Welcome to Red Class
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Term 6 week 5 - Bristol Artist visit
After learning all about Bristol this term, we were lucky enough to have a visit from a Bristol Artist. She showed us how to create some beautiful balloon artwork, inspired by the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Here are a few snaps of the children hard at work:
Term 6 - A very special visit!
After getting another 10 smiley faces, Red Class had a brilliant idea for their next class treat. Lots of children independently drew and wrote their wishes for what they would like, and we went with the most polular idea - for Miss Hughes's dog, Phoebe, to pay a special visit to SSIS.
Since finding out she would be visiting, Red Class children have been very busy writing beautiful letters to Phoebe, making her lots of gifts and cards, and writing about her.
Unfortunately, it tipped down with rain during the visit, so we had to make do with a tiny bit of space under the shelter. We made the most of it, but as you can see, Phoebe quickly went from FLUFFY to SOGGY!
Miss Hughes and Phoebe were so impressed with the children's behavour and safety around the dog. They were calm, gentle and very welcoming to Phoebe. They got to watched her do some tricks, and most of the children cam eup and had a go at giving her a command and then giving her a treat to say thank you.
Term 6 - Summer is here!
We have been learning about the seasons all year, and recently we have been thinking about the changes that occur during Summer. We have been on a Summer Day walk around the school grounds, and have also been busy looking for signs of summer during our forest sessions.
Term 6 - Reception Trip - Court Farm
We had a fantastic time visiting Court Farm with the rest of Reception. We got to learn about and meet lots of different farm animals. We even watched a cow being milked! Check out some photos below.
Term 5/6 - Exploring our new outdoor area (brand new astroturf install thanks for the FRIENDS)
Red class have absolutely loved playing in the newly astro-turfed outdoor area. Obstacle courses have been a partiuclar hit, with lots of teamwork and physical challenges.
Term 5
Our class pets!
As a reward for getting 10 smiley faces, we got our very own class pets - some tiny Sea Monkey eggs. We had to learn all about them and how to prepare the tank for them to hatch. We have been watching them grow and feeding them a tiny amount of food each week. We created a class book to document the changes across the term. Check it out below.
World Book Day 2022
What a fabulous day we've had celebrating our favourite books and characters. We have done some role play, told our friends about our characters and even designed our own front covers for our characters.
Can you guess who we all are?
Update End of Term 3
Red Class Smiley Faces Treat!
Red Class achieved their 10 smiley faces (well, we actually got 11 as they just couldn't stop being brilliant!) so they voted for what they wanted for their treat. A PJ day was the winning option, so we all came to school in our comfy PJs! We also got to do a few fun dances and a little extra play time at the end of the day to celebrate our extra smiley. Well done Red Class - keep up the amazing work!
Update Term 3
We have also shared a variety of superhero stories, including several Supertato books. The children have enjoyed using their developing writing skills to write wanted posters and speech bubbles for some of the story characters. They have also enjoyed acting out the stories and making models, pictures and traps for the characters.
Last week there was a crime at SSIS! Red Class went to investigate and found poor Mr Ruck taped to her chair and his office trashed! The children used their detective skills to look for clues and we found a tiny black mask.
We think it belongs to the EVIL PEA!
Red Class have been hard at work thinking of questions to ask Mr Ruck to try and find out more information about the criminal. We have been learning about what questions are and having a go at writing some of our own. We have even learnt about a special symbol called a question mark which we write at the end of a question. (You might spot some of these at home when you read you E-Books).
We took some photos of the crime scene as evidence:
Update Term 3
We have been learning about real life heroes and people who helps us such as doctors, firefighters, carers, police and much more... We have enjoyed sharing stories, and using non-fiction books and information videos to find out more about these jobs. We have enjoyed role playing many of these jobs and have done lots of artwork and independent writing about them. We found out more about who can do these jobs and what skills we would need to develop in order to be good at them. We also thought about what jobs we might like to do when we grow up. We had a huge variety of ideas including: firefighters, doctors, scientists, scaffolders and parents.
We were extremely lucky to be visited by 3 real firefighters and their enormous fire truck! We couldn't believe it and were so excited. The firemen told us what their job involves and talked to us about staying safe. We also got to see their fire engine and many of us climbed inside to have a better look. It was so much fun!
Update: December
What an amazing finish to the 2021 year! We have been so busy in the run up to Christmas and have lots of pictures to share with you.
At the beginning of December, we decorated Red Class with lots of Christmas decorations. We have also been extremely busy learning about the story of Christmas and rehearsing for our Nativity. (We hope you enjoyed watching it at home - check your emails for the link). Throughout the month, we have been very busy creating lots of wonderful Christmas Crafts including snowmen, snowflakes, wreaths, trees and jungle bell sticks. We hope you enjoy looking at these now they've gone home. During the last week of school, we had a wonderful Christmas Lunch, watched the Yr 2 Christmas Carol Service, Had 2 very special visitors during the Christmas Assembly (Father Christmas and a peculiar looking elf!). We finished off term 2 with a Christmas party in the hall and a game of pass the parcel with our friends in Red Class.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Red Class grown ups! P.s. Thank you for our lovely cards, gifts and well-wishes. We really appreciate them :)
Merry Christmas!
Check out some photos below:
Update Mid Term 2
We have had a fantastic term so far. Please check out the pictures and info below to see what we've been up to.
In Phonics this term, we have been learning lots more sounds. We have been practising our reading every day in school, and can now read real books with only a little support. We have all read some fun books like 'Tut, Tut, Pup!', 'The Van', and 'Mum Bug's Bag' during our Phonics sessions. We are so proud and excited that we can read real books! :)
Please help practise the following sounds and words at home:
We have learnt:
s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f l ll ss ff j v w x y
We've also learnt these sight words (they can't be sounded out and we need to just remember them:
I no go to into the
Our visit to the allotment and the Junior school field/forest
We learnt about the school allotment and what it is for. We carefully walked around and looked at (and smelt) the plants that were growing. We found out that many of the planters are empty during the Autumn/Winter as most plants will die in the cold weather. We did see a range of fruit and vegetables though, including strawberries, raspberries, pumpkins, onions and radishes.
We also explored the Junior school field/forest area. We found lots of interesting things on the forest floor, including some giant spiky leaves, some extremely spiky conker shells and even some pine cones. We also enjoyed running, jumping and rolling down the big hill!
Friendship Anti Bullying Week (FAB week)
During FAB week, we learnt about how to be a kind and thoughtful friend. We discussed things that might make a person feel sad/lonely, and way that we could help them and be a good friend. We also talked about what bullying is and what to do if someone is unkind to you. All of the children knew that they should ask them to 'stop' and to tell a grown up they trust. Red class showed great kindness and consideration to others and were very good at helping one another, taking turns, sharing, and say kind things to each other.
As part of FAB week, we worked with children from Year 1 & 2 to help each other make friendship bracelets. It was lovely to meet some children from other year groups and work together.
We've been learning the story Pumpkin Soup, which features 3 friends who have a falling out. They eventually find a way to make friends and all work together to achieve their goal of making the delicious soup. During our forest session this week, the children worked as a team to create some collaborative Autumnal art using the natural resources they found. Each person had a job to do and they worked together to achieve their goal just like the characters in the story.
Click here to see Parents' curriculum workshop November 2021
Update Start of Term 2
We have had a wonderful start to Term 2. The children have settled back in beautifully and we have loved learning about our new topic 'Celebrations'. This week we have been learning about Diwali. We have learnt about what Hindu people do during Diwali, and compared this to other celebrations that we know about (Christmas, Halloween etc.). We found out that people decorate their homes with lights and bright things as Diwali is a celebration of light. We've even had a go at making some Diwali decorations including dough diya lamps, and rangoli and mendi patterns.
On Thursday (the main day of Diwali), we were lucky enough to have a visitor who came and showed us some beautiful things and told us more about how she celebrated Diwali. Mrs Kiran (from Yr 2) told us the story of Diwali, brought in some traditional clothing, demonstrated some rangoli patterns, and also showed us some beautiful ornaments. We were very interested in learning more and listened so well. Some lucky children even got to try on some traditional clothing and jewellery. Red Class loved learning about Diwali so much, that they have chosen to decorate some Diwali inspired biscuits for their next class treat! We only need 1 more smiley face until we get this :)
In Phonics we have learnt some more new sounds. Please help your child learn these at home using the orange flashcards. New flashcards will be given out at the end of each week - please add these to your child's clear plastic wallet. You can cut these cards out if you like and use them like a pack of cards, or even use them to make some simple words for your child to read e.g. dog, cat, pin, mat.
We have learnt:
s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r
We've also learnt these sight words (they can't be sounded out and we need to just remember them:
I no go
Update End of Term 1
We have been learning about Autumn and have been busy exploring the forest, looking for signs of seasonal change. We found lots of different leaves and used lots of descriptive language to describe them. We also red a story called 'Don't Hog the Hedge!', where a kind hedgehog shares her home with some new friends. We learnt about hibernation and why some animals need to hibernate through the winter. We became description detectives and were very good at spotting the describing words in the story such as "wonderfully warm" and "cosy". We even helped Miss Hughes to write down some describing words, using our phonics skills to tell her which sounds to write.
We have been busy learning lot of new sounds in Phonics and are now beginning to read simple words containing the sounds we know. We have practised pointing beneath each letter (left to right), saying a sound for each letter, and then repeating the sounds back quickly until we can hear the word. E.g. "d---o---g" "d-o-g" "dog". Please help us get even better at reading by practising the sounds on the orange flashcards.
When we were in the forest, we could smell a funny smell so we went to investigate. It was a real fire! Luckily it was safe - the year 2 teachers were lighting some pretend houses on fire (as the children were learning about the Great Fire of London. We stood a safe distance away and watched as the houses burnt down. We noticed there was lots of smoke and some bright orange flames. We learnt about how to be safe around fires and that there should always be water nearby in case of an emergency. We talked about how some families might have a bon fire soon and how we could stay safe for that.
We have learnt even more new sounds in Phonics and the sight word 'I' (which can't be sounded out and we just need to remember it). Please help me practise these sounds at home using my orange flashcards.
We have learnt:
s a t p i n m d g o c k
Reading Books!
The children have been given 2 books to take home and read over half term. The small book with a lilac sticker is a pre-reading book. These books have no words and are designed to help us develop the skills needed for reading. Please share this book with your child and encourage them to notice the pictures and make up a story to go along with them. Allow your child to turn the pages so they get used to independently handling books.
The other book is a traditional story book. These books are for you to share with your child. The adult should read the book to the child, encouraging predictions and discussions about what happens, and allowing your child to point out familiar letter sounds if they want to. They may also begin to remember and retell parts of the story after you've read it a few times.
Please bring the 2 books back to school each Monday alongside your child's Reading Record. New books will be given out on Tuesdays.
Update - Mid Term 1
We have settled into school life so well and are now familiar with the routines and activities. We have been trying hard to follow the school rules: Ready, Respectful and Safe, and have been making lots of 'right choices'. Throughout the term, we have been earning smiley faces and we were so happy and proud when we finally reached 10 smileys and got to have a special treat. We chose to have a mini-movie experience, where we watched a short film and had raisins and a drink. Now we are trying to earn 10 more smiley faces by trying our best to go 'above and beyond' and really make ourselves proud!
Recently we have been learning about Michael Rosen's 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' story. We have learnt the story off by heart and can retell it with actions. We went on our very own bear hunt and Miss Hughes managed to capture a video of the friendly bear in our own school forest! The bear sent us a present, so we decided to write him some messages using pictures, symbols and the letters that we have learnt about so far. Miss Hughes was so impressed with our writing.
We have also been learning about Autumn. We've noticed lots of changes going on around us, such as the weather turning cold and windy, and the leaves changing colour. Perhaps you could challenge your child to look for Autumn clues on the way to school.
In Phonics, we have been busy learning lots of new sounds. In school we learn the letter name, but focus mainly on the sound that each letter usually makes e.g. the letter S makes a 'sssss' sound. We have been learning actions and formation rhymes to help us remember the sound and how to write it. Please help your child to practise these at home - perhaps you can have a competition to see if your child can spot any known letters on street signs or cereal boxes!
So far we have covered:
s a t p i n m d g
This week we have been exploring 2D shapes and the children have been making selecting, rotating and positioning their shapes to make some shape artwork. We made rockets, houses, dogs and more...
You could try this activity at home by cutting out some paper shapes!
We have had a wonderful start to school in Red Class. The children have settled in so well and have really enjoyed learning about their new school and making lots of new friends. We have been very busy and have already explored lots of the new things at St Stephen's. We've been on a tour of the school and visited Mr Ruck in his office. We have also played in the outside areas, explored the forest, and had our first PE session in the hall.
The staff have absolutely loved getting to know all of the new children and it has been so lovely to see their smiley faces coming into school each day. We cannot wait to see where the year takes us. We're sure there will be lots of fun along the way!
Check out some photos of our first couple of weeks below:
