I cannot believe that we have been in school for two whole terms and the prospect of the children moving to Year 2 in just a few months time, is already causing me a few wobbles!
Last week, we completed many assessments with the children and I have been thrilled with the progress that the children have made.
We still have a few assessments to complete this week with the children, but suffice it to say, we are thrilled with how much the children have come on, particularly in numeracy. Your support at home has been very evident through the comments we have received through the diaries so thank you very much for this. We are having a real push on reading, as you are aware from gauging the percentage of parental comments that we receive in the diaries each week. Last week did see a bit of dip, but we are back on track again – 95% of the Year 1 children had a comment in the diaries!
Why not try these ideas over the holidays... Help your child to read when you haven't got a book.
At breakfast time
Look at the words on cereal packets, milk and fruit juice cartons. Get them to see how many words they can make out of the letters.
Going to the shops
Some shops still have a sign over the door that says what they sell. Can your child put the words together with what's in the window (hairdressers, shoes, and so on)?
Look in the papers
If your child recognises a famous face (e.g. a footballer or a TV star) it will make them want to try to read the story.
In the streets
You'll see advertising posters and place names.
In the shops
Your child can help you find things in the supermarket by reading out what's in the aisles. Videos and DVDs Video boxes usually tell you the story. Get your child to read what's on the box as well as just watching the film.
On a bus or train trip
Place names on the front of the bus or train, posters on the bus or tube. Even the ticket is worth reading to a child.
Look at holiday brochures together
Help your child read about other places
Unpacking the shopping
Your child can read the words on your groceries while helping you put things away. Some CDs and tapes have song words printed on them
Your child will probably find it easier to follow words if they hear them at the same time.
Easter celebrations
As we are in school for most of Holy Week, we shall be devoting our time to the important Easter celebrations. The children are VERY excited about the prospect of the Easter Bunny arriving, so they can eat copious amounts of chocolate, but we will be reminding them about the true meaning of Easter. They will be sequencing the Easter Story, using illustrations as prompts for their writing.
Some children do get a little upset when we talk about the death of Jesus, but I assure you, we do handle it very sensitively and the children do appreciate us not shying away from these issues.
There are a number of websites below to support you at home to help explain the story to your child, along with some lovely activities to try.
On the night before his death Jesus had a final meal with his friends. This meal was one of the festival meals for Passover. Before the meal Jesus did something which surprised his friends. He washed the feet of every person, a task which was normally done by a servant. By doing this he wanted to show his followers that they should love one another in humble ways.
We shall be re-enacting this with the children on Wednesday, which is a lovely way of bringing some elements of the story to life for them.
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/christianity/easter/easter.htm - this is an illustrated version of the story, which will help the children when they come to write their own versions this week
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Easter/Easter.aspx - find out more about the traditions surrounding Easter. If you do some of the activities, then we would love to see them!
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/re/b-dag/ngfl-container/re-unit2-en.html - some lovely activities on here. The think and discuss section is a great way of working on the children’s comprehension of the story, particularly developing their inference and deduction skills.
http://www.teachingandlearningresources.co.uk/resourcesjigsaws.shtml -online jigsaws for the children to do.
http://www.teachingandlearningresources.co.uk/colourbookeaster.shtml - printable Easter colouring activities.
http://demo.iboard.co.uk/screens/thread_home.htm?thread_id=21 - a lovely website with lots of fantastic things to do.
Other Easter activities may be found on the Here I Am page on the school website. Click on Curriculum, then Here I Am and finally weblinks. There are also some Easter writing activities which can be accessed through the downloads section.
Easter Bonnets
On Thursday afternoon, we will be having our annual Easter bonnet parade. The prizes are awarded for originality AND evidence of the children’s own work. Please remember to label your child’s bonnet and we promise to take some lovely photos of the children, just to bring out on their 21st birthday!
Egg Rolling
This will take place on Wednesday afternoon. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that the eggs need to be hard – boiled, and, as they will break during the rolling of them, the children will not be able to bring them home.
Easter Service
The Easter Service will take place at 9am on Thursday in the hall. Space is very limited in the hall, but you are welcome to join us.
Fundraising afternoon
This Tuesday, sees the Year 5/6 children doing their annual fundraising event for the Nugent Care Society. The children will be allowed to purchase bric-a-brac items, as well as taking part in games and events. It would be helpful if the children could bring in their loose change in a sealed, named envelope or purse. Many thanks for this.
Website
May I take this opportunity to thank you for the many lovely, positive comments which you have made about the new school website. It is very time consuming, but the end results are worthwhile and ensure that the partnership between home and school remains a strong one.
A big thank you too, to those parents who have downloaded the weekly homework from the site. I will endeavour to upload the homework onto the site each Monday, so it is available in advance.
As always, any comments you may have, or suggestions for additions to the site, please do let us know. Thanks.
All that is left to say, is to thank all of you for your support this term and to wish you all a very happy and holy Easter.
Year 1 team x
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