Ducklings Newsletter 8/9/17

Friday 8th September 2017 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 to the email address that you have given to school. A copy of the newsletter is always put on the school website too, on the Ducklings Class page. 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 Wednesday morning and Mrs Catterall each Thursday. During these times Mrs Cassidy will teach the Ducklings. They have all met Mrs Cassidy this week.

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.

Bring in a photograph of you celebrating your last birthday for us to display in our birthday party role-play area.

In school we are making a display about our homes. We have been painting and drawing pictures of our homes, building homes out of construction materials and used shapes to make our homes. Please could you complete and return the homework sheet about their home that the children bring home?

Reminders Please could all children have a named pair of wellies and a puddle suit in school. 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 you find that your child is someone that tends to get ‘messy’ when learning 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.

We have also sent home some ‘Wow’ certificates for you to complete and return to school as and when the children amaze you! Please just ask if you need more throughout the year!

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 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 yet 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 to receive it.

PE Thursday is our PE day, please remove all earrings or cover them with plasters, before coming to school. Long hair must also be tied back.

Home Times Now that we have all settled into our new school routine the doors/gates will open at the usual time of 3.25pm starting next week. Thank you.

Needed…! Can you help?

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

Dressing up If you are having a sort out at home and have any of the following, please send them in for us to dress up and be imaginative with - scarves, hats, old shirts and waistcoats, etc.

Junk Materials We are always in need of junk materials for model making – cardboard cylinders, boxes, yogurt pots, etc.

Our Families Wall We would love to celebrate and share all of our families together by having a family photograph wall in our own home corner. It would be lovely if each child could bring in a small (6x4, 5x7 sized) framed photo of themselves with their family. More than one photo is very welcome, if needed, from both sides of the family. We will photocopy them to make a lovely display. Many thanks!

Diary Dates Thursday 5th October – Parents’ Talk about Phonics, Reading and Writing in the school hall 9.00-9.45am th Friday 20 October – Autumn Open Afternoon for parents, grandparents and carers in the Ducklings’ classrooms School closes for half-term at 3.30pm 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. If your child is chosen you will receive a text to notify you and invite you in for the assembly. For the time being the Ducklings will not be going into the hall with the rest of the school, instead we will hold our star of the week assembly in our own classrooms.

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