Introduction to Reception – Zoom session
We’d like to welcome new Reception parents to our school by inviting you to a short Zoom session on Wednesday 15 September at 6pm. This session will be a 30 minute introduction to Reception at our Sphere Federation schools.
The sessions will outline the recent changes to the EY’s Framework and the introduction of a Reception Baseline Assessment. It’ll also offer you a few top tips on how you can support your child at home.
The session starts at 6pm. It will last around 20-25 minutes, plus there will be a questions and answer session at the end of around 5-10 minutes.
If you’re interested in attending this Zoom session, please either send us a message on the School Gateway app or email the school office. We’ll then email the Zoom joining details out to all those who have expressed an interest.
Watch out for further workshops relating to both English and Maths on your child’s class website page in the coming weeks.
Year 5 swimming survey
As part of the government PE and Sport Premium for primary schools, there is a condition requiring schools to publish how many pupils meet the National Curriculum requirements. As school swimming lessons have been disrupted due to Covid-19, please could you complete this short survey to provide up to date information for your child.
Thank you
Mrs Latham
PE/Health Leader
Phonics screening check
The phonics screening check determines how well a child can use the phonics skills they have learned in year 1, ensuring that they are on track to become fluent readers.
The check was cancelled by the government for year 1 children in June 2021.
In December 2021, the phonics screening check will be taken by all children in year 2 instead. Year 2 pupils who do not meet the expected standard in the autumn check will take the statutory check in June 2022, alongside year 1 pupils.
The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into two sections. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and alien words.
The children are encouraged to add sound buttons or use phoneme fingers to read a word. Here is a video showing how we do this.
You can help your child at home by reading anything and everything!
Our First Week
Our first groups have had a great first week in school.
All the children came in confidently. They happily waved at their grown-ups through the window before finding somewhere exciting to explore in the classroom.
We enjoyed taking part in our first PE lesson. Check out our super balances, hoop skills and jumps.
We can’t wait to welcome more new starters next week!
Keeping happy and healthy – PE
All the Year 1 and 2 classes have done some PE this week. The glorious weather helped and we all enjoyed getting active. Children can wear their PE kit (following the school uniform guide) all day on their PE days. Please send children in shoes they can fasten themselves.
1A Miss Lowry – Thursday and Friday
1,2B Mrs Latham – Thursday and Friday
2C Mr Gathercole – Wednesday and Thursday
Welcome to Nursery!
It’s been lovely to meet all of our new children and their families this week and we can’t wait to get to know you all during our transition sessions.
Who’s who?
We’re very lucky to have an experienced, enthusiastic and very friendly team in Nursery. Here’s a quick reminder of who is who!
Left to right – Mrs Beesley, Mrs Long, Miss Morris, Mrs Crompton, Miss Miller and Mrs Gosper.
Mrs Beesley (EYFS Leader, Nursery teacher) teaches in Nursery on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Mrs Long (Nursery teacher) teaches in Nursery on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Mrs Beesley and Mrs Long share the Key Person role for Red group children.
Mrs Gosper (Blue group) and Mrs Crompton (Green group) support teaching and learning in Nursery everyday.
Miss Morris enjoys playing in Nursery every morning and lunchtime. Miss Miller joins us at lunch time and stays for the afternoon. They are Yellow group’s Key People.
We are also supported at lunch times by Mrs Butler and Mrs Quinn.
Stay and play visits
Please come to the main Nursery door (all colour groups) and you will be signed in on your arrival. Remember to wear a face covering (unless exempt) and sanitise your hands as you enter.
Reminder – please email or bring passports/birth certificates if we didn’t see them when we visited you this week.
Nursery dropping off/collection
To ease congestion in the morning, we’ve decided to trial having two entrances to Nursery open for registration.
- Red and Yellow group – Please wait to be greeted and registered at the main Nursery blue door.
- Green and Blue group – Please walk down the side of Nursery and through the playground to the Sunshine Room door where Mrs Gosper or Mrs Crompton will greet you.
At the end of the day, ALL children will leave from the main Nursery door. Please be patient as we get to know parents and carers. We will dismiss children one by one and may ask for passwords until we become more familiar with everyone.
To ease congestion at the end of the day, children may be collected up to 10 minutes before the end of our session (see below for times).
Nursery session times
Monday 9.00am – 2.15pm (Collection from 2.05pm onwards)
Tuesday-Friday 9.00am – 3.15pm (Collection from 3.05pm onwards)
Morning session 9.00am – 12.00pm
*Please ensure that you collect your child promptly at the end of the session.
Nursery – Let’s play!
We’ve been very busy getting our Rainbow Room and garden ready for you all. We’ve tried to make sure that there’s something for everyone to enjoy – including some of your favourite things that you told us about when we visited you this week.
We’ve got Paw Patrol, fairies, dinosaurs, The Gruffalo and our bikes ready for you to come and play. See you soon!
Welcome Back To School Week
5/6A are having a brilliant return to school this week. From investigating materials in science, to travelling around England’s National Parks in our geography topic, it feels like our brains are about to explode with learning already!
I am really pleased with how well the pupils, and staff, have managed to adapt back into our school setting – it shows how resilient we are after a difficult time for all.
As our living and learning statement this week is ‘I can greet someone politely’, we are making sure that we are speaking to each other with respect. We are listening, responding appropriately and ensuring we ping-pong that conversation back and forth!
Well done, 5/6A – keep it up!
Science – chemists
This week, Year 5/6 have started their new science topic. It is all about materials and the focus is mainly on chemistry. This means the children will be thinking like chemists. In other science units, the children might be learning about the other strands of science which are biology and physics. The children have been exploring different materials and their properties. The thought about why different materials had been chosen to make household objects – why hadn’t other materials been used? Some children did a great job of applying their scientific vocabulary. Can your child remember any vocabulary about materials?
Reading at home
Children will be bringing home at least 2 reading books this week. These will be changed once a week.
Please return books to be changed on the days below. We will quarantine books before putting them back in the system.
1A (Miss Lowry) – FRIDAY
1,2B (Mrs Latham) – WEDNESDAY
2C (Mr Gathercole) – FRIDAY
Children will be bringing home a variety of books. The ‘practise phonics’ book (sticker on the front cover) is for children to work on their ‘sounding out’ of words.
A ‘children’s choice’ book or books will be chosen by the children and can be read together and is to encourage an enjoyment of reading. Look at the pictures, talk about the characters or information and ask questions.
Please comment on how your child copes with the books as it may take us a little time to adjust and match books to each child. Year 2s will gradually move away from phonics books and have more children’s choice books and then the freedom to be ‘free readers’ – reading whatever they choose.
Children will also choose a library book each Friday (all classes will visit the library on FRIDAY).
Help us help your child by reading anything and everything you can.
THANK YOU!
We love reading!
Reading is super important. In fact, we think it’s one of the most important things you can do to support your child at home.
Some studies have found that children who read regularly are more likely to be happy in adulthood, more likely to earn more money and more likely to do well in all school subjects.
Whilst we understand life is busy, we’d love it if you could read with your child every day (ideally for about 20 minutes but anything is better than not reading at all).
This article has a handy reading for parents guide if you’d like any more information or tips.
Our Reading Activities leaflet will provide lots of activities to make reading an even more enjoyable and active experience for all. Check out the ‘Help Your Child‘ section of our website for a range of guides and tips for helping your child across a range of subjects.
Some common questions about reading:
When should my child have their reading book and reading diary in school?
3,4A (Miss Harker’s class) – Friday
3,4B (Mr Catherall’s class) – Friday
3,4C (Mrs McCormick and Mrs Wadsworth’s class) – Monday
Now my child is in Year 3 or 4, should I still sign their reading diary?
Yes. We want you to sign their reading diary and leave a comment at least once a week. We think it’s a really important link between school and home.
My child can read fluently. Should they still read aloud to me?
Ideally, yes. They can spend time reading on their own, too – we encourage this. However, it’s really important that children still practise the skill of reading aloud. It helps improve their confidence and improves their ability to read with expression. Being read to is really important, too – so don’t underestimate the power of a bedtime story!
The book my child has brought home is too easy / hard. What should I do?
This will rarely happen but if you do think your child’s book isn’t the right level please get in touch with their class teacher (our email addresses are at the bottom of this post).
If you have any other questions, comments or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your child’s class teacher.