Apple Class Blog 2018-19
19.7.19
This week children have been making their own books about themselves, making bracelets, painting butterflies with watercolours and making their names in the playdough.
Children met their new teacher on Monday. They are now so grown up!
We have had a fabulous year. Have a great Summer! Thank you very much for all your kind words, cards and gifts.
12.7.19
This week we have continued with our transition work, preparing the children for their next step in school. We have read a lovely story "The Dot" all about next steps and sung an accompanying song. The link is below ;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_I43cxDQ-o
We have visited the new classes again and the children will meet their new teachers on Monday.
In Literacy we revisited an activity that we did with the children at the beginning of the year, the children have all made such progress from their starting points. In Maths we have been ordering numbers to 20 , finding one less and practicing number bonds to 10. The children have really enjoyed finding out about butterfly life cycles and making symmetrical butterflies in the play dough.
Thank you to all who came for our last Stay and Play session this morning it was great to see so many adults. We thank you for your support this year and hope you enjoyed the children serving you some refreshments.
We have now collected in the Reading books and will collect in the Book Bags on Friday next week. Can we ask you to send in a carrier bag with the children so that they can take home all their work and belongings. We are looking forward to spending our last week with the children, it will be sad to see them go but they are all ready for the next step in their learning.
5.7.19
This week we have been doing lots of work on 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar.' The children have learnt what symmetrical means and they have been making symmetrical butterflies on the computer, with loose parts and printing symmetrical butterflies in the painting area. They have been writing their own books about butterflies as this weeks writing challenge and they have been writing about the food the hungry caterpillar ate in Literacy. Children have been making their own minibeasts in the creative area. We have been visiting Lime tree and Pear tree classes again in preparation for next year. We only have two weeks to go! Next week will be the last stay and play...
28.6.19
This week we have written our own fact books all about snails. We were very impressed with how much children knew about snails and how much their writing has improved.
In Maths we have been revisiting lots of measuring vocabulary. We have measured how tall we all are now and have been been busy filling containers so that they are full, half full and empty. We have measured the length of different mini beasts and thought about the correct vocabulary for weighing things.
This week have started preparing the children for their transition to Year One. We visited the classrooms where the children may be next year and carried out an activity at the tables; the children were very good at working independently !
Today has been Sports Day. the children were all fantastic ! They took part in their races with enthusiasm and cheered on their friends, well done Apples !
21.6.19
This week we have been finding out all about snails. We even had a visit from some Giant African snails. In Literacy we read Superworm and children made up their own mini-beast superhero stories. In Maths we have been counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. We are hoping it stays dry for Sports' Day next week (Friday at 10:45). Please note that there will be no stay and play on this morning.
14.06.19
This week we have developed the themes we began at Nell Bank. We have been thinking about mini beasts and their habitats; the children have painted some lovely pictures of things they saw at Nell Bank. In Literacy the children have been writing their own mini beast themed stories, using their phonic knowledge to sound out and are now using some lovely handwriting.
In Maths we have been working on counting on and counting back to add and subtract.We have now reached the end of our numbers of the week, this week being number 20.
On Wednesday we said goodbye to Miss Morris our student teacher, the children sang her the Bear Hunt song and we had a little treat to celebrate. We wish her well in her training.
Next week we are having a snail theme in class, so perhaps all this rain has been helpful !
Have a lovely weekend.
7.6.19
This week we have been reading "We're Going on a bear Hunt." Children have been thinking about the things they would take on bear hunt. Children have been making their own bear caves in the creative area and outdoors. In Mathematics we have been focussing on ordering numbers to 20 and finding one more and less. Please not there is no stay and play next week (on the 14th) as we have the school nurse in at 9 o'clock.
NELL BANK
We had a fantastic day on Wednesday. We went on a bear hunt around different areas then we looked for mini-beasts, pond dipped and enjoyed some water play.
23.05.19
This week we have had a healthy eating theme. We have talked about which foods we should eat plenty of and which foods we should eat less of. The children were very good at naming healthy foods they like and knew they should eat five a day. They enjoyed exploring citrus fruits on the tuff tray outside.
In Literacy we read and retold the Enormous turnip story. The children's sentence and story writing is really coming on. In Maths we having been weighing vegetables and have used the vocabulary associated with weight. The children enjoyed the challenge of measuring the weight of the vegetables by balancing the scales with cubes against the vegetables.
20.5.19
Last week we did lots of work around The Giant of Jum story. Children wrote instructions for how to make cakes and a healthy pie. They also used giant equipment to make pies in the mud kitchen. We have been finding out about keeping healthy and the importance of healthy food. In Maths we were sharing and halving amounts of cakes. We also did some art on the ipads as part of a whole school art project for an exhibition coming soon.
This week we are making shakers in the creative area if anyone has any small tubs or containers in their recycling we could please have?
10.5.19
This week we have continued with our Jack and the Beanstalk theme. In Literacy, we have written our own giant stories.
In Maths we have been recognising coins and making different amounts to buy flowers in a flower shop.
We have continued to think about plants and the life cycle of a bean. We having been watching some of our beans begin to grow and observing the changes. We hope that the weather warms up soon so that we can do some more planting.
Yesterday some of our children took part in a cross country event at Westfield Infants School. They tried their hardest and were impeccably behaved. Well done !
Thank you for all your support at our Stay and Play session this morning it was lovely to see so many of you there!
3.5.19
We would like to welcome back Miss Morris, a student teacher, who is going to be working in apple class over the next six weeks. Miss Morris did a short placement with us in November.
This week we have been doing all about Jack and the Beanstalk. Children have been writing what the characters say in Literacy, they have been planting beans and making their own beanstalks. Watch out for these on a classroom display coming soon. They have had various plant and growing activities set up in the classroom this week. in maths children have been adding and subtracting and learning all the pairs of numbers that make 10.
Enjoy another long weekend and we will see you again on Tuesday!
******Just a reminder again that children should not be playing with any of the equipment in our outdoor classroom, including the climbing frame, before and after school. *****
25.04.19
We have had a lovely Spring week in Apple Class. Our theme this week has been Mary, Mary quite contrary. In Literacy we have been practising rhyming strings and telling each other well known rhymes. We have written our own versions of the popular rhyme. In small world and at the creative area the children have been busy making their own garden designs.
In Maths we have been thinking about distance and using the related vocabulary; near, far, furthest, nearest, nearer, further. The children have enjoyed making paper aeroplanes in our garden and seeing how far they can get them to fly. We played a game challenging the children to estimate, then find out how far they could throw bean bags and pom poms.
In R.E we read a lovely story Our Beautiful World and have discussed all the special things about our planet and how we can look after it.
Stay and Play as normal tomorrow and P.E so the children need long hair tied back and their P.E kit in school.
18.04.19
Welcome back!
We hope you and the children have all had a lovely holiday; the children have come back refreshed and ready to work.
This week in Literacy we have been writing our holiday news and listening to the Easter story. Our Maths focus has been counting and ordering numbers to 20 and our new number of the week has been the first of the teen numbers,the unlucky number 13!
On Wednesday we enjoyed a visit to St John's church in Yeadon, where we joined in with an Easter service led by Reverend Richards.
This afternoon the children enjoyed an Easter Scramble, tracking down an Easter egg by looking for its matching raffle number.
In the Homework Books we have put in some information about homework for the Summer term, please take some time to read this.This week's tricky words are said and have, please help your child to read and recognise these words by sight,your continued support is really appreciated.
Enjoy the extended Easter weekend!
29.3.19
In our last week of term children have produced some lovely writing about Elmer that will be displayed in the corridor outside our classroom. In maths we have been doing work on shape and patterns. Look out for some maths homework activities in your children's bag. Children made shape patterns on Elmer and made repeating elephant patterns. Children have also been designing their own elephant pattern and writing speech bubbles for the characters in the Elmer story. The children's letter formation is starting to improve so thank you for your support with homework - it pays off! We have finished the alphabet today so this will be the last homework in the series and after the holidays we will be learning some new tricky words and concentrating on writing sentences. Have a lovely two weeks off and we will see you on Monday 15th April.
28.03.19
Just a reminder that Stay and Play is not on tomorrow morning (Friday 29th March) as we have a Celebration Assembly. Our next session will be Friday 26th of April as the week before is Good Friday.
22.3.19
This week we have listened to and retold the Elmer story using storytelling language. We have been finding out about elephants and thinking about their similarities and differences to humans.
In Maths we have been working on number 11 and ways to measure short periods of time.The children have really enjoyed trying to beat the clock when carrying out different challenges.
Just a reminder of the Homework and Reading book days as it can get a bit confusing! Reading books are changed every Tuesday and Friday, please can you ensure you fill in the record book so that we know to change your child's book. Homework books are due in on Thursdays and will come home on Fridays, many thanks for your continued support with this.
Next week is our last week before we break up for the holidays. Have a lovely weekend!
15.3.19
This week we have been writing about World Book Day. The children's writing is really coming along. They have been writing about circus performers independently in the writing area as one of their challenges. They have also been using split pins to make their own moving circus performer. In Maths we have continued our work on 10 and children have been ordering numbers and finding one less. This work evolved around the Ten Green Bottles song. For the outside challenge children have been filling and ordering numbered bottles.
It was great to see so many of you at stay and play this morning. Please can you not use mobile phones during the session as it is a safeguarding issue. Thank you.
8.3.19
Another action packed week in Apple Tree Class!
This week we have written about our dreams for the future, so have thought about future careers and jobs. In Maths we have been working with the number 10 and money. We have been learning to recognise the different coins and buying items at our circus shop. If you are out shopping perhaps you could help your child to use coins to pay for things.
As it was World Book Day this week, we had a visit from an Illustrator Lynne Chapman who entertained us and inspired us to create our own illustrations. We all enjoyed dressing up in our Elmer and circus themed costumes, and enjoyed a variety of activities throughout the day.
Just a reminder that Reading books are changed on Tuesdays and Fridays and Homework books need to be handed in on Thursdays.
Thank you for your continued support with your child's learning.
1.3.19
Welcome back after the half term break. Our new topic has got off to a great start. Challenges have included making wands, making potions, writing tricky words in top hats and performing skills in our outdoor circus role play area. Children have taken full advantage of the glorious weather we had at the beginning of the week. In Literacy children have been writing about themselves 'This is me.' In maths we have continued finding out about number nine and learning that three lots of three make 9. Children have also been using cubes to measure and using language to compare length, height, width (shortest, taller, widest, etc). In phonics we are continuing to consolidate reading and writing words with digraphs. Children's sound homework books are now complete. Please remove this from your child's book bag and keep it at home and continue to practise the tricky words and digraphs. They have a new homework book that is focussing on letter names and letter formation to begin with. This will still be collected in on a Thursday and go home on a Friday. We look forward to seeing children in their circus/greatest showman/Elmer costumes for World Book Day on Thursday.
15.02.19
Happy half term to all, we hope you have a lovely week, the weather forecast is good !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr9QtXwC9vc
Our new topic will be The Greatest Showman, circus and Elmer. The children are all very
excited and if you have a copy of the film you may like to show them some clips over the holiday.
Thursday 7th March is World Book Day; our class theme is based on the above topics, so we look forward to seeing circus animals, jugglers, clowns or any bright clothing related to these topics.
14.02.19
This week we have had a story week in Apple Class. We have been reading lots of traditional tales and making our own stories up in the new story building areas. The children have thoroughly enjoyed making up and telling their own stories using the picture cards. We have been encouraging them to use story language and understand how stories are structured. They have enjoyed recording their ideas using story maps and story boards.
We have been to practising our letter formation and the children have formed beautiful clear letters. In Maths we have continued to work with the number 9 and have developed our knowledge and vocabulary around 3D shapes.
We have really enjoyed the welcome sunshine and made the most of our outdoor area -it has felt like Spring maybe on the way!
We break up tomorrow afternoon for a week, for our half term holiday. School reopens on Monday 25th February. Have a super holiday!
8.2.19
This week we have found out about Chinese New Year. Children have enjoyed looking at artefacts, dressing up and tasting some food. In Literacy we looked at the story of the Great Race in which the zodiac animals are chosen. In Maths we have been learning to double numbers. In phonics children have completed all the sounds now. We had to deal with some very tricky trigraphs! (ear, air, ure). We still have some more tricky words for next week and then phase 3 is complete.
On Tuesday it was Safer Internet Day. Children listened to a story about Smartie the Penguin and learned how to safe online. They joined in with the rhyme below. You can read the story again here
01.02.19
This week we have been observing changes in Elsa's ice hands! The children made predictions about what would happen and then observed how the ice changed over time. We have also made some ice lollies which we have enjoyed.
In Maths we have been looking at 2D shape and making shape snowmen. The children are developing their vocabulary around shape. We have learnt a new shape - an octagon as part of our work on number 8.
In Literacy we have been writing speech bubbles to show what the characters from the Frozen story say. We continue to learn new digraphs, your help with spotting these in words is invaluable, thank you for continued support with homework and reading.
25.1.19
Do you want to build a snowman?
We didn't get any real snow this week but children have been making snowmen in the playdough, collaging snowmen in the creative are and printing snowmen with paint. In Literacy we have been doing the Frozen story and we will continue this next week. Children have been enjoying the Frozen inspired role play and small world areas. In maths we have been working on addition again and the related vocabulary (add, equals, altogether). In phonics we have added to our bank of digraphs and tricky words.
Look at how amazing we were in P.E. today. Children have been learning to travel along the benches in different ways. They have been climbing up and over equipment, jumping off and landing appropriately, going underneath equipment and balancing on equipment. They have been super sensible and learnt how to use it safely.
17.1.19
What a busy and chilly week we have had in Apple Tree Class. On Monday Mrs Firth brought a special delivery that had arrived all the way from the South Pole. We were all very excited to find a penguin inside the box; attached was a letter asking us to care for him and write letters to his family. We have had to learn lots about penguins- where they live and their needs.
We have developed our collage skills and thought about different textures when making a collage penguin.
In Phonics we have continued to learn new digraphs and our first trigraph, as these are tricky your support with Reading and practising the sounds in the homework books is essential.
In Maths our number of the week has been 7; 7 days of the week, seven colours in a rainbow, seven as a lucky number. The children have been working on their understanding of one more, one less and one fewer. Linked to this has been painting the colours of the rainbow.
Next week : FROZEN
11.1.19
HAPPY NEW YEAR! And welcome back. Our new topic is Polar regions and this week we have been finding out about the North Pole. Children have started learning some new digraphs in phonics and new tricky words to learn off by heart. We will continue to collect in sound book homework on a Thursday and send it back home on a Friday. In maths children have been making 6 in different ways and using the language of addition. Children have also been learning what happens when they mix white into paint and then creating pictures with their new colours. We have also introduced children to challenges. Each week they will be given specific activities to do in different areas of provision. The aim is to complete all their challenges before the end of the week.
21.12.18
What a lovely festive week we have had in Apple Tree Class. We hope the children enjoyed our party on Thursday; all took part with big smiles and were delighted when our surprise visitor arrived bearing gifts ! Today we had a lovely festive Assembly to celebrate all the children's hard work this term. It's hard to believe we are at the end of our first term; the children should be proud of how well they have settled in to school. We are very proud of them.
May we thank you all for your lovely gifts and wish you a very happy and fun filled Christmas !
School re-opens on Monday 7th January 2019.
14.12.18
What a show! We were so proud of our children on Tuesday. They said their lines really clearly and sang so well. We hope you enjoyed it too!
This week we have been reading and writing about the Christmas story. We have also introduced children to number 6. They have been learning to recognise dice spots without counting.
Next week is our last week before Christmas and such a busy week. We have our Christmas party on Thursday. Please remember to send in your £1. Thank you if you already have! There will also be no stay and play on Friday (we don't normally have one on the last day of term - sorry!) Lastly, sound book homework will commence in January.
7.12.18
This week we have continued with our Stick Man theme. The children have made Stick Man figures with moving joints and thought about the different places and environments that Stick Man visits in the story.
In our Maths work we have been learning about 3D shapes; the children are working hard to remember the new vocabulary.
Thank you to all the Parents who attended our Stay and Play session this morning its lovely to have your support; the children really enjoy showing you all their super work.
Please can we remind you that the doors open at 8.50am for school to start, we close the doors at 8.55am in order to start our Phonic work promptly at 9.00am. If your child arrives after 8.55am, please take them to the office and they will be given a late mark.
Next week we look forward to seeing you all for our show "I Spy Christmas" !
30.11.18
Our book focus this week and continuing next week is Stick Man. Children have been retelling the story in the Small World area, painting with sticks and making their own Stick Man. We have also carried on with our activities about birds. Children have been introduced to some new sounds this week (see homework) and next week we will have completed all the alphabet sounds. We will move onto the other digraphs and phase 3 tricky words after Christmas. In Maths we have been finding all the ways to make five and subitising numbers - children are learning to say how many by visualising rather than counting each time. Our Christmas performance rehearsals are well under way. Please note that school provides the costumes. Thank you so much for all the kind donations towards the Christmas Fayre.
23.11.18
This week we have have had a bird theme in our class. The children have been finding out about different types of birds and thinking about their similarities and differences. We have thought about how owls are nocturnal and most other birds are active in the daytime (diurnal). We have been thinking about looking after birds in winter time and have been busy making bird feeders to keep them from getting too hungry!You can spot our feeders in our tree.
In Maths we have continued to deepen our understanding of the number five and thought about the height of the number block characters. We also ordered the characters from the Owl Babies story using the language taller, tallest, shorter and shortest.
Next week we are having a Stick Man theme so will need plenty of sticks for activities around the class;, if you go out for a walk please can you collect some and send in with the children.
16.11.18
In class this week we have been learning about pattern and making repeating patterns. We have also been deepening our knowledge of the number 4. Our book focus as been around Owl Babies. Children have been retelling the story, writing about the story and making their own owl. We will continue with this book next week. Children have all created a night time picture on the computer and they have really enjoyed using the new letters and sounds and writing area in the classroom.
9.11.18
Welcome back after half term! This week children have been learning all about the number 4 and what 4 means and how to make 4 such as 3 + 1 = 4 and 1+1+1+1=4. We will continue this work next week. In phonics we are consolidating phase 2 of Letters and Sounds so there will be no new sounds until January. Children will be applying the sounds they have learnt to reading and writing. This week children wrote their holiday news. They have also enjoyed some firework activities and today activities about Remembrance Day. We have fit a lot into four days! We were very proud of children (and parents) for coming into school independently. Please make sure your child is on time otherwise they will miss out on important learning as they now come straight to the carpet. We hope you enjoyed stay and play!
We are still really low on spare clothes. Please can your child keep a spare pair of pants and socks in their bag. Thank you!
26.10.18
This week we have been continuing to learn new sounds. We have learnt h,b, l and f as well as the digraphs ss,ll, ff.Our new tricky words are I and the. Please can you continue to reinforce these sounds by completing the homework in the sound book. Your support with this is greatly appreciated.
We have also continued to deepen our understanding of the number three and have explored different ways to join materials when making a superhero figure with moving parts.
The children enjoyed our P.E session, where we moved like a superhero and played a tag game of sun and ice. Please can you ensure that your child has long hair tied back on P.E days and has clothing that they are independent with. Both classes now have P.E on a Friday.
Today we had a superhero picnic and the children made their own sandwiches, they may help you with the lunch over the holidays!
Next term we are having a Stick Man and Owl Babies theme so we need lots of sticks for our activities. perhaps you could collect sticks of different sizes whilst out for a walk over the holidays and send them in with the children.
We are in short supply of children's pants so if you have borrowed some please can you return them or if you have any spare pants that you could donate we would be very grateful!
A big well done to all the children for completing their first half term so well ! Have a lovely restful week and we will see the children on Tuesday 6th of November as Monday school is closed for staff training.
19.10.18
This week we have been finding out about the number 3. We have looked at ways to represent 3 and ways to make three such as 2+1=3 and 1+2=3. We have also been learning to name and describe the 2D shapes circle, square, rectangle and triangle and looking at food with these shapes.
We have been finding out about keeping healthy - healthy food, good hygiene and the importance of sleep and exercise.
Children learnt their first digraph this week in phonics (ck as in duck) and next week there will be a few more.
The class bear is continuing to do his rounds. He still has plenty of sleepovers to complete. The books are looking lovely - thank you for all the lovely photographs!
Children (and staff) are getting tired now towards the end of the half term and we hope they can survive another week as we have a treat planned for Friday.
13.10.18
Thank you to all who braved the blustery Autumnal weather this morning to watch our Harvest songs. We were so proud of the children and hope that you enjoyed our singing! Thank you also for your kind donations of food, it is being collected by Safe Haven a local charity.
This week in Apple Class we have been learning about the number 2 and ways to make this number, pairs of socks,gloves etc. In P.E we have been working on our understanding of positional language by following instructions with a partner, standing behind, next to and in front of each other.
Continuing on with our Super Hero theme we have been reading the Supertato stories which we have all really enjoyed! Great fun! The children enjoyed making their own Supertato character at the creative table and used potatoes to print with at the painting easel.
In phonics we continue to learn new sounds,this week we have learnt g,o,c and k.Thank you for continued support with the Sound Book homework. This week's new tricky words are and, to and into.
Next week we are learning about healthy eating and 2D shapes.
5.10.18
This week children have enjoyed playing in the new 'School dinners' role play area and the small world area that has been enhanced with superhero items. Children have all had a go on the computer this week. They have been painting a jacket potato with different fillings on a program called Purple Mash. We have also listened to the story 'Supertato' and we will have more superhero and food activities set up in the classroom next week. On Friday morning next week you are welcome to gather in our outdoor area after drop off for a brief performance of some songs we have been learning (weather permitting).
3.10.18
Green Apples had their first P.E lesson on Wednesday. All the children did so well at getting changed independently. They practised using the space moving in different ways and stopping on a signal.
28.09.18
We have had a lovely week enjoying the bonus late summer sunshine. We have used our outside learning space a much as possible before the weather turns.
Thank you for all your support with the children's phonic homework most had a go at it- well done! We have added the sounds that we have learnt this week along with our new word to learn- at.
We have set up an Autumn tough tray in our garden with some Autumn items on. If you are out and about for a walk over the weekend, please feel free to collect some treasures to add to the table.
This week Red Apples had their first P.E session in the Hall and were practising being organised and independent with their things and dressing themselves.
Please can we ask that you remain in the main playground until 8.45am so that staff can set up the outside area ready for the day. Similarly please can you remain outside the Nursery garden until the same time. Thank you for your support with this matter.
25.9.18
It was lovely to see lots of you at our phonics and reading meeting this morning. Here is the information from this morning. If you have any questions please ask!
Parent Phonic reading Session 2018 (1).pptx
The webistes for sound pronunciation are:
21.9.18
This week in class we have introduced children to the characteristics of learning through superheroes. Children can earn different badges. This week we have been working on I play with what I know. I can join in and concentrate. I can keep trying. Children have been learning how to sit at carpet time to be better at concentrating. They have all done well with persevering wen completing a puzzle. We have a lot of tired children but they have done very well with their first full week at school.
18.9.18
Welcome to our class blog! Red and Green Apple classes seem to be settling well and getting on well with their lunches.
They have also enjoyed our lovely new climbing frame.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can you make sure children have their names in all clothing items.
The fastest way to label is by getting a personalised stamper such as https://stamptastic.co.uk/ or https://www.stamps4u.co.uk these can withstand the washing machine well.