St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Admissions

IS YOUR CHILD DUE TO START SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER 2021?

We have made a short video to show you some of the wonderful aspects in our school, looking particulary at Class 1. We hope you enjoy it. 

Please log into Class Dojo in the event your child is not able to attend school due to self isolation, illness or school closure.

Click here to visit our Home Learning Zone for links to additional resources. 

Class 1

EYFS

EYFS Framework Early Adopter

 We have decided to be an early adopter school of the new Early Years Foundation stage (EYFS) framework.

We see the link and letter below for further information. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-adopter-schools-eyfs-framework

If you wish to know further information relating to the curriculum in Class 1 please do not hesitate to speak to Mrs Honeyman and Miss Naylor, the class teachers,via Class Dojo.

Welcome back! We hope you had a lovely Christmas break- the snow and frosty weather certainly made getting out and about a bit more fun didn’t it? Thank you so much for the lovely cards, gifts and well wishes we received before the holidays.

This term is not beginning in the way any of us would have chosen; but please know that we will continue to work with you to ensure the continuation of your child’s progress in all areas of the curriculum this term- whether they are attending school or learning at home. Rest assured we fully understand the pressures many of you are feeling; looking after younger children, working at home with online meetings scheduled and targets to meet- on top of the home schooling. We are here to support you in any way we can.

Literacy (speaking, listening, reading, writing).

We begin our learning in Literacy this half term with a bit of help from Adam and Panda at Oak Academy. Our topic is ‘Traditional Tales’ and he is leading us in telling and retelling the story of the Billy Goats Gruff. This is a great topic for you to enjoy with your children at home- reading them your favourite traditional tales; Goldilocks, The Gingerbread Man, Cinderella.

During Term 1 the children were preparing for writing with their ‘Funky Fingers’ activities each morning; developing their fine motor skills through threading, pinching, placing and squeezing. Please continue with this at home with playdough, threading, beads if you have them. Our weekly PD sessions will include activities to develop both Fine and Gross Motor Skills. We will build handwriting and letter formation into our Literacy sessions as we progress through the term. Any kind of drawing and mark making at home will help your child develop early writing; colouring books and dot-to-dot books can be purchased cheaply online.

The children will continue to enjoy a phonics session each day. Now that the children know their Phase 2 and Phase 3 sounds we will be practising the skills of blending to read and segmenting to write. We will use lots of fun games on Phonics Play for this. Children are also busy learning their ‘Tricky Words’- please help us at home by sticking them up around the house to build familiarity.

Maths

During term 1 we have been deepening our understanding of the numbers 1 to 10. The children have thoroughly enjoyed meeting a ‘new number’ each week and developing our Numberland where the numbers live. We will revisit numbers and their different representations as we develop our understanding that number is more than counting and writing numerals. Our maths work is planned to include counting and comparing, number bonds to 5 and then 10, partitioning and understanding part-part-whole, shape, space and pattern as well as learning about different forms of measure.

Language is very important in maths; developing everyday vocabulary to talk about their maths alongside developing their repertoire of mathematical vocabulary. Please encourage your child to talk about their maths tasks.

 As we practise recognising and knowing graphemes in phonics, the same skill can be used to recognise and know representation of numbers without always counting. At home this skill can be practised using dominoes or a dice. Use simply as a show and say activity with a dice or a domino piece or in board games and games of dominoes where you both say the number without having counted the spots.

R.E.

Our RE focus this term is ‘Getting to Know Jesus’. The children already know how much God loves them- so much that he sent his Son Jesus to show them how to be good and kind. This half term we will listen to stories from Jesus’ life to find out more about how he showed us God’s love and set us an example of how to be.

P.E.

Children attending school will continue to receive PE lessons from Mr O Leary. For our home learners, weekly sessions will be posted online and will include activities to develop Fine and Gross Motor skills. We know you will be getting out and about with your children as much as possible during this Lockdown- despite the cold weather, daily fresh air and exercise are vital for our children’s well-being

How can you help at home?

A strong partnership between school and home is vital for your child’s education and as we have said before, we have been delighted by the way you have all engaged with us and supported your child’s learning. Due to the current situation, this engagement and support has never been more important and we are confident that the relationships we have already built will see us through these tricky few weeks.

So, in addition to the specific learning tasks provided, please continue to read with your child; share as many stories as you can; read the same ones again and again; talk about what you are reading, what is going to happen next? Who’s your favourite character? We aim to develop in our youngest children a love of books and reading that will be life-long.

We look forward to working with you again this term and thank you for your positive engagement. As always, if you have any worries or concerns; or would like to share successes contact us through Class Dojo.

Exploring Class 1

Our Class 1 children have been busy exploring the indoor and outdoor learning areas. 

EYFS – Home/School Learning Opportunities to Promote Communication and Language. The PDF below contains suggestions for activities to help with communication and language skills for reception children. 

Please click on the link below to download a copy of -What to expect, when? Guidance to your child’s learning and development
in the early years foundation stage.

EAL ( English as an additional language) RESOURCES for parents

Below are a few of the learning activities we took part in last year.

Class 1 Stay and Play

The children in Class 1 had lots of fun showing their parents the what they do in school.

Chickens

Class 1 had some exciting visitors when Mrs Irons brought some of her chickens into school.  We had the opportunity to see these birds up close and observe them, and even had the chance to stroke their lovely soft feathers. 

Class 1 Assembly - Jonah and the Whale

Class 1 led an assembly based on the story of Jonah and the Whale, attended by the whole school and their families. They worked very hard  learning their lines , singing a song and saying a prayer using sign language.

Baptism with Father Firth

Father Firth visited the school to show the children what happens in a Baptism.  He performed a mock Baptism on our class doll  and the children chose the name Elijah.  Class 1 and 2 children had a wonderful experience learning about this special sacrament.

Long Term Planning

Planning

Please find below an outline of the topics covered in your child's class. 

If you wish to know further information relating to the curriculum in Class 1 please do not hesitate to speak to Mrs Honeyman and Miss Naylor, the class teachers.