Class Teacher - Mrs D Clarkson.

Welcome to the Angelfish class.

This page will give you all the information you need about what is happening in our class, such as PE days, homework, trips, events and the areas that we will be learning about during the term.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to what promises to be a busy and exciting term!

Our theme this term is The Nativity Story. The children will be learning about the story behind the Christian celebration of Christmas and will also be taking part in our Key Stage 1 Christmas production. We are very excited about performing for our families, and further information about performance dates and tickets will be shared later in the term.

We will be reading a range of high-quality books linked to Christmas to inspire storytelling, discussion, and creative writing. This term, we will be moving from Drawing Club to Curious Quests, continuing to develop children's imagination, communication, and language skills.

Reading is one of the most important skills your child will develop, and your support at home makes a huge difference. Reading books will be sent home on Wednesdays and will only be changed if they have been signed in the reading diary to show they have been read at home. Every five reads earns a prize!

It has been fantastic to see so many children reading regularly at home, and our classroom reading chart is filling up with stars. Thank you for supporting your child with regular reading practice.

Children in Year 1 will continue to take part in daily phonics lessons in small groups, focusing on reading and spelling. Each week, they will participate in five Storybook lessons alongside daily Speed Sound sessions to help build confidence and fluency.

Children in Year 2 will progress to daily comprehension lessons when they are ready. These lessons will focus on the different reading domains while continuing to develop fluency, prosody, and a deeper understanding of texts.

Our PE days this term are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We will be learning dance and football fundamentals. Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their PE kit on these days. Earrings should be removed before school or covered with plasters.

How You Can Help at Home

We greatly value the support families provide and ask that children complete the following each week:

· Read at home regularly and record this in their reading diary.

· Practise any phonics sounds or words sent home.

· Complete any optional half-termly creative challenges linked to our learning theme.

Regular reading and phonics practice have a significant impact on children's progress, confidence, and success in school.

We will be following the Power Maths scheme alongside our Mastering Number lessons. The children will focus on number and place value before moving on to addition and subtraction, developing both fluency and reasoning skills.

In Science our topic is Materials, where we will investigate different materials and their properties through practical exploration and investigation. Children will carry out experiments to discover which materials are waterproof and which are not.

We will continue our learning about the history of toys, including finding out about the toys that family members played with when they were younger. Children will explore how toys have changed within living memory.

In PSHE, our unit, Celebrating Differences, will encourage children to think about belonging, recognising and valuing differences, friendships, responsibilities, and their role within the school community.

In Design and Technology children will learn about mechanisms, including wheels and axles. They will use these skills to design, make, and evaluate their own movable toys.

In Computing we will explore technology in the world around us, developing our understanding of what technology is and how it affects our everyday lives.

Throughout the term, children will continue to access continuous provision opportunities linked to their learning. These activities will encourage exploration, creativity, problem-solving, and the development of key skills through purposeful play and hands-on experiences.

We are looking forward to an exciting term filled with creativity, curiosity, and memorable learning experiences. Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to working in partnership with you throughout the year.

Mrs Clarkson and the Angelfish Team

Trips, Visits and Experiences