Class News

Wonderful writers!

These past few weeks, we have been learning all about writing a setting description. We learnt all about using interesting adjectives, writing expanded noun phrases and using prepositional phrases. Year 3 and 4 have written some fantastic setting descriptions. They have transported the reader to Ancient Greece with the language and vocab they have used.

Here are just three (and it was hard to just pick three as there were many many pieces that were amazing!) of our setting descriptions. If you click on the child’s name you can see the original with their purple pen (editing after writing) and the highlights where they have spotted their fantastic vocab.

Jacob

This was it. I was here to eat good food because at my town, it barely has any. As I looked around, I saw large mountains, some massive temples and people sitting in small houses. I could always hear people shouting and moaning at each other and fire burning. I could smell delicious food and the burning fire all day. I felt really embarrassed because I was really new and didn’t know anyone. I was the only one who didn’t know how to fight too. 57 beautiful houses covered the town, it was like a maze. One mountain was so big it went above the clouds and the largest temple wasn’t even inside the clouds! Some people were trying to break through the mountain. It probably isn’t possible though.

Leah

This was it. I was here to save a child who was being enslaved by the harsh King and has been there for many, many years. As I looked around, I saw an immense temple stood on top of the gigantic hill. Lots of colossal mountains were falling apart. I could smell fish from the market and all I can hear is the King shouting at his slaves whilst the wild animals fought with each other. I looked up at the spectacular, bright blue sky while the harsh wind blew in my face relentlessly. I felt inquisitive mostly because I really wanted to know what’s going on with Athens. Finally, I found her! I found the child! At night, I took her home, Back to her parents. She lived happily ever again and hopefully, I get to go on another adventure like this again.

Jack

This was it. I was here to defeat the eagle. As I looked around, I saw that the eagle was hungry. I took out my bow and then the eagle attacked! I was frightened but I persevered and did it. The eagle screeched loudly. The eagle was too powerful. I took out my golden sword. I took a shot and then another. It was finally dead. I went in the mountain and then a bat flew out. I carried on till I found the king eagle! He took a shot and I fell out but I survived the fall. But a tornado came. I ran away just in time. I put a sign down so nobody came round in the next day. I came back to defeat the tornado. The tornado broke the top of the mountain. I had changed my mind until I found special boots. I put them on then I thought I thought it could get rid of the tornado. I jumped in the tornado then I span around. I killed in the tornado in one shot.

Foundation Parents

In the most recent guidance that has come out this week, it specifically mentions that schools in Tier 3 shouldn’t perform in front of an audience.  Even though we had planned to sing outside to parents/carers, we feel we should follow this guidance in the strictest way.

We will still send you a video of our Christmas performance taken place in school that you can share with family members.

Thank you for your understanding.

The Christmas theme continues…

Foundation have been very excited for Christmas this week. I think it is because we got to start opening our Class Advent Calendar.
On Tuesday, Beau opened the first door for coming into school with a big smiling face.
On Wednesday, Vinnie opened the second door. He was chosen because he is trying really hard in phonics.
On Thursday, Mrs Small chose Amelia for working hard all day.
Today, Bobby opened the fourth door. He is trying really hard to be independent at home time.
Gabriel and Jacob were chosen to open the 5th and 6th doors for trying really hard in maths.

On Tuesday, the F1 children got to decorate the school Christmas tree. Mrs Small said, “They are were really sensible and helped each other when putting the baubles on the tree.”

Phonics
The F2 children finished learning all of the phase 2 sounds last week! So, this week we’ve been recapping all of the sounds in our phonics sessions. The children love phonics and are all phonics superstars! After Christmas, we will start phase 3.
Here are some of the phonics activities and challenges the children have been doing this week…           SPLAT the phoneme!
Playing phase 2 Snakes and Ladders with our friends. The children needed to blend the words they landed on.

Musical Blending – The children danced around to the music. When the music stopped, they jumped on a word and blended it. This is an easy game to do at home.

Tricky Word Twister – The same rules as Twister. However, each coloured spot had a tricky word on for the children to read. The children were also encouraged to practise writing the tricky words on the chalkboard wall.

Finding phoneme baubles in the tinsel and making cvc (consonant, vowel, consonant) words with them. F1 Group Time
On Wednesday, the F1 children made up silly rhyming stories about their puppets. Mrs Small started the story and paused at different points to see if the children could think of a word that rhymed.
For example,
Are you poorly Lizzy? Oh dear.
Fizzy, Wizzy, Lizzy is feeling sick and dizzy.
Bob is very excited. Today he is going to be a builder. Hob Tob Bob has got a new job.

Home-Link Challenge

While poking, rolling, and squishing playdough, children develop the small muscles in their fingers and hands to help them become amazing writers! When you play with the playdough at home with your children, you’ll discover the most important reason of all: it’s fun!
F2 Parents – Please encourage the children to segment the sounds independently. Remember, it is okay for things to be spelt phonetically. It is important your child grows into an independent learner. Encouraging your child to write the words as they sound encourages them to use their own skills – rather than copying an adult.

 Have a lovely weekend!

Living and Learning : NSPCC PANTS rule

We have been talking about pants again! Children love talking about pants and find them funny but we use it in school to deliver a serious safeguarding message. The NSPCC have created some fab resources for us, and you, to use when teaching our children how to keep themselves safe. Ask your child about the PANTS rule and sing along to the catchy song!

Living and Learning: Friendship is important!

This week our Living and Learning statement is “I recognise friends and family are important.” Here’s what Y3/4 think about friendship.

Friendship is important because…

you’re not alone.
if you didn’t have friends you would be alone.
if you have a friend they can cheer you up.
if you don’t have a friend you won’t have fun.
so that you are not lonely for your entire life.
you might get left out if you didn’t have friends.
so everyone will be included.
so that they can take care of you.
if you are an only child you can play with someone.
you will have people to play with.
you are loved.

We also looked at which values we think are more or less  important within friendships.

Happy and healthy playtimes

Our new playtime equipment arrived today. The children were so excited to unpack it! Regular exercise has lots of health benefits for children such as providing an opportunity to socialise, increasing concentration and improving self-esteem.

Virtual after school clubs

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This week, we have started to get into the Christmas spirit.
We wrapped presents for under the tree.
A group of children decorated the Christmas tree.

We wrote Christmas wish lists in the home corner.
We’ve made our calendars. The children will be bringing them home at the end of this half-term.
Next week, we will continue to get into the Christmas spirit. The home corner will turn into Santa’s Workshop and we will be making our Christmas cards.  On Monday, we will also be doing a dress rehearsal of our Christmas sing-a-long. Foundation are fabulous singers and dancers! The video will be posted week commencing Monday 14th December.

Maths 
We’ve started to learn all about the number 4. This week, the children learnt that the number 4 is a square number. We watched the Numberblock Four video and played a game with the cubes. At the start of the game, the children made a square using four cubes. When Miss Marsden shouted change, the children had to change the shape of their cubes.  Occasionally, Miss Marsden shouted square and the children had to make their cubes back into a square.

• We also sorted 2d shapes that show four and don’t show four. The children were really good at using the correct mathematical language when explaining.
  “This is a square. It has four sides and four corners.”
  “It has one round side.”
  “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. This shape has six sides and six corners.”
  Literacy
  Our new focus story is the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The F2 children drew a story map and remembered what happened at the beginning, middle and end. Outside, the children made a bridge and acted out the story with their friends- we saw some great acting skills!
  The F1 children made bridges in their group time on Monday.
  In the maths area, the children used cubes to measure and compare the size of the goats hooves.  They also had a go at measuring the length of their own feet.
  On Thursday, the F1 children measured their feet.  They carefully drew around their shoe and counted the cubes to measure the length.
  Some more great snapshots of the week…
  F2 Parents
  Today, your child will have brought home a learning pack. The pack has lots of resources we use in school on a daily basis. The pack includes: a whiteboard pen, wipe, number line, ten frames, part- part whole model, phase 2 sound mat, handwriting practise and phoneme frames. Please use your pack on a weekly basis to support your child’s learning.  Send photos of your child using the pack to stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org.

Home-Link Challenge

Our New Role-Play Area

Christmas has definitely arrived in Foundation!
Check out our new role-play area. The children were so excited when they saw it this morning.

Living and Learning: I recognise emotions in myself and others

Recognising emotions is an important first step in helping us manage our emotions. For example, it’s ok to feel angry, as long as we try to manage it in a way that doesn’t negatively affect other people. It’s great to feel proud as long as it doesn’t lead to showing off.

This week, we played an emotions game with a friend. Whichever emotion we landed on, we had to talk about a time when we had felt like that. We followed this by creating our emotions wheel- drawing pictures or patterns to represent an emotion.