We have reached the middle of term 4! We hope you have a restful weekend. 

RWI

Many of our children have made fantastic progress, especially with Set 1 and Set 2 sounds.

Most children are now able to write simple sentences/ phrases with support from their adults. Their understanding of what constitutes a sentence, including capital letters, finger spaces, fred fingers and full stops, is greatly improving. It has been lovely to see how much enjoyment children derive from both reading and writing activities.

To support their writing skills, we are placing a special emphasis on letter formation through the use of letter families. This approach helps the children make connections between letters that have similar shapes, making it easier for them to recall how to write each letter correctly.

Maths

This week in maths we have been focusing on the composition of numbers 9 and 10. We have been engaging in some interactive activities that not only reinforce these numbers but also enhance our children's understanding of how numbers can be composed and decomposed in various ways.

During our lessons, we continued to practice the concept of conceptual subitising, which allows the children to quickly recognise a number of objects without needing to count them individually. We explored how the numbers 9 and 10 can be represented in different ways using visual aids. This skill is crucial as it helps lay a solid foundation for number recognition and encourages flexible thinking about numbers.

After grasping the basics, the children practised breaking whole numbers into parts. Using part part whole models allowed them to visualise how a whole number can be separated into smaller components. For example, when given the number 9, they would explore how it can be made up of 1and 8, or 4 and 5, reinforcing their understanding of addition and subtraction. We also introduced the challenge of breaking whole numbers into more than two parts, which fosters critical thinking and creativity in their mathematical reasoning.

Next week we will be exploring addition.

Thematic

During our art lessons this week, we have been focusing on Vincent van Gogh’s painting “Wheatfield with Crows.” We have had a wonderful time exploring this artwork, discussing our likes and dislikes, and learning how to express our thoughts kindly and respectfully.

In our sessions, we delved into how Van Gogh created a sense of movement in his paintings through the use of varied small brushstrokes. Additionally, we explored colours used by experimenting with adding white to create tints and black to form shades. Using these skills, every child created their own interpretation of “Wheatfield with Crows” in Van Gogh’s style. We then participated in a constructive critique of each other’s paintings, ensuring our feedback was always kind, helpful, and respectful. Finally, we applied these artistic techniques to create landscapes of our own choosing, allowing for personal expression and creativity.

Important dates

Friday 20th March – Red Nose Day (Wear something funny for money)

Monday 23rd March – Rock your socks for Downs Syndrome Awareness (Wear bright or mismatching socks to school)

Tuesday 24th March – Team Periwinkle to Quex Park

Thursday 26th March – Team Teal to Quex Park

Friday 27th March – Parents come into school to look at children’s books prior to Parent Teacher Consultations

Week Beginning 30th March – Parent Teacher consultation week

Wednesday 1st April at 9.05am– Easter Bonnet Parade for Team Periwinkle, Team Ocean and Team Cornflower

Wednesday 1st April at 2.45pm – Easter Bonnet Parade for Team Teal, Team Sky and Team Sapphire

Thursday 2nd April – Chilton Fundraisers Sponsored Eggscellent Event - Non-Uniform to be worn with further details to follow next term.

Thursday 2nd April - Last day of term. School to finish at 3.15pm

Important information

• Please can your child’s reading record and book be in their bag every day. This is because their teacher might wish to read with them on any given day.

• Please make sure you have signed up to a parent teacher consultation if you have not already done so.

• Please complete the WOW moment sheets regularly so that we can add these to the children’s learning journey books. If you need any more please ask your child’s class teacher.

• Reading books are changed every Tuesday and Friday, please place your child’s reading folder into the basket outside their classroom

• From the beginning of term 4, we will begin to track reading at home. This is to encourage children's reading for pleasure and certificates will be given for certain milestones. Please remember to sign your child's reading record every time they read at home ( we will count every read not every book read!) 

Many thanks from the EYFS team