Well what another fantastic World Book Day we had this week, a big thank you to everyone for making the effort with costumes and donating a book. Our children had a lovely day and it was great to see lots of reading in classrooms and discussions about their favourite books and characters.
As you know we ask our parents, carers and children to read at least three times per week. We know you have busy lives however just a few minutes of reading can make a huge difference!
For our younger children, sharing a book together is fun! It’s a time for closeness, laughing and talking together – and it can also give children a flying start in life and help them become lifelong readers. Here are some tips to help you share a story together;
Ask your child to choose what they’d like to read. They’ll feel more interested in the story if they’ve picked it out themselves.
Sit close together. You could encourage your child to hold the book themselves and turn the pages, too.
Look at the pictures. You don’t just have to read the words on the page. Maybe there’s something funny in the pictures or you can guess what might happen next.
Ask questions and talk about the book. Picture books can be a great way to talk through your child’s fears and worries, or to help them deal with their emotions.
Have fun! There’s no right or wrong way to share a story.
As children get older, with lots of other activities competing for their time, how can you encourage them to make time for reading? Here are some of our ideas:
Read yourself! It doesn’t matter what it is – pick up a newspaper or magazine.
Give books as presents. And encourage your children and their friends to swap books with each other.
Visit the Bingley library together.
Encourage children to carry a book at all times. That way, they’ll never be bored.
Keep reading together. Just because your children are older, it doesn’t mean you have to stop sharing stories.
We hope you find some of these tips and ideas useful.
Diary Dates
March
Tuesday 11th March – Year 4 school trip to Science Museum in Science Week
Thursday 13th March – Cross Country Race 3 at Northcliffe Country Park in Shipley
Monday 17th March – Thursday 20th March – Year 6 Bikeability
Thursday 20th March – Year 1 Class Assembly – parents, carers and families are welcome
Friday 21st March – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR TRUST DATA DAY
Monday 24th March – FOPPS “Superwoman” shop (more details to follow)
Monday 24th March – KS2 The Big Spring Clean 2025 (more details to follow)
Monday 24th March – Parents’ Evening 3:30pm – 6:00pm – (more details to follow)
Wednesday 26th March – Year 5 and 6 Puberty Workshop
Wednesday 26th March – Parents’ Evening 3:30pm – 5:30pm – (more details to follow)
Thursday 27th March – Year 6 Class Assembly – parents, carers and families are welcome
Monday 31st March – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR EID
April
Tuesday 1st April – Design Technology Art Exhibition in the school hall – parents, carers and families are welcome
Wednesday 2nd April – A special themed lunch for Eid (menu to follow)
Friday 4th April – Year 5 Rewind to Easter, visit to Bingley Baptist church
Attendance
Our whole school attendance last week was 95.4%
Reception – 98.9%
Year 1 – 93.4%
Year 2 – 93.6%
Year 3 – 98.3%
Year 4 – 93.6%
Year 5 – 98.4%
Year 6 – 99%
Well done to Reception, Year 3, Year 5 and Year 6 for fantastic attendance and achieving our target of 97%.
Pride of Priestthorpe Awards
Early Years – George and Tommy
Year 1 – Molly and Dominic
Year 2 – Elsie and Quinn. L
Year 3 – Oliver and Reagan
Year 4 – Ruby and Toby
Year 5 – Summer and Daisy
Year 6 – Oliver and Leone
Thank you to all those parents, carers and extended family and friends that joined us in our Friday assembly.
Early Years
Early years have been learning about farm animals and their babies.
Year 1
In computing, Year 1 have been continuing their work on algorithms and created their own maze for the beebot to navigate. The children created the commands with multiple steps.
Year 2
Year 2 have been making tiles out of clay. They look amazing!
Year 3
In computing, Year 3 were using Scratch, to put together a sequence of commands to produce some musical notes.
Year 4
Year 4 had a wonderful World Book Day on Thursday, there were some fantastic costumes.
Year 5
Year 5 made a great effort for World Book Day. We had some fabulous costumes and lots of snuggly pyjamas perfect for curling up with a good book. We spent some time talking about the different book genres and the children shared with each other their favourite types of books. We watched a video about stories from other countries and discussed how some stories are passed down through the generations. Finally, we listened to some taster extracts from lots of different books and those of us that brought a book were able to swap it during our book swap session.
Year 6
In topic, Year 6 have moved onto rivers with a specific focus on the Mississippi River in America. We looked at the physical geography of the river, before looking at how the river was and is used by humans. We then delved into how humans have and still negatively impact the river. Lastly, we had a look at the wildlife that uses the river system as a home and for feeding.
Important learning information
We use a range of Learning Apps in school, which can also be accessed at home. Please use the links below to practice key skills.
Times Table Rockstars is an award-winning maths learning platform where children can practice their times tables like a rock star! Certificates can be achieved every Thursday for the children who have made the most progress in terms of the biggest increase in accuracy that week. We also run in school competitions.
Times Tables Rock Stars – Times Tables Rock Stars
Accelerated Reader will allow children to read a book and then take an online quiz to test their knowledge and understanding of the text, and receive immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to improve their reading skills.
Spelling Shed uses the science of spelling to teach it to pupils. Using phonics as a base and drawing upon proven approaches such as teaching morphology, etymology, and orthographic mapping, as well as teaching spelling patterns. Children are set new activities on here each week.
