Weekly News! 7.11.25
Oh my goodness! What a busy and exciting week we have had – and honestly… we wouldn’t have it any other way! From fire station trips to bonfire night, the children have been buzzing with excitement!
English
In our English groups this week we have had a journey through the enchanting world of language, we have been immersing ourselves in the colourful realm of adjectives and discovering how they can add an extra sparkle to our verbs, creating vibrant and descriptive sentences.
This week, we continued to explore the delightful story of "The Gruffalo's Child," which has opened up a treasure trove of imagination for our learners. Using our senses, we described the fantastic settings, focusing on phrases such as "the towering, green trees" and "the bendy, waving branches." It has been truly heartwarming to witness the children’s creativity soar as they conjured up their own imaginative adjectives. Their ability to classify the different word groups has made for some absolutely thrilling discussions!
Adding to the excitement, we have also begun to introduce conjunctions into our writing. This allows the children to form even more elaborate sentences, weaving their thoughts together beautifully. It is a joy to see them so enthusiastic about expanding their sentences, transforming simple statements into descriptive narratives full of life and expression!
Our daily phonics sessions continue to play an important role in developing the children’s reading and writing skills. This week, we have been using Fred Fingers to sound out and spell words, especially trickier ones with more sounds. We’ve also spent time blending sounds to read unfamiliar words more fluently and practising our Red Words – these are words that don’t follow regular phonetic rules and need to be remembered by sight, such as “said,” “because,” and “come.”
The children have also been writing sentences independently, working hard to remember their finger spaces, capital letters, and full stops. They are making fantastic progress in becoming more independent and confident writers. If you have a few minutes at home, going over Red Words or encouraging your child to sound out words using their Fred Fingers can make a big difference. Even a short practice each day helps reinforce what we’re doing in school.
Reading
Reading at 3: Every Friday at 3, our doors will open for you to come in and enjoy a quiet read with your child. This will be for the full 15 minutes, and we kindly ask that children are not taken home early during this time.
Reading folders: Some children are bringing home two books – one of these will be a Read Write Inc (RWI) home book, which we ask them to read three times throughout the week to help build fluency. These books will be changed by an adult.
The second book (with the coloured sticker) should be changed independently by your child – ideally first thing in the morning.
Some children have moved onto the Accelerated Reader programme and will be able to change their books once they’ve completed the quiz online.
AR login: Click here
Parent Guide: How to use Accelerated Reader
Please ensure reading folders are placed in the trays each morning so that we can read with your child and update their books when needed.
Chilton Heroes Reading Certificate – Each week, one child per class will be recognised for their fantastic reading in our Chilton Heroes assembly.
Maths
In maths this week we have enthusiastically embarked on an exploration of multiplication, and the children have been buzzing with excitement!
To lay the groundwork for multiplication, we have been investigating the fascinating world of odd and even numbers. Using our Numicon shapes, the children had a fab time spotting the odd piece out. Their faces lit up with excitement each time they made a discovery! They also enjoyed double-checking their findings by counting in twos, which turned into a fun classroom competition. It's great to see their teamwork and enthusiasm as they engaged in these activities!
Alongside this, we have ventured into the concept of doubling. The children have been practising this skill with great energy, and I encourage you to continue the fun at home. Playing games that involve doubling can be a lovely way to reinforce their learning - perhaps counting the number of toys they have and doubling that number.
Next week we will be focussing on division!
Thematic
What an absolutely amazing week we have had for our thematic learning focused on firefighters! We kicked things off by diving into how firefighters from the past were different from those today. It was such a thrill to learn about the old-fashioned gear and methods of firefighting compared to the technology and safety equipment they use now.
Our excitement really kicked into gear during our trip to the local fire station. Wow, did it exceed our expectations! The children had a fantastic time exploring the entire station. They got to see where the firefighters sleep, the impressive fire pole, the changing rooms, and of course, the shiny fire engines. The highlight was learning that the firefighters have just one minute to jump into action! We've been having some fun in class trying to see if we can be as quick as them.
One of the most thrilling moments was watching the firefighters put out a real fire! It was great to connect our trip to our ongoing discussions about the Great Fire of London. We talked about how the fire could have been managed so much better with smoke alarms and how today’s methods and technology would help to tackle it much quicker.
Take a look at our ideas!
The firefighters were lovely enough to give us a challenge: to check on the smoke alarms at home! It’s a simple yet important task that can really make a difference in keeping our families safe. Plus, it’s a great way for the children to apply what they’ve learned in a practical way.
Thank you all for your support in making this a memorable learning experience. Next week is world kindness day and to celebrate this we will be having a PSHE week!
Home Learning
To celebrate world kindness day, we would like the children to think about being kind to themselves. We would like the children to compliment themselves and everything that makes them the amazing them!
Be creative and have fun!
🎄 Christmas Card Competition 🎄
Our school has been invited to take part in the annual Christmas card competition organised by our local MP, Polly Billington.
Children are encouraged to create a festive design, and the winning cards will be printed and shared with businesses and organisations across East Thanet, as well as Members of Parliament in Westminster — spreading festive cheer far and wide!
Competition Categories
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Under 7 years
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Under 11 years