Year 6 Parent Welcome Letter

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Year 6!  We hope you had an enjoyable summer and that you are ready for the year ahead.  We are very much looking forward to meeting with you all in the next couple of weeks.

Year 6 Teachers

The Year 6 team this year consists of four teachers: Alison Hones (Year Group Leader), Russell Moriarty, Catriona Debnam-Sharp and Tony Williams. Supporting our team is Vanessa Ameresekere & Debbie Barnett, who will be working across all four classes as the Educational Assistants in Year 6.

Independence and Organisation

In Year 6, the key terms are ‘independence’ and ‘organisation.’ By placing the emphasis on the children, they will learn to think for themselves and develop their self-management skills. This will also help them during the transition to Secondary School. The children should use their diary to plan and organise events in the school week and must be responsible for bringing the correct items to school. It would be much appreciated if you could support us by encouraging the children to pack and organise their own bags at the start of each school day and to be responsible for their belongings. Library and PE days will be constant throughout the year.

Homework Schedule

As in all previous year groups, reading will be a consistent expectation in the Year 6 homework routine. Students are expected to read for at least 20 minutes each night. Homework will be focused around English, Maths and Discovery and consist of a mixture of both online and practical activities, which will be shared via Google Classroom and other online platforms, such as MyiMaths or Mangahigh. Homework will be set on Fridays and expected to be handed in by the following Thursday. Occasionally, special project work will be set. Extra time may be allocated for this, depending on the nature of the task. Please encourage homework to be completed independently and if your child is having any problems, please speak to the class teacher.

Reading Books

Students will choose books from the library each week, carefully selected and suited to their reading level. Please support your child’s progress in reading by asking questions about the books they bring home and reading alongside them for pleasure or should they require additional support. We kindly request that books brought home belonging to the school are looked after carefully and returned promptly when requested by the teacher. Children will receive iReads to encourage reading. One iRead is awarded for a 20 minute reading session and these will be recorded in their school diary. Certificates will be awarded throughout the year. Reading for enjoyment is highly encouraged as this has a very positive impact on student’s reading and writing achievement. 

Chromebooks

In Year 6, the children will continue to participate in the 1:1 device program. Each student will be responsible for their own Google Chromebook which will be owned, managed and stored by the school. We are very excited by the opportunities this allows all the students and how it will enhance their learning. Each child will share their learning via Seesaw. You will have parental access to this platform and are warmly invited to give feedback to your child. 

Parent – Teacher Communication

We would like to invite you to our ‘Meet the Teacher’ meeting on Monday 19th August in your child’s classroom.  This is your opportunity to meet you child’s class teacher and discuss your child with us. There will also be opportunities to ask any questions about the year ahead. All information will be communicated via the Parent Portal.

Year 6 Curriculum

We will be sending home Transition Booklets with all children, which will contain all the reminders about the school day, home learning, uniform and curriculum. Please make sure you read through these booklets carefully as they are full of essential information. Further information regarding school uniform can also be found on the school website.

In the coming weeks, the Head of Primary will also be sending out the link to the updated curriculum booklet, which will contain details of the curriculum across the primary school.

Thailand Trip

Flights and accommodation are booked for the Thailand Camp from Sunday 16th to Friday 21st February, 2020. We would like to invite you to a Parent Information Evening regarding the camp, on Thursday 28th November at 5:30 pm in The Globe. During this session, we will provide further information regarding the location, travel arrangements, activities and an opportunity for questions. 

We are looking forward to an exciting year working with your children. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher should you have any questions or concerns. We operate an open-door policy and are happy to see you before and after school for quick queries, however if you wish to speak at length, please organise a meeting ahead of time with your child’s class teacher. 

Kind regards,

The Year 6 Teachers