Welcome to the Sunbirds Class!
Staff
Teacher: Kate Leach
TAs: Vivienne Halliwell and Debbie Pearson
Mid Day Leader: Shapla Begum
Newsletter
Food Glorious Food
It’s been a busy half term for the Sunbirds! We’ve had so much fun learning all about our topic ‘Food, Glorious, Food’.
In English we have been reading Oliver’s Vegetables and Oliver’s Fruit Salad by Vivienne French. We have been working on our comprehension and sentence building skills, spelling and made exciting crafts linked to the story.
We are continuing to work on our phase 3 phonics and tricky words. We learnt a new sound each week and practiced saying, reading and writing them. We have continued to enjoy Move and Mark developing our fine and gross motor skills to music and using different sensory materials to improve and develop our letter formation.
We have also been working towards our own targets in Maths. Completing different challenges and activities every day to help develop our skills in number, shape and application. We have been focusing on addition and subtraction, using different methods and resources to support us.
The Sunbirds have enjoyed learning all about plants in Science, we have planted our own sunflowers and vegetables. We have learnt about what plants need to survive and used our knowledge to help our plants grow healthy and strong. We have also learnt about the structure of plants and the function of the different parts. In Art we have learnt about the work of Claes Oldenburg and have been building on our skills from last half term to make soft sculptures inspired by fruit. The children have loved making fruit salads in D&T, they have worked hard throughout the process; exploring, designing, making and evaluating them. We have been developing our chopping skills, learning different methods and how to use sharp knives safely. In PE we have been focusing on football, we have developed our dribbling, passing, and aim. In PSHE we have been learning about people who care for us and have been talking about who lives in our houses and the different people in our lives who love us. In Computing we have been learning about data and using technology to understand data. In RE we have focused on the creation story and comparing the Christian and Islamic story. We have been exploring maps and globes in Geography and learning to identify land and sea and finding the UK.
It’s been a fantastic half term in the Sunbirds! Kate, Viv and Pam are very proud of you all, and we can’t wait to have lots more fun next half term!
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 support activities which you can enjoy with your child and reinforce the learning we are focusing on this half term. Our topic this half term is ‘The World in My Town’
- Please continue to encourage your child to discuss one thing they have done each day at school, this helps your child to structure their ideas and lengthen sentences. Practice asking each other one question a day / week to help your child formulate a question and an answer.
- Discuss the theme ‘The World in my Town’. Where do they live? Walk around the local area. What do they see in their town? What are the buildings like? What jobs do people do?
- Our book for this half term will be ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’ by Julia Donaldson, if you would like to look at it together at home it can be found on YouTube.
- Please try to read/look at a book at least twice a week with your child if possible.
- Our sounds for the term will be igh, oa, oo, ar, or and ur
- We are learning mathematic language full, empty, heavy and light. Please experiment filling and emptying containers and comparing objects to see which is heavier.
- We are learning about L.S. Lowry in Art. Have a look at pictures on the internet of his work. What can they see in his paintings? Play I Spy looking at his work. Ask your child if they like it, what do they like about it? Visit the Lowry Art Gallery in Salford (free entry).
- In Science we are learning about light. Make shadow puppets with a torch/lamp and your hands. Find all the different light sources in and around your home.
- In RE we will be learning about Celebrations. Talk about celebrations that your child has been part of; birthdays, weddings, religious festivals such as Christmas and Eid, welcoming ceremonies such as Christenings and Aqeeqahs.
- In Geography, we will be learning about maps. Look at maps together. Go on google maps and find your home and local area. Do they know which country they live in? Can they recognise sea and land on a map? Walk around your local area, talk about landmarks that you see (e.g. mills, parks, library, shops).
- In PE we will be focussing on dance. Find just dance tutorials on Youtube with your child and copy the steps. Play different music and encourage your child to dance along.
- In D&T we are making bookmarks using cross stitch. Make a bookmark using paper and pens with your child. Encourage them to think of different designs for their bookmarks.
