PE
In PE this week, we have focussed on teambuilding and working together. The children really impressed with their communication and patience – it was really good to see. They had to move across the ‘lava’ only using limited resources to step on.
We have also been introduced to hockey. We have talked about where our hands go on the hockey stick. Where the left hand goes and where the right hand goes.
Help at home – Ask your child about what makes a good team player. Why is important to work as a team? Where should your hands go on a hockey stick. What do we call the lefthand? What do we call the right hand?
Living and Learning – I follow the school rules
Our first Living and Learning statement of the year was:
I follow the school rules.
We established that rules are instructions that we’re asked to follow. They help to keep us safe and make sure we’re all treated fairly. Rules help to bring order.
We discussed our 3 school rules; how they look and sound in the classroom and around school.
The children gave some great examples of how we might have different rules at home, at school or in the community and there was some interesting discussion about how the world might look different if we didn’t have rules…
Help at home by discussing rules with your child.
- What are our school rules? Is one important than the others?
- What are some of your rules at home and why do you have them?
- What are some of the rules in the community? Are there consequences if we don’t follow them?
Living and Learning: rules
At the start of the new school year, in our Living and Learning lesson, the children have been reminded about rules and the importance of rules in our daily life. This also links to the British Value of rule of law.
Before focussing on our school rules, we started by thinking about…
Why do we have rules?
What rules can you think of?
What places have rules?
Who makes the rules?
Rules keep us safe.
Rules help us to be healthy and happy.
We have to cross the road with our grown ups.
Our teachers and our grown ups at home help us to follow the school rules.
In our school we have three school rules.
Three, two, one, stop is one of the most important instructions the children will hear at school.
Following our school rules will make our school a happy, healthy and SAFE place to learn.
This week, we’re thinking about our rules about online safety at school. Your child will bring home their Being online – acceptable use agreement for pupils and parents/carers which should be read through, signed and returned to class.
Welcome Back, Year 2!
I hope you’ve all had a happy and healthy summer break. The children have returned to school in fantastic form, settling in quickly as we’ve learned new routines and procedures. We’re looking forward to sharing our learning journey with you over the coming weeks but in the meantime, a few reminders.
Reading books
We have a new e-books system; Collins Hub. Parent guidance should have been emailed to you and children’s log-ins will be sent home today (09.09.24). Books have been assigned but we are aware of some teething problems as we learn the new platform. Please let me know if you’re experiencing any issues.
Reading records
Please return reading records to school by Wednesday. Make a note of what has been read and any areas you have focused on. This is a great way for us all to keep up to date and an often overlooked way of staying in regular contact! If you have any questions about this, please be in touch.
Library books
Our library day is Friday. Please return library books to school by Wednesday, ready to return to the library in exchange for a new one.
NumBots
Please continue to use NumBots. It’s a really valuable resource and a fantastic way of keeping home learning fun. If you need any technical support, please be in touch and I’ll try my best to help.
PE days
Our PE days are Tuesday and Friday. Uniform compliance has been fantastic to start the year – let’s keep it up!
Water bottles
Please make sure your child comes to school with a clean, labelled water bottle every day. Water bottles must go home every day.
If you need any additional support, you can email me on ajnash@spherefederation.org and I’ll get back to you within an appropriate timeframe.
Our new sensory space; The Den
Over the summer, Mrs Freeman has been busy creating a sensory themed room in school.
The Den is a safe space which aims to provide any child with the individualised sensory input they need to self-regulate so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others.
The Den offers a safe space for relaxation, exploration, independence, and social sessions. The resources in The Den can be used to stimulate, soothe, entertain and distract, depending on the child’s requirements.
We would like to say thank you to the school PTA for the contributions towards resources for this room.
We hope users of The Den benefit from the stimulating visual and tactile activities.
Welcome back!
We’ve had a positive first week in Year 5/6. The children have already been fantastic role models to the rest of the school; always being respectful, ready and safe.
We have met our Reception buddies and we have enjoyed helping the younger children settle in to St James’ – it has been wonderful to see how responsible and caring the children are.
Here are a few things to note:
- Mr Kilner – class teacher
- Mrs Bald and Mr Smith – teaching assistants
- Miss Gledhill – classroom support and interventions (Monday and Friday)
- PE – Tuesday and Wednesday (please dress your child in their PE clothes on these days)
- Library – Monday
Please ensure your child brings a water bottle to school every day and healthy snacks for playtime (if required).
During PE, the children are not permitted to wear earrings. Please can you ensure these have been removed prior to attending school on PE days. Long hair needs to be tied back also.
Children have been provided with a reading record book. Please hear your child read through the week and encourage them to complete one of the activities listed in their reading record.
If you have any concerns or questions, please either speak to me at the end of the school day or make an appointment via the school office.
Mr Kilner
Philosophy Friday: Class rewards
Year 4 have really enjoyed making our class reward system this week. They made the rules, chose the prizes and designed the recording system. We used our debating skills in our Philosophy Friday session to consider what we should do if we won two prizes from the Golden Ticket draw.
After listening to the arguments presented by our classmates, we recorded our final opinion and positioned ourselves on a scale to represent our thoughts. You can see there was quite a wide variety of opinions!
Welcome back, Year 3!
Hello! Mr Freeman here welcoming you back to another fantastic year at St James. Year 3 have started extremely well in lots of ways:
- We know our school rules and how to follow them well every day.
- Our effort levels in learning have been superb!
- The children have really enjoyed their new classroom layout and the table points.
Most importantly, the children have had a really happy and healthy return to school. Here’s a brief look at our journey this week:
History
For our first topic unit this year, we are exploring the depths of Ancient Greece! Above is our first class novel, ‘Greek Myths’, by Marcia Williams. The children have really enjoyed listening to these stories and discussing links to our Christian Values. Here are some of the links from the children.
“Arian showed compassion when he let the sailors live who stole his treasure that he earnt from hard work” – Max
“Orpheus showed perseverance to travel a long way to reach the underworld, so that he could get his wife back” – Lillie Jane
Science
Today, we put on our biologists’ uniforms and uncovered our first unit – skeletons, movement and nutrition. We focussed on 5 bones in the human body today (shown above). Some of these bones are there to protect certain parts of our body, and others are used to support our movement.
Help at home:
Please read regularly with your child and sign their reading record. A good strategy would be to read for a short while, every day, to build up fluency. Also, your child has gone home with their Times Tables Rockstars logins (stuck to the back of their reading records. Please encourage your child to practise for at least 5 minutes per day – focus on the 5 times tables this week!
Finally, if you have any questions, please feel free to have a chat with me (Mr Freeman) and I’ll absolutely do my best to help.
First week in Year 1
We’ve had a brilliant first week in Year 1. We’re really impressed with how the children have settled into their new classroom. Changes can be tricky to manage and we are always here to help if your child struggles to cope with this. Reception Class to Year 1 is a big leap but we do find that the children adjust well to the new staff, routines and environments.
Here are a few things to note:
- Mrs Palmer – class teacher – Monday and Tuesday
- Mrs Bye – class teacher – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
- Miss Cairnes and Mrs Daracott – Teaching assistants
- PE – Monday and Thursdays (please dress your child in their PE clothes on these days)
- Library – Friday
Please ensure your child brings a water bottle to school every day and healthy snacks for playtime (if required).
During PE, the children are not permitted to wear earrings. Please can you ensure these have been removed prior to attending school on PE days.
The office will issue a milk list so that we are aware who can have it and also a medication update will be given to the Year 1 staff.
Homework and spellings will go home every Friday and the children will be tested on their spellings every two weeks.
The children will read daily in school and we encourage you to read with your child daily at home.
If you have any concerns or questions please either catch us at home time or make an appointment via the school office.
Here’s a few pictures from our first week in Year 1.
Welcome to Reception
We’ve been busy over the summer holidays washing all the teddies and toys so we’re ready for when you start ‘big school!’
Your classroom is all ready and set up and we’re looking forward to lots of learning, making new friends and having fun!
If you need to get in contact with a member of the team please use our dedicated email: stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org
We’re looking forward to the year ahead, getting to know you and your children.
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon, Miss. Feldman and Mr. Smith