Sept 2019 - July 2020
Our Year One children are taught in Hogglestock Hedgehog Class. We enjoy learning both through structured lessons and through opportunities for creative play. We have a main classroom, another room and a lovely outdoor area. We also use the school raised beds to grow fruit and vegetables. Our teacher, Ms Steggall, loves to teach us songs throughout the day and she also loves to teach us to paint!
We have two TAs. Mrs Perry works with us every morning and Mrs Rowlatt works with us every afternoon.
Autumn 2019
The children are settling in quickly and getting used to being Year Ones. We like the children to learn to be independent so please only come in to the Yr1 cloakroom if absolutely necessary. They soon proudly learn to unpack and organise themselves; this is all part of their education.
Our topic this term is My Family and Other Animals. The children will be talking and writing about themselves, their families and pets. They will be learning about the five senses and learning to name body parts. We will look at how animals, including humans are grouped and how different animals are cared for. We will think about the food we eat and how to keep healthy. We will move on to looking at sea life. We will be visiting Bristol aquarium on 30.9.19 and having a guided tour to learn interesting facts about sea animals.
Home Reading
As from next week, we will change the reading scheme books on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Please comment in their reading record. If they are still halfway through a book, note down the page they are up to so we don’t change it! In addition, the children will have access to a wide range of online reading books at their level on the Bug Club website which you can access at home if you have internet. I will send you instructions and passwords soon. The children are also free to borrow one book at a time from our bedtime collection, which is for you to read to them. They can choose this themselves. It is purely for enjoyment.
Homework
Each Friday every child will bring home some maths and spellings or phonic work to learn. Please ensure homework folders are returned on the following Thursday. We will do a spelling test on Thursday morning. The children will bring their spelling test book home so you can see how they did and if there are any words to relearn. PLEASE MAKE SURE THEIR SPELLING TEST BOOKS STAY IN THEIR PLASTIC FOLDERS AND COME BACK ON THURSDAYS.
Special Additional Homework
If your child needs further practise on a particular aspect of their maths, handwriting or phonics, or if they have missed something essential due to illness, I will send a learning activity home in their reading record. Please return with your comments, or comment in their reading record. Working together in this way really makes a difference.
P.E.
This term, our regular PE slot will be on Monday afternoon and the focus is gymnastics. Children will need a white t-shirt and black shorts or leggings. Please ensure all kit is clearly name-tagged in a named bag and is in school READY FOR MONDAY!
Forest School
On Wednesday mornings starting 11.9.19 the children will be doing Forest School with Debbie and Mrs Perry. They should come to school dressed in warm long trousers, a long sleeved shirt, warm jumper and a coat. They can wear wellies, boots or weatherproof trainers. Bring gloves and a hat too as it surprisingly colder in the shady Forest School area. Remember to bring school uniform to change into afterwards. Please also make sure every single school jumper, cardigan, shirt, hat, coat etc, is named. It makes all our lives SO MUCH EASIER!
Water Bottles and Snacks
As I mentioned at the parents’ meeting last term, the children each have their own named school water bottle in Hedgehog class for them to drink from. The bottles will stay in school and be washed out and refilled daily. I will teach the children about the health benefits of water and keeping hydrated and we will all drink together before they go out to play. They will of course be able to drink at other times too!
Please provide a healthy snack for the morning break. The children will put their reusable snack tub in a crate ready to take out to play, so make sure it is name labelled. If you are providing grapes or cherry tomatoes, please cut in half to avoid the risk of choking. No plastic wrapping please.
Ideas for healthy snacks –dried fruit, fresh fruit, raw vegetables with perhaps a rice cake, oat cake and cheese cut into cubes. No crisps or anything with sugar/sweeteners in, thank you.
Lunchtime Drinks
Children can bring a different drink for lunchtime if they wish, but this is not necessary as water jugs and cups are provided in the dinner hall.
Other Information
Hogglestock Hedgehog will come home with your child one weekend during the year. He is getting a bit old but is still up for fun and games.
End of day:
Please make sure your child knows how they are getting home every day.
Volunteering
If any parents or grandparents are interested in helping in class, for example, hearing readers or doing simple craftwork, please contact the office or speak to me.
Finally, do feel free to approach me if you have any worries about your child.
Thank you.
Update
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Hedgehogs Class Newsletter 9th November 2019 The children have quickly settled back in and are already enjoying our focus story for this month, The Little Red Hen. Take a look at Pie Corbett on YouTube to see the version we are learning. We will soon be busy finding out about flour and how to make bread along with many other related activities. PE will be inside this term. Please continue to name-label all belongings including coats, hats and gloves.
Please consider whether you could come in to help in Hedgehogs class as a volunteer. I am hoping to recruit a small number of parents or grandparents who could commit to coming in on a regular basis for a few hours a week, maybe a morning or afternoon to listen to children read, help with our technology projects or maybe take small groups to do cooking, sewing or art activities. Perhaps you have other strengths you could share? Please let me know or talk to Rose in the office.
I am looking for someone to help with bread making on Tuesday 19th November, please let me know if you can help. The children are making good progress with phonics and spelling. Please continue to support them with their spellings which are tested each Thursday. Practise every day after reading at home. The children should aim get them all correct. Writing neatly words over and over again will also help them learn the relative letter sizes. Please continue to help correct their pencil grip (nip, flip and grip). Homework books should only be returned on Thursday complete with their spelling book.
Please keep practising the phase 3 and 4 sound mats that are stuck in the homework books. Help them to blend the sounds until they can speed-read them. After that, they can work on speed-writing them in response to you saying each digraph or blend. The children have also started to bring home tricky words on individual flashcards, to practice each day when you read at home. They will get a new set when they know them all. After the Phase 5 set they will be given the whole of the First 100 Words to practise reading. It is essential that your child reads as regularly as possible at home, at least five times a week. Please record each time they read in their yellow book.
In maths this term we will be adding and subtracting numbers to 10/15, doubling and halving to 20, counting to and from 100, counting to 100 in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s, telling the time at half past, measuring both weight and length and identifying 2D and 3D shapes. Homework will reflect our weekly topics.
Alongside The Little Red Hen, we have already started preparations for our KS1 nativity play. The date and times for the performances are as follows:
Tuesday 10th December 2.15pm and Thursday 12th December 6.30pm
It will be thrilling for the children to return to school for the evening show. We hope it will give working parents an opportunity to attend this special event. The children will soon find out what part they will play; details of costume requirements will follow. Please both dates in your diary today!
Thank you for your ongoing support, Ms Steggall, Mrs Perry and Mrs Rowlatt