Miss Collinson (left)
Welcome to 1W!
We are very excited to be sharing this new school year with you all and we can’t wait to watch you all grow and thrive.
In 1W your class teacher is Mrs Watts and your Teaching Assistant is Miss Collinson. On Friday Mrs Gratton teaches in 1W.
Moving from Reception into Year One can feel like a big step but we are here to make the transition fun and exciting.
Please come and speak to us if you have any questions, worries or concerns. We are happy to help and support you to make this step as smooth as possible.
School Council
At Blakehill, we have a school council. As a class we voted a class councilor to represent our voice and share our class ideas at school council meetings.
Our School Day
School begins at 8.45am every morning. Learning starts as soon as the children arrive, it is really important that children arrive on time. Every moment in school counts.
When the children enter school they will hang up their coat and empty their own book bag. Independence is encouraged but there will always be someone there to offer a helping hand if they need it. Children are assigned a pigeon hole above their peg where we ask them to leave their water bottle and fruit snack. If they have a PE kit or lunch box this will also be left on their peg. It is then where they would enter the classroom to complete a morning activity before joining me on the carpet for register and morning exercises.
School ends at 3.15pm each day. After our afternoon story children will begin to get ready for home. At 3pm they will collect their belongings from the cloakroom and pack any items and letters for home.
Thank you for your patience as we dismiss the children safely to you at the end of the day. I am sure as the year goes on we will become quicker at recognising you all.
PE
PE lessons are Tuesday and Thursday.
Please ensure children either bring their PE kit to school on these days or have it in school ready. They no longer need to come to school dressed for PE.
PE kit needs to be clearly labelled with their name. This will help return your items to you in-case there is a mix up it.
Children need to have an outdoor and indoor PE kit in school as (weather permitting) PE lessons will take place outside. As the weather becomes colder outdoor PE kit is really important.
Homework Projects
Every half term we will be asking you to work together at home to complete a Homework Project. This project will be linked with the children’s learning at school.
For our first Homework Project we are linking it to our Science lessons where we are learning about ‘Ourselves’. We would like you to complete a project of the same title at home.
Your project can be written work, although I would love to see some creative ideas. You could try making a model, drawing, painting or even make your own movie. These projects are yours to customise and I am really looking forward to seeing what you create!
Home Reading
There will be daily opportunities to change Home Reading. When your child reads with you, please make a short comment in their Reading Record Book.
Please read with your child at home as often as possible, daily if you are able. We would ask that you please keep your child’s Reading Record Book in their book bag and send it into school every day.
Spellings
In Year One children complete weekly spelling challenges. Each week there will be a set of spellings for your child to learn.
Every Friday children in Year One are tested on their spellings.
Practising the spellings together each week will help your child become more confident when it comes to the test on Friday.
High Frequency Words
Children will be given a individual coloured card with a set of High Frequency Words in. These words need to be practised at home. Unlike other words children should not need to sound these words out, they are words that need to read on sight.
Children will be given a weekly test day for high frequency words and will be tested by Miss Collinson. After being tested if they accurately read the full set they will then move up to the next set. If your child completes all the given High Frequency Words then they will be given an alternative weekly home challenge to complete.
KIRFs
KIRFs - Key Instant Recall Facts.
KIRFs are practised in our Maths lessons and each half term children will be given a specific KIRF to focus on.
Information and resources will be sent home to help support you to practise at home.
At the end of the half term we will test each child to assess their understanding and confidence.
Drinks and Snacks
Children are very busy throughout the school day and can often get thirsty. We encourage children to bring a named water bottle each day filled with plain water. We do not allow juice or flavoured water in water bottles in school.
Fruit is available daily for children to select during their morning break. The type of fruit will vary each day. You are welcome to send a snack from home if you prefer. We ask you to send a healthy fruit snack or cereal bar.
Uniform
We ask that all children come to school wearing the correct uniform daily.
As the weather changes, please ensure the children have a warm and waterproof coat.
Children are welcome to come in wellies in wet weather and change into their school shoes once indoors.
A warm hat and gloves are encouraged in cold weather and a sun hat and suncream in hot sunny weather.
**A message will be sent out when the first reading cafe will start**
Reading & Phonics Café
8:30am-8:45am
On Thursday morning you are invited to our Reading & Phonics Café. This is an opportunity for you to come into school with your child and spend some time reading with them in the classroom.
**A message will be sent out when the first reading cafe will start**