Ratcliffian 2016 (LOWRES)

PREPARATORY SCHOOL
YEAR 2
Year 2 started our new Passports, please!
topic in the autumn term, learning about Indonesia,
Lapland and our home country of the United Kingdom.
We wrote letters to our new conservationist
friend, Andrea, based in the jungle area of Bukit
Lawang, who told us about orang-utans and
life in the jungle. Our first trip was to Tesco in
Loughborough, to learn all about how food from
around the world is transported and stored once
it arrives in store. At the bakery they gave us the
largest bag of chocolate chips to take back to
school! Later, we visited East Midlands Airport to
meet some cabin crew on their way to Barbados.
Christmas came and went and we began
learning about our new topics of Fire! Fire!
and Castles and Dragons. We visited Warwick
Castle and learnt how to drop and roll if we
were on fire. We used the iPads to research
famous castles and found out about the jobs that
people had in castles. The most disgusting was the Gong
Farmer! We joined with Year 1 to learn about one of our
favourite topics, Pirates!
This took us out on an amazing
day to Beaumanor Hall, where
we dressed up as Pirates, had
gruesome Pirate names and
enjoyed a wonderful time taking
part in Pirate activities. Some
of our favourite days with Year 1 have been spent in the
grounds of Grace Dieu Manor. Who would have thought
that we could walk over 6 kilometres without a single
complaint? Never shy of performing, Year 2 have shown
their wonderful musical and acting skills by taking part in
numerous concerts and our Nativity.
Year 2 have written stories that make you laugh about
Pirates at school, prayers that really make you appreciate
how wonderful our world is and have solved some of the
trickiest mathematical problems!
Excerpts from Max’s
Grace Dieu Manor Adventure…
We then walked under a bridge. We think a train passes
over that bridge. We saw some horseshoe prints and doggy
footprints in the mud. There was a lot of squidgy mud. We
walked a bit further, through a gate and we found some more
footprints, but we didn’t know which animal they belonged to.
We thought they may be bear footprints or wolf footprints.….
When we got to the Brown Hall, we had to take off our
very muddy wellies and then we went in and had our lunch.
After lunch we went den building. We toasted some yummy
marshmallows and then we went to Pirate Land and found
some chocolate treasure.
I loved the marshmallow toasting. It was very yummy and
warm by the fire.
YEAR 3
TRIPS AND VISITS
Jewry Wall Museum
In October, Year 3 had the opportunity to further
their History studies on Roman Life by visiting the Jewry
Wall Museum. The children were keen to demonstrate all
the knowledge they had learnt in the classroom and were
able to look at Roman mosaics and artefacts. A particular
favourite with all the children was when they dressed up as
Roman soldiers with swords and shields and practised army
drills. They learnt Latin commands and even charged at
the teachers!
Indian Day
During our topic on India, Year 3 welcomed some visitors
into school and learnt how to make Rangoli patterns. We
watched in amazement as patterns were created and words
were elegantly written on our own Art room floor. We very
much enjoyed making symmetrical patterns ourselves too.
In the afternoon, we dressed in Indian costumes and did
some Indian dancing. A lot of fun was had by all.
Beaumanor Hall
At the beginning of the summer term, Year 3 went on their
first residential to Beaumanor Hall in Woodhouse, where we
followed an exciting programme based on World War II. We
had a fantastic time and the children were able to experience
what life was like as an evacuee, as well as try their hand
at some of the daily tasks adults had to undertake, such as
first aid and fire fighting! They were most unimpressed by
the choice of food on offer, when they had the task of trying
to shop for a meal within the constraints of a ration book!
(Thankfully the food we ate ourselves during the stay was
delicious and plentiful!) Some of the other highlights of the
trip included listening to Morse code messages and trying
to de-code them, and spending a whole afternoon in an air
raid shelter by torchlight. It was a wonderful experience for
all involved, and the children’s understanding of life in World
War II was greatly enhanced as a result.
Botanical Gardens
As part of our Rainforest topic, the Year 3 children went to
the Botanical Gardens at Leicester University. We enjoyed
exploring the different greenhouses, planting our own seeds
and experiencing the tropical climate whilst looking at plants
that grow in the Rainforest. We also learnt that many plants
are used as medicines and food for humans.
Miss F Watson and Miss C Llewelyn
PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Mrs D Grant
Max Kew - Year 2
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