January News 

What a super busy term we have already had in Year 1! We have been lucky enough to enjoy a couple of snow days, spending time playing in the snow and building snowmen. Alongside the fun, we have taken the opportunity in science to investigate seasonal changes, focusing on what winter looks like and how it affects our environment.

In English, the children have been working extremely hard on their handwriting and presentation while studying our new book Room on the Broom. We have enjoyed performing the beginning and middle of the story (see the QR code) and have been developing our writing skills by creating an alternative ending to the tale.

In Maths, we have been practising basic maths skills, including adding and subtracting using number lines and reading number sentences accurately. We have also begun recalling our 2 times tables, with the children understanding that multiplying by 2 means doubling.

In Geography, we have been learning important map skills and how to use an atlas. We have also learned about the four countries of the United Kingdom and their capital cities. Please do challenge the children at home to see what they can remember!

In PE, the children have been developing their football skills with Coach Charlie. In our second PE session, we have been using apparatus in gymnastics to perform wide, narrow and curled movements.

These are just a few snippets of how busy we have been, but the children have returned from their Christmas break with a fabulous work ethic and very positive attitudes. Keep it up, Year 1 — we are so proud of you!

February News 

What a fantastic few weeks we have had in class!

In English, the children have completed their fact files all about moles. We are incredibly proud of how hard the children have worked and their published fact files are absolutely fantastic. The children worked so hard researching, writing, and presenting their information clearly. We have also been putting a huge amount of effort into improving our handwriting, focusing on neat letter formation, correct sizing, and careful presentation. The progress we are seeing is wonderful!

In Maths, we have been exploring different coins and practising adding them together to make totals up to 10p. The children are becoming much more confident in recognising coins and combining amounts. Alongside this, we have been learning about turns; full turns, half turns, quarter turns and three-quarter turns. This is a tricky concept but the children have enjoyed practising these in practical activities.

Monday was a particularly exciting day! We had an amazing time at our Dance and Movement Festival with Dance Coach Lewis. The children performed brilliantly and showed such enthusiasm and confidence. We danced to music from The Greatest Showman and had so much fun performing together. Please scan the QR code to watch our fantastic performance!

We also have lots to look forward to in the coming weeks. We are very excited about our upcoming trip to Lilidorei on World Book Day (children are welcome to come dressed in costume!). We are also looking forward to a special show of Dr Dolittle, and then taking part in a range of fun Easter activities to finish the term.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

March News 

It has been another busy and exciting time in Year 1.

In English, we have been studying the book The Jolly Postman. We decided that the Jolly Postman has been so busy at work that he deserves a holiday. Therefore, we wrote postcards, pretending to be ‘The Jolly Postman’. The children enjoyed learning about the features of a postcard and loved thinking of all the exciting things ‘The Jolly Postman’ got up to on his holiday. Perhaps, if you are going away in the near future, it would be wonderful for the children to write a real postcard to share their experiences.

In Maths, we are continuing to develop our understanding of place value. We are focusing on numbers up to 50, exploring how they are made by identifying tens and ones. Alongside this, we are practising adding two-digit numbers within 20 and single-digit numbers up to 10.

A huge thank you to Mrs Hyam for all her support in History. She has been teaching the children about toys from the past and present, helping them to spot similarities and differences. The children have had great fun exploring and playing with items such as Etch A Sketch, Rubik’s Cubes, and wooden ladders.

In PE, we are focusing on team-building skills. The children are really enjoying working together to complete different challenges. We have been discussing what makes a successful team, particularly the importance of participation and effective communication.

We were also very lucky to watch the pantomime Dr Dolittle, which the children absolutely loved! We also enjoyed our Joke show in assembly for Comic Relief.

We are really looking forward to next week, where we will be completing some Easter activities.

As always, thank you for your continued support with reading and TTRS. Please remember to record in your child’s reading record at least three times a week.