Friday 9th February

This week has been Health and Wellbeing Week. We have been recognising emotions and thinking of ways to stay calm. We have used stories to help us to understand how our behaviour affects others. The class had some very kind words to say about each other and even made each other gifts. 

We have also celebrated Safer Internet Day as a school and learnt how to stay safe when using our online devices. Here is some information for parents and carers. 

As we are continuing our Up, Up and Away topic, the children have been very excited to learn about the changes in aviation. We have now found out about the Montgolfier brothers, the Wright brothers/ the Wright Flyer, John Alcock and Arthur Brown's transatlantic flight, and Amy Johnson's journey to Australia. The children have really enjoyed looking at the video extracts and photographs, as well as the world map. 

Using Aaron Becker's Journey book, we have been inspired to design our own flying machines and wrote our own sequel to the story. Here are the children creating their story setting ideas.  

I wish you all an enjoyable half term break, and shall see you on Monday 19th February. I will give spelling books out again the first week back and you will have them for a week before the next spelling test. 

Next half term I would like to create a display of autumn and winter photographs of 1C children. If you have an autumn or winter photograph of your child that you wouldn't mind me using on a display in school please email it to aoconnell@victoriaparkinf.co.uk by 1st March, or send a paper copy in. Thank you! 

Love, Mrs O'Connell x 

Week ending 2nd February

Over the past 2 weeks we have been learning how to read words using split digraphs e.g. a_e (cake) e_e (complete) i_e (ice) o_e (rose) u_e (cube/ flute). The children's reading practise during our phonics sessions, and hard work at home has helped them to become more confident readers. Please check our phonics games folder to continue to practise at home.

Next week I will keep the spelling books so I can track the children's progress and new spellings will be given after the half term. 

We have been using the books Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers, and Journey by Aaron Becker to help us to write sentences using capital letters, full stops, interesting words and phrases, and we have begun to learn about exclamation marks and question marks.  Here is a video of the wordless book Journey.

We have been investigating measures in Maths, as well as fact families of numbers to 20. Here is a useful game to help investigate addition and subtraction number facts. 

The children have also been working in groups for Design and Technology to build structures, and experimented with ways to make their structures stable. They came up with some great ideas! We have since been using recycling to make 'junk' models and have been practising using different attachment techniques...

Over the coming week and straight after the half term holiday week, if possible please can any (clean) cardboard boxes and toilet/kitchen roll tubes be saved and sent in for 1C to use in our junk modelling area. Who knows what inventions the children will be bringing home again! 

Many thanks for your continued support, 

Mrs O'Connell x

Tuesday 16th January

We were very excited to see the snow this morning! Everybody went out to play together and we had lots of fun. 

Please don't forget WEDNESDAY is LIBRARY day!

Mrs O'Connell x

Thursday 11th January

This week we are using the nonsense poem Where Teachers Keep Their Pets to write our own nonsense poem using rhyme. The children are also working hard on their letter formation and sounding out words to write. 

We are working hard on our addition skills and practising number bonds to 10 this week. We have been using our knowledge to find number bonds to 20. For example 6+4=10, so 16+4=20. The 'Hit the Button' website provides number bonds games to support this, and please check the maths games to support at home folder (below) if you'd like to practise other maths skills at home.

Our Up, Up and Away history based topic has started with the children learning about the Montgolfier brothers and the first hot air balloons. We have had a go at designing our own. 

LIBRARY

Our library day is WEDNESDAY. This is a valuable opportunity for the children and will support their enjoyment of reading. However, less than half the children had their books in school to change this week. I know there is a lot to remember so I will remind the children about the library the day before. If your child has misplaced the book please come and speak to me. Thank you!

SPELLINGS

And finally A HUGE WELL DONE to everyone for practising the spellings! Mrs Walkden is helping us with our spelling tests on Tuesdays, the children did a fantastic job and she was very impressed and proud of the children too! 

See you next week, Mrs O'Connell xx

Friday 5th January 2024

Welcome back to school everyone! 

Just to let you know that PE this half term will be on Thursdays and Fridays (starting 11th January) and the children can come to school in their PE kit on those days. Don't forget that earrings need to be removed for PE days.

We have started our new topic Up, Up and Away! and our Year One Curriculum Update will give you an overview of our learning for the half term and some ideas of how you can help at home. Please also read our Spring Term Homework folder above for an update on reading, phonics, and spellings.

Don't forget to check our phonics and maths games lists to support your child's learning at home. 

Mrs O'Connell x