News

Information on last week’s sport as follows:

Year 5/6 Football (league): St Dominic’s V Beechwood – Tuesday 1^st November. 8-0 loss on the day with more work to be done on passing, holding the ball, team spirit and cohesion as a team. We held St Doms to a 2-0 lead at half time, but with a healthy bench of all year 6 boys being replaced at half time led to a further 6 goals being scored against us. Spirited goalkeeping from Edson Corser secured him the Man of the Match on the day, but more work needed going forward.

Beechwood V Southlake (A + B) teams – Thursday 3^rd November. Southlake travelled to Beechwood on Thursday last 03.11.16 and put up a spirited performance losing 12 tries ( 60pts) to 8 tries ( 40pts), Southlake also fielded a B and C team – well done! Good competition for forthcoming Six Nations Rugby Programme.

Year 5/6 Football (league): Woodley C of E V Beechwood – Friday 4^th November. A better performance this time round for our 5/6 boys with a 3-0 loss on the day. The boys kept real shape, passed effectively and showed more team morale and spirit. An early goal from set piece from Woodley and a loose goal just before half time led to ultimately their win, but we managed better defence in the second half with a late goal only being scored from a lapse of concentration at the back. With a third league game this week agansit High wood, momentum could be on our side and leed to a more attack minded game.

Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics: Monday 7^th November: A Good afternoon spent at Bulmershe LC for the annual Sportshall Athletics run By Sainsbury’s School Sport where 18 boys and girls took part in both track and field events, overseen by year 9 Bulmershe students. Strong running in particular from our 4×1 relay teams (Maddison Knight-Reed, Poppy Christian, Emilija Zelenka, Jessica Richardson & Ruben Punia, Jerome McIntrye, Josh Davey-Cuthbert and Isaac Jenner) led to us winning our heat and good performances in speed jump, standing jump and chest push led to a good scoring afternoon. We wait to see how were faired in the event overall to determine next round in Spring Term.

Fixtures this week:

• Beechwood V Highwood (Football: League)
• Year 5/6 Rugby: Beechwood V Meadowvale
• Year 5/6 Netball: Beechwood V Aldryngton
• Six nations Rugby at Winnersh.

Please make some time to come and view the plans to expand our school. We’re holding this during the parent consultation evening on Wednesday 23rd November; why not come in a little earlier to see what’s been planned?

This week the Foundation Stage children have been introduced to ‘Admiral Add’ and ‘Sergeant Subtract’ during their Maths inputs to understand the concepts of addition and subtraction. They learnt that Admiral Add is kind and gives things to people because he likes to add to what they have already got, whereas Sergeant Subtract is mean because he takes peoples things away so they have less.

During our topic discussions the children have been thinking about growing and the seasons. They have looked at how they change from a baby to an adult and also learnt about how to plant a flower. There was great excitement when the children planted their own cress seeds which they will be taking home soon. We planted some tulip bulbs in our outdoor planters ready for Spring time.

Our PE lesson this week focused on exploring the space around them through the use of hoops and the children enjoyed being bumper cars. The children’s confidence and independence when changing for PE is developing each week, thank you for your support with promoting independent changing at home.

The staff & the children turned Beechwood PINK on Friday 21st October in support of the charity ‘Breast Cancer Now‘. Check out thee photos on our Facebook page at http://bit.ly/2evbcA5. We had a lot of fun!

Wednesday 19^th October – Yr 5/6 Hockey: Beechwood V Crosfields: We were very much welcomed to Crosfields in our first ever Hockey. With a not a full squad we ended the game on a 2-1 win. Scorers were Kielen Sampson and Isla Williams. Slightly worrying start with most attack coming from Crosfields, but we kept shape and counter attacked really well as well as tracking back for defence. A few unforced errors with footwork and tackling but set piece work (e.g. short corners, etc.) was brilliantly executed. The pupils enjoyed the afternoon and were treated to match tea’s. More fixtures to come against Crosfield’s in Spring Term.

Wednesday 19^th October – Reading Bluecoats District Rugby Tournament: After a long three group stage matches we made it through to the semi-finals against Rivermead, spirits were high and Beechwood showed excellent team work. Captain Cameron Oakley kept the team going leading by example. Nearly all team members scored or assisted over the six rounds of the competition. In the Final we were starting to get tired, however we didn’t let this stop us and narrowly missing the win by a 5-6 loss. It was a good enchmark tournament showing a bright season of rugby to come. Overall couldn’t ask for more effort and well done to all the team.

Thursday 20^th October – Division 1: Thames Valley Cross Country League Race: Yr. 3/4 girls finished the strongest, with 4 of our girls finishing in the top 50. Strong individuals such as Spencer Pengreave, Alex Calutas, Jaiden Bayliss, Anya Lees and Freya Hill showed positive attitudes, fitness and experience in achieving top scores. Strong competition from Polehampton, Oakland’s and improved running from the Coombes makes for an exciting season ahead and with further scheduled practice our squad performance will improve greatly. It was a great start to the season and we look forward to every race now, as too do the Beechwood pupils.

This week began with the children starting group activities alongside short bursts of Maths inputs. We have learnt about number formation using rhymes, which are on display for the children to refer to during their independent learning.

We have also looked at ordering numbers, matching a quantity of objects to a given number, one more/ one less than a number and active Maths e.g. Can you do 5 star jumps? It would be fantastic for the children to consolidate this learning during half term by practising these concepts at home. You could look for numbers and shapes in the environment or ask your child to help with the washing by counting how many socks.

We have also looked at the topic of ourselves and the children have thoroughly enjoyed painting self-portraits which will be on display in the classrooms very soon. During the topic class discussions the children have talked about their body, their senses, their family and their friends.

It was lovely to see the children participating in Wear it pink day to raise money for the Cancer Now charity.

Have a lovely half term.

This week the children visited the ICT suite for the first time. They were excited to explore a different area of the school and enjoyed having their own computer.

The children learnt how to hold and control a computer mouse to create a picture using 2Paint A Picture software.

They were challenged to use the keyboard to find the letters of their name.

Many misconceptions were addressed within the ICT session, from learning that the mouse needs to be on a flat surface and will not work if it is held in the air to understanding that not all screens are touch screens and you have to use a mouse to navigate around areas on a computer.

It was wonderful to see the children’s enthusiastic approach to learning and when they returned to the classroom the children asked “Can we go back there again?”

Next week the children will continue to develop their computer mouse skills when using 2Simple City software.

Download the flyer Woodford Park – October Half Term Activities

Parents of children over 5 can pay for school milk for their children (some families may even qualify for free school milk)

For more details visit http://www.coolmilk.com/parents

Download a registration form: Cool Milk – Parent Registration Form

This week in Foundation Stage the children have been participating in circle and group time activities with a focus on developing their personal, social and emotional skills. During these activities the children have played name games to get to know each other and talked about their family. It was lovely to see the children’s enjoyment when playing a number version of the game duck-duck goose.

We have started to introduce a time in the afternoon for the children to start planning their own independent learning and talking about it with a friend. This has made the children’s play more purposeful and through adult questioning and interactions, the children have developed their thinking, sharing and imaginative skills.

The children were very enthusiastic about trying on their PE kits and taking part in their first school PE session where they explore different ways of moving and finding a sensible space of their own.

The children have thoroughly enjoyed their first full-time week in FS2! They have been busy exploring the area and developing relationships with their friends. It has been wonderful to see the children engaged in their play and making independent choices about their learning.

The children were introduced to daily phonics sessions following the Read Write Inc. (RWI) scheme (written by Ruth Miskin) and were excited about learning a new sound each day, to consolidate their learning the children were given a sheet for each sound they had learnt to practise at home.

A highlight of the week was when the children put their trainers on and went to the outdoor climbing equipment. There were many smiley faces and the children were keen to show the adults what they could do on the various pieces of equipment. They showed great perseverance when learning how to use the apparatus and move from one piece to the next, whilst keeping their balance.

Parent information about Read Write Inc. phonics can be found at http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

Volunteer to help your school

I am always looking for help when you run a school as big as ours. With a potential of nearly 1,000 stakeholders when you include pupils, staff, parents, governors and friends surely it’s not difficult to get help.

“It’s always the same few!” I hear you say- that’s the cry from the resilient ones who turn up on Self Help days.

A big thank you to Callum Fraser (father of Kaden) and Mike Comber (father of Harry). Mike kindly worked hard for two hours cleaning the windows for Class 1/2K and FS2N and Callum helped me for four hours excavating the area behind the PE store for more storage in our plans to protect equipment from the weather. Here is a picture of the huge volcano of soil we made with our barrows and spades.

Well here’s your chance to help across the school throughout the year. We need help in a number of areas:

• PTA contact Mrs Hamer
• Reading in School, Guided Reading – Contact Mrs Patel
• Promotions Team – Contact Mr Davies
• Self Help Days (Here are the next Self Help Saturdays 8^th October, Saturday 12^th November, Saturday 26^th November, Saturday 10^th December & Saturday from 9.30am – 2.30pm)
• Business partner- Contact Mrs Blinco/ Mrs Cowan ( new Bursar from 31^st October)

Under the heading of Business Partner I am looking for someone to build a hub of parents’ businesses both self employed and employees of companies who can offer the school skills, materials,  expertise in sourcing or procuring contacts, engaging sponsorship and even applying for grants.

As with all schools we are suffering from austerity and the government have a huge debt to clear so we all have to look after ourselves and it really is survival of the fittest. We have to find ways of saving money so as to continue developing our school. I believe that you should continue to develop and expand in a down turn to steal a march on your neighbours or competitors. Better still if you can link with another school and host teacher training you can save on costs – there are ways to save money.

If any parents would like to help the school in any of the above ways please feel free to contact me.

Gordon Davies

We will be celebrating ‘Roald Dahl Day’ on Friday 7th October.

Children in Years 1-6 will be spend time exploring one of his mayhem-filled and much-loved books. In order to make the day more memorable and exciting, we would like children to come to school dressed as a character from any of Roald Dahl’s books.

Please can children bring in a voluntary donation of £1, if they wish to take part. All money raised will go towards purchasing new books for the school.

Please note that Foundation Stage will not be taking part in this event as the children will still be getting used to their new surroundings. They will have their own dress-up days throughout the year. However, children may bring in a Roald Dahl Book or picture to school on the day.

Roald Dahl Day 2016 Letter

Please find below this terms Curriculum Maps for all teams: Foundation Stage (FS2), Key Stage 1 (KS1), Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2) and Upper Key Stage 2 (UKS2).

FS2 Curriculum Map – Autumn 2016

KS1 Curriculum Map – Autumn 2016

LKS2 Curriculum Map – Autumn 2016

UKS2 Curriculum Map – Autumn 2016

We’re now fully underway after three weeks of familiarisation at school and clubs started last week extending everyone’s day at school.  We have such a large choice of clubs that include 17 creative opportunities and 15 sporting activities. Our children are very lucky at as we have built up such a diverse range of activities to do. We keep replenishing the equipment and new staff offer new opportunities such as ultimate Frisbee, Mr Gunbie and first aid for everyone by Miss Norman.

The year 4’s today set off on the first of 3 residential trips, ran by the school, to Condover Hall in Shrewsbury (Year 5 will visit Pendine, Wales and the year 6’s will cross the channel to France in the summer).

The School’s KS2 results have come out better than expected and are above the government floor targets in terms of a value added measure. We still need to improve in Maths and put more emphasis on Reading Comprehension which are our targets for this year as a school.

As reported in the first bulletin the school has been given the green light for building improvements/extensions and I am looking forward to have four new classrooms, a new staffroom, library, resources area and meeting rooms as well as girls’ and boys’ changing rooms. It’s quite a project and the works starts in the new year.

Finally, if you would like to help out your school the please make an effort to turn up for our regular Self Help Days, the next one is on Saturday 8^th October. Refreshments available for all the family.

The children in 3/4LR have been learning about shapes and their properties. Have a look at these photos of them sorting shapes using Carroll Diagrams.

The Forest School have created a transition document for Year 6 boys who are currently considering their step in to secondary school.

Please use the following link to see the document The Forest School – Year 6 Transition

Beechwood are having a Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on 30 September 2016 from 8.45am to 10am.

It will be held in the School Hall. We do hope you will be able to come and support this event.