Al Sedra Bin Omran - Week 7

Round up of this week

Head/Deputy Head Message

We’re almost there — just one more week to go! Well done to all the students who wore yellow last week to help raise awareness for World Mental Health Day. It was wonderful to see the school community come together to support such an important cause.

We have also noticed a small improvement in punctuality, so thank you for your continued efforts in ensuring your children arrive at school by 7:30am each day. Let’s keep it up as we head into the final week of the half term!

Mental Health Day

On Thursday, children and staff wore yellow to raise awareness for World Mental Health Day. Our School Councillors also led special assemblies to help everyone understand what mental health is and how it connects to physical health. The children had thoughtful discussions about the importance of looking after their wellbeing, including making sure they get enough sleep each night.

PreSchool

This week, we have been learning about our new topic: Plants as Partners.

 We began by exploring different types of seeds and had a go at planting our own! We also talked simply about the lifecycle of a seed (flower) and learned about the parts of a flower.

 In Maths, we have been counting up to 5 and learning to recognise and describe the triangle shape.

 As part of our wellbeing focus, we are continuing to talk about how to look after ourselves, just like we care for our plants. We discussed the things that plants need to grow, such as water, sunlight, soil, and care—and how, in some ways, we need similar things to stay healthy and happy too!

Reception

This week, we continued with our topic “Food Glorious Food.” The children had lots of fun making their own unhealthy treat, which led to thoughtful discussions about the importance of not eating too many sweet treats and how too much sugar can affect our teeth. This activity also helped the children develop their ability to follow instructions carefully as they worked step by step to complete their treats.

In Maths, the children were learning about spatial awareness and enjoyed playing a variety of games to support their understanding. These activities encouraged them to listen carefully, follow directions, and use mathematical language to describe position and space.

Overall, it has been another enjoyable and engaging week of learning. Well done!

Year 1

In Year 1 we have started our new story ‘The New House.’ The children read the story and learnt new vocabulary.

The children then moved on to sequencing the story in order and writing sentences/captions for the story. They were very good at recalling the story. The children will continue to work on the story throughout the week

In Maths we have started our new topic on Addition and Subtraction. The children are learning about parts and whole in a number sentence and identifying each part. They have also learnt that we can swap numbers in a addition sentence and the answer will be the same.

In IPC we have been exploring our sense of touch. The children will learn about different textures, and they will describe the textures

Year 2

This week in Year 2, we built on our number bonds to 10 by finding links and patterns to help us with number bonds to 100. The children also learned how to add and subtract ones and add by making ten, using manipulatives and practical strategies to strengthen their understanding of number relationships.

In Literacy, the children have been working on their own innovations of The Incredible Book Eating Boy, using their fantastic ideas inspired by the story. They focused on making their writing exciting by using adjectives, improving letter formation, and remembering to use capital letters and full stops.

We also enjoyed a wonderful school trip to Chuck E Cheese as part of our science topic, learning about the senses. The children created their own pizzas, using their senses to see, smell, touch, and taste different ingredients. It was a fun and engaging way to bring our learning to life and celebrate the end of our topic.

Year 3

Year 3 had an exciting week with their workshop with ‘Molecular Science’ learning about life in the Stone Age. The children created natural paints from soil, spices, and other safe materials, experimenting with techniques inspired by cave art. They also made safe replicas of Stone Age tools using sticks, cardboard, and clay, exploring survival skills and learning how early humans adapted to their environment. These activities combined creativity with scientific thinking and helped deepen their understanding of materials and processes.

In Literacy, the children completed their diaries about travelling to the future, showcasing imaginative ideas, descriptive language, and strong storytelling skills. It was great seeing their writing journeys flourish as we end our ‘Diary Writing Unit.’ In maths, they continued working hard on column addition and subtraction, practising careful calculation and problem-solving. Their focus, perseverance, and determination have been outstanding, and they are making excellent progress in building confidence with numbers.

Year 4

In Literacy this week, Year 4 have written their innovated stories about defeating monsters. The children had some brilliant ideas and used a range of fantastic adjectives to bring their writing to life. We can’t wait to read their final versions! In Maths, the children completed their addition and subtraction unit by practising their estimating skills before starting to learn about area. In Science, they planned an investigation to explore what makes a fair test and discovered that only one variable should be changed at a time.

Year 5

This week in year 5, we have modelled the movement of the planets as a class. Last week, we organised different shaped balls to represent our Solar System based on their sizes and distance from the sun. Whereas this week, we discussed the speed planets orbit and the reasons for this. The children identified that the planets with a smaller mass orbit faster than the planets with a greater mass. They also noticed that planets closer to the sun generally orbit faster than planets further away from the sun, due to the gravitational pull of the sun being stronger the closer you are to it.

Year 6

This week, Year 6 have been working incredibly hard across all subjects. In English, the children have finished writing their flashback narratives, showcasing great effort and creativity in their final pieces. In Maths, we have been learning both short and long division — although long division was challenging at first, the children showed great perseverance and have made fantastic progress. In Science, we explored why certain animals become extinct when they are unable to adapt to their environments, leading to some thoughtful class discussions. During Guided Reading, the focus has been on making sensible predictions and using evidence from the text to support ideas. Finally, the children performed brilliantly in their Qatar History test, demonstrating how much knowledge they have gained this term.

Creative Arts

This week in music, EYFS students explored a variety of nursery rhymes, focusing on using their voices to sing in high and low pitches, as well as loud and quiet dynamics. They enjoyed experimenting with different vocal sounds while becoming more confident performers. In KS1, the children used scarves as a creative tool to accompany their singing, using them to imitate different actions and express a range of emotions. This helped develop their understanding of musical expression and movement in a fun, engaging way.

This week in music, KS2 students have explored rhythm, melody, and notation through a variety of engaging activities. Year 3 students have enjoyed playing simple melodies using Boomwhackers while following musical notation, developing their understanding of pitch and timing. Year 4 students have learned about traditional African drumming rhythms, practising call-and-response patterns and group coordination. Year 5 students have used drums and percussion instruments to create their own rhythmic patterns, focusing on structure and creativity. Meanwhile, Year 6 students have composed short melodies, applying accurate note notation to bring their musical ideas to life.