Dear Class 1 Parents,
Firstly, a very warm welcome to Class 1. We are delighted that you have chosen Blackboys C of E school and look forward to getting to know you and your families better. We are pleased to welcome back our Y1 children and hope that you have had a wonderful summer and are ready for an exciting year ahead.
In Class 1, Mrs Booth teaches the class from Monday to Wednesday, with Mrs Nobes teaching Thursday and Friday. We have a full time higher-level teaching assistant, Miss Butler. We also have volunteer helpers in class during the course of the week: 2 school Governors Mrs Gretzer and Mrs Field, and a former teaching assistant Mrs West.
As it is the beginning of the academic year, and for many members of our class the start of their Primary schooling, we feel that it is essential that we spend the first few weeks of this term getting to know your children as individuals, as well as helping them to get to know one another. We will be encouraging them to share with us their likes, dislikes, their interests, as well as identifying their strengths and areas for development with regard to the curriculum. This information will then be used to inform and personalise our future planning. In addition to this, we will also be spending time helping your children to learn about new routines, expectations, the school Christian Values and the Characteristics of Effective Learning. These key skills are all crucial for all children to learn as they will help support them throughout their school life.
To help parents/carers to settle in, please join our current parents/carets and PTA members at an informal coffee morning on Friday 11th September in the school hall straight after morning drop off.
Our theme for Term 1 will be ‘Into the Castle’ which will lead fluidly into our Term 2 theme Fire and Dragons’. A copy of our medium-term planning grid can be found on the school website.
Our year 1 pupils will naturally start the year 1 curriculum straight away and they are already enjoying rising to the challenges of year 1.
English
Children will be developing their vocabulary through role-play, drama, speaking and listening activities. We will focus on several different fiction and non-fiction texts to base our literacy work on, including:
Into the Castle:
Into the Castle
Cinderella
100 Facts Knights and castles
Rapunzal
Fire and Dragons:
Zog
The Egg
Dragons
…as well as many others!
Our writing focus for Reception children (YR) will be for them to gain confidence in their letter formation and for Year 1 children (Y1) to write sentences with increasing independence.
We use a phonic scheme called ‘Monster Phonics’. The children in reception and year 1 will be introduced to all the different letter sounds through a hook of different coloured ‘monsters’. The children will also learn to recognise common exception and High frequency words during the sessions. The sessions will then be followed up by Monster Phonics Reading books which will be sent home for your child to read with you. A phonics workshop will be on Friday 2nd October at 9am in the school hall which will give parents more details about how we teach phonics in school and how you can support your child at home.
Mathematics
Through the use of practical maths sessions, in which we will promote the use of a wide range of concrete apparatus, the children will be covering the following objectives:
Your child will also be given a log in for an online maths learning platform called ‘Numbots’. Your child is encouraged to use this as regularly as possible at home to help develop their maths skills.
Computing
In computing reception children will be exploring and “tinkering” with hardware to develop their understanding of technology. Year 1 children will be exploring technology around us and learning how to use the different parts of a computer.
History
We will be learning about the parts of a castle, their purposes, how they have changed over time and who lived in them. To support this learning, we be looking at local castles and their history. We will be visiting Lewes Castle towards the end of term 1 to participate in some exciting workshops. A letter will be sent out shortly giving you more information.
Reading
In school, we will be starting to read daily with the children through our guided reading sessions. On some days this will be 1:1, on other days group or choral reading, but every day your child will be involved in hearing several shared stories.
Please support your child with reading at home. The children will have a new phonics book sent home each Friday. These are the books your child reads to you. Please remember that the idea of this is that the books should be read and re-read. Whilst reading the same book over again can be ‘challenging’ for us as parents, this repetition is very important for early readers as it helps them to gain confidence; familiarity; build their vocabularies; develop an understanding of rhythm and pattern; as well as for developing comprehension skills. The larger ‘real book’ changed on a Monday is a book you can share together.
The reading record is for you to use at home but please ensure that it is kept in your child’s book bag. In the reading record please write one comment for each day that you read. When 6 pages of the white book have been completed then a reading certificate will be given to your child during our weekly Friday assembly. We will also be checking reading records for these certificates on Friday so in order to avoid disappointment with delayed certificates please be sure that your child’s reading record is in school.
This half term reception children will be receiving a set of letter sounds and high frequency words to learn.
PE
We have two PE sessions a week. These take place on a Tuesday and Friday. Please ensure your child has their full PE kit (fully named) in school for each session. Whenever possible these sessions will take place outside so please feel free to also include jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt to help keep them warm. Please ensure your child’s PE kit is clearly labelled and named.
DT
We will be learning about what makes a strong structure. We will have the opportunity to design and build a castle tower.
RE
In term 1 in RE, we will be exploring why the word God is so important to Christians. In term 2 we will be turning our thoughts to Christmas and the Nativity.
Science
We will be naming different parts of the body and we will be thinking about how we use our sense of touch, hearing, taste, sight and smell through investigations. We will also be learning about the changes that happen in the autumn season.
Art
We will be focusing on drawing and mark making. We will be exploring making marks and lines; working and experimenting with different materials to create an observational drawing for harvest. In the second half of term, we will be focusing on painting and mix media. Exploring colour mixing through paint play, using a range of tools to paint on different surfaces and creating paintings inspired by Clarice Cliff and Jasper Johns.
Year 1 Homework
This year, homework in Year 1 will be Maths and English, and it will greatly help your child if you can get them into a routine of completing the work each week and hand in the orange homework book to be marked. There will be a Maths sheet with a selection of questions related to the sorts of learning your child will have been doing in school, and a spelling and grammar sheet. Homework books will be given out on a Friday and need to be handed in on a Thursday morning.
Forest School
In Class 1, pupils are extremely privileged to be having Forest School sessions every other Monday afternoon. These will be run by a qualified forest school leader and former Blackboys’ parent; Mrs Lydia Godfrey. She is very skilled in this area and has been delivering Forest School lessons for us for a number of years now. In addition to Mrs Godfrey, Mrs Harper (TA) will also be attending these sessions. Please be aware that additional parents will also be required in order for these sessions to run. If you are interested in helping please speak to a member of the Class 1 team or write your name on the rota and sign-up sheet displayed on the external classroom door.
For Forest School your child will need the following items. Please ensure that your child brings the following items into school on your child’s set Monday (a forest school calendar is available).
Wellington boots
Long sleeved top
Trousers (not jeans)
Waterproof coat
Waterproof trousers (if possible)
Please be aware that the children will go out whatever the weather and can sometimes get wet and muddy so do not send them with their best clothes.
Uniform
At Blackboys we pride ourselves on making sure that our children take pride in their appearance as well as in their behaviour and learning. Thank you for ensuring that your child is looking smart for school each day. We do ask that you double check that your child’s uniform, including coat/lunch box, is clearly labelled with their name.
Water Bottles
Staying hydrated is very important for learning. The brain needs a considerable amount of water each day to function effectively. Therefore, we encourage the children to drink water at regular intervals. To aid us with this please send a named bottle of water for your child to drink in class. Children are able to drink from the water fountain but having a water bottle in the classroom is a lot easier.
Parent/Carer Helpers
If you (or a Grandparent) can spare any time each week to come and help in class or to listen to the children read we would be extremely appreciative as it is most beneficial to the children’s development. Please let me know if this is something you would be able to do – we can be flexible with days and times.
Class 1 Outside Classroom
Please may we ask that when you are waiting to pick up your children from school, it would be appreciated if younger children would not play with, or on, the equipment in Class 1’s outside area. This distracts the children already in the class and it takes a long time to re-organise ready for learning the following day.
Finally, if you ever have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate to email us at:
sbooth@blackboys.e-sussex.sch.uk or jnobes@blackboys.e-sussex.sch.uk
Very Best Wishes, Mrs Booth, Mrs Nobes and the Class 1 team
