EYFS blog 26.2.15

Another fantastic week! We have really enjoyed Book Week and Science Week. The children have told stories, role played and created broomsticks and ‘Gruffalos’. We have found out about the best materials for building houses (courtesy of the 3Little Pigs and The Science Museum Workshop). The children have completed writing connected to their class stories and have focused on learning how to write numbers correctly. We all enjoyed dressing up!

Next week we will continue with the story of the 3 Little Pigs. In addition we will start our phonics drop in sessions. The children will be working with their new groups for the first time on Monday so you will be able to see how the Read Write Inc sessions help them and some of the teaching techniques involved.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Tuesday!

EYFS: Blog : 13.2.15

What a fantastic week we have had! The children have been very enthusiastically taking part in Healthy Living Week and have learned about healthy diets; exercise and having fun!

We have also spent time finding out about China, Chinese Culture and Chinese New Year. The children had the opportunity to visit the Bluebird Class Noodle Bar and try some stir fried vegetables and noodles (we are so pleased that we no longer have carpet in Bluebirds class!)

When we return to school it will be ‘Book Week’ This will mean that the children will enjoy a range of activities connected to the stories of Julia Donaldson. Bluebirds will focus closely on ‘The Gruffalo’ and Grasshoppers on ‘Room on the Broom’. We will also have a visit from an author (Denis Bond). As it is also Science week, we will participate in activities related to the 3 Little Pigs story (investigating materials).

EYFS Blog 6.2.15

The children really enjoyed the opportunity to play in the snow this week and worked hard finding out about its properties and how it changes as the temperature increases. We were fortunate to take part in the visit from Rion Pierre who inspired the children when they were taking part in the activity session (circuit training in the hall!). In addition to this we have thought about how fish are different to other pets and how we can sort animals by their skin covering (do they have fur, feathers or scales?). During our Maths sessions we have ordered numbers and practised addition and subtraction by using the Maths Makes Sense cups. The children are working on mixed addition and subtraction problems such as 2+3+3-2= 6. Next week we will be continuing with the School Healthy Living project and finding out about how some people celebrate Chinese New Year.

23.1.15: EYFS

We have carried on with our animal theme this week and have focused on cats. We have enjoyed reading the ‘Mog’ books.

The children wrote information about what cats need, made labels and collages and found out about some of the difference between wild cats and domestic cats (this came with sound effects). We have carried on with our Read Write Inc programme this week and the children carry on working in their groups. During Maths the children have practised addition and  we have worked formally on subtraction for the first time (‘get ready to take away’). They have acted out number stories (using the correct Maths Makes Sense language) and both additions and subtractions within the same number story.  They have used ‘cups’ to solve the problems. Next week we will be reading stories about rabbits and finding out information about how to care for a rabbit. Our mathematics next week focuses on writing numbers and carrying on and creating patterns.

Bluebirds and Grasshoppers back at school!

It has been fantastic welcoming the children back to school. We hope you had a restful Christmas break with your families. The children enjoyed telling us about their favourite gifts!

We have carried on with our Read Write Inc programme this week and the children have started to work in their new groups. During Maths the children have worked with 2D shapes and have sorted them by the number and size of the straight edges. Our topic this term is ‘Amazing Animals’ and the children have talked about their pets and other favourite animals. They have collected data and created a class pictogram to find out which is our class’ favourite pet. Next week we will learn about dogs and read stories that they feature in. We will work on adding amounts to find a total. We also worked on the importance of hand hygiene in stopping ‘germs’ from spreading. The children covered their hands in glitter and then saw what would happen when they touched other people and things!

Wow! What a busy term it has been building up to an exciting time of year! It's a shame of course that we have once again had the sickness bug doing its rounds....With lots of staff and children feeling poorly, we definitely are ready for a winter break!

Amongst all the rehearsing, we have all still continued working hard and achieving the best we possibly can. Of course we always ensure we add fun to our curriculum. The time tunnel in the corridor is looking great, the drumming workshop with Jeff Rich and Dan in our new music garden was amazing, puzzle day was a treat and watching 'Wizard of Oz' yesterday is something that children will certainly remember for ever! We always remember those special primary school moments don't we?

But finally I have to say the highlight of this term has got to be our Christmas shows. Watching children perform with great confidence and enjoyment is always a delight. There are always so many hidden talents amongst children which come to the surface during these times. We certainly have some talented performers!
That's it for now. Time for us to recharge now and come back fighting fit, ready for another successful year!
Have a lovely Christmas Midfielders and a fantastic New Year!

Best wishes


Mrs Sesli

Never mind X-factor - we have the ‘Aaaaw/Wow’-factor!  I had high hopes for our EYFS, KS1 and KS2 performances and, to quote Simon Cowell, ‘You delivered!’  I’ve had the privilege to see all three performances and I was not disappointed – well done!  Adults who are coming to see the KS 2 performance – you are in for a treat!

Despite rehearsing for our performances and continuing with the curriculum, we still managed to squeeze in some time for making Christmas decorations.  These will be going home to add even more festive décor to your homes.  There has most definitely been a buzz in the air since the post box (for Christmas cards) has been put up in the foyer.  At the end of the day it is such a pleasure to see children’s faces light up when they give out or receive Christmas cards.

In the meantime, our Celtic roundhouse is slowly but surely taking shape.  It is looking fantastic and I cannot wait for Owls to use it when we learn about the Iron Age!

Sadly some Midfielders have been quite unwell.  You have been missed and our thoughts are with you.  We do hope you feel better soon and that you will be fighting fit for Christmas in no time!  Please remember to bring in water bottles to school so that you can have a drink often, especially if you are not feeling well.

With only one day to go before break up, I would like to remind you to read as often as possible at home - remind your adult to note this down in your reading record.  You may read any book you like; you are not limited to the book you are given by your teacher.  Also, do make the effort to complete your homework and pay special attention to your spellings and timetables.   Lastly – new clubs are starting in January.  Remember to complete these forms and return it to school so that you can join in the fun!

 Enjoy the break.  Have a good rest (healthy eating, exercise, go to bed early and washing your hands often), so that you can come back in January refreshed and ready to learn.  To help with the fresh start, remember to wear the proper school uniform and to bring in your PE kit!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas – Feliz Navidad! 

Mrs Viljoen