Wynndale Primary School Autumn Term 2 Newsletter 2025

Learning in Year 1

This half term in Year 1, we have been busy time-travelling back to the 1960s! We discovered what homes looked like, what toys children played with, and what Mansfield was like in the sixties. To finish our learning, we are writing a final reflection where we think carefully about the big question: “What makes a happy childhood?” In English, we have been brilliant chefs and authors by writing our own recipes for fruit and vegetable kebabs! We’ve used fantastic imperative verbs, exciting adjectives, and made sure our instructions are in the correct order. They sound delicious! We’ve also worked hard on our presentation and have begun applying our cursive handwriting to our work. On top of that, we wrote a poem inspired by Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Can You See?  In Maths, we have been adding one more and one less, comparing numbers, and using part-whole models to find parts and wholes. We’ve also been counting in 2s and 10s and are becoming such confident mathematicians! In Science, we have been learning how to think like scientists by sorting and observing different materials based on their properties. We also investigated different materials to make clothes for our class teddy! We made predictions and recorded our results using a pictogram. In Computing, we have been using technology to create art. We took photos of ourselves and then used the iPad paint and drawing tools to create some fantastic self-portraits-  they looked just like us! In Music, we have been learning how to play the trombone, and we are so proud that we can now perform a whole piece of music. Finally, we have worked incredibly hard on our singing, dancing, and acting for the school play. We hope you enjoyed watching it as much as we enjoyed performing it! Miss Mee has been super proud of all our hard work.

Learning in Year 2

This term has been an exciting and busy one! In English, we wrote our own poems about Bonfire Night, focusing on tricky grammar features such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, and using our own adverbs to describe fireworks lighting up the sky. We have also begun our new fiction unit. Using the story “The Princess and the Pea”, we are learning how to retell a traditional tale using all the writing skills we have been practising. In Maths, we have learnt lots of new strategies. We have been adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers, practising our 2-, 5-, and 10-times tables, and exploring doubling and halving. We have also worked on adding and subtracting ones and tens from two-digit numbers. In Science, we have been real scientists—learning new vocabulary such as variables, fair tests, absorbent, waterproof, and friction. We even planned and carried out our own exciting experiments in the STEM lab, predicting which materials would absorb water. In D.T., we have explored what our bodies and minds need to stay healthy. We have looked closely at the Eatwell Guide, and we have also looked at different types of packaging and what to look out for when buying food. We are planning on creating our own healthy pizza flatbread! In History, we have been learning about Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale, discovering how these remarkable women helped to change hospitals in England. We compared their lives and explored both the similarities and differences between them. We also looked at how hospitals have changed over time and how these two women have influenced and improved hospital care today. We have also been super busy practising for our Christmas play, “Christmas Recipe.” The children have learned all the songs and actions, rehearsed their lines, and shown fantastic acting skills! We are so proud of how they performed to you as their audience last week! In Music we have been learning to play the trombone with Mr Stanton. We now know how to hold the instrument, how to produce different sounds, and we are beginning to perform along with a song. In Computing, we have started learning all about photography! We explored different ways to take photos, including landscape and portrait shots. We also looked at different types of photographs such as selfies, action shots, and close-ups, and discussed what makes each one effective. I am so proud of our Year 2 learners - well done everyone!

Learning in Year 3

It has been a fun and busy half term in Year 3. The children have continued to work hard in all areas of their learning and even completed their assessment week, showing tremendous determination and resilience. They have been incredibly focused, especially with our theme of ‘The Stone Age to Iron Age.’ In English, we have been writing a newspaper report based on the book Stig of the Dump. This has included using description, different sentence types, and a range of conjunctions. In our Novel Studies sessions, we have continued to develop our comprehension skills through our class text, Stig of the Dump. As mathematicians, we have been learning all about numbers up to 100 and practising how to tell the time. As Scientists, we have been learning about Rocks and Soils. We also enjoyed an exciting Stone Age experience, where the children explored what life was like during prehistoric times through hands-on activities and immersive learning. They absolutely loved stepping back in time! Our PE sessions have included developing our gymnastic skills and our sending and receiving skills. We also had great fun taking part in our Jingle Jog at Sherwood Pines, showing festive spirit and fantastic stamina. In Music, the children have been developing their skills playing brass instruments and showing real enthusiasm in their lessons. Thank you for your continued support, and it was wonderful to see so many of you at our exhibition of learning.

Learning in Year 4

This half term, we have continued exploring our Invaders and Settlers topic, and our class novel, Viking Boy, has really helped bring this learning to life. The children have found the story emotive, intense and, at times, gruesome! They are now using their understanding of the plot and characters to write their own alternative endings, showcasing some fantastic imagination and creativity.   In DT, we have been working on our Food and Nutrition unit. The children researched a range of special diets linked to different people, needs and cultures. They also carried out market research on salsa flavours and were surprised to discover how popular chilli was! After tasting a variety of shop-bought tomato salsas and evaluating their appearance, taste, smell and texture, the children will use  this knowledge to design and make their own versions before taking part in a taste test to see if ours is better than the shop bought!   Swimming has continued this half term, with a particular focus on developing life-saving skills. The children were challenged to swim in their clothes and quickly discovered that it was much harder than expected, but they showed great resilience and determination throughout.   It has been a busy and exciting few weeks, and the children should be very proud of their hard work and progress.

Learning in Year 5

It’s been a fun half term in Year 5. We’ve continued and concluded our exploration into the lives and beliefs of the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Egyptians, including their influence on modern day culture. Our Science learning has focused on animal life cycles, including making special plate spinners which explore the life cycles of various mammals. Our Maths work has seen us explore and master expanded and short multiplication. Well done, Year 5! The children have done some absolutely cracking writing this half term, including creating a poetry anthology entitled ‘An Emotional Menagerie’ and writing some superb persuasive holiday brochures for an imagined holiday resort called Elysium. One of their favourite end products, though, was their superhero movies, created in Computing on the iPad app iMovie after learning various filming and editing techniques. We have some budding filmmakers in our midst, I’m sure! One of the proudest moments for Year 5 this half term just has to be when Alfie, Dominic, Hermione and Olivia represented Wynndale in the Imagination Games contest at Abbey Primary – a combination of their intelligence, resilience and desire to win meant they were crowned the champions! Finally, we would like to say thank you and goodbye to Miss Wilson, our trainee teacher who has been with us throughout the Autumn term. She will now move onto her next school and we wish her the very best of luck. 

Learning in Year 6

Year 6 have had a truly fantastic Autumn term, filled with memorable learning experiences and personal growth. In English and History, we explored the powerful theme of displaced families, focusing on Jewish families during Hitler’s rise to power as well as Ahmet’s journey from Syria in The Boy at the Back of the Class. These thought-provoking topics inspired a range of heartfelt and imaginative writing, including pieces such as The Storm and Ahmet’s First Day, which showcased the children’s empathy, creativity and developing storytelling skills. In Maths, we tackled the challenging topic of fractions. While this was not always easy, Year 6 rose to the challenge and are now shining as their understanding of fraction operations continues to grow. We are incredibly proud of their hard work, perseverance, and positive attitude throughout the term. We also successfully completed our DART (Drug, Alcohol and Resistance Training) course, where the children learned about the dangers they may face and how to deal with them safely and responsibly. The DART Graduation, which the children helped to coordinate themselves, was a particular highlight and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their learning and maturity. One of the most exciting moments of the term was our residential trip to the Pioneer Centre. This was an incredible experience where the children demonstrated outstanding resilience and determination. They pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones and achieved a great sense of personal accomplishment. Relationships between peers and staff deepened, with many laughs, smiles and special memories created along the way. Our Secret Santa celebration, enjoyed in cosy Christmas pyjamas, was another special moment that truly captured the festive spirit. Year 6 also took part in a special session with Mr Darlington from Big Barn Methodist Church, who visited to share the Story of Christmas. The children were fully engaged, offering thoughtful and reflective responses and developing a deeper understanding of the true meaning of Christmas

We've made the news......

Whilst we are not a school that does things simply to get in the newspaper, we wanted to share with you and celebrate the fact that we have been named in local newspapers this week as being 11th in the Local Authority with regards to our Key Stage 2 outcomes last year. We were the highest achieving school in Mansfield, with 87% of our children achieving the combined Expected Standard at the end of Y6. Whilst we recognise that data is only one measure of a schools' success, these outcomes reflect the hard work of all the staff across school that play a part in your children's learning journey, and also reflect the commitment and hard work of our wonderful Wynndale Learners too! Congratulations everyone!

Wynndale continues to hit the high notes with music provision......

Mr Stanton has continued his fabulous teaching of music this half term with trombones across the whole of KS1 and KS2! It is fabulous to see the children reading notation, learning how to play a new instrument and creating class pieces of music. Monday mornings are always noisy but full of fun and learning! Mr Stanton has finished this term by taking a group of Year 5 and 6 pupils to St. John's Church to take part in a Christmas carol service. Children from several local schools joined forces with Whitwell Brass Band to play a number of Christmas songs. It was a lovely evening, getting everyone into the Christmas spirit and we were super proud of the children who represented Wynndale. They may have been a small group of children, but they were all fabulous and said they had a lovely time. We are already looking forward to being able to do it again next year. We finished the term with our termly "Rocksteady" music concert. It is always so brilliant to see and hear the children in their rock bands and there is so much progress each time we hear them. Mrs Mason and Mrs Fletcher have also been hard at work with the Young Voices choir preparing for YV26 on 30th January. The choir will be attending the event at Sheffield Utilita Arena with around 6000 other pupils from across the country. Everyone is super excited for the evening and ready to sing their hearts out!

Christmas Nativities

Our Foundation Stage children delighted everyone with their performance of The Nursery Rhyme Nativity, while Key Stage 1 were brilliant in their two performances of The Christmas Recipe. The children's costumes were amazing and added real colour and character to both productions. The children’s singing, dancing, and acting were wonderful, and their confidence and enthusiasm truly shone through. All children worked incredibly hard to put on magical Christmas performances, especially considering the challenges of lots of illness in the run-up to the shows! It was a joyful celebration of Christmas and they were performances to be proud of. Well done everyone!

Carols by Candlelight

On Tuesday 16th December, we held our annual Carols by Candlelight event, which was a truly magical evening. Children from Key Stage 2 performed a wonderful range of traditional and modern Christmas songs, creating a warm and festive atmosphere. We had a special visit from Santa on his sleigh, which delighted children and families alike. The event was supported by a variety of stalls run by our fantastic parent group, while the School Council organised their own activities, selling reindeer food and running a biscuit-decorating stall. The tombola proved incredibly popular, and there were plenty of festive treats available throughout the evening. It was a lovely - and very busy - community event that truly got everyone in the mood for Christmas - thank you to everyone that was able to support us!

Christmas Dinner Day

On Wednesday, 17th December, our Wynndale Learners enjoyed a festive Christmas dinner. The hall was filled with Christmas decor and music, laughter, and excitement as everyone shared a delicious meal together. It was a lunchtime full of Christmas spirit and fun! A huge well done to Mrs. Marshall and Mrs. Cotterill for doing such a wonderful job too - it's a huge task making a Christmas lunch for 200 children, and they did it brilliantly!

Christmas Party Day!

Thursday 18th December saw all children across school enjoying their Christmas party and it was a day full of festive excitement! Lots of children arrived wearing their best sparkly party outfits and filled the day with smiles and laughter - we even had four children dressed as bananas in Year 6!! All children had a wonderful time playing games, dancing, and enjoying lots of fun together, making it a truly magical celebration for everyone.

Christmas at Church

Today, Friday 19th December, all children visited Big Barn Lane Methodist Church to mark the conclusion of our Christmas celebrations. It was a wonderful opportunity for Wynndale Learners to reflect on the season, enjoy the festive atmosphere, and take part in our annual community tradition with Mr. Darlington. What a lovely way to end the term!

Key Stage 1 Gymnastics Event at 776

Our KS1 pupils were lucky enough to visit the 776 Gymnastics venue where they had a wonderful time. They showed fantastic enthusiasm, confidence and effort as they tried a range of activities. The children represented Wynndale brilliantly and gave every challenge their best.

Year 3 and 4 Sports Hall Athletics

Year 3 and 4 pupils did us extremely proud at the School Games Sports Hall Athletics event hosted at West Notts College in November. They showed great teamwork and determination throughout the competition and finished a very impressive 2nd overall. A fantastic achievement for our school and a great experience for all involved.

Y3 join in with the Sherwood Pines Annual Jingle Jog

Our Year 3 class had a wonderfully festive time taking part in the School Games Jingle Jog at Sherwood Pines early in December. The pupils enjoyed the festive run and showed great enthusiasm throughout the afternoon. It was a wonderful opportunity to be active and have fun together as a class.

Y5 Girls Football Festival Fun

Our Year 5 girls had an amazing time at the girls’ football event last week. They developed new skills, worked brilliantly as a team and showed excellent attitudes throughout the afternoon. It was a fun and positive experience that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

Our Brand New 'MBLL' Provision

As part of our lunchtime provision, we have introduced 'Mr. Brookes Lunchtime League' this year - with children having the opportunity to take part in a range of different activities during their lunchtimes. This half term the children have been playing handball. Our lunchtime MBLL Handball League is well underway and has been a huge success so far. With the league now halfway through the fixtures, teams have shown fantastic commitment, teamwork and sportsmanship during every match. The competition is extremely close, making it exciting to see who will come out on top when the league continues into 2026. We can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!

Promoting Democracy and Celebrating Parliament Week

We received an official invitation from Steve Yemm, MP, to an event at Mansfield Central Library for Parliament Week – a national celebration of democracy, and the role that Parliament plays in all of our lives. On Friday 28th November, Mrs Taylor & Mrs Evans took a group of School Councillors on the bus into town, to attend the event. Steve spoke to the children about his role. He spoke about the Houses of Parliament, the House of Lords, and the role they play in deciding new laws for our country. He spoke about why he decided that he wanted to be the MP for Mansfield and the issues which are important to him and the people who live in Mansfield, like homelessness, affordable housing and job opportunities. Did you know that Mansfield has the largest number of ex miners than anywhere else in the country? Steve has worked really hard to secure funds to be released to support ex miners, and their families, in their retirement. The children were told about ‘bobbing’ in the Houses of Parliament and they gave bobbing a go during the Q&A session at the end of talk. All children were given a pack to take with them, which included stickers and a bookmark, and before we left, Steve kindly posed for a photo with our school Councillors. We are so proud of our young leaders. They listened to Steve’s talk, they joined in with the bobbing, and they had some brilliant questions to ask him. The children’s behaviour and manners were impeccable throughout the morning. What brilliant representatives for Wynndale they are!

Our Parent Group.......

As a PTA we have had a really successful term and raised much needed funds for school. We have had tuck shops, a fabulous Bubbles and Bingo evening, our Christmas film night and finished the term off with Carols by Candlelight. This term we have raised the following: Film Night raised £591.90 Bubbles and Bingo raised £1366.29 Carols by Candlelight raised £666.93 In total - £2625.12 - what an amazing amount of money! In the last newsletter we told you about the benches we had been able to buy to support calm and quiet lunchtimes; we are now exploring other new resources to support free time play, and our outdoor environment, and we will update you on what we have been able to buy, once we have had a meeting as a group in the New Year. We would like to thank all our families for their ongoing support this year and look forward to more exciting events as we move through 2026. We also raised £345 in donations following our EYFS and KS1 Christmas performances - this money has allowed us to buy some computing 'robot' resources that will support our children in developing their computing skills across school as part of the Computing Curriculum.