In History, we’ve been learning about the Stone Age and the different dwellings people lived in. We found out that some Stone Age people lived in caves and painted pictures on the walls to tell stories. To bring this to life, we created our own cave paintings using earthy colours. Some of us painted animals, handprints, or hunting scenes. We had lots of fun and were really proud of our artwork. Our classroom looked like a real Stone Age cave!

This week in Nursery, the children have been getting ready to ‘write’ by developing both their fine and gross motor skills. We’ve enjoyed reading the stories This is Me  and What Makes Me a Me? , using them as a springboard to talk about what makes each of us special and unique. We've also been singing songs about our bodies and senses to help build awareness and vocabulary in a fun, engaging way. Outdoors, the children have had a fantastic time transporting water to make muddy puddles and working together to create their own obstacle course—great for building strength, coordination, and teamwork!

As part of our focus on looking carefully and thinking sustainably during Recycling Week , Year 2 had a fantastic time using fruit for their observational drawing. We studied the shapes and and textures closely — really noticing the details! Afterwards, we gave the fruit a good wash and enjoyed it as a healthy snack. It was a great way to show how we can reuse materials in creative ways before they go to waste. This links perfectly with our Recycling Week message: "Reuse and then recycle."

We have been using our large outdoor construction to build a park. We have made a climbing frame, a slide and a seesaw. This is great for our gross motor skills and helps us to develop our language as well as working cooperatively with our friends.

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! 🌟