Class News

Topic: Seas surrounding the UK and maps

We’re really enjoying our Geography topic. We’ve enjoyed using an atlas to locate and name the four seas surrounding the UK.

Help at home: Can your child name the four seas surrounding the UK? (Irish Sea, English Channel, Atlantic Ocean and North Sea)

We’ve also used Google Earth to help us understand what a map is and we’ve looked at some examples of maps to help us learn how to read a map key.

We looked at a map and used the key provided to answer the questions. We then added some of our own symbols to the key and thought about why maps are useful.

Help at home: Talk with your child about how maps are useful to help us to keep safe? What should you do if you were lost and you didn’t have a map? Here are some of the responses we talked about in class.

“They show you where to go to keep you safe. Like where the hospital or fire station is.”

“They help you if you are lost!”

“You could ask someone around you for help (if there is someone to ask).”

“You should stay where you are and your grown-ups will come and find you.”

 

RE – The Creation Story

This half term, we are reading, learning and thinking about The Creation Story  (This is a YouTube link. Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog along the play bar and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip). 

In our lessons so far, we have ordered the Creation Story and thought about the following questions:

We’ve also looked at two pieces of art by artists who used The Creation Story as inspiration. Thinking about the following questions together:

‘Breisheit’ (In The Beginning) by Jackie Olenick 

‘Premordial chaos’ by Judy Racz

“It’s all the days of the story in one painting. I can see the sea, the sky and the land”

“I like how the colours are nice and bright”

“I can see the different days from the story in each picture”

We then created our own piece of art.

Help at home – Ask your child to retell The Creation Story to you. What do they think the story tells us about God?

How can we look after our world?

This half term, we are thinking all about The Creation Story. We have been learning what happened on each of the seven days that the world was created by God.

This week, we thought about how it feels when people do not respect things we have made. This led us to consider how people do not always look after the world God created. We looked at pictures of pollution and thought about rules God might have for his world.

We then made some fabulous posters about how we should look after the world.

Reading with prosody

Each week, the children are learning a poem. With daily practise, along with added prosody, the class can recall the poem off by heart by the end of the week.

Here is the poem for you to enjoy with your child.

Read by Mrs Freeman

Living and Learning: I know that rights come with responsibilities.

Every Monday afternoon, the children have a Living and Learning lesson with Mrs Bald.

What is Living and Learning and why is it important?

Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) is a vital part of school life and ultimately our children’s future health and wellbeing. Our Living and Learning provision helps pupils to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes they need to live confident, healthy, independent lives now and in the future.  It is embedded within wider learning we offer to ensure that pupils experience positive relationships with adults and with each other, and that those who are most vulnerable are identified and supported. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of our school and community.

Our statement this week: I know that rights come with responsibilities.

As a group, the children discussed that alongside every right comes responsibility. At school for example, children have the right to play and relax, and the responsibility to play alongside others safely and respectfully.

Next, as individuals, the class thought about what they have responsibility for in and out of school.

I have a responsibility to ……

pick up litter – Olly/Woody

look after my friends – Poppy/Esme

look after my dog – Athena

look after my dad – Kupa

look after my sister – Daisy

put rubbish in the bin – Alexa

to look after our family – Arthur

to look after animals – Oscar

to walk the dog – Harry/Freddy

help our friends when they fall over – Alfie

to listen – Vincent

Help at home

Discuss the meaning of responsibility.

Ask your child to name five things they are responsible for. They could draw a picture and bring it into school to go on our Living and Learning display.

Here are some examples.

The Big Book of Families

The children have had another fantastic week settling into Reception, they’ve really begun to make some lovely friendships and have continue to learn our daily routines. We’ve had lots of fun exploring and learning this week- we’re so proud of them!

A big Thank you to all the grown-ups who came to our ‘Welcome to Reception’ meeting on Wednesday. It was fantastic to see so many of you! Any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Phonics

This week the children have learnt the phonemes (the sounds a letter makes) i, n, m and d. The children have been listening to and saying words that begin with these phonemes. They have also been practicing writing the graphemes (the written letter).

Poetry Basket

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.

Our first poem is Chop Chop.

Chop, Chop, Choppity Chop.

Cut off the bottom and cut off the top.

What there is left, we put in the pot.

Chop, Chop, Choppity Chop.

I am sure your child will enjoy reciting and performing it for you, they have done so well learning it in school.

Super Subitising

This week we have been practicing our subitising skills. This means, we have been looking and saying how many objects we can see – without counting one by one! Ask your child how many spots they can see by subitising.

Families

Thank you so much for the family photos already sent in, the children have really enjoyed sharing their home experiences with their friends! We have been reading ‘The Big Book of Families’ where we have talked about how different families can look.

Help at home

Today, your child has come home with a ‘learn at home’ phonics sheet. The sheets link to our current learning in phonics and will be sent home each Friday. Please support your child by practising their new sounds and reading skills at home. Your child will also be coming home with their reading diary and information explaining how to log on to the ebook, your child’s personal log in details are stuck inside the front cover, under the dinosaur! They will be visiting the school library next week to pick a reading for pleasure book to bring home too.

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.

Phonics Phase 2- 12.10.23- 8.50am-9.30am

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

Hello Everyone!

The children have all been busy settling back into nursery routine and we also have some new faces!

Here’s what we’ve been getting up to over the past few weeks …

Notice

• Library day is on a Tuesday. Your child will bring home a story from our library once a week so this must be returned the following week.
• PE day is on a Wednesday. Your child may come dressed in a PE kit (joggers, t-shirt, jumper, trainers) just something comfortable to move around in.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Ward

Help at home

Help at home

Geography – Where in the world am I?

• Ask your child to point out major UK cities on a map.
• We have been locating mountains and rivers and I am sure they would love to show you where these are too.
• We have also been learning about the capital cities of the United Kingdom, ask them about what they have learnt and any facts they remember.

Times tables

We are having a big push on consolidating our 2’s, 5’s and 10 times tables as well as learning our 3’s and 4’s.

• Encourage your child to access TT Rockstars.
• Practice for our tests every Friday.

Reading

• Hear your child read through the week and sign their reading record.
• Encourage the use of expression in their reading.
• There are lots of extra ideas, of ways to help, in their reading record books.

Our First Full Week in Reception and Important Information shared on Friday 15th September

Wow! What a fantastic first full week have had in school with our new class family. The children have been amazing and settled, thank you all so much for preparing them all so well. It has been so lovely to begin to get to know each and every one of them. I hope they have had lots of exciting news to share with you.

We have started our phonics lessons this week. The children have shown great listening and were proud to learn their first four sounds (s,a,t,p). Today, your child will be bringing home a ‘learn at home’ phonics sheet. The sheets link to our current learning in phonics and will be sent home each Friday. Please support your child by practising their new sounds and reading skills at home.

PE Days

Reception’s PE day is on Monday. We will have our first PE lesson on Monday 25^th September. Please can you send your child to school in their PE kit on this day.

Bookbags, spare clothes and wellies

Please send your child with their bookbags each day. Please also send a pair of wellies and a bag of spare clothes/underwear that can be left at school. We will send it home if it needs washing or replacing.

Please double check that all you child’s school items are labelled with their name.

 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 to school to find out the basic ‘need to knows’ about life in Reception. 20.09.23- 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- 12.10.23- 8.50am-9.30am

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

Home link…

Next week, we’ll be talking about our families using the book The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith, as our talking point. To help the children in our discussions, please send in a photograph of your child with their family. You can send the photos to the Reception email address stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org . We will also be doing some observational drawings in our Creative area so if you go on a walk and see any natural objects such as leaves, pebbles, conkers and pieces of wood please can you bring them up for us to draw. Thank you so much.

Forest Friday

Year 1 thoroughly enjoyed their first session in our forest school. This takes place in the woodland area towards the back of the school and it gives the children a chance to learn in an outside, natural environment.

Here are a few snaps from Friday afternoon.

Within these weekly sessions, children will be supported to take risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.

It was lovely to see all of the children exploring different areas within the woodland. The activities included:

• litter picking
• mud kitchen
• art
• exploring the foliage
• hammocks
• swings
• balancing

Please remember to send your child with wellies and long trousers each Friday or waterproofs if you have them.