Living and Learning – Mental Health
We have started talking about mental health this week. Using mindfulness techniques (we like some of the Go Noodle ones) and talking about our feelings, moods and emotions is important. Children need to learn how to take care of their minds as well as their bodies. We read ‘Top tips to keep a healthy mind’ in our reading fluency.
Christmas cards
We have completed our designs, sent them off and now received our sample cards. If you would like to order anything, send the money into school with the order form or using the Gateway app by FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER. Thank you!
Living and learning : strong emotions
In our Living and Learning sessions we have been talking about our feelings, and in particular, strong emotions. We all have felt angry, sad and happy at some point. We identified emotions on other people’s faces and talked about how emotions can feel overwhelming but will pass over time. Can you guess the emotions that the children below were trying to show?
Geography – looking for human or physical features on maps and aerial photographs
We have been looking at maps, keys, aerial photographs and talking about physical and human geography in our topic lessons this half term. We walked around our school grounds, marked the route we took and found the things we saw on the map and aerial photograph. We also found our school on Google Earth. Does your child know their address? Help them to learn it and find where they live on a map or Google Earth.
Maths – place value and counting
We’ve been counting forwards and backwards from different numbers. We use a 100 square, number lines and songs to help us.
We have also been using a range of models to represent numbers.
We use real life examples to demonstrate how 10s and 1s can be used. Here we have 12 pens made up of one pack of 10 and two ones.
By seeing and making a range of representations, children are able to secure a deep understanding of numbers.
Most of the following representations focus on partitioning (splitting up a number into parts) a number into tens and ones.
The middle box on the bottom row shows 12 being made by cubes. The second picture in that box is to show how the cubes can be drawn. Children find it far quicker and easier to draw a long line to represent a ten than drawing a rectangle that is divided into ten squares.
Use these at home to support your child’s learning.
Bike to School week and Let’s ride
Bike to School week and Let’s ride
Biking and scooting are one of the ways we encourage children to actively travel to and from school and next week we’ll be taking part in Bike to School Week (with Sustrans and the Bikeability Trust). We are pleased to be part of this UK-wide event, encouraging families to cycle, or scoot, to school. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate active school journeys and the positive impact it has on children’s health and wellbeing – as well as the environment.
Scooter storage facilities are available at the top of the playground near the gazebo.
Also, taking place this weekend is the free Let’s Ride session held locally at the Brownlee Centre.
This free family community event is ideal for the whole family to enjoy cycling in a safe and friendly space. At the Leeds Brownlee Centre, Bodington Playing Fields, you can ride at your own pace as many times as you like with volunteers on hand to chat all things cycling.
Sign up for the event here.
Help your child at home – phonics
Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Zoom session to help you support your child at home. You can watch the phonics session here.
Class novel – The Enchanted Wood
We have started our class novel, The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton, and all the children are enthralled already. It is a classic, which you may have read yourselves or have a copy of at home. Read along at home, if you like, or you could ask your child which characters we have met so far and what they like about the story.
Wake up Shake Up – WUSU
It has been great getting back to regular physical activity. We have been trying to remember our dances or making sure we are active for 10 minutes at WUSU to count towards our recommended 60 Active Minutes.
Phonics screening check
The phonics screening check determines how well a child can use the phonics skills they have learned in year 1, ensuring that they are on track to become fluent readers.
The check was cancelled by the government for year 1 children in June 2021.
In December 2021, the phonics screening check will be taken by all children in year 2 instead. Year 2 pupils who do not meet the expected standard in the autumn check will take the statutory check in June 2022, alongside year 1 pupils.
The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into two sections. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and alien words.
The children are encouraged to add sound buttons or use phoneme fingers to read a word. Here is a video showing how we do this.
You can help your child at home by reading anything and everything!