The Courier

Some of the things the children have been learning...

Our focus text A New Home for a Pirate inspired us to write a pirate’s packing list. We also created individual treasure maps and labelled key features. We have investigated objects that float and sink and made simple predictions.

In Maths, we have been investigating simple capacity. We have revisited ways to make 10 and practised recalling number bonds.

We have explored ways we can keep our bodies and minds healthy.

Arielle talked about Norooz (Persian New Year) and the children decorated eggs, symbolic of the festival. Thank you Arielle!

Some of the things the children will be learning in the weeks to come...

We will be starting a new topic, ‘Once Upon a Time’ when we will be using traditional tales. We will be looking at typical story language and exploring characters. We will be investigating materials and finding out which materials are best for building a house.

In phonics we have been introduced to blends...

str as in straw

thr as in three

shr as in shred

scr as in scratch

and started to revise phase 3 digraphs;

ch   sh   th   ng   ai

How to help your child at home...

• Practise recall of number bonds to 10
• Reinforce doubles to 20. Encourage the children to share small amounts and halve numbers
• Continue to practise cursive letters
• Share traditional stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Talk about the sort of language used. Look at different versions of the same story

What’s going on next half term/notices/information...

Thank you all for meeting with me recently at the parent’s consultation evenings. Next term there will be chance to come into class for a parent’s Show and Tell. This is an opportunity for the children share their Reception Learning Journey. More details will be sent nearer the time.

It was with great excitement that we started our Forest School programme this half term. Forest School provides an opportunity for a huge amount of learning to take place such as, children taking ownership of their learning, developing problem solving skills, taking and managing risks and caring for the environment. 

So far this term we have been engaging our senses every week, trying to notice the changes to our Jubilee Wood site. We’ve taken inspiration from nature using ‘deer ears’ to listen to the world around us and our ‘eagle eyes’ to search for insects and signs of Spring. We also walked with ‘fox feet’ to creep around without being heard.  

We’ve built homes for hedgehogs, thinking about appropriate habitats and what different animals might need to keep them safe, warm and dry. The children used a whole variety of materials and made some fabulous homes.  

This week we were fuelling our curiosity by exploring colours in nature. After searching the site for different coloured ‘wool worms’ and placing them in the order we found them we discussed why animals and plants may want to be camouflaged, but others want to stand out.  

I am very much looking forward to having time with all classes in the Trinity term as part of our Outdoor Learning curriculum. 

Year 1 were welcomed by St Mark's Church in Bilton,  to bring their RE lessons to life with a fascinating tour and treasure hunt. Mrs Bevan and Mrs Clarke gave up their afternoon to help the children identify internal and external features of an Anglican church, and talk about the rich history of the church as the heart of the community. The children asked many questions, sketched their observations and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the stories they were told. 

Last week we went on a very interesting trip to St. Marks's church in Bilton where we learned many facts about the history of the church and spotted lots of internal and external features which we had been studying in RE.

This week in Maths we have been learning how to tell the time and comparing and measuring lengths and heights using non-standard uniform units (cubes). Everyone had lots of fun predicting what different items in the classroom might measure in cubes and then we proceeded to carry out the investigation. 

Classes 2W and 2E have been exploring ways of changing the shape of coloured paper strips to create attractive sculptures.

Mr Perks from Focus TKD came into assembly on Tuesday. Some of his co-curricular club students shared their skills to the school. They were very impressive with their respect, control and high kicks.

Congratulations to those children in Year 6 who have qualified for this year’s Inter-House Geography final. This will take place during the second week of the summer term and the children will be quizzed on their knowledge of European and UK locations, including mountains, rivers, oceans, seas and islands as well as cities, capitals and countries.

Good luck to all those involved.