Weekly News! 31.10.25
What a fantastic first week back we have had in Year 1…
Maths
This week in maths our topic has been all about numbers up to 50, and the children have been doing a fantastic job exploring everything related to these numbers.
In our lessons, we have been writing numbers, identifying them, and counting together. It has been wonderful to see the children's confidence grow as they engage with these activities. To reinforce their learning, any support you can provide at home would be immensely helpful.
One enjoyable way to support your child is by holding up random numbers during everyday moments. For example, while out and about, you could point out door numbers or numbers on cars. This helps to make the concept of numbers more tangible and relatable to their daily lives.
Next week we will continuing place value from numbers 1-50 and finding one more and one less.
Fact of the week
Each week we will have a fact of the week. We will learn the addition fact(s) and the related subtraction fact(s). This week our fact of the week is
1 + 1 = 2
Next week it will be... 2 + 2 = 4
Read, Write Inc.
Some of us have really enjoyed meeting our new RWI teachers this week! The children have shown wonderful enthusiasm as we’ve been revisiting our sounds and practising our phonetic reading. One of our exciting focuses 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 working hard to improve 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 (Not when they are read to), 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 have embarked on our new thematic topic: Thunderbolts and Lightning! Throughout this term, we will be exploring various aspects of the weather, the seasons, notable scientists, the equator, and the United Kingdom.
We kicked off our learning with a stimulating big question: “What is your favourite weather and why?” The children shared some fantastic reasons, showcasing their engagement and enthusiasm for the subject. Building on our previous learning from Reception, we then examined our local environment through the lens of the different seasons. The children enjoyed matching pictures and sorting items into the appropriate seasonal categories, reinforcing their understanding in a fun and interactive way.
To conclude our week, we delved deeper into the various types of weather associated with each season. The children took part in a creative activity where they dressed peg dolls to reflect their chosen seasons. This hands-on approach encouraged their imagination while further solidifying their grasp of weather patterns.
Looking ahead to next week, we will shift our focus to a thought-provoking question: “Do plants and trees ever change?” Our exploration will centre around how plants and trees transform over time, including a detailed look at the differences between deciduous and evergreen trees. This approach will not only enhance their knowledge of plant biology but also foster a deeper appreciation for the environment around them.
I encourage you to engage in discussions at home about the weather and seasons, and even observe the changes in plants and trees in your local area. It would be wonderful to hear any observations your child makes about the natural world.
