Wednesday 22nd July 2020

So this is it, the last blog of the school year.  I have loved seeing some of you in school, whether it has been in a key worker bubble, or at the transition meetings and I am sad I haven't been able to say goodbye to you all.

I will miss all your smiling faces and wish you all the best in the next stage of your journey.  I hope to see you happy and smiling in your new classes in September, and I pray you will all continue to be as amazing as I know you can be going forward.  It has been a privilege to share this stage of your journey, all be it in a socially distanced way.  Thank you all for the amazing memories.

Have a great Summer holiday, and as always, 

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Tuesday 21st July 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  Today's Blog has been written by Miss Copley - Have a look at it here.

Have a great day, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Monday 20.07.20

For the last week of term, we are sharing our blog entries and activities: today's blog has been written by Mrs Bourdillon and you can find it here

New kahoot quiz is up - click on the link and use PIN 03539586

Don't forget to use your name and class as a nickname!

17th July 2020

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you have had an amazing week and are looking forward to your weekend.

There is still work on the website to keep you busy.  We haven't completed 'How to Train your Dragon' yet.  I promise I will get the rest of the book up before the end of term for those of you who have not got the book.  Then maybe over the holidays you can watch the film and compare it to the book, what is the same and what is different?

As it is Friday, White Rose has a Friday Maths challenge.  It is a quiz with only 6 questions aimed at year 4.  Have a look and use your fabulous Maths knowledge (or any other method except a calculator) to work out the answer and let me know how you get on!

Then this afternoon, finish anything you haven't done yet.  Have you made your Viking boat and floated it?  I have seen some amazing creations, Make sure you send me a photo of yours and let me know if it floated or sank!

Have a great weekend Nightingales, and I look forward to seeing you next week when you come to see your new teachers.

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine 

16th July 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  Welcome to your last Thursday in year 4!  How does it feel as we head towards the end of term, are you excited?  I know a lot of your holiday plans may have been put on hold, but there are a lot of exciting things you can be doing from your home or somewhere very close.  Your new teachers will be setting you a challenge, so have fun with it!

We are nearing the end of the curriculum, so keep going.  There are some fun activities to do with 'How to Train your Dragon', look at the work put up and choose a challenge you think you can do fantastically.  And don't forget to email me your work so I can see what you have been up to.

Don't miss out on position in Maths, this is great fun and can be used in all sorts of things, including computer games, so think carefully about this.

The this afternoon, have a look at the Science.  This is the last science lesson of the year so see what you can do - maybe you have grown something in your garden/balcony or seen an amazing flower when you have been out.  Do you have a favourite flower?  Mine are roses or poppies, I love the red ones that grow in the fields, but I am never any good at growing them in my garden.  Maybe next year?

Have a great day Nightingales, feels like it is going to be a stuffy one, so as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

15th July 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  Welcome to Wednesday!  The sun has come out again and it is beginning to warm up again - make sure you are keeping hydrated, always a challenge for me now I haven't got you all reminding me to drink my tea!

How are you feeling about the end of term?  By now you should all know who your teacher will be next year and when you are coming in to meet them.  It is an exciting time, but also a scary time.  It is OK to feel scared and worried, we all are a little bit.  But this is the 5th time you have done it, you will all be amazing and fantastic!

Keep working through the English and Maths; we are constantly uploading new things for you, so try to do as much as you can to give yourself the best opportunity when you get back.  

The this afternoon, have a look at the Art/DT.  We have asked you to make a dragon eye.  These are often very detailed, as you will see form the picture and in many stories, Dragons are able to hypnotise you with their eyes, so try to make yours as captivating as possible.  There is a salt dough recipe on the science page here,  about half way down the page.

Have a great day Nightingales and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

14th July 2020

Good morning, Nightingales.  It a wet one this morning, but don't let that stop you having fun, it's only water after all, you can always dry off afterwards!

There will be some new English work on the website today, you don't have to complete everything, think about the questions then pick one of the challenges per chapter that sparks your interest; there are some great ones there.  Don't forget to send me photos, I love seeing your work!

Maths today is all about drawing symmetrical figures.  They can be used to draw the most amazing patterns like these:

Can you see the lines of symmetry?

Have a go at producing some, if you get stuck, use a mirror.

Then this afternoon, as we have finished the RE for this term, we would like you to think about your hopes and fears about moving up to your new classes.  Write these down or discuss them with you friends and family.  Talking often helps us to feel less stressed or anxious and more relaxed.  Take some time to reflect on this year and what you want to gain from next year.

Have a great, if soggy day Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

13th July 2020

Good morning and happy Monday Nightingales!

As you no doubt know by now, we have finalised the end of year arrangements and you should know your teacher for next year.  We also know we will not be able to get together again as a class.  This is very sad news but we will no doubt see each other around school on the last few days of term as you come in to meet your new teachers.

So for today, the Maths and English are in their usual place.  Maths this week is shape and space, looking at symmetry and position on a grid.  It is a great practical section, so have fun.  In English we are carrying on with How to Train your Dragon.  There are some great activities to go with the book, so keep reading/listening and let your imagination run free!

Then this afternoon, have a look at the History and Geography.  The last kings of the period shaped the country in new ways and changed our future, and we continue to change as we move forward.

Have a great week Nightingales, we have nearly reached the end of term, you have all done amazingly well and coped with a totally unprecedented situation.  You should all be proud of yourselves!

Be good, be kind and be safe.

Mrs Irvine

New Kahoot alert!!

Miss Flisher has uploaded another fantastic Kahoot quiz for you.

Log in at Kahoot.it and use PIN no 02636026 

Use your first name and class as a nickname so we can identify the winners!

10th July 2020

Good morning Nightingales and welcome to the penultimate Friday of term.  if you don't know what that word means, go look it up! It is a fabulous word which I love.

Today is a bittersweet day.  We say goodbye to our year 6's who have been in school the last few weeks and there is a gathering on the field for them, but I am also excited for them to start taking the next step in their journey through learning.  I am sure you will join with us all to wish them a happy move to secondary.

Keep going with the English, as you have no doubt have noticed, my dragon collection is making an appearance.  Which is your favourite so far?  I must admit I find it hard to choose, but some of my favourites are still to come!

As it is Friday, it is Maths challenge day, have a look at the challenge and see how you get on!  

Then this afternoon, have a look at anything you have not done yet.  Maybe you have been saving all the sports challenges from the virtual sports week  to have fun with today, or maybe you haven't floated your Viking Longboat yet.  Make sure whatever you are doing you send me photos or videos so I can see :-)

Have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

9th July 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  Today cant seem to make up its mind what the weather will be so I hope nyour plans are as flexible.

Today's Maths and English are up for you to have a look at.  How are you enjoying a practical Maths?  Shapes are sometimes more fun than calculations aren't they?  Don't forget to email me to show me what you are up to.

This afternoon, you could look at the RE, thinking about symbols in Sikhism, or you could complete your DT challenge and actually float your Longboat.  Whatever you do, make sure you film or photograph it and send it in to me, I can't wait to see it!

Also don't forget the Virtual sports week.  There have been some amazing fun challenges organised by Miss Flisher and we have all had great fun in school doing them, I would love to see some more of your videos, especially if you are in RED house!

Have a great day Nightingales and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

8th July 2020

Good morning Nightingales and welcome to a very wet Wednesday!  I hope the rain hasn't ruined any plans you had for today, I will have to adjust some of mine as I am not sure we want to go on a wet, muddy field today!

Maths and English are on their respective pages as always, don't forget to let me know how you are getting on, or if you are stuck and need some help, email me!

The this afternoon, have a look at the science.  We are looking at parts of a flower today, maybe you could get a flower from the garden (ask permission first) and cut it up to look at.  Daisies from the grass are good for this but you need to look very closely at them as they are small.  If you have access to a phone, maybe you could take a photo and then zoom in on it to look closer?

Have a great day Nightingales, try not to get completely soaked, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

7th July 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  Today is a terrific Tuesday, or at least I am hoping to make it one.  It is up to us how we approach each day, so if we start positively, hopefully the day will folllow!

What do you think of 'How to Train Your Dragon'?  I love the story, but it is so different from the film.  I must admit I saw the film first, so I was surprised when I read the book.  I can't decide which story I like better, they both have good parts.

Maths moves on to comparing and ordering angles.  Again, you do not need a protractor, no-one is asking you to measure the angles, just use your eye to judge size.  Don't forget though, if you are looking at right angles, a convenient corner of paper is a right angle to judge it by.

Then this afternoon, have a look at the Geography.  England's capital city, London, has a rich history, have a look and see what you can learn about this vast and important city.  Maybe also have a look and see what you can find out about our own town of Maidstone, how are the two linked and what makes them different.  I'll get you started, they are both built on rivers!

Don't forget the school virtual sports day too, there are a wide variety of challenges, from Tik Tok dances to keepy uppy challenges, all with a great introduction that is always worth watching.  Send in your vidoes to Miss Flisher at Redwings@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk to score one point for just taking part.  Your team needs you!  Come on you reds  (and of course all you other teams, but the adults have all been allocated teams too so we are all trying!)

Have a great day Nightingales, and as always,

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

6th July 2020

Good morning Nightingales and happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great weekend and didn't get blown away by the wind.  It was a little bit of a strange weekend weather wise wasn't it?  Did the wind affect any of your plans?  We had a BBQ planned but we all ended up sitting in jumpers and coats as the wind was chilly!

If you haven't already, today you should be starting 'How to train your Dragon'  There will be a chapter a day and some slightly more creative challenges for you to complete.  Keep your eyes open for my collection of dragons making an appearance each day.  Do you have favourite toys, or something you collect too?

Then in Maths we are looking at angles and shapes.  Have a look at today's work, here and see how you get on.  Don't forget you can email me if you get stuck and I will try to help.

This afternoon, have a look in to the justice systems used in Viking times.  Think about other types of justice systems you know of, maybe the Romans, or the system today.  How does it compare, when would you prefer to live?

Have a great day Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

New kahoot quiz today!  Olympic themed to tie in with sports week.

Click on the link above and use PIN no 08562681

3rd July 2020

Good morning and happy Friday!!!  We have made it to the end of the week. 

How is it going for you?  Have you finished Viking Boy?  Have you started How to Train Your Dragon?  The book is so different to the film, see if you can spot the differences.

As today is Friday it is another Maths challenge day on White Rose.  Make sure you try as many as you can, but don't forget these cover all years up to and beyond year 6 so if we haven't covered something yet, it may be a year 6 section, just use your common sense and try your best.

Have you been taking part in the virtual sports week?  We have been doing it in school, and the children are getting very competetive!

Have a great day Nightingales, Finish anything you haven't had a go at this week and don't forget to send me your work so I can put it up on the class webpage!

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

2nd July 2020

So we have made it to Thursday, how is your week going?  The weather can't make up its mind at the moment which is really playing havoc with everything isn't it?  You never know what you need to wear!

How are you getting on with your work? I am loving the emails you are sending me, telling me about what you are doing and how you are feeling about the work, keep them coming. 

And don't forget to send Miss Flisher your photos or videos of the Virtual Sports that you have been doing.  Today's challenge is toilet roll kick ups.  This should be a good one for you as some of you have amazing ball skills, I wonder if you can translate that in to toilet roll skills.  One hint from my practicing; make sure it is a brand new toilet roll as they have the ends secured, or it will begin to unravel as you kick it!

As always, your Maths and English are on their respective pages for you to have a look at today, don't forget to email me if you need any help or advice.

Then this afternoon, have a look at the RE work.  This week we are looking at the Sikh Holy Book, The Guru Granth Sahib and at some of their prayers.  Watch the powerpoint then have a go at some of the activities.

Have a great day Nightingales and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

1st July 2020

Good morning Nightingales and welcome to Wednesday!

How is your week going?  Did you make the flowers yesterday?  I made them with some year 6s and it was lovely, we had some beautiful flowers (and some mistakes, but that's ok, it was trial and error).  There is going to be a big display in school, and don't forget you can send them to the Animate Arts people to be included in the 360 gallery on you tube!  You can all be You Tube stars (check with your parents first, but it is anonymous).

How are you getting on with the Virtual sports day.  We had such a giggle yesterday with the Tik Tok dance.  It was so fast!  Today's challenge is a long jump; measure your jump with a standard tin of beans - no cheating with small cans :-).  Try your best and don't forget to email your attempts to Miss Flisher, you get points for just taking part!

This week, you should also be building your Viking boats.  They need to float on water so think carefully about how to make sure it doesn't go soggy and sink, especially if you are building it out of cardboard.  How could you make it waterproof?  I am looking forward to seeing your creations, send me videos or photos via the class email nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk.

Have a great day Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

30th June 2020

Good morning Nightingales, welcome to the last day of June.  Can you believe it is the end of the month already?  I think this month has gone by so fast, has it done for you?  Tomorrow will be the first of July, that is nearly the end of the school year, where has the time gone?  It has been a month of extreme weather aswell, from thunderstorms to heatwaves, what a mixed bag.  I wonder what next month will bring?

If you haven't already, you should be nearing the end of Viking Boy.  What do you think of the book?  Would you recommend it to others?  Has the work you have done on it helped you think about it more?

Then the Maths continues with Statistics, looking at data.  I wonder how you could represent the data of the temperature during June?  There would be lots of spikes I think.  Maybe you could have a go?

The this afternoon see the launch of  new Art based programme, Animate Arts.  I have uploaded all the details here,  go have a look at the first one, either the boxes or the bees and flowers.  Then you can send your work to the organisers, as detailed, and they will add it to their gallery which will go on to you tube for everyone to see!  Just imagine, your art work being seen all over the world!  How amazing would that be?

Have  great day Nightingales, and as always,

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

29 June 2020

Good morning Nightingales and welcome to another Monday!  Can you believe it has been 100 days since lockdown?  Can you do some research to find out what else took 100 days?  How has that 100 days changed your life and outlook.  I know it has changed my garden, I spent some time in it yesterday and ate the first of my blueberries and peas, they tasted so fresh and sweet!

Are you still working on Viking Boy?  Its fine if you are, have a look and see which of the tasks you think will inspire you and focus on that one but do it to your very best ability.  I am seeing very little editing when you send me your work, don't forget, even the best authors need to edit their first drafts!

Maths this week starts you off with statistics.  That means graphs and other ways of representing data.  I love a good graph, they can tell you so much, but you have to be so careful to make them accurate and that means... yes you need a ruler!  All straight lines should be drawn with a ruler or another straight edge if you don't have one.  Have a look at the video or the powerpoint and watch what they do.

Then this afternoon have a look at the afternoon tasks.  Today have a look at history and geography, we have even included some games for you to play.  Take photos and let me know.

Last, but by no means least, don't forget today marks the start of our Virtual Sports Week!

Click on the link to see today's challenge, the press up challenge!  Video yourselves and send it in, you can earn points for your team and there will be a cup for the winner!  Although I am on Red Team, I want to win the class who participates the most, so get your videos in, even if you have not sent us anything at all during lockdown!

Have a great day Nightingales, and as always;

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

There is a new Kahoot challenge!  Miss Flisher has taken photos of books, but hidden their names, see if you can guess what the book is.  Click on the link above and use  Pin number 0169626. 

Don't forget to use your name as a nickname so we can identify the winner.

26th June 2020

Good morning!  We have made it to another Friday! Congratulations!

So we finally had a thunderstorm last night, did you count the gaps between the lightning and the thunder?  I love hearing the storm travelling around. It hasn't done much for the heat though has it, it is still very hot, but at least the ground has had a good watering, the plants must be gasping.

Talking of which Miss Copley has set you a science challenge.  She has said:

'

Did you know that just like us, plants need to stay hydrated in the warm weather - gardeners will water their plants early in the morning on a hot day, or later in the evening - why is this?  What would happen to a plant or flower in hot weather if it didn't get watered?  That has got me thinking... How can I scientifically prove that plants take up water?

I need your help!

Can you help me plan out a science experiment that will prove that plants need water and to stay hydrated in hot weather.   I have the following equipment and resources to help us:

• Some fresh cut white flowers
• 3 containers to water in
• 3 different colour food dyes

1. What do I need to do?
2. What do I need to keep the same?
3. What do I need to change?
4. How will I know if my experiment has worked  -what am I looking for or measuring?

I will run your experiment and post up pictures to show you what is happening.  If you want to run an experiment at home or school - go on have a go - (daisy flowers with long stems work well!)  '

Don't forget to send me pictures, this is one of my favourite experiments!

As it is Friday, it is White Rose Friday Maths Challenge day.  Have a look at the link below and see how you get on, don't forget they get harder as you go on, so don't panic if you cant get all the way to the end.

Then this afternoon, have a look and see what you haven't done.  You might have left yourself the task of collecting the resources for your DT project, or maybe you haven't finished your computing presentation.

Or maybe you need to practise for the ABC Virtual sports day! 

We are having great fun at school getting everything ready, so you might want to have a go at exercises to get ready. Pop over to the Virtual sports day tab to see Miss Flishers introduction and get ready to join in, the honor of your house is on the line!

What ever you do today, have fun and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

25th June 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  How are you today?  It could be the hottest day of the year so I hope you are finding ways to keep yourself cool.

This afternoon, for science you have been asked to do some presenting.  Imagining you are a TV presenter, Miss Copley has asked you to do a presentation.  One of the people she has suggested is one of my favourite presenters, David Bellamy.  He had a very distinctive voice, very smooth and calming, and always explained things fantastically.  Go look him up on you tube!

Have a great day Nightingales, keep cool and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe'

Mrs Irvine

24th June 2020

Good morning Nightingales, welcome to Wednesday.  I write the day for me as much as you as I keep forgetting what day it is!  We are all so busy at school with the bubbles of children and trying to work out how we can keep you all safe but learning, we don't have time to look at the dates.

How are you getting on? I am loving seeing the work you are sending in, it helps me keep in touch with you all and believe it or not I miss you all very much.  Yes, even those of you who think 'She wont't miss me', I miss you ALL!

I hope you are working well on the Maths and English, I am uploading a new piece of work for How To Train Your Dragon every day, so make sure you keep looking at the English page, under Our Books, or click on the picture of Hiccup below.

The this afternoon, have a look at the RE.  We have uploaded some more work for you for this week.so head over to the RE page to see what we have for you.

Have a great day Nightingales, Enjoy the sun but be careful - it is very hot out there!

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Good morning Nightingales, how are you all doing today?  It is going to be another lovely day today, the sun makes me feel happy and ready to take on almost anything!  Do you like hot weather or do you prefer colder weather?  We all have our own preferences, but enjoy the day whatever!

How are you getting on with the work?  Have you started listening to How to Train Your Dragon?  Have you spotted the visitors during my readings?  I am hoping they will visit each day, keep an eye open for them.  The work is a little more creative for this book, make sure you email me your work, I love seeing it all!

This afternoon, why not have a look at the Art/DT project.  This is where you need to collect all the things you need to make your Viking boat.  It is also the last chance you have to change your design.  Have you spoken to a friend who had a great idea, or has one of your parents said something that made you think 'YES!' and you need to change something?  This is your last chance as we are building it next week so it will be too late.

If you think you have everything ready, why not look at the computing project this week?  Can you use something like powerpoint or publisher (or any other similar programmes) to make a collage or a slideshow of what you have been up to during lockdown?  Think carefully about what you include and if you do some writing, think about the font you use, can it be read from a distance?  We have covered the rules in class before so try to remember them.

Have a great day Nightingales and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Good morning and welcome to a new week!  It is going to be a hot one so whatever you do, make sure you keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of water.

We are about half way through the term, how is it going so far.  Keep me updated and keep sending me your work, I love logging on to the emails and finding lots of emails from you all letting me know how you are getting on!

Keep working through Viking Boy.  It is a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I will also be uploading the first chapter of our new book today, keep an eye for it on our book pages here:

The Maths has moved on to money, there will be alternatives if you are whizzing through the pages, but I have uploaded some extra pages for each, don't forget to work on the page you usually do in class, you don't need to complete all of them (unless you really want to!).

The this afternoon, have a look at the history, this week you will learn about who King Ethelred II was and why Danegeld was introduced.  You will need to watch the power point and work through the supporting tasks – that this week have a drama twist to them!

Enjoy the weather, don't get sunburned and as always

Be good, be safe and be kind

Mrs Irvine

New Kahoot Quiz!

I have written the Kahoot quiz this week, so it will come as no surprise that it is to do with SInging.  How well do you remember the words to the songs we sing in collective worship?  Take the quiz to find out.

Game Pin :  01413492

19.06.2020

Good morning Nightingales!  Congratulations to making to Friday again, the end of week 3 of term 6.  Is the term rushing past or is it going very slowly.  EIther way I hope you are filling your days with nice things to keep you smiling.

Are you getting near the end of Viking Boy?  Don't panic if not, work at your pace, ensuring your work is of your usual high standard.  Quality over quantity as they say.  And don't forget to email me to show me what you are doing!

As it is Friday, White Rose Maths have a Friday Challenge for you.  Click the link and work through as much as you can.  Don't panic about getting all the questions done, the ones near the end are aimed at year 6, you could always ask you family for help though. (Hint: use bar models for fraction questions!)

Then this afternoon, have a look at the weekly plan and see what you haven't done yet.  Maybe you have been saving the DT project for today, or you have been putting off the history.  Try to complete all the work we set you every week as this will help on your return to school. If you have left one of your least favourite subjects till today, maybe next week you could do it earlier and leave your favourite till Friday, something to look forward to at the end of the week.

What ever you get up to this weekend, have a good one Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe.

Mrs Irvine

18.06.2020

Good morning Nightingales.  Can you believe it has been 88 days since lock down started.  That is the same amount of time as it takes Mercury to orbit the Sun!  So we have been in lock down for a whole Mercurian year!

Wasn't the storm great yesterday.  I understand some of you dont like storms, but I love them as I said.  I was in the KS2 Keyworker bubble yesterday and we all went out on to the balcony to smell the rain and look at the lightning.  It was lovely!

The English and Maths are continuing from earlier in the week.  I have finished listening to Viking Boy now and really enjoyed the story.  Watch out for the new book next week!  The Maths is the last one on Decimals as an abstract subject, we are moving back on to money next week, so make sure you have got the idea of decimals this week, double check and if there are any problems, don't forget you can email me.

With all the rain, the plants have shot up in the last couple of days.  Have you been growing plants for teh science.  Miss Copley is going to upload some before and after photos for you of her experiment, have a look and see what is happening.  https://www.archbishopcourtenay.org.uk/science-34/

Have a great day and don't get too waterlogged Nightingales

Be good,be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine 

17.06.2020

Good morning Nightingales!

Hasn’t it been a bit stuffy recently?  The air is what they call ‘close’ meaning it is hot and uncomfortable.  I wonder if we are going to have a storm soon? I know some places did yesterday, but we didn’t get one here and it is still stuffy.   I love storms, do you? I like sitting in my house watching the lightening in the sky and counting the seconds between the flash and the thunder, this is supposed to tell you how close a storm is, but I just like counting it.  They also smell lovely, an odd thing to say but next time it rains go out and smell it.

How are you getting on with the work?  The Viking Boy work is all uploaded now so you can work on it at your own pace, but make sure you are working to the best of your ability, not just rushing through it.  The same can be said about the Maths, the whole week is up there so it is up to you if you do it all on one day or spread it out through the week.  Again, just think carefully about what you are doing, not just rushing through and not really either thinking or understanding it. 

Then this afternoon, have a look at the RE sheets.  We are thinking about what would happen if we were allowed to visit a Gurdwara.  What would we see and hear.  What would the food be like?  Work through the sheets and see what you can find out.

Have a great day Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe.

Mrs Irvine

16.06.2020

Good Morning Nightingales! I hope you had a fabulous day yesterday!

Are you growing things for the science project?  What are you growing?  I was wandering round my garden last night looking at my plants and it struck me how many roses I have blooming.  There are 11 different bushes in my garden and they are all covered in flowers, it is so lovely to see, they must really be enjoying the weather.  I hope the rest of my plants enjoy it just as much, especially the fruit and vegetables, I look forward to harvesting them soon!

The rest of Viking Boy is up now, ready to listen to and work through.  Don't panic, we don't expect you to do it all this week, but hopefully we can move on to the next book soon, you all know how I feel about Dragons, so the next book is perfect for me!

Maths continues to look at decimals, and don't forget there is an extra sheet for you at the bottom if you want extra revision on subtraction.

Then this afternoon, have a go at the second part of the art/DT project.  How did your research go?  Did you find anything that surprised you?  This week it is thinking about building your own.  Start with a drawing, label it carefully and think about what you will build it from.  Maybe you think cardboard would be easiest, but it isn't waterproof so how would you get round that?  Write down your thoughts, even ones you dismiss as it shows how carefully you have thought about it.  

Also why not have a look at the music that Mrs Hallihan has prepared for you.  Music has the ability to change our mood so think how the music you listen to affects you.

Don't forget that you can collect a reading book bundle from school today, we have lots of bundles for your parents to collect and it will all be socialy distanced and safe for you so come and collect some reading books if you need them!

Have a great day Nightingales

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

15.06.2020

Good morning Nightingales!  Welcome to week 3 of term 6.  We are on day 85 of lock down but with shops beginning to open and zoos and wildlife parks it is all beginning to get back to a bit of normality, if we can remember what that is!  What is the one thing you have missed?  Mine is seeing friends and family, and hopefully this will be happening again soon, but obviously at a safe distance for now.

So there is a new set of work up under the English tab, ready for you to tackle this week.  I would expect you to have finished  The Wyrmstooth Crown by now and beginning on Viking Boy.  Each chapter has a number of tasks for you to complete.  Work through them methodically and think about what you are writing, keep up the high standards you have in class, lockdown is not an excuse to write any less or any lower quality than you would do in class.

Maths is further work on decimals, have a look and work your way through the sheets.  If you find you are working really quickly, and I know some of you will be, then there are some other sheets to revise your subtraction skills.  Make a note of the methods, as some of you make it very long.  And don't forget you cannot subtract from 0, you will need to exchange!

Then this afternoon, have a look at the history section, there are lots of new worksheets and ideas for you thins week.  Also look at the MFL section.  Lats week we gave you lots of French to do, this week we have uploaded some Spanish work, you will all come back to school multi-lingual!

Have a great Monday Nightingales and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

12th June 2020

Good morning Nightingales!  We have made it to another Friday, Congratulations!

How has this week been?  I have had an up and down week.  It has been amazing to see the year R arriving at school with lots of enthusiasm, excitement and some massive smiles, but at the same time I find I am missing you and our whole class more.  It has been almost two months, and although I love getting your emails and seeing your work, it’s not the same as seeing you all every day.  What do you miss about school?

For your English, look back over what you have done this week and see if you can make any of it any better.  I know you will have tried your hardest, but as I said earlier in the week, there is always room for improvement.

As it is Friday, it is Maths Challenge day on  White Rose Maths.  But today they have partnered with BBC Bitesize to bring you a football themed maths problem!  Click on the link to see what they have got for you.  

Then this afternoon, have a look at any sections of the work you haven’t done yet.  Maybe you haven’t looked at PE, or maybe you have been saving the DT project for today.  Whatever you do, enjoy it, after all, you learn better when you are having fun at the same time.  

As always on a Friday, Miss Flisher has put together a Kahoot quiz for you to have a go at.  This weeks is titled ‘ABC’s where am I?’ game, and its Pin is 05559366.  Pop over and have a look – how well do you remember the school?

Have a great weekend Nightingales, I hope the sun stays out for us!

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Good Morning Nightingales and Happy Thursday!

The first thing I noticed this morning when I got up is how fresh everything smells after all that rain yesterday.  I swear our grass is greener than it was when I left home, and everything smells clean and lovely.  Isn't it strange how something as simple as some water from the sky can change even the smell of things.  What did you notice after the rain?

I hope you are all getting on well with your English.  There is a lot to do for each chapter of Viking Boy, but work through at your own pace and don't worry if you think someone else may be ahead of you, you may be taking more time than they are on something and later the roles might be switched, so just work at a pace you feel comfortable. Make sure you are still rehearsing your sentences in your head or out loud before you write them like we practiced in class.

The Maths is moving on to dividing by 100.  This follows the same processes as dividing by ten, so make sure you are comfortable with the methods as they will help you speed up later.  And as always, don't forget to practice your times table on !  I have also had a couple of children email me to say they have finished the whole of Mathletics!  Well done to those of you who have been working your way through it.  To have completed all the tasks and achieved green on all of them is a fantastic achievement! Well done!  Now have a look at the problem solving section, there are some harder questions there that even I have to think about!

Lastly this afternoon, have a look at the Science for this week.  We are looking at plants and you are invited to observe a plant outside (or even to grow a new one from seed if you can) and see how it grows and changes.  Even if you dont have a garden, have you got a windowsill you could put a flower on?  Watch how it moves during the day, following the sunshine.  I still remember when I watched aplant move for the first time.  Have a look at this video of a plant which was turned away from the sun

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4kqbKQrvYA

And at this avocado seed beginning to grow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GcF-A0zVzg

Aren't plants amazing!

Have fun and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Good morning Nightingales!  Welcome to the middle of the week!

How are you getting on?  There have been lots of announcements recently about things re-opening, like shops and yesterday, zoos and wildlife parks.  Do you think you will go and visit any of these places?  I would love to go to a wildlife park again, as I love animals and I know they have found it really hard during lock down so I am happy to be able to support them again.

How have you got on with your English work?  It is really strange not knowing where you all are with your work.  Some of you may still be working on The Wyrmstooth Crown, others moved on to Viking Boy.  Don't forget to send me photos of your work so I can see how you are getting on.

Maths today is revision on the Hundredths as decimals.  As you already know this is important when it comes to money and measurements as we use a decimal system, so use this time to ensure you are secure in this.

The this afternoon, have a look at the R.E., looking in a bit more detail about the beliefs of Sikhs or, if you have done that, the computing work is also RE based, to create an animated Power Point about the 10 Gurus.  Don't forget though, Power Point presentations are supposed to inform, not give people headaches, so think carefully about what information you put on each slide, and make sure the animations add to the information, not distract from them.

Have a great day Nightingales and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe.

Mrs Irvine

Good morning Nightingales!  Today is another bright and sunny Tuesday.  How does the sun make you feel? Happy or sad?  Not everyone likes the sun, so what ever you feel is OK.  I love the sun, but as I am not able to work outside as the sun and the computer do not mix, I am sad that it is sunny.  I would rather it saved it up for the weekend when I can go out in it!

So for your English today, you can finish the Wyrmstooth Crown Story and its associated work, or if you have already done that, the first few chapters of Viking Boy are up on the website.  Click on the book covers to go to their relevant pages.

Maths today is dividing by 10, a task which some of you still try to do by the bus stop method.  Whilst this is an acceptable method and will (if you get it right) give you the correct answer, but it is a very long winded method, so take note of any other method which may help to speed up your working, very important for test times!

Then this afternoon, have a look at the Art/DT project.  We would like you, eventually, to build your own Viking Longboat, but before that we need you to research them properly, design them on paper, gather the items you need,all before you even think about building it.  This is a long process, very like how things are developed in the real world.  Can you imagine someone designing a new item and just thinking 'I'm going to make...' and gathering lots of things and sticking them together?  They have to follow the same process, research, think, design (probably edit design several times), then gather and only then can they build.  So don't rush it, take your time and you will end up with amazing boats at the end!

There is also a new challenge over on the PE page.  It is called 'My Active Rainbow'.  Have a look at the PE page (Click here) and see what it is all about.  You can earn yourself a medal for taking up the challenge!

Be good, be kind and be safe Nightingales.  I miss you all!

Mrs Irvine

8th June 2020

Good morning Nightingales!  Welcome to another Monday, although this one is not bright and sunny as we have been useful.  I am enjoying the smell and the sound of the rain and I am sure I can hear the plants in the gardens sighing as they get some water finally.  Not to say I don't miss the sun, but a short break is welcome!

So having sorted out our problems with the computer, Miss Copley has recorded the whole of the book Viking Boy and it will be available over on her class page, click on the book to be taken there!  And also I will be uploading the next chapters of our 'just for fun' book, so click on that front cover to hear that.

Maths is all about converting fractions to decimals -  I know we briefly covered this in class, but use this a a chance to remind yourself of the basics and ensure you have a good grasp as this will be important as you go forward.

Then this afternoon, have a look at the History.  There are a couple of tasks along with a bonus task, see how much you can get done and don't forget to email me the results, I love receiving emails with your work!

Hopefully, after a short while the sun will come out again and we can go back outside and enjoy the nice weather, but for now, as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

5th June 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  We have made it to Friday, hooray!

So it is the end of the first week of term 6.  How have you found it getting back in to work?  What do you think of the new topic?  Are you excited about Vikings?  They are a fascinating group of people with some amazing beliefs and motivations.  I am excited to set the work for you, and to see the work you do when you send it to me :-)

So for English today I am uploading the next sections of The Wyrmstooth Crown and some work to go alongside it.  We are having technical difficulties with Viking Boy but hopefully that will be up soon as well so we can start working on that too.  I am also going to read you a new story, called Vulgar the Viking and the great Gulp Games, which looks like a fun book

Have any of you read the series?  There are three others in the front of the book, so maybe if I can find them all we can read them This one is just for fun, like our Harry Potter book was so just enjoy it.

As it is Friday, there is a Friday maths challenge over on    Have a go and see how you get on!

Then for this afternoon, have a look at the computing task.  Can you create a scene which shows Vikings coming across the water to England?  If you find just getting it moving across the screen easy, try having it move towards or away from the screen, can you make it get bigger or smaller?  I will have a go myself later and copy my screen to show you what it could look like!

Alternatively, you could do any of the other tasks that you haven't done from the weekly timetable.

Have a great weekend Nightingales, and don't forget to email me your work at nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk  !

Be good, be kind and be safe.

Mrs Irvine

New Kahoot quiz!

Game PIN: 02039267

Closes 3pm Friday!

4th June 2020

Good morning and happy Thursday Nightingales!

Today is a strange day, the weather report was not good this morning, I even brought a coat to school, but as I write this, I am looking out at the sunshine!  I wonder what will happen with the weather today and if it affects your mood at all?

You should have all but finished your description of the Norns by now.  On the English page there is the first chapter of a new story called the Wyrmstooth Crown, and some work to go with it.  Have a look and let me know what you think about this book, It has dragons in it so of course I would like it!

Maths is moving on to calculating fractions.  How are you getting on with it.  I know lots of you find fractions hard, but persevere and if you want more practice I will upload some more sheets to the webpage today.

Then this afternoon I would like you to look at what festivals and holy days are celebrated by Sikhs for your RE.  Pick one day and research it, presenting your research in whatever way you like.  Don't forget to send it to me so I can add it to our gallery of your work!

As always,

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

3rd June 2020

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday Nightingales!  We are half way through the week, has it gone as quickly for you as it has for me?  I seem to be very busy both at school and at home at the moment. I have a long list of 'stuff' to get done from webinars to help me learn to huge holes to dig in the garden!  Still at least I don't have time to be bored.  I wonder how busy your days are and what you have to keep you from being bored?

For your English today I would like you to look at your picture from yesterday and see if there is anything in your picture that you haven't written about.  Ad some more detail to your writing, maybe up-level some words and descriptions.  Make this the best piece of work you have ever written!  If you google pictures of the Norns, you get a variety of pictures, both young and old.  How have you pictured them?  Have you written good descriptions of their physical appearances, are they the same or slightly different?  

Maths is finding fractions of a quantity, for example, what is half of 26?  Again knowledge of your times tables is crucial here so as much practice as you can!

This afternoon I would like you to do the History.  To start with, write down as much as you know about Vikings and then in a different pen write any questions you have.  Do you remember how we did this in class about our new topics?  We used a spider diagram, so you might like to do it this way, or you might like to choose your own method.  However you do it, send me your work so I can try to ensure we cover as many of your questions as we can this term!

Have a great day Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Exciting new competition!

You have the opportunity to write a short 700 word story sharing your experiences and lives as 'Generation Lockdown'.  Closing date is 17th July, a selection of authors will be judging the entries.  Prizes to be won and the top 5 in each category will be published.

Full details can be found here https://generationlockdown.co.uk/

2nd June 2020

Good morning and Happy Tuesday Nightingales.  Can you believe it has been 73 days since we were all together?  I bet you have all changed so much, I know when I look at the photos you are sending me, the ones with your faces in them show just how much you are growing!  What have you noticed about yourself that has changed? Or maybe you have noticed your sibling changing or your parents.  What about the world around you?  We have seen so much wildlife in the garden, whether it was there to start with and I was too busy to notice, or just an increase this year I don't know, but it is fascinating to watch.  I saw a goldfinch yesterday out with her (or his) babies, flitting from feeder to baby feeding them in turn.  It was amazing to watch and the babies are so cute and fluffy!  They will change very quickly too I bet.

So work today, I will be uploading the prologue of Viking boy on to the English page for you to tackle the writing task.  I suggest you read it, then think about it, maybe with your eyes closed and work out what you think the scene looks like.  You might even decide to start with the Art lesson today, draw or paint the scene then describe it, which ever way works best for you.

Maths is subtracting fractions, following on from adding yesterday.  You are all very good at adding and subtracting when the denominator is the same, and your times table knowledge will be great for when you need to convert the fractions to equivalent ones.  Don't forget to practice on TT rockstars!

Then, if you haven't already, you can do the art - I know I suggested it yesterday, but as you didn't have access to the book due to the technical hitches in school, you couldn't do it.  It will go well with your English, one will help you with the other.

Have a great day Nightingales and enjoy the sun before it rains tomorrow!

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

1st June 2020

Good morning Nightingales!  I apologise for the lateness of the blog today, we have had a few computer issues in school which means I have not been able to upload this any sooner!

So its the first of June, the first day of term 6, can you believe it?  We have been away from school for such a long time, I hope you are all safe and well and coping with the lockdown in all its forms.

The weekly timetable is up and available for you to access your learning.  Have a look here.

I hope you managed to find the Maths pages, they are already uploaded under week 6 here - . 

We are still on the tricky topic of fractions.  How are you getting on?  There are lots of pitfalls with Fractions, but a good knowledge of times tables will really help, make sure you continue to use  to add to your ever growing knowledge!

We have a new overall topic, which ties in slightly to our Anglo Saxons topic.  We are learning about Vikings.  Miss Copley will be reading our new book Viking Boy, as always I will be linking you to the readings by clicking on the front page of the book.

The prologue sets a very interesting scene, how do you picture it?  The main writing this week is to write a scene description of the prologue.  There are no descriptions of the scene or of the Norns, so what image do you get in your head when you read it?  Don't forget to use similes and metaphors to create a a picture.  There are links and worksheets on these on the English pages.

Then this afternoon, have a look at the Art section of the home learning.  Think about your description of the Norn scene from the book and draw or paint a picture.  Don't forget to send it to me so I can compare your visions with what I see, I wonder if they will be very different?

I hope you all had a great half term and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

New kahoot quiz!

You wont want to miss this one!

Go to kahoot.it Game PIN 02320436 and enjoy!!!

Mrs Irvine

22nd May 2020

Good morning Nightingales.  We have made it to the last day of term all be it a very strange term.  The weather is much cooler today, There is a lovely breeze blowing through the windows, cooling us all down.  I cannot decide if it is lovely or if I want the sun back.  Maybe the breeze and the sun would be a good compromise?

As today is the last day of term I want you to look back at what you have been learning.  Do you think you have made good progress?  Don't worry if some of the things we have been trying to learn are a bit fuzzy, when we finally mange to get back together we will help you with all the odd bits.

How has your English work gone?  Today I would like you to finish Beowulf, however far you have gone and send me your work.  I am amazed by the work some of you are completing at home, it is brilliant!  More will be going up today, look for it on the 'your work' tab.

I have also finished the book, Anglo-Saxon Boy.  The final chapter details what happens next to Magnus and his family.  Then read the final section, an interesting historical note which I honestly didn't see coming.  I wonder if it will have the same effect on you?

The Maths is a Friday challenge, access it via White Rose  .  Have fun, after all if you are enjoying yourself, then you are more likely to learn!

Then this afternoon, finish any of the tasks you haven't already done.  Have you tried the computing one? or the History?

Next week is half term, so I wont be setting you work to do, but that doesn't mean you have to stop learning or having fun.  The wonderful people over at  have some great fun activities you can do over the half term, and there is also some fabulous science happening at  who are also running a competition to receive a £50 amazon voucher!

You can, of course still follow the PE by Joe Wickes or Otti Mabuse's dance classes and a host of other things to do.  Checkout the museums online that are doing virtual tours, or learn to draw with online lessons.  Have fun and I will see you on the other side of half term!

But as always Nightingales

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

21st May 2020

Good morning and happy Thursday Nightingales!

We have nearly made it to the end of term.  This has been our first whole term of not being in school.  Have you missed it more than you thought or have you settled in to being at home?  How are you getting on with the work?  As it stands at the moment we will certainly be starting next term online again.  Who knows how we will finish it?  We will have to wait and see.

How do you feel about Beowulf?  It is not your normal poem is it?  Carry on with the task on the English page, and as I said yesterday, if you have completed it, have a go at your own epic poem.  I look forward to reading your own adventures!  If you haven't managed to find a copy to read, there is a great one you can find by clicking on the picture, with some notes next to it to explain what is happening

There are two more chapters of the book - we have one chapter then the epilogue to finish tomorrow, read the story of how Magnus deals with the Battle of Hastings.  It put it all in a totally different perspective for me, I hadn't really thought of it from the point of the next heir to the throne, let alone a young man who wasn't fully battle hardened.  It must have been terrifying!

Today's Maths is a continuation of equivalent fractions.  Remember this relies on your times table knowledge so log on to  to practice, and if you get stuck, remember you can always email me at nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk

This afternoon, have a look at anything you haven't done from the RE list.  We will be continuing with Sikhism next term, looking a little deeper in to the religion, so make sure you know the basics and have answered as many of the questions as you can.

Enjoy the day today Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Help break a World Record!

Tomorrow, a company called 'Art World Records' is attempting to break the world record for the 'Largest ever online art lesson'.  Have a look, click on the link to register and log on at 4pm tomorrow, even if, like me, you think you cant do art.  Lets break this world record!

Register by clicking on this link,

then watch here tomorrow at 4pm on Thursday

20th May 2020

Good morning and happy Wednesday Nightingales!

It almost seems trite to say 'another lovely day' as we are having so many of them, but when I wake up and the sun is shining, I am always a little happier, so that is something to be thankful for and to celebrate each day.  What sort of things make your day a little better? Is it a favourite food or drink, a fun activity, or maybe just some time with your family.  Let me know and we can share it and maybe spread a little sunshine through others lives too.  

Today is also National Thank a Teacher Day (yes it is real, I promise I have not just made this up!)  Think about all the teachers you have ever had.  What have they taught you, it doesn't have to be academic.  When I think of mine, I think of a Maths teacher I had in secondary school who had such a passion for Maths, I think that is where I got it from, and an English teacher who taught me it was ok to be different.  There are so many teachers to thank in my life, that is one of the reasons I became a teacher.  Maybe, if one of your teachers is still at our school, you could send them an email via their class pages to thank them, or maybe Mrs Bone and Mrs Evans who are still in school everyday making sure everything runs smoothly.  Maybe one of your relatives is a teacher, why not phone them to say thank you, or you could download this poster and put it in your window to thank all the teachers  

Talking of teaching, how are you getting on with our friend Beowulf?  There are four tasks on the weekly timetable, how far have you got?  If you get to the end, why not try writing your own epic poem, set in either an old world setting like the original or maybe in a fantasy land, think The Hobbit, or even Harry Potter.  Don't forget to keep sending me your work, I love receiving it, it is another thing that brightens my day!

The next two chapters are up on the website if you click on the book cover.  Tostig and Harald Hardrada have invaded; what will King Harold and Magnus do?

Maths is still continuing with fractions.  If you are doing well on this, can you find example of fractions around your home, for example what fractions are your windows separated in to?  My patio doors split the opening neatly in half, but my windows are unequal.  Look for fractions, they are everywhere if you look carefully.

Then this afternoon think about the Science, what happens to your food when you put it in your mouth?  Maybe think about it while you eat your lunch, what is the first thing you do?  Why do you think you have to do that?  Present your findings as a story board, you could call it something like 'The journey of my lunch, from plate to stomach'.  Send them to me for the 'your work' area!

Have fun with your work and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Something for you to do over half term.

Become a scientist this half term with the amazing online Discovery Week from the Crick.
From 25-30 May we’ll be surprising and inspiring you and your family with something new every day. With crazy crafting, kitchen challenges and the chance to meet our brilliant scientists, as well as lots of downloadable resources to keep you busy.

In each day’s task there’s a hidden clue to hunt down. Keep hold of these as by the end of the week, they’ll reveal the golden word and you’ll be in for a chance to win great prizes, including a £50 Amazon voucher.
Tune in everyday at 11am for our daily activities www.crick.ac.uk/discoveryweek
#discoveryweek #everyonesascientist #thecrick

19th May 2020

Good morning Nightingales. Well done for making it to Tuesday!

After a slow start yesterday, I found some energy and got lots done.  How did you find Monday?  Sometimes it is the hardest day of the week, getting back in to the routine, but sometimes it is the easiest as you are rested and ready to go.  However your day went, I hope you found a reason to smile!

So, today's English is a continuation of yesterdays work on Beowulf.  What did you think of the poem?  It is what is known as an Epic Poem for a reason!  Carry on with the powerpoint or move on to the other work under the English tab.

I am just about to record the next two chapters of the book, you will find them by clicking on the book cover as always.  We are nearing the end; we all know what happened at the Battle of Hastings to King Harold, but what do you think is going to happen to Magnus and the rest of his family?  I know what is coming, and I am so excited to share it with you!

Maths is continuing with fractions, how are you getting on?  A lot of people think fractions are really hard but if you use some common sense and know your tables, they are not the hardest part of maths.  Practice your tables on  and don't forget to practice and revise all other aspects of your learning so far.

This afternoon, why not have a look at the art project.  As you read Beowulf, you met many monsters that he had to fight.  Can you design a new one for him to encounter?  Think about the ones he has already met, maybe think of it as the 'boss' monster at the end of the level on a computer game.  Be sensible, they didn't have lasers or guns in Anglo-Saxon times, so what other weapons did they have and how could you equip your monster?  Send me photos of your fearsome creations and I will make a gallery of them on our 'Your work' page.

Have a great day Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

18th May 2020

Good morning Nightingales and Happy Monday!

I hope you had a good weekend, I had a very busy one and did lots of work in my house and garden and I find I am very tired this morning.  How do you motivate yourself when you are tired?  I am trying to imagine all of you sat in front of me, looking at me with your smiling faces and I find I have more than enough energy to get everything I need to get done for you and your earning, you are a fantastic motivation, thank you!

Our English this week is all based around the epic poem Beowulf.  There is a powerpoint for you to look through and a series of activities as you go through it.  Find all the details here and enjoy the poem.

I have also recorded two chapters of the book today so we can get through it before the end of the week.  Listen to them here  

Maths is a recap of the dreaded fractions.  I know they can be hard and the equivalent fractions rely heavily on your knowledge of times tables, so if you find you are struggling, log on to  to practice and improve your knowledge.

This afternoon, have a look at the history section.  There is a lot of talk in the book about the different areas of England and who is in charge of them.  What can you find out about the way England was organised?  What different earldoms were there?  We heard of Mercia and Northumbria, what about down in the west of the country?  Can you compare it to a map of today and see where our current counties come from?  How have they changed?  You may even see where some of the names come from.  Present your findings in a creative way and send them to me at nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk.

Lastly, how did you enjoy the pet quiz on Kahoot?  It was won by Emilia in Goldfinches.  Well done to all those who took part.  Watch out for another one this week on Friday.

Have a good week Nightingales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe.

Mrs Irvine

15th May 2020

Good morning and happy Friday Nightingales.

It seems insane that next week will be the last week of term 5.  How have you felt about our topic of Anglo-Saxons?  What have you learned?  Has anything surprised you?  I love this topic, and I am really gutted I have missed direct teaching of both Anglo-Saxons and Sikhism, two of my favourite subjects!  But I have enjoyed reading the book to you.  There are 9 chapters left - I will make sure I get to the end before the end of term, even if it means I do two a day.  Let me know what you think and how you get on with just listening to the story.  Hear the next chapter, chapter 12 - Broken hearts by clicking on the link below.  How will Magnus react to hearing his father is going to marry someone else, and what about his mother? 

For your English, you should have finished your writing about how you feel about a possible return to school and how your family have reacted.  Have you written a persuasive letter to Mr Johnson and the other Members of Parliament?  How persuasive have you been.  You could even post it to them.  

If you have done all that, here is a small challenge for you, linked to our book.  Think about your family.  In the book, Magnus learns that family, and who you are descended from, is very important.  Who are you related to?  Can you ask your parents who their parents were?  Do they know their Grandparents?  How far back could you go?  There has been a lot on TV about famous people researching their history, and as a family we have done some too, it is amazing to find out about who your great, great grandmother is and what she did.  Sadly I am not descended from a king or anything exciting, but who knows what you might discover!  You might even find you have a family coat of arms like Edwin and Morcar in the book (Remember the double headed eagle?), but if not, try designing your own, add an animal, a design in the back ground, some colour and maybe even a motto or some values like the school ones.  Send me your finished designs, I would love to see them!  I will put some links and ideas in the art/DT tab for you.

White rose maths  have got a Friday maths challenge for you today, have a look and see.  I have also put it on our maths page.

This afternoon, try one of the challenges you haven't done yet, I suggested ones for you all week, so today why not try the Computing one or the Art one if you haven't already - take photos and share your work, the photos on our Your work page are looking fantastic.  I will, of course, have to check to see if you have website permission, but if not, I can crop your faces or cover your names so we can still share your work.

Have a great Friday and a lovely weekend Nightingales, and as always ...

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

14th May 2020

Good morning and Happy Thursday Nightingales!

I was thinking this morning it has been such a long time since we were all together.  I am in school today with our key worker children, and it seems strange to have so many children to look after.  I really miss you all and look forward to us coming back again, when it is safe.

Which reminds me, how are you getting on with your English writing task?  Have you finished editing? In which case today's job should be writing up a neat copy.  Then you can send me a photo of it for our 'your work' page.  It would be great to read how you are getting on and how you feel about the whole situation.  I would imagine it is different for you as children than for us adults as there are a totally different set of priorities.

I have uploaded Chapter 11 of our new book, check it out here. It is strange but everyone else in my house goes quiet when I read it, I think they are all listening.  The plot is certainly getting very exciting!  What do you think of the book?  Let me know.

Your Maths today can be found here and is a recap of the counting squares to find an area that we did.  Do you remember all the post it notes and drawing on the desks.  I wouldn't suggest you draw on your furniture at home, but could you find another way to do this at home?  Maybe you have square tiles in your kitchen or bathroom, or a patio outside. See what you can find and send me your ideas.

Lastly this afternoon, try looking at the Science.  Compare an Anglo-Saxon Diet to your own, what have you had to eat today and how would it have differed in Anglo-Saxon Times?  Certainly they didn't have fizzy drinks like Cola or lemonade, they didn't even have pizza or burgers!  Do you think you would like to eat like they did?  Present your findings in a creative way, maybe a poster, a Cafe menu board, or another fantastic way, you all have such good imaginations!  As always email me what you have come up with at nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk.

Be good, be kind and be safe everyone

Mrs Irvine

13th May 2020

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday Nightingales!

As the weather continues to get colder, I am thinking that with the threat of a frost I may have to move a few of my plants in to the green house.  Have you been growing anything?  With Garden centres opening this week, it could be the perfect time to get in to any outside spaces and try growing your own fruit or vegetables.  Let me know if you have grown anything new.

Have you recorded the song and sent it to Miss Sutherland yet?  You are such amazing singers, and I would love to hear your voices.  I am recording mine today, I know Mrs Hallihan has done hers and lots of other teachers have been practicing this catchy song (yes its one that gets in to your head).  Lets get as many of us recorded as possible, it will be something amazing to do together while we are apart.  Find more details here.

For your English, you should be beginning to edit and improve your writing about how you feel.  There should be lots of emotive words.  You could also include how the rest of your family feels.  Maybe you have a sibling who is in one of the classes who will be going back on 1st June.  How do they feel about it?  What about your parents?

I have also recorded chapter 10 of our book, Anglo-Saxon Boy.  In order to get to the end before the end of term, there is a new chapter each day.  Click on the book cover to hear the latest chapter, A Lone Rider - what has happened in the North?

Maths today is calculating perimeter or rectilinear shapes, that is shapes with straight edges, but not necessarily squares or rectangles.  It is a good recap for all of you, even if you think you remember it well.  If you are finding it easy, check the extra work on the other tab, looking at the GD sections.

How did your Art Pictures go yesterday?  I saw some lovely work happening in school yesterday, I will be posting them on the Your Work section when they are finished.

Today, have a look at the RE, and answer the question; What is the Guru Granth Sahib?  There are some links of the RE page to help you.  You can present your work in whatever way you like, a powerpoint, a poster, as written work, let your imagination run wild and as always continue to share your work with me by emailing to nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk.

Have a great day today Nightigales, and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

12th May 2020

Good morning Nightingales.

The weather is a bit better today, the trees do not seem in danger of being blown over so hopefully, that has passed and we can get back to the lovely weather we have been having soon.

How are you getting on with your English?  There is so much news, fake news and strong opinions on social media and the TV, it can be hard to know what to believe.  The writing we have asked for is your opinion and feelings, which can be quite hard to write about, but try your best and don't forget to email me photos of your work.

Maths is now moving on to a recap of perimeter of shapes.  Even if you think you are confident with this, please ensure you follow the video and do the worksheet as it is always worth recapping, and you can look in to the problem solving/reasoning questions.  Think hard about the language you use in your answers, if someone cannot see the question, would your answer still make sense?  If not, it probably isn't a full answer.

Which afternoon subject did you choose yesterday? Try the art project today:

What did an Anglo-Saxon Family look like?  Research images on the internet and create a “mood/ideas” board – use this to develop your own Anglo-Saxon Family using your family as models.  I will upload some pictures onto the art tab on our class page to give you some ideas.  Think carefully about colour - they did not have the bright range of colours and luminous highlighters we have today.

I love seeing your art work, so please send me photos of your family portraits at nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk . 

Enjoy the slightly better weather today and as always

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Exciting singing project!

We would like to invite you to take part in a very exciting project  

You may have seen the national launch of the Church of England’s new #faithathome campaign last week. The aim is to get 1000 schools to record a song in time for ‘Thank a Teacher Day’ on the 20^th of May.

We are keen to get involved in this exciting project and would like to make a video of our pupils singing ‘Looking for the Rainbow’ (a song which has been written specifically for the project by Becky Drake, school chaplain in Birmingham). You can see a recording that has already been made here https://vimeo.com/412881668/c727412703.

What do we need you to do?

1. Have a look at the lyrics and audio file below and learn the song- ‘Looking for the Rainbow’. www.worshipforeveryone.com 
2. Put on your purple school jumper or polo t-shirt (we all need to look the same and represent our wonderful school together).
3. Record yourself singing the song with the backing track. (Have a look at the example schools’ video to see how you should look in yours)
4. Send your finished recording to Miss Sutherland at  jays@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk by Friday the 15^th May. Please Note: you may have to record your video in sections, if the file is too big it will not attach to the email. Perhaps you could do verse 1 and the chorus and then verse 2 and the chorus.
5. In your email to Miss Sutherland, please copy and paste the following: I consent to the attached video being shared on the school website, on social media platforms and as part of the Looking for a Rainbow Project. I consent to my child’s first name only being published.  I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time by emailing the school office on office@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk.
6. Have fun singing, be proud of your achievement and wait for your fabulous feedback!

This is a thrilling challenge and we are looking forward to receiving your amazing entries.

11 May 2020

Good morning and happy Monday Nightingales!

What a change in the weather we have had, from scorching hot to cold, wet and windy.  Does it make it easier to sit inside and work or does the noise distract you?  I must admit, I find the noise distracting so I might have to put headphones on while I work today, that will help keep me focussed.  What do you do to keep you focussed?  Why not share some of your ideas with everyone, email them to me and I will include them in the blog the next day.

The next chapter of Anglo-Saxon Boy is uploaded, click on the book cover to find it.  I have also made another Kahoot quiz, so why not follow the link to see if you can beat your friends?  It is open to all of LKS2 so lets keep the winners in Nightingales!

For English, we have asked you to write about how you feel about the announcements yesterday with the possibilities of children going back to school from 1st June, starting with years R, 1 & 6.  Do some research, have a look at the news, especially programmes like Newsround and be honest.  Remember whatever your opinion is, if you have a good justification behind it, it is your opinion and no-one can say you are wrong. It would be lovely for me to find out how you are feeling about the situation so please, once you have done it, flood my inbox again with photos of your work, I am loving seeing and reading them all!  I will post some links to good websites under the English Tab for you to look at.

Those of you who love reading (and those who don't) can now access books on the Accelerated Reader system, go check it out on the picture link below.  They have some graphic novels too, you can read them and then do the test like you would in school.  Email me if you have forgotten your logins for any of the systems we use.

Our Maths this week is problem solving with Multiplication and division and then area. White Rose are no longer sharing the worksheets for free so you will have to go to the Maths section of the webpage to find them. I will also upload some extra worksheets , but as long as you are understanding what is happening, there is no requirement to do the extra work unless you want to.  I have also noticed, not all of you have been accessing  this month, and everyone still has tasks to complete on  designed to help you both revise and add depth to your learning.  Please try to keep up with these, they are used because they work.

Finally, have a look at the Weekly Timetable and choose one of the extra tasks. There are some great ideas for our Anglo-Saxon topic, including a scratch challenge - have a look at the relevant section on the website for ideas and resources being updated as the week progresses!

Be good, Be kind and be safe Nightingales

Mrs Irvine

07 May 2020

Good morning and happy Thursday Nightingales!

With tomorrow as a Bank Holiday, today is the last day of the week.  How have you got on with the work we set?  Did you write a job description for the job of King of England?  How many of those qualities do you think everyone should have?  Qualities such as compassion, aspiration, forgiveness, fairness, honesty, and confidence are something we should all strive to show in our lives.  Who in your family would make a good monarch (king or queen)?

The next chapter of the book is going up today, click on the book below to hear chapter 7.  How will Magnus deal with his Uncle's harsh rule, and will he be able to calm the troubles in the north?  Does it remind you of any other stories you know?  If so, do you think it will have a similar outcome?

Today's Maths is more on division (see here), before we move on to problem solving next week.  I would love to see how you are getting on, or hear if you are struggling.  Let me know if you need some extra help, believe me when I say you wont be alone.  Division is hard, but learning your times tables using   or any other methods you like will help you enormously.

The RE topics this term, Sikhism, is one of my favourites.  I would love too see some more of your work, send it to me at nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk and keep an eye open for your work on the the class page, it's great to see how you are all getting on.

Bee good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

06 May 2020

Good morning Nightingales, Happy Wednesday!

Has this week gone quickly for you, or is it a long one like mine last week?  What if I told you this week was only 4 days long?  That's right, Friday is a bank holiday which means no school!  We usually have an extra bank holiday in April, but it has been moved this year to 8th May so we can all celebrate VE day.  Today I would like you to find out what VE day is all about and maybe even create some decorations.  You can find some ideas by clicking on the picture links

Bunting              Colouring book           Posters         Make a plane

Remember to share your creations with everyone by emailing a picture to Nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk

I have uploaded the next chapter of the book - and updated the link to the quiz on chapter 4, have a look, I have shared it here too - one person has played it so far, who will win?  It is across the LKS2 hub so let's make it a Nightingale who wins! (I might even find a prize for you when we get back!)

To make sure we get to the end of the book, I will now be recording a chapter of the book every day, hope you are enjoying it as much as me!

Taking of books, did you know over on Wizardingworld.com they are reading the Harry Potter books. As we were reading them in class, I thought some of you might like to check it out, the first chapter is read by none other than Harry himself, Daniel Radcliffe.  Go check it out here.

Have a great day Nightingales,

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

05 May 2020

Good morning Nightingales!

Those with keen eyes will have noticed things didn't quite go to plan yesterday; the video I made at school refused to upload so I have had to re-record chapter 5 again today to post it, I apologise to those who were looking forward to the next installment.  It worked out well though. I wonder, if you were writing about the raid, did you for one minute imagine they were attacked by their own Lord?  That puts a whole new spin on things doesn't it?  Don't change your writing though, that was the whole point of the task, to see what you thought might have happened.  You can edit and improve it today, there is an editing section on the English page to help you.

I had some amazing work emailed to me by Patrick; have a look on the class page for a 'Your work' link, and see what he has been up to.  Email me some of your work to be featured there too, would be great to show what you have been up to!

Enjoy your Maths today (Click here), the re cap of multiplication and division this week will be fabulous revision for some of you and help to consolidate your work.  You will also need to revise your times tables using TT rock stars.    There are also lots of outstanding tasks on Mathletics, have a look as they recap a lot of the things we have done over the past months.  Well done to those of you who are keeping up with it!  If you cant remember your username or password, let me know and I can email it out to you.

Have fun with your work and don't forget to email me at nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch with your work to be featured in on the website.

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

04 May 2020

Good morning Nightingales,

Here we are at the beginning of another week of home learning!  I hope you are keeping safe and well and working hard on your school work, as well as using this time to spend with your loved ones.

Today I am in school with some of our key worker children, did you spot our book corner behind me in today's story?  We are following the work set by each teacher while we are at school with a time table like the one on our weekly time table.  It helps to keep you in the mind for school so it doesn't come as quite such a shock when we all finally get back to school, but however you work, just try your best.

So today's work is based on our book, I hope you have been following it.  For English, can you write a recount of a day in the life of an Anglo Saxon who lives on a farm, or a recount of the attack on the farm that Marcus saw in our book (Chapter 4)?  You can take the part of any of the members of the families, an adult or a child. 

Then have a look at White Rose Maths for a  recap of multiplication, and if you need to don't forget to learn/revise your times tables using TT Rockstars!

And then this afternoon, choose one of the other subjects, History, RE, art or computing and complete one of the tasks set there.

Have fun but remember

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Thank Crunchie its Friday!

I don't know about you, but this week has been really hard.  It has seemed like it has gone on for ever and Friday has been a very long time coming!  Have you had weeks like that?  How do you cope with them?  If you email me your suggestions, I could share them with the rest of the class and maybe we can all help each other with how to get through it!

I have recorded a new chapter of the book today, check it out on the English page or by clicking the book:

I have also written you a short quiz on the first four chapters on Kahoot, have a look and see how much you remember, the link is under my recording.

How many of you are scrolling right down to find the other reading comprehensions at the bottom, there are four there now, how many do you recognise?  As much as I want you to all read for pleasure, it is no good reading a book and then not being able to remember a single thing about it.

As it is Friday, why don't you try to do something extra for someone, whether it is a job for one of the adults at home, helping them in some way, contacting one of your friends you haven't spoken to recently, or even, just an idea, emailing your teacher to let them know how you are getting on!!  I love hearing from you all and it does brighten my day - go be kind to someone!

Be good, be safe and be kind

Mrs Irvine

Happy Thursday Nightingales!

How are you all getting on?  

In your English work are you still following the same routine we do at school, think, write, edit then write up? 

I know editing is a hard thing to get your head around, you have written it once, why do you need to edit and write it again?  Even the most famous authors write things they then decide aren't good enough or need a bit of tweaking, here is an example from J K Rowling!

Look how much she changes! If she thought she could improve, could you?

How are you getting on with the maths?  White Rose has lots of work for you to complete but if you want some more, check out Twinkl (use code PARENTSTWINKLHELPS to get access)  and dont forget if you get stuck you can email me for help!

I hope you are enjoying the book I am reading you.  I know some of you have said you cannot get hold of a copy from any of the online retailers which is why I decided to video myself reading it for you, I hate being videoed so it has really pushed me to be brave, what could you do to be brave? Let me know.

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Happy Midweek!

It's Wednesday which means we are half way through the week!  How are you doing with the writing task?  There are lots of prompts and help under the English tab, have a look!

I found out today, the dance programme Go Noodle we have used in class (yes the one that does the 'Lunch' song) have a section for you to use from home, why not go check it out by clicking our class mascot here:

and let me know how you get on!

Also have you seen the videos of me reading the book for you?  Look under the English tab or click the book cover!

Lastly there is a competition being run for you to design a banner to say thank you to the NHS.  There will be 5 winners who will get their banners made in to a huge 3mx1m banner and it will be printed to hang outside the school!  I know some of you are amazing artists, so have a go.  The sheet is on a link below, when you have drawn your banner, you simply need to take a photograph of their completed worksheet and email it to hello@fsedesign.co.uk alongside their full name, age and details of their school. If you need help, don't forget you can email me at nightingales@archbishopcourtenya.kent.sch.uk or via the link on the class page!

Be good, be kind and be safe Nightingales

Mrs Irvine

Have you ever visited Maidstone Museum?  They are posting 'Spike's daily activities' every day, why not pop over and have a look at what they are up to?

https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/learn/learning-with-spike-at-home/

Happy Tuesday Nightingales!

The weather may have changed, but as they say, you cannot have a rainbow without rain!  Any of you who are growing things in the garden like me will welcome a little of the wet stuff to help the plants grow.

Today, I have a thought for you, do you have a growth mindset?  Research what that means and see if you can get yourself there before we all come back to school.

Have fun with your learning today and remember to message me if you need help of just to share what you have been up to!

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Good morning Nightingales!

Happy Monday!

I have been receiving some lovely emails from you all, I am glad you are all keeping safe and thank you for keeping in contact with me, I am missing you all so much.

Today I want you to think about what has changed and what it would be a good idea to keep when it all goes back to normal.  I have got a lot done at home and want to keep that up, as well as a few hobbies which I want to keep going!

Keep safe, and keep checking the website for more work to keep your minds busy!

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Good morning Nightingales,

Another beautiful day, is anyone bored of sunshine yet? I hope not, we all moaned during winter about the rain or the cold and I'd rather be able to go outside and sit in the sunshine while I am at home than be stuck inside.

I would like to set you a challenge today, in addition to your usual work.  Can you take a photo or draw one of something that makes you smile.  If you send it to me via the email, I will set up a section on the website for things that make us smile and maybe we can spread the happiness around a little.  To get you started, here is a photo my husband took yesterday of a beautiful visitor to our garden:

Can you identify it?  Let me know.

Have a good day,

Be good, be kind and be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Another beautiful day today, I hope you are enjoying the nice weather as well as getting some work done.

Have you had a chance to look at the new things on the website?  There are lots of new tasks on the topic pages, including Art, RE and Science, as well as history, geography and English.  Have a look and see if you can find my new videos.

Don't forget to keep checking White Rose maths for your maths lessons and email me if you get stuck or to share your work.  If you send me some work to share I could start a 'pupil work' area on teh website to share what you have been up to!

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Welcome back Nightingales!  I hope you all had a great Easter and ate far too much chocolate, if there is even such a thing!  I had some amazing work sent to me over the holidays, well done to those who did, it was brilliant.  If you have some work that you have done that you haven't sent me, please do, as I love seeing your work!

Today is the first day of term 5.  We have a new topic, new RE, new science and lots of new things for you to do while we are still stuck at home.  

Our Maths topic is still decimals and fractions, moving on to money, which is just another form of decimal.  Check out https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-4/ for the next set of lessons.

Our new Curriculum Topic is the Anglo Saxons.  There will be a letter out soon to help you with this and things will begin to appear on our web pages, so keep your eyes on there.  To begin with, why don't you create a topic web with every thing you already know and anything you want to find out about them, then at the end we can see if there are any unanswered questions and see if we can fill in those answers.

The BBC are doing their bit to help you too, there are some amazing things happening over at https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize including a talk from Sir David Attenborough, Jodie Whittaker 'dropping in' on lessons and Manchester City star Aguero, who is going to help youngsters learn to count in Spanish!  Go check it out and if you find something fantastic, let me know so I can share it with everyone else!

Keep safe Nightingales, hopefully it will not be too much longer before we are all together again!

Mrs Irvine

EASTER SUNDAY

I hope you are all having a lovely Easter.  This is the time Christians are celebrating Jesus' return to us after the horrendous events of Good Friday.  Do you remember from our RE lessons why we call such a bad day Good?

While we are away from school, have you thought about the collective worship we would have been doing?  You can create your own space to be still, and pray or think at home.  Here is a link with some ideas to get you started, maybe if you set one up you could send me a picture to help others?

https://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/prayer-spaces-at-home

Be good, be kind and stay safe.

Mrs Irvine

Good morning Nightingales,

Today would have been the last day of term before we broke up for the Easter holidays.  How are you all coping?  We have been in this strange situation for two weeks now?  I hope you and your families are staying safe!

How are you getting on with the work I am setting you on here?  Email me what you have done, I would love to hear from you all: nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk.

There will be regular updates on the White Rose website https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-4/ with the next steps for your learning,and there are still tasks for English, Reading and SPaG in the usual places.  I will be updating the website over the Easter holidays ready for when we get back. 

I will not be updating the blog everyday though, but I do want to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a happy and safe Easter.  Enjoy it safely and remember: Be good, be kind, be safe!

Mrs Irvine

Happy April Fools day!

I wonder if you are playing any tricks on anyone in your family today?  Have you seen any on the news or in the newspapers?  They always make me laugh so I hope there are some, even in this difficult time.  Could you do some research on how the day became the day for pranks and jokes?  Where did it originate and how do other countries celebrate it?  Let me know what you find out.

Sadly there are no tricks in my blog, but there are a few new things for you to have a look at.

Firstly, as what would have been the end of term draws near, we had a big DT project planned for you which you might like to have a go at at home.  We all know how clever the Romans were, and they worked out how to build bridges for water, called aqueducts.  Could you build one at home?  You can use anything you like, we suggested cardboard from the recycling, but use anything available.  Can you find something to use instead of water?  I would love to see a video/photo of your creations!

There are also handwriting sheets under the English section and weekly SPaG targets, and don't forget to log on to White Rose Maths https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-4/ for daily Maths lessons.

Be good, be kind and be safe

Mrs Irvine

Good morning Nightingales,

Thank you so much those who have emailed me so far to let me know how you are getting on with the work set.  Its fabulous to be able to keep in touch, believe it or not I miss you all! Let me know what you have been up to, even if it is just to admit you are struggling with being disciplined enough to settle down to work.

White Rose Maths updates regularly with new lessons, so keep checking it at  https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-4/.

If you completed either the poetry or the descriptive writing, please email your work so I can see it, and then move on to the setting work.  There are a few ideas on the website, but if you can find a picture of your own, please feel free to use that, why not look at https://www.onceuponapicture.co.uk/ for a picture to inspire you, these are the ones we used on Fridays to do your free write, so you will see some you recognise, so try to choose one you haven't already written about.  Let your imagination go wild!

Mrs Irvine

Hello Nightingales!

Welcome to week 2!  I hope you are all coping and completing some school work every day.

Today I am uploading some more Maths work, moving on with the decimal work I set last week and extending it.  You can either access it here, https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-4/ or look in the Maths section on our page.  As always, if you have any problems, please email me (nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk) so I can help you, that is what I am here for.

I would also like you to have a go at another of the writing tasks.  Try the Character Description one first, and please send me your work; I would love to see what you are up to.

I have also uploaded a link to a song which is designed to be uplifting and happy.  It would be great if you could begin to learn it at home so when we get back together, we can all sing it.

Be good, be kind, be safe

Mrs Irvine

Hello Nightingales,

Day 4 and I have set you a task on the English tab.  There are several writing tasks on there but the one I would like you to focus on is the Poetry one.  I would like to to write a poem about something that inspires you and then present it in some way to be shared.  This could mean, if we have permission for you to appear on the website, that you video yourself performing it like Michael Rosen's chocolate cake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BxQLITdOOc), or if you would rather not perform, you could write it up neatly and decorate the sheet.  Then email me the result so I can post them all on the website. It would be great to be able to share some of your work with you all so you can see what each other are doing.

I have also uploaded some more work regarding decimals in Maths. Go have a look.

Be good, be kind, be helpful, be safe

Mrs Irvine

Hello again Nightingales!

Day three, I hope you are beginning to settle in to the new routine.

As I was driving home I thought about how quiet the streets are and I noticed that some windows are displaying the rainbows.  Have you done one yet?  The idea is the rainbow represents hope/a promise that things will get better (remember our RE lessons on the rainbow after the flood) and that we are all trying to put it in our windows to show we are all together.  If you haven't done it yet, maybe today is the day.  Paint, colour, craft a rainbow out of whatever you have at home and put it in your window, and if you have to go out at any stage, see how many you can spot! Maybe you could also write a poem or prayer around the theme of hope, use the colours of the rainbow or the shape as a starter.  

In the meantime, check out the SPaG section for some worksheets on adjectives and adverbs and the maths section for the next step on decimals.  

Keep safe, keep busy and keep smiling.

Mrs Irvine

Hello Nightingales!

Day two, how are you all doing?  

I would like to say a fantastic WELL DONE to all those who have been on TT rockstars and Mathletics, this will help you keep sharp on your maths skills.

Have look at the work sections on the class page, I will be uploading some new resources for you to try out - both explanation videos/powerpoints and worksheets for you to try.  As before, try your best and remember you can always contact me (nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk) for help and advice.

Lastly, for a bit of fun, two online activities for you.  First Joe Wickes is doing you tube videos to help you keep active.  Also why not try logging on to David Walliams' website  https://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/elevenses/?fbclid=IwAR1v0dW-NYWY_UFkAfQEEFf1wrqWvW5IGMCIRANV5wz9S0ZsGkHILWDATRQ to enjoy listening to a story. His website has lots of activities to complete, too.

Have fun and stay safe.

Mrs Irvine

Hello Nightingales!

It is  a very strange time we find ourselves in.  How did you find working from home today?  Did you get much done, or did you get distracted?  

So today's blog is tips and hints to ensure you get some work done but also keeping a balance while you are at home.

1) Set a timetable.  This will help your mind to know when it needs to focus and when it can relax, just like it does at school.

2) Have a place to work which is not too close to distractions. 

3) Plan for a set amount of work. Set yourself enough to challenge yourself, but not so much that you get overwhelmed and end up giving up.

4) Do your best.  As always.

5) READ!  there are many places out there you can access free books, and if you go to https://stories.audible.com/ they are offering free audio books, and you can also read and listen to books at https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/.  Give it a go, what have you got to lose, you may even find a new favourite!

By all doing our part, hopefully together we can not only beat the virus, but keep learning at the same time. 

Let me know how you get on, send me pictures of what you are doing, and I may be able to feature you on the blog! You can email me on nightingales@archbishopcourtenay.kent.sch.uk. I'll check emails Monday-Friday between 0900 and 1100.

Remember, be good, be kind, be safe!

Mrs Irvine