This week, our new "Letters and Sounds" phonics programme has begun. This takes place across the whole School, every morning from 9.00 - 9.30, and the children all seem to be enjoying it very much.
The children are split into small groups, each working with a member of staff, doing English language tasks appropriate to their age and ability. The programme includes various strategies - interactive online games as well as more traditional paper and pen activities - all designed to keep the children interested and enthusiastic, while giving them a good grounding in the English language skills that they will need as they progress through their education.
For more information on this programme, please visit www.letters-and-sounds.com. Here you will also find free resources that you can use to help your child at home,
Hamsters have been reading one of their favourite stories this week - the Gruffalo. They have been enjoying all sorts of activities linked to this, including matching games, painting and printing, and acting out the story with puppets.
As part of the "Journeys" topic, Otters Class have been learning about transport and walking. To link in with this, their text in Literacy has been Cinderella, and their Science lesson came from the story.
In the story, Cinderella wears silly glass slippers, and slips on the marble floor at midnight. The children have been investigating why this happened, and were given the task of trying to find a different pair of shoes for Cinderella to wear, so that she does not slip. They tested different shoes (with different soles) on different surfaces, and were able to recommend suitable footwear for Cinderella. The children have put their findings together in a simple booklet.
Badgers Class have been thinking about the environment in their Science lesson, and have done a litter survey. They analysed different items of litter, and grouped them according to the materials they were made from. They concluded that the rubbish dropped by humans does have a negative effect on the environment.
It was cold and wet on Friday afternoon when Choices took place. This didn't stop the children who went to Tilsworth Golf Club from enjoying their activity... They devised a game which involved hitting the golf ball into an upturned golf umbrella! Great fun!
On Thursday evening the Home School Association held their first meeting of the new term. They discussed some of the exciting events that they have planned for the rest of the year - including a children's games night, St George's Day breakfast, and an Olympic themed Summer Fair. They also confirmed that money was available from the Christmas Fair and other fundraising events, to be put towards upgrading the playground, and purchasing new equipment. The children will be asked to vote on what they would like to have, so watch this space for exciting outdoor developments!