Science: classification
In Science this half-term, we have been biologists and have been learning about the different types of organisms including: mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, amphibians and invertebrates.
This week, we worked together to create our own classification keys. They allowed us to sort, classify and identify different animals. We created the questions for our classification key based on the physical characteristics of different animals.
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Help at home: Test your child’s knowledge of the different types of animals and the scientific vocabulary.
Our First Lunchtime and Exploring Outside
This week, many of the children have stayed for their first lunch time and full day; we’re really proud of how well they did. They all sat down together to eat in the nursery dining room and tried tasty school meals or their own packed lunch.
As children have become more settled in Nursery, we’ve gradually been introducing them to our nursery routines. We now know that when we hear “3,2,1, Stop!” we need to empty our hands, have a silent voice and to stop and look at the person who is speaking. The children have been learning how to use all of our labels, pictures and templates to help tidy toys away into the right places and we’re beginning to form a line when going to play outside.
We have been very busy this week enjoying the September sunshine . Some of our favourite outdoor activities have been –
- rolling balls and cars down ramps
- sweeping the leaves
- chalking patterns and pictures
- singing and playing instruments
- developing our climbing and balancing skills on our new playground equipment
- baking in the mud kitchen
Each week we will be suggesting ways that you can support your child at home. This week involves a favourite rhyme.
Help at home – Can you sing the ” Wheels on the bus” nursery rhyme? Can you remember all of the actions? The Wheels on the Bus
Next week we will be reading our first focus story ” The Three Little Pigs”. We will be using story props to retell the story. The Three Little Pigs
Reading- Hilarious Greek Myths with Tom Vaughan
Help at home: Ask your child questions about the author. Click here to rewatch our chat with Tom: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/hilariousgreekmyths
Year 3 Maths
We have been working on place value in Year 3 and making sure we understand the difference between hundreds, tens and ones. This will be important for when we come to add and subtract 3-digit numbers later in the term!
We have looked at how we can represent numbers in different ways: using numerals, Dienes blocks (base ten) and counters.
Help at home by practising reading and writing 3-digit numbers. If I said ‘351’ for example, could you tell me the value of the 5?
Reading Records
Children in 5/6 have been sharing their love of reading in our Book Club sessions. Each week, children complete one activity in response to what they have read during the week.
Help at home: Check the last few pages of the reading record. There are many activities to be completed and signed by an adult.
PE: hockey
We are learning a new sport this half term -hockey!
The children were very excited to be introduced to the game of hockey. They were even more excited to be able to use some brand new equipment! We played some warm up games first to get us warmed up and our hearts pumping faster – we love these!
The hockey sticks were handed out and our first job was to make sure we could grip the sticks accurately. The children were then allowed to explore with the hockey stick and a ball. This allowed the children to get used to handling the ball.
They then worked in pairs to learn how to pass accurately with the ball and by the end of the session they were much better and even played a game of possession ball.
Science- What are mammals?
KS1 are looking at animals. What do they need to survive?
Fresh air – Rupert
Food and water – Libby
A safe house (shelter) – Fletcher
We enjoyed learning that mammals are a type of animal that have fur/hair and have live young. The children completed a sorting activity to decide if different animals were mammals or not.
Help at home: As you read animal books, can you find any mammals?
Settling in and making friends.
What a busy and exciting week we have had at nursery. Our returning children came back looking much taller than before the holidays, then we welcomed some new friends to our “stay and play “sessions. Their grown ups came too, to join in with all of the fun activities.
This week we have been busy helping the children to settle into their new environment. It can take quite some time to remember where everything is but the children are doing so well. They have been exploring all of the nursery provision, from building in the construction site to pouring the colourful rice in the sensory area. We have had lots of fun!
We are working hard to find out what everyone enjoys playing. You can help us with this by adding a note to your child’s photo on our “What makes us tick” board. Whether its diggers or dancing to Mama Mia, we want to know. Ask your child’s key person for more details.
A few reminders
Please name your child’s indoor shoes, We have a number of identical pairs this year.
Please clearly name your child’s water bottle.
Don’t forget to register for your child’s milk with the dairy ( details in your welcome pack)
Please return the ” All about me” sheet – another way we can get to know lots about your child.
Settling
All of the children are now in full-time and are continuing to settle in, get to know each other and learn our daily routines. We’ve had lots of fun exploring our learning this week. Take a look at what we’ve been up to:
PE; Foot-Tech
The children really enjoyed their first Foot-Tech and teacher-led PE sessions.
Each Wednesday and Friday, Reception will take part in a range of fun activities and games. In Early Years, our PE lessons have a key focus on developing the fundamentals of movement and ensuring that children are continuously engaged and active throughout.
Help at home; Family photos
Next week, we will be continue to think about our families. To help support our discussions, please send in one picture of your family together. We will keep the photograph on display, so please send photos you are happy for us to keep. You can also email photos to the email address below.
Thank you to parents and carers who have already provided these.
PE Days
Please send your child to school in their PE kit on Wednesday and Friday.
Swimming kits are not yet needed, we will send a message out when you need to start sending the kit and a list of dates that your child will be swimming.
Here is a link to our uniform policy.
Wellies and spare clothes
Don’t forget to bring your school wellies and a bag of spare uniform/PE kit, including underwear and socks to keep in school. Thank you to parents and carers who have already provided these.
Dates for your diary
This year we will be offering various opportunities for you to find out more about Early Years at school.
There will be after school meetings with your child’s teacher.
There’ll be stay and learn sessions where you can come into school and be part of a lesson and then find out how you can help at home.
Then, opportunities to pop into school to share your child’s learning journey book with them.
We hope that you can join us for as many of these sessions as possible.
–Welcome to Reception
An invitation to this event was emailed to you back in July but here is a reminder.
Come into school to find out some basic “need to knows” about life in Reception.
19.09.24 – 6pm – 6.30pm
– Stay and learn sessions
This is an opportunity for you to come into school to find out about the Early Years Curriculum and watch your child learning in school.
Phonics Phase 2 and coffee morning – 10.10.24 9am-10am
Number 1- 13.11.24 9am-10am
Phonics Phase 3- 14.01.25 9am-10am
Fine Motor and coffee morning- 03.02.25 9am-10am
World Book Day- 06.03.24 9am-10am
Number 2 – 18.03.25 9am-10am
– Learning Journey Drop In’s
An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’s learning journal with them.
Learning Journey Drop in 1 – 03.12.24 and 05.12.24 Times – 8.45 am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm
Learning Journey drop in 2 – 28.03.25 and 01.04.25 Times – 8.45 am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm
Learning Journey drop in 3– 08.07.25 and 10.07.25 Times – 8.45 am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm
Class News – PE
‘I can work as part of a team to solve problems.’
Before we move onto hockey, we have started this half-term by practising our teamwork skills across the phase. We talked about what makes for a good team and worked together to complete various challenges. For example, could we move two hoops around a circle without breaking the chain? (pictured)
Help at home by asking your child what they know about good teamwork.
