Wow, what a half term this one has been! I can’t believe how fast it has gone. It seems like only 5 minutes ago that we were coming back to school after Christmas. I cannot put into words just how much progress the children have made over the past 5/6 weeks. They are now ALL readers which is just incredible, and they have been working so hard on this. Myself and the other staff in our classroom have been so impressed with their work ethic and how much effort they have been putting in to their reading. I just wanted to say a big thank you to you as parents as you have been reading so much at home with them and this will have had a huge impact on the progress they have made in school. I hope you have been able to see a difference in their reading at home too.
The children have also been thriving in other subjects. In Maths, we have focused on counting skills and composition. We use the number blocks a lot in our lessons to help the children master the tricky concepts that they need to at this stage. We have spoken about greater than and lesser than and the children have also been learning about one more and one less.
Poetry Basket has been a great addition to our classroom. We did start this before Christmas but the children have loved carrying this into the new year. It has really improved their oracy skills and has helped them to learn some tricky vocabulary.
As always, God is at the forefront of our learning. After Christmas, we spent some time learning about the feast of the Epiphany and the three wise men. We spoke about what gifts we would bring to Jesus and why. We have also spoken about how we can be role models like Jesus, and you will be so proud to know that they are really trying to be just like him. One beautiful moment that really stands out to me from this term is when we all found our names in the special book (the Bible). The look of wonder and excitement on their faces is something I will never forget.
We have also spoken a lot about who we can talk to when we have happy and sad news, or when we feel upset or angry. The children created their hand of trust with 5 people they feel they could go to if they needed to.
We’ve had some great themes this half term too. The one that stands out the most is Chinese New Year. The children loved dressing up and decorating the home corner. They enjoyed learning about the Chinese Zodiac and the Great Race. They also loved trying fortune cookies and seeing what message lay inside!
In PE, we have used the book Superworm to practice our fundamental movement skills. We have used both climbing frames in the hall which caused great excitement! We have practised skipping, climbing, jumping and moving like different animals. The children also loved the games of treasure chest that we played beforehand to warm us up!
The children have created some stunning art work this half term. From snowflakes to Scottish flags, penguins to robins, Chinese lanterns to winter trees…they have all been spectacular. I have chosen 3 of the children’s penguins to be put forward to our local Seasiders art competition.
Today has been a real highlight for us all. To see the children in their outfits of what they want to be when they grow up…it was such a gorgeous sight.
I am really proud of how far they have come this half term and I know you will be too. Have a wonderful break and I will see you soon!
Miss Heim-Sarac 😊😊
