.

If your child is worried about the changes to come, please inform their class teacher, who will be able to listen and help.

Collective Worship – the value of responsibility and staying safe

As the long summer break approaches, we have been talking with our KS2 children about ways that they can stay safe when they are not with an adult. For our older children this may be an age when they gain more independence, especially our year 6 pupils. Using the resource of ‘Clever Never Goes’ we have thought about how to recognise several key personal safety rules:

• What does OK and not OK mean?
• If you want to go and meet someone get permission from your parent/carer first
• Speak to your trusted adults if you have any worries or questions
• If something has happened to you outside or online, report it to a trusted adult
• What to do and say when it’s not OK

The children worked through some scenarios that could happen and decided for themselves what they thought was OK or not OK, and we were impressed by their sensible judgements. We will also be working with another resource with our youngest children in the next two weeks, focussing more on what to do if you are ever lost or alone.

If you would like to view the Clever Never Goes resources, including some activities to do at home, you can find them at: www.clevernevergoes.org/parents

Safeguarding

Throughout the year we have conducted termly fire drills and lock-down drills with the whole school and this is part of our normal compliance practice, as reported to Governors. Keeping children and adults safe is paramount and having effective systems that are regularly tested, in place is a key part of the many duties that schools must complete. I wanted to report to you, how impressed we have been with the safe, sensible and responsible behaviour of the children, especially in the latter part of the school year. This has assured us that in the event of an emergency, we are able to respond in a robust and effective manner. Well done children.

Thank you as always for your ongoing and continued support with your child’s learning and ensuring that each day they are in school, ready to learn and prepared for each day.

Warmest wishes

Mark Oldfield

Inset and Academy days for the rest of the year (training for school staff - children are not in school on these days):

• Monday 21st July - Inset day
• Tuesday 22nd July - Inset day

INSET AND ACADEMY DAYS FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR

• Tuesday 2nd September - Inset day 
• Wednesday 3rd September - Inset day

Reception have had another busy yet exciting week! On Monday, both classes hopped on the coach to Beggar Bush where they created pieces of nature art, went hunting for numbered fairy doors and mini-beasts on the woodland floor and finally toasted marshmallows around the campfire! Yum! This was a natural stimulus for some fantastic writing. Everyone is really trying to use their phonic knowledge and increasing awareness of capital letters, finger spaces and full stops to recount something they enjoyed doing at Beggar Bush.

This week we were all a flutter when each class released their fully-grown butterflies! We remembered our life cycle learning very well and everyone agreed it was a wonderful moment when they flew off!

During maths the children worked on repeated pattern. We read Pattern Fish by Trudy Harris and had a go at creating our patterns and pattern rules.

We launched our exciting new learning topic, ‘Under the Sea’, with two captivating stories: Meet the Oceans by Caryl Hart and Billy’s Bucket by Kes Gray. Inspired by Billy’s underwater adventure, the children used their imaginations to draw the sea creatures he might have discovered in his magical bucket! The children have amazed us with their knowledge of sea creatures and coming up with some fantastic questions for us all to answer during our learning exploration of ‘Under the Sea’.

In literacy this week we wrote a letter to Earth in response to the book Love, the Earth by Frances Stickley. The story outlines some of thedifferent and unique ways our planet provides for and looks after us, so we wrote a message back to give thanks and our apologies for the way we’ve been treating it lately. Year 1 wrote some thoughtful and sentimental messages to Earth including: ‘thank you for all the lovely things you give us. I am grateful for the air you produce’, ‘I am writing to say sorry for all the plastic in the ocean’ and ‘I promise to look after you’.

In maths we have been learning about fractions. We have been looking at half and quarter of a shape and quantity by using pictures and manipulatives.

We had an incredible time at Sports Day this year! Year 1 did a tremendous job of hopping, sprinting and even egg-and-spooning to the finish line. We were so impressed with the children’s resilience and determination. Well done, Year 1—you all deserve the gold!

Year 2 have had a wonderfully creative and active week as they continued to build on the excitement of last week’s Arts Week.

On Wednesday afternoon, the children took part in a fantastic workshop with local artist Liz Hunter, who guided them through an outdoor art session using wax resist techniques and vibrant Brusho inks. Inspired by the natural world, the children created stunning animal pictures while working in the outdoor classroom, fully immersed in the process and the fresh air. Their enthusiasm for art and nature shone through in every piece.

Alongside this, the class were busy preparing for Sports Day, practising a variety of events with growing confidence and determination and then showing off these skills at the event on Friday - well done year 2, you all did so well!

In literacy, we have now begun exploring our new text, Lots: The Diversity of Life on Earth, which will inspire our reading and writing lessons for the rest of the term. The children are already captivated by the book’s beautiful illustrations and important message about the variety and wonder of living things on our planet.

Year 3 have really enjoyed their new book this week- "Arthur and the Golden Rope".

It has been an opportunity for them to show off all of the brilliant writing skills that they have developed this year.

In preparation for their independent writing, they have been taking part in ‘writers workshops’ where they listen to and critique each other’s plot structure. They have shown real kindness and maturity in the way they have offered feedback to each other.

This week in Literacy, Year 4 have been exploring cinquain poems. We learned about their special structure, including how many syllables go in each line, and discussed common themes used in these poems. Everyone had a go at writing their own cinquains, and we even performed some aloud. It was fantastic to see how creative and confident you all were with your ideas and performances!

In Maths, we have been learning all about position and coordinates. We practised plotting points on a grid and used these to draw simple 2D shapes. We also looked at how coordinates change when a shape is moved or turned. We used our previous knowledge about shapes to help us, and remembered the important rule that the first number tells us how far along the corridor to go, and the second tells us how far up the stairs — helping us to plot points accurately every time!

In Science, we’ve been busy learning about animal classification. We talked about the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates, including insects, spiders, and soft-bodied creatures. We used classification keys to sort animals into groups and played some fun guessing games to show how much we had learned. It was great to hear you all using scientific words so confidently!

This week, we were thrilled to welcome Michael from Historic England, who led a fascinating workshop entitled "Stories in Stone." The session gave our pupils the opportunity to delve into the rich architectural history of Bristol by studying six significant buildings and exploring how their uses have evolved over time.

Through engaging discussions and group work, the children examined the historical shifts in each building’s purpose, linking these changes to broader economic, social, political, and religious developments. They also explored the concepts of push and pull factors, developing a deeper understanding of how historical forces have shaped our communities. The children really put their thoughtful caps on and came out with some amazing responses. Michael commented on how impressed he was with the “higher level thinking” of the Year 5 children. Well done – we are proud of you all.

This week, Year 6 have continued their PSHE learning with maturity and curiosity, exploring important topics such as puberty, periods, and conception. Pupils asked thoughtful questions and discussed their worries and concerns in a safe, respectful environment.

In RE, we’ve been exploring big questions—like “If God is everywhere, why go to a place of worship?”—with some insightful reflections shared across the class. We’ve also been putting the finishing touches to our Arts Week projects, ‘Expressing Spirituality, Inspired by Faith’. After studying Buddhist temples and their surroundings, we then completed great sketchbook work and silk paintings based on the water around them. 

Rehearsals are in full swing for our Leavers’ Assembly too—Year 6 are working hard and can’t wait to share their special performance with families and carers very soon!

Please see our photos of last week's Art Week, below - we hope you enjoy them.

Key Stage 2 Choir wowed a huge audience of over 1000 people across Bristol on Thursday night on stage at Bristol Beacon. They sang their hearts out with lots of other Bristol schools and sounded absolutely amazing. The children were also treated to some violin playing from a Young Musician as well as some phenomenal cello playing from a fellow Bristol 10 year old.

The highlight of the evening was the streamers coming down from above as the mass choir of 500 primary school children raised the roof with their rendition of “Joy”. It definitely was such a joyful evening and the children did Christchurch, and themselves, proud. They learnt their lyrics, sang Part 2 (which isn’t always easy because it’s often not the main melody) and they had huge smiles on their faces all the way through. We couldn’t have been prouder. Thank you to parents and carers for supporting this event too. Look out for the Key Stage 2 Winter Sing in the Autumn!

As the sun finally shines into Term 6 - Christ Church Worship Council have been running the weekly ‘Pop-up’ prayer space in the outdoor classroom during Wednesday lunchtimes. This is an opportunity for the children to engage with the spiritual by feeling connected to the self, others, nature and to kindness, love and if they wish, God. Pastor Ruthy, Mrs Petters and the Worship Council members are available to talk, listen and engage with a range of activities to address the spiritual. This is a completely free choice activity and is open to all children and worldviews.

Pupils get to have some quiet time to reflect, pause and be still, using the following activities.

Worry Bubbles:

This activity helps the children to think about something they are worried about. They can ‘blow their worries away’ as they blow bubbles into the air.

Sorry Sand:

The children are encouraged to draw or write something in the sand that they are sorry for. Then they can wipe the sand clean to symbolise a fresh, clean start.

Hand Challenge:

The children use their non-writing hand to draw around their writing hand (which is a challenge!) then cut it out. This allows the children to think about a challenge is an opportunity in disguise! Then they can draw or write any challenges they feel they are facing on one side of the hand and discuss it if they would like to.

Leaf Thanks:

The children can either find a leaf that they like or cut out a template and stick it on a piece of paper. They can then draw or write around the leaf things that they feel thankful for. If they want to they can say what they are thankful for to God.

‘Mary’s Living & Giving' charity shop are in need of donations - so if you’re having a clear out, please consider them.

They do not accept toys, electronics or furniture’