Ducklings Newsletter 9/9/16

Friday 9th September 2016 Welcome to the Ducklings!

This is our fortnightly newsletter about life in our class.

It is our main form of communication about life in the Ducklings and all you need to know. We will pass on information about homework, learning in class, trips, dates to remember and anything else we feel you need to know.

PLEASE take time to read it and find out about everything we do.

In future the newsletter will be emailed out to you, unless you have specifically asked to receive a paper copy. A text will be sent to you each time a newsletter has been sent to out. Please inform us if you are having trouble receiving or reading the emails. Thank you.

We will also pass on day to day information informally at “Meet and Greet” and “Goodbye” time when you drop off and pick up your children. This is also a time for you to let us know of anything that you feel is important.

Our Week Hurray! We have all completed our first full week at big school. Haven’t we done well?

We are all extremely proud of how settled they are. Everyone is very happy during the day, making new friends and joining in with their new routines.

We are all doing really well with putting our belongings in the right places and making sure we read our names on our things.

At lunch and snack times the children are practising washing their hands, lining up and using their manners. We insist on the children using please, thank you and asking to leave the table. Maybe some of them are trying this at home too?

Our Teachers Mrs Catterall and Mrs Lees have some time out of class each week to plan, prepare and assess. Mrs Lees will be out of class each Monday afternoon and Mrs Catterall each Tuesday. During these times Mrs Wills (who the children know) will teach the Ducklings.

Our Learning We are “Getting to know each other and our Class”.

We are learning each other’s names and how to recognise, read and write our own names.

Everyone has been choosing to learn in all the different areas around the classroom and playground and learning how to tidy up and put away the resources carefully. We use our tidy up music to remind us what time it is. We are learning how to be independent by putting our own things away, collecting our belongings at the end of the day, tidying away resources, clearing our snack things, keeping our baskets tidy, buttering our toast, using our knives, forks and spoons at lunchtime and putting on our own coats, puddle suits, shoes and wellies. This will be ongoing throughout the year but perhaps you could help by encouraging your child to do things for themselves at home too.

An independent child is an independent learner!

Talk Homework Clap, stamp or tap the rhythm your name or the names of members of your family.

Practise reading and writing your name (a wipe-clean practise sheet to follow next week!) and find other words that start with that letter.

Practise counting objects at home; toys, books, plates, stairs, trees, paces, people, rooms, etc. Can you count to 10? To 20?

Other Homework Practise putting on and taking off your coat, especially if the sleeves are inside out!

See how many items of your uniform you can take on and off by yourself.

Take a photograph of you wearing your favourite shoes for our shoe shop display. Ask a grown up to write down for you why they are your favourite, for e.g. ‘My football boots are my favourite shoes because they help me to kick the ball far.’

Reminders Please could all children have a named pair of wellies and a puddle suit in school, thank you? We love to learn and explore outdoors, whatever the weather!

It helps us a great deal if each child could carry a spare change of socks/tights and underwear in their book bags in case of ‘accidents.’ Spare school trousers or a skirt maybe useful too, if your child is someone that tends to get ‘messy’ outdoors!

It is essential that all items of clothing, shoes and belongings are clearly named.

News from Home We have a display wall in our home corner for children to bring in and share any important news and achievements from home, such as a swimming certificate or a new addition to the family! We will make a copy for the display and send the originals home.

This will be on going throughout the year! Thank you.

Healthy School We are a healthy school, so please send in healthy snacks only for snack time, such as fruit, vegetables, bread sticks, crackers, etc. Please can you cut up any grapes or tomatoes so that they can be eaten safely?

Water only please in their drinks bottles!

Milk Quite a few children have been asking for milk that are not signed up to the milk scheme. If your child is interested please look on the Cool Milk website or call in at the school office and ask for more details on how to register. All children receive free milk until the term that they turn five, but they still need to be registered.

PE Tuesday is our PE day, please remove all earrings or cover them with plasters, before coming to school.

Bikes We ask that the children do not go on the bikes before school starts in the mornings.

Thank you.

Diary Dates Tuesday 4th October – Parents’ Talk about Phonics, Reading and Writing in the school hall 9.00-9.45am Friday 21st October – Autumn Open Afternoon for parents, grandparents and carers in the Ducklings’ classrooms School closes for half-term at 3.30pm Needed…! Can you help?

Shoe Shop Role-Play We are going to have a shoe shop in our role play area. Have you any old shoes or shoe boxes that you no longer need? Please send in any other items that you think may be of use to us.

Washing-up Bottles Please could you collect and send in any empty washing-up ‘squirty’ bottles for us to use in our outdoor learning.

Our garden The children have enjoyed harvesting, clearing and weeding our garden. It would be really appreciated if we could have some donations of autumn bedding plants or spring bulbs for the children to plant, to keep it looking pretty all year!

STARS OF THE WEEK Each Friday we will choose some children who are our stars of the week. This can be for an academic achievement or for remembering our Carleton Code values such as sharing, friendship, displaying lovely manners, etc.

We are all stars this week, for settling in so well!