Welcome to Catkins class page. My name is Miss Vass and I am your new class teacher this year. I am looking forward to working with you and making learning fun and exciting for us all as we work together! If you are nervous about starting school then you are not alone. Even us teachers get nervous about what the school year will bring. I am looking forward to welcoming you into our new classroom environment and exploring the exciting topics that we have planned this term. We are very lucky to be joined by Mrs Tabor as our Teaching assistant who will support you (and me) in class this year.

Our topic this term is ‘Marvellous Me’, ‘What is it like here?’. As part of this topic we will be learning about ourselves and our families. To start the school year, we will be getting to know each other and setting class rules.  We will be exploring our local community and the people who help us to stay safe and healthy. We will be looking back at ourselves and observing the changes our bodies have made and how we look now. Being aware of our own and others feelings is also something we will be exploring and how we can regulate our emotions to make sure we are ready to learn.

In Phonics we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds. We will have a daily lesson of phonics. We will bring home a worksheet that corresponds with the sounds we are learning so that the children can consolidate their learning at home. As part of this we will also have Reading sessions that will happen 3 days a week and individually throughout the week. The book we have read during the week will be sent home on a Wednesday for the children to share their reading with you. This will then be changed every Wednesday for a new book.

In English we will be looking at ‘The Everywhere Bear’ by Julia Donaldson. We will be learning the text to be able to retell the story and then recycle this to make our own version. The Everywhere Bear will be joining us on our school journey and he will sometimes go on his own journey to meet you and your family. He is very excited about meeting you and is looking forward to the experiences he is going to go on with the Catkins family.

We have a daily Maths lesson that is taught through the White Rose Maths. This term in EYFS will be looking at counting principles, matching, sorting and comparing objects. We will then explore measure and patterns and finish with circles and triangles. Year 1 will be exploring place value and then moving on to addition.

In Science our topic is Humans senses and the body. We will be exploring the parts of the body and what each of our senses do.

We are taught RE once a week. This term our questions are: EYFS Why is the word God important to Christians? Year 1: What do Christians believe God is like?

In PSHE our theme is Being in my world. We will be exploring celebrating difference, dreams and goals, being healthy and relationships.

In Geography we will be learning about where we are in the world and our community. We will be looking at maps and creating our own of our classroom and school.

Catkins PE day is Tuesday and Friday. Children should wear coloured t-shirt with black shorts/black trousers. Long hair must be tied back. Any jewellery should be removed ideally at home if they cannot remove themselves.

Our learning will be shared with you through Tapestry. You can also add your own photos to tell us what you have been up to at home! It is a great way to work collaboratively to give the children to best outcomes.