Welcome to Year 1 and 2

Class Teacher - Miss Cook

Teaching Assistants - Miss O'Rourke and Mrs Locke 

Spring Term 4 Topic: Why can't penguins live in Africa? 

 

A message from Miss Cook

8.3.21 - I am so glad to see you all back in the classroom! We have enjoyed our first week back with lots of well-being activities such as building houses using the mega squares, reading in the book corner with the fish lamp, Jigsaw with Mrs Locke - talking about our emotions/feelings and so much more! In English the children commented after saying they couldn't believe it was an English lesson! - We have introduced the story Meerkat Mail. I wonder what is going to happen in this story? Come back to find out! 

Spring Term 2 

So far this term we been on a trip to Africa, went in our cardboard jeeps, made binoculars and watched the animals in their natural environment. We stood still and listened. It was magical (and virtual).

We have our own Twitter account which is at the bottom of the page - Have a look at what we get up to.

https://alittlebutalot.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/picture-books-digital-library.pdf This link is an interactive/digital library full of age appropriate books for your little learner.  The children can click on a book that interests them and it will take them to Youtube where the book will be read to them.

 

English

Learning in English will be linked to topic where appropriate. We strongly believe in the importance of developing children's vocabulary through language, talk and day-to-day experiences, to enable children to put their feelings into words and share experiences.  Children show this in range of ways including understanding simple sentences, familiarity with phonics, demonstrating understanding of what they have read, the ability to write spoken sounds and words and even simple sentences.

"When we draw story mountains, it helps me add adjectives and make my writing more interesting" Harriet

Helping a young child write - helpful tips for writing with young children

"I like it when we do our finger exercises, It makes you a better writer because it makes your finger muscles stronger" - Shannon 

 

Phonics and Reading

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 have daily phonics sessions of 20 minutes in ability groups. This is supported by phonics based routines, activities and games throughout the curriculum. We follow the government recommended scheme called “Letters and Sounds." It is a 6 phase teaching programme that all children work through during their time in EYFS and KS1 moving onto a programme for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) as they move towards KS2. We teach phonics using a range of games, songs, rhymes, activities and resources. We try to keep it as fun and interactive as possible. Teachers and teaching assistants work with a group of children who are working at a similar level, this means that children from different classes may be taught together for the 20 minutes of phonics.

Children benefit hugely from reading every day. Children will be given a reading book to suit their level of reading  to read at home. They may struggle on some new words, here they will apply their phonic knowledge to decode the word. Some words cannot always be decoded, we call these "tricky words," they are words we teach the children to recognise by sight. Please can you try to read as often as possible with your children and check and sign their reading diaries.

Helping a young child read - Here is a video with helpful tips for reading with young children.

Oxford Owl - Oxford Owl is an award-winning free website. It’s packed with up to date expert advice, top tips and activity ideas so you can support your child’s reading and maths at home in the best possible way. The site also has 250 free eBooks which are also tablet friendly.

https://alittlebutalot.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/picture-books-digital-library.pdf - Digital library full of books for your child to explore. This will encourage your child/children to be independent and choose books that interest them. They will also develop their love for reading.  

Maths 

The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems

We believe every child can do maths. At Caythorpe we follow the White Rose scheme of work. The scheme follows a journey to mastery approach. It would take several years to master addition,  so what we do is break the journey down into small steps, spending time carefully considering each. Through intelligent practice and building up experience of different contexts, gradually we move towards mastery where pupils are fluent in the unfamiliar and can apply their skills in any new situation.

Daily arithmetic practise is vital for mathematical fluency. As a school we subscribe to Times Table Rock Stars. We encourage children to play daily accessing using their username and password (available from Miss Cook if you need it). Become a Rock God or Goddess, challenge your friends to a rock slam and watch out for tournaments set by your class teachers! 

"I love it when we do TTR in Maths" - Albert

"It doesn't feel like Maths when im earning coins!" - Harvey

What to do if your child says "I hate Maths!" A helpful video

PSHCE and Well-Being through Jigsaw

In Jigsaw this term we will be looking at ways to keep ourselves healthy. This will be done through various practical activities and discussions with Mrs Locke 

Please see below five fact sheets for parents and practitioners with the aim of providing information by using trauma awareness about children's and adult's emotional behaviour: You may access the full Rockpool website via the link.

• Factsheet 1: Being Safe
• One way of acknowledging your child’s distress is to be open about the fears and anxieties that are around at the moment.  Giving them information about what is happening and helping then feel safe is the most important thing you can do. This link takes you to a version of a free book by the author of the Gruffalo which explains the virus and on the back page are links to lots of other resources.  
• This is a link for older children on Flight/Fight and feeling anxious.
•  This is a link for younger children.
• This link takes you to a really nice video that the whole family can watch – you can even make the ‘Glitter jars’ if you have the right stuff.
• The following fact sheets have other useful links to helpful videos and activities.
• Factsheet 2: Keeping Connected
• Factsheet 3: Understanding Resilience
• Factsheet 4: A Nurturing Environment
• Factsheet 5: Understanding Emotions and Healthy Relationships

Free parent resources - supporting your child's well being through Corona Virus. From the Clear Sky - a children's charity. Play & Creative Arts Therapy creates a safe environment for children who are having difficulties to explore and express themselves through the language of play.

You can also find more information in the download section at the bottom of the page including the DFE helpline and appendix to our Safeguarding policy regarding COVID19 ( available to download below).

PE

Please can your child keep a named PE kit in school all week.

• Dark shorts and/or jogging bottoms,
• A plain white T-shirt
• Trainers and plimsolls

 If the weather is nice, PE may take place outdoors so please make sure your child has an outdoor kit. Please can you also ensure that all items of school clothing are named to prevent any mix-ups at the end of the day.

Connect with the class with Class Dojo

We have recently began to use Class Dojo to connect with parents and share photos and videos of all of the wonderful things that take place in school. Any parent can connect with their child’s class story and view their child’s reward points. Parents will receive an invite to their email address or we can print you a connection code. You can download the Apple App or Android App on your phone or tablet or visit the website.

Use Dojo as an opportunity to start conversations with your child when at home, talking about their points, announcements on class story and much more! 

Homework

Children will be given a homework book in which to complete tasks and every term a set of tasks which your child can select to complete, they can be completed in any order. Our homework challenges are designed to develop and extend your child’s understanding and enjoyment of the topic they are learning about in school. They are cross curricular, covering a range of subjects to enable children to succeed at their own level and demonstrate their own strengths. The Homework challenges will support your child’s learning in school. We share and celebrate children's home learning as a class weekly usually on a Friday. A copy of this term's homework tasks can be downloaded below.

Passport

At Caythorpe we are proud of our personalised curriculum with many opportunities to enrich learning experiences. Please see our curriculum pages which lists experiences we believe children should complete to achieve their Caythorpe Passport to learning.

 

Dates for your Diary

Wednesday 31st March  - Term 4 ends

Thursday 1st April - Staff Training Day

Summer Term 2021

Monday 19th April - Term 5 begins

Monday 3rd May - Bank Holiday

Friday 28th May - Term 5 Ends 

Term 6 

Monday 7th June - Term 6 begins 

Wednesday 21st July - Term 6 ends

Thursday 22nd July - Staff Training Day

 

Internet Safety

It is of the utmost importance that we make the Internet a safe place for children. We teach our pupils, not only about the wonders of the online world, but also the dangers associated with it and what they can do to be safe when they are online. Here are some top tips, advice and guidance to help keep your child safe online. 

Useful Links and Online Games to support learning.

Alphablocks - Alphablocks from the BBC is aimed at four-to-six-year-olds who are learning to read. It is a fun way to learn your letters, both sounds and names. Each letter has been made into a little character.

CBeebies Stories - Animated stories and nursery rhymes from the BBC including traditional tales such as The Ugly Duckling.

Alphabetical Order - Another BBC game. Knowing the order of the alphabet is useful when finding words in the dictionary or thesaurus!

Learn to read with Star Fall. Also read the online stories once you gain confidence.

Numberblocks - Also from the BBC. Sing along and learn all about numbers with the Numberblocks!

Shark Numbers – a game to practise place value of numbers to 100

ICT Games - A great range of online numeracy and literacy games to practice specific skills.