Newsletter 18.10.13.

Dear Parents,

The last week before half term has been wonderful!  Here are the highlights:

-We have been mark-making on CDs and foil using cotton buds and a PVA glue and paint mix.

-As part of our shape focus we introduced further shapes, including a semi-circle, pentagon and hexagon.  We went on a shape hunt around the Fundino playground and the classroom!

-The children loved our bubble blowing activity this week and made some fantastic prints.

-Ms Grace shared an new IWB resource with the children.  We joined a virtual tour of the Smithzonian Natural History Museum and looked at the dinosaurs there.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/vtp/1-desktop/

-The children have been interested in making sounds with pasta, so we added some different containers.  The children filled them and shook them, talking about the different sounds they could hear.

After half term,  we will be focusing on the story 'Shark in the park' by Nick Sharratt.  Ms Grace shared this story with the children initially and since then they have been choosing to look at it in the book area.

Notices
-It is half term next week.  We will return to school on  Monday 28th October.
-Thank you to all of you who have posted weekend news and comments on your child's blogs this term.  It would be great to have some holiday news as well from half term.
-A reminder that swimming days in F2 are Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Swimming bags should go in the baskets which are placed outside the classroom.  Please ensure that all towels and swimming kits have your child's name.

Newsletter 11.10.13.

Here are the highlights from this week:

We have been focusing on 'shape' as part of our Mathematical focus.  We shared 'Harry and the Dinosaurs have a Very Busy Day' and played a shape game on the IWB. The children have been naming and recognising triangles, circles, squares and rectangles.  Next week, we will extend this to other shapes and continue to focus on vocabulary such as 'sides', 'long' and 'short'.

Ms Grace and I have been really pleased to see children showing more confidence in getting messy!  This week the children have explored cornflour gloop and hand and foot printing.

We have lots of new toys in EYFS.  The children were very excited to play with our big shiny shapes and built both 2D and 3D models with them.  We used our new binoculars to look for hidden dinosaurs around the classroom.  There are lots of Music and movement toys as well!

The children have been engaging in several activities focusing on developing their fine motor skills, which are crucial for their drawing and writing skills.  The activities included threading pasta to make snakes, bracelets and necklaces, using scissors and using different puzzles.

Following on from Book week, the children have continued to enjoy learning about dinosaurs. They have loved dressing up in our dinosaur costumes and listening to our Dinosaur sound track.

Today it was Bill's 4th birthday.  Happy Birthday Bill!

Hand printing

                                                       Phuong Anh told us she was building a "house".

                                          Thien enjoyed practising his scissor skills.

                                              

                                 Lam laughed as everything looked very big through the binoculars!

                                               

                                     Daisy was pleased with the pasta bracelet she had threaded.

Minh and Toby shared 'Harry and a Busy Day'.

Happy Birthday Bill!

                                                   

Newsletter - 4th October

 Roar! roar! roar! Children have been so engaged in our theme - Dinosaur that they have also enjoyed when Ms Liz Million, the author and illustrator of the story Digger came to visit. They were treated to an exciting drawing session and we were very pleased with all of their drawings.

In the classroom, teachers have made our role play very exciting by setting up a Dinosaur Den. The children have been spending time digging dinosaur fossils and learning about some dinosaur names such as 'Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Pteranodon' etc.

The children also took part in a 'buddy class' activity with Year 6 children where they shared and listen to some stories read to them by older children at school.

Last Wednesday, children were treated to an afternoon of marshmallow, hot chocolate and a book for our 'Snuggle up and Read'. They were very excited to choose a book on their own whilst sipping a cup of hot chocolate with their friends.

And to end our fabulous Digger theme Book Week, F2 children had a Dinosaur Party this morning complete with a dinosaur cake which they decorated.

Colin helped Ms Grace make a dinosaur fossil footprint using 'mud-rock'.

Children listened very well to Ms Liz as she told them what to do during the drawing session.

Daisy, Benjamin and Phuong Anh were all busy looking for dinosaur fossils!

F2 children listened to Y6 children storytelling.

Henry chose and book and quietly sat on the carpet to look at his book.

Tina helped Ms Grace decorate our Dinosaur cake.

Dinosaur cake!!

Thien Nghi and Khanh An having a treat!

REMINDERS:

* Swimming session will resume next week. All children should be swimming therefore, please make sure to bring your child's swimming kit to school.
* All library books need to be returned on or before Tuesday every week in order for your child to borrow a new one.