Lingwood Primary Academy Newsletter 13th December 2024

Headteachers Update

Hello, I would like to take this chance to say a massive thank you for the warm welcome I have received from children, staff and parents. The performances this week, were so lovely. I am really looking forward to leading the school in Miss Laycock's absence and already I feel I have got to know the strengths of this wonderful school. Fortunately, I have been able to spend a couple of days with Miss Laycock to handover and I know your thoughts and prayers will be with her and her family.

I have been a headteacher for over 7 years, and for the past two years, I have been working in an advisory role supporting both Primary and Secondary schools. When Tim Coulson asked if I would come to Lingwood, I did not hesitate. I live just outside Bury St Edmunds with my wife and 16-year-old twin boys. I am an avid sportsman and fan and am currently training for an attempt to run a sub 3-hour marathon, so you might see me running around the village.

I will be working from home on a Wednesday, but we have made arrangements for another senior leader from Unity to come and support Miss Coley when I am not in school. Please do catch me at the gate at the start or the end of the day and say hello.

Have a lovely weekend.

Ben Jeffery

Interim Headteacher

Year Group News

Nursery

This week in Nursery we have been learning about the Christmas Story. The children have been re-telling the story in our small world tray and they have enjoyed dressing up and acting out the story in our role play area. We also had our Christmas performance and we are so proud of the children who all shone.

Reception

Reception have been learning about the Nativity story this week and have enjoyed re-telling the story using a story map. They have also been decorating the classroom with paper chains using repeating patterns and remembering the shapes we have learnt over the last few weeks. We were so proud of them all during their Christmas show on Wednesday. They were so brave to perform in front of such a big audience and we think they are all superstars! 

Year 1

We are so proud of the children and their hard work for our nativity play this half term! They were fantastic during the performance, showing off their amazing singing and speaking parts!  Thank you for all of your support with costumes, line learning and no doubt hearing the songs on repeat at home!

We were also lucky to have a visit from a parent who brought in a posada which was visiting them for the night from their church. The children enjoyed hearing about where the statue and tradition originates from and why it is important to the family and their religion.

Year 2   

What an amazing nativity performance from Year 2! Thank you to all the parents that were able to join us- you were an amazing audience! Thank you for all the lovely costumes! We are so proud of all of them- they all worked really hard to learn their parts and songs. 

This week we have also learned about the Lantern Festival in China during our reading lesson. We practised sequencing events from the story and finding events in the story by identifying the beginning, middle and end, which makes it easier to find information when answering questions about the text.

Year 3

This week Year 3 have been working hard to write their historical stories, including dialogue. They have been using their learning in History to help them use precise vocabulary. 

In reading we have begun reading the poem The night before Christmas and have been practising our scanning skills to identify key words and phrases which help us answer questions.

Year 4

This week Year 4 have started their new writing unit, News Reports! They have already begun by looking at various news articles and annotating their features. We are nearly at the end of our core text, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant. In Science, we were solving why water droplets form around cold cans and glasses. The children also recorded what had happened to their experiment from last week. Lastly, we had our final music lesson with our Norfolk Hub music teacher where we rehearsed our performance of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on the ukulele!

Year 5

This week, Year 5 had a whole day of DT, where they designed and created a road safety belt in groups. They carefully selected particular materials so that they were reflective and would be able to be seen in the dark. I was so proud of them all - well done! In Writing, we have planned and started writing a balanced argument about whether we should ban school uniforms or not. The children have recognised points for as well as against to ensure they remain balanced and not biased. 

Year 6

Year 6 have been rehearsing hard for their Christmas performance this week. They have also written a news report and edited it. In maths, the class have been multiplying and dividing fractions with success. Finally, they are really enjoying the class book How to Live Forever.

Achievement Awards

Rabbit Class  - The whole class for being superstars during their Christmas show.

Squirrel Class – Mollie - for fantastic addition and subtraction work in maths.

Hares Class  – Brooke - for her commitment to rehearsing lines and songs at home - a fantastic donkey!

Fawns Class  – Theo, for working hard to apply his knowledge in his writing this week.

Otter Class - Jess B - For your amazing adventure story. You had a clear plot, characters and setting. It was a very exciting read.

Badger Class – Georgia for doing amazingly well on your spelling test - well done!

Fox Class - Luca for working really hard on his handwriting when completing his news report.

Star Pupil Awards

Rabbit Class -  The whole class for being superstars during their Christmas show.

Squirrel Class –Isabelle - for being a kind and helpful member of Squirrels class.

Hares Class  – Alfie - for being a great member of Hare’s class. We will miss your smiley face

Fawns Class - Talula Gregg, for consistently trying her best in all lessons. Well Done.

Otter Class – Thea - for always being so positive and sharing your lovely smile with us every day!

Badger Class – Tye for being respectful to all adults - well done!

Fox Class – Alesha for an improved focus and effort this week in class.

Congratulations to you all - we are very proud of you!