Weekly News! 10.10.25
What a wonderful week we have had in Year 1 this week…
A HUGE well done to all of Year 1 for their fantastic harvest performance. We could not be prouder.
Thank you so much for the food donations!
Maths
In maths this week. We have been focused on the concept of subtraction, and I am pleased to report that the children have been working exceptionally hard.
To reinforce their understanding, we utilised a variety of objects to help visualise the subtraction process. This hands-on approach has made learning both engaging and effective. In addition, we explored the crossing out method, which many of the children found particularly helpful, as well as the counting on method, which is a great strategy for those who may find traditional subtraction challenging.
It has been wonderful to see the students' enthusiasm and progress in this area. As you continue to support their learning at home, I encourage you to practise subtraction with them using everyday scenarios, such as during shopping trips or while playing games. This can help reinforce their skills in a fun and practical way.
Next week we will be looking at statistics!
Here are some of our children showing you two different methods you can use! (Although Mrs Winchcombe made a mistake, I wonder if you can spot it?)
Next week our fact of the week is 1 + 4 = 5
Read, Write Inc.
The children have shown wonderful enthusiasm as we’ve been revisiting our sounds and practising phonetic reading. One of our exciting focusses this week has been spotting our “special friends” in words. This brilliant strategy helps children break words into manageable chunks, making reading both easier and more enjoyable.
You can really support your child at home by practising this together. Have fun exploring words, finding those special friends, saying the sounds, and reading the words aloud. Your involvement makes such a difference and helps to strengthen everything we do in class!
Alongside our phonics work, we’ve also been improving our handwriting skills. The children are learning when to use capital letters at the start of sentences and how to finish with full stops correctly. It’s been wonderful to see their confidence and progress growing in both areas!
Reading
Every week the children will bring home two books in their reading folders, one being a RWI home book. Children are expected to try and read this three times during the week to ensure they are building on their reading fluency. The RWI home books will be changed, by an adult, every Monday.
The other book (with the coloured sticker) should be changed independently by the child themselves, first thing in the morning is a great time to do this! These books can be changed as regularly as needed.
Please encourage children to place their reading folders in the trays, so we can read with your children and ensure books get changed. Thank you for your support with this.
Please listen to your child read as much as possible at home and record this in their reading records. Every week, one child from each class will receive a reading certificate in an assembly. Children will also get a certificate for every 20 times they read so it is important that the reading record gets signed every time they read at home.
If you have any questions, please speak to your child’s class teacher.
Thematic
This week, we wrapped up our thematic learning topic, “My Home, My Town,” and what a brilliant journey it’s been! The children have absolutely loved exploring the places around them and discovering how maps help us make sense of our world.
We kicked off the week by diving into a variety of maps and globes, there were lots of “oohs” and “aahs” as we spotted different countries, cities, and even found our very own school on some of them! The children were fascinated to see how big the world really is and how our little town fits into it.
Next, we became map-makers ourselves! The children showed fantastic creativity, designing their own maps of Chilton! Their attention to detail and imagination really shone through.
To celebrate all their hard work, we ended the week with a fun quiz to see just how much they’d remembered. They did brilliantly, answering questions and proudly showing how much they’ve learned over the past few weeks.
Next week, we’ll be starting our brand-new RE topic, “Our Wonderful World.” We’ll be thinking about what makes our planet so special from the beautiful nature all around us to the people and places that make it feel like home.
