Test 1
Our last day at Bonaly
We really enjoyed toasting marshmallows over the bonfire and learning a couple of campfire songs last night. This morning we played a few team building games after cleaning our dorms (lots of expert hooverers in this class!) and finished our time at Bonaly with a giant, whole class game of Gladiators.
Ps. More photographs will be posted in our class Teams once I have sorted through them all 🙂 Have a lovely, long weekend everyone!
P1B Reflective Friday 16.9.22
Hello Bright Sparks! We have been very busy this week around the classroom. Today your child will bring home their learning story folder containing an overview plan for the term along with targets and star steps for each pupil. Please return the folder to school next week. Thank you.
Literacy
This week, we have introduced the ‘p’ sound and the ‘n’ sound. We practised the sounds with our friend Geraldine the Giraffe and had another great treasure hunt around the classroom. Our writing prompt this week was ‘I am pointing at…’. The Bright Sparks filled in the blank for ‘at’ and then imagined themselves pointing at something in the playground. Around the classroom, we made pink potato paint prints and a newspaper n. We also had fun dressing up as pirates and the police! At the end of the week, we sorted lots of objects into a, t, p and n tubs. Please see the videos below to help with practising writing the p and n sounds.
Numeracy
This week, we continued with our SEAL programme. We all worked on saying the next number forwards and backwards, alternate numbers and counting a collection. At home, you could refer to numbers around the house on clocks etc for numeral identification (eg what number is this?).
Other Areas
In PE this week, we have been continuing to focus on spatial awareness and basic movement, such as being in a space bubble and running and walking forwards and backwards. We also took turns leading the warm-up and following the leader.
In Music, we have been using our listening skills to work out who is singing our tapping on the window song! We played this game during the first week of school, and it is fantastic now to see that every single Bright Spark wants a shot of singing solo in front of the class! There has been some lovely imaginative play in the P1 area. See pictures below.
LOOSE PARTS NEXT THURSDAY
Next Thursday afternoon we will have outdoor loose parts play (aka Messy play). The children way get wet and dirty, so please dress accordingly – old play clothes, or a waterproof onesie, wellies etc. We want the children to enjoy the experience without worrying about their clothes.
Loose parts play develops skills across the whole curriculum. It is child-led, and helps children strengthen their independence and sense of self. It helps children observe, enquire, investigate, construct, deconstruct and engage with both others and the world around them
General information:
If the classroom door is closed, please drop off/pick up your child at the office.
Please look out for the coloured paper on a Friday in the purple folder with what we have been learning this week!
Promote independence in dressing – changing/tying shoes, opening snack packets, zipping up coats, sorting inside out sleeves etc
Look around the environment for examples of written numerals – car number plates on the walk to school provide lots of opportunity for number hunts!
Encourage your child to write their name using correct letter formation.
Enjoy the long weekend,
Miss Croal
P2MN Blog 16.09.22
Dear Parents/Carers,
We have had a very busy week in P2. Please check your child’s purple folder for their Learning Story. This contains a termly overview of the learning for P2 and also your child’s personal targets. We would be grateful if these could be returned by Friday 23rd September.
Topic
Our highlight from this week was a visit from zoolab on Tuesday! Natalie introduced us to a variety of animals including stick insects, giant cockroaches, frogs, a tarantula, a baby rat, a giant snail and a gecko. She taught us all about their habitats and how the animals were specially adapted to living in their particular environment. This linked really well with our topic on Polly Jean Pyjama Queen.
Literacy
In literacy we have learned the igh and y sounds. These are two ways of making the same sound. We have used the eye symbol to help us remember this sound.
We have also been consolidating the ay and ai sounds from last week. Both classes enjoyed taking part in a word hunt in the playground with ai and ay words and pupils practised reading and spelling the words.
In writing we wrote a letter to King Charles III. We learned more about the conventions of letter writing.
Opportunities for home learning
- Please revisit the following sounds:
sh,ch,th,wh,ee,oo,ai,ay,igh and y.
You could make up flashcards or play this interactive game below.
- Continue to practise cursive handwriting using the sheet sent home last Friday.
- Revisit blocks 1-3 tricky words.
Maths
In maths we continued to learn about the days of the week and months of the year.
In our number work we have continued with the SEAL programme. Some of the skills we have been working on this week are:
- Counting forwards starting at different numbers (not always zero). Some of us have been counting in the 0-20 range, others in the 0-30 range and some up to 100 and beyond. We have also been counting backwards and we find this much trickier!
- Identifying 2-digit numbers.
- Saying the number before and after. Some of us have been doing this within in the 0-20 range, others in the 0-30 range and some up to 100.
Opportunities for learning at home
Paint the Squares – Interactive Number Charts (topmarks.co.uk)
Use the link above. This chart can be used in a number of different ways.
- Select the number range your child is confident in.
- Select the 1 more and 1 less puzzle to reinforce the work we have been doing on number before/after.
- Select the missing number puzzle to reinforce numeral recognition. Discuss how you might work out the missing number and draw attention to the patterns in the rows and columns.
HWB/Other areas of the curriculum
- We have been singing Fischy music songs which link to health and wellbeing.
- We really enjoyed our outdoor loose parts session on Thursday afternoon.
- We are continuing to focus on the theme of being respectful and kind.
Other information
- We will begin to send reading books home on the week beginning 26th September. Further information on this will follow.
- We have loose parts again on Wednesday 21st September. Please ensure that your child is wearing appropriate clothing as we will be outside in all weather!
- Please ensure your child brings a jacket every day to school.
- We would like to remind you that toys and Pokémon cards should not be brought to school.
- A reminder to name all items of clothing and shoes, and to check names on items brought home in case your child accidentally acquires a jumper belonging to someone else.
- We are looking for small pieces of ‘junk’ for modelling e.g., toothpaste boxes, tea bag boxes, snack bar boxes. The more interesting shapes the better!
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McFarlane
P2D Reflective Friday 16.09.22
Dear Parents/Carers,
We have had a very busy week in P2. Please check your child’s purple folder for their Learning Story. This contains a termly overview of the learning for P2 and also your child’s personal targets. We would be grateful if these could be returned by Friday 23rd September.
Topic
Our highlight from this week was a visit from Zoolab on Tuesday! Natalie introduced us to a variety of animals including stick insects, giant cockroaches, frogs, a tarantula, a baby rat, a giant snail and a gecko. She taught us all about their habitats and how the animals were specially adapted to living in their particular environment. This linked really well with our topic on Polly Jean Pyjama Queen.
Literacy
In literacy we have learned the igh and y sounds. These are two ways of making the same sound.
We have also been consolidating the ay and ai sounds from last week. Both classes enjoyed taking part in a word hunt in the playground with ai and ay words and pupils practised reading and spelling the words.
In writing we wrote a letter to King Charles III. We learned more about the conventions of letter writing. This activity linked to our topic as Polly Jean writes letters to the animals and the animals reply back to her. We are looking forward to hearing back from the King as we did get a letter back from the late Queen after our letters for her Platinum Jubilee.
Look at the reply we got from the late Queen after the summer holidays!
Opportunities for home learning
- Please revisit the following sounds:
sh,ch,th,wh,ee,oo,ai,ay,igh and y.
You could make up flashcards or play this interactive game below.
- Continue to practise cursive handwriting using the sheet sent home last Friday.
- Revisit blocks 1-3 tricky words.
Maths
In maths we continued to learn about the days of the week and months of the year.
In our number work we have continued with the SEAL programme. Some of the skills we have been working on this week are:
- Counting forwards starting at different numbers (not always zero). Some of us have been counting in the 0-20 range, others in the 0-30 range and some up to 100 and beyond. We have also been counting backwards and we find this much trickier!
- Identifying 2-digit numbers.
- Saying the number before and after. Some of us have been doing this within in the 0-20 range, others in the 0-30 range and some up to 100.
Opportunities for learning at home
Paint the Squares – Interactive Number Charts (topmarks.co.uk)
Use the link above. This chart can be used in a number of different ways.
- Select the number range your child is confident in.
- Select the 1 more and 1 less puzzle to reinforce the work we have been doing on number before/after.
- Select the missing number puzzle to reinforce numeral recognition. Discuss how you might work out the missing number and draw attention to the patterns in the rows and columns.
HWB/Other areas of the curriculum
- We have been singing Fischy music songs which link to health and wellbeing.
- We really enjoyed our outdoor loose parts session on Thursday afternoon.
- We are continuing to focus on the theme of being respectful and kind.
We talked about the wellbeing indicators. These are our pictures of being Nurtured.
PE
Independent Learning
Other information:
- We will begin to send reading books home on the week beginning 26th September. Further information on this will follow.
- Please ensure your child brings a jacket every day to school.
- We would like to remind you that toys and Pokémon cards should not be brought to school.
- A reminder to name all items of clothing and shoes, and to check names on items brought home in case your child accidentally acquires a jumper belonging to someone else.
- We are looking for small pieces of ‘junk’ for modelling e.g., toothpaste boxes, tea bag boxes, snack bar boxes. The more interesting shapes the better!
We hope you all have a lovely long weekend!
Mrs de Bonrostro
PRIMARY 1 MASTERMINDS 16.9.22
Hello everyone, this is what we have been learning this week:
NUMERACY
We were learning in small groups and practised saying number word sequences forwards and backwards, starting from different numbers up to 20. We said alternate numbers and the number which came next in a sequence- 8, 9, 10 -. We ordered numerals up to 10, forwards and backwards. We practised counting objects accurately.
THINGS TO DO AT HOME
Practise counting backwards starting from different numbers. If your child is confident doing this from 10, they could try it from 20.
LITERACY
We introduced the sounds S and N. We thought of things beginning with these sounds, learned an action and sang some songs to help us remember them. We used a board and magnetic letters to locate the letters and to make some words. We tried to decode some three letter words made from the sounds we know. Activities in the classroom this week included: making paper plate Pizzas, using our Noses to smell lots of different foods, creating a Night-time area where we could shine torches, making Nests with natural materials.
We shared the big 0RT book together and were introduced to the characters Mum and Dad.
We spoke about the positive aspect of night-time, some of the suggestions were: bedtime stories, fireworks, looking at the night sky, seeing badgers and other nocturnal animals. We drew beautiful pictures in our writing jotters of what we like about night-time and shared them with Mrs Imrie when she visited our classroom.
THINGS TO DO AT HOME
Your child will bring home flashcards today, please use these to help your child recognise the sounds and to build the suggested words. Look around the environment and help your child to spot these letters and recognise them in different fonts.
PE
In our outdoor PE time, we continued to practise different ways of travelling. In our hall PE time, we played lots of different running games to warm up and practised different ways of jumping: forwards, backwards and sideways, jumping with two feet and landing on one, taking off on one foot and landing on two. We finished with some games to help us work together as a team.
LEARNING STORIES
Your child will bring home their learning story today, it explains the targets we will be working on from now to Christmas and an overview of our learning up to that time.
LOOSE PARTS
Primary One will have loose parts on Thursday 22 September. This is a chance for the children to work together outdoors with the other primary one classes to problem solve and be creative. Please make sure your child is suitably dressed for learning outdoors. Thank you.
Enjoy the long weekend everyone.
Nursery Newsletter 16/09/22
Our full day at Bonaly
We’ve had an exhausting but fun day at Bonaly. For lots of us the highlight was having a go at the crate stack. We had to work together to keep each other safe and try to make the tallest tower possible with crates. They got super wobbly! We also did orienteering, low ropes, stream scrambling, night walks, bush craft, scavenger hunts and later tonight we are having a bonfire with marshmallows!
P1W reflective Friday 16.9.22
Today your child will bring home their learning story folder containing an overview plan for the term along with targets and star steps for each pupil. Please return the folder to school next week. Thank you.
Independent learning
The children have been developing a wide range of skills through independent learning opportunities in class. Here is a selection of photographs of what they have been doing.
Literacy
This week we have explored the letter sounds p and n.
The children will bring home a ‘sounds sheet’ today. please cut out and keep the letter cards and use them as flashcards to practice letter recognition. Each week we will send home the new sounds learned to add to your collection. In order to blend the sounds seamlessly together to build words the children should learn and use the ‘pure sound’ of the letter ( eg sssss rather than Suh or the letter name Ess )The sheet will also have a list of suggested words to build using the sounds.
Please practice forming the letters following the correct route, using these links as a guide.
Our writing/storytelling prompt this week was ‘I am pointing to…’
Numeracy
This week we have continued our numeracy fluency work with our Stages of Early Arithmetical Learning ( SEAL) inputs, reinforcing the following strategies and concepts –
- counting backwards from 10 ( or 20 for some pupils).
- naming the next number in an isolated short backwards number sequence. ie. I say, 10, 9, 8 (they say 7)
- establishing a collection ( give me 9 counters/raisins/etc)
- counting a collecting with accurate 1-1 correspondence
- recognising numerals
- sequencing numerals
- making instant finger patterns (show me 6 fingers)
- recognising dice patterns
Looking ahead to next week.
Next Thursday afternoon we will have outdoor loose parts play (aka Messy play). The children way get wet and dirty, so please dress accordingly – old play clothes, or a waterproof onesie, wellies etc. We want the children to enjoy the experience without worrying about their clothes.
Loose parts play develops skills across the whole curriculum. It is child-led, and helps children strengthen their independence and sense of self. It helps children observe, enquire, investigate, construct, deconstruct and engage with both others and the world around them.
Other areas of the curriculum
- In music we sang songs and played games designed to develop skills of keeping a steady beat. We also explored using our voices in different ways.
- In Outdoor and Indoor PE we have been continuing to focus on movement skills, competencies and concepts. (I am learning how to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space (HWB 0-21a)
Things to do at home and other information
- Promote independence in dressing – changing/tying shoes, opening snack packets, zipping up coats, sorting inside out sleeves etc
- Look around the environment for examples of written numerals – car number plates on the walk to school provide lots of opportunity for number hunts!
- Encourage your child to write their name using correct letter formation. You may wish to refer to this sheet for letter formation routes.
A reminder to name all items of clothing and shoes, and to check names on items brought home in case your child accidentally acquires a jumper belonging to someone else.
Buckstone Primary School 