Settling in....

Dear friends and families,

It’s been a great start to the school year I have loved getting to know all the children and can’t wait to continue to learn more about them each day. Despite all the upheaval from Covid and the ongoing changes to our everyday lives, the children have settled in quickly and have formed a cohesive and inclusive group. It has been exciting to watch their learning this half term and cannot wait to see where their creativity, resolve and interests take us this year. We have been incredibly lucky to have had help and support this term from Ms Anelda and Ms Maria, I am so grateful for the fantastic work they do daily to support and inspire the children's learning.

Our IPC topic Sensational has been a catalyst for many interesting investigations into how our body works and how our senses help us navigate the world around us. The workings of the body  and it’s many complexities have been an endless source of wonder for the children. There have been myriad questions and child-led investigations to find out the answers. It has been a pleasure to watch their interest and knowledge grow over the course of the unit.

Taking inspiration from our IPC theme, the children have delved into the traditional German folk tale- The Magic Porridge Pot. Using Talk for Writing, the children created a series of actions to help them memorise the story; these actions are used to help imbed the patterns of language. They then took this idea of a magic object and began to create their own stories using Lego Education Story Starter sets. Their innate interest in building and Lego was the perfect catalyst for this project. The children structured their stories by building the beginning, middle and end. Using these developing ideas, the children have chosen to create stop motions and short films to retell their stories. We look forward to sharing the results with you all when they are finished!

Our forays to the local woods continue to inspire and excite the children’s imaginations. Here the children have found endless inspiration and have been recording notes about the changing of the seasons. We recently went to write an Autumn senses poem; the children explored the environment and discussed what they could see, hear, smell and feel. When we returned to the classroom they edited their ideas and produced beautiful final copies that adorn the walls of our classroom. This opportunity to get outside weekly provides the children not only with opportunities to explore nature and their surroundings but also to build stronger bonds, problem solve together and develop social interaction skills.

Finally, a huge welcome to Ms Sophie who will take over from me every Wednesday until the end of the year. Some of you know Ms Sophie well, as she taught some of the Year 1 children in Pre-Primary. We have worked together over the past 2 weeks to hand over and help her better understand the rhythm of our days. The children and I are delighted to have her join our class and I know they will have a fantastic time in her very capable hands.

With that I wish you all a lovely Autumn break and look forward to seeing the children on our return to school! Happy holidays all!

Erica