Watlington Primary School
Watlington Primary School
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Please look at our Healthy Smiles content for some very exciting news from this week.....
The children have been watching the cocoons very carefully each day this week, as we wait for our butterflies to emerge. It has been quite magical to see!
STEM WEEK: 25th March 2024
In Design and Technology we created models using different materials, which links with our 'Creating with Materials' and 'Being Creative'. Tessa nd Rigby made a house for the little Brown mouse in our story. They worked on their project for the whole day, adding different areas, adapting their design, evaluating and developing their ideas together and working in collaboration with their friends.
In Computing, we explored Bee-bots in groups and made maps for them to travel around. We learnt about directional language and giving instructions. We love Bee-bots!
To wrap up our Science this term (about rainforest animals), we invited George and Monty's mum into school, to talk about being a Vet. She performed a pretend operation on their dog, Bernie, who acted his role beautifully! He even had a pretend injection and a pretend nut and bolt put into his leg! George and Monty helped to answer questions about how to look after a pet dog. Thank you so much to Rebecca, George, Monty and of course, Bernie.
Toast Cafe was in Robins class this week, the children needed a pick me up, after practising for their class assembly! They all worked really hard.
Transition....... now don't panic but the end of this term is creeping closer and after that we will be beginning the summer term (but you knew that!). This is the the time to introduce the idea of Year 1 to our Hedgehogs.
An easy and first introduction to this is to make sure your child is carrying their own book bag, lunchbox and water bottle into school. Now this may seem like a small detail, but by doing so they are taking greater responsibility for themselves and their belongings. This build self-confidence and resilience. I have seen quite a few parents still pass over everything at the door, but if this handover happens at home, your child will become that little bit more independent. They can check do they have what they need for their day. Give it a go.... next steps for transition to follow soon.
World Book Day: 7th March 2024
This week the girls got up from the writing table just long enough for the boys to get in on the action! Keep it up boys, great to see you trying out your mark-making.
Maths (4.3.24) Number Chant! If you would like to join in with our maths this week, we are learning the number bonds to 10 (pairs that total 10). To do this in a fun way (and link to our poetry focus), we made up a rhyme to learn off by heart.
Chinese New Year - we had an amazing time, preparing for and eating our feast. Thanks to Mrs Brown and Mrs Shaw for running the Chinese Restaurant!
With the wet weather we have had a few damp children this week, who needed a change of clothes. Please can you make sure your child has a bag of spares on their peg, including clean, dry trousers/skirt, socks/tights? We have given out most of our spares now, so if you have school spares at home, please wash and return as soon as possible.
Please ask your child about their WATERPROOFS and WELLIES.... are they ok... do they fit... do they keep you dry? Some are getting a bit worn out by the constant use!!
Term 5: Home Learning Grid and Topic Web
Term 4: Home Learning Grid + Topic Web
Term 3 Home Learning Grid
Term 3 Hedgehogs Topic Web
Please have a look under 'Phonics' to see this week's learning. Please see Oxford Owl for this week's books and some from previous weeks, to re-cap.
TERM 4 - Maths - making 10 using 2 pieces of Numicon. Learning our number bonds to 10; really important for deepening our understanding of number.
Finally.... we have captured Evil Pea! The jelly was made, the trap was set.... the deed is done!!!
Making soup today to wrap up our Supertato and healthy eating topic this term. We made carrot, leek and sweet potato soup. It was delicious. Please ask the children how we made it, I hope they can remember.
For Children's Mental Health Week we dressed up and were allowed to 'express ourselves'.... from admiring our cool trainers to photo booth fun!
To finish our Supertato topic we organised a trip to the supermarket this week. We made a shopping list of all the things we would need to make vegetable soup, then we walked to the Co-Op and The Undercroft to shop for what we needed. Thank you to all the helpful people who served us, we think you do a great job.
Luna and Tessa have got really creative this term and made their own craft and writing table, in our role play 'shop'. I love how they have taken ownership of their learning environment!
Here are a few more Super Veggies, made by the children.
Evil Pea has left clues in our classroom... we think he is making trouble again! The children searched for clues and made traps and wanted posters for Evil Pea. The children have started to bring in their Super Veg, which they have made at home too - we love their creativity! Thanks for all your help with these. More pictures of those posted soon!
Night explorers was fantastic - thank you so much to everyone who helped to set up and attended. Thank you to Al and Mary (Mr and Mrs Owl as we call them!) from 'Al's Owls' - available for fetes, parties and dos! We all loved meeting Finlay and Hazelnut. Well done to all those brave enough to hold them.
Merry Christmas Hedgehogs, Robins and families. Have a lovely time together.
Our Nativity: The Christmas Star
Christmas party
Walk to the church, for the Christmas Tree Festival. Robins showed us how to cross the road safely!
The children got really stuck into building a stable for our nativity this week. They learnt about pitched roofs, structures and stability (we talked about both meanings of the word stable).
1st December..... Christmas has arrived in Hedgehogs class!
This week were thrilled to experience a wonderful visit from Aesop's Theatre Company, to present The Gingerbread Man..... there was a lot of joining in, singing, shouting in true panto style at the big bad fox.....and laughter!
After School Clubs
Please can parents let the class teacher know if they are not collecting their child, because they are attending an after school club? The children are not usually able to remember if they are going to an after school club, so we are happy to deliver them, but want to make absolutely sure we take the correct group. It is quite a long way for little legs to walk up to the hall - in order to check with the adult running that club! Please let me know via email, many thanks.
ELS Phonics is recapping this week and next. We have introduced digraphs and trigraphs now, e.g. sh, th, ng, nk, ai, ee, igh and oa. These books feature in Yellow book band / reading level. Your child will have one book with these sounds in, but it is to share with an adult. There is NO EXPECTATION that Hedgehogs read these books themselves. Can they spot any of the phonemes we have taught in the books?
They will have another book to try to decode, by sounding out the phonemes they see, and this will be matched to their current reading ability.
Please ask me or Mrs Heycock is you have any questions.
Forest School
These sessions will begin next week on Thursday mornings. Please make sure your child has wellies. waterproofs and a coat in school that they can wear. Ask your child are there waterproofs in school? Do their wellies still fit and keep them dry?
It can be a good idea to add another warm layer on these days, such as a vest. Layers are easy to take on / add, depending on the temperature. If your child usually wears a dress / skirt it is worth thinking about sending them in school trousers / leggings on the Forest School day. These are easier to climb in and to put waterproofs over.
It is a good idea to send gloves and a warm hat now too, as we stay out in Forest School for the morning, so it can get quite cold. PLEASE NAME GLOVES AND HATS, as they always seem to go missing. A lot of the school jumpers and cardigans are still not named.
Thank you.
As part of our Jigsaw programme 'Celebrating Difference', here are some supporting questions for you to talk about with your child at home.
Weeks 3 and 4: We have been celebrating Diwali, making Rangoli patterns and lots of models in our class this week.
Term 2 week 1: we have been designing and making models from construction materials and playdough in Hedgehogs. class.
Topic Web Term 2
Home Learning Grid Term 2
Helping your child with worries session - Monday 6th November 5-6pm
Week 7
I have added 7 new books to Oxford Owl, for you to enjoy over half term. These feature the sounds we have taught so far. They will be available until the 10th of November.
Writing and mark-making in Hedgehogs class - we are getting keener every week!
Week 6
Today (Friday) I will send home your child's Oxford Owl log in, it will be put into their home learning book. This gives them access to books I have uploaded on to the site, for you to share. A letter is in your child's book bag, explaining how to use this extra resource. The books I have uploaded teach the sounds we have been learning in Phonics.
Favourite Class Reads
Week 5: Healthy Choices
After talking a lot about porridge this week, we asked the children what they had for breakfast. Some of the responses were healthy, but not all of them..... here are some breakfast 'treats' that Hedgehogs class ate this week: "biscuit spread.... chocolate spread sandwhich.... Coco Pops..... jam on toast.... chocolate cereal.... cereal with white chocolate and brown chocolate". We thought that perhaps our target for next week should be to make some super healthy and tooth kind choices for breakfast foods. What can you try that is a really healthy and nutritional breakfast, that will keep you full until lunch time? 
Week 5: We made porridge this week and tasted it. We had to measure, count, plan and discuss. We had to mix, pour and stir. We had to give our opinion! We had to take turns and share. What a lot of learning in one activity! Some of us were so surprised at how good it tasted!!
Week 4: We got very busy building dens, underground camps and a wormery, we found so many worms!
This is what we have been getting up to this week..... we are learning to make friends.
Here are a few photos from our first week!
Week1
Welcome Hedgehogs Parents,
Just to let you know this page will be updated by the end of the school day on a Friday, if you want to check for news that will be a good time to look.
Thank you for supporting us in these early days to have children here on time, and to collect promptly. We will become more confident at recognising new parents as time goes on! Feel free to let your child walk straight into class in the morning, there is no need to queue.
Please remember the following essential kit (if you haven't brought it in already)
- book bag
- wellies
- waterproofs
- sun hat
There are some children who don't have a book bag yet, so I was not able to give them a reading book. We can send the new books home as soon as they have a book bag, they are all ready to go! You can order one on Price and Buckland, or speak to Jennie Shields (PTA) who organises the pre-loved uniform sale, as she may have second hand book bags available.
Thank you
Week 3
The children are making friends and learning the rules. They are enjoying being outside the most! We are having a few tears as children come in, on some mornings. Please be reassured; this is normal and it doesn't last long. They are settling quickly and just love you so much it is hard to say goodbye!
We have started PHONICS. We are learning the letter sounds: s, a, t, p, i, n, m and d. We are learning to make words using these letter sounds and to write the letter shapes.
You can help at home by trying to find those letters in the reading books we send home (if your child has a book with some letters and words in) or by trying to write the letters.
Parent Line
Early Years Curriculum Evening - September 2023
Helpful Web Links for Learning at Home