Welcome to Maple Class!
Let your Light Shine; on everyone, everywhere, everyday. (Matthew 5:16)
Throughout the year in Maple Class, our cross-curricular learning will focus on lots of exciting topics. In the Autumn Term, the children will enjoy learning about ‘Magnificent Monarchs’ during our History lessons, in particular our royal banquet where they will get the chance to be kings and queens for the day. In the Spring Term, they will be learning all about ‘Childhood History’, which will include comparing and contrasting what childhood looks like now and in the past. This will include a visit to a museum where children will have the opportunity to explore what childhood was like in the past. They will end the year with our Geography topic ‘Coastline’, which will teach the children about the physical and human features of coastal regions across the United Kingdom. Our science topics this year will include: Everyday Materials, Seasonal Changes, Plants, Animal Survival and Human Survival.
Each half term we will focus on a different Value: Thankfulness, Trust, Perseverance, Justice, Service and Truthfulness. This will not only be the focus in our worship assemblies but will be used across all the Curriculum, embedding them into all aspects of school life. During our RE lessons we will discuss our ‘big question’ of the week, and we will explore some important themes and questions in Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Your child will continue to bring home reading books and spellings as appropriate. Please try to read with your child every day. At first we ask that your child reads each book twice to improve fluency, comprehension and sight recognition of tricky words. As their reading progresses and the books get longer, we will change their books after one reading. We ask that your child brings in their reading book and reading record every day.
Our ‘Spelling Challenges’ will be on a Friday. The children practise their spellings every morning at school, but we will also stick your child’s spellings into their reading record so that you can practise them at home. Your child will have a weekly computer-based maths homework, which is designed to support the work that we are doing in class. Please access these assignments using your child’s ‘Doodle’ login and password. We would also encourage your child to ‘Doodle’ for 10 minutes a day to develop their maths skills. Once your child gets the ‘Doodle’ bug, maybe they could try out the other areas of Doodle!
Homework expectations:
Reading – 10 minutes daily
Doodle Maths assignment – once a week on Doodle
Spelling practice / Doodle Maths – as often as possible
Our timetabled PE day will be Tuesday. Please could children leave their PE bags on their pegs in the cloakroom for the whole half term. We will let you know if it needs to be washed in the meantime. Please can you ensure all clothing is named, including tights and socks, to help ensure your child puts on the right clothes after PE lessons!
All children will have a term of Forest School during the year which will be taught by Mrs Leather. Our scheduled Forest School day is Monday. Year 1 children will be doing Forest School with Mrs Leather throughout the Spring term. Year 2 children will begin their sessions in the Summer term, after the Easter break. Please ensure that your child brings suitable clothing and wellies to change into on these days. Splashsuits will be provided.
Fruit snacks are available for all children to have at snack time every day. You are welcome to send your child in with a snack of their own if you would prefer, but please ensure that this is a healthy fruit or vegetable snack. Please could the children have a water bottle for during the school day. This will be kept on the shelf and not in their bags and they will be encouraged to drink throughout the day. It should contain water only.
Coats are essential during the wetter months as we do go outside in all weathers. In the warmer months, please ensure that your child brings a sun hat to wear at school and apply a long lasting sun cream at home before they arrive. Please could we also remind you that children should not bring toys to school.
Please continue to use Class Dojo as a means to contact us. If you would like to discuss something at length, please make an appointment through the school office. If you have an urgent message for us or need to report an absence then please contact the school office.
Thank you for your support.
Mrs Helen Taylor & Mrs Helen Croft (Teachers)
Mrs Jesty & Mrs Russell (Teaching assistants)