Welcome to Class R! Our Early Years Team has four teachers - Miss Mitchell, Mrs Muso, Mrs Frost and Mrs Wade. We hope you will enjoy visiting our class page regularly to find out about all the exciting activities and learning we are doing throughout the year. Please click on the links below to help support your child with their learning at home, and to find out more about the EYFS Curriculum and Early Learning Goals. 

26.4.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been continuing to explore 'Shops/Shopkeepers'.  We have been exploring non-fiction information texts and have written about the shops that we visit and our favourite shops.  In Maths we have continued to explore money and have been working out which coins we can use to make 5p and 10p.  In Music we have explored creating different rhythms by following a 'rhythm grid'. First we clapped out the rhythms and then we used different percussion instruments - drums, maracas, shakers, bells and tambourines.  We will continue to explore more complex rhythms next time.  On Tuesday we celebrated 'St. George's Day' - he is the Christian Patron Saint of England and is represented on the English and Union flag. It was fun to come in wearing red, white and blue, learning about the story of 'St. George and the Dragon' and making flags and dragons. Well done to Class R for winning the Attendance Award this week and to Jediah for winning the Achievement Cup   Next week our topic is 'The Dentist', and we will be learning about how to take care of our teeth.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Annalise - 'I loved playing in the shop'

Ousman - 'We have been learning about money'

Zach - 'I liked playing outside with the mud and water!'

Semilore - 'I made different things with the Tactoids'

Jediah - 'I wrote about my favourite shop - the Pet Shop'

Hayden - 'I enjoyed playing in the outdoor area  with my friends' 

19.4.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

Welcome back to Term 5!  This term our topic is 'People Who Help Us', beginning with 'Shopkeepers'.   This week the children have been taking part in  role-play in our 'Supermarket' and have enjoyed using the tills and money. We have looked at different types of shops and we found out that in the past shops were found all along the local high street, but now supermarkets have lots of different sections in them which are like shops such as clothing, food, and toys. Also big Shopping Centres have lots of different shops inside them, so we don't see many traditional shops anymore in the high street. In P.E we are continuing to improve our ball skills and are learning to pass the ball accurately to each other when throwing and kicking.  In Literacy we have been writing shopping lists using our phonic knowledge, in Maths & Computing we have been looking at coins and adding small amounts, and in Art & Design we created models of shops using junk materials. Well done to Lulu for winning the Achievement Award this week and to Class R for getting the Attendance Award Next week we will continue to explore 'shops' and write about our favourite shops. Below are some comments from the children about their learning this week:

Lulu - 'I enjoyed using the balls in P.E'

Jediah - 'I enjoyed creating different shops - I made a meat and fish shop'

Semilore - 'I know that a meat shop is called the 'Butchers''

Jore - I liked playing in the shop. All shops are different - I like to go to Lidls with my mum'

Emma - 'I enjoyed doing handwriting and spellings'

Demi  - 'I loved having Boofle in my house!'

Micah - 'We added money on the computer - I helped my friend work out the cash'

28.3.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been continuing to celebrate the Christian festival of 'Easter'. We are now able to talk about the Easter story and have learnt the words 'Crucifixion' and 'resurrection' - we know that Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross but came back to life again.  This is why Easter is linked to the concept of new life and renewal.  We have also enjoyed singing Easter songs, making Easter bonnets to wear, eating Hot Cross Buns, and going on an Egg Hunt after the Easter Bunny visited our classroom!

Our bean plants have been growing really tall, and we have been taking care of them by giving them water and sunlight.  We took our beans home to look after this week and hopefully they will continue to grow and eventually we will have runner beans that we can eat! This week we also enjoyed using the new 'loose parts' play equipment to create different structures and vehicles. Our teachers have also been busy assessing our learning from this term to make sure it is embedded, and they are very pleased with our progress in Phonics, where many of us are now ready for Phase 4  .

Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Demi - 'Jesus had the last dinner with his friends on Thursday'

Caleb - 'We shared 'Hot Cross Buns' to celebrate Easter'

Eliana - 'The cross is the symbol of Christianity'

Micah - Jesus was punished and he was in pain!'

Aiden - 'Jesus died on the cross'

Hayden - 'The bad people put a spike on Jesus' head'

Emma - ' It was the last supper - Jesus shared wine and bread with his friends for the last time'

Carrina - 'We celebrate Easter on a Sunday and we put up Easter burners in our house and light candles too'

Sienna -'It's the beginning of new life - baby chicks, lamb and bunnies are born'

Next term our topic will be 'People That Help Us', starting with 'Shopkeepers'. Thank you for your continued support and have a great Easter break.   The Early Years Team

22.3.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been learning about the 'Easter Story'. We found out that this is a Christian celebration about Jesus and how he died and came back to life. We have learnt how Christians celebrate Easter, linked to the theme of 'new life' - they give each other chocolate eggs, eat hot cross buns and go to church to celebrate.  For our own celebrations in class we have made Easter cards and decorated egg pictures.  We have also used our phonic knowledge to write about the Easter story. Next week we will continue our Easter celebrations by making bonnets and taking part in our own egg hunt. Well done to Eliana for winning the Achievement Cup this week  Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Lulu - 'We planted some 'magic beans' and they are growing'

Jediah - 'We are learning about Easter and I know Jesus died on the cross'

Annalise - 'Jesus carried the cross on his back and wore a spiky crown'

Aiden - Jesus was hurt and he had blood on his hands'

Zach - At Easter we get chocolate eggs and the bunny comes'

Emma - 'I loved making the little chicks - they crack out of the eggs'

Eliana - 'For Easter we celebrate new life because Jesus rose from the dead and came back to life'  

15.3.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

Class R began this week with our termly walk to the library where we excitedly changed our books for new ones - we love reading!  On our walk we looked out for the signs of Spring and saw lots of spring flowers such as daffodils as well as blossom appearing on the trees.  We also heard and saw lots of birds in the trees starting to make their nests. On Tuesday we held our termly 'Stay & Learn' session with a focus on 'Poetry' - thank you to all the parents/adults who attended.  

This week we have continued to explore 'Jack & the Beanstalk', with a focus on 'alliteration'.  We looked at what the giant says in the story - 'Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum' and noticed that all the words start with the same letter.  We then wrote alternative versions, changing the initial  letter of the words such as 'Lee, Li, Lo, Lum', and had fun reading them out.  We also enjoyed creating a sound story of 'Jack & the Beanstalk' using percussion instruments.  This week we also planted our 'Magic Beans' (we wonder whose will grow the tallest?),  and in P.E we continued to work on improving our ball skills. In Computing we continued our 'Bee-Bot' work, but this time we used a virtual Bee-Bot and inputted the instructions by clicking on the instruction pad on the screen.  This was tricky at first, but with practise we were able to program the Bee-Bot to reach its destination - we will continue this again next week, where we will also be learning about and celebrating the Christian festival of 'Easter'.  Congratulations to Hayden for winning the 'Writer of the Week' in assembly, and to Class R for being the 'Green Class of the Week'.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning: 

Carrina - 'I enjoyed learning about 'Jack & the Beanstalk'

Jediah - 'I know about alliteration - every word starts with the same sound'

Hayden - 'I enjoyed our library visit - I love reading!'

Aiden - 'I chose a dinosaur book from the library'

Caleb - 'I really enjoyed playing with the musical instruments'

Annalise - 'I like doing my spellings - sometimes they are tricky'

Everyone - 'We all enjoyed Stay & Learn!'  

8.3.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

Class R began this week by exploring the story of 'Jack & the Beanstalk'. In the story the Giant lives in a castle on a cloud, so Class R made and painted models of the castle - we learnt that if you mix black and white you create grey! We linked our Computing to the story by being computer 'programmers'.  We inputted instructions (algorithms) into a programmable toy called a Bee-Bot,  and had to direct the Bee-Bot to the castle without bumping into the Giant - it was tricky but fun and helped us practise our direction language such as forwards, backwards, turn left/right and reverse.

This week we have also been celebrating Mother's Day, and have created cards and written about all the things our mum does for us, and on Thursday we celebrated 'World Book Day'!  The children came in wearing their pyjamas, and we had a great day of reading and being read to by different adults, linked to bedtime stories. Thank you to all the parents for supporting us with this - don't forget to use your book token to get a free book for your child!

Next week we will continue to explore 'Jack & the Beanstalk' and will use our phonic knowledge to write alliterative speech such as "Fee Fi Fo Fum!"  We also have another 'Stay & Learn' session on Tuesday which will focus on 'Poetry'.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning this week:

Chester - 'I loved World Book Day - I made story book covers'

Semilore - 'I like the story 'Jack & the Beanstalk' - Jack was stealing things and was very bad!'

Micah - 'We are learning about Traditional Stories they are old stories -  Jack stole money,  a golden harp and a hen from the Giants castle!'

Lulu - 'I made a card for mummy and played with my friends'

Emma - 'I liked handwriting, and I can write better now'

Hayden - 'I can read, and I read a book to Year One'

Jediah - 'I liked playing with the Bee-Bots - I gave them some instructions: forward, backwards, left and right'

Eliana - 'Giving instructions is called an 'algorithm'

1.3.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been continuing to retell and write about the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood', but our main topic was 'Kings & Queens' linking to our History Curriculum.  Thank you to all the parents for your support for our 'History Day' on Tuesday by dressing the children up in clothes linked to the theme.   They all looked fantastic, and we had a wonderful day  of learning and activities about the Monarchy of Britain and the role of the Monarch.  We made lots of items linked to the topic including crowns, flags and castles, and the children learnt the first verse of the National Anthem. In Maths this week we have been revisiting/embedding our number bonds of 5 and using counters to show the different bonds.

Next week we will be starting to explore the story of 'Jack & the Beanstalk' and will begin our Computing topic, learning about 'algorithms' and using programmable Bee-Bot toys. We will also be celebrating Mother's Day.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Melody - 'The Wolf dressed up as Grandma with her clothes, hat and glasses'

Cheryl - 'The Wolf said "What big teeth you have, I'm going to eat you!" '

Eliana - 'Our King is King Charles III - kings fight to protect their country'

Annalise - 'We made castles and I used different things to make mine - it is big'

Aiden - 'I wore some clothes and I looked like a King'

Harden - 'I was King Arthur and Zack too. King Arthur was very strong and smart as well!

Caleb - 'Queens and kings live in a big castle  - they don't like to eat dinner by themselves'

Chester - I dressed as a king and had a crown' 

23.2.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

Welcome back to Term 4!  This term we continue the theme of Traditional Stories, starting with 'Little Red Riding Hood'.   This week we have been retelling the story and writing speech bubbles for the characters using our phonic knowledge, which we are now getting really good at doing   We have also learnt how to write a list and have been writing a list of food to take to Grandma. In our Relationship Education session we spoke about 'Stranger Danger' in relation to the Big Bad Wolf, and will continue this next week to talk about 'safe strangers' like the Police.  In Computing/Maths we used the Maths Pack program to practise ordering numbers, and we are now starting to order numbers to 20.   In P.E we have began to focus on Ball Skills, and are learning to carefully control a ball using our hands and feet. Finally,  well done to Jore for winning 'Achievement of the Week' in assembly 

Next week we will continue to focus on Little Red Riding Hood, but will link it to Computing by using programmable 'Beebot' toys to program a safe route to Grandma's cottage through the woods.   On Tuesday Class R have our special 'History' Day, where we will be learning about 'Kings & Queens' - don't forget that the children can dress up or bring an object in linked to the theme 

Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Zach - 'We learned that it is not good to talk to strangers!'

Annalise - 'I loved the Little Red Riding Hood story'

Micah - 'I read books to myself and with my friends - Little Red Riding Hood is one of my favourite stories'

Melody - 'I enjoyed role-play. I pretended to be Little Red Riding Hood'

Emma - Little Red Riding Hood didn't stay on the path - she saw a wolf and spoke to him and he was bad!

Hayden - 'I love doing phonics - 'ear' and 'air' are trigraphs and they have three letters that make one sound'

8.2.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

Well, that's the end of Term 3! To finish this term we celebrated 'Chinese New Year' and learnt about the story of 'The Great Race'.  This new year is the year of the 'Dragon' and we created lots of dragons using different materials. We also enjoyed role-play in our 'Chinese Restaurant' where we tried to use chop sticks to pick up the food - this was very tricky!  We made New Year cards and we tasted prawn crackers and fortune cookies. In P.E. we created dragon dances using long pieces of material and worked together in small groups to move like a dragon to Chinese music - this was really fun  This week we also  did lots of embedded learning activities to ensure we remembered and could discuss all the things we had learnt, and on Tuesday the parents came in for 'Stay & Learn' which was about 'Internet Safety' - thank you to all the parents who attended.  On the last day of term we made  real Gingerbread Men, using raisins for the eyes and buttons - they were delicious 

Next term we will continue our theme of 'Traditional Stories' starting with 'Little Red Riding Hood'.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Jore - 'I can use chopsticks to pick things up!'

Sienna -' I loved dragon dancing in the hall!'

Melody 'Chinese people tidy their homes and wear red and gold to celebrate'

Jediah - 'My favourite Chinese food is chicken and noodles'

Micah - 'In 'The Great Race' the rat won because he climbed on the Ox's back'

Carrina - We made Gingerbread Men - we needed butter, sugar, eggs, flour and ginger spice'

2.2.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been continuing to retell  'The Gingerbread Man' with a particular focus on the rhyming words in the story.  We have learnt that rhyming words sound the same at the end, and we need to listen carefully when working out which words/objects rhyme.  We have written our own rhyming strings using our phonic knowledge to help us. In Maths we have been embedding our knowledge of 2D and 3D shapes, and using them to create pictures and models, and in Computing we have used the 2Publish program to create pictures of characters from Traditional Stories and use the keyboard to type captions.

Also this week we had our termly trip to the library and were excited to change our books!   On the walk to the library we made links to our Geography curriculum by looking closely at our local environment and discussing all the physical and human aspects such as houses, flats, trees, fields, animals and the lake. We also practised our road safety knowledge  

Well done to Sienna, Carrina, and Jediah for winning the 'Achievement of the Week' award in assembly for their super writing this week! Next week is the last week of this term, and we will be celebrating 'Chinese New Year'. Below are some comments from the children about their learning: 

Eliana - 'Rhyming words are words that sound the same'

Jediah - 'I love reading all the books - my favourite is Jack & the Beanstalk'

Hayden - 'We went to the library and saw lots of books!'

Aiden - 'I saw lots of Dinosaur books in the Library!'

Ousman - 'We are learning about rhyming words and I know they sound the same.'

Caleb - '2D shapes are flat - square, triangle, rectangle and circle.'

Demi - 'I like my new school - I love my friends. I like learning here and going to the library'

26.1.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been exploring the story of 'The Gingerbread Man'.  In Literacy we have been learning about and writing speech bubbles from the story using our phonic knowledge and in Maths/Art & Design we have been cutting out and using shapes to decorate Gingerbread Men, and have enjoyed creating our own Gingerbread Men using Playdough.  We have also been retelling the story throughout the week using masks and puppets to act as the different characters.  Next week we will make our own Gingerbread Man to take home and eat (let's hope they don't runaway!), and will be exploring rhyming and rhyming couplets.  Next week, on Wednesday we are also looking forward to visiting the library again and can't wait to get new books for the classroom 

19.01.24 - Weekly round-Up!

This week we have been continuing to explore the story of 'Goldilocks & the 3 Bears'. In Literacy we have retold the story by creating story maps and using our phonic knowledge to add labels and captions.  In Maths we have been exploring 'capacity' using different containers, objects and materials, such as porridge and cubes.  We have found out that it is hard to estimate sometimes because different shaped and sized containers can look like they hold more or less than they actually do! In Art & Design this week we have created beds and chairs for the 3 Bears using different materials, ensuring that they are the correct size for each bear. 

Well done to Eliana and Hayden for winning the 'Writers of the Week' trophy in Achievement Assembly  Next week we will be finding out about the story of 'The Gingerbread Man'. Below are some comments from the children about their learning this week:

Caleb - 'If you read a book it makes you feel smart and you learn a lot'

Hayden - 'I know about capacity - it means how much a pot can hold - the space inside'

Nali - 'I liked building Baby Bears chair'

Sienna - ' I drew the story of Goldilocks - I made a story map with arrows and a picture of Goldilocks. She ate all the porridge!'

Ousman - 'I enjoyed colouring the pictures of the 3 Bears'

12.1.24 - Weekly Round-Up!

Happy new year, and welcome to Term 3!  This term our topic is 'Traditional Stories' starting with 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'.  This week we have linked our Maths work to the story by exploring size order and size language such as, tallest, middle-sized and shortest.  We have practised size ordering using lots of different objects, including ourselves! In Literacy we have been listening to different versions of the story and retelling it in the correct order.  In P.E this week we worked together as a team to play different games using the parachute, which was really fun   In our Relationship Education session, we spoke about the behaviour of Goldilocks and why you should never go into someone's house if they are not there. 

Next week we will be creating story maps of the Goldilocks story and use our phonic knowledge to add captions. Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Annalise - 'We learnt about smallest and biggest and put them in order.'

Carrina - 'We are learning about Traditional Stories and I like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears'

Eliana - 'Traditional Stories are very old stories'

Caleb - 'Goldilocks went into someone's house - she didn't listen and was being a naughty girl!'

Chester - 'We can't go into a strangers house - it is bad and dangerous. You must always lock your door so no-one can get in.'

Aiden - 'I brought my Library book into school - it was about dinosaurs and I love playing with dinosaurs!'

20.12.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

We've come to the end of Term 2 - and what a busy last week of learning and celebrating it was!  We performed our Nativity Show to the whole school on Monday and then had our Christmas party in the afternoon.  On Tuesday we performed our Nativity Show to the parents - thank you to everyone who came to see it, and well done to the children for their wonderful performance   As part of our Geography work, on Wednesday we went on a short walk in our local area, where we posted our letters to Santa, and then observed all the Physical and Human features we could see such as houses, shops, traffic, trees and birds. We also finished off our embedded learning tasks so our teachers could be sure of the next steps in our learning.

Next term our topic will be 'Traditional Stories', beginning with 'Goldilocks & the Three Bears', then moving onto 'The Gingerbread Man'.  We will be starting Phase 3 Phonics, and will be doing lots of writing using our phonic knowledge!   In Maths we will be learning about 'Measurement' - length, capacity and weight, as well as continuing to learn and practise our number bonds to 5. 

Thank you for your support this term - we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!     Below are some comments from the children about their activities this week.     The Early Years Team 

Sienna - 'I liked playing the Grumpy Donkey in the Nativity'

Jediah - 'I made pictures of Santa'

Hayden - 'I enjoyed making presents in Santa's Workshop'

Chester, Annalise, Melody, & Micah - 'We liked singing the songs about Baby Jesus'

Eliana - I displayed all the Santa and Elf hats in Santa's Workshop'

15.12.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been finishing off lots of Christmas craft activities ready to take home!  We also enjoyed our special Christmas lunch on Wednesday where we got to wear our Christmas jumpers and the party hats that we had created. On Thursday we got to see the CRIBS theatre production all about the story and importance of Christmas told in a fun way - the puppets were very funny!  On Friday it was 'Black & White Day' to raise money for a local hospice in memory of a past teacher at Northwood, Mrs Richardson. Thank you to all those who took part.

This week we did lots of activities to make sure that our learning from this term was embedded, and our teachers were very proud of the progress we have made  Well Done to Nali for winning the Achievement Cup this week. 

Next week is the last week of term, and we will be performing our Nativity Show to the parents and having a Christmas party! Below are some comments from the children about their learning this week:

Melody - 'I love Santa's Workshop - I made lots of presents'

Cheryl - 'I made toys using the Lego bricks'

Ousman - I wrote on the boards using my phonics'

Tobi - 'I like the Creative Table'

Emma - 'I made a dinosaur house with the building blocks'

Sienna - 'We had Christmas lunch and saw a Christmas Show'

8.12.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been continuing to celebrate Christmas - we have retold the Nativity, practised our Nativity show, created Christmas pictures and playdough, and completed lots of Christmas Maths activities to consolidate and embed our learning!  Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Micah - 'I added amounts and know the number gets bigger'

Melody - 'I enjoyed wrapping up presents in Santa's area'

Jediah - 'I coloured Christmas pictures and made lots of stuff'

Ousman - 'I built Santa and the reindeers from Lego and played in Santa's workshop'

Eliana - 'I did lots of sticking and Christmas pictures'  

1.12.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been very busy learning more about Christmas and the 'Nativity' story.  The word 'nativity' means 'the occasion of a person's birth' and, for Christians, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, their saviour.  We learnt that they believe that Jesus is the son of God, sent from heaven, and the Nativity describes the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born, and all the people that visit him in the stable.   We have begun to practise for our Nativity show, and we are each playing a part in the story. 

Also this week we put up our class Christmas tree and have been creating Christmas cards and decorations, and have really enjoyed role-play in 'Santa's Workshop' where we are getting very good at wrapping presents  In Literacy we have been writing about the Nativity using our phonic knowledge, and in Maths we have focused on repeating patterns and subtracting numbers/amounts.  It was also very cold this week and while Class R played outside they found lots of ice on the equipment which they enjoyed exploring and watching it melt as they held it in their hands.

Well done to Jediah and Chester for winning the Achievement Cup this week and to Ousman for winning the 'Writing of the Week' trophy. Next week we will continue celebrating Christmas and taking part in lots of craft activities. Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Carrina - 'I was Mary in the story and I enjoyed practising and singing lots of songs'

Hayden - 'I learnt how to take away numbers and the amount gets smaller'

Melody - 'I loved playing in Santa's Workshop!'

Sienna - 'I learnt the Christmas story'

Jore - I made some presents in Santa's Workshop'

Alex - 'I did Maths work - I took numbers away and now I have less'

24.11.23 - Weekly Round-Up! 

This week Class R have started to learn about and celebrate the Christian festival of 'Christmas'.  We have been finding out why Christians celebrate Christmas and the story of the Nativity.   We have discussed Santa Claus/Father Christmas, and have written a letter to Santa to let him know what we would like.  Next week we will walk to the Post Box to make sure they are posted in time for Santa to read them!  We have also been busy creating Christmas decorations and have started to learn our songs for the Nativity show, and over the next few weeks we will be busy practising the show on the stage in the hall   In Maths/Computing we have been consolidating our understanding of one more/less using games on the computer - we are getting much better at this 

On Tuesday this week we had our second 'Stay & Learn' session focused on listening to a story without words or pictures.  We had to listen very carefully and use our imagination to think about what the characters and setting would look like.  Later on in the session we got to see what the book did actually look like, and if our imaginations were similar to the illustrations in the book.  Thank you to the parents/adults who were able to attend this session with us. 

Well done to Red House for winning the trophy this week (which we got to keep in our classroom), and to Hayden for winning the Achievement Cup!

Next week, in Literacy we will use our phonic knowledge to write about the 'Nativity' story, and in Maths we will practise our counting skills to 20, and create wrapping paper using repeating patterns.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Semilore - 'I loved Stay & Learn, and my mum helped me to draw a dragon!'

Sienna - 'I wrote a letter to Santa and said I would like a new bike'

Carrina - 'I loved story time and we read about Santa'

Hayden - 'I really enjoyed assembly, and I won a trophy!'

Jore - 'I loved learning the Christmas songs'

17.11.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been busy exploring the signs of 'Autumn' and continuing to explore the stories of Percy the Park Keeper.  We have found out about the Natural Sculptor named Andy Goldsworthy who uses natural materials outside to create sculptures using the things he finds such as stones, leaves and twigs. We went outside onto the field to collect leaves and twigs so that we could create our now natural collages.  We also used the leaves to make hedgehogs and leaf printed paintings.  

In Maths, we have been exploring the concept of 'one more and one less' and practising doing this using objects and number lines to count on band back. Well done to Caleb for winning the Achievement Award for his super learning this week. Next week we will be developing this by subtracting numbers/amounts from 0 - 5. Also next week we will begin to explore and celebrate the Christian festival of Christmas, and will write a letter to Father Christmas, as well as starting to learn our songs for the Nativity Show.   Below are comments from some of the children about their learning:

Cheryl - I love the Percy stories and looking at the books!'

Caleb - 'We learned about numbers and counting forwards and back - the numbers get bigger and smaller'

Annalise - 'I loved making the hedgehog out of leaves'

Zach - 'Percy looks after all the animals and the trees'

Sienna - I liked working with numbers - more and less'

10.11.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

Class R started their week by visiting Thamesmead library (The Nest).  We walked to the library and practised our road safety skills on the way.  Once there we were able to look through some of the books, listen to a story, and then choose a book each to take back to school.  We really loved our trip and we put the new books in our library corner in the classroom so we can continue to enjoy them for the rest of the term, before we visit the library again.

Also this week we have been exploring the stories of 'Percy the Park Keeper', and celebrating the Hindu 'festival of light' called 'Diwali'.  We have used our phonic knowledge to label animal characters from the Percy stories, and have retold the story of 'After the Storm'.  For Diwali we learnt the story of 'Rama & Sita' and created Diva lamps and Rangoli patters.  In Maths we have continued to explore repeating patterns and are getting better at creating more complex patterns. This week we also learnt about 'Remembrance Day' and that people wear poppies to remember all the people who have died in wars. Congratulations to Jediah for winning the Achievement Cup this week in Assembly 

Next week we will be learning how to work out one more/less than a number, and will focus on the changes to nature during Autumn. We will also learn about the artist 'Andy Goldsworthy' who creates temporary sculptures using natural materials. Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Hayden - ' I liked visiting the library - I love reading books!'

Chester - 'I made a poppy - it's for the soldiers'

Jediah - 'I won the trophy - I worked hard'

Eliana - 'I liked the Percy stories - he works in the park and he looks after the animals'

Semilore - 'The animals badger, owl, fox, and hedgehog come out at night - they are nocturnal'

Carrina - People celebrate Diwali - they clean the house and then go to a special place'

Melody - 'I enjoyed making Divali lamps'

3.11.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

Welcome back to Term 2!  Our topics this term are 'Light & Dark' and 'Festivals of Light'. We began this week with finding out about and celebrating 'Bonfire Night'.  We have learnt about the story of Guy Fawkes and 'The Gunpowder Plot' where the plotters wanted to kill King James I  in the Houses of Parliament by using gunpowder to cause an explosion. Luckily, they were unsuccessful because a warning letter was sent and the plotters were all arrested.  This is why we celebrate 'Bonfire Night' in the United Kingdom. We have created lots of firework pictures using different art materials and have used our phonic knowledge to write about fireworks. We have also learnt about how to keep safe on Bonfire Night, and created firework pictures in Computing using the 2Paint program. In P.E we used ribbons to move our body like a firework.  Well done to Jore for winning the 'Problem Solver Award' in Achievement Assembly, and Alex, Jediah, and Eliana for winning the Achievement Cup.

In Maths we have begun to explore repeated patterns, and will be focusing more on this next week, where we will also start to find out about the stories of 'Percy the Park Keeper'.   Also next week, on Monday we will be visiting Thamesmead Library and are excited to be able to borrow a book each to bring back to school   Below are comments from some of the children about their learning this week: 

Zach - 'We are learning about Guy Fawkes and he wanted to kill the king!'

Caleb - 'Guy Fawkes put gunpowder in barrels'

Micah - 'They put the barrels in the basement of the Houses of Parliament'

Ousman - 'We see fireworks at night - they are colourful and nice'

Jediah - 'We celebrate Bonfire Night in November'

Sienna - 'We learnt about patterns and fireworks'

19.10.23 - Weekly Round-Up!  

The last week of term already!  Thank you to the parents and carers for your support this first term - the children have settled into school really well and are making some great progress   This week we finished off our theme of 'Ourselves' by exploring our five senses.  We have imagined what it might be like to be visually impaired by wearing blindfolds to feel different objects and guess what they are, and what it might be like to be deaf, and have to use and understand sign language.  We have realised how important our hands and sense of touch is to our lives!  We have also tasted different foods and learnt that some food is sweet, some sour, and some salty, and have used our sense of smell to explore herbs and spices and what food they remind us of.  

This week we also held our first 'Stay & Learn' session, where our theme was 'Black History' and 'Reading for Pleasure'. Thank you to all the parents/grandparents who were able to attend. 

Next term our topic is 'Winter Festivals', and we will begin with finding out and celebrating 'Bonfire Night'.  We wish you all a great half-term break. Below you will find some comments from the children about their learning:

Carrina - 'We have five senses - touch, smell, hear, taste and look'

Eliana - 'I now know all the five senses'

Micah - 'I enjoyed learning about our senses - we touch with our hands, we taste food with our tongue.  I like the smell of roses, but sometimes there are bad smells!'

Jediah - I really love learning my phonics'

13.10.23 - Weekly Round-Up! 

This week Class R have been exploring 'feelings'.  We have discussed what makes us feel different emotions and can now recognise lots of emotions by facial expressions. We have also drawn 'emotions' faces and listened to stories and songs about feelings.  We know that at school it is okay to have different emotions and our teachers will be there to listen and help us.  In Maths we have been matching amounts to numerals and putting numbers in the correct order, and in Literacy we have been practising our handwriting and writing CVC words from Phase 2 Phonics. In P.E. we have been learning to work with a partner to play different movement games.

On Tuesday it was 'Go Yellow' day linked to Mental Health Awareness Week, and the whole school came in wearing yellow clothing to raise money for our Wellbeing Garden.   Thank you to the parents for your support with this. In Achievement Assembly, Class R won the Attendance Award and Red House won the House Cup, which Class R got to keep in their classroom  Next week is the last week of term, and we will be exploring our 'Senses'. Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Emma - 'We learnt about feelings and I know we can be sad, happy and tired'

Chester - 'I know about feelings and emotions - we have different ones. I am happy when I am play with my toys'

Micah - 'I love learning about letters and numbers - it makes me happy!'

Nali - 'I play with my friends - happy'

Zach - I am happy when I play outside with my friends'

6.10.23 - Weekly Round-Up! 

This week Class R have been learning about keeping healthy.  We have found out why some food is good for our body (healthy), and some not (unhealthy).  We have been able to independently sort food and discuss what makes it good or bad for us e.g. lots of sugar or oil.  We enjoyed making prints of different fruit and vegetables in Art, and  have listened to lots of stories about food and sung lots of songs.   In PE this week we continued to move our bodies across the mats and benches, concentrating on moving high and low as we were travelling. Congratulations to Jediah for winning the Achievement Cup in assembly today. Next week we will be exploring 'feelings'.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning:

Sienna - 'I did some painting with food - I used peppers, carrots, and tangerines, they are healthy!'

Annalise - 'I played with food in the kitchen - I cooked eggs, they are healthy'

Ousman - 'I learnt some new letters - e, c and k.'

Eliana - 'I liked learning about healthy food like fruit. Some food is bad for us like chocolate and crisps'  

29.9.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been discussing and ordering their daily routine, using time language such as 'next, before, after, morning, evening etc.', and learning how to read and write o'clock times on an analogue clock.  In P.E we have been travelling along mats and benches, moving our body in lots of different ways.   We are also developing our fine motor skills everyday by practising using scissors, and drawing and writing to develop our control.  We started to learn Spanish this week too, and can now say 'hello' to each other in Spanish - "hola"     On Thursday we had lunch with our parents in the hall - a big thank you to everyone who was able to attend and we hope you enjoyed the food Next week we will be exploring how to keep our body healthy.  Below are some comments from the children about their learning this week:

Ousman - 'I am learning about the clock - I know 10 o'clock and 7 o'clock. I have a bath and I eat my  breakfast in the morning.'

Hayden - 'If you listen to what the children say in assembly you get a Golden Ticket.'

Zach - 'I like to come to school and learn my letters.'

Aiden - 'On my way to school I see a shop and lots of cars.'

Sienna - 'I can talk about the things I do everyday.  I come to school in the morning and go back home and to sleep at night.' 

22.9.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been discussing their homes and creating  pictures and models of their homes using different materials.   We have also been looking closely at 2D & 3D shapes, naming them and describing their properties.   In our Relationship Education (RHED) lesson we created our 'Class Charter' linked to the Unicef 'Rights of the Child' articles.  In Computing we have been learning how to control a mouse to create marks and shapes on a screen using the '2Paint' program - we are getting much better at this.  In PE we have been listening carefully and following instructions to move our body in different ways around the hall.   In Phonics we have been learning more Phase 2 phonemes (sounds) and practising writing their graphemes (letters shapes). Well done to Caleb for winning the 'Mathematician' of the week trophy in Achievement Assembly. Next week we will be talking about our daily routine and our local community, and creating maps of our journey to school. Below are some comments from the children about their learning: 

Micah - 'I know about 3D shapes - cube, cylinder and sphere. You can pick them up and you can move them. 2D shapes are flat, they are just pictures'

Aiden - 'I loved building models of my home with the Lego' 

Carrina - ' I enjoyed learning and writing letters - m,a,s,t'

Ousman - ' I learned that 2D shapes are flat - circle, triangle, square'

15.9.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

This week Class R have been exploring their appearance and creating lots of pictures and paintings of themselves, including 'self-portraits' for display.  They had to look carefully at the colour of their skin, eyes and hair using a mirror so that the portrait was accurate and recognisable as them.  We realised that we are all the similar but different at the same time - and this is called 'diversity'. Class R also started their phonics learning this week, and took part in their first PE and Computing lessons. Next week we will explore our 'homes' and create pictures and models using 2D & 3D shapes.  Below you will find photos and some comments from the children about their activities this week.  

Chester - 'I like coming to big school!'

Aiden - 'I enjoyed playing with all the toys'

Zach - 'I played games with my friends'

Emma - 'I enjoyed listening to the Northwood song in assembly'

Sienna - 'I sat nicely in assembly'

Melody - 'We learnt about numbers'

Semilore - 'I went in assembly - it was fun'

Alex - 'I like coming to school'

Annalise - 'I loved looking at the books!'

Carrina - 'I liked fixing the puzzles'

8.9.23 - Weekly Round-Up!

A big welcome to all the new children and families into Northwood and Class R! This is our class web page and it will be updated every week with all the activities and learning we have been doing, including photos.  The children have settled really well into school and we have been getting to know them and their abilities.  Our topic this term is 'Ourselves' and we will begin next week with talking about our appearance and what we like to do. A reminder that P.E is every Thursday, starting next week, so please ensure they have their P.E kit in school  - thank you.  We look forward to an enjoyable term.