Class 1 Newsletter – Summer Term 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back and I hope you all had a lovely Easter. I am extremely excited to be working with you and your child this term.

I hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make excellent progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice or a maths activity based on the week’s learning. Year 1 children will begin to bring maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 will be on a Monday and Thursday. For indoor PE children need shorts and a t-shirt. For outdoor PE they need a t-shirt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms depending on the weather and outdoor shoes. If girls come to school in tights, they will need a pair of socks in their PE kit too. Please ensure that all of their P.E. kit is named.

Painting Aprons – If you would like your child to wear a painting apron during any ‘messy’ activity please provide them with one, preferably long sleeved and named.

Water Bottles – All children should have a named water bottle in school every day. They are encouraged to drink from them regularly and they are re-filled, so please don’t be worried if your child’s comes home full. Please ensure they are re-filled with water each day.

Topic – Our theme for this term is Kings and Queens. Our main focus will be on History. We will be looking at and learning about Henry VIII, Charles II, Queen Victoria as well as Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II. We also have an excellent workshop booked for your child to learn more about the Great Fire of London. You may like to remember this topic when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to getting to know you and your children.

Mrs R Wry

Dear Parents,

A huge welcome to all the children and Parents at the start of the Autumn Term. We are very much looking forward to being back in the classroom with all the children.

Class 1, as you can see from the photograph, are settling in beautifully and the children are all enjoying getting to know each other again and also make new friends. 

A particular welcome goes to our new Foundation Stage children...

Rhys,Isabelle,William,Tommy,Honeysuckle,Joshua,Karma and Asha.

They have made a fabulous start to school and it's lovely seeing their confidence growing to enjoy all school has to offer.

Please read our class newsletter below and as always if you have any questions or concerns please catch us after school or ring the office to make a time for us to call you. 

Warm Regards,

Mrs Sexton and Mrs Halsall

Thank You!

Dear Parents and Children,

A very big thank you for all the lovely presents and cards we have received this week.

We have been overwhelmed by your kind and thoughtful messages . We truly appreciate the support you have given us this year and particularly over the last few months. Thank you.

We wish you all a happy and safe summer holiday and look forward to welcoming you all back in September.

Best wishes,

Mrs Sexton and Mrs Halsall.

Watch BBC > bitesize > topics 'What is a coastal habitat? and BBC 'Barnaby Bear Goes to the Seaside'.

Postcard

Imagine you are on holiday at a seaside resort. Write a postcard describing what the resort is like. What can you see, hear, smell, do?

Make your own ice lolly

Find some ideas below to create your own ice lolly. If you don't have a mould you could use a small plastic pot like a yoghurt carton instead. Enjoy eating the finished product!

Swimming pool art!

David Hockney's work on swimming pools is a good way to learn about painting a picture of water. Use this power point as a way of learning about creating artwork with sunshine and water.Think about the different shades that need to be used to create the different effects.

Pirates

Make a treasure map

Make a pirate treasure map.  You can dye your white paper with teabags to make the paper look very old.  Add different landmarks like palm trees, caves, swamps and remember to add on an 'X' to mark the spot to show where the treasure is buried. 

Alongside the map you could write a set of compass directions to help the pirates find the treasure. Use N,S,E,W, and add a grid to help you count how far the pirates have to travel. There are lots of ideas of how to do this online. 

Below you will find some resources to help you get started.

Treasure Chest 

Make your own pirate treasure chest. Use resources you have at home e.g. cardboard boxes, egg boxes, foil, sweet wrappers. Metallic sprays or paint would look fantastic.

For the gems - toy necklaces, chocolate gold coins or plastic gems would be perfect. 

Seaside

What do I Know Already?

Quick Quiz

1. Write 5 words that describe the seaside.
2. Why do people visit the seaside?
3. Can you name any seaside places in the UK(resorts)?
4. What is an Island?
5. How might the seaside be different from where we live? Can you write 2 differences?

Sun, Sand and Seasides

What do we know about the seaside and what is it like?

What things can you do at a seaside resort and why do people visit them?

Watch the BBC video 'A visit to the seaside'. 

What are the main features of the seaside?

make a seaside in a Jar

You will need:

• A jam jar with a lid
• A handful of sand
• Water
• A selection of shells and small stones
• Blue food colouring
• Photograph of a seaside resort
• Sticky tape
• You could put in: toy fish, broken jewellery, fruit nets( to look like real nets) or fish tank decorations.

Instructions:

1. Add a layer of sand to the bottom of a clean, dry jam jar.
2. Attach your seaside photograph to the back of the jar with sticky tape. make sure you can see it through your jam jar
3. Add your seaside items to the sand. You can stick fruit nets to the lid of the jar to 'dangle' in the water.
4. Colour your water with a few drops of food colouring.
5. Pour the water in slowly.
6. Tighten the lid. You may need an adult to help you with this.

Sun safety Poster Design

When we go to the beach on a sunny day, we need to protect ourselves from the sun. Although it is always fun being out in the sunshine, we have to protect our skin, head and eyes.

Design a poster which could be displayed on the beach, to remind people that we need to wear certain things and look after their skin when going to the beach.

C Beebies 'Tips for staying safe in the sun' will help you with this.

Praia do Cassino Beach in Brazil, is the longest beach in the world. It measures over 150 miles in length!

Try to find out:

• where this beach is on the map
• which country has the most beaches
• about different flags which are used on beaches and what they mean.

Summer Sandals

You will need:

• orange/yellow felt, paper or card
• ribbon
• blue paper or card
• sequins and felt to decorate your sandals
• glue
• sticky tape
• scissors

Instructions

1. Draw around your feet. Cut out the shapes.
2. Make a cut beside each big toe.
3. Cut four pieces of ribbon. Slot them between the toes.
4. Wrap the ribbon around the sides of each foot. Tape the ends onto the back.
5. Glue the feet onto another piece of paper. Draw around each foot and cut them out.

Bottles

You will need a collection of plastic bottles and jars of different sized shapes and sizes.

Which one holds the most/least water?

Estimate first of all. How could you find out? Explore and investigate!

Can you find a way of counting how many 'small container fulls' each will hold?

Use phrases like - full,empty,half full, half empty,nearly full, capacity.

Magic Potions

Mixing magic potions is a fantastic way to introduce more formal measurements in capacity - litres and millilitres. Spend time on the 'bottle' activity first and then move onto this.

Use the recipe I have attached and then have a go at  making your own. 

Different coloured drinks,e.g blackcurrant and orange squash, make it fun and helps to develop the language of capacity.

A literacy extension would be to write your own potion recipe, with an ingredients list and a method.  At school, the children love to make them as revolting as possible but always finish with a sprinkle of glitter!

A Summer activity

Busy Bumble Bees

You will need:

• Yellow material or paper
• Silver foil
• Blue paper
• Black paint
• Beads, buttons

Instructions:

1. Cut an oval for a bee's body from yellow material or paper.
2. Cut two teardrop shapes for wings from silver foil.
3. Glue the bee's body and wings onto a piece of blue paper.
4. Paint two dark stripes on the body. Then add eyes, legs and antennae, too.
5. Glue some beads, buttons onto the antennae. Then use pens to draw a happy face.

Which materials dissolve in water?

Have fun with this water investigation.

The Leak proof Bag!

This science investigation could get messy! Probably best to try it outside! Let me know if any of you succeed - I'd love to see some photos of your attempts. 

Water

This half term we are learning about all things to do with 'water.' Our first activity is all to do with 'floating and sinking!'

Challenge!

Can you make a boat that floats? Plasticine works well.

 Can your boat hold some small objects e.g. coins, counters, small plastic toys? How many can it hold before it sinks?

This is a fun experiment to carry out using kitchen paper and felt tip pens.

Can you describe to adult what you see happening using full sentences. Could you could draw and label a diagram to show how you set up the experiment and then  write some sentences to say what you found out.

01.06.20 - 05.06.20

We hope you enjoyed 'half term' and the glorious sunshine!

Welcome to Week 8 of Home Learning for some and back to school for others in Class 1. We are very excited to be seeing some of the children back in class and are looking forward to teaching again.

In school, we will be following the same Maths and English activities that are posted on the Class Page to ensure that all the children will be covering the same content. 

Zoom meetings and phone calls will continue for the children at home but may be slightly shorter than has been the norm as we will both be teaching again. We love to see what you have been doing at home so keep sending in photos of what you have been up to and we shall include some of what has been happening at school.

Any queries or concerns please contact us via the school office. Have an enjoyable and safe week everyone. 

Mrs Sexton and Mrs Halsall 

Topic Activities Week 8

Paper plate sun

You will need:​​​​​​​

Yellow and orange tissue paper cut into squares

Yellow wool or ribbon

Yellow paper

1 paper plate 

Glue/sticky tape

Instructions

1. Cover the centre of the plate with squares of orange tissue paper.
2. From the middle of the plate continue to stick tissue gradually going from orange to yellow.
3. Draw lines the width of a ruler horizontally from top to bottom of your piecs of yellow paper.
4. Cut along each line.
5. loop each yellow strip by gluing the ends together.
6. Stick the loops of yellow paper at equal distances around the edge of the paper plate.
7. Make a hole at the edge of the plate and thread a loop of yellow wool or ribbon through.

Look what you've been making!

We've really enjoyed seeing photos of some of the things you've been making at home and we'd love to see some more! 

Please send photos of what you've been doing and learning about at home so we can celebrate them on our class page. Thankyou!

Topic Activities Week 7

How to grow a plant

Use some seeds to grow some flowers or plants.

You will need:

Seeds

Soil

Plant pot

Watering can

Instructions

1. Fill half your plat pot with soil.
2. Sprinkle seeds onto your soil.
3. Pour more soil over the seeds.
4. Use the watering can to dampen the soil.
5. Set your plant pot by a window for sunlight.
6. Water your seeds regularly.
7. Soon your plant will start to grow.

Fingerprint Flowers

You will need:

A selection of coloured paints including yellow.

Blue or green paper or card.

A lolly stick.

Insructions

1. Place your paper landscape in front of you. Dip a fingertip into the yellow paint and print 5 or 6 yellow dots, evenly across the page. The dots need to be halfway up the paper.
2. Dip the edge of the lolly stick into the green paint. Use this to print some stems coming down from each yellow spot to the bottom edge of the page.
3. Finger print some grass at the bottom of the page.
4. Finally finger print some petals around the outside edge of each yellow print.

Footprint Carrots

You will need:

A4 blue and brown card or paper.

Orange paint

White paint

Green card or pipe cleaners.

Instructions

1. Cover each foot in orange paint! Print onto white paper and leave to dry.
2. Cut around the footprints.
3. Cut out strips of green card or pipe cleaners. and stick them onto the back of each footprint at the toe end.
4. Stick some brown paper along the bottom of the blue paper/card and stick the carrots onto the paper.

Look at BBC Bitesize Yr.1 and Yr.2 Basic parts of a plant. This is also suitable for FS.

Make a gardening apron out of a plastic bag

Up-cycle a garden compost bag into a gardening apron.

1. Open the bag at the sides and top to turn inside out.
2. Wash any soil away to leave the bag clean.
3. Measure how long the bag needs to be to fit and cut accordingly.
4. Use felt tips to decorate the plastic with mini-beasts.
5. Make a hole in each side at the waist to thread cord or tape through. Tie each end to secure.
6. Cut two semi circles either side of the neck piece.
7. Make another two holes and thread with cord or tape for the head loop.

Week 6: 11.05.20 Topic activities

Bird Feeder

Make a bird feeder and draw pictures to record some of the birds that use it. You could use these instructions to make your bird feeder.

You will need: 

Pine or fir cones

Bird seed

Raisins

Peanuts

Grated cheese

Suet or lard

Mixing bowl

Scissors

String

Instructions

1. Warm the lard to room temperature, but don't melt it. Then cut it up into small pieces and put it in the mixing bowl.
2. Add the other ingredients to the lard in the bowl. Mix them together with your fingertips, until the fat holds this great squidgy mess all together.
3. Tie string at the top of your cones, then fill them with bird mix.
4. Put your cones in the fridge to set for an hour or so. Now they're ready to hang up and give the birds a treat.

Blossom Tree

When you were on your spring walk did you see ant trees covered in blossom? Create your own blossom tree. 

You will need:

Scissors

Brown paint

A shallow tray or plate

Pink or white tissue paper

Glue

A cardboard tube

Instructions

1. Paint your tube brown. Remember to paint inside the top of the tube as well.
2. Make several cuts down the side of one end of the tube. These will make the branches of your tree.
3. Gently press down and open out the pieces you have cut.
4. Carefully scrunch and roll some pieces of tissue paper into little blossoms.
5. Dab a little glue along the ends of the branches and stick the blossom on. Then allow to dry.      

Topic activities Week 6

Minibeast Cafe.

Make your own Minibeast Cafe. Below you will find a menu and two recipe suggestions. You might like to decorate some paper cups and plates with creepy crawlies, as well as laying the table ready for your first visitors. Do you need an open/closed sign with opening times? What will you call your cafe?

You can change the prices of each item on the menu, from a few pence for each to amounts to £10. Make sure your diners pay their bill with real money! Year 2 - can you work out how much change the customer needs? Perhaps you could provide them with a receipt.

Can you imagine the ingredients you would need for 'Slug Slime Soup'? Write down the recipe and method. You could use edible ingredients from the kitchen or make it from pretend ones!

There are lots of recipes on the internet for preparing minibeast themed food. Choose another one to have a go at.Take some photographs to show what you have made. Have fun cooking!

Week 5: 04.05.20 Topic activities

Spring walk

Go for a walk with a grown up and look for signs of spring. You could look for: blossom, flower buds, bluebells, bees, birds, nests, seedlings, frogspawn, tadpoles, lambs and butterflies.

If Mum and Dad say you can take photos of the things that you see.

Draw and label the things that you see.

Think of 3 words to describe your spring walk, for example fun, green and windy.

Paint/ Bottle it

Paint spring pictures of different types of flowers or create spring in a bottle by collecting small objects which you associate with spring (such as seeds) in a small (washed) transparent drinks bottle.

Mini-beast Top Trumps

Make a set of your own mini beast top trump cards. Choose your 6 favourite mini beasts, draw a picture of each at the top of the card and then fill in as many categories as you wish. Award each category a value between 1 -10.

You could choose:

• How many legs

• Speed

• Camouflage

• Creepiness

• Size

Deal the cards out between players equally. The first player turns over their top card, chooses a category and reads it out. Whichever player has the highest value wins all those cards. If the value is equal, the player chooses a different category from the same card. The winner is the player with most cards.

Rock bugs

First, look at what colour your chosen mini-beast is and paint the whole pebble this colour. You might want red for a ladybird, black for a spider or yellow for a bee! Let the paint dry before continuing to make your mini-beast pebble.

Next, use a black pen to draw on some details, like spots onto your ladybird or stripes onto your bee.

 Next, stick or make some googly eyes for  your pebble.

Then, cover the whole pebble in white glue to seal it.

Finally, stick some pipe cleaners onto your pebble for the spider's legs or the bee's wings and let it dry.

Week 4: Topic activities for Class 1

Weather Diary

make a weather diary and record the weather for a week. Write the days of the week and each day record:

• What can I see?  
• What can I hear?
• How has the weather changed?
• Draw a picture of the weather.

How many different types of weather did you have? You could paint your own spring weather pictures.

Make a rain gauge

Can you make a rain gauge to find out how much rain has fallen in your garden or outside space? 

• Cut around a plastic bottle(a 2 litre fizzy drink bottle would be ideal) about 10 cm from the top.
• Turn the top part of the bottle upside down and place it inside the bottom part and fix it in place with some sellotape.
• Make a scale using a ruler and fix it to the side of the bottle.
• Dig a hole and place your rain gauge outside in the open away from trees.
• Check the rain gauge every day at the same time and measure the amount of rain collected, and empty the bottle. 
• How much rain have you collected after a few days?

You could also look at BBC Bitesize daily lessons Yr.1 and Yr.2, Science, introduction to seasons, day and night (22nd April). I am sure FS would enjoy it too.

Rainbow Treasure Hunt

red   orange   yellow   green   blue   purple

Can you find some natural objects outside to match all the rainbow colours? Write down the colours of the rainbow in a list and then when you find an object write, draw or stick it in the box next to the colour name. Label what you've found.

Symmetrical painted butterflies

Can you watch a butterfly flying, what do you notice about its pattern? You should see that the colours and shapes are the same on both sides of its body.

1. Fold a piece of paper in half and cut out a butterfly shape.

2. Use paint to create a pattern on just one half of the butterfly

3. Carefully fold the paper back in half again and gently press down

4. When you open your butterfly you should see that you have made a beautiful symmetrical butterfly.

Decorate your painted butterfly and hang it in your window, you might have sequins, crayons or small pieces of glittery paper to add detail. Try blowing paint on one half of the butterfly to create a different effect before you fold it.

Can you find anything else at home that is symmetrical? Think about 2D shapes also.

Dear Parents and Children,

We hope you are all well and managed to enjoy the sunny,warm weather over Easter. 

Here are some more literacy and maths activities for you to try, as well as some topic fun. Remember to look at the other websites we have suggested for more things to do and learn at home.

Stay safe,

Mrs Halsall and Mrs Sexton.

Design a Bug Hotel

Insects like to live in cracks and crevices, in the shade and dark and in different materials. They like to have somewhere to feel protected, where they won’t be disturbed.

Use different materials like a flower pot, bricks, stones, branches and twigs to build your bug hotel. You could even fill a plastic bottle!

Use leaves, cones, sticks, bark, straw, small stones– anything natural that you think the insects might like to live in. Think carefully about where in your garden to make your bug hotel. Will the insects like bright sunshine or shade?

It may take a little time for the insects to move in. Visit your bug hotel every few days to see if you have any residents!

Living and non-living treasure Hunt

The term 'living thing' refers to anything that is now or once was alive. A 'non-living thing' is something that was never alive. For something to be grouped as living, it must: grow and evolve, use up energy and reproduce. It must also be made of cells, act to its environment, and adapt.

Children should begin to learn about things that are living, dead and things which have never been alive. Play a sorting game by placing objects you have collected into these three sets. Talk about why they belong in each set.

Ask your child to go on a ‘treasure hunt’ around the house to search and then take a photograph (if possible) of living and non-living things.

Week 3: Spring

Here are 2 more topic activities for you to try at home.

1. Talk and draw

Talk to Mum and Dad about all the changes that take place between Winter and Spring. Now draw a picture of yourself wearing spring clothes. Around yourself draw and label the changes you have talked about.

2. Paint

Paint a picture of a tree half of which shows a winter tree and the other half a spring tree.

Week 2: Mini-beasts

This term we have begun to learn about mini-beasts. Here are two activities to try.

Mini-beast Hunt

When you go outside this week in your garden, go on a mini-beast hunt. Remember to look high and low! You may need to look under objects as well.

Draw a mini-beast chart to record what you find. Draw the creature on the left hand side of your paper and then use a tally chart to record.

Which mini-beast will be the most easy to find? Which will be the most and least popular?

Perhaps you could add a column to your chart to show where you found each one.

This week the weather is predicted to be chilly but warmer the following one. Perhaps you could hunt twice and see which week you find more.

Happy hunting!

Recycled mini-beasts

Make your own mini-beast out of recycled materials.  You could use plastic bottles, egg cartons. cereal boxes or metal tins are great,( ask Mum and Dad to make them safe.) Make your creature bright and colourful.

There are lots of ideas on the internet to help you. Remember to search safely. Have fun!

Week 2: Toys

Here are two more topic activities to try at home.

1. Toy History

Think of your favourite toy. Using books or the internet see if you can find out about the history of your toy. You could use some of these questions to help you.

• When and where was it first made?
• What material was it made from?
• What material is it made from now?
• Has it changed over time? How?

Can you find any pictures of what it used to look like?

Draw a picture of your toy. Write some sentences to explain what you find out about in your research. You might need Mum or Dads help.

2. Play a game

​​​​​​​Play a game with some people in your family, where you all take turns and follow rules. It might be a board game, a card game or a different type of game altogether. Think about why it is important to take turns and follow the rules when you are playing games.

Week 1: Toys

Here are 2 activities to try at home. 

1. Mum and Dad's toys

talk to a grown up in your family about the toys they used to have when they were little. Find out if they had any toys that are similar to the toys that you have got. How were their toys different?What was their favourite toy? draw your favourite toy and say why you like it. ask your grown up to do the same. look on the computer/laptop/ipad to find out more about toys your grown up might have played with when they were young.

2. Let's paint a picture of our favourite toy

Paint a picture of your favourite toy. Choose your toy. Look at it very carefully. Keep looking and paint what you see. Does your painting look like your toy?

Week 1: Healthy Eating.

Here are two topic activities to try at home.

1. Make a healthy eating plate.

We have been learning about healthy and unhealthy foods in Class 1. Using a paper plate or circle of paper can you make a ‘picture’ of a healthy meal.

You could use play dough, recycling materials or cut pictures out of a magazine to show what you would eat.

Can you label the food on your plate using your spelling and phonic knowledge. You could make a meal plate for all your family asking each of them what they would choose.

Last week, some of us made ‘healthy’ sandwiches which helped us to learn more about food hygiene and to practice our cutting and spreading skills! If you are able to, try and make a healthy ‘monster’ sandwich!

2. Let’s play shops!

Make your own food shop. It could be a greengrocer, bakers or supermarket. Use items from around your house or make some pictures or models. Things you might want to include could be:

• Signs showing open and closing times,
• A list of prices,
• Special offers,
• Labels for the items on sale,
• Pretend money for the till – to practice counting money and giving change.

Class 1 Newsletter – Spring Term 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back and a Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Wednesday and Thursday.   This term swimming kit will be required on a Tuesday for Yr.1 and 2. For indoor PE children need shorts and a t-shirt. For outdoor PE they need a t-shirt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms depending on the weather and outdoor shoes. If girls come to school in tights, they will need a pair of socks in their PE kit too. Please ensure that all of their P.E. kit is named.

Painting Aprons – If you would like your child to wear a painting apron during any ‘messy’ activity please provide them with one, preferably long sleeved and named.

Water Bottles – All children should have a named water bottle in school every day. They are encouraged to drink from them regularly and they are re-filled, so please don’t be worried if your child’s comes home full. Please ensure they are re-filled with water each day.

Topic – Our theme for this term is Toys and Minibeasts. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class this term we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall & Lorna Sexton

Class 1 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2019

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to a new school year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis as part of their homework. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make about their reading. Children need to have their reading books, reading records and E.R.P. booklets if applicable, in school every day.

Homework – Children in Yr. 2 will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Yr.1 children will begin to bring homework home later on in the year.  It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Wednesday and Thursday.  For indoor PE children need shorts and a t-shirt. For outdoor PE they need a t-shirt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms depending on the weather and outdoor shoes. If girls come to school in tights, they will need a pair of socks in their PE kit too. Please ensure that all of their P.E. kit is named.

Painting Aprons – If you would like your child to wear a painting apron during any ‘messy’ activity please provide them with one, preferably long sleeved and named.

Outdoor Clothing – Class 1 will be learning in both the outside area and in the classroom. We will be going out in all weathers, so please ensure your child has appropriate clothing. You may wish to send in a named pair of wellies which can be kept in school.

Water Bottles – All children should have a named water bottle in school every day. They are encouraged to drink from them regularly and they are re-filled, so please don’t be worried if your child’s comes home full. Please ensure they are re-filled with water each day.

Topic – Our theme for the first part of this term is ‘Seasonal Changes – autumn/ winter’ and the second half Fire. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with this topic. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to this theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Resources – Our curriculum is wide and varied and we are always in need of a variety of different resources. We would be grateful if you could help us with any of the resources listed below.

• Recycled toys and puzzles.
• Construction equipment
• Large cardboard boxes
• Cardboard tubes, boxes and shoe boxes.
• Sheets, blankets, large pieces of material for den making.
• Newspapers.
• Dressing up clothes.
• Anything else you feel may be useful!

We are always grateful for any parental help in class. With regards to our new FS children we ask that parents don’t participate in this until the children are fully settled and able to cope with being separate from Mum or Dad in the school environment.

If you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class we would love to hear from you.

Finally if you have any concerns or questions please feel free to write them in your child’s reading diary or catch us on the playground at the end of the day.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall and Lorna Sexton (Class teachers)

Class 1 Newsletter – Summer Term 2019

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back. We look forward to working with you and your child this term. We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Wednesday and Thursday.

Topic – Our theme for the first half of term is ‘Kings and Queens’ and ‘Our Country’ the second half of term ‘Plants’. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Water Bottles – Hopefully we will experience some warm weather this term. Please make sure that your child brings a water bottle to school with them, filled with fresh water, every day. Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help with reading or a craft activity, we would love to hear from you. Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall and Lorna Sexton (Class teachers)

Class 1 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2018

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to a new school year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis as part of their homework. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make about their reading. Children need to have their reading books, reading records and E.R.P. booklets if applicable, in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

Spellings – A separate letter will be sent out shortly giving further details.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Topic – Our theme for this term is Ourselves. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with this topic. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to this theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class this term we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall and Lorna Sexton (Class teachers)

Class 1 Newsletter – Summer Term 2018

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin maths homework this term.
Also this term, all children will be given weekly spellings to practise at home. A separate letter has been sent out with the details. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Topic – Our themes for the first half of term are Seasonal Changes (spring and summer,) and the second half of term is The Seaside. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class this term we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall & Lorna Sexton

Class 1 Newsletter – Spring Term 2018

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back and a Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice and a maths/topic activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Wednesday and Thursday. This term swimming kit will be required on a Tuesday.

Topic – Our theme for the first half of term is Toys and the second half of term Minibeasts and What a Wonderful World. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class this term we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall & Lorna Sexton

Class 1 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2017

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to a new school year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books, reading records and E.R.P. booklets if applicable, in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring spellings and maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Topic – Our theme for the first part of this term is, ‘Weather’, and the second half of term ‘Fire’ when we will be learning about Guy Fawkes and the Great Fire of London. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with this topic. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to this theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help with reading or a craft activity, we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall and Lorna Sexton (Class teachers)

Class 1 Newsletter – Summer Term 2017

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring maths homework later on in the year. Spellings for both years are tested on a Friday with new lists sent home in reading diaries. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Topic – Our themes for the first half of term are Kings and Queens and Our Country and the second half of term Growing Plants. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class this term we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall & Lorna Sexton

Class 1 Newsletter – Spring Term 2017

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back and a Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring maths homework later on in the year. Spellings for both years are tested on a Friday with new lists sent home in reading diaries. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This term swimming kit will be required on a Tuesday.

Topic – Our theme for this term is Houses and Homes which links with our science topic which is all about Everyday Materials. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class this term we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall & Lorna Sexton

Class 1 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2016

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to a new school year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books, reading records and E.R.P. booklets if applicable, in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring spellings and maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

Spellings – A separate letter will be sent out shortly giving further details.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  

Topic – Our theme for the first half of term is, Ourselves. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with this topic. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to this theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help in class this term we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall and Lorna Sexton (Class teachers)

Class 1 Newsletter – Spring Term 2016

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back and a Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring spellings home this term and maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

Spellings – Spellings in Class 1 are given out on a Friday and need to be returned to school on the following Thursday. Please see the separate spelling letter regarding spelling.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This term swimming kit will be required on a Tuesday.

Topic – A topic web is provided with this letter for your information. This outlines our provisional plans for the term. Our theme for the first half of term is, ‘Toys’ and later on in the term we will be looking at ‘Plants’. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall (Class teacher)

Class 1 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2015

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to a new school year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books, reading records and E.R.P. booklets if applicable, in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring spellings and maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

Spellings – Spellings in Class 1 are given out on a Friday and need to be returned to school on the following Thursday. Please see the separate spelling letter regarding spelling.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  

Topic – Our theme for the first half of term is, ‘Weather’, and the second half ‘Fire’. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with this topic. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to this theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Finally, if you feel that you could give a small amount of your time to help with reading or a craft activity, we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall and Lorna Sexton (Class teachers)

Religious Education (Two year cycle) Class 1 2015

Class 1 Two-Year Cycle Music

Class 1 Two Year Topic Cycle 2014

Class 1 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2014

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to a new school year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books, reading records and E.R.P. booklets if applicable, in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed and returned to school by the following Thursday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring spellings and maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

Spellings – Spellings in Class 1 are given out on a Friday and need to be returned to school on the following Thursday. Please see the separate spelling letter regarding spelling.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Thursday and Friday.  

Topic – A topic web is provided on the back of this letter for your information. This outlines our provisional plans for the term. Our theme for this term is, ‘Ourselves’. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with this topic. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to this theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall (Class teacher)

Class 1 Newsletter – Spring Term 2015

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back and a Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you and your child this term.

We hope that the following information will clarify for parents our expectations of the children in Class 1 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.

Reading – We aim to hear the children in Class 1 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day.

Homework – Children will be given homework on most Fridays which needs to be completed by Thursday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice and a maths activity based on the week’s work. Year 1 children will begin to bring spellings and maths homework later on in the year. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their work.

Spellings – Spellings in Class 1 are given out on a Friday and need to be returned to school on the following Thursday. Please see the separate spelling letter regarding spelling.

P.E. – Children must have their P.E. kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 1 is on a Monday, Thursday and Friday. This term swimming kit will be required on a Thursday.

Topic – A topic web is provided with this letter for your information. This outlines our provisional plans for the term. Our theme for the first half of term is, ‘Transport’, and later on in the term we will be looking at ‘life cycles’. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally if you feel you can offer anything extra, (relevant photos, videos or books that we can borrow for a short while) please let us know. We will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to these themes and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let us know.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!

Lesley Halsall (Class teacher)