Blog 23
Dear Mantis class,
It is the end of a very productive week and a very productive term. This week the children have been finishing a variety of units across the curriculum, finishing our work on sustainable plastic use in geography and also our scientific work on light. Elsewhere this week the children have been taking part in the second round of assessments and I am very pleased indeed with the results. All children will be coming home today with their results to share with you as well as details on how much they have improved since the last round of assessments. Progress is clearly evident across the class and some children have made huge strides, especially in our maths work! These results show me that everyone is progressing and we are all heading on an upward trajectory as we approach the KS2 assessment period in May.
If you have any queries regarding the results, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Congratulations to the girls below for their courage in taking part in the Hornbill’s Got Talent Competition this week and their wonderful dance. I hope they will also be able to showcase this for you all at the end of the year at the Year 6 Graduation.
Badge winners and Highflyer:
This week congratulations goes to PG and AKG for being awarded certificates as well as ST and MG who were both awarded their gold badges and 9th certificates in the celebration assembly.
Our high flyer award this week goes to SG. S has had a very good few weeks in school, behaving exceptionally well and showing great maturity amongst her peers, she has been extremely helpful in class and very engaged in her learning showing excellent progress in her assessments. S is developing into a very hardworking student as well as a mature leader and it is also great to see how well she is doing on the school council.
Swimming – Please remember that if your child cannot attend swimming for any reason, please let me know the reason via a quick note or via a call to the office.
Happy holidays everyone, enjoy your break, whether you are staying in Brunei or travelling elsewhere.
Mr Deane
Hornbill House Team Points – Term 2
Blog 22
Another successful week has been had in Mantis class and we are still working with maximum energy and creativity as we approach the final week of term.
This week the children have completed their work on position and direction in maths where they have mastered ideas such as reflection and translation, showing their prowess in our end of block assessment. In English, we have just started the independent write, so children will be writing their own newspaper articles about the finding of the tomb of the great warrior, Fu Hao. It has been an investigative week in science with children investigating shadows and how/why they move throughout the day and we experimented with the refraction of light through glass and water today as well. We have also started some work on sustainability this week in Geography and the children have been extremely knowledgeable about the dangers of plastic on the environment and shown good awareness of global warming.
Next week will be an important week for Mantis class as we have assessment week. This will be an opportunity for the children to show how far they have progressed this term through a range of literacy and numeracy based assessments and also gain some valuable experience on assessment technique and working to a set time limit. Results will be sent home with children on the final day of term to share.
This week the high flyer award goes to TG. T has had a great week, showing what he can do in our maths revision as well as taking to journalistic writing very easily. He has managed to find his writing voice and creativity, whilst still maintaining good detail of factual evidence and I look forward to reading his final article next week.
Swimming – Please remember that if your child cannot attend swimming for any reason, please let me know the reason via a quick note or via a call to the office.
Next week:
Monday – PE kit needed
Thursday – swimming kit needed
Friday – final day of term 1200 finish
Happy weekend everyone,
Mr Deane
PE Blog – Racquet Club
Blog 21
Dear Mantis class,
The weeks are flying by at the moment, but we continue to push on as we approach the Easter break. In English the children have started well on their journalistic writing as we explore discoveries such as Skara Brae, the Valley of the Kings and Fu Hao’s tomb in Anyang. Maths has been a tricky week as we explore new learning around position and direction, including coordinates, translation and reflection and the children have shown great resilience on this challenging topic. We also found time to show off our learning in statistics; the class carried out a survey with Y4 and then expertly displayed their data through the use of bar graphs and pie charts, the latter being a new skill for them last week. A few of the final pieces can be seen below.
Next week we continue this work on position and direction and journalistic writing before then moving on to consolidating our learning for the term in some revision as we prepare for assessment week before the holidays.
World Book Day:
Thank you to all of those who attended school on World Book Day in costume or decorated with dots. It was a great day celebrating reading and is always fun to see the creative costumes on show. Children took part in a catwalk to show off their costumes and also listened to stories read by guest speakers from across the garrison.
Mrs Russell judged the competitions on the outfits and A-KG and AS were determined as the winners for either having the best costume or following the ‘Dot’ theme for this year’s event.
This week the high flyer award again goes to AP. This does not happen very often where a student wins the award two weeks in a row but A is fully deserving of this again this week. A has worked exceptionally well in his maths work, grasping new concepts quickly and also problem solving with great resilience and independence. He has also engaged extremely well with his writing and produced a beautiful front cover for his newspaper article.
Swimming – Please remember that if your child cannot attend swimming for any reason, please let me know the reason via a quick note or via a call to the office.
Next week:
Monday – PE kit needed
Thursday – swimming kit needed
Happy weekend everyone,
Mr Deane
Blog 20
Dear Mantis class,
It has been an energetic week here in Mantis class and again it feels like the effort levels, attention to detail and expectations have ramped up again this week as we edge closer to the Easter break. The children have worked hard to complete the recent maths unit on statistics, where they have interpreted data from graphs and charts, as well as learnt new skills in creating their own pie charts. In English the children have showed off their drama skills, interviewing each other as ‘reporter/detective’ and ‘witness’ as they prepare for our work on journalistic writing. History has also been a big focus for us this week as we reach the culmination of our historical analysis of the Shang Dynasty. Mantis class have been investigating the discovery of Fu Hao’s tomb in Anyang and this will form the basis of their main independent write in English in the coming weeks. The children have made an excellent start in exploring this new topic, understanding the importance this discovery had in terms of developing knowledge on the Shang Dynasty and Fu Hao’s important legacy as a powerful woman, leading thousands of men in amongst a completely patriarchal society.
Purple Day
Thank you to all of those who attended school on Friday wearing purple or with crazy hair. Thank you also for the change donations for the coin trail as well as the other donations, which will head to the Little Princess Trust and Love Paw Sanctuary, two charities chosen by the school council for this event.
This week the high flyer award goes to AP, who also finished the week collecting his gold badge. I have been very impressed with A this week, especially with his good attitude to learning and his positive energy, which has resulted in work of much improved quantity and quality. A, I hope you can maintain this great attitude to your learning, because it is working very well for you and will serve you very well into the future with your studies and in every venture you turn your hand to.
Congratulations to AS, AP and JG today on their badges as well as the other certificate winners this week.
PE
Swimming – Please remember that swimming kit if required on Thursdays now moving forward. If for any reason your child cannot attend swimming on any day, please either write me a note or contact the office to explain.
Next week: Reading Week
Monday – PE kit needed
Wednesday – reading session with Y1
Thursday
–World Book Day
-swimming kit needed
I hope you all have a good weekend,
Mr Deane
Blog 19
Dear Mantis class,
I hope you enjoyed the long weekend and managed to do as much resting or exploring as you wished. It took us a little while to get back into the swing of things upon our return this week but the children are now back to maximising their learning powers and making good progress. The major piece of work that the children have finished in the last week was their narratives based on Ancient China. I was very pleased with the imagination and the curiosity shown in this writing and the children have undoubtedly progressed with both the quantity and quality that they can produce with their writing. Elsewhere, the children have started well looking at statistics in maths and we have also started a new science topic, investigating light.
This week the high flyer award goes to NA. I was very impressed with N’s efforts in his independent write in English. He used all of the ingredients that we had been working on and that he needed to use in his narrative by including excellent structure, vivid adjectives, powerful verbs and detailed character/setting descriptions, whilst also including a flashback in his story set in Ancient China. There was a lot of success criteria to meet in this write and N completed this task with great dedication and imagination.
PE
Swimming – Swimming starts next week on Thursday and will then occur every week (weather depending) until the end of the year.
T – Ball – The cancelled tournament has been rearranged to Thursday 10th April – more information on this will follow closer to the time.
Next week:
Monday – PE kit needed
Thursday – swimming kit needed
Friday – Purple Day – Random Acts of Kindness – please wear purple and remember your donation money.
Celebration assembly (parents needing to attend will be notified)
Happy weekend everyone,
Mr Deane
KIRFs Term 2.2
Websites to support learning
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/measures
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zypjs82/articles/zwbndxs#zrft46f
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zfhwnk7/articles/zwbndxs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zfnqfdm
Maths4Everyone: KS2 SATS
Blog 18
Dear Mantis class,
The children have worked exceptionally hard this week as we have tried to fit in a week’s learning into 4 days. The children have completed their short stories set in Ancient China, we have undertaken revision topics in maths, continued our learning of Chinese culture in the Shang dynasty and also completed our Science unit on some of the body’s systems. The pace of work and the expectations in class have ramped up this week and will continue to do so and the children have really risen to this challenge!
Parent teacher meetings:
Thank you all for attending these meetings. It was good to see you all and talk to you and your children about progress and next steps – the meetings, I felt, went very well and reiterated to me how grateful I am to teach within this community, where parents are keen to be as active as possible in their children’s learning.
As I mentioned to most of you, any homework that can be completed at home will be extremely beneficial at this stage of the year as the work set will be directly aimed at key skills needed for meeting age related expectations as well as for secondary school and will also contain revision topics for the upcoming SATs. More information regarding SATs and study clubs will be sent home to you nearer the Easter break.
This week the high flyer award goes to JG. J has worked extremely hard this week on her maths, her narrative writing and her end of unit science presentation. J constantly displays her excellent learning behaviours and these are helping her progress so much each week.
Mrs Deane:
Mrs Deane will sadly be leaving us this week as she starts a new job at Treetops. Mrs Deane’s degree and the majority of her career have been in early years and we wish her well in being able to return to pursue this passion of hers. Mrs Deane will hopefully be able to assist us a little in the future, potentially giving us some time during a SATs club as well as hopefully being able to our attend our graduation at the end of the year. Mrs Deane has been invaluable to Mantis class in her time in Year 6 over the last year and a half, she is built great relationships with the children, supporting them both academically and emotionally in their development and she will be missed from the class.
Next week:
Monday – No school – teacher Inset day
Wednesday – PE kit needed – extra PE with Mr Sherwin
Thursday- PE kit needed
Have a great long weekend,
Mr Deane
Blog 17
Dear Mantis class,
We have had a busy week here in Mantis class. Unfortunately, our T-ball competition was postponed as the pitch was still water logged, but this allowed us to catch up some of the work we missed last week due to the weather. We have started some history work on the Shang Dynasty, the children are progressing well with their short stories, have done some excellent work to show their understanding on the digestive system in science and we finished the week with a visit to see a lion dance in celebration of Chinese New Year.
Parent teacher meetings:
Next week, our PTMs will be occurring on Tuesday and Wednesday after school. Appointment sign up information should have been sent to you for these meetings – if this is not the case, please contact the office to book an appointment to see me.
In the meetings we will be discussing current ‘working at’ levels as well as some discussion over recent assessments. We will discuss ‘next steps’ as well as discussing logistics for the rest of the year including the SATs.
Lion Dance – CNY
We thank DIO for our invite to see their Chinese New Year celebrations and the Lion Dance that took place at Medicina Lines on Friday. We were extremely grateful to be able to attend this event after our celebration had to sadly be cancelled because of flooding; this fits in importantly to us with our learning on Ancient China and it was also a great way to end the week. All of the children were very well behaved and a credit to the school.
This week the high flyer award goes to TG , who has been very vocal in our maths lessons this week as well as sharing creative ideas in his English writing. T has had a confident term all round with his learning and I am pleased to see how courage shine through this week.
Next week:
Monday – PE kit needed
Tuesday – Parent-Teacher Meetings day 1
Wednesday – Parent-Teacher Meeting day 2
Thursday- PE kit needed
Friday – no school on Friday 14th February and Monday 17th February.
Have a great long weekend,
Mr Deane
Blog 16
Dear Mantis class,
I hope you all managed to stay as dry as possible amidst the disruption this week and that no one has faced too much damage to property or possessions. Thank you again for your prompt collection of the children on Wednesday and even though we have missed some learning this week, we will be pushing hard until the upcoming long weekend to catch all of this up.
Children have made a good start to our short story unit this week, so far showing great creativity and imagination. In Maths we have finished our percentages, fractions and decimals unit, again with some fantastic end of block assessment results and we continue to look at Ancient China across the curriculum with great success.
Homework:
I have had a number of parents ask me about homework in recent weeks – what is being set and where it can be found? I have spoken to the children at length on this and mention it every week to them, that homework can be found on our Google Classroom. Children will know their email addresses to log in and then they need our class code, which they should have or can ask me for. First, I will say that homework is definitely not compulsory, however, it will always be beneficial for children to complete. At the moment, only a few children in the class are completing homework, more so on our spellings work, but with the homework there is regular opportunity to practise arithmetic and go over key topics such as fraction revision and explore reading texts, which will be invaluable to them as they seek age related expectations at the end of the year. Homework is set on Mondays and five pieces of work have been set each week for the last few weeks so I hope that the children are not letting parents know that they do not have any homework. Work can be submitted online on google classroom or can be done on paper or in homework books and handed in to me on Mondays to be marked. Work that has not been completed throughout the day eg. Vipers or maths challenges, can also be accessed at home to further embed learning if required. If you have any more queries on this, please do let me know.
Lion Dance – CNY
Unfortunately, the Lion Dance had to be cancelled on Thursday. If you had already paid money directly to me, this has been returned to your child today and they should have it in their bags. If you handed money to the office, the refund will be made imminently.
This week the high flyer award goes to MG, M has been a key cog in all that we do in class and I am delighted to give her this award this week. MG is extremely helpful in class and a great friend to her peers, but what has impressed me in recent weeks, is her curiosity and her communication around learning, especially in maths, where she has completed a lot of quality work at a great pace.
Next week:
Monday – PE kit needed
Thursday – T-Ball competition – all consent forms need to be returned in order to attend. Please refer to Mr Sherwin’s letter for further information.
Friday – celebration assembly – parents will be informed if their attendance is required.
Have a great weekend,
Mr Deane
BJSL Cross Country
Blog 15
Dear Mantis class,
Another busy week has quickly flown by in Mantis class, we are progressing well at the moment and I am very happy with all of the children’s efforts. This week the children finished their very thorough explanation texts on ‘How and why the Great Wall of China was Built’ and the improvements in the children’s levels of research, use of vocabulary and depth of writing are vast compared with last term. Maths continues to develop as children are confidently making connections between decimals, fractions and percentages and again I have been impressed with the efforts of the class in how they are applying this to reasoning problems. We finished the week with a science investigation into our heart rate and a visit to see Year 1 and share some reading and writing. This was a great way to finish the week and is a prime example of how Year 6 are also tested outside of their usual comfort zones, Their maturity and social skills were put to work when engaging with a much younger group of children, and they managed this well.
Cross Country
This week some of the children took part in another BJSL event with our school hosting JIS and Panaga for cross country. I was really impressed with the courage in all of those who signed up to run and then the resilience they showed during the race. The cross country is always a gruelling event; all of those who took part should be immensely proud of their achievement in completing the race and representing the school so admirably.
I would also like to thank the rest of Mantis class for their positive behaviour and enthusiasm when marshalling the event. The marshalls encouraged all of the runners throughout the morning and represented the school very maturely.
A new initiative has been launched this week with the help of the school council and that is the ‘High Flyers Lunch’ with Mrs Neal. This week, our High Flyers from the previous two weeks went to Mrs Neal’s office for lunch to share their achievement and this will continue each week from now on.
This week the High Flyer award goes to LR, who has shown great consistency and competency in all that he has tried his hand at this year. I have been particularly impressed with L’s attitude to learning and this is shown each week through the quality he produces as well as the quantity of work that he completes at home.
Next week:
Monday – PE kit needed
Thursday – 0845 – Chinese New Year Celebration – Lion Dance – please wear red/gold or Chinese inspired attire. Parents welcome to attend = please refer to letter for further details.
Have a great weekend,
Mr Deane
Blog 14
Dear Mantis class,
A belated Happy New Year to you all. Apologies that my first contact with you all has been delayed, but I can assure the term has started fantastically well; the children have hit the ground running this term and have produced some fantastic work over the first two weeks of term.
Coming home today, will be a slightly amended timetable for the term as well as the ‘flightpath’ for our learning, which explains more regarding our theme for the term on Ancient China. Homework is live on google classroom, there are two pieces so far, as well as the maths challenges from each day that can be accessed. Just as a reminder, homework is due in on Mondays and will be marked and returned by the end of the day. Also attached to this blog post are further details regarding the statutory Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) that will take place in May. Work is continuously being done in preparation for these assessments in our class. Every week we work on spellings, punctuation and grammar, reading and of course our maths; I should note that the children have done exceptionally well this week on decimals, where their end of unit assessments surpassed the highest class average score this year so far by 20%.
Congratulations to all of our certificate winners this week, there were some handed out from last term as well as our three badge winners on Friday.
Congratulations also goes to our high flyers over the last two weeks. Last week, SR was the highflyer and was thoroughly deserving of this for showing her resilience and courage during her work as well as just showing a fantastic attitude to learning across the week. Sr has performed consistently well this year and is always a good role model to others in terms of her behaviour.
This week the high flyer award goes to SG, who has made a fantastic start to her time at Hornbill school and has settled in exceptionally quickly. SG has already shown her talents in her maths work, showing great energy and curiosity and I am looking forward to seeing how much further she can go with her learning.
I would also like to say thank you for all of the kind gifts at the end of last term for Christmas, the magnets from your travels around the world over the break that are displayed with pride of place in class and the other kind gifts received from Nepal this term. I am extremely grateful for your thoughtfulness and generosity as well as being part of this wonderful community that we are forming in Y6.
Please see the attached STA Parent information leaflets, for your information:
Phonics Screening Check for parents
Multiplication Tables Check for parents
Key stage 2 National Curriculum tests
Next week:
Monday – PE kit needed
Thursday – BJSL cross country event for those who have signed up. PE kit needed for everyone.
Have a great weekend,
Mr Deane
KIRFs Introduction
What are KIRFs?
They are specific to each year group, building on your child’s prior learning whilst linking to the national curriculum. To support your child’s fluency and mental maths skills, we are introducing KIRFs (Key Instant Recall Facts) throughout school from FS2 to Y6. KIRFS are a way of helping your child to learn by heart, key facts and information which they need to have instant recall of. They contain number facts such as number bonds and times tables that need constant practise and rehearsal, so children can recall them quickly and accurately.
Instant recall of facts helps enormously with mental agility and flexibility in maths lessons. When children move onto written calculations, knowing these key facts is very beneficial. For your child to become more efficient in recalling them easily, they need to be practised frequently and for short periods of time.
How can we access the KIRFs at home?
Each half term, children will focus on a Key Instant Recall Fact (KIRF) to practise and learn at home for the half term. They will be available on our school website, on the class blog. At the end of each half term there will be a fluency champion chosen from each class and they will be given a badge for maths. Children will be rewarded for their commitment to their learning and the progress they have made with their KIRFs that term.
How do we practise the KIRFs?
They are not designed to be a time-consuming task and can be practised anywhere – in the car, walking to school, etc. Regular practice – little and often – helps children to retain these facts and keep their skills sharp. The KIRFs include key vocabulary and examples of the key skills, as well as practical ideas to assist your child in grasping the key facts. Each KIRF also contains helpful suggestions of ways in which you could make this learning interesting.
How are the KIRFs developed in school?
Throughout the half term, the KIRFs will also be practised regularly and in short bursts in school. Over their time at primary school, we believe that – if the KIRFs are developed fully – children will be more confident when working with number, understand its relevance, and be able to access the curriculum much more easily.
Websites to support learning
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=fractions+decimals+and+percentages
Equivalent fractions and decimals – Maths – Learning with BBC Bitesize
Year 6 Fractions – Year 6 Maths – BBC Bitesize
Puppy Chase Decimals | Math Playground
Blog 13
Dear Mantis class,
It has been a busy last week and again I must praise the whole class for their resilience and hard work up until the last day.
Mantis class have all completed an assessment week, where we all now have a greater understanding of current ‘working at’ grades as well as next steps. Children will know their results across maths, reading, spelling and grammar but I will also talk about these more formally at our next parent-teacher meetings next term.
The busy preparations for the Christingle culminated in an excellent service this week and everyone should be very proud of their efforts in this service. A few people have asked me why Year 6 did not have a bigger part in this, but the rehearsals started originally during the time that we were still preparing for our Remembrance service so in this case we had to pass on some of the main jobs to other year groups.
Our highflyer this week is SG. S has had a very good week with her assessments despite feeling unwell this week. S has shown her resilience and shown a lot of courage to complete the week, singing as loudly as she could during the Christingle and gaining some positive assessment marks. I wish you a great break in Nepal over the holidays.
BS unfortunately must leave us today as he moves onto a new country and a new school in Belgium. BS, you leave here having made a great impression on Hornbill school, through your friendships, your energy and your ever-present smile. I know you will find success in your new school but keep working hard and really show your new teacher what you are capable of. All of us in Mantis Class and at Hornbill School would like to wish B and his family all the very best with the move and this next chapter for you all. I hope you look back at time in Brunei fondly and enjoy the next posting just as much.
Enjoy your breaks, whether you are staying in Brunei or off visiting family or exploring. I wish you a well-deserved break, a happy Christmas and I will see you all again in a few weeks.
Mr Deane
Hornbill House Point Trophy Term 1.2
Blog 12
Dear Mantis class,
Another busy week has occurred in Mantis class as some of the class have been completing end of term assessments before they head off on holiday. We have also worked to complete our maths unit on ratio, finished our class read ‘The Machine Gunner’, our science unit on ‘Inheritance and Evolution’ along with our DT projects.
Father Christmas also came to visit us this week, to bring all of the children gifts, and the rehearsals for the Christingle service have been ongoing.
Royal Brunei Airforce Visit:
I am sure all the children passed on the details, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the Rimba Air Base had a sudden change of security status on Wednesday, forcing our visit to be cancelled. A long time on the bus was not ideal, but the children all managed this well and were understanding that this was all out of our hands. The RBAF were very apologetic and are hoping to rearrange the visit for us early next term.
Design Technology
The children have successfully finished their DT projects this week. This would not have been possible without the support and collaboration with parents last week so we thank you again for your support with this. The children worked very hard on Thursday to complete their finishing touches to their Anderson shelters. Machine gun placements, sandbags, vegetable patches and furniture were all new additions to models and these will come home at the end of term for you all to see and, I am sure, to display with pride of place in your homes.
Our highflyer this week is AS. A has had an exceptional week and a great first term all round. AS has worked exceptionally hard on her DT projects, produced a science DPS that was extremely well planned and presented and contained work of a very high standard. A also worked very well to complete all of her assessments before she headed off for time with family in Nepal.
Next week:
-Last week of term
-Assessment week for Y6
Monday
-PE kit needed
-Dress rehearsal for Christingle Service
Wednesday – 1300 hrs – Christingle Service – all parents welcome
Thursday – Christmas t-shirt/jumper day – non-school uniform day.
Friday – last day of term 1200 hrs finish.
Happy weekend everyone.
Mr Deane
Blog 11
Dear Mantis class,
What a busy week it has been in the classroom this week. The children have been finishing their explanation texts on how Britons survived the Blitz and their work on evolution and inheritance in science. In maths, the children have done exceptionally well understanding the new learning topic of ratio and have moved very successfully onto another new Y6 topic in algebra.
Please remind your children that the maths challenges each day remain on Google Classroom, so if they did not complete the day’s tasks and they have time to fill, then there is always more work to complete! Homework tasks are also posted weekly on Google Classroom and there some additional maths challenges posted too this week.
Design Technology Open Afternoon
A special thanks must go to you all for coming to our open afternoon on Thursday. I am extremely grateful for such support from you all as a community and we definitely could not have progressed as far as we did on Thursday without your support. It was great to see parents and children interacting and working as a team and to see some parents assisting with other children as well to support them. Finished models will come home at the end of term for you to be all be able to see– hopefully you will all have room in your shipping one day for these models too!
Our highflyer this week is SG who has been a consistent performer for the whole year so far in terms of her effort, behaviour and creativity. SG has worked exceptionally well on her creative science and DT projects this week and has shown great courage in her maths. A thoroughly deserving Mantis high flyer.
Unfortunately, SG will not be able to stand in front of the assembly on Monday celebrating the high flyers, as today we have to say goodbye to her and her family. SG has been a great member of our class and it is real shame to lose her at this stage of the year. SG is such creative learner and is destined for a career in the design industry one day, I am sure. I wish S all the very best with the move, her new school will be extremely lucky to have her for the rest of the year and I wish her all the best with the transition and then the move up to Y7. She will be missed from Hornbill school as will her whole family from the Garrison. I wish all the G family every happiness in the next chapter of their journey and I hope they leave Brunei with the fondest of memories.
Next week:
-We have our trip to see the RBAF on Wednesday and I am still missing a few consent slips for this. Please can these be returned asap so that everyone is able to access the trip.
-Our rehearsals for our Christingle service are starting to ramp up a little now. Everyone involved has a small amount of lines to learn and these need to be memorised completely by next week or we will be in trouble with Mrs Bonner!
All Week – rehearsals for Christingle service – keep rehearsing your lines and any actions required.
Monday – PE kit needed
Wednesday – Y6 trip to Rimba Airbase to see the RBAF – all day even occurring within normal school hours. Please refer to letter sent home for further information. School uniform to be worn please.
Thursday – PE kit required
Happy weekend everyone.
Mr Deane
Blog 10
Dear Mantis class,
Apologies for another blog missed last week, again due to my absence, hopefully that will be the last of the disruption and illness from me now. I will try to review the last few weeks as best as I can here.
The last few weeks have been very productive in Mantis class. I feel a number of our class have really taken on board some ‘next steps’ given to them at parents evenings and are actively looking to push themselves on more, exploring curiosities and looking for challenge. I hope that every member of our class will continue to reflect to maximise progress – we are heading in a positive direction!
I am hoping to be able to showcase this to parents in the coming weeks as I am looking to invite you all to an open afternoon in our classroom where you will hopefully be able to assist with some design and technology as we reach the ‘manufacturing’ part of our process. A letter went home on Friday regarding this event and we are hoping to host you in school on Thursday 28th November from 1220hrs.
Last week was extremely busy for us as we had the BJSL athletics event at JIS. The class did themselves proud and I was very impressed with their efforts and behaviour on the day. Our sense of community and teamwork was clearly evident last Wednesday and it was very encouraging to see the Mantis class overcoming challenge, showing their resilience and enjoying their athletics. A special mention should also go to those who stayed in school that day as Mrs Rai said their behaviour and attitude to learning was exemplary.
This week learning has seemed to ramp up a little in challenge. The children have been working very hard planning and researching for their explanation texts on ‘How Britons survived the Blitz’ and have begun work on their DT projects now that the planning sessions have been completed. In maths, we have moved onto ratio and the children have adapted very well to this new area of learning and have seen very focused on progressing in their maths.
Our Highflyer last week was BS – He has had an exceptional few weeks using his skills and motivations in science and applying them across the curriculum where he has made very good progress recently!
Our highflyer this week is AP. AP has had a very strong week this week where he has been extremely curious and shown great energy in his work. A has shown great attention to detail in our maths lessons on ratio and has shown a fantastic attitude to learning this week which has been great to see.
Next week:
Monday
– PE kit needed
– Celebration assembly (parents needing to attend should have been contacted already)
Thursday
– Y6 open afternoon – please refer to the letter that came home on Friday
– PE kit also needed
Christingle Rock rehearsals will soon begin, please look out for the children coming home with a small amount of lines to memorise for this. More information will follow…
Happy weekend everyone.
Mr Deane
BJSL Outdoor Athletics
BJSL Outdoor Athletics
Blog 9
Dear Mantis class,
Apologies for the lack of blog last week due to my absence. Also, apologies again for those meetings with parents that I had to cancel last week, but many thanks for rearranging for this week – I have now met with everyone. It was great to meet you all properly and I feel the conversations were positive, helping the children to know what they have to do as part of their next steps.
This week was such an important week for us and I am so proud of the class for how well the Remembrance service went. Everyone conducted themselves so respectfully, they were all well organised and spoke so eloquently and confidently. I am sure you will agree with me in saying that their service today was perfectly befitting of the importance of the occasion and they should all be immensely proud of how well they have conducted themselves this week. It hasn’t just been the preparation for the service where the children have done so well, they have been fantastic with their writing of the poems as well as their empathy and understanding the emotions of war (for those involved on a battlefield as well as those left waiting for them at home). The children all managed this learning with great maturity and I have been especially proud this week, to be involved in our military community.
Our Highflyer last week was WJ – he has been performing consistently well since the start of term. He has settled so well into our class, is engaging fully in discussion and sets the bar extremely high when it comes to his maths work! His poem this week was also a fantastic effort.
This week our highflyer goes to HR – H has showed great potential in his learning this year and in the last few weeks has been looking to push himself to new levels. He is a curious learner, a reflective mathematician and an evocative writer. I look forward to seeing what more he can achieve this year.
Key dates next week:
Monday: PE kit needed
Tuesday: Odd Socks Day in collaboration with anti-bullying week – please wear bright, bold and odd socks to school
Wednesday: BJSL athletics event at JIS – participating children received a letter from Mr Sherwin earlier in the week, which contains full details.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Halloween Discos Thanks
Hornbill House Point Trophy Term 1.1
Please find below the total number of house points received by each house team during the first half term this year. House points are awarded in recognition of each child’s hard work, particularly focussing on the school’s learning powers of: Reflection, Communication, Creativity, Courage, Curiosity, Exploration, Energy and Resilience.
Congratulations to every child for their contribution towards these totals!
Blog 8
Dear Mantis class,
It has been a busy final week in Mantis class. We had lots of weary students in class after a busy week and some late nights but, for the most part, we showed our resilience and battled through completing a lot of very good work.
In maths, the children completed their unit on the addition and subtraction of fractions, in science the ‘Living Things and Their Habitats’ topic was completed with some great examples of double page spreads being completed as students showcased their learning from the term. Finally, in English, the children have completed their persuasive letters on the topic of the evacuation of children during the blitz.
We also finished today with Annmarie who came to see us, for which we are really grateful. Annmarie is an engineer for the European Space Agency who works on the Mars Express project and she told us all about her job and the importance of her work. The children showed their excellent knowledge regarding space, showing how well they had retained the information covered in their space project last year and asked some very curious questions.
Next term we go on to explore the multiplication and division of fractions, we move onto our DT project in creating our own model Anderson shelters and Y6 must work on the very important role of creating the Remembrance service for the school.
Congratulations this week needs to go to those selected for the school council. As I have mentioned previously, all of those who put their name forward and campaigned for election should be very proud of themselves for their efforts and their confident abilities in public speaking, but extra note has to go to those elected and I am confident they will go on this year to serve to school and the pupils with great dedication.
Our school council representatives:
Our Highflyer this week is LR who receives this award because of her excellent effort and hard work. LR has been very reflective and curious, especially when it came to independent writing this week and I have been very impressed with her attitude to learning throughout the term.
Finally, I want to wish you a happy half term. It has been a busy term but a productive one and we hope to continue to build on this next term. Parent teacher meetings will run in the first week back so hopefully you all sign up for that, there will also be the Halloween disco in that first week back. Have a great week off.
Hornbill School Council 2024-2025
We would like to thank all of the children who participated in our elections, particularly the children who presented to their class and put their names forward as potential candidates. We were incredibly impressed with the way you presented your ideas to your classmates. You all showed great courage, enthusiasm, communication skills and resilience.
Votes have now been counted and we are delighted to announce our Hornbill School Council for 2024-2025. I am sure that they are going to be a fantastic team and we are looking forward to working with them over the next year.
Well done everyone!
Football Fun Day
Blog 7
Dear all,
Thank you to all of those who attended our school Dashain picnic last week. It was great to see you all again, talk to many of you and also to be able to sample some fantastic momos. I am very appreciative!
We have made good progress in the classroom this week. Children have been working hard in the science room, investigating whether yeast is a living organism – the experiments thankfully did not get too messy!
In maths we have moved onto fractions, where children have demonstrated good prior knowledge and have risen to new challenges well. Our English work at the moment, is focusing on a persuasive letter that will encourage parents, during the time of the Blitz, to evacuate their children to safer locations in the countryside. Hopefully the children will be able to verbalise at home why this was needed during these times.
Elsewhere in school this week, we have been focusing on our understanding of democracy and we have held elections for the school council.
I was very impressed with the children who put themselves forward for this. They all spoke confidently to the class, explaining the reasons why they wished to be elected and how they would help the school. We will find out the results on Monday.
Highflyer
Our new highflyer is NA. He is given the highflyer award this week because of his excellent courage and resilience, especially considering that NA did not join us until approximately 4 weeks into term. He has made an excellent start at Hornbill and he should be very proud of his smooth transition to Brunei and to Mantis class.
Also this week, WJ and AS were awarded special medals in assembly for breaking school records with their athletics. AS equalled the school record throwing a 5kg medicine ball 6.75m and WJ broke three records, jumping 1.98m in the standing long jump, 5.48m in the standing triple jump and 44cm in the vertical jump. All fantastic achievements and I hope there are lots more achievements like this from Mantis Class.
Next Week:
(clubs running all week)
Monday – PE Kit needed
Wednesday – final library session to change books before half term.
Friday – break up for half term
Hornbill School House Team Football
Blog 6
Dear Mantis class,
BJSL Football Tournament at Panaga
On Tuesday, 16 Y6 pupils represented the school in the BJSL football tournament. The day was filled with hard work and resilience and in the extremely hot conditions the children all did very well. Unfortunately, our boys and girls teams did not manage to pick up a win but fought bravely throughout the tournament and I hope learnt valuable lessons about team work, communication and community spirit. Thank you to the parents who attended for their support.
Highflyer
A-KG is thoroughly deserving of being our highflyer this week. He has been a consistent performer every day this term and sets a very good example for others to follow in how quickly he listens to and follows instructions, the quality and quantity of work he produces and how well behaved he is. A-K has a curious mind and I look forward to seeing what more he can produce with his work in the coming weeks.
Homework:
Just a reminder that homework is set on Mondays and can then be handed in the following Monday. Children can return homework in their homework books or via the ‘hand in’ function on Google classroom.
For anyone wishing to complete any more tasks at home during the week, remember the work that you have not completed throughout the day can still be accessed eg. later maths questions and the GD challenge.
Each week, a parental spelling poster will be sent home to show parents the spelling lists for the week and detailing a range of activities that can be completed to complement learning. Please ask children about this if you have not seen it as everyone will have been given one.
Next Week:
Monday – PE kit needed for the lesson with Mr Sherwin
- School council presentations in class – if you wish to run for election, please have your presentations ready from Monday morning.
Tuesday – 1400 STEM room – parent meeting with Mr Leahy regarding the 24/25 Y5/6 residential (letter with more information sent home on Friday)
Thursday – School Council election day.
Friday – no school today – Happy Dashain!
Sunday – Football Funday at JIS (for those who have already signed up)
Mile-A-Thon
BJSL Football Tournament
Year 6 PE Athletics
Blog 5
Dear Mantis class,
Early reports from ISB suggest that the children all had fun, behaved well, represented the school proudly and got at least ‘some’ sleep!
ISB are due to send me some photos of the activities so I will include them here when I receive them.
I am very pleased that the children have had this opportunity to see what a secondary school is like and to be able to experience the step up they will need to make next year in terms of their organisation, independence and maturity.
This week in class, the children have done exceptionally well with their writing, moving onto their independent written biographies of Anne Frank and the Luftwaffe ace, Erich Hartmann, hopefully the class will be able to tell you all about these famous figures over the weekend.
We also have been working hard to crack long division strategies, our first element of new learning in maths, and the class have all adapted to this challenge very well. There will be some homework on this to look out for on Monday.
I have also been very impressed at how engaged the class have been during history lessons at the moment as we have covered the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party and the beginnings of WW2. This is a topic of learning that I am very passionate about and it is great to see so many developing a keen interest in the topic too.
AS is our highflyer this week and this is due to her great courage and determination when it came to her work on long division. I saw a new level of confidence and self-assuredness when it came to this task allowing her to really fly this week with this learning.
Next week:
Day TBC: parent meeting in STEM room regarding potential for a Y5/6 residential this year – more information to follow.
Monday – PE kit needed for the regular PE lesson with Mr Sherwin.
Tuesday – BJSL football – those selected for the tournament will need to meet in the PE hall at 0715 in correct PE kit, with a hat and water bottle and have sun cream applied. Extra snacks would also be recommended for the day. Children will be back before the end of school, so normal end of day routines regarding buses will remain in place.
Friday – 1200 – Dashain picnic – please collect your children from Mantis class at 1200 for the picnic and you are free to leave whenever you please. Please feel free to save me any spare momos!
I hope you all have a good weekend and the children sleep well tonight upon return from the sleepover.
Ps: A Request for Bottles:
Due to the Dashain picnic, our science experiment will be put back to the following week – if anyone has any small plastic bottles at home that they could bring in for this, that would be greatly appreciated.
Hornbill School Council 2024-2025
I am delighted to announce that we are looking for a new Hornbill School Council team for this academic year. Last year, our School Council worked incredibly hard to share some great ideas, organise events and make improvements across the school.
I have already spoken to the children in assembly about the responsibilities around becoming a member of our School Council Team. We are looking for 2 representatives from each year in Years 2- 5. Year 6 will have 3 representatives as we will need a Chairperson, a Treasurer and a Secretary.
We are planning to hold elections on Thursday 10th of October, which will take place in the Gill Theatre during the school day. If your child is interested in becoming a school council member they will be asked to share a short presentation with their class during the week leading up to the elections (Monday 30th September – Friday 4th October). They will need to explain to their class why they would be a great member of our Hornbill School Council. We are looking for children who are keen to listen to the ideas of their classmates and to share these in regular school council meetings.
If your child is interested in this opportunity, please support them in preparing for a talk for their class. If you have any further questions, please speak to yourclass teacher or Mrs Cunningham.
Thank you for your support.
Blog 4
Dear Mantis class,
Our learning and our roles and responsibilities seemed to ramp up a little this week with more challenging maths as well as our shared writing for WW2 biographies beginning. I am also very pleased to see how many of the class have taken on playground leader roles. These positions are a big responsibility and it is great to see how many children wished to take on these roles, giving up their own time to support others.
I am hoping that we have a similar enthusiastic uptake for the school council elections, which will happen in the coming weeks.
Children in Mantis class were also able to show off their skills as well as their community spirit as they had their first opportunity to represent the school this week, competing against ISB, Panaga, JIS and ISB Seria, in the first BJSL event of the year on Thursday. The children should be very proud of their efforts and I was very happy to also see those not competing cheering on their classmates so vivaciously.
Mr Sherwin will write a report of the event and I believe Mr Brown took some photos but here are some that I took of the event. (apologies for the poor quality – they were moving quickly!)
Here is our highflyer this week. AR has been so consistent this year in her performance, working hard and showing great courage in her written work. She is also very keen to showcase her knowledge in class discussion. I am so pleased at how quickly she has settled into Hornbill School, she should be proud of the great start to the term that she has had.
ISB sleepover – hopefully you all received the letter via email from ISB regarding the arranged sleepover next week. The sleepover is a tremendous opportunity for Mantis class, for which we are very grateful to ISB. I understand that not many children will be attending ISB next year as a result of the RIB move and many of the children might not be going to boarding school in future. This however, is a great opportunity for the class to experience life in a secondary school and on the Friday they will also be taking part in taster lessons, which will give the children an early understanding of timetabling and movement around school between each of the subjects, as well as meeting new teachers for each lesson. Attendance at the sleepover is not compulsory, but early indicators show the majority of the class will be attending. Any children remaining in school, will be with me in class as usual. I have spoken to numerous children at ISB who have been in my class in previous years and they are looking forward to welcoming and hosting the new Mantis class next week.
If you did not receive the letter or are having issues with the sign up link, please contact the office for assistance.
Request for bottles:
We are planning on carrying out an experiment next week involving microorganisms – if anyone has any small plastic bottles at home that they could bring in, that would be greatly appreciated.
Blog 3
Dear Mantis class,
It has been another highly successful week in the classroom. We have started our writing officially in English this week, working on biographies as we discover more about key characters in World War 2. We will continue this for a few weeks, accompanied with further SPaG (spelling, grammar and punctuation) work to continue to develop our writing skills. Maths is slowly getting trickier as we head towards long multiplication and division next week and Science is another lesson where all the children are engaging well and showing how well they can work scientifically.
It is in PE that I have been most impressed this week, however. We have been preparing for the athletics competition next week and I have been very happy with the children’s attitude to challenge and their resilience when it has come to new disciplines in athletics.
The first BJSL event will be held on Thursday 19th September at Hornbill school and if your child has been selected for this event, they have come home with a letter from Mr Sherwin today. There are many children on a reserve list for this event and if there are any injuries or absences, further children may be called up for this event. As a show of community, the rest of Mantis class will attend the event to support our classmates as well as to help assist with the event.
JG was our highflyer last week for showing great resilience when it came to solving maths problems. She faced some challenging questions in maths but showed great tenacity and courage when pushing through to be able to work through tasks independently with good understanding
This week I must award SG our high flyer award. I have been thoroughly impressed with her efforts across the curriculum this week. SG is exceptionally well mannered with a great attitude to learning and long may this continue!
Next week.
Parent phone calls – I did not manage to contact everyone last week so will ensure I complete this on Monday to hopefully arrange some meetings with new parents in the coming weeks. If any other parents would like a catch up regarding their child’s progress so far this term, do not hesitate to contact the office – we will however be having our first parent/teacher meetings in the first week back after half term.
PE Kit needed on Monday and Thursday
Kent Test – for those entered for the Kent Test, this will occur on Monday morning.
BJSL Athletics – Thursday morning
ISB sleepover – I hope to provide more information when I have this from the International School of Brunei (ISB) next week, but the plan is for all children to attend a sleepover at ISB on 26-27 September to allow children to experience life in a secondary school and see how a boarding house operates.
Happy weekend to you all!
Year 6 PE
Blog 2
It has been a fantastic first ‘full’ week in school. We have started working on the curriculum in earnest this week and begun working on place value in maths and spelling, punctuation and grammar subjects in English. We will soon bring in our first writing to compliment this new learning.
In theme we have started our World War 2 work, looking at the geography of Europe and the children have already demonstrated their excellent general knowledge of this time period as part of our history discussions.
Mantis class also started their first music, French, RE and computing lessons this week, again showing great prior knowledge and energy.
PE went exceptionally well this week and Mr Sherwin was very impressed with the level of attendance at the athletics club on Thursday – this will continue next week as Mr Sherwin looks to select the athletics team for the upcoming BJSL event.
Our High flyer from the first week is below – he has worked exceptionally well, his work has been presented beautifully at all times and he has constantly engaged well in class discussion, showing great energy. A very impressive start indeed!
A note for new starters/parents this year:
Your children have all started exceptionally well at Hornbill. They have settled quickly and shown great maturity and ability in the tasks we have completed so far.
I am keen to meet parents new to Hornbill within the next few weeks to discuss your child’s start in Mantis class and will look to contact you next week regarding a quick meeting after school at a time of your convenience.
Kindest regards,
Mr D
Blog One
It has been a great first week back and the class have settled very well. I have been very impressed with the children’s interactions in class so far, the levels of maturity that they have shown and I already feel that this has the makings of a great year.
For those of you who have not seen the classroom yet, here it is. The children have already started decorating the room with their work and we hope to have lots of work on the walls to show you when you next visit.
Each week, I will share a regular blog post with you with updates from our week. I will share photos to illustrate, including our high flyer of the week (dependent on photo permissions from parents) and I hope to be able to showcase the Year 6 Mantis class journey this year.
Hopefully you have all received our ‘learning pathway’ for the term, indicating our plan until Christmas. A timetable for the weeks ahead has also been sent home today for your perusal.
New reading books and homework books will be sent home on Monday. Reading records have already been sent home (containing student log ins for platforms that can be accessed at home) and will be checked each morning and there will be house point rewards for children keeping this up to date. Please use this book to contact me if necessary, alternatively, feel free to leave a message for me with the office.
Homework will be set on our Google Classroom and I will ask for homework to be handed in each Monday morning – there is no pressure to complete this homework and this can be a decision for you at home on whether it is appropriate for your schedules, I can assure you however, the tasks will all be relevant and worthwhile in aiding progress this year.
Things to remember for the week ahead:
PE kit needed all day on Mondays and Thursdays.
Athletics Club:
With the upcoming indoor athletics Brunei Junior Sports Club (BJSL) event coming up on Thursday 19th September, Mr Sherwin will be running some lunch time athletics clubs to help prepare for this.
They will be held on the following dates, and on these dates, PE kit can again be worn for the whole day:
Thursday 5th September
Thursday 12th September
Tuesday 17th September
Further clubs will be advertised very soon.
The year ahead looks really bright and I hope the children are all ready to embrace it. I look forward to working with you all more closely in the coming months and wish you all a happy weekend.
Kindest regards,
Mr Deane