Back With a Bang (and a Few Lost Jumpers)
What a wonderful start to the new school year! Year 1 have amazed me with how ready and eager they’ve been to learn. It’s been lovely to see friends back together, sharing smiles and settling back into school life.
The classroom may look a little bit different this year but the children have embraced the changes brilliantly (even though some of the adults around school are still adjusting). They’ve worked so hard learning new routines: classroom transitions, tidying up, lining up, which way round to put on a jumper after PE…
I’m especially proud of the way the children have taken so much pride in their learning. If week 1 is anything to go by, I’m very excited for the next 38!
Well done, Year 1! You’ve certainly helped to make my first week back a happy and healthy one.
A few reminders:
- Reading books
We will continue to use the Collins Hub e-book platform though the children have new log-ins. We are currently experiencing some access issues which we’re working to fix as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!
- NumBots
NumBots is a valuable resource and a fantastic way of keeping home learning fun. If you need any technical support (or a reminder of login details), please be in touch and I’ll try my best to help.
- PE days
Our PE days are Tuesday and Thursday.
- Water bottles
Please make sure your child comes to school with a clean, labelled water bottle every day. Water bottles must go home every day.
- Uniform
All the children have looked so smart to start this year and uniform compliance has been fantastic. We have, of course, had a great deal of jumper/cardigan admin to contend with! Please label your child’s clothes – it helps us and you. Thank you.
If you need any additional support, you can email me on ajnash@spherefederation.org
Help at home by celebrating a fantastic start to Year 1. What has your child learnt this week? What’s different about Year 1? Has anything stayed the same?
Thanks,
Mr Nash
A Brilliant Start to Year 2!
What a wonderful first week back we’ve had in Year 2! The children have returned full of enthusiasm and have already shown such a positive attitude towards their learning.
In Maths, we’ve been busy playing games to practise our number bonds. Using towers of ten cubes, one partner hid some while the other worked out how many were missing. The children also explored how ten is made up of ten ones — a really important building block for their number work this year.
In PE, we had lots of fun with a game of Castles and Cannonballs. The children worked brilliantly in teams to build tall, careful towers before using balls with great skill to try and knock them down.
It’s been a fantastic start to the new school year, and I’m so impressed at how well Year 2 have settled back into school life. If the first week is anything to go by, we’re in for an amazing year ahead!
Living and learning: I follow the school rules.
Hello and welcome! Mr Freeman here ready for a fantastic year with a brilliant Year 5 group. So far, the children have settled back into school, and their new classroom, extremely well. Their attitude to learning is exemplary and I’m already seeing progress in just a few days (particularly with writing).
In the first week back, we always focus on getting back into school routines and following school rules, which are below:
We keep our three rules short and sweet so that children can recall them easily. Adults always refer to school rules in lessons and Year 5 follow them well consistently. In our first living and learning session, we spoke about what being respectful, ready and safe looks like in our school – here are some of the comments made by pupils:
Being ready in class is a respectful choice. – Logan
We are respectful to the feelings of others so that we can do the best learning. – Emily G
Respect your friends and peers. – Ethan
We don’t leave things on our classroom floor otherwise it might be unsafe. – Emily M
We avoid bad choices to keep us safe. Physical contact might be hurtful and unsafe to others. – Shae
Having eyes on the speaker shows that your ready. – Elara
You need to be ready because if you’re not paying attention, you might miss something important. – Lottie
Not being ready might not be safe and might impact your future. – Kiara
Reception Baseline Assessment
Packed Lunches
Does your child have a packed lunch at school? If so, please download our Guide to Healthy Packed Lunches.
Did you know that popcorn is a choking hazard for children under 5? Lot’s of people don’t! The Food Standards Agency. has published the following advice on how to prepare food safely for your young child.
Living and Learning in Year 2 – Rules
In Year 2 this week, we have been thinking carefully about rules and routines. We spent time settling into our new routines and revisiting familiar ones, noticing how these are shaped by our school rules.
The children explored each rule and asked important questions: Why do we have this rule? What is its purpose? Their thoughtful answers showed how much they understand about keeping our classroom safe, fair and happy. To share their ideas, the children designed bright and creative posters of their own school rules. Some of these posters are now on display in our classroom as a reminder of the choices we want to make together.
What impressed us most was how children made links to their RE learning. They recognised that just like our school rules guide us, people of faith also follow rules that are important to them — such as the Ten Commandments in Christianity and the Five Pillars of Islam.
We are very proud of Year 2’s thoughtful discussions and creative work already this week!
Living and Learning: I follow the school rules
Hello everyone!
It has been such a pleasure welcoming back our wonderful Year 3 class this week. I’m Miss Gilliland and I’m absolutely delighted to be your new teacher this year! We’ve had a busy and exciting couple of days settling back into school life, getting to know each other and starting to make our classroom feel like a happy, safe space for learning.
This week, our Living and Learning statement is “I follow the school rules.” We have spent time exploring our three school rules:
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We’re ready
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We’re respectful
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We’re safe
Together, we talked about what each of these rules looks like, sounds like, and feels like in different parts of the school day; from lining up in the playground to working hard in lessons. The children shared thoughtful ideas and showed a great understanding of how these rules help keep our school a happy and healthy place to believe and achieve.
I’m already so proud of how the children have started the year. They’ve come back full of energy, enthusiasm and curiosity. I’m looking forward to an exciting term ahead full of learning, laughter and new adventures!
Well done, Year 3. What a brilliant beginning!
Help at home: talk about our three school rules and why they’re important
Welcome back
Hello and a huge welcome back to our Year 6 children. I trust you all had a happy and healthy summer break and are raring to go in your last year at St James’.
A few key messages from me:
- Your child will be bringing home their new reading record books this week. Please ensure your child reads at home to an adult at least 3 times a week. There are activities in the reading records to complete. Please sent reading records in each Friday.
- Children don’t need to bring any additional stationary into school with them – we will provide everything they need to achieve in their learning.
- PE days: Wednesday and Friday
- Forest school will run from Friday 12th September to Friday 17th October. Your child will be bringing a letter home about this this week.
I am really excited about this year and what we can achieve together. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes
Mr Kilner
Welcome to Early Years
We’ve been busy over the summer holidays washing all the teddies and toys so we’re ready for when you start ‘big school!’
Your classroom is all ready and set up and we’re looking forward to lots of learning, making new friends and having fun!
We’re looking forward to the year ahead, getting to know you and your children.
Mrs. Kendrew, Miss. Feldman, Mrs. Rippon, Mrs. Linton and Mrs. Cairns
What do I need to be ready for school each day?
If you have any questions please let me know.