Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Vaccinations

An increasing number of measles cases are continuing to be seen across the country. While Worcestershire has one of the best rates for uptake, some children who haven’t had their MMR could be at risk of getting this serious illness.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are given to make sure we have the best protection from measles. The first dose is given at 12 months of age and the second dose is given at three years and four months, before starting school. For anybody who did not receive the full vaccination course, your own GP will be able to provide a catch-up MMR vaccination.

The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine that protects against three serious illnesses: Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Overall, Worcestershire has an excellent uptake of the MMR vaccine; for 5-year-olds, the county shows as having an uptake of 96.4% (1 dose) and 91.3% (2 doses). The 1 dose figure is joint highest in the West Midlands region and the 2-dose uptake is the outright highest in the region. Having the vaccine protects not only the child but also reduces the spread of the disease. This relies on as many people as possible being vaccinated and is why Public Health experts in the county are keen to continue to encourage all children to be vaccinated.

Measles is a very infectious viral illness that is spread by coughs and sneezes. It usually starts with cold-like symptoms which can include a high temperature, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a cough, sore red eyes and a rash. It spreads very quickly to non-immune children and adults who are unvaccinated or have not previously been infected.

NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire and Public Health are holding pop-up MMR vaccination clinics in these areas. If your child hasn’t had the MMR vaccination just turn up. You can ask for an MMR vaccine which does not contain pork ingredients if you prefer.

Not sure if you or your child have had it? Just check your red NHS book or ask at your local GP.

The clinics are being hosted in libraries on the following dates:

• Kidderminster Library – 10 and 17 Feb, 9:30am until 4pm
• Wythall Library - 10 and 17 Feb, 9:30am until 4pm
• Redditch Library - 10 and 17 Feb, 9:30am until 4pm
• Evesham Library - 10 and 17 Feb, 9:30am until 4pm
• Malvern Library - 10 and 17 Feb, 9:30 am until 4pm
• The Hive - 10 and 17 Feb, 9:30 am until 4pm

The pop-up MMR clinic is free, and no appointment is necessary but if you’d prefer an appointment, you can also book ahead by calling 01527 390030.

If anyone has symptoms of measles, please stay at home and phone your GP or NHS 111 for advice. Do not go to GP surgeries or A & E departments so the illness isn’t spread to others.

For more information on measles and the MMR vaccine please visit: Measles - NHS   (www.nhs.uk)

This week in conjunction with Children's Mental Health week we have been thinking about those we love and celebrating Valentines Day in Wrens. One of the children's challenges this week was to make and write their own Valentine's Day cards and it was lovely to hear who they had decided to send their cards to and why.  We also enjoyed producing some lovely Valentine themed transition art.

Last week in PSHE the children each set themselves a challenge of something they wanted to practice and get better at.  This week we read the story of "Giraffes can't Dance" and talked about using our encouraging words to help each other achieve their challenges.  The children thought of lots of kind things to say to Gerald so he would keep going and not give up learning to dance.  We are looking forward to revisiting our challenges after the half term holiday to see how we have got on with them.

In maths this week we have been exploring pairs.  We found pairs all over the classroom and practised our pairing skills by sorting out the basket of socks in the role play (maybe a job the children could help you with at home!)   We also enjoyed playing a pairs matching game.  We then extended our learning to explore odd and even numbers and discovered even numbers were numbers where we could make a pair and odd numbers had an odd one out!

We have really enjoyed our topic of "Life in the Freezer" this half term and finished off conducting a science experiment to free the penguins who had become trapped in the ice.  We explored which substances were best to add to the ice to make it melt faster and allow the penguins to escape!  After half term we will be exploring a contrasting environment to Antarctica.

This week we have been carrying out phonics assessments on the Phase 3 sounds and words we have been learning this half term. The children have done really well and are beginning to recognise the digraphs and trigraphs independently and apply this knowledge when reading and writing.  We have also been working hard on our segmenting skills when writing and the children are becoming more confident at having a go at sounding out and writing words by themselves.

All of the children have worked hard this half term and should be proud of their achievements.  I hope you all have a restful and happy half term holiday.  See you in a week!

This week in English, Skylarks have been working really hard on their letters back to California linking with our book Flat Stanley. They began by planning these and then we have been working together to write the letters one paragraph at a time. The children have really impressed me with the quality of these.

In maths, Year 1 have been applying their knowledge of number bonds to add ones. They have also been practising using their number bonds to 20. Year 2 have continued their learning on money. They have been comparing amounts and calculating with money too. Both year groups have also been completing maths investigations this week.

In RE, the children were thinking about how we should care for the world and the people in it. We talked about why Christians think we should look after the world and each other.

As it was Safer Internet Day on Tuesday, we spent some time reading a story linked with this. The children then discussed what they do online and how we can stay safe. They also identified their trusted adults who they'd tell if something worried them.

In science, we continued with our learning about materials. The children were set the challenge of helping Humpty Dumpty stopping cracking every time he fell off the wall. The children used their knowledge about the properties of materials to choose those they predicted would soften his fall and protect him. They weren't always successful but the children used excellent scientific vocabulary to justify their choices and explain their results.

In English this week we have worked on using apostrophes for possession and the different ways we use them for plurals and singulars.

In maths, the children have delved into the intricacies of accurate measurement in metres, centimetres and millimetres.  To test their skills the children have accurately measured different things in the classroom.

In music this week we composed and performed short melodies using notes from the Pentatonic scale.  We recorded our melodies using grid notation. 

The children were introduced the the grizzly but intricate task of mummification in Ancient Egyptian society. They learned that the afterlife was a significant part of the Ancient Egyptians way of thinking due to the relatively short life expectancy of people during this period of history.

The children concluded their science learning for this half of term with a dive into the nature of food chain and webs from producers to predators.

In RE, we investigated the Hindu festival of Diwali. The children studied the central story of Rama and Sita and worked hard to learn the key elements of the story and the linked traditions in the Diwali celebration.

The children continued their Papier Mache sculpture of "dropped ice cream cone" by beginning the process of painting their sculptures and this will continue to completion today.

On Wednesday all of the children took part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch. We were lucky enough to see a huge variety of garden birds and the children thoroughly enjoyed the process of identifying and recording the different types of birds we saw.

In English, we have continued learning about the different features of newspaper reports. The children have used this knowledge to write a report about Chaya breaking Neel out of prison and how she somehow stole the King's elephant!

In maths, we have started work on our new topic of fractions. We started by recapping our knowledge of unit and non-unit fractions before moving on to finding equivalent fractions. The children ended the learning with how to convert improper fractions to mixed numbers. We discussed how our previous topic of division could help them with this and the children saw the link very quickly.

Timetable

Every day: Reading book and records

Tuesday & Thursday: PE kit for Y4

Tuesday & Thursday: PE kit for Y5

Friday: Weekly spellings given out

In merlins this week we have completed our final piece of writing of the half term. We began and finished writing as the character Maple. We wrote as Maple in the first person and used relative clauses, time adverbials and strong emotion to create a diary entry which recalled the most memorable moments of her time on the island with Blue Wing.

In maths, we have been using formula to solve problems and we have been creating formula based on available information.

This week, the children have taken part in some KS2 assessments. These assessments are in preparation for the Year 6 SATs in May.  The information will serve purposely in understanding their current strengths and weaknesses and allow us to plan future lessons accordingly. From looking at some of their results so far this week I am really pleased to see that so many of our children are making excellent progress when compared to their assessment results in October and I look forward to seeing how much more progress they will make in the coming weeks and months.

In music this week we learnt about Samba music. We practised different rhythms and performed a polyrhythmic composition using a selection of percussion instruments.

In history, we have been exploring crime and punishment in the Tudor period. We learned that during this period of time, punishments were severe, painful and extremely cruel. The children look closely at what changes were made from the Anglo-Saxon period to the Tudor period, as well as what remained the same. Some children even took on the challenge of creating their own Tudor punishment.

In Art, we have finished our final pieces of 'exploring identity' project. The children have worked so hard throughout this topic; they have used mixed media including collage, paint, print and sketching to create a final piece which I am very excited to display in school for others to appreciate.

In science, we continued with our learning about forces. Our focus this week was on air resistance. The children carried out an investigation into what makes paper aeroplanes fly further. We discussed gravity and air resistance as well as streamlining. The children all came up with their own designs and then we went flying!