Year 1

What a wonderful and festive time it has been in Year 1! The children sang their hearts out and did a fantastic job remembering their lines and actions in the Christmas performance. It was especially lovely to see so many adults singing along too! 

As part of our Victorian topic, Year 1 enjoyed a fantastic trip to Richmond Museum, where the children learned all about Victorian toys and how toys from the past were different from the ones they play with today. It was a hands-on morning, which really helped bring history to life. The children were fantastic at noticing differences in materials, how toys were made and how children in Victorian times entertained themselves without modern technology. Back at school, we made our own wooden peg dolls, just like a Victorian child would have done! The children showed great creativity and concentration while designing and decorating their dolls, and were very proud of their finished creations.

In English, Year 1 have continued to explore poetry in Zim Zam Zoom by James Carter. They created class poems, one about a witch who flew to the moon! They have been identifying and choosing rhyming words, understanding how rhyme can make poems more fun, musical and enjoyable to listen to. Building on this, the children then wrote their own poems and enjoyed performing them with confidence and enthusiasm.

In DT, the children have been learning about healthy eating. They designed and then made their own ‘fruit kebabs’, thinking carefully about choosing a range of healthy fruits. The children learned how to safely prepare food, including washing their hands, cleaning tables and using equipment sensibly, while also developing their cutting skills. 

In Maths, the children have been consolidating their learning on addition and subtraction. They have used part–whole models, bar models and fact families to help show their understanding of how numbers can be broken apart and put back together. These visual methods have supported the children in explaining their thinking, solving problems with confidence and developing a secure understanding of number relationships.

    

    

                               

 

w/b 15.12.25	w/b 05.01.26
Keywords: addition, subtraction. whole, part, bar model, part - whole model, toys past, present, wood, plastic, healthy, minerals, vitamins  Sounds: consolidation of set 3 sounds	Keywords: place value (within 20) 11,12,13, tens and ones, United Kingdom, countries, capital cities, Henri Matisse, collage, Spellings: ire, ear, ure, tion  CEW: no go so

 

Messages: 

• Please ensure your child brings their reading folders in with their reading record and books on Mondays. If folders are brought in later in the week, we’ll do our best to change the books when possible, but it can be tricky to find time once our weekly routines are underway. 

• The reading record should be signed by an adult five times. 

• Please make sure your child’s snacks are nut-free as we are a nut-free school. 

• The Learning Garden gates will close at 8:45am, where we will promptly be taking the register. If your child arrives after 8:45am, they will be marked as late on the register. If the register has already been taken by the time they arrive, we will inform the office so they can update the attendance.

• PE days for both classes will be moved from Friday to Wednesdays.

  • PE days: Wednesday and Thursday

 

Dates: 

• 12/01: weight and height measurement 

• 12/01 and 13/01, 3.30pm at Diamond Class: Phonics Screening Check workshop

• 22/01, 3.15-3.45pm: open classrooms

• 13/02: express yourself day - own clothes

• 03/03: Diamond Richmond Museum

• 05/06: Sunstone Richmond Museum

• 06/03: Book Day dress up

• 17/03 and 18/03: Family/teacher meetings

• 24/03 and 25/03: Y1 assembly

 

 

Year 2

As we reach the end of a busy and exciting term, we wanted to share some of the fantastic learning and achievements the children have been involved in over the last few weeks. We are so proud of how hard they have worked and the enthusiasm they have shown across all areas of the curriculum!

We wanted to say a huge thank you to all those who attended the KS1 Nativity Play. The children were amazing, and it was wonderful to see so many families supporting them.

We have been using The Snowman as inspiration for our Christmas writing. The children created their own imaginative narratives using descriptive language and story-telling skills. We were really impressed with their creativity and effort!

In Maths, we have been exploring 2D and 3D shapes, identifying their properties and investigating how they appear in everyday objects. The children enjoyed hands-on activities to help them understand faces, edges and vertices.

One of our highlights this term was our DT project, where the children explored ingredients, food preparation skills and the process of designing and making their own pizzas. The term finished with a wonderful pizza party in class—there were lots of creative toppings and even more big smiles!

In History, we have been learning about important figures from the past, with a focus on Florence Nightingale. The children explored how her work changed nursing and hospitals and thought about what makes someone significant.

Our Science learning has taken us outdoors and into nature this term! The children investigated a range of habitats and the living things that depend on them. They also applied their knowledge to explore design criteria for suitable hedgehog homes—there were some fantastic ideas and thoughtful discussions about keeping wildlife safe.

We wish all our Year 2 families a restful and joyful break. Thank you for your continued support—we look forward to another fantastic term ahead!

The Year 2 Team

   

   

w/b 15.12.25	w/b 05.01.26
Keywords: shape, 2D, 3D, edges, vertices, faces, expanded noun phrase, adverbs, possessive apostrophes, habitat, living things, woodlands, Pizza, taste, smell, Spellings: -	Keywords: place value (within 20) 11,12,13, tens and ones, United Kingdom, countries, capital cities, Henri Matisse, collage, Spellings:  Adding –ed, -er and –est to a word ending in –y with a consonant before it. copier, copied, happier, happiest, cried, replied, tried, funnier

 

Messages: 

• Please ensure your child brings their reading folders in with their reading record and books on Mondays. If folders are brought in later in the week, we’ll do our best to change the books when possible, but it can be tricky to find time once our weekly routines are underway. 

• The reading record should be signed by an adult five times. 

• Please make sure your child’s snacks are nut-free as we are a nut-free school. 

• The class room doors will close at 8:45am, where we will promptly be taking the register. If your child arrives after 8:45am, they will be marked as late on the register. If the register has already been taken by the time they arrive, we will inform the office so they can update the attendance.

 

Dates: 

• 22 January – Open Classrooms – 3:15–3:45 pm

• 23 January – Open Classrooms – 3:15–3:45 pm

• 27 January – Turquoise Class Assembly – 9:00–9:15 am

• 28 January – Pearl Class Assembly – 9:00–9:15 am

• 29 January – Amethyst Class Assembly – 9:00–9:15 am

• 30 January – International Day

• Week commencing 2 February – NSPCC Number Day (Dress up)

• 13 February – Express Yourself Day (Own Clothes)

• 6 March – Book Day Dress Up

• 17–18 March – Family / Teacher Meetings