Welcome to the Hummingbirds Class!
Staff
Teacher: Shannon Hibbert
TAs: Cheryl Crosby, Angela Mullington and Julie Graham
Mid Day Leader: Lisa Bolger
Newsletter
On The Move
The Hummingbirds have all built great friendships in their new class and have had a fantastic half term! They have worked really hard this half term and are all making great progress in their learning.
This term our topic has been ‘On the Move’, which has been great for our eager learners in the Hummingbirds class! In English our stories have been Bubble Trouble and Balance and Motion. We have loved reading and exploring these stories together. We have looked at exploring how we can create bubbles and how we can allow them to travel across different surfaces. We have loved exploring balance and motion within the classroom and have been choosing our own objects to experiment with. We have been working hard to practice our fine motor skills to trace and write our names. In Maths we are focussing on our small group work activities focussing on a range of areas including building, sorting and recognising shapes and patterns.
In our Food Discovery sessions, we have been looking at mashing and using different objects to do this with. We have been learning about how we can safely use different equipment in the cookery room and have used this knowledge to make our own no bake banana bites which were delicious! In Music we have been learning all about the pace of different types of music and using instruments to create new sounds. The Hummingbirds have been practicing their ball skills in PE, finding new ways to dribble, balance and catch a ball.
In Understanding of the World, we have been learning all about the weather. We have been exploring a range of weather symbols and recognising how the weather changes each day. We have been learning to navigate around the iPad and choose our own games to explore. We have been exploring new friendships and looking at who is important to us. The Hummingbirds have loved sharing stories about their families and friends. We have been learning to play and share with one another and have built positive relationships with our new friends and staff.
In Creative Development, we have been using our topic of on the move to explore new ways of creating our art. We have been creative in the art room using our favourite vehicles to paint and create tracks. The Hummingbirds love messy play and have got stuck into all aspects of this! We have enjoyed our Time for Me sessions especially sharing our emotions and choosing activities which make us happy.
Our favourite spaces this half term have been the Library and Soft Play. In the Library we have loved exploring different stories and practicing our independent reading. In Soft Play we have been building our confidence and play skills with our new friends.
Have a fantastic break,
The Hummingbirds team.
Signalong
At Halcyon Way we use Signalong as a part of a Total Communication Approach, we are constantly using core vocabulary with the children to support their language development and then through each of our topics we introduce new signs and language, which extends their vocabulary further. We also have two “Signs of the Week” which helps maintain and extend key knowledge and skills of everyday vocabulary.
Each half term we will be creating a short video showcasing and demonstrating signs relavent for the current term so that you can learn the signs and further this learning at home.
Click play to watch this half terms Signalong video!
Lunchtime
If your child has a school dinner, the school menus can be accessed by clicking here. For children who bring a packed lunch, please remember to provide healthy and balanced options. We are a Healthy School and will be focusing on healthy eating and how children can make healthy lifestyle choices.
How You Can Help at Home
The following activities are suggested as appropriate homework activities which you can enjoy with your child and reinforce the learning, we are focussing on this half term.
- Enjoy sharing your child’s weekly library book. Share the story together, ask questions, discuss what you can see in the pictures, can your child make predictions about what might happen next?
- Encourage them to dress and undress as independently as possible.
- In PSHE we will be looking at being independent. Can your child wash their hands independently?
- Immerse your child in sensory materials you have around the house e.g. oats, soap flakes etc. Encourage your child to make marks in these materials.
- Listen to and share stories with your child. Ask your child relevant questions and model language.
- Encourage your child to use their counting skills where possible, for example counting each step, how many cars can we see?
- Thank you for your continued support.
