Happy Christmas Everyone!
The whole of 3,4 had a ball at our Christmas party! We’re sure that you’ve heard all about it by now. There was such an atmosphere of fun! 3,4 have got some serious dance moves and singing voices.
Well done to all children in 3,4, they have worked their socks off this term and we are proud of their efforts! We’d like to wish you all a safe and Happy Christmas!
Just a few photos of everyone (to give you a sense of the fun) and the after party for 3,4 B.
See you in the New Year.
The Christmas Countdown!
We’ve had a week full of festive fun!
The Christmas story
We’ve been learning the story of the first Christmas- The Nativity. We learnt that this is why Christians celebrate Christmas. The children independently wrote what they could see, in a scene from the story.
Christmas Dinner
Reception had a yummy Christmas dinner. They had fun exploring the Christmas inflatables, organised by Mrs Pennock.
Maths- Professor Myers and the candy cane experiment!
Professor Myers introduced our maths focus this week, with the candy cane experiment! We investigated the strength of a candy cane by hanging different objects from it.
We’ve also been exploring the language we use to describe weight; heavy, light, heavier, lighter, heaviest, lightest. We compared objects using balance scales.
Some children decided to compare their weight using the balance boards outside!
Christmas around the world
We’ve been exploring the different ways that people celebrate Christmas across the world. We looked at the difference between Santa in the UK and Santa in Australia.
We made Chinese paper lanterns for decorations.
We heard about the good witch, La Befana, who brings presents to children in Italy.
We made observational drawings of Poinsettia- a popular Christmas plant here, in Mexico and in India.
We went hunting for the lucky almond (in picture form). In Denmark, it’s a Christmas tradition to hide an almond in pudding. The finder has good luck for the year!
We added drawings of presents and sweets to a picture of shoes. In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas leaves gifts in children’s shoes. Our shoes were magic and turned into real treats at play time!
We discussed similarities and differences with our own Christmas traditions:
“I decorate with lights on my tree and tinsel in Mummy’s car”- Orlah (Christmas in China)
“We have a witch at Halloween but scary”- Daniel (Christmas in Italy)
“It is hot there. It’s cold and snowy here”- Mollie B (Christmas in Austrailia)
Poetry Picnic
Each week, we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. This week’s poem is Cup of tea.
We talk about how a poem sometimes has rhyming words and sometimes doesn’t. Can your child tell you the rhyming words in this week’s poem? We also talk about how a poem can have a fast rhythm or a slow rhythm. Can your child tell you if this week’s poem is fast or slow?
Here are some children from Sunshine and Rainbow classes, reciting this week’s poem:
Someone special visited our classrooms…
On Wednesday, the children received a special video. Santa had been to visit our classrooms and he’d left us all a present! He even took the time to read us a story on the video. We were so impressed that he came to see our school.
Christmas party day
We’ve had lots of fun today; dancing, playing games and being with our friends.
Thank you to FOSP (The Friends of Scholes (Elmet) Primary) who gifted us an online pantomime to enjoy- Cinderella!
Learning Journey drop-ins
Thank you to parents and carers who joined us for our Learning Journey drop-ins on Monday/Tuesday morning and Thursday after school.
If you were unable to join us this time, we’ll be offering more of these drop- in sessions later in the school year.
Phonics
It was another review week in phonics this week. We’ve been revisiting and consolidating all we have learnt across phase 2. The children have been brilliant in their reading groups and independent writing this week. It is fantastic to see them confidently using all of the skills they have developed this term.
This week we have sent home tricky words. Please practise these as your phonics challenge over the holidays.
A message from the Reception Team
The Reception team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy spending time with family and friends this festive season. We look forward to welcoming you back on Tuesday 3 January 2023!
Reminders
Swimming/Football
Spring 1 – swimming
Rainbow Class- 4 Jan, 18 Jan, 1 Feb
Sunshine Class- 11 Jan, 25 Jan, 8 Feb
When your child is not swimming, they will be taking part in Foot Tech Football sessions. Please ensure your child comes in PE kit every Wednesday, including suitable trainers.
Mastering Maths
This week in 2C we have been focussing on subtraction in Maths lessons. We have been practicing subtracting a one digit number from a 2 digit number. In order to secure this knowledge, we repeated our subtractions using lots of different methods and resources including 10 frames, number lines, 100 squares and counters. We also looked at related facts. One child said,
‘I know that 10 – 7 = 3, so I know that 20 – 17 = 3.
Help at home by practicing counting backwards from 10, 20 and 100!
Happy Christmas
Have a happy and healthy Christmas and see you all in 2023. Love from the Key Stage 1 Team.
Christmas inflatables
We have had a lovely treat today.
Mrs Pennock and Mrs Jones kindly set up a Christmas grotto in school for the children to enjoy. We walked around admiring the inflatables and listening to Christmas music.
It was magical.
Living & Learning: I recognise that mental health is important
Over the last three weeks, year 5 and 6 have been discussing mental health. We’ve looked at ways to engage in self care techniques. We discussed who we could speak to if we have concerns.
Help at home: discuss the idea of having a trusted adult that your child can talk to either at home or in school.
Thank you!
We have been absolutely overwhelmed by your generosity. At the recent Christmas productions, we collected for our school charity, Cancer Research UK. You didn’t let us down and you managed to raise an amazing £266.91.
Thank you so much.
Class 5/6A News
This time next week we will have wrapped up our first term of the year! Our pupils and staff are working flat-out at the moment, having survived test week, and the end is in sight. Let’s see what we have been getting up to this week.
Maths, Reading, Grammar and Spelling tests have been on the agenda for our Year 5 pupils this week, whilst our Year 6 pupils have tackled Maths and English SATS papers. We are proud of how our students have adapted to test week and the effort they have put in. Learning Updates will be sent home with pupils on Wednesday. These will provide an update on your pupils attainment, progress and attitude to learning during the first term, with targets on how you can help support your child’s learning at home.
Whilst we have the Year 5/6 Christmas party to look forward to on Wednesday, it will be business as usual next week in terms of learning. Pupils have today been issued Book Club homework as well as a list of spellings and times tables ahead of our regular tests on a Friday morning.
Help at home: Help your child with their spelling practice by testing them daily on this week’s words in the car, around the dinner table or on the journey to school. Practising everyday can make a big impact on a child’s retention of these spellings.
A slightly shorter Class News this week (I’ve been out of school for a couple of days due to illness), but I promise to make up for it with a bumper post next week. Just time for our certificate winners:
Certificate winners:
Living and Learning – Ella. Provided some excellent ideas on how we can use self-care to help protect our own mental health.
Great learning – Amelie. Pushing herself in every subject, particularly in Maths, to be the best version of herself.
P.E – Arthur. A ‘pocket rocket’ who has dazzled on the football pitch this week.
Peer recognition – Luella. A real role model for learning and friendship. Never without a smile on her face. Freya – providing a shoulder to cry on and support for a classmate who was in need.
Snowman at Sunset
Thank you to everyone that was able to watch our performance of ‘Snowman at Sunset’. We’re really proud of the children ; it’s quite daunting standing on stage in front of a hall full of people and we thought that they did brilliantly. We hope you enjoyed the songs about building snowmen and snowflakes falling and that it left you feeling in a festive mood. Super singing Nursery, well done!
In Nursery, we’ve been learning about the Nativity story, making Christmas lists, building sleighs, drawing maps for Santa and decorating the trees outside.
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We’re looking forward to our final week of the term and have lots of Christmas themed learning planned. Don’t forget it’s our Nursery party on Monday afternoon and you are also invited to join us for one of our ‘stay and decorate’ sessions where you can read your child’s Learning Journey and enjoy making some Christmas crafts together. Please see the Christmas letter or reminder letter for more details.
A donation pot for your £1 contribution towards our party costs will be outside Nursery this week. Thank you to everyone that has contributed already.
The Jolly Christmas Postman
This week in literacy we have been reading the book ‘The Jolly Christmas Postman by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg. We were excited to see all the letters, games and puzzles in the book.
The children were keen to write their own letters.
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off auto play – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.
Every week, we look at a new adventurous word. We call this our ‘word of the week’. This week our word of the week was ‘jolly’. We looked at the definition – ‘happy and cheerful’, drew pictures and used the word jolly in our everyday speech.
I feel jolly when I go the park.
Christmas is a jolly day.
I felt jolly at my party.
Maths – 3d shapes
This week, we have been naming and recognising 3d shapes.
The children enjoyed exploring different shaped Christmas presents and finding 3d shapes in our classroom. We even had a go at making 3d shapes, using playdough.
Ask your child to find 3d shapes in and around the house. Can they name each one?
Phonics
This week, the children haven’t learnt any new phonemes. It has been our ‘review week’ where we review all the phonemes we have learnt so far.
Can your child read the following words?
quick
thank
wing
them
chick
shells
Can your child read these captions?
a red sock
jam on a hen
Poetry Picnic
Each week, we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. This week’s poem is ‘Who Has Seen the Wind’.
We talk about how a poem sometimes has rhyming words and sometimes doesn’t. Can your child tell you the rhyming words in this weeks poem? We also talk about how a poem can have a fast rhythm or a slow rhythm. Can your child tell you if this week’s poem is fast or slow?
Click here to watch our Poetry Picnic.
In provision…
Reminders
Swimming/Football
There will be no swimming 14 Dec
Spring 1 – swimming
Rainbow Class- 4 Jan, 18 Jan, 1 Feb
Sunshine Class- 11 Jan, 25 Jan, 8 Feb
When your child is not swimming, they will be taking part in Foot Tech Football sessions. Please ensure your child comes in PE kit every Wednesday, including suitable trainers.
Learning Journey Drop in
- Monday 12.12.22, 9.00-9.30am
- Tuesday 13.12.22, 9.00-9.30am
- Thursday 15.12.22, 3.30-4.00pm
An invitation for parents/carers to come into the classroom and take a look at your child’s learning journey.
Reception Christmas Party day. 16.12.22
Your child can come to school in party clothes on this day with their own party snack.