Year 5 have been learning about powers of 10 in maths this week and have used Gattegno charts to help with this.

We have enjoyed finishing this book in our reading skills sessions. We loved the story and have learned some great vocabulary from it. Ask us about it at home!

As part of our annual Harvest celebrations at St Albans, we are collecting donations to support local families and community food banks. Guided by our Catholic ethos and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, we are called to show solidarity, charity, and compassion for those in need. Through acts of giving, we help our children understand the importance of serving others and living out our mission to celebrate every individual and nurture a caring community. We understand that times are challenging for many, but even a small contribution can make a real difference. Non-perishable items such as tinned vegetables, baked beans, soup, pasta, rice, cereal, tea, coffee, and biscuits are especially helpful and much appreciated. Every donation counts and will help ensure that everyone in our community can enjoy a warm meal this season. Donations can be sent in with your child or dropped at the school office by Friday 3rd October. Thank you for your generosity and for helping us live out the mission of St Albans through kindness, sharing, and care for others.

This week in Year 1 Science, our young scientists have been learning all about animals and how to group them based on their features. We explored the five main animal groups – mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish – and discovered what makes each one special. We even added another group for the insects we had. The children had lots of fun sorting animals into their correct groups, discussing whether they have feathers, fur, scales or fins, and whether they lay eggs or give birth to live young.

This week we have been exploring with electricity. We worked together to build simple circuits that would light up a bulb!

Last Friday, Year 6 enjoyed a session at Safety Works, where they worked in small groups to explore ways to keep safe in different contexts, including being safe around dogs, risks around antisocial fires, keeping safe near lakes and rivers and online safety.  The activities were hands on and our Year 6 children did a great job of representing our school during their visit, sharing their ideas and listening carefully to the important messages that were shared by the staff.

Nursery are thinking about the topic of ‘Me’ this week. We have been learning names and read the story ‘You’re Called a What?’. They have been making faces using loose parts, singing songs to do with our senses and our bodies, playing with the house in the small world, drawing around their friends and making weird and wonderful creatures using the body parts in the playdough.

This week in Year 2, we’ve been having a brilliant time exploring two-digit numbers using our maths boxes! The children have loved using practical resources to make and partition numbers, helping them understand place value in a hands-on way. From building numbers with tens and ones to solving mini challenges with their partners, the classroom has been buzzing with excitement and teamwork. It’s been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they break down numbers and explain their thinking. Well done, Year 2 – keep up the great work! 🌟

Year 3 really enjoyed their ukulele lesson with Mr Rudkin today. They learned how to hold the instrument and play some basic chords. Everyone was excited to try strumming and making music together. It was a fun and lively session and they can’t wait for their next music lesson!

It has been an exciting time for children, who have taken part in Bikeabilty, in Year 5 this week . While some children were taken to the roads to learn how to stay safe, some learned to ride a bike for the first time. What a great success! Well done Year 5.

Reception have been enjoying their PE lessons in the gym. We have been learning how to find our own space and playing listening games.

It’s been a busy and exciting week in Year 1 as we’ve been taking on new challenges during our provision time! The children have shown wonderful curiosity and creativity as they explored different areas of learning. In our writing area, we’ve been putting our phonics skills to the test by creating our very own shopping lists. Over in our construction area, our budding architects have been hard at work! Using our special architect notepads, the children have been carefully copying and designing their own versions of churches, shops and landmarks, using our measuring tools to measure each creation. Our craft corner has been a hive of activity too. Inspired by our science lessons, the children have been making models of the animals we’ve been learning about – from creepy crawlies to creatures of the deep! Some children have also chosen to create their own Numberblocks, showing fantastic understanding of numbers and shapes. It’s been lovely to see how confidently the children are accessing all areas of provision and applying their learning in creative and meaningful ways. Well done, Year 1 – we can’t wait to see what you get up to next week!