Head's Up!13 February 2026 (by headmarton) |
Weekly news from Mrs Deakin
Children looked fantastic today dressed in their own clothes, thank you all for ‘chocolate & bottle payments’ for F&F’s Family Bingo on 27th February. This is such a great family event and one everyone looks forward to all year. Save the date! It was also super to have a ‘Tuck Shop Friday’ today and our Busy ELSA and Busy Bees did a wonderful job organising this. Our next Tuck Shop Friday will take place on Friday 13th March.
Well done to Year 2 for delivering a super Internet Safety Day assembly for their parents and the whole school this week. They told us some very interesting facts about AI and we all know what to do to keep safe online.
News from our wonderful classes:
Reception have had a fantastic finish to the Spring half term! This week, the children have been busy continuing to learn all about penguins. They discovered lots of interesting facts, including where penguins live, what they eat, and how they keep warm in the cold Antarctic weather. The children were especially excited to write their penguin facts, carefully remembering to use the word space button between each word. We are so proud of their hard work and growing confidence in their writing—well done, Reception!
Year 1 have had a fantastic half term, I'm so proud of them! I can see so much progress in their phonics, reading and writing. They have written instructions about how to plant a seed this week, and they have really thought about the vocabulary they are using. We're moving on to numbers to 50 next half term so any practice around counting to 50 or playing games that involve these numbers would be so helpful. We've finished our science and geography topics that have been all about animals and where they live in the world. I hope you've enjoyed animal discussions at home like we have in school. Well done Year 1, I'm looking forward to another fantastic half term together.
Year 2 were fantastic this week in delivering their very important message about using AI. Please do make sure you speak to your children about the importance of asking for permission and talking to trusted adults about anything that makes them feel safe whilst online. The children have completed their instruction writing and are now fully qualified explorers! We have continued developing our division skills and have been learning the 2 times table and also dividing by 2. It has been a really busy half term and the children have continued to impress us with their enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
This week, Year 3 have been busy learning across the curriculum! On Internet Safety day, we took part in an exciting BBC live lesson all about an AI chatbot, where we learned how technology can answer questions and help people, as well as how we should always use A.I with care and caution. Afterwards, we created eye-catching posters to share what we discovered about artificial intelligence. In Computing, we discussed online reputations and why it is so important to be kind and positive online, just as we are in real life. In English, we proudly completed our polished setting descriptions, describing the amazing and mysterious Tomb of Wonders with impressive results - Well done Y3! What a fantastic week of learning!
It’s been a slightly quieter week in Year 4 as we’ve all been feeling a little tired after last week’s busy schedule — but that certainly didn’t stop us achieving great things! On Wednesday, many of our pupils put in a fantastic performance at Eaton Bank for Sports Hall Athletics, proudly bringing home 3rd place. Every child in our class that was involved represented Marton brilliantly and showed wonderful teamwork and determination. Back in the classroom, we’ve been exploring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, describing Augustus Gloop breaking the rules using rich vocabulary and imaginative ideas. We also created our own mixed-media artwork inspired by our learning, and the results were fantastic! Well done, Year 4 — another great week of effort and achievement!
Year 5 have completed their wonderful setting descriptions of Rumaysa’s tower, inspired by Rumaysa: Fairy Tale by Radiya Hafiza, and have enthusiastically begun a new writing unit focused on Rumaysa’s daring escape. In Art, the children have been learning about the incredible miniaturist Sarah Biffin and carefully painting their own miniature portraits based on her self-portraits. We would like to extend a huge thank you to Eaton Bank for inviting us to watch their fantastic performance of School of Rock at the Daneside Theatre and for providing the coach. The children were absolutely thrilled by the show and returned to school inspired and ready to pick up their ukuleles with extra enthusiasm!
Year 6 have completed another successful half term and are now, somehow, already half way through their final year of primary school! The weeks are flying by! In maths, we’ve moved on to our new topic of decimals, building confidence with place value and number knowledge. In English, we’ve been focusing on ambitious vocabulary choices and sharpening our editing skills to improve our letter writing. Our computing lessons have been very engaging as we coded a home screen for our app designs, showing creativity as well as technical skill. On Tuesday, we took part in Internet Safety Day, where we had important discussions about screen time and group chats. We explored the benefits of staying connected online, as well as the potential risks, and thought carefully about how messages can sometimes be misunderstood. The children reflected on the importance of respectful communication, knowing when to step away from a device, and what to do if something online makes them feel uncomfortable. It was a mature and thoughtful session, helping us all to consider how we can be responsible, positive digital citizens.
We will be launching Class Ambassadors after Half Term and we are all very excited. Class Ambassadors will be students from each class who help represent their classmates, support classroom activities, and strengthen communication within the school community.
As school will be closed for Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, Rach will be serving pancakes as a breaktime snack on Monday 23rd February. Pancakes will cost £1.25, with a choice of toppings. Rev Jim will also be leading an Ash Wednesday service for us after half term.
As you will all know, all schools will be moving towards being ‘mobile phone-free’ and we know that this will support all young people. We have NEVER allowed mobile phones @ Marton and you as parents/carers have always supported us with this rationale. For those of you with older siblings @ Eaton Bank, you will know they will move to become a mobile phone-free school very soon and each feeder Primary School will receive a Transition Assembly that will explain their mobile phone free plans.
Everyone is just about ready for Half Term and a good rest. Children and Staff have worked so hard. Please don’t forget we return to school on Monday 23rd February.
Spring 2 Reminder:
- 27 Feb – F & F Family Bingo night
- 04 Mar – Little Seeds Session
- 05 Mar – World Book Day
- 20 Mar – Reports sent home
- 23 & 25 Mar – Parent Evenings
Wishing you a super half term, let’s hope for good weather too! Nevin Deakin