Miss Stephens and P1S
Dear Parent/Carer,
I hope you find the following information useful. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
General Information:
Please continue to check your child’s school clothes to make sure their name is on ALL items of clothing. As the weather warms up the children may choose to remove their jackets and cardigans when they are playing outside. As a lot of clothing is being left outside, please encourage your child to take responsibility for bringing their items back into school after playtime and lunchtime.
Your child is allowed to bring in a water bottle which should have plain water in it to drink in class at suitable times.
Class Trip
Letters were sent home recently about our upcoming school trip. Please ensure that permission slips and payment are returned by Friday 8th of May.
Gym Days
P1S have gym with Miss Macdonald on a Wednesday afternoon and a Friday morning. They also have an additional session with me on a Tuesday morning.
It would be greatly appreciated if children wore polo shirts on these days and not shirts and ties.
Homework
Homework is sent home on a Monday and should be returned completed for the Thursday of that week. Please note the children should be doing one Numeracy tasks and one Literacy task each week unless otherwise stated. Reading homework will now be given on a Monday and a Thursday and reading books should be returned to school each day in the red folder.
Please help your child to bring their red folder to school every day. Reading books, reading records and tricky word/sound envelopes should be kept in these folders everyday also. Please take out any newsletters or work which has been sent home to stop the folders becoming too full. For the final term of primary one we would like you to encourage your child to regularly practise their tricky words and continue to consolidate their knowledge of their sounds. Thank you for your co-operation.
Our class Blog will be updated regularly so check here to see what the class have been up to.
Learning focus this term:
April – June
Throughout the learning context, Fairyland, each week will focus on a particular fairytale investigating its structure, characters and setting in relation to the children’s lives. Opportunities for literacy, numeracy and leadership will stem from each story as well as the following activities:
Dragon’s introduction letter
- Letter writing
- Make dragon (co-op group task)
Jack and the Beanstalk
- Measuring
- Planting beans
- Information Handling
Rapunzel
- Measure problem solving – Rapunzel’s hair
- Plant herbs/ cress
Three Bears
- Comparison of size and volume
- Porridge – making/tasting
Gingerbread Man
- Make gingerbread men
- Timed races
Ugly Duckling
- Everyone has unique physical characters and talents
- Baby animals
Enormous Turnip
- Drama activities
- Weight
Core Skills learning focus:
- This term we are continuing to focus on developing independence and responsibility. The children should come to school prepared like Learning Larry and should be able to organise their own belongings at the beginning and end of the day. We will also be encouraging the children to think about the presentation of their work and to encourage perseverance and to give things a go.
- Children will also be looking closely at the right to be protected and accepted and the right to be heard and express an opinion, through the Rights Respecting Schools characters.
Core Literacy:
- We will continue to revise the sound digraphs and previously taught sounds.
- Tricky words will be revised in class with more of a focus of spelling these words and using them correctly in sentences.
- We will use a fictional character, the Friendly Dragon, as a stimulus for writing. We will respond to letters he sends to us.
- We will look at authors’ use of characterisation through a variety of traditional fairytales.
- The children will continue to focus on using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops in their writing. Some children will begin using a connective to join 2 sentences together.
- We will continue to work on correct formation of letters, with a focus on capital letters, neat handwriting and letter size.
Core Numeracy:
- The children will learn new Maths vocabulary related to addition and subtraction and will be able to recognise the Mathematical signs for the processes.
- The children will be able to complete addition and subtraction sums using a variety of resources to support them, such as cubes for counting and number lines to use for ‘counting on’ and ‘counting back’.
- The children will be able to explain the difference between addition and subtraction and use the correct symbols.
- Number formation and recognition will continue to be revised throughout this term.
- Linked to our context for learning, we will introduce measurement to the children. The children will learn how to use arbitrary and universal units of measure.
- The children will also explore the link between numbers and simple fractions and will be able to correctly share out objects and identify halves and quarters.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING ACROSS THE SCHOOL:
As a Health Promoting school we actively encourage and teach our children to make healthy choices, to enable them to become healthy, active and emotionally resilient young people of the future.
Morning Snack
We encourage children to bring one small healthy snack like fruit or raisins for morning break
Breakfast Club: 8.30am – 8.50am
It is fantastic that our Breakfast Club is becoming increasingly popular as the year progresses. Please ensure that children arrive NO LATER THAN 8.45am as the kitchen stops serving at 8.50am. This allows for staff to help children get organised for school. Many thanks.
Cycling and Scootering
Although we actively encourage children to cycle and scooter to school, it is important that children ‘walk’ their bicycle or scooter in the playground for the safety of other children and parents in the playground. Please ensure that children are wearing safety helmets too!
Many thanks for your continued support,
Miss Stephens
