​Beech Class are on great form with their singing, as was witnessed by Carole from The Voices Foundation project on Monday.  The children are exploring pitch, tempo and dynamics through singing short songs, some of which you may recognise from your own childhood.  We sang ‘A sailor went to sea’ with actions; we’re hoping to progress on to the partner clapping game.  Carole was particularly impressed by the children’s confidence to sing solo in front of the class.  This was demonstrated in the song ‘Copy me’.  We just need to perfect all singing together in time!
As you know, Mr Dray teaches the children on Wednesday afternoons.  I happened to be in the classroom when the children were making ‘stained glass windows’ in the style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  The children worked with focus and great care to cut out intricate designs on black paper……. a marvellous activity to brush up on scissor skills. 
Miss Coleman brought a very proud Y1 boy to me this week.  He had worked incredibly hard on his handwriting in her ‘Read, Write, Inc.’ group and is achieving fantastic results: the difference between now and September is remarkable.  The children will be changing their RWI books on a Wednesday.  However, the picture books from the book corner may be changed anytime.
In Computing with Miss Barton, the children have tested their new knowledge of control of the Bee-Bots (robots) to challenge themselves to predict where the Bee-Bot will stop.  They have also been looking at what keeps us healthy in PSHE.  With Miss Barton, they decided that sleep, water, oxygen, exercise and food keeps us alive and well, with only the occasional cake and chocolate.
Beech Class have been tremendously busy during our ‘continuous provision’ times.  This is an opportunity for children to work independently and to lead their own learning and skill development.  About half the class are in the process of making a model from ‘junk’ (please keep it coming), while the dolls are looking very smart in their outfits.  The writing basket should be up and running from next week.
Things you can do to support your child next week:

• Y1s – recognising numbers to 50
• Y2s – count forwards and backwards in 2s, 5s and 10s
• Remind your child to change their picture books
• Talk about looking after our ears (keeping them clean, small objects, hearing tests etc.)

Have a lovely weekend.
Audra Fitzgerald

Thank you for the donations of ‘junk’ for our modelling table to be used from next week onwards. I’m so looking forward the wonderful creations your children will no doubt be producing and bringing home. We’ll need a steady supply of cardboard, loo roll holders, boxes and tubs for this to happen, so please reserve a bag of such goodies from your recycling. I’m hoping to add a doll dressing up station (fine motor skills) and writing basket (literacy) next week too.
Since the start of term, I’ve been keen to encourage a sense of independence, perseverance and resilience in the children. These important learning skills can be empowering, leading to enhanced self-esteem: in short, great for learning and well-being. The Y2s this week, have been working on multiplication problems in pairs, supporting each other rather than relying on adult help. Y1s have taken more responsibility for getting resources ready and looking after personal possessions.
In Maths Y1s used milk bottle tops and 2 tens frames to explore adding numbers to 20, while crossing a tens boundary: 8+5 is the same as 10+3. We use this strategy because it’s easier to add a number to 10 (see photo). Y2s have persevered with arrays, and have drawn a range of arrays for 12.
History spilled into Guided Reading this week, when the children sequenced the life of Mary Anning, as learnt through ‘Stone Girl, Bone Girl’. They also considered the effect of bullying Mary experienced as a child.
‘Show and Tell’ was a highlight this week. 7 children spoke with confidence and clarity about their items, among which was an Islamic prayer mat, a model of a doll made from ‘junk’ featuring a lever which moved the doll’s head and an art book full of the child’s own drawings and paintings. We also enjoyed the book about Minecraft! Next week, we’d love to see some fossils. I will make an exception to the Tuesday rule for fossils, and these may be brought in on any day for showing.
Things you could do to help your child for next week:
· Y1s – practise number bonds for 10 (1+9, 2+8 etc.)
· Y2s – talk about sharing out of anything in preparation for work on division (sharing 20 grapes between 4 people etc.)
· Research what life must have been like for the common person 200 years ago (time of Mary Anning)
· Learn any words or rhymes using sign language
Have a lovely, cosy weekend. See you on Monday!
Audra Fitzgerald

Beech Class have been getting into the swing of things.  We have talked about expectations throughout the week, and I’m pleased to say we have some amazing role models. 
In Maths the Y2s have challenged themselves to see the relationship between repeated addition and multiplication.  They have learnt about the commutative law of multiplication: 2x3=6 and 3x2=6 by looking at arrays, and have created their own pictures to show equal groups.  Today Miss Barton practised ‘doubles’ with the Y2s by playing the ‘Double or Halve’ game.
Next week, we will revisit the 2, 5 and 10 times tables and look for them in arrays (think of a tray of ice cubes, or a box of eggs).  The children will also encounter multiplication word problems.  If you fancy an extra challenge in the week, why not practise counting in 3s and 4s …... and beyond!  The website ‘Topmarks’ offers free online Maths games for Key Stage 1, and you might find some useful times tables games here.
Y1s have used knowledge of bonds to 10 to add numbers to 20.  So, if we know that 3+5=8, then we also know that 13+7=20 and 3+17=20.  This is a tricky step for some, so any extra practice at home would be great.  The odd verbal question in context is always best.  You could also say ‘I have one ten and six ones.  What number is it?’ etc. - a fun game while walking to the park or in the car.
In History we had ‘the big reveal’ with the announcement that our significant woman in history is Mary Anning, the famous fossil hunter in the early 1800s.  I can highly recommend the picture book, ‘Stone Girl Bone Girl’ by Laurence Anholt, which is a story of her life presented in a beautiful way.  All of the children loved hearing this story in Guided Reading this week.
Next week in Science, we will continue with Sound and think about how sound gets to our ears.  The children will ponder over what a sound wave looks like, and they will order quiet and loud sounds.  We will look at measurements in decibels.  Why not take this opportunity to make a paper cup telephone at home?
In my Read, Write, Inc group I can see improvements in spelling and handwriting, which is so encouraging.  The children are really thinking about sounds in words and doing ‘Fred talk’ (sounding out) when spelling unfamiliar words.
So now the moment you have all been waiting for...... When can your child bring in something for ‘Show and Tell’?  As a result of our days being extremely busy, I have decided that children can bring in an item to show on a Tuesday.  We will hold this session from 3pm to about 3:15 as a way of celebrating the interests of the children away from the classroom.  Please can the item be related to our learning at school, so as to make the most of the learning opportunity.
I promised you details of how you can support your child at home during next week.  If you have made it this far, then you will have read my suggestions already and a list would be repetition.  I hope this has been helpful.
Many thanks for your continued support.
 
Audra Fitzgerald

I can’t tell you how lovely it is to have a class full of happy children who are eager to learn. Beech Class have been catching up on each other’s news after the Christmas break and reigniting friendships. It’s great to be together again.
In Maths, Year 2 have been recognising and making equal groups. They have learnt that 12 apples can either be split into 3 groups of 4 or 4 groups of 3. Pictural representation has been at the core of this learning (excuse the pun). Year 1s have been revising addition to 12, by adding the number of dots on dominoes and writing the corresponding number sentence. I’ve been most impressed with this work and look forward to challenging the children to add up to 20 next week.
Our new Read, Write Inc groups began on Thursday. The children have settled quickly and have been practising their handwriting. Some groups will be focusing on correct letter formation and others on developing the different joins. Any support with this at home will certainly help your child progress.
This week, we have welcomed Miss Barton with open arms. Chloe will teach the children every Thursday from now on. In Computing Beech Class learnt that an algorithm is a set of instructions. They played a game whereby one child was a robot and had to follow a sequenced set of instructions. I believe that in weeks to come, the class will be programming an actual robot!
This afternoon, I introduced our RE topic “What is a Muslim and how do they live?” The children were fascinated by pictures of mosques around the world and in the UK. I emphasised that there are many British people who are Muslims in the UK. The children have designed their own prayer mats.
In future blog posts I would like to inform you of details regarding learning for the following week. As it is the start of term, I have yet to finalise some aspects of our programme. Therefore, I will list things you can do to help your child in the following week, starting next Friday.
Have a well-earned rest this weekend. I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.


Best wishes,
Audra Fitzgerald