Monthly Archives: January 2016

Trevithick Class Newsletter – January 2016

Welcome back! I hope you have had a lovely holiday and are ready for the busy term ahead.

SEAL:   SEAL stands for Social and emotional aspects of Learning. Our theme for this half term is ‘Going for Goals’. Talk to your child about something they would like to achieve in school this term e.g. to write their name, to get changed independently etc. Discuss how they can work towards their goal.

 Reading and Homework:  All the children have a book to share with you and it is important that they read EVERY night. This term I will be changing their reading books once a week, however it is important that they bring their book-bag to school everyday. Please make a comment in your child’s reading record as this helps me assess their progress. During a recent ‘Reading record’ check it was noted that a significant number of children are not reading on a regular basis. It is important that all children practise their reading at home in order to make good progress. Please continue to read and learn the key words.

We are also going to learn about toys, machines and vehicles and read the book ‘The Snail and the Whale’. If you have an old toy please could we borrow it for our museum – we promise to look after it – thank you!

WOW Moments:  Attached is a sheet for you to record observations of your child at home. It can be used to help build a picture of your child’s development or any other significant information you wish to share with us. I have included some previous ‘WOW moments’ so you can see what kind of information might be relevant.

‘Ollie used my lap top to write the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.’

‘Joe sang Cornish songs to his Daddy at home.’

‘Emily used a knife to butter her own toast this morning.’

‘Ben amazed us by riding his bike without stabilisers for the first time.’

We are also continuing to use the ‘Tapestry’ online Learning Journey please contribute to this and we will share their successes in class.

Toys:  As part of our topic on Toys we will be creating a museum of old toys. If you have an old toy please send it in. Tell your child about it (where you got it, how old it is etc) so that they can share this information with the class and write a simple label. I promise that all toys will be well looked after and returned to their owners at the end of the topic.

 Phonics:  The Letters and Sounds we are learning this half term are  u, l, f  b, ai, j. Practise forming these letters and recognising these sounds in reading books. As part of our continuing learning of phonics the children are expected to read nonsense words. We now have a ‘Silly word’ wall in the classroom to develop the children’s ability to blend and segment words. Any questions, please ask! We will be holding a Phonics workshop on Monday 25^th January (3.30-4.30). Please come along to see why we teach phonics, the new approach to teaching letters and sounds and more information about the Y1 phonics screening.

HELPING YOUR CHILD TO LEARN

• Share books and read with your child every day.

• Get them to school on time.

• Encourage your child to be independent; dressing, toileting and eating

• Practise maths together (counting, recognising and writing numbers 0 – 20)

• Share the sounds your child has learnt each week. 

• Contribute to your child’s learning journey. Use WOW Moments or update Tapestry.

• Discuss, explore and question with your child whilst out and about.

• Come along to school events like parents evenings. This lets you know what is going on and lets your child know that you are supporting them.

P.E:  P.E will be on a Friday morning. It is essential that your child has a P.E kit (black shorts and white t-shirt). Please ensure that your child’s name is written clearly in all uniform.

Round Up:  All offers of support for reading practise with the children in Trevithick Class would be gratefully received – please let me know if you are able to give up some of your time. A huge thank you to all the parents who have kindly volunteered already, your support is very much appreciated.

Important Dates:

Parents to lunch – Monday 18^th Jan 11.45am

Phonics Workshop – 3.30 – 4.30pm

Parent’s Evening – Feb/March 2016 (dates to follow)

Key Worker Groups

Please feel free to share information, concerns or ‘wow’ moments with your child’s key worker. All information gets passed onto me and enables me to plan a curriculum that is child centered based upon their needs and interests.

Thank you for your continued support,