🏫 Class Blog – This Week’s Learning Adventures!

📅 Week Beginning: 21st April 2025

Wow! What a fun-filled and busy week we've had in school! The children have come back full of energy and enthusiasm after the Easter break, and we’ve packed in so much exciting learning across all subjects. Here's a little peek into what we've been up to:

✨ Maths

🔢 Year 1 – We’ve been diving into multiplication by learning to count in 2s, 5s, and 10s. The children are beginning to spot patterns and understand grouping – great job, everyone! Here are some counting videos we have been enjoying to help us practise

counting in 2s - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTcpfSnOMQ

counting in 5s - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EemjeA2Djjw

counting in 10s - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftati8iGQcs

🔺 Reception – We’ve been exploring numbers beyond 10. The children have been practising counting and recognising that these numbers are made up of 10 and some more. Lots of practical activities with cubes and counters have helped bring this to life!

📚 English

📖 Year 1 – This week, we read Paddington’s Post and began learning all about letter writing. We explored what happens to a letter once it’s posted and identified the key features of a letter. We also wrote wonderful descriptions about a picture from the story – there were some amazing adjectives used!

🔍 Reception – We started the week by sharing our Easter holiday adventures and writing about our favourite moments! Later in the week, we learned about David Attenborough’s incredible life and created colourful posters to help save the animals. The children really loved learning about his work with nature.

🌍 Topic Time

🧪 Science – We have been learning about parents and their offspring, looking at how babies grow and which animals look like their parents when they’re born.

✝️ RE – We started our new topic: What do Christians believe God is like? The children shared their ideas, and we listened to the story of The Prodigal Son to help us understand more.

🕰️ History – A very exciting parcel arrived filled with items from the past! We explored phones, typewriters, and toys from the 1980s. The children loved comparing them with what we use today and placed them on a timeline to see how things have changed.

💃 PE – We had a blast dancing to music from the 1960s! We tried out some classic moves like The Twist and The Mashed Potato – lots of giggles and great rhythm on show!

🐾 Reception Topic – We continued learning about David Attenborough, focusing on his passion for animals and nature. The children were fascinated by his adventures and asked brilliant questions.

📝 Swimming Begins Tuesday 29th April – Don’t forget swimming kits (towel, swimwear, and hat). Children should still wear their PE kits on Thursdays.

📣 Talk Time  - The Talk Time letter went home this week. Our new topic is: “A Famous British Historical Person”. Please check your child’s letter for their presentation date. A spare copy is also displayed on the classroom door if needed 😊

🦉 Show and Tell - Next week it’s Owl Group’s turn for Show and Tell – we can’t wait to see what you bring in!

📚 Homework - Year 1: This week’s homework includes spellings and a creative task to make a family tree. Instructions and ideas have been sent home in bags.

Thank you for your continued support. Have a wonderful weekend – we can’t wait for more learning fun next week!

Mrs Trigg-Hayes 😊

Class Blog – This Week’s Learning Adventures!

📅 Week Beginning: 31/03/2025

This week has been packed with exciting learning across all our subjects! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Maths

🔢 Year 1 – We have been exploring capacity, looking at the concepts of full and empty, and comparing and measuring volume and capacity.

🔺 Reception – We continued our exploration of 3D shapes and their properties, predicting and testing which ones roll and slide. We also thought about whether a shape’s ability to move changes depending on whether it has a curved surface or flat faces.

English

📖 Year 1 – We continued our poetry topic, writing our own versions of The Caribbean Counting Rhyme.

🔍 Reception – After reading Tadpole’s Promise, we created our own pond settings and designed wanted posters to help find Tadpole’s beautiful rainbow caterpillar.

Topic

🌱 Science – Year 1 checked the results of our planting experiment, which confirmed our prediction that plants need light, water, and soil to grow healthily.

🌍 Geography – We explored facts about Brazil and added them to our passports.

🎭 D&T – We designed, made, and evaluated our carnival masks.

🦋 Reception – We explored the butterfly life cycle through different stories, non-fiction books, and videos. We also had fun role-playing with little eggs and chicks and going on an Easter scavenger hunt!

It’s been an amazing week of learning—well done, everyone! 👏✨

Class Blog – This Week’s Learning Adventures! WB: 24/3/2025

This week has been packed with exciting learning across all our subjects! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Maths

🔢 Year 1 – We’ve been using scales to compare heavy and light objects, measuring their mass with non-standard units to make the scales balance.
🔺 Reception – We explored odd and even numbers and began learning about 3D shapes, identifying their properties.

English

📖 Year 1 – We had a fantastic time learning and performing poetry! We even had a go at writing our own versions.
🔍 Reception – After reading The Detective Dog, we created our own detective characters and thought of a new stories for the misguided, book-loving thief to enjoy!
🔡 Phonics – Reception focused on the trigraph /ure/ and the digraph /er/, while Year 1 learned how and when to add ‘-ed’ to words.

🔬 Science Week – A Forensic Mystery!
To celebrate Science Week, we stepped into the world of forensics! We took part in a science workshop, where we learned how to find clues, match fingerprints, and investigate a crime scene. But the real excitement came the next day when we arrived at school to find… a crime scene of our own! 📚 The mystery of the missing books had begun!

Over the next few days, we examined evidence, questioned suspects, and worked together to uncover the truth. It was incredible to see the children so engaged, excited, and full of brilliant detective ideas! 🕵️‍♂️🔎

What a week of learning adventures! 🚀

Class Blog – This Week’s Learning Adventures!

WB: 17/3/2025

This week has been packed with exciting learning across all our subjects! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Maths

• Year 1 have been consolidating their maths skills by solving number problems, working on addition, subtraction, and missing number problems, while focusing on the process of finding each answer.
• Reception have been exploring different ways to make 10 by adding two or three numbers together. Knowing these number bonds by heart is key to developing fluency and mathematical understanding. You can watch a fun episode of Numberblocks to reinforce this learning: Numberblocks – Ten Again.

English

• Year 1 have been learning about the Easter story, sequencing events, and writing sentences to retell it in their own words.
• Reception took an exciting trip to the Amazon Rainforest through our story Zonia’s Rainforest! We explored the setting, created our own rainforest scenes with animals, and even designed inventions to help plant more trees and combat deforestation. In phonics, we linked our learning by writing words and sentences to create our own buttons!
• Phonics:
  • Reception have been learning the trigraphs /ear/ and /air/.
  • Year 1 have been practicing the /e/ sound spelled ie.

Topic

• Year 1 created beautiful observational paintings of daffodils and tulips, paying close attention to details, colors, and shapes.
• Science: They explored what plants need to stay healthy.
• RE: We learned about the traditions of Passover and the meaning behind its rituals.
• Geography: We discovered fascinating facts about Brazil, including its human and physical features, and expanded our geographical vocabulary.
• Reception dived into the wonders of the rainforest! We explored rainforest animals, the climate, and the impact of deforestation. We also compared Brazil to the UK, discussing similarities and differences. Our creative side shone as we made patterned snakes and symmetrical butterflies!
•  

It’s been a fantastic week of learning, fun, and creativity. Well done, everyone!

Class Blog – This Week’s Learning Adventures!

WB: 10/3/2025

This week has been full of exciting learning across all our subjects! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Maths

🔢 Year 1 have been exploring measuring. We compared and ordered the length and height of different objects. First, we used non-standard units to practice measuring accurately, then progressed to using rulers to measure in centimetres.

🔢 Reception have been exploring the numbers 9 and 10 through counting, subitising smaller groups, and finding more and less of different numbers.

English

📖 Year 1—After their amazing work last week orally retelling Wombat Goes Walkabout with actions, the children wrote their own versions of the story. Wow! Their writing was incredible—beautifully detailed and impressively long! Well done for all your hard work!

🏴‍☠️ Reception—We’ve been pirates this week, exploring The Night Pirates! On Monday, we took Drawing Club outside and used chalk to create new pirate characters on the pavement. Later, we discovered a locked treasure chest making a mysterious scratching noise inside! The children imagined what could be inside—suggestions ranged from cats to aliens and monsters! We then linked our phonics to write words and sentences to create our own ‘buttons’!

🔠 Phonics

• Reception: We have been learning the digraphs /ow/ and /oi/.
• Year 1: We have been learning to say the /e/ sound spelled ea.

Topic

🎨 Year 1 enjoyed observational painting of daffodils and tulips, carefully studying details and making thoughtful choices about colours and shapes.

🌱 Science: We learned about and labelled parts of a plant.

🍽️ RE: We explored the Seder plate—a special meal that Jewish people eat to remember the story of Passover.

🗺️ Geography: We discovered fascinating facts about Australia and wrote some of our favourites in our ‘passport’. We also used a key to locate Australia on a world map.

🏴‍☠️ Reception—We continued our pirate adventures by learning about real-life pirates, speaking in pirate talk, and discovering our very own pirate names! We even became pirates on the school pirate ship! To end the week, we also explored and painted beautiful daffodils and tulips!

Class Blog – This Week’s Learning Adventures! WB: 3/3/2025

This week has been full of exciting learning across all our subjects! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Maths

• Year 1 have continued exploring numbers up to 50, using their knowledge to predict, check, and fill in missing numbers on a number line. They have also been finding one more and one less.
• Reception have been exploring time by looking at how they have changed since they were babies, sequencing events, and investigating how long a minute is. They used timers to see how much of a specific task they could complete in one minute!

English

• Year 1 have done an amazing job orally retelling Wombat Goes Walkabout using actions and creating story maps. They have also been focusing on writing accurate sentences by practising dictated sentences, applying their spelling skills, and remembering finger spaces, full stops, and capital letters. They also worked on pluralising words by adding the suffixes -s and -es.
• Reception have been diving into Drawing Club with Somebody Swallowed Stanley. They used wax crayons and watercolours to create ocean settings and thought about how they could recycle Stanley into something new. Their buttons linked to words, and their sentences connected to phonics learning.
• Phonics – This week, Reception have been learning the digraphs /or/ and /ur/, while Year 1 have been learning to say the /f/ sound spelled ph.

Topic

• Year 1 continued exploring Australian Aboriginal art, using dots to contribute to a giant collaborative artwork.
• In Science, they planted seeds for an investigation and went on a nature walk to explore plants in the environment.
• In RE, they learned about the story of Passover and sequenced the events.
• In History, they researched the life of Steve Irwin and wrote about his achievements.
• In Geography, they explored geographical language related to Australia's physical features.
• Reception investigated what happens to rubbish after it’s thrown away. They used tweezers to clean up litter in a small-world beach scene, sorted rubbish by material for recycling, and examined packaging symbols to determine which bin to use. They also engaged in junk modeling, repurposing discarded materials to create something new!

It’s been a fantastic week of learning, fun, and creativity. Well done, everyone!

Class Blog – This Week’s Learning Adventures!

This week has been full of exciting learning in all our subjects! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Maths
• Year 1 have been busy exploring numbers between 20 and 50, counting in groups of ten, and breaking these numbers into tens and ones.
• Reception have been exploring length and height. We read the stories I Can Only Draw Worms and Actual Size to compare sizes and use non-standard units (such as paperclips and cubes) to measure. We also made playdough worms and compared and ordered them by length.

English
• Year 1 have enjoyed exploring our new story Wombat Goes Walkabout. We’ve practiced orally retelling the story using actions to help us recall the language and rhythm, preparing for when we rewrite it in a couple of weeks. We’ve also been working on extending our sentences using the conjunction ‘and’.
• Reception have been diving into Drawing Club with Emma Jane’s Aeroplane. We designed our own locations of imaginary places for Emma Jane to visit and invented new vehicles for Emma to use when her aeroplane broke down. For our buttons, we’ve been writing the new digraphs we’ve been learning.
• Phonics – In Reception, we’ve been learning the long and short /oo/ and /ar/ digraphs. In Year 1, we’ve been learning to say ‘g’ as /j/ and ‘c’ as /s/.

Topic
• Year 1 explored Australian Aboriginal art, creating amazing dot patterns. In Science, we’ve started our new topic on ‘plants’ and begun planning our light and dark experiment.
• In RE, we’ve started our new topic, How Do Jewish People Celebrate Passover (Pesach)? and brainstormed questions we would like to explore.
• In History, we’ve been learning about the life of Steve Irwin and researching his achievements. In Geography, we explored Australian landmarks and sorted them into ‘Australian’ and ‘Not Australian’ categories.
• Reception have been exploring aeroplanes and how they work, using different materials to make our own models from paper, straws, and lolly sticks! We’ve also loved exploring and creating maps. In RE, we’re learning about the Easter Story and why Christians celebrate it. In PE, we’ve been practicing different rolls.

It’s been a fantastic week full of learning, fun, and creativity. Well done, everyone!

This Week’s Learning Adventures! Week Beginning 10.2.2025

This week has been full of exciting learning in all our subjects! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Maths

• Year 1 have been busy finding the difference using fact families and working out missing numbers. Their problem-solving skills are getting sharper every day!
• Reception have been combining amounts and developing their perceptual subitising skills. They are learning to spot groups within numbers greater than 5, helping them to understand numbers in a deeper way.

English

• Year 1 had so much fun with On the Ning Nang Nong! We explored nonsense rhymes, created our own, and performed them with great enthusiasm. We also practised our spelling and sentence writing to make sure our work was accurate.
• Year 2 have been diving into Drawing Club with Where the Wild Things Are. We designed our own wild creatures and even invented new vehicles for Max to return to the island. Along the way, we linked our learning to doubling and new digraphs in phonics.

Topic

• Year 1 explored different patterns in animal fur and used paints to create their own representations in art. In science, we sorted objects into categories of living, not living, and never alive.
• For Safer Internet Day, we focused on online scams and how to stay safe online.
• In RE, we continued to learn about the importance of symbols in Christianity.
• Reception had a creative week too! They used different shapes and colours to make their own wild things and explored atlases to discover where animals from around the world come from. We have also been feeling the love today – reshaping tubes to make heart shapes for printing and making valentines day cards.

It’s been a fantastic week of learning, fun, and creativity, ending with some group parachute games which where great fun!. Well done, everyone!

Week Beginning 3.2.2025

Maths

In Year One, we have been using our knowledge of doubles to find near doubles. For example, "I know that double 3 is 6, so 3 + 4 would be 6 + 1 more." We then applied our number bond knowledge to solve subtraction problems within 20, such as "I know that 8 - 3 = 5, so 18 - 3 = 15." To further develop our skills, we used a number line to solve subtraction problems.

In Reception, we explored odd and even numbers using a tens frame by identifying pairs and spotting the "odd one out." We also practised finding and making doubles by folding paint dots on paper, and we learned a song to help us remember them!

English

Year One focused on finding rhymes. We read Oi! Frog and had lots of fun spotting the silly rhymes before creating our own rules for where different animals should sit.

Reception read The Greedy Zebra. We created a story map and used it to orally retell the story. We also practised writing CVC words using our new Phase 3 sounds.

In Phonics, Year One focused on the ‘wh’ digraph making the /w/ sound, while Reception learned the sounds ‘igh’ and ‘oa’.

Foundation Subjects

In Science, we explored food chains and how energy transfers from one living thing to another.

In RE, we learned about Christian symbols linked to the church and their meanings.

In Geography, we practised naming and locating the seven continents. We then researched different animals to find out which continents they live in.

Reception linked their learning to The Greedy Zebra by exploring African animals. We designed our own imaginative creatures using a mix of body parts and fur patterns to create some wild and wonderful designs! We also compared Africa and England, looking at similarities and differences in weather, animals, and culture. To finish, we made our own African masks.

This week was Wellbeing Week! We spent time with our friends from Owl Class for a ‘walk and talk’ session, getting to know each other and chatting about our day. We also read different stories and used the Zones of Regulation to discuss how characters were feeling.

To help us manage our emotions, we practised different breathing techniques:

• Whale breath, bee breath, and bunny breath for when we feel angry or frustrated.
• Fun dances to help us refocus when we're in the yellow zone.
• Mindfulness doodling in the style of Piet Mondrian, using black lines and primary colours, which was very calming.

Week Beginning 27.1.2025

Maths
In Year One, we have been adding by counting on within 20, using our knowledge of number bonds to 10 to find number bonds to 20, and practicing doubling. In Reception, we explored capacity by making direct comparisons, such as pouring from one container to another. The children learned vocabulary like tall, thin, narrow, wide, and shallow to describe containers and made predictions about which container holds more or less.

English
Year One planned and wrote stories with a beginning, middle, and end. It was wonderful to see their progress and creativity! Reception explored stories linked to Lunar New Year, including ‘The Great Race’ and ‘The Magic Paintbrush,’ using their phonics knowledge to practice writing CVC words and simple sentences.

In Phonics, Year One focused on ‘ow’ and ‘oe’ making the /oa/ sound, while Reception learned the sounds ‘ai’ and ‘ee’. Their phonics reading books, which match the sounds learned in lessons, can be found in their book bags.

Foundation Subjects
Year One used their plans to make their animal sock puppets—thank you to all the parents who helped! In Science, we expanded our understanding of animals and their diets, using terms like herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. In RE, we explored Christian symbols and created symbols for our own groups or clubs. Our History lessons continued with a study of explorers, focusing on the race to the South Pole. In PSHE, we discussed emergencies, learning when to call 999 for help. In Art, we explored Piet Mondrian’s work and made our own paper art inspired by his style.

In Geography, we tracked temperatures in the North Pole, Kalahari Desert, and East Hanningfield to compare climates. During PE, we practiced jumping like frogs, focusing on take-off and landing techniques for safe jumping on one and two legs.

Reception celebrated Lunar New Year, learning how it is observed in China. We discovered the story of the Great Race and learned that this is the Year of the Snake. We explored traditions like:

• Cleaning & Decorating: Sweeping away bad luck and hanging red decorations for good luck.
• Red Envelopes (Hongbao): Receiving red envelopes with money from family as blessings.
• Fireworks & Dragon Dances: Using loud fireworks and colourful dances to chase away bad spirits.
• Big Family Feasts: Enjoying special foods like dumplings, fish, and sticky rice cakes for good fortune.
• Lantern Festival: Ending the celebrations by lighting lanterns and eating sweet rice balls.

We decorated our own lanterns with petals, practiced Chinese writing in mud, and crafted paper dragons!

Week beginning 20th January 2025

Maths

Year one has continued exploring numbers beyond 10 using number lines, estimating where numbers might be using number patterns and describing numbers in relation to one another using the vocabulary, greater than, less than and equal to. In reception we have also been exploring weight, using a scale to compare objects seeing if one is heavier or lighter and we were introduced to new vocabulary, balance and mass where we found out how many cubes were equal to the mass of different objects.

English

Year one have been focusing on writing accurate sentences, using capital letters, finger spaces, full stops and accurate spellings we also practiced using the conjunction ‘and’ to extend our sentences. We will be writing and ‘paws, claws and whiskers’ story next week so we have been looking at lots of animal stories, and talking about the character, setting and problems and solutions the characters face in preparation for our own! Reception have been exploring the story of ‘The Tiger who came to tea’ in drawing club focusing on The tiger’s character and our adventure this week was that the zoo is looking for the tiger to bring him back  - I wonder where he could hide! Our buttons this week focused on words containing the new digraphs we have been learning.

In phonics this week, year one have focused on ‘au’ and ‘aw’ saying /or/. Reception learnt sh, th and ng. You will find their phonics reading book that matches the sounds in the lesson in their book bags.

Topic

In RE we looked at Christian symbols and the meanings behind them. In history we learnt about Matthew Henson, the first person to step foot on the north pole with his expedition team. Together with Reception we looked at Ocean and woodland habitats, the animals that live there and what makes them suited to their environment. In P.E. we have moved on to jumping – we have been jumping for height, like kangaroos – did you know that kangaroos can jump up to 3 meter? Reception made their own collage tigers choosing from a range of different materials and learnt so fun facts about tigers too!

Week Beginning 13.1.2025

Maths
Year One has continued exploring numbers beyond 10, using manipulatives to understand how they are made up of tens and ones. The children have also been practicing counting forwards and backwards from different numbers and finding one more and one less of teen numbers. In Reception, we have been exploring the composition of numbers to 5 and practicing one more and one less through number rhymes and manipulatives to strengthen their understanding.

English
Year One has been busy researching, planning, and writing non-chronological reports about meerkats—I’ve certainly learned a lot about them! Reception has been enjoying the story Poles Apart during Drawing Club, focusing on Mr. White’s character and writing a list for their picnic adventure.

In Phonics, Year One has focused on the letter ‘y’ making the /ee/ sound, while Reception has learned the sounds y, z, zz, qu, and ch. Their phonics reading books, which match the sounds learned in lessons, can be found in their book bags.

Foundation Subjects

In RE, we discussed belonging and explored the different groups we are part of. In Geography, we located the North and South Poles on globes and maps. During PE, we practiced changing speed, directions, and traveling in different ways.

We have started planning our Paws, Claws, and Whiskers sock puppets, thinking about the materials and resources we will need and what we’d like the finished puppets to look like. In Science, Year One has been exploring habitats, focusing on polar and desert environments. Together with Reception, we investigated how polar bears stay warm in the cold through a hands-on experiment.

Reception has also been enjoying activities with ice this week, painting it with watercolours and also mixing primary colours with frozen paints! We packed our suitcase of all the things we would need to travel to a cold country and all the children had a wonderful time exploring penguins in snow Gelli Baff!

Week beginning 16.12.2025

This week in Maths, Year One have been practicing their number formation and deepening their understanding of numbers by finding more and less, as well as identifying missing numbers on number lines and in part-whole models. Reception have started to explore shapes with four sides and have been sorting shapes by their properties.

In English, we have all been writing instructions for making biscuits! Year One made Ship’s Biscuits, just like Thomas Farriner made for the King’s navy in 1666. We used time adverbials (first, next, after that, finally) and bossy verbs (mix, roll, wash, bake) to write clear instructions. In Early Years, we explored the story of The Gingerbread Man and made our own gingerbread man biscuits. We used the sounds we have learned to write our instructions such as ‘mix it up’ and ‘cut it’.

This week in our foundation subjects, Year One completed their science experiment testing different materials to determine which would be the best to make a water bucket. We thought about which materials were waterproof and strong enough to hold water without breaking. In PSHE, we continued to discuss our Zones of Regulation, using our posters to move our pictures into different zones and discussing how characters in stories are feeling during our story times. We have been helping each other think of strategies to return to the green zone when we are dysregulated. Additionally, we talked about sleep—why having a good sleep routine is important and how insufficient sleep can affect our mood, health and ability to learn.

For outdoor learning this week, we used hammers to print leaves onto bags as part of a project we will continue next week! I was so impressed with how well everyone listened to instructions and how carefully they used their hammers. It was great fun, and the children were very pleased with the results.

Year One homework this week is Maths and spellings.

The children have all been working so hard on their nativities, and I can’t wait for them to show you next week!

Congratulations to Jesse and Amber for their awards this week and well done to Iziaha for his fantastic Talk Time on Wednesday!

Reminders:

• No Show and Tell next week; it will resume after Christmas. ☺️
• Talk Times next week: it’s Amber and Leighton’s turn.

See you next week,

Mrs Trigg-Hayes

Week Beginning: 2nd December 2024

Good afternoon everyone!

This week in Year 1 Maths, we’ve been practising our number bonds to support our number fluency. We’ve explored different ways to record our work, including tens frames, part-whole models, number lines, and Numicon. In Reception, we have been consolidating our understanding of numbers up to 5 with practical activities, nursery rhymes songs.

In English, Year 1 have started exploring instruction writing in preparation for making ‘shop biscuits’ next week. We learned about the key features of instructional texts, including bossy verbs. We even created our own verbal instructions to help Mrs. Trigg-Hayes make a sandwich for her lunch—discovering just how important it is to be specific! In Drawing Club, Early Years have been reading The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson. We created our own Christmas tree characters and imagined adventures with a cheeky Christmas character who took all our decorations! But don’t worry, our magic buttons saved the day!

In our foundation subjects, Year 1 worked together to create a kindness advent calendar as part of RE, filled with lovely ideas for spreading kindness in the lead-up to Christmas. In History, we compared photos of modern-day London with pictures of London during the Great Fire of London. In Science, we began testing materials to find the most waterproof one.

In Reception, we’ve been learning all about Advent. We made mini Christingles, learnt about how different countries celebrate advent and the lead up to Christmas and enjoyed making lots of decorations to make our classroom all Christmassy!

We’ve also been busy practising our nativities, getting into the Christmas spirit by helping to decorate our Christmas tree. We ventured outside to forage for sticks and made our own reindeer creations! This week, we also took part in an exciting drama workshop where we acted out parts of the Nativity story and learned a dance routine to Sparkle and Shine—it was amazing!

No wonder we’re all so tired after such a busy week!

Mrs Trigg-Hayes :)

WC 25th November 2024

Maths
In Year 1, we have been practising using a number line to add and subtract. The children worked hard to carefully read the number sentences, ensuring they knew which direction to move along the line. Meanwhile, in Reception, we explored finding one more and one less through songs. We used a 5-frame as we sang, helping them visualize how numbers grow or shrink.

English
Year 1 delved into the emotions of people experiencing the Great Fire of London. Using this as inspiration, the children planned and wrote diary entries as though they were actually there. They thoughtfully described the events, including what they could hear, smell, see, and feel. The diary entries were super, and it’s wonderful to see how much they are enjoying this topic!

In Reception, our Drawing Club focused on the book Mixed. We explored character and adventure by creating our three favorite colours as characters and designing games for them to play together. The adventure continued as the characters took a trip to the moon, with the children designing rockets to take them there!

Foundation Subjects
Year 1 finished their Great Fire of London artwork this week, and the results looked amazing! In geography, we explored modern London landmarks and drew them on our own maps of London. In science, we continued learning about materials, thinking about objects like cups or keys that can be made from different materials and discussing why certain materials work better for specific purposes. We have had a big PSHE focus this week in our introduction of the zones of regulation (for more information see class Dojo page).

In Reception, we had fun experimenting with color mixing and created beautiful Christmas decorations for the hall. A big focus this week was on introducing the Zones of Regulation. The children helped to make posters for each of the colour zones to help them understand and express their emotions, which will be displayed in the classroom.

Another fun and busy week! Have a lovely weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Mrs Trigg-Hayes :)

Week Beginning: 25th November 2024

Good afternoon, everyone!

This week in Year 1 maths, we continued exploring 2D and 3D shapes by sorting them and using them to create repeating patterns. In Reception, we focused on the numbers 4 and 5—finding and subitising them to support our developing number fluency.

In English, Year 1 began exploring diaries in preparation for writing our own next week. We completed a comprehension about the Great Fire of London, translated sentences from the present tense to the past tense, and wrote about what London was like in the 1600s! Meanwhile, in Reception, we’ve been applying the phonics we’ve learned by practising writing initial and key sounds in words. We also continued exploring We’re Going on a Bear Hunt—this week creating a story map to show the characters, setting, problem, and solution.

In our foundation subjects, Year 1 explored the properties of glass, plastic, and metal in science, joined in a teddy bear Olympics for PE, and started our Great Fire of London silhouette pictures by collaging fiery backgrounds with warm colours. In Reception, we created Incy Wincy Spider artwork and designed our own floating boats using materials we explored last week. We also had some fun with nursery rhyme parachute games in PE and we explored the outdoors looking for spiders and their webs!

For homework this week, Year 1 will have spellings and English tasks 😊. Talk Time is back next Wednesday, and it will be Jesse, Amber, and Isla’s turn. Show and Tell will be for the Hedgehogs group.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs. Trigg-Hayes

Week Beginning: 11th November 2024

Good afternoon everyone!

This week in Year 1 Maths, we've been exploring 2D and 3D shapes, learning to name them and understand their properties. We conducted an experiment to see which 3D shapes can stack, roll, or slide and sorted them accordingly. In Reception, we've continued looking at circles and triangles, going on a shape hunt to find them in our environment and practicing positional language. We also studied the artwork of Wassily Kandinsky and created our own colourful shape pictures!

In English, Year 1 students planned and wrote descriptions of Samuel Pepys using adjectives. In Drawing Club, we explored We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and designed our own characters, imagining how they might cross the deep, cold river!

In our foundation subjects, Year 1 enjoyed an exciting Great Fire of London experience day where we got to learn so much about what life was like back in 1666. We had the opportunity to make our own ink and wrote with quills, make soap and candles, weave, and decorate leather amongst other things! We also because archologies in the afternoon and explored artefacts that gave us clues about the past. Back in class we also continued learning about the properties of different materials, focusing on paper, cardboard, wood, rock, and stone. For Art, we drew poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day. In Reception, we've been exploring nursery rhymes to celebrate National Nursery Rhyme Week! We created Miss Polly’s Doctor's Surgery for role play, which has been lots of fun, and experimented with floating and sinking in preparation for making our own boats!

Reminders:

• Show and Tell next Friday will be Owl groups turn.
• Talk Time will be on Thursday afternoon next week instead of Wednesday and it’s Clara and Daisy’s turn to present.

Week Beginning: 4th November 2024

Good afternoon, everyone!

This week in Year 1 maths, we’ve been practising finding one more and one less using number lines and number stories. Reception children have been working on identifying numbers and learning about circles and triangles.

In English, Year 1 has begun exploring the Great Fire of London. We’ve been studying visual literacy by watching videos about the event and learning about Samuel Pepys and his famous diary. Early Years have been discovering the story of Rama and Sita. They’ve also designed their own gods and created items that light up to help guide Rama and Sita home during Drawing Club.

In our foundation subjects, Year 1 have created a timeline of the events of the Great Fire of London in history. In Science, they have started investigating the properties of different materials. In RE, we’ve begun learning about the Nativity story and its importance to Christians. In Art, we celebrated fireworks by making our own creative representations.

In Reception, the children have been learning about Diwali, how Hindu people celebrate, and have made their own diva lamps and rangoli patterns. They also decorated their hands with mehndi designs. Additionally, we’ve been exploring the signs of autumn, making autumn-inspired artwork, and going on an autumn walk.

Next Friday, it's the Squirrels’ turn for Show and Tell. For Talk Time on Wednesday afternoon, Juno and Elsie will be presenting.

Mrs. Trigg-Hayes

Week Beginning: 21st October 2024

Hello Robins!

This week in Year 1 maths, we've been exploring subtraction through number stories and word problems and learning to take away using a number line. In Reception, we focused numbers 1, 2, 3 – recognising and matching amounts and practising finding one more.

In English, Year 1 have used their story plans to write their own enchanted stories. They worked so hard on these and were a joy to read! Meanwhile, in Reception, we've been continuing to look at the The Three Little Pigs, this week learning actions help us to verbally retell the story and making a story plan to talk about the characters, setting, problem and solution.

In our foundation subjects, Year 1 have been making their own local area maps in geography, teeth and staying healthy in science, making our bug hotels in D&T and creating our own art based on the work of Andy Goldsworthy. In Reception, we've used recycled materials to make our own houses, using different techniques to cut and stick our masterpieces together!

As a whole class we have been Learning about Mae Jemerson for Black History month. We read a book about her life and learnt a song to perform in an assembly to the whole school. They all LOVED doing this! Their confidence shone during the assembly, making it a delightful way to end the term.

For homework this week, Year 1 will have spellings and Maths tasks 😊. Talk Time when we come back will be Lillie and Frank. Show and Tell will be for Foxes group.

Have a lovely break and see you nex half term, 

Mrs. Trigg-Hayes

Week Beginning: 14th October 2024

Good afternoon everyone!

This week in Year 1 maths, we've been exploring addition through number stories and word problems and learning how to find a part using subtraction. In Reception, we focused on patterns around us in our environment and created our own repeating patterns.

In English, Year 1 have been working with adjectives to describe the character Bog Baby. We also created our own characters for the stories we'll be writing next week, complete with magical world story plans including characters, settings, problems, and solutions. I'm excited to see their stories come to life next week! Meanwhile, in Reception, we've been reading The Three Little Pigs and, in Drawing Club, exploring characters and settings. In phonics, Year 1 focused on the split digraphs 'i-e' and 'o-e', while Reception learned the Level 2 letter sounds: g, o, c, and k.

In our foundation subjects, Year 1 have been learning about aerial viewpoints in geography, germs and staying healthy in science, and designing bug hotels in D&T, which we'll be making next week. In Reception, we've been looking at different types of houses, building brick houses with blocks and crazy foam (which explains the blue hands!) and painting The Three Little Pigs characters using watercolours.

A big well done to everyone for their fantastic performance in the Harvest Festival! They showed wonderful confidence and should feel very proud.

For homework this week, Year 1 will have spellings and English tasks 😊. Talk Time and Show and Tell will resume after half-term since we won’t be in on Friday.

Finally, a special congratulations to Lillie and Daisy for receiving awards today!

Mrs. Trigg-Hayes

Week beginning: 7th October 2024

Good afternoon!

This week in Year 1 maths, we’ve been exploring number bonds within 10, using a systematic approach to find all the combinations. We also continued practicing writing number sentences and refining our addition skills. In Reception, we’ve been comparing size and mass using vocabulary like bigger/smaller, taller/shorter, and heavier/lighter. The children enjoyed measuring themselves to see who was taller or shorter and using scales with playdough to explore whose creations were heavier—and even challenged themselves to make some that weighed exactly the same!

In English, Year 1 has been delving into stories, preparing to write our own in the coming weeks. We explored a variety of books, discussing the characters, settings, and structure of the stories. The children completed a reading comprehension, were introduced to verbs, and designed magical land settings for their own stories. I’m very excited to see how these develop! Reception have been enjoying The Enormous Turnip, creating characters and settings based on the story—it’s been a big hit! In phonics, Year 1 focused on the 'a-e' split digraph, while Reception began learning Level 2 letter sounds: i, n, m, d.

In our foundation subjects, Year 1 art has been all about crafting amazing tree bogarts using clay and natural materials—they turned out incredible! In science, we discussed how to keep our bodies healthy through a balanced diet and exercise. During PE, we conducted an investigation into which exercises best raise our heart rate. In geography, we practiced using directional language and compasses to explore the school grounds. Meanwhile, Reception continued exploring the theme of Harvest, discussing why it’s celebrated and where our food comes from. They also developed fine motor skills by working with the pumpkins they drew last week, hammering golf tees into them!

For homework this week, Year 1 will have spellings and maths 😊.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs Trigg-Hayes

Week beginning: 30th September 2024

Good afternoon!

This week in Year 1 maths, we've been exploring part-whole models, writing number sentences, and looking at number families. In Reception, we’ve been sorting objects using different criteria and playing ‘guess my rule’ and ‘odd one out’ games.

In English, Year 1 has been diving into the theme of autumn through poetry. We wrote a harvest prayer, planned and composed our own autumn garden poems, and even learned a special autumn poem to celebrate National Poetry Day yesterday – we hope you enjoy it! Reception has been learning the story of The Little Red Hen, creating picture story maps to depict the characters, setting, problem, and solution, perhaps you can explore the story together at home!

In phonics, Year 1 focused on the 'ea' digraph, while Reception began learning Level 2 letter sounds: ‘s, a, t, and p’. You’ll find an information sheet on these sounds in their bookbags, along with a printed book containing words that match the sounds we've covered this week, so they can start recognising each sound. We also have have been practising blending these sounds together to make words, for example s-a-t = sat.

During our foundation subjects, Year 1 explored why light is such an important symbol for Hindus in RE. In art, we’ve been busy making Christmas cards. In science, we learned about reptiles, and in geography, we've been studying maps and symbols to identify key features. Reception begun exploring the theme of Harvest through the story of the Little Red Hen and we have looked at how bread is made. We looked closely at different vegetables that are harvested and created observational drawings using pastels, paying close attention to the colors and shapes of the vegetables we were drawing.

For homework, Year 1 will have spellings and English this week 😊.

A quick reminder for Show and Tell – next Friday, it will be the turn of the Hedgehog group (Hope, Samuel, Clara, and Isla).

Well done again to Isabella and Albert for their incredible Talk Time presentations. Next week, it’s Milly, Sofia and Rosie's turn to present!

Lastly, a big congratulations to Elsie and Sofia for receiving awards today!

Have a lovely weekend, 

Mrs. Trigg-Hayes 😊

Week beginning: 23rd September 2024

Good afternoon!

This week in Year 1 maths, we've been working on recognising and using the symbols for less than, greater than and equal to, comparing numbers using these symbols, ordering numbers and symbols and using a number line. In reception children are introduced to the concept of identifying sets of different objects and noticing when something in a set doesn’t fit!

In English, Year 1 have been looking at signs of autumn; exploring the school grounds and writing lists of what we observed and reading poems and stories about it. We then investigated autumn objects and thought of adjectives to describe them. We thought of some fantastic descriptions of pinecones, leaves and conkers by using our senses think about how they look, feel and sound. Reception have been exploring books about different types of families and have loved sharing their pictures of their own families this week with their friends.

In phonics, Year 1 learned the 'ie' digraph, while Reception have continued to enjoy Phase 1 phonics activities. We’ve been reading ‘Dance to the Hatching Beat’, listening carefully to animal sounds and identifying them and using our bodies to make syllabic rhythms and actions to go match the story.

During our foundation subjects this week, we explored why light is an important symbol for Jewish people in RE. In art, we read ‘Leaf Man’ and made out own natural loose part artwork using some of the autumnal goodies we collected on our autumn walk and in science, we learned about fish and amphibians. Reception have been busy making little lolly stick homes and drew their families inside - It is so lovely to hear how excited and proud they are of their loved ones  We have also been completing their baseline assessments so it’s been a busy week!

Thank you to everyone who sent in family pictures and pictures of your homes! We are busy adding them to the classroom!

For homework, Year 1 has Maths and spellings this week 😊

Have a lovely weekend, 

Mrs Trigg-Hayes

Week beginning: 16th September 2024

Good afternoon!

This week in Year 1 maths, we've been working on counting backwards within 10, finding one less, and comparing groups through matching activities. The children have done an amazing job tackling these challenges! In Reception, we've been matching objects with their picture counterparts, which has been particularly helpful during tidy-up time when using our labelled boxes!

In English, Year 1 planned and wrote non-chronological reports about foxes. Ask your child if they can share any interesting facts they learned! They put in so much effort and should be very proud of their hard work. In Reception, we've been reading lots of stories together and exploring mark-making during our continuous provision.

In phonics, Year 1 learned the 'oy' digraph, while Reception joined in with some Phase 1 phonics activities. They've been carefully listening to environmental sounds and identifying the initial sounds in their names.

During our foundation subjects this week, we explored why light is an important symbol for Christians in RE. In art, we sketched foxes—I was so impressed by their creativity! In science, we learned about birds, and in PSHE, we discussed our families and why they are special to us.

Reception continued their 'This is Me' topic by making some incredible loose-part portraits. They've also been developing their cutting skills with impressive focus and control, creating some wonderful masterpieces!

For homework, Year 1 has English and spellings this week. You also have phonics booklets that you may like to read one evening instead of the usual reading book. These support the phonics and spelling we've been learning in class. Thank you for the fantastic homework that was handed in last week—it was brilliant!

Finally, congratulations to Isabella and Milly for receiving awards today!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Trigg-Hayes