The Train Ride
Welcome to Spring 2!
This week we have started our new topic Let’s Go, our first book is called The Train Ride by June Crebbin.
We have really enjoyed this story, we have talked about old trains like Stephenson’s Rocket, The Mallard and of course The Flying Scotsman! Plus new trains like the Eurotunnel and The Bullet!
“It is an old train because it has steam coming out of the funnel!”
“It is old because I can see some rust on it!”
We are also very excited about out upcoming trip to the National Railway Museum, we have had lots of discussions about how many sleeps it will be and what we will be taking in out lunch boxes! It is all very exciting!
Our Word of the Week was: Destination, the children have really enjoyed using this during their learning.
“My destination in the morning is school, at night time it is home, or sometimes the park!”
“When we go on our school trip our destination will be the Train Museum.”
Help at home: Talk to your grown up about the different destinations you go to over the weekend.
Phonics
This week in our phonics we have reviewed the digraphs ai, ee, oa, oo/oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, and the trigraphs igh, ear.
Help at home: Please support your child with the ‘learn at home’ sheet sent home today. Please also keep accessing the ebooks.
Poetry Picnic
This week our poem was Pancakes
Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan.
Fry a pancake,
Toss a pancake,
Catch it if you can.
Maths
In Maths this week we have looked at comparing and in particular looking at differences and similarities. In our activities we have looked at the numbers of objects in a set, without being diverted by colour, shape or size. The children have then been encouraged to notice when quantities are equal or unequal, and to consider how they can manipulate the number of objects in 2 sets to make them equal. Our stem sentences have been
____ has more than____.
____has fewer than____.
Help at home: Can you share an even number of objects (e.g. counters, pens etc) between two teddies. Do the objects need to be the same colour, shape or size?
The Classroom Challenges this week have been
- to make a train
- to make a bridge for a train to either go over or under
- to make a large train track outside
- to write a list of the things they go past in the story The Train Ride
- to make the scales balance
- to draw something you can see out of the window
Also this week, we had a visit from MindMate on Monday, who read us the story Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival.
We already love this book in reception and have used it a lot when we have talked about our own worries and anxieties. Tom Percival also writes other books that deal with different emotions, they are a great starting point to support young children.
Next week our focus book is The Hundred Decker Rocket by Mike Smith.
Reminders and Notices
PE is on a Monday, please send your child to school wearing their PE kit and trainers they can fasten themselves.
Library Day is on a Friday this term, please can all Library books be returned on Friday ready to swap for a new one.
Forest School is on Friday, please see additional letter sent home for information.
Waste Innovation- Please don’t forget to send in any donations for us to be creative. We really appreciate anything!!
Please can we also ask for any donations of children’s underwear, socks and old school uniform, we work hard and play hard in reception so things can get a little bit messy!!
Stay and Learn Sessions
World Book Day 07.03.24-8.50am-9.20am
Please don’t forget to email any pictures from home stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org thank you!
Have a lovely weekend,
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Mrs. Feldman
Supertato
This week has been our second week looking at the book Supertato by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet.
We have enjoyed looking out for the Evil Pea, in and around the classroom and school and we have even left out lots of wonderful trap to try to catch him. We have also enjoyed looking at vegetables close up, by completing some observational drawings and commenting on what we noticed.
” The potato is bumpy and rough and wet inside!”
“Broccoli is cold and prickly!”
Maths
This week, we have continued to look at composition, or the numbers within numbers. We have used the Hungarian number pattern (die pattern) to explore making 5.
Help at Home: Number bonds to 5 game.
- Put 5 things into a bag.
- Ask your adult to take some things out of the bag.
- Then, you take the rest of the things out of the bag.
- How many things do you have? How many things does your adult have?
- How many all together?
Phonics
We have learnt our final Phase 3 graphemes this week (air, er) and the tricky words (are, pure, sure). Next half term, we will revisit all the phase 3 digraphs and trigraphs.
Help at Home: Reading books on line via the Collins site. This will help the children with their fluency.
Poetry Picnic
This week’s poem was an eight-line poem called A Little House
I’m going to build a little house,
With windows big and bright,
And chimneys tall with curling smoke,
Drifting out of sight.
In winter when the snowflakes fall,
Or when I hear a storm,
I’ll go and sit in my little house,
Where I’ll be snug and warm.
Next week our focus book is The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson and we will be looking at the Lunar New Year which this year is celebrated on Saturday 10th February.
Reminders
Stay and Learn Sessions-Early Writing- 05.02.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
Please can we also have some more donations for our Waste Innovation Area- we have such a creative bunch of children we are going through lots of boxes, tubes, pots etc. Please think of us before you fill your green bin!
Don’t forget to email if you have any questions if you can’t catch us at the door stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org thank you!
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
Lost and Found
Happy New Year to everyone and a huge thank you for all the lovely cards and gifts we received before the holidays it was so kind of you, we hope you all had a restful Christmas and New Year.
Last week we started our learning in our new topic Fire and Ice, our first book is called Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers.
We used the globe to find where the South Pole is and found it is in Antarctica. We talked about how it is a very different place to England as nobody lives there because it is the coldest, driest and windiest place in the world. We made boats and tested them out in the water tray, we even added some ice to be like icebergs, it was very chilly work! We made snow dough and explored how it was like snow because it was fluffy and crunchy.
Our word of the week was: Iceberg, the children have really enjoyed using this word during the week in their learning.
“Look out your boat is getting too close to that huge iceberg!”
“This iceberg looks like a Elsa’s castle!”
Help at home: Tell your grown up at home about where you can find an iceberg.
Phonics
This week we have started to learn the phase 3 phonemes. We have focused on the diagraphs ai, ee, oa and the trigraph igh. A trigraph is when three letters make one sound.
Help at home: Today, your child has come home with a new ‘learn at home’ phonics sheet. The sheets link to all the phonemes we have covered this half term. Please support your child by practising these at home.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite the poem each day. By saying the poem out loud we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line.
This week our poem was Let’s Put on Our Mittens
Let’s put on our mittens and button up our coats.
Wrap our scarves snuggly around our throats.
Pull on our shoes and fasten the straps.
And tie on tightly our warm woollen hats.
Open the door, and out we go.
Out, into the soft and feathery snow.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Maths
In Maths we have been using our perceptual subitising skills (seeing the quantity without counting), moving from dots in a line and arrangements, to a focus on standard dice arrangements. For larger quantities, we have begun to use skills of conceptual subitising, beginning to quickly see the sub-groups within these larger numbers. We have played a game Feed the Penguin to help us.
“I can see a 3 and a 3 it makes 6”
“I can see a 2 and a 2 and a 1, it’s 5!”
“I see 2 and a 1”
Help at home: Play a dice game with your family and show them your subitising skills.
Next week we will continue to use the focus book Lost and Found to support our learning.
Reminders
We will be doing PE on Monday, so please send your child to school wearing their PE kit and trainers. They will stay in this all day.
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.
Early Writing- 05.02.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
World Book Day 07.03.24 -8.50am-9.20am
Learning Journey Drop In’s
An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’ learning journal with them.
Times- 8.45am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm (Tuesday and Thursday)
Week beginning 25.03.24
Week beginning 08.07.24
Don’t forget to email your pictures from home stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org thank you!
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
Owl Babies
This week our focus book has been Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.
We wrote messages from the baby owls in the Message Centre and made cosy houses for the owl babies in the Waste Innovation area. We rehearsed some phrases from the story and added actions to help us to remember them.
Our word of the week was: Swoop, the children have really enjoyed using this word during the week in their learning.
” mummy owl just swoops back home to the babies owls!”
“When you swoop you move down quickly!”
Help at Home: Tell your grown up at home about an animal that swoops.
Phonics
This week we have recapped all the Phase 2 phonemes. We also practiced reading words with ‘s’ at the end.
We’ve learnt all of the Phase 2 tricky words. Tricky words are tricky because we can’t sound them out- we just have to know them by sight.
Help at home: Practice reading the tricky words on the ‘Learn at Home’ sheets sent home each week.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite the poem each day. By saying the poem out load we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line.
this week our poem was Wise Old Owl
A wise old owl sat in an oak,
The more he heard, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why aren’t we all like that wise old bird?
Next week our focus book is The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allen Ahlberg and we will be learning about what happens to our post. To enhance your child’s learning experience, we will be writing and posting a postcard home. If you would like your child’s postcard to be posted through Royal Mail please provide a stamp in a named envelop by Thursday 14 December,
Reminders!
Please can all Nativity Costumes to be sent in by Tuesday 12 December, please let us know if you’re having problems as we have some spare items in school.
Reception will be making Christingles this week, please can we ask for a donation of one orange for each child. We are not joining school in church but we will have our own little class worship in school.
Don’t forget to attend a learning journey drop in. We look forward to sharing your child’s books.
Times- 8.45am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm (Tuesday and Thursday)
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
Spring Attendance Competition
St James’ CE Primary is a happy and healthy place to be – and maybe even a lucky one, too!
Look out for our attendance competition next half term. All pupils with attendance of 96% or higher will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 Love to Shop vouchers!
So… for the full Spring 1 half-term, Monday 08 January to Friday 09 February (five weeks), if your child reaches a good level of attendance – that’s 96% – their name will be entered into a prize draw. We’ll select one lucky winner on the last day of the half-term (Friday 09 February).
Remember, arriving late for school counts as an unauthorised absence. This affects a child’s overall attendance figure, and that might mean they lose out.
So far this term, 40 pupils have 100% attendance and 80 pupils have over 96% attendance – well done to the children and their families!
Night Monkey, Day Monkey
We have had another busy week in reception, our focus book this week has been Night Monkey, Day Monkey by Julia Donaldson and Lucy Richards.
We have talked a lot about the things we do during the day at school and those we do at night at home.
Our word of the week was: Nocturnal, the children have enjoyed exploring the different animals that are nocturnal and active at night.
“Foxes are nocturnal, they are awake at night!”
“Hedgehogs are night time animals”
Help At Home: Draw a nocturnal animal and label it.
We have also had so much fun exploring shadows, when the sun eventually can out! The children really enjoyed trying to stand on each others shadows, especially on Mrs Kendrew’s head! They even used objects to try to see the shadow shapes they made on the ground. Great work everyone!
Phonics
This week the children have focused on the diagraphs zz, qu and ch and the phoneme z. we have also looked at words with s added at the end like hats, sits.
We’ve also learnt the tricky words: go, no, to, into, his
Help at home: Today, your child has come home with a new ‘learn at home’ phonics sheet. The sheet links to all the phonemes we have covered this week. Please support your child by practising these at home.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite the poem each day. By saying the poem out load we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line.
this week our poem was Shoes
Before I jump into my bed,
Before I dim the light,
I put my shoes together,
So they can talk all night.
I’m sure they would be lonesome,
If I tossed one here or there,
So I put my shoes together,
For they are a friendly pair.
Maths
In Maths, we have begun to explore composition by focusing on the concept of ‘wholes’ and ‘parts’. The children have explored their own bodies and familiar toys to begin to understand that whole things are often made up of smaller parts and that a whole is, therefore, bigger than its parts. We have made whole faces by adding different parts of eyes, ears a mouth and a nose.
Help at home: Sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes to your grown up and tell them some of the parts you have on your body that make up the whole of you.
Next week our focus book is How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers and we will also be looking at the artist Claude Monet.
Thank you to those families who sent in recordings of the children singing their favourite nursery rhyme, they have been lovely to watch. Thank you also to those who came to the Maths Stay and Learn session, please do get in touch if you ever have any questions. stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org
Reminders
We will be doing PE on Monday, please send your child to school wearing their PE kit and trainers and all jewellery removed. They will stay in their PE kit all day.
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 3- 16.1.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
Early Writing- 05.02.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
World Book Day 07.03.24 -8.50am-9.20am
Learning Journey Drop In’s
An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’ learning journal with them.
Times- 8.45am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm (Tuesday and Thursday)
Week beginning 11.12.23
Week beginning 25.03.24
Week beginning 08.07.24
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
Children in Need
Thank you for all your support raising money for Children in Need.
We have raised £140 for the charity.
Binny’s Diwali
Binny’s Diwali
Welcome to Autumn 2! This half term our theme is light and dark.
We have covered so many important events and topics this week…
On Monday we spent the day learning about St James, we listened to the story about how Jesus chose James to be one of his special friends. James was a fisher man and Jesus told him to put down his net and follow him. James became a ‘fisher of men’ instead. The children had a few challenges to complete to help them with their understanding.
Bonfire Night
On Tuesday we talked about Bonfire night, the children enjoyed talking about their own experiences and how they celebrated at home or out and about. In the construction area the children were challenged to build a replica of the Houses of Parliament.
Diwali
We talked about the festival of light, called Diwali. Our focus book was Binny’s Diwali by Thrity Umrigar.
We also found out about the festival through watching cbeebies-My first festival and Jo Jo and Gran Gran. The children were challenged to make their own Mehndi patterns on the funky fingers table, make rockets in the Waste Innovation Workshop and Diya lamps in the Playdough Factory.
Our word of the week is: Festival
Remembrance Day
We talked about Remembrance Day and the meaning behind each poppy. Lots of children wore poppy items to school and could speak about the meaning.
On Friday we used all of your kind donations (thank you!) to create a penny trail. The children enjoyed starting the trail for the rest of the school to follow on.
Phonics
This week the children have focused on the diagraphs ff, ll, ss and the single phoneme j.
We’ve also learnt the tricky word; as
Tricky words are words that should be read by sight. We start by identifying which part of the word is ‘tricky’. In as, the ‘s’ is tricky because it makes the /z/ sound.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite the poem each day. By saying the poem out loud we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line.
This week our poem was Breezy Weather
Breezy weather. Freezy weather.
When the leaves fall, we all fall together.
Breezy weather. Freezy weather.
When the wind blows, we huddle together.
Maths
In Maths, we’ve been using our fingers to identify 5. We used the peas in a pod song-
‘Five little peas in a pea pod pressed,
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest.
They grew and they grew and they did not stop,
Until one day the pod went pop!’
Help at home phonics sheet
Today, your child has come home with a new ‘learn at home’ phonics sheet. The sheets link to all the phonemes we have covered this half term. Please support your child by practising these at home.
Help at home
Next week we’ll be celebrating World Nursery Rhyme Week. If you would like to, we’d love to share a recording of them telling their favourite nursery rhyme in class. Please send your emails to stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org
Reminders
We will be doing PE on Monday, so please send your child to school wearing their PE kit and trainers. They will stay in this all day.
Stay and Learn Sessions
Wednesday we have our Maths Stay and Learn session from 2.20pm-3.00pm
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
Leaf Man
Thank you so much for the leaf donation, they really helped with our learning, we have had great fun reading the story ‘Leaf Man’ by Lois Ehlert, in the book autumn has come, the wind is blowing and Leaf Man is on the move. No one is sure where he is going, but ‘A Leaf Man’s got to go where the wind blows.’ Our word of the week was ‘seasons’ we have talked about the four seasons winter, spring, summer and autumn. We have really enjoyed learning about the season of autumn, when the leaves fall from the trees, when some small animals like hedgehogs are looking for food to store and some animals begin to hibernate like a door mouse.
Phonics
This week the children have recapped all the phonemes (the sound a letter makes) we have covered so far this term. We have focused closely on our blending, the skill that helps us with our reading and our tricky words the, is and I. Keep up the great work everyone!
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite the poem each day. By saying the poem out loud we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line.
This week our poem was Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, ‘Oo, it’s getting late.’
The second one said, ‘There are witches in the air.’
The third one said, ‘Well I don’t care.’
The fourth one said, ‘Let’s run, run, run.’
The fifth one said, ‘Let’s have some fun.’
But oooh went the wind, and out went the light,
And five little pumpkins tumbled out of sight.
Maths
This week we have been helping our teddies out. Polly Penguin and Susan starfish has been arguing! We have helped them by using and repeating the sentences
…has more than…
…has fewer than…
Help at home phonics sheet
Today, your child has come home with a new ‘learn at home’ phonics sheet. The sheets link to all the phonemes we have covered this half term. Please support your child by practising these at home.
Help at home
We are continuing to develop our model making area as a ‘Waste Innovation’ area so the children can show off their creative side. Some have already explored this area and have been so proud to place them in the ‘Gallery’ for their friends to see and then bring home. Please can we ask you to kindly continue to send in any donations to make it a continued success. Donations of the following would be greatly appreciated,
- Small boxes
- cereal boxes,
- yoghurt pots,
- tubes (no toilet roll tubes please),
- bottles,
- bottle tops.
- old keys,
- beads (from broken necklaces),
- buttons,
- wool,
- corks
- Anything that the children might find interesting.
Next week our book of the week is Potion Commotion, please can we ask for donations of plastic bottles we are going to be making our own potions, hopefully without the commotion!
Reminders
We will be doing PE on Monday, so please send your child to school wearing their PE kit and trainers. They will stay in this all day.
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.
Maths- 15.11.23 2.20pm-3.00pm
Phonics Phase 3- 16.1.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
Early Writing- 05.02.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
World Book Day 07.03.24 -8.50am-9.20am
Learning Journey Drop In’s
An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’ learning journal with them.
Times- 8.45am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm (Tuesday and Thursday)
Week beginning 11.12.23
Week beginning 25.03.24
Week beginning 08.07.24
Don’t forget to email your pictures from home stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org thank you, have a lovely weekend!
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
Reading: Tom Palmer
This year, some children at school attended an online workshop with author Tom Palmer. Tom Palmer has been in touch to let us know about some local events he is attending in half term.
Message from Tom
For children and families – I am also coming to Leeds on Thursday 2 November 2023 :
* Farsley Book Festival – 10am-11am more here
https://trumanbooks.co.uk/event/flf-kids-day
* Chapel Allerton Library – 2pm
* Pudsey Community Hub and Library – 4pm
