Last Thursday the afternoon and full day nursery children enjoyed coming in to school to eat a school lunch.

The children loved waving to older friends they know, and getting used to the new environment. And it was a big thumbs up for the food, with several children trying something new for the first time. Especially well liked were the special ‘circle chips’ that many children loved! It seems like burger day will be very popular next term.

The children all showed fantastic table manners and were wonderfully responsible. They lined up for their food, carried their trays carefully to their tables and then cleared their plates away when finished.

Later the same day the children met with me in the Primary 1 garden for a story and play session. We had lots of fun balancing, exploring the mud kitchen and driving small world vehicles, as well as creating some lovely artworks to add to the transition display in the nursery and enjoying a story together.

In the final garden play sessions children will have the opportunity to create Colour Monster art from nature. They will have a selection of plants and flowers to create colourful images with, each with different scents and textures to explore.

My home challenge for you this week is to take a sensory walk, paying lots of attention to the colours that you see around you. The children know all about how the Colour Monster’s colours represent what he is feeling, so this could be a great way to start a conversation about your child’s emotions. Talk to your child about what colours they can see, then ask them how the Colour Monster feels when he is that colour, and if they can tell you something that makes them feel that way. Talking through feelings in this way helps children to process their ideas, and knowing that the important adults in their lives understand and support them is very reassuring for them when they face new experiences.

I would like to thank all families for their ongoing support helping the children prepare for the exciting transition to starting school. Myself, Mrs Murray and Mrs McLaren will be available at the online drop-in session on Wednesday, 5pm-6pm to answer any questions at all that you might have.

Miss Topping

This week all children will have an opportunity to join me in the school dinner hall for a school lunch. I had a lovely time with the morning children today, who all enjoyed their food and showed great manners! Lots of older friends and siblings were happy to give them a welcoming wave too.

Afternoon and full day children will come for lunch on Thursday. This will mean an early start for afternoon children, so Mrs Watt will be outside the nursery at 12 to collect children and bring them into the school.

The children have all been working very hard in nursery making a fantastic Colour Monster display all about their feelings on starting school. It looks wonderful, and every time I pop down to visit they seem to have added something new and exciting!

The children’s enthusiasm and creativity is lovely to see.  By using their colour monster feelings check-in every day the children are recognising and managing their emotions, as well as getting to know the story really well. This is something we can keep going in Primary 1, as we will start the new term by creating a bright display together for our feelings check-in.

It isn’t just the children sharing the excitement of school lunches – the Colour Monster also enjoys his first school lunch in our story! Although I must say I think our children have much better table manners and don’t make quite so much mess!

In the Primary 1 garden’s mud kitchen the children love to role play cooking, serving and sharing food. My home challenge for the children this week is to make something delicious at home. This could be play food – maybe you could make some tasty cakes from play dough, or some paper salad! Or could you even practice your independent skills by making a sandwich – spread the butter carefully, and add your favourite filling. I can’t wait to see what you create – post replies below or email photos to the nursery,

Looking forward to seeing all the children again soon.

Miss Topping

I had such a lovely time this morning meeting some of the children  in the Primary 1 garden. We read The Colour Monster Goes to School together, as a fun and friendly way to explore the feelings that children may be having about this big change.

After the story, the children had lots of fun discovering the Primary one garden space. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the children at our second garden session on Thursday 7th June. Hopefully we will be just as lucky with the weather!

Until then, the children will continue to explore the Colour Monster in nursery. You can join in at home by watching this video of The Colour Monster Goes to School, which we will read together every time we meet.

Why not have a go at drawing or painting a monster that shows how you are feeling about starting school? Here are some ideas the children made today.

We thought some of the Colour Monster’s ideas about what to put in his schoolbag were very silly and funny! What do you think you should bring to school? Why not have a go at packing a bag yourself?

I’d love to see your drawings and ideas – you can post replies to this blog or email photos and videos to the school or nursery address.

Miss Topping

Click here to meet our new Primary One teacher, Miss Topping.

Click here to access an online version of our Transition Handbook 2021  so that you can access the clickable links.

Mrs Murray

Hello everyone,

Welcome to our blog for starting Primary One at Longridge Primary School. We are so excited to have our new learners joining us after Summer!

This will be the space where you can learn all about the different, exciting aspects of starting primary one, such as meeting school staff, what to bring to school, how the classroom looks and much more. Please keep checking this blog, as it will be updated weekly with activities, sways and lots of important materials.

Mrs Watt and the nursery staff have worked closely with myself to make fantastic sways to provide virtual tours, pictures and videos to make this experience as hands on as possible within current restrictions.

Please find the link to the first sway below, where you can meet some of the school staff and listen to our story ‘The Colour Monster Goes to School’.

https://sway.office.com/UJ2bBR6QZVq0ppZj?ref=Link&loc=play

We hope you enjoy exploring and learning more about what to expect for coming to primary one!

If you have any questions or queries, please do hesitate to contact myself. You can do so at the following email address wllongridge-ps@westlothian.org.uk

Kind regards,

Miss Dodds (P1 Teacher)