Cygnus Class 2015: Some amazing letter formation

We have had a lovely start back at school and everyone seems refreshed. There are a few sick bugs going around and if children have been poorly they do need to be kept off school for 48 hours from the last episode. If your child wakes up saying they may feel ill but then manage breakfast please do bring them into school if you think they are well enough. We can always call you if something happens but you know your child better than anyone. Mrs Griffin and I would like to reassure you that if we have any concerns about children being unhappy on class then we will keep you informed. Sometimes children might feel there are more interesting things happening at home.

Several children have been trying really hard with home learning and this is having an amazing impact on what they can do. When I asked a mum how long she spent with home learning she relied between 5 and 10 minutes a few times a week. This included reading and writing or practical number.

Incredible writing and I will have more for tomorrow.

I have found a great website for parents which explains and demonstrates the process and development in handwriting skills.

www.teachhandwriting.co.uk

Look at the How to form continuous cursive letters. be careful about the b- it has the end join from the base and not from the top. There are several options for b,f and x. Look at the caterpillar, robot, ladder and zig zag letters that I sent home at the start for confirmation.

In phonics, we are coming to the end of phase 2 sounds. There are lots of sites for phonics as well as You Tube clips such as Mr Thorne does phonics. I really like www.phonicsplay.co.uk

Look at the phase 2 ideas.

In numeracy, we have been learning how to share 10 stamps between 2 children and relating this to our number bonds to 10. This supports the idea that the same amount of objects can be split in different ways but they will always make 10 when grouped together. We introduced the + and = sign and how numbers could be put into a sentence. We were also concentrating on number formation and counting objects to 10.

Our role play area is fast becoming a post office and soon we will be making our lass room deliveries by post bike. Our topic is the Jolly Post Man and we will be meeting many different characters along the way such as the three bears and the gingerbread man. In Religious Education we are concentrating on the act of Giving and Receiving and why Christmas is special. At parents evening please do look at the RE display outside my classroom, we will be changing this later in the week. At parents evening there won't be books to look through as recorded work is being made into a learning journal. I feel this is an important time to look at how children have settled as well as friendships and their disposition to learning. We will be talking about how we can support your child further in their learning to ensure there is the home school link.

I apologise that PE kits haven't been used as yet- our Friday hall times have been busy. However we have been doing lots of other physical development from ball skills to digging to running and using the bikes and scooters.

We are approaching Christmas, it might seem a long time away but casting for the performance happened today and letters will be sent out early next week. Everyone has a part to play and we tried really hard to think about confidence when giving out speaking parts. We will be asking for help with providing costumes but will keep them as simple as possible.

Ehren shared his half term fun. I love the Sea Life Centre.