DOWNSELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

YEAR 6 NEWSLETTER AUTUMN TERM 2014

Dear Parents/Carers,

We would like to extend a warm welcome to you at the start of your childs
final year at Downsell Primary School. As you will appreciate, this is an
extremely important year for your child and we will offer them all the
support and encouragement necessary to reach their goals.


Year 6 Staff:

Class 19 Mrs Dawood

Class 20 Mr Africa

Class 21 Mr Jansen

Supporting Year 6:

Miss Miller, Miss Payne, Mrs Smith, Mrs Kaur, Mrs Begum and Mrs
Britton (Learning Mentor).

Ms Jean Phase Leader

Punctuality & Attendance
May we take this opportunity to remind you that school starts at 8:55am
and finishes at 3:20pm. Please can you make sure that your child is punctual
and attends school regularly. If your child is absent from school, please
telephone the school on 020 8556 0103, giving a reason for their absence
or provide a note when they return to school.



Physical Education
PE takes place every Wednesday for Year 6 pupils. Children must remember
to bring their PE kit which includes:
Navy blue or black shorts or tracksuit
bottoms
Plain white T-shirt
Plimsolls or trainers
Please ensure that all of your childs clothing is named (including their school
uniform) and placed in a bag. We trust that all children will take
responsibility for bringing their P.E. kits every week.

Curriculum
Our topics for this term are:
Numeracy Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, problem
solving, fractions, explaining and reasoning about how to solve
calculations, shapes, measures and calculator skills.
Literacy Poetry: Power of Imagery. Non-Fiction: Biographies &
Autobiographies, Journalistic writing (newspaper reports, radio & tv
news broadcasts). Narrative: Fiction genres. Comprehension skills and
spelling.
Science Living Things and Habitats. During this Unit of study
children will be expected to plan and carry out scientific
investigations.
RE Christianity: Faith in action. Islam: The Ummah.
Geography Mapping Skills
Art Masks What a Performance involves sketching and investigating
masks. Creating and making own masks.
DT Textiles (Christmas stockings)
PE Ball games (Football & Basketball): refining control skills and
working as a team.
PSHE Enabling Enterprise
Computing We are APP Inventors
History - Victorians

Behaviour & Rewards
Good behaviour and work is rewarded through the House Point System,
which is in place for the whole school. Unacceptable behaviour will not be
tolerated at any time. This will be recorded on a referral slip. If your child
receives three of these within a week, a letter will be sent home and you will
be asked to come to school to discuss your childs behaviour. Hard work and
good behaviour will be celebrated and acknowledged using a variety of
reward systems (house points, stickers, certificates, prizes). Please
encourage your child to try their best throughout this year.

Reading/Library Books
Reading books are changed regularly, or as often as a book is finished
(depending on the length). Your child should be reading at home for at least
10-15 minutes every evening. Please write comments in the reading record
books concerning your childs reading. Some questions you may wish to ask of
your child: Were they reading fluently, using expression and intonation?
Was the reading well paced? Have they understood the text? Can they
read all of the words? Ensure all books are kept in your childs bag and that
they are returned to school daily. Library books must be returned on time
and we would like to remind you that damaged books will incur a fine.

Homework
Children will be given homework every Friday. The homework should
be completed and returned by Wednesday of the following week.
Homework is issued as a means of consolidating and reinforcing the
work covered during the week in class. It is an ideal opportunity for
parents to work with their child at home. It would be beneficial if you
encourage your child to complete and hand in their homework on a regular
basis. Times Tables and spellings must also be learnt weekly.

Secondary Transfer
Your child has recently received a secondary school application form and
booklet. Please can we ask you to make sure you complete this form and
return it to the address given on the back of the form. All forms must be
completed by Friday 31
st
October 2014.
Trips
We are currently organising a trip to the Royal Albert Hall in November as
part of our History topic on The Victorians. Details will be sent to you in due
course.
France Trip
There will also be a Year 6 trip to France in the Summer Term. Further
details to follow shortly.
China Visit
Some children in Year 6 will soon be on their way to Shunde in China to visit
our partner school. They will have an amazing experience.



And finally
Thank you for your support, co-operation and continued commitment to your
childs education. If you have any concerns, please feel free to make an
appointment to see your childs teacher.


Yours sincerely,



Mr Africa Mrs Dawood Mr Jansen



Ms Jean