Welcome to Autumn 1

Hello and welcome to our class homepage!

I hope that you have had a wonderful summer making memories and enjoying the lovely sunshine. I am super excited to start our journey in F2! We are going to be so busy doing lots of lovely and exciting things, making new friends and learning lots and of course growing those brains!

For the first couple of weeks we will be getting to know each other and accessing lots of exciting activities in our indoor and outdoor provision including creating a self-portrait using loose parts, making houses and talking about who lives with us, drawing our families and lots of mark making getting those fingers strong!

We will start our exciting new texts including ‘The Friendship Bench ’ and ‘Amazing’.

‘The Friendship Bench’ will give children the opportunity to talk about their own feelings and emotions including the feelings of others. Children will learn about how it feels starting a new school and making friends. Children will learn their daily routine and be encouraged to explore their new surroundings. They will have the opportunity to access lots of linked provision and name some emotions including excited, nervous, happy and sad. Children will learn to write their own name using the correct letter formation and identifying lots of initial sounds . Furthermore, children will match objects to the correct letters and write labels using newly learned GPC’s.

For our second book ‘Amazing’ children will learn about friendship and the importance of friendship. Furthermore, children will understand the importance of listening and why we listen. We will listen to lots of songs and rhymes including stories and poems. Children will begin to learn about print and the direction of print. They will start to spell words by hearing the initial sounds and practising their blending techniques where children will learn to read simple CVC words. Once more, children will be able to access lots of linked provision which will be accessible indoor and outdoor.

In maths, we will start the term singing lots of number songs including Five Little Speckled Frogs, Five Current Buns and Ten Green Bottles. Children will recite numbers to 10 and learn forward and backward when counting. Furthermore, children will count objects moving onto matching objects and pictures. Children will learn to sort objects into different types and explore sorting techniques. Children will have the opportunity to explore their maths skills in provision working with adults and their fellow peers. Children will have access to lots of practical resources including coloured teddy bears, counters, cubes and links.

In Phonics children will begin their journey to becoming readers! We will begin our phonics lessons learning the initial sounds s a t p i n m d and many more. Here, children will learn how to pronounce each initial sound correctly and play the game ‘What’s in the box?’ where they will look at objects that have the initial sound they are learning for example s sock, sun, star, snake. Furthermore, children will be taught the formation phrase and play some blending games.

In Understanding the world and Exploring Arts and Design we will learn about living things including humans and animals. Children will identify, name and talk about the basic body parts exploring how how different body parts work. Furthermore, children will explore the five senses by being involved in activities that explore their sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. Children will move onto learning about materials in which they will be exposed to lots of practical activities like junk modelling and craft. Children will identify materials then sort and group them appropriately. Moving on, children will learn about some celebrations in our calendar including birthdays, Diwali, Bonfire Night and Christmas. Children will also learn about the past and that we all grow up! We will talk about our parents and grandparents and what they were like when they were little. Children will be exposed to lots of visitors including school staff, parents and grandparents where children will be able to listen and ask questions.

Reading is key to all learning and we would encourage you all to share books daily with your children. Developing a love of reading from an early age is essential for every child. We will start guided reading sessions at the beginning of the year and we do this four times each week.

Each day follows the same routine which the children thrive upon as they know what to expect. Please see below:

8:30-9:00 – Our doors open from 8.30am when the children can self-register and access Calm & Connect activities and check in with staff

9:00-9:10 – Register, Prayer and Song

9:10-9.30 – Literacy Carpet Session

9:30-10:20 – Adult led activity Literacy, Indoor and Outdoor Continuous Provision, Snack

10:20-10:40 – Phonics

10:40-11.20 – Indoor and Outdoor Continuous provision, Snack

11:20-11.45 – Maths Carpet Session

11:50-1.00 – Lunchtime

1:00-1:20 – My Happy Mind Monday/RE/PE or Handwriting (each day differs)

1:20-2.50 – Guided Reading, Indoor and outdoor provision, Interventions, Adult led activities through provision

2:50-3:05 – Story/Rhyme time

We will continue to use Class Dojo to communicate with parents - look out for messages posted on here which include key dates, activities to do at home and class updates. Please feel free to send any photos in of what the children have been up to outside of school, we love looking at these photos together in class.

A few quick reminders - PE Day is Thursday, please ensure your child comes to school wearing their School PE Kit with pumps or trainers, the children will need a jacket or hoodie on top of their t-shirt please. Children also need to bring a coat every day - we do go out come rain or shine!

Children also need a water bottle each day.

Please make sure all uniform is labelled with your child’s name including their coat and water bottle.

We are excited to welcome the children!

As always our door is always open, please don’t sit at home worrying about anything, get in touch if you have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support!

Miss Roberts & Miss Ballard x