Shwmai Dosbarth Deri!

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I am Mrs Jones and this year, Dosbarth Deri is a year 5 and 6 class. It’s been a fantastic year already and the PS3 pupils have been enjoying the benefits of the New Curriculum for Wales throughout the school.

 

The year began with the topic Pwer I’r bobl/Power to the People, which gave pupils a very in-depth insight into renewable energy sources and creating sustainable energy for the benefit of our world. Pupils use their research skills to delve deep into historical information using text books and the internet which, in turn, develops their digital skills. The Science and Technology area of learning plays is developed throughout this topic as well as discovering energy sources in different parts of the world through Geography. Music of the Sixties as well as artists and fashion of this time influence our creative and expressive arts learning. Religious Education will focus on Holy Books.

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Our Spring topic is Gwlad! Gwlad! which has a great emphasis on how great it is to be Welsh in a very unique country full of beautiful and interesting cultures. Our pupils have a great time during Dydd Miwsig Cymru listening and reviewing many different Welsh music artists. We also celebrate our school Eisteddfod. It is always great to see pupils taking part in Welsh traditions such as Dawnsio Gwerin (Welsh folk dancing), and singing our great Welsh national anthem, Mae Hên Wlad fy Nhadau. We also have a very special friend who visits our school…the fantastic former WRU player Gareth (Alfie) Thomas CBE. It is incredible for the pupils learning about his life and how if you worked hard on your dreams, you can achieve anything, he is certainly a great example of this. This topic also allows children to learn about different folk tales, ancient traditions as well as finding geographical information, such as the top 10 tallest mountains in Wales.

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We love taking advantage of educational visits such as The Principality Stadium, we continue working alongside the WRU to help produce educational resources. We visit our local library and have swimming lessons annually in Pyle pool. We love taking advantage of Wales' historical places to visit too and have enjoyed going to St. Fagans and The Big Pit.

 

 

In year 5 and year 6, it’s extremely important to make sure that pupils practise their reading and times tables at home on a daily basis. Times tables play a crucial factor in the work in these year groups. Pupils will need the quick recall of times tables in order to help them with their fractions, percentages, word problems, perimeter, area and time work, to name but a few. Without good knowledge of times tables, all of these maths topic will seem difficult, when it really shouldn’t be, so let’s get practising!

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As for reading, year 5 and year 6 continually use technology to research our new topics, as well as skimming and scanning books found in our library. We practise a lot of comprehension work, which is all out about making sure we understand what we are reading and trying to find answers from different pieces of texts. As our topics become more complex in our last years of school, our reading ability needs to keep up trickier pieces of reading, therefore daily reading practise at home will support your child with this.

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Hwb plays an important part in Dosbarth Deri pupils’ learning. There are so many amazing apps and software that is accessible to all, and we use these on a weekly basis. Your child has access to the HWB using their school log-in which they can also access at home. If you need any help in supporting your child accessing their account, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

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There are high expectations of behaviour and being independent in Year 5 and 6. Uniform is really important as it prepares you for wearing it regularly in the comprehensive school. We are proud of our uniform in Afon Y Felin. You are encouraged to wear your uniform daily.

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If you have any questions or need any support to help you with your child’s learning, please do not hesitate to contact the school for my assistance. Here’s to a great year!

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                                                                            Mrs Jones