What a fantastic half term we have had in Sea Lions Class! We have been busy learning both inside and outside the classroom, developing our skills through practical challenges, creative projects and exciting investigations.

As we reach the end of another wonderful year in Sea Lions Class, I would like to take this opportunity to say how incredibly proud I am of every single child.

Over the course of the year, the children have grown not only in their knowledge and skills, but also in their confidence, independence and resilience. They have embraced new challenges, shown kindness and compassion towards one another, and approached each day with enthusiasm and curiosity.

From investigating our local area and exploring science through hands-on learning, to developing our reading, writing and numeracy skills, the children have worked hard and achieved so much. It has been a joy to watch them develop into ambitious learners who are willing to take risks, ask questions and celebrate their successes.

A huge thank you must also go to all of our families for your continued support throughout the year. Your encouragement at home and partnership with the school plays such an important role in helping the children thrive.

Thank you! - Miss B and Mrs Pontin x

LLC

This half term we have continued to build our phonics and spelling knowledge through daily sessions. We practised reading and spelling words accurately, explored irregular plural endings and developed our confidence when applying new sounds in our writing.

In our literacy work, we focused on instruction texts. We learned about the features of instructions, identified suitable titles, ordered instructions correctly and began writing our own clear, sequenced instructions. We explored time connectives and imperative verbs to make our instructions easy to follow.

We also developed our speaking and listening skills through our "My Year in Sea Lions" oracy activities, where we reflected on our achievements and practised presenting our ideas confidently to others.

Our Welsh lessons helped us build confidence asking and answering questions about activities and games that we enjoy. We practised using simple conversational phrases and worked hard to communicate in Welsh throughout the week.

We even explored a little French, learning greetings and holding simple conversations with our friends.

Mathematics and Numeracy

Our maths learning has been practical and engaging. Year 1 children explored fractions, learning how to find and make halves and quarters using everyday objects and practical equipment. Year 2 children developed their understanding of calculation strategies and fractions, explaining their mathematical thinking and solving reasoning challenges.

We investigated measurement, exploring mass, capacity and temperature through practical stations. We compared weights, measured liquids and investigated temperatures in different locations around school.

One of our favourite activities was our symmetry mission. We designed and created pirate flags, learning how symmetrical patterns can be reflected across a line of symmetry. Some children challenged themselves further by creating pirate island scenes with multiple lines of symmetry. 

Outdoor mathematics gave us opportunities to solve problems collaboratively, choose efficient calculation strategies and explain our reasoning to others.

Science and Technology

As part of our local area studies, we investigated Worm's Head and learned how this famous landmark was shaped by the sea and weather over thousands of years. We researched where it can be found and explored how natural forces can change rock formations over time. 

Our technology work focused on Claymation and animation. We learned how stop-motion films are created by taking small movements and capturing lots of photographs. Children worked in teams, taking on roles such as animator, photographer and director while creating their own exciting stories. We learned how planning, teamwork and attention to detail help produce successful animations.

Later in the half term we improved our clay models by making them stronger and more stable before creating our final animated sequences.

Expressive Arts

Creativity has been everywhere in Sea Lions Class this half term. Through our animation projects, pirate flag designs and model making, we have experimented with different materials and techniques while bringing our ideas to life. Our children showed fantastic imagination when designing characters, creating storyboards and planning exciting adventures. More importantly, children designed and created products to sell as part of our stall! 

 

Another highlight of the year was our enterprise project, where the children became young entrepreneurs and organised products to sell at our school event. They worked together to make and prepare a variety of items, including biscuits, slime, clay magnets and other handmade creations. The children helped to plan prices, advertise their products and think about what customers might like to buy. On the day, they demonstrated fantastic communication, teamwork and money skills while serving customers and handling sales. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they realised that their hard work, creativity and perseverance had helped make the event such a success. Through this project, the children developed valuable enterprise skills and became excellent examples of enterprising, creative contributors.

Health and Well-being

We have continued developing our emotional literacy through our Think Equal sessions, discussing feelings, empathy and positive ways of responding to different situations. These conversations have helped us understand ourselves and others better.

In PE we worked on our striking and fielding skills through rounders activities. We learned how to stand side-on, keep our eyes on the ball and follow through when striking. Teamwork, perseverance and encouraging each other were key parts of our success.

We also enjoyed parachute games, which helped us develop communication, listening and cooperation skills.

Our Year 2 pupils continued their swimming sessions, building confidence and improving their water skills each week.

This half term has been full of curiosity, creativity and challenge. From discovering how Worm's Head was formed, creating pirate-themed symmetrical artwork and producing our own animations, to developing our literacy, numeracy and physical skills, every child has worked incredibly hard.

We are very proud of the resilience, independence and enthusiasm that the children have shown throughout their learning.