Welcome parents, carers and children to your new class page.

Year 1 is an exciting journey of discovery and learning and we can’t wait to get started with supporting your children as they grow and learn in their new classroom environment.

This half term is all about supporting your child with new school routines and preparing them for whole class teaching and learning. They will still have plenty of opportunity to move and explore around the classroom but they will also have their own seat and table group to learn at. This transition can be difficult for some children and we will support them to adjust at their own pace.

Our first Topic unit is called, All About Me. In this geography and history based unit, children will learn and discover all about their local area. They will explore the area by examining aerial maps; comparing photographs of the past to how Hattersley looks now and using their observational skills and knowledge. They will share their findings and be encouraged to develop their oracy skills as they listen to each other and share their understanding. Children will have the opportunity to learn about the artist LS Lowry who lived locally and to re-create some of his well-known pieces of art. 

In English, we will share lots of books with the children, developing their literacy skills and preparing them for independent reading. Our key text is Bumble Bear and the children will laugh along at his hilarious antics! They will begin by writing short captions before moving onto sentence writing and beginning to sequence a story retell. We will also explore lots of non-fiction (information books) to find out about bees, bears and honey.

In maths, the work in Year 1 is crucial for your children to develop number sense and support number fluency in later years. They will use lots of concrete resources and have lots of opportunity to explore using maths cubes, counters, beads, tens frames, number lines, Numicon.  This half term, we will be developing their maths mastery skills in understanding numbers 1-10, moving on to addition and subtraction within 10. Their science lessons will be topic-linked as they explore the human body and our five senses. We also have an exciting visit planned from the Mad Science team!

In terms of supporting your child at home, reading is a crucial part of your child's learning so please make sure that you read with them daily. The children will be given weekly spellings to take home which are directed linked to their Phonics learning. We would appreciate if you could support them in practicing these. They will also receive one piece of maths homework which is linked to the learning that week. Year 1 have a P.E lesson on Thursday afternoon, so please make sure your child has the correct PE kit and ensure all items are labelled with your child’s name. The children have water bottles in school and access to the water fountain where they can refill them with fresh water. Their water bottles are available to them throughout the day.

If you need to speak to us regarding any issues, our door is always open.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Sargent & Mrs Burke

Homework

Spelling Homework - Your child's weekly spellings will be given out every Friday. Please support them to practice at home as much as possible. Spelling books to be returned to school by Wednesday. Children will be tested (with the support they need) every Thursday. 

Maths Homework - children have one piece of maths homework per week. The homework will cover the learning from the previous week. It is not intended to challenge them at this stage but to help them develop the habit of completing weekly homework and consolidate the learning they have completed in class. This is given out on Friday and to be returned to school by Wednesday.

Reading & Phonics- Please read with your child daily.  Phonics reading books need to be read 3 times before we will change them to help children increase their fluency.  Children may also choose a book from our class library to enjoy at home. 

PE

Our PE day is Thursday. Please have full PE kit in school - white top, black shorts and black pumps.