Bede Burn Primary School

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Thank you so much for all the cards and gifts you sent us.

Our first topic this half term is ‘Move It!’ and is mainly science based with lots of opportunities for creative activities and exploratory play. The focus will be on children asking questions and finding things out for themselves. We are looking forward to learning lots of things together.

We will then move on to begin our Astronomy training. With lots of creative and imaginative play opportunities we will explore Space, the facts and the fiction. As part of our mission we will be travelling to the planetarium at the Centre for Life and finding out how to send a mouse astronaut up into Space!

Both topics will give us plenty of reading and writing opportunities, using both fiction and non-fiction texts.

We will be continuing our ‘I Like To Read’ book in school, using stories from the school reading scheme to develop story ideas and also encourage sentence building and independent writing. These books will not be sent home on a regular basis as all children will have their own individual reading book to share at home and Home/ School Reading Record to share positive comments and targets.

In phonics we will review the letter sounds with the emphasis on word building and blending to support reading progress and independent writing.

In Numeracy, we will continue to explore numbers through practical activities as well as some recording of number work to reinforce patterns in number and calculations. In topic based maths we are exploring measures with lots of practical activities which the children can apply in their play.

Wizzy Work folders will continue to be sent home each Friday to be returned the following Monday. Thank you for your continuing support.

Opportunities for investigative play and child initiated learning will continue to be a central part of daily classroom activities.

Thank you for your support.

J. Evans

I hope you have all had a lovely half term break and that the children have

had a chance to recover ready for the next half term. Looking back we have

been so busy already, helped by the positive attitude towards learning shown

by the children and their ability to get along with one another (most of the

time).

Classroom activities, indoors and outdoors (weather permitting) continue to

be centered on developing language and communication and problem solving

skills across all areas of learning with activities linked to class topics as well

as evolving from children’s interests.

Our first topic this half term is ‘Me at School’, giving us a chance to explore

more of the building and find out who everybody is. The children will be

involved in planning routes around school and making simple plans as well as

making signs to help others find their way around. We will also be thinking

about how we can keep our school looking nice and maybe even adding a few

of our own improvements!

Other topics this half term include ‘Magic’ with very much a focus on stories,

imagination and fantasy worlds leading us nicely up to ‘Christmas’, a magical

time in school and particularly in the Reception classroom!

Thank you for your support in reinforcing reading activities introduced in

class, it really does make a difference. If you have any questions please feel

free to pop in.

J. Evans