Hello Pear, Pineapple and Plum Families!

Members of Staff:

Pear Class:  Miss Hays-Wheeler 

Pineapple Class:  Miss Selby 

Plum Class:  Miss Schulz (Year Group Lead) 

Teaching Assistants: Ms Loveridge, Ms Bickersteth and Mrs Khan

Welcome to the Year One page

Below you will find some important information. Please do take the time to read it carefully and speak to your child's class teacher if you have any questions.

Year 1: Key Information

We hope you have had a wonderful summer holiday and are looking forward to a brand new start in Year 1! We are very excited to get to know you and our new children. Information from our Year 1 Curriculum Meeting is now posted above for your viewing.

General Information:

In the morning, teachers or learning support assistants (LSAs) will meet the children at the door and pupils will hang up their coats/bags. Parents should not enter the school with their child. Children will have funky finger activities on their tables during soft start. The register is taken at 9:00 am and children will be asked for their lunch orders in the classroom. If you arrive late and your child’s entrance door is closed, please take them to the office to be signed in.

Children will be provided with fresh fruit as a morning snack. Please send your child in with a water bottle (no fizzy/energy drinks) and drink bottles will be topped up with water as needed. Milk can be ordered at www.coolmilk.com. You can also send in a healthy snack (no nuts or chocolate bars!) for children to have in the afternoon.

We will provide dates for trips, special events, and parent’s evenings on the school website, Google Classroom, and through ParentMail as and when they are applicable. We will also send out a termly letter to tell you about our new topics! You can find links to games and resources on our Google Classroom pages.

Contact us:

If you have any questions, please speak to your class teacher on the first instance. Typically it is easier to speak to us after school as we dismiss the children. You can also email your questions to our Year 1 email address including your child’s name and class in the subject line and main body of the email so it can be directed to the appropriate teacher.  We aim to respond to all emails within 48 hours. If you need further support, then please speak to Miss Schulz (Head of Year 1, Plum class teacher).

Email: year1@lionel.hounslow.sch.uk

 Curriculum Information for Autumn Term:

In Year 1, the children have a weekly timetable with all of the National Curriculum subjects taught across the week. Each class will have a different timetable but teach the same lessons. We understand that some families are nervous about the transition from Reception to Year 1.

The Autumn term for Year 1 will focus on transitioning from Reception/Early years by following a very similar timetable and slowly ease children into a more formal setting and full timetable. This will allow us to build up the children’s confidence, independence, and stamina for whole class learning and activities. We will be looking at some of the Early Learning Goals, as highlighted to us by the Reception teachers, to focus on during our COOL learning time.

Please see the curriculum meeting document or the half termly curriculum overview for more information regarding curriculum subject topics this term.

Other Key Information:

PE kits need to be brought into school ASAP. If your child does not have a full kit they may find it difficult to participate. We will send kits home to be washed every half term or as needed. It is a good idea to keep shorts and full length bottoms in your child’s PE kit so they are prepared for any outdoor sessions. Please ensure that each piece of kit (including shoes) is labelled with your child’s name as they are easily mixed up when the uniform looks the same!

PE days:

Pear- Thursday & Friday 

Pineapple- Monday & Friday

Plum- Tuesday & Wednesday

Homework will be posted every Friday on Google Classroom. Your child’s log in details can be found on the inside of their Reading Records and on the letter sent home at the beginning of the year, please keep them safe! It is important that your child completes the homework each week. A weekly spelling list will be posted and this will be tested on the following Friday.

Reading books are required to be in school daily. Children should bring them into the classroom each morning and place them in their tray.

Children are listened to read in their Phonics groups at least 3 times per week. This is not recorded in their reading logs. When your child has read their decodable Book Bag Book with an adult at school it will be recorded in their reading log.

It is expected that the children practice reading at  home daily for a minimum of 10 minutes.  Please note that we encourage independent reading done by the child, shared reading between the child and another person (sibling, parent, carer, family friend, etc.), and listening to books read by others! Reading a variety of books to your children is important so they can hear how words flow together to form sentences, and develop a greater range of vocabulary.

When your child has done independent or shared reading, please record this in the reading record books. You may also include non-school books in your child’s reading record. If it is a home or library book you are reading together, these should be recorded too! We will be checking reading records throughout the week to monitor.

At home, please encourage the children to sound out (not guess) the words and ask your child questions to make sure they have understood what they have read. It is very important that you assist your child’s learning at home by allowing them to use their new sounds, increase confidence over time and develop a love of reading!

Please could you also have a spare set of clothes (underwear, socks, tights/leggings/trousers) in your child’s bag in case of any unexpected accidents.

Donations:

We are always grateful for donations. This half term we would love:

• Old adult sized shirts (button up or plain coloured t-shirts) that we can use for painting!
• Conkers, large smooth stones, pinecones
• Gently used toys including: wooden building blocks, small toy cars, yoyos, action figures, dinosaur/animal figures, outdoor toys, etc. (Speak to us if you’re having a clear out!)
• New underwear size 4-5/5-6/6-7 in case of accidents

Thank you and we look forward to a fantastic year!

The Year One Team