We're All Going on a Summer Holiday!

No more working for a week or two...

What an action-packed year we have enjoyed with the wonderful Class 1P!

(We're all looking a bit squinty as it was a bright afternoon. 
It was the only photo where we were all looking in the same direction)

Since September we have seen how much they have grown in confidence, knowledge and skills. We said goodbye to some classmates in the Autumn term and by Spring we were greeting new children who have become friends. We have been a happy class, learning many things together. 

There has never been a dull moment!

A Team Effort

We have been a happy bunch as Team 1 Teachers: Mrs Greatrex, Mrs Connor, Mrs Eaves and me. It has been great working with this caring group of experienced teachers. We've worked hard, had fun and spurred each other on with our passion for teaching.

Our year has gone smoothly thanks to the capable and very kind support of our Year 1 teaching assistants: Mrs Bunney, Mrs Fearon and Mrs Woolley. They have kept me sane in the crazy moments of school life. 

Behind the scenes our class has also been supported by our parent helpers: Mrs Bradshaw and Mrs Gutteridge. On Mondays and Wednesdays, these ladies have volunteered to work with our children, listen to reading, help with filing and organising our resources. 

At lunchtimes, our bright and bubbly Year 6 helpers have been volunteering to sharpen pencils and tidy tables. They helped us prepare for the Elf Run in December and on a weekly basis we benefit from their creative and energetic assistance!

As teachers we appreciate all the of practical support we can have in the classroom, the smiles from parents at the doors and the occasional ice lolly on hot summer days. 

Thank you for supporting your child at home with regular reading and homework projects. We can see how your nurture impacts the children's achievements in the classroom. 

Also, a great big thank you for the kind cards and gifts that were received this week. I have yet to unpack them all, but here are all the unexpected treats...

I wish you all a very happy summer and the chance to make lovely memories with your children. Hopefully the sunshine will continue and we can all get out and about on our own adventures! 

All the best, 

Mrs Solana Page
Year 1 Group Leader

Infant Sports Day

Some quick snaps from our Sports Day last Thursday...

Making a Healthy Breakfast Pot

Our Design and Technology Project this term was to design and make a breakfast pot using healthy ingredients like yogurt, oats, fresh fruit and dried fruit. 

This started off with discussions on where our food comes from. Does it come from a plant source or animal?

No food project is complete with taste testing! 

Our eager tasters had samples of strawberry, dried apricot, mixed berries, banana, canned mandarin, canned peaches and different flavours of yogurt to choosen from . 

Impact: The children were immersed Design and Technology, discussing food sources and where ingredients come from. It was also an opportunity for them to evaluate their own daily breakfast choices and consider other foods that they have tried. They were introduced to the terms 'fresh', 'frozen', 'canned' and 'dried'.  

Many pupils bravely tried the different foods for the first and talked about their preferences.  

We demonstrated how to handle food safely and the simple preparation of the ingredients meant that children were able to layer their breakfast pot ingredients independently. 

Afterwards, pupils tasted and evaluated their breakfast creations, thinking about how they could improve the taste and texture of their breakfast pots. 

What will your little chefs create in the kitchen this weekend? 

In the Summertime

With summertime well under way we have continued our work on the changing seasons and daily weather reports. It's been mostly dry and sunny, making the conditions ideal for walks around the gardens. 

Impact: Children can identify the changes in plants when the seasons change. They understand that as we approach summer, the daylight hours increase and the temperature also increases, making good conditions for plants to grow and flower. 

The children can talk about what they notice in the school gardens from Autumn to Winter, Winter to Spring and now Spring to Summer. They used their knowledge of the parts of plants to explain the changes that they notice with leaves and flowers. 

Geography Around the World: 

Learning about North America

Our map work included searching for the capital cities of countries in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. We discovered that North America is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the West and the Atlantic Ocean on the East. There are many human and physical features which we were able to identify in the illustrated atlases. 

Guided Reading this week included phonics activities, building sentences, making tricky words and inspired by 'The Wish Fisher' one group drew what they would wish for. 

We have a huge basket of poetry books that our excited readers have been enjoying. There has been lots of practice on reading wit good expression and volume. 

This week concluded our work on performance poetry. 

A couple of our groups had the chance to recite their poems on Friday afternoon and we will continue this coming week. Thank you to all those who have worked hard to memorise the poems by heart! 

Have a lovely weekend, 

Mrs Page and Mrs Woolley 

Who Likes Toys? We Like Toys!

Who Likes Toys? We Like Toys!

At the end of a busy week of Phonics Screening, our energetic learners enjoyed the grand finale of History workshops run by the Heritage Museum Centre. 

This afternoon the children enjoyed investigating many different toys of the past. As part of our historical enquiry, we thought about whether we preferred modern toys to those of the past. 

We also discussed what toys might be like in the future. 

It was exciting and there were so many new skills that we tried out with the interesting toy collections. 

Here are a few snapshots...

Impact: The children investigated Victorian toys and old fashioned games by learning the rules and playing with friends.  They compared these toys with their own modern toys and found some similarities and differences. Children used their knowledge of everyday materials and questioning skills. 

E.g. We still have yo-yos today, but they are not just made of wood. Modern yo-yos are also made of plastic which was not around during the Victorian times. 

Enjoying Performance Poetry

Our English work this fortnight is all 

about performance poetry. 

We are learning how to read with good volume and expression. 

On the Ning Nang Nong 
Where the Cows go Bong! 
and the monkeys all say BOO! 
There's a Nong Nang Ning 
Where the trees go Ping! 
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo. 
On the Nong Ning Nang 
All the mice go Clang 
And you just can't catch 'em when they do! 
So its Ning Nang Nong 
Cows go Bong! 
Nong Nang Ning 
Trees go ping 
Nong Ning Nang 
The mice go Clang 
What a noisy place to belong 
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!! 

Ning Nang Nong Song

As soon as the song started the children couldn't resist the chance to dance and floss.