Curriculum Newsletter

Spring TERM 2010 2nd half

EARLY YEARS             

Mrs L Conneely
Mrs C Ryan/Mrs B Allen

Mrs L Conneely
Mrs C Ryan/Mrs B Allen

Mrs J Calfe, NVQ3/Mrs C Rolfe, NNEB/Mrs C Solanki, NVQ/Mrs A Tilston, NNEB/Mrs M Williamson, NNEB/ Mrs R Merritt Link Governor

WATER, WATER

We start the second half of the Summer Term with a two week  block of Knowledge and Understanding using the story of "Noah's Ark " as a stimulus.  We will be finding out about the many uses and properties of water, linking to the seaside and water in the environment (including conservation).

We plan to host a 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' with the children planning and helping to organise the event.  Each child will need to bring their own 'special guest' (named please) to take part.  The children will write the invitations to advise you of the exact date.

Wednesday afternoon story session: from 23^rd June onwards we invite parents to come to school on Wednesdays at 2.30 pm to share books with a small group of children (including your child).  Please enter through main entrance and sign in.

We would be grateful for contributions of:

Washing up bottles (squeezy type bottles), pieces of pipe, hoses, tubes, joints and guttering if you have any of these items at home. For boat making please bring in any polystyrene or tin foil trays,moulded plastic inserts, etc.

Towards the end of the half term the children will have opportunities to visit the Year 1 area and work with Year 1 teachers to support a smooth transition to Year 1 in the Autumn.  Parents will also have the opportunity to visit the Year 1 area and meet the staff on 'open afternoon' - Monday 5 July.

EARLY YEARS - SUMMER 2010 (2^ND HALF)

 The above information is also available on the Early Years  class page.

YEAR 1        

Mrs L Healey and Mrs J Wells
Mrs K Cooper, NVQ3; Mrs L Edwards, HLTA; Mrs D Harrison, NNEB; Mr M Kettle - Link Governor

GROWING AND CHANGING

In Science we will be focusing on plant life and conditions necessary for growth.  We will be watching sunflower seeds germinate and grow, and we will plant them out in the Environmental Studies Area for the summer Holidays.  We will look at them again in September to measure them and look at the seeds forming.

Our school visit this year is to Mead Open Farm near Leighton Buzzard on Tuesday 6^th July. We will find out how farms provide us with much of our food.  We will study farm animals - how they grow and change, and how they are cared for.  This is a fun day out, as well as providing us with an additional opportunity to enhance our learning.

In Literacy Hour we will be reading stories with familiar settings including farm stories, and we will be using non-fiction texts to find out about farms, crops and animals.  We will be writing Recounts, including our visit to Mead Open Farm, and we will write for other purposes too.

In Numeracy we will continue to build on the children's mathematical knowledge, concentrating on partitioning numbers and calculating, and extending their knowledge of shape.  Our homework focus will be capacity.  Further details will follow. 

In response to summer activities out of doors, we will be discussing water safety.  We will talk about all the places we might find water and how to keep ourselves safe.

This half term the children will have opportunities to meet and work with Year 2 staff in their new classrooms ready for September. We would like to thank those parents who have helped us during the year.

YEAR 2       
Mrs D Megeary/Mrs S Taylor
 Mrs R Farley-Hulse, NVQ3;
Mrs C Miller, HLTA;
Mrs L Sapwell - Link Governor  

CREEPY CRAWLIES

Our curriculum focus for this half term is Science.  We will continue to look at plant growth and the environment and extend this to include living things within our local environment and the differences between them.  Our visit to Emberton Park on Wednesday 30th June will support our work in this area.  If you are able to help, and have a current CRB check, please inform Mrs Megeary or Mrs Taylor.

In both Literacy and ICT we will be using non-fiction skills to locate information in books, CD Roms and selected websites.

We will continue to work on mental calculation strategies and instant recall of number facts in Maths.  Word problems will involve Measures and Time, and we will develop our work on number operations including multiplication and division.

There will be some exciting activities this half term in preparation for our transfer to Junior School , including a Sports Day with Holmwood at Two Mile Ash School , and a special assembly to parents.  Further information will follow soon.

Achievments

We are a Beacon School


Basic Skills Quality Mark

School Achievement Award

Outstanding Ofsted Report

Healthy Schools Award

Activemark Award