Year 6 - Hawk

Y6 Swimming - Wednesdays

Our swimming sessions will take place every Wednesday from 8th June to 13th July.  The letter we sent home can be found below, however here is a reminder of the most important information:

On swimming days, children can wear their PE kit and must bring:

• a separate bag for swimming kit (school bags will be left in lockers at school)
• appropriate swimming kit (one-piece swimsuit for girls / swimming shorts or trunks for boys)
• a towel
• a hair bobble (if needed - long hair must be tied back)

Optional items:

• swimming goggles (masks, such as snorkel masks which cover the nose, are not allowed)
• swimming hat

Not to be worn on swimming days:

• watches and jewellery (such as earrings)

If your child cannot attend a swimming lesson, please email Mrs Dimbleby, write a note in your child's planner or phone the school office so that alternative arrangements can be made for them in school for that session.  

Welcome to Hawk Class!

Welcome to Hawk's class page.  This will be somewhere for us to share useful information and important updates, as well as celebrating many of the things that we will do throughout the year.  As a general rule, if you need it, it will be on here.  Having said that, if there is anything else that you would like to see on here, please let me know.

Mrs Dimbleby 

Please remember your e-safety rules before clicking on any of the internet links on this page. For more information on how to stay safe, visit the e-safety page.

Useful Class Information

Class Teacher: Mrs Dimbleby

Other adults working with Hawk Class: Miss Kidby, Mrs Ganson and Miss Newman

Contacting me

If you need to contact me, you can email me using hawk@balliolschool.co.uk.  You can also leave a message at the school office and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

School Uniform

We expect the children to be in full school uniform (when not wearing their PE kit.)  Please ensure that they have their ties with them and are also wearing plain black school shoes or plain black trainers.

PE - Monday and Thursday

Children should come to school in their school PE kits on these days. For the first half term, both lessons will both be outside, therefore the children need to bring extra layers such as tracksuit bottoms, leggings or jogging bottoms and jumpers or zip-up tops. These should be plain black or blue.

Homework

English and Maths homework will be given out weekly on a Friday.  We will discuss homework activities with the children and will also put details of these on the class pages.

Mobile Phones

If your child walks to or from school on their own and you would like them to have their mobile phone with them, that is fine.  When the children arrive at school, phones will be collected and stored in a secure place in the classroom. Children will be able to collect these before going home at the end of the day. Please note, the mobile phone remains the responsibility of your child at all times.

What we are learning this term

We have created an overview to show you the main areas of learning we will focus on during the Spring Term.  Please see the document below.

The School App

We now use this to send home important information and to keep you up to date.  Please consider downloading this (if you do not already have it) so that you don't miss anything important.  There is a guide which explains how to download the app below.

Homework

Homework is a very important part of life in Y6 because it will help to support the learning you are doing in school.  We expect you all to complete your homework every week.  However, if you need any help, please make sure you ask us.  Just remember to do this before the day that your homework is due in!

Date set: Friday 10th June          

Date due in / date to be completed: Thursday 16th June

Practise your x tables.  You will have your final Year 6 assessment on Thursday.

Reading in Year 6

In Year 6, we want you to LOVE reading and read books which you ENJOY reading and WANT to read.  We have lots of brilliant books in the classroom and there are also great books in the school reading books which you can borrow.

Remember to record the books that you have read on your personal 'Reading Bookshelf' sheet, recommend books to others that you have really enjoyed and ask an adult to photocopy the spine of the book to add to our 'Reading Pile'.

Parents and carers:  Please see the letter below about reading in Year 6.  This was sent home in the first few weeks of the school year.

   This is perfect for practising your reading comprehension.

    https://readtheory.org/auth/login

Looking for something to read?

There are some great resources out there to help you choose a book to read.  Here are some of the most useful:

#BookMatch - This is part of a fantastic website from 'The Reader Teacher' and has book lists showing you books similar to ones

                         written by some of the most popular authors at the moment.   https://www.thereaderteacher.com/bookmatch

                         It is worth looking at others parts of this website, there are so many book suggestions, your list will get longer and

                         longer!

Book of the Week - This is a fabulous resource, made by @primaryteachew.  Sadly it is currently too big to add here.  If you would like

to have a look, please ask Mrs Dimbleby as she has saved it onto the network at school.

What to read after - You can put the name of books or authors you really like in the search bar and search for other books that you

                                   might like based on what you have already read.  https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/our-

                                   recommendations/what-to-read-after/#!?q=tom%20gates&sortOption=MostRecent&pageNo=1

If your favourite author or set of books is on this map, follow the correct 'tube line' for suggestions of other books that you might like:

Here are some of the interesting and inventive places we have been reading!  These photos are really making us  .  

If you would like to share your photo with us, please email it to Mrs Dimbleby (hawk@balliolschool.co.uk).

Twitter

Sometimes we are lucky enough to get tweets from authors, or win giveaways on Twitter.  Here are some of the things we have received this year.

Spellings in Year 6

Whichever spellings you are working on, this website is really useful:  https://spellingframe.co.uk/

You can click on the year groups you want to.  Scroll down towards the bottom of the page to practise the words from our word lists.

Another useful website is: http://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/spookySpellings/index.html

You can click on the year groups you want to, then click on the books in the background to select different words.

Other Useful Websites for English

BBC Bitesize - Y6 English - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zv48q6f

BBC Bitesize Crystal Explorers - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkbkf4j/articles/zbm8scw

Synonyms and Antonyms:  https://www.abcya.com/games/wordtoss_synonym_antonym 

Maths in Year 6

Here are lots useful websites which you can use at home to help you with your Maths:

Do you fancy a daily challenge?  If so, this could be the one for you.  If you have seen people playing 'Wordle' on their phones, this is a Maths version and we are fairly sure that you might beat quite a few adults on it!

Ooodle - https://mathszone.co.uk/resources/grid/ooodle/

https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student/17733

Times Tables - This website is particularly good if you need to work on a certain times table.  It gives you different ways to practise the multiplication facts in order and mixed up.  https://www.timestables.co.uk/

Hit The Button -  This is a great game to help you practise your times tables, as well as related facts such as doubles, halves and square numbers. https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

My Maths - This is not just for homework!  You can log on and access lots of lessons and activities as well as games.  The lessons are particularly useful as they explain what you need to do and give you examples to try.  https://www.mymaths.co.uk/

Corbett Maths Primary - A fantastic website.  Many of the resources can be printed, but could also be looked at on screen with

                                          practise being done on paper.

5-a-day: 5 questions to practise every day at different levels.  Perfect for practising those important, basic skills as well as other

              areas of Year 6 Maths.

Videos:  Videos to explain how to tackle different skills, followed by questions to answer.

Worksheets:  These link to the videos mentioned above.

Quizzes:  Link to Kahoot quizzes.

https://corbettmathsprimary.com/

My Mini Maths - This is a really useful website which can be used every day, or can be used to focus on areas which you would like to practise more.  Many areas include videos to watch and there are always questions to have a go at answering.

https://myminimaths.co.uk/year-6-mini-maths/

This part of My Mini Maths is particularly helpful when you are practising for the Arithmetic paper.  You can select the types of questions you find tricky, watch a video to help you, then try lots of examples of that type of question:  

https://myminimaths.co.uk/arithmetic-16-practice-questions/

IXL - A fantastic website.  You can pick an area to work on, look at examples or explanations and also answer some example questions.  To use the website for free, you are limited to a certain number of questions, but it's definitely worth looking at every now and then.  https://uk.ixl.com/math/year-6

BBC Bitesize - A great website.  Again, you can choose an area to look at.  There are videos, explanations and short quizzes to help you.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z826n39

Prodigy - This is a fun-packed website mixing games and Maths.  https://www.prodigygame.com/ 

Adults can find out more by looking at https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/parents-guide-to-prodigy/

Guardians of Mathematica - Our new favourite game!  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zd2f7nb/articles/zn2y7nb

Topmarks - You can search for games that link to specific areas of Maths.  Look out for the age range underneath all games.  It will give you a good idea of how useful it is.  https://www.topmarks.co.uk/

Maths Is Fun - This site is really good at explaining things and gives you practice questions at the bottom of each page.

https://www.mathsisfun.com/

Online Maths Dictionary - http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html

Y6 Maths 'How to do...' Videos

These videos have been made to help you with your homework, or with your revision.  This is something new that we are trying, so if you would like a video made and added here, please ask.

All of the videos can be watched by clicking on the link provided.

Multiplying by 10, 100 and 1000 - https://loom.com/share/32d3c882ec5e4f14807435f4bd1d73e5  This video was made for home learning but is still useful as a reminder.

Dividing by 10, 100 and 1000 - https://loom.com/share/4f95eca7ff0e4908b85c66c970ed9c28  This video was made for home learning but is still useful as a reminder.

Long Division - https://loom.com/share/c7339fce1a0c48a989eb67327e7d4418

  French  

If you would like to find out more about what we have been doing in French with Madame Kaler, watch useful videos or find more information about challenges that she has set you, you can find all this here: https://www.petite-etoile.co.uk/balliol-primary

Year 4, 5 & 6 Challenge: Galette des Rois 

We have started the year by learning about a traditional celebration on the 6th January which celebrates the arrival of the three Kings to Bethlehem.  On this, the twelfth night, the family gets together for their last Christmas feast.  The family eats a special cake called 'LA GALETTE DES ROIS'.  It is a cake made of puff pastry.  Inside is a lucky charm: 'UNE FEVE.'  The youngest in the family sits underneath the table during the cutting of the cake and calls out names of family members around the table to have a slice of 'la galette.'  Whoever gets the piece of 'LA GALETTE' with 'LA FEVE' inside, wears a crown and becomes King or Queen for the day!

If you would like to have a go at making a 'Galette des Rois', you can download the recipe below.  You can also click here for a fantastic video from Nathalie Paris, who shows you how to make 'une galette' in French.  Take a photo and email it to Madame Kaler (lisakaler@petite-etoile.co.uk) or bring it in to school.  Everyone who completes the challenge will get a prize!

Espresso

To access Espresso from home, go to https://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/ then click 'Login' in the top right-hand corner.

Login details:  student 4307 / espresso    (Please do not change this as it is the login for the whole school.)

What we've been up to!

Student Leadership Applications:

We were all so proud of everyone in Hawk Class who applied to be part of the Student Leadership Team.  Their letters of application and speeches were carefully thought out and some of the best we have ever read or heard.  Well done to you all!

Miss O'Connor was also impressed and sent Year 6 an email:

Hello Year 6

I just want to say how incredibly proud I am of all of you who presented your speeches today. It is inspiring to see how much you have grown and matured. You will all make amazing leaders of the future!

Absolute stars 🌟

Miss O’Connor  

Map Reading at Priory Country Park:

I was so impressed with everyone in Hawk Class on our map reading walks around Priory Country Park.  By the end of each walk, the children were plotting six-figure grid references, orientating maps and also looking at features on a map to work out where we were.  An extra special shout-out must go to our own 'expedition chef' for making us Malteser fridge cake which we all got to enjoy at the end of our walks.

Fire Lighting:

Hawk Class had a great time with Mr Ashdown and Dr Jarvis learning how to light a fire, be safe around it, and also cooking bananas with chocolate in them.  Mrs Dimbleby got to be the official taster (which was obviously really hard for her!) and she thought they were delicious.

Maths Morning:

We had a fantastic Maths morning in Hawk Class.  Three activities stood out as favourites.  These were the 'Number Search' (a very tricky wordsearch, but with numbers), Zukei Puzzles and a Maths Escape Room. The cryptogram in the Escape Room proved particularly tricky, but between us we managed to solve it.

TTRockStars - England Rocks 2021:

We took part in this national competition for Maths Week.  Every single member of the class took part, with some of the children getting particularly competitive!  Here are the highlights from the results:

* HAWK CLASS CAME 65TH OUT OF OVER 30,000 CLASSES!

* 7 out of the top 10 children from Balliol were from Hawk Class.

* The top 3 children in the school all came from Hawk Class.

It's official - Hawk Class ROCK!!!!

Polar Explorer Day:

We had a fantastic day with Simon, our polar explorer.  We learned so much about the polar regions and about polar exploration.  

Holocaust Memorial Week

As part of Holocaust Memorial Week, we were honoured to join an online event with the Anne Frank Trust.  We heard from the author, Tom Palmer, who is quickly becoming a favourite in Hawk Class.  We also listened to the experiences of Harry Olmer, a survivor of the Holocaust, who went on to be one of the 'Windemere Children.'

Their story is told in Tom Palmer's book, 'After the War', which we very quickly agreed would be our next class read.

World Book Day

We enjoyed making origami bookmark corners, many of which we will be using ourselves, but there may be some lucky parents, carers and even school staff who have had one made for them.

We also spent time sharing our favourite books.  It was lovely to hear about books which we have all enjoyed recently, and also when we were younger.  We have made a collage of our favourite books, but we'll be honest, we could have added so many more on!

National Numeracy Day

We enjoyed a number of different activities, but the most popular was 'Managing Your Money'.  Everyone did a great job with their budget of £20 a day, and considered food and travel costs carefully.  There was some great research going on and Mrs Dimbleby was particularly impressed with everyone's determination to save money and look for the best deals.

Y6 Commonwealth Sports Festival

Some of Hawk Class attended a Y6 Commonwealth Sports Festival at Biddenham.  Miss Bowling took them and was very impressed by everyone's attitude and the sportsmanship that they showed.  Well done to you all, you represented Hawk Class and Balliol brilliantly!

Virtual Author Visit - Glen Blackwell

We were lucky enough to win a free virtual visit with Glen Blackwell, the author of 'The Blitz Bus' and 'The Titanic Tunnel'.  These are both time travel stories and we are currently reading (and loving) 'The Blitz Bus'.  Glen talked to us about story writing, read a chapter from his book, and told us all about his new book which is about to be published.  He also spent lots of time answering our questions about being an author and writing books.

Pobble

Well done to those of you who have been published this year on Pobble:

If you have not been published yet, don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities throughout the year.