25th - 29th September

We have now reached the halfway point for this half term and the children are making us proud everyday with their hard work and positivity.

Highlights of the week:

● Phonics – This week in phonics we have been learning the /oo/ and /yoo/ code for the letter group ‘ue’. We have read the letter groups at word level and sentence level and the children have practised writing words and sentences containing these letter groups. Please remember to practise these sounds and previous sounds at home with your child using the sheets inside their phonics folders. As of next week, we aim to send the phonics folders home every day to maximise opportunities for reading at home.

● Drawing Club – This week in Drawing Club we have been reading The Three Little Pigs. The children have thoroughly enjoyed reading along with this traditional tale and repeating some of the famous lines. A real highlight for us this week was drawing the Big Bad Wolf disguised as a pig!

● Maths – With our unit on place value coming to a close, the children had an opportunity this week to secure their knowledge of comparing objects and groups. We began by learning important terminology such as ‘fewer’ ‘more’ ‘same’ and developed this with learning the mathematical symbols for ‘less than’, ‘greater than’ and ‘equal to’ (< > =). The children showed real determination when learning this challenging concept. Towards the end of the week we introduced the children to a number line which will be a valuable resource for their futures as mathematicians.

● Geography – We continued our geography unit this week and the children have really impressed us with their enthusiasm to our lessons. We looked at a range of maps of the local area and worked together to decode what some of the symbols may mean. We learnt that these symbols help us to know where important places are, such as hotels, restaurants and hospitals. We then used a map of our classroom to find a ‘lost’ toy. The children were so excited when their hard work led to the rescue of their classroom mascot. Towards the end of the week we introduced block graphs as a method of recording data. We worked on our tables to make a block graph of how we got to school.

● Computing - The children have been extremely excited about starting computing lessons in Year 1. This week we revisited how to log onto a laptop and we were so impressed with their confidence to do this! We then explored an online application where the children were able to develop their use of the laptop track pad to ‘paint’ and create a picture. It is amazing to see the children’s progress on the laptops already.

Home Learning:

● Phonics/Reading - Recap our new phonics letter group ‘ue’ for the /oo/ and /yoo/ sound that you will find in your child’s phonics folder. Please read your child’s unit book with them too.
● NumBots – Continue playing NumBots at home and work hard to level up your character! We are so impressed with how many children have been awarded NumBots certificates in celebration assembly already!

Key Information:

● Our walk around the Boorley Park estate is next week on Wednesday 4th October. If you have not filled in the permissions form for your child, please do so ASAP. Also, ensure your child is sent to school with a coat on this day incase of rain.
● PE days are Mondays (indoor PE) and Tuesdays (outdoor PE) - please make sure your child has a fully LABELLED PE kit in school for both days. As the weather begins to get cold/wet, please be mindful that tracksuit bottoms may be more suitable than shorts, especially for outdoor PE sessions.
● Our library day is Thursday - please make sure your child’s library book is in their bag every Thursday, so it can be returned and changed for a new book.
● As the weather continues to be unpredictable, please can you send your child to school with a coat.