Hi! My name is Miss Collingwood and I have taught at St John's since it first opened. I started my teaching career 41 years ago and have taught children from nursery age right up to year 6. I am also a qualified Reading Recovery teacher. The teaching profession has seen many changes over the years but my passion for helping children to learn is as strong as ever.

In my spare time I enjoy curling up on the sofa with a good book, playing the piano (wearing headphones so nobody else can hear!) and spending time in my garden. I have a handsome black Labrador called Arthur and we love going for walks along the beach together.

I spent the first 18 years of my teaching life at a school in South East London. Patrick Okogwu, one of my ex-pupils, went on to win two Brit Awards and performed at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games – he is now better known as Tinie Tempah!

 Who knows what great things the children in Kingfisher Class will achieve if they work hard and aim high!

 

  Other staff working in our class are:

   Mrs Jones – Teaching assistant

   Mrs Wallace – 3rd Teacher

   Mrs Sanger – Art and DT teacher fortnightly on Thursday afternoons

 

  Our Weekly Timetable:

 

Important dates for the diary this term for Kingfisher Class:

PE – Every Wednesday (School PE kit to be worn to school please)

Thursday 16^th October - Visit to Canterbury Roman Museum and Beaney Museum

Our learning this term:

Our first term begins with an exciting history topic called ‘Durovernum’. We will be learning all about why the Romans came to Canterbury and what happened when they were here. We will be visiting Canterbury Roman Museum and the Beaney Museum (more details to follow).

 

This term in English we will explore two texts by David Wiesner beginning with ‘Flotsam’. Our learning will concentrate on sentence structure, ensuring we are using capital letters and full stops correctly and learning how we can make our sentences more exciting through adjectives and varied sentence starters.

In maths, we will be concentrating on place value of hundreds, tens and ones. We will be using our knowledge of place value to think about how we can recognise and represent numbers in different ways.

In science, we will be exploring forces and magnets and developing our investigation planning skills. We will be doing lots of practical experiments to enhance our scientific knowledge.

 

             

 

We will be learning about Christianity in RE this term. Our topic is ‘People of God’ and our big question is ‘What is it like to follow God?’

We will look at different biblical figures, including Noah, and consider how they shared God’s message.

 

Now that the children are in Key Stage 2 they will start learning a Modern Foreign Language (MFL). They will begin by learning how to say hello in German.

Learning at home for Kingfisher Class: 

Children are expected to read every night for at least 15 minutes.  Please spend time each day listening to your child read as it really does have a positive impact on their progress. Remember to sign your child’s reading record book when they have read to you.

When your child has finished an AR book, they can complete the quiz. We are focussing on quizzing accuracy. Your child will receive a raffle ticket if they pass a quiz at 80% or above and will have the chance to win a prize at the end of term!

It is important that reading books and reading record books are in school every day, even if your child hasn’t read.

 

                                       

Please remember that you can access Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS), Numbots and Spelling Shed from home. There are certificates and a trophy for the winning class and individual certificates for the child that scores the most points each week. Spelling assignments will be given out each week, which support the spelling curriculum that your child will be following in school. You will find your login details in your child’s reading record book.

 

                                                       

 

Be ready for learning!

In Kingfisher Class, your child will need to have these items in school: 

• PE kit (to be worn on PE day – Wednesday) 
• Water bottle with sports cap lid (filled with fresh water each day, no squash or juice) 
• Small rucksack (big enough to hold lunchbox and reading books) 
• Wellington boots (to leave in school) 
• Coat (weather appropriate) 

Please don’t bring other items into school, as we do not have space to store them, and it can cause upset if things are lost or damaged. 

School uniform checklist:

Please, please, please check that all items of school uniform and PE kit are clearly named, as it can be upsetting for the children and frustrating for parents and teachers when clothes go ‘missing’. Don’t forget to check regularly as names can fade easily in the wash!

 

Snacks

Please note that in KS2, children do not receive a snack for break times.

If your child would like a snack, please feel free to send them in with a piece of fruit or a vegetable in their bag that they can eat during their morning break! Grapes should be cut in half lengthways please.