Supporting reading at home in Key Stage 1

Children will be bringing home a reading book this week. These will be changed once a week to minimise books moving between home and school.

Please return books to be changed on Wednesday. We will quarantine books before putting them back in the system.

The ‘practise phonics’ book (sticker on the front cover) is for children to work on their ‘sounding out’ of words.

Please comment on how your child copes with the books as it may take me a little time to adjust and match books to each child. Year 2s will gradually move away from phonics books and have more freedom to be ‘free readers’.

Children will also choose a library book each Friday.

Help me help your child by reading anything and everything you can. THANK YOU!

Own It app

Has you child got a mobile phone? If they have, do the have the Own It app from the BBC?

The Own It app helps children and young people take control of your online life. It gives them advice when they need it, in real-time as they type. It’s designed to help them make smart choices, feel more confident, and live their best life online.

The Own It app comes with a special keyboard. This can be used like any other keyboard, but it also gives users helpful tips and friendly advice as they write.

There’s also the ability to track how they feel and improve their wellbeing. There are plenty of gifs and emojis so users can express themselves.

The Own It keyboard and app is personal to the user. Everything your child types is kept completely private, and never leaves the Own It app on their phone.

PE days

Hopefully you have read the information in the Autumn for all – Key Info St James’, which also has a link to our uniform policy.

On the days your child has PE, they should come to school in their PE kit. (Track-suit bottoms instead of shorts would be good on colder days. Footwear : black/brown/grey/white flat shoes which are safe to run around in.)

Footwear on PE days could be children’s ‘school shoes’ which are often a ‘trainer’ style anyway, if you want to avoid having to buy 2 pairs of shoes.

Please find below the days each class has allocated PE times, which will be taught outdoors, except in extreme weather.

• Foundation (Miss Marsden) – Wednesday
• Year 1/2 (Miss Harker) – Thursday & Friday
• Year 3/4 (Mrs Welsby/Mrs Rowley) – Tuesday & Friday
• Year 5/6 (Miss Beatson/Mr Mills) – Tuesday & Friday

Class mascot named…

After all the votes have been counted, I can now reveal the name of our lovely dog will be… Slinky!

She is looking forward to having lots of adventures in our class. Have a lovely summer!

From Miss Harker

Slinky

Summer Time!

It’s the last day of school!
What a crazy school year it has been! We’re sad that we’ve been unable to finish the year together, but we hope that you’ve all enjoyed doing the home learning. Thank you, again, for all of your emails about your lovely home learning moments. Mrs Allen-Kelly and I have loved reading each and every one of them.
I am excited to welcome back the Foundation 1 children returning to us in September.
Thank you to all the Foundation 2 children for being an amazing class and I am sure you will be fab in Year 1. I will  pop into your new classroom to say ‘hello’ and see how you’re all getting on.

I would like to wish all of Foundation a happy and healthy summer!

Miss Marsden
xxx

Story time! ‘Recipe For a Story’ by Ella Burfoot

Here is the final story time video of the school year!

Please click here to hear to story

It finishes with a little goodbye message from me.

I  just want to add that I am so proud of all of you all and how you have coped with the school year taking such an unexpected turn.

I have loved every day of teaching at St James’ Primary School and will really miss seeing your smiling faces 😊 I will be keeping in touch to see how you are all getting on in your Reception year and Year One.

Have the BEST Summer break Superstars ✨

Mrs Allen-Kelly.

17 July 2020: Home learning

Good morning children. It’s Friday. It’s the last day of the summer term! Sadly, the year hasn’t ended in the way in which we would have loved. We’ve missed out on our usual treats and fun. Mrs Welsby and I are missing it as much as you but we will make up for it when we see you in September.

School Trip

A fun school trip just because! Today, head to Walt Disney World. Have fun looking around. Find your favourite ride or attraction and write a review. Why should someone go and visit it? What was the best bit? How could it be improved?

Reading

You all know how much I love a good musical – this one was my favourite as a child and I used to watch it nearly every day on repeat!

Sing along with this song. Read the words as you go.

So long, farewell (from the Sound of Music)

There’s a sad sort of clanging
From the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple, too
And up in the nursery

An absurd little bird
Is popping out to say coo-coo
(Coo-coo, coo-coo)

coo-coo Regretfully they tell us
coo-coo But firmly they compel us
coo-coo To say goodbye
To you

So long, farewell
Auf wiedersehen, goodnight
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
So long, farewell
auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu
To you and you and you
So long, farewell
Au revoir, auf Wiedersehen
I’d like to stay
And taste my first champagne
Yes?
No!

So long, farewell
Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave
A sigh and say goodbye
Goodbye
I’m glad to go
I cannot tell a lie
I flit, I float
I fleetly flee, I fly
The sun has gone
To bed and so must I
So long, farewell
auf Wiedersehen, goodbye

Goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye

Now, write a list of any words that are new to you. Can you find out what they mean?

17 July 2020: Home learning

It’s Friday! It’s the last day of term!

This has been a tough year and you should be proud of yourselves and the way you have all coped with the changes and challenges.

Maths

For a lot of the lockdown learning, we have been doing challenges on a Friday so it’s only right that for our final maths lesson we do a final challenge Friday! Head to BBC bitesize for your last home learning maths lesson.

Living and learning

We’d love to hear your views about this year. Finish these sentences and send them, by email, to your Mrs Welsby and Mrs Rowley:

• I feel I improved the most in…
• Something important that I learned this year was…
• My favourite subject this year has been…
• What I enjoyed learning the most this year was…
• Something I’m proud of accomplishing is…
• Something I’ve learned about myself is…
• Something I will miss is…
• I will never forget this year because…

Goodbye Year 2s

Goodbye to my Year 2 children. I have recorded a message for you here : https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYiXl257at

Love from Miss Harker

Have a great summer!

16 July 2020: Home learning

Good morning – it’s your penultimate day of year 3 and year 4. How are you feeling about having finished (nearly!) the school year? It’s been a funny old year and Mrs Welsby and I are definitely missing teaching you all.

School trip

Today, we’re jetting off on a plane all the way to Seattle. Seattle is a seaport on the west coast of the United States. We’re heading to Seattle Aquarium.

Once you get to the aquarium, you have a choice: you can either watch the live feeds or join in on their virtual field trips.  Once you’ve completed the trip, have a go at one of the following activities.

• Carry out a research project on Seattle aquarium.
• Create an information brochure for the Seattle aquarium.
• Create a poster advertising the place.
• Create a fact file using what you have learned in the video or about one of the animals you saw.

Maths

Gnome Valley is a beautiful, well-cared for garden. It is home to the happiest community of gnomes ever to grace a garden. Or at least, it was.

All is not well in Gnome Valley. Over the past few nights, there have been strange things happening. First, a group of fisher-gnomes had their rods stolen. Then, the ‘Welcome to Gnome Valley’ sign was hidden in a tree. Last night, while all the gnomes were sleeping, the gnome guards had their red uniform hats decorated with yellow spots! This morning, Gnome News has reported that a naughty gnome is the only explanation for these strange situations. Gnome Valley Police are worried and have called in Detective Gnome to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

Can you help Detective Gnome solve the problems to discover which
naughty gnome is behind the devious deeds?