Spring Term 2025

Mi Casa Es Su Casa!

Welcome back and a happy New Year to you all.

A New Year means a new term and of course new topics. This term we will be looking at houses and homes. We will also be including some mini topics such as winter, animals, religious festivals and other themes that the children would like to learn more about.

Within the topic ‘houses and homes’ we will be talking about our homes, different types of homes, and famous homes e.g. The 3 Little Pigs and the unusual house in Hansel and Gretel. We will examine several religious celebrations including the Chinese New Year and Easter. There will also be a mini geography field trip in and around Hanley Swan and we will find out about building materials and mapping a route. Mixed in with this will be the mini topics and topics chosen by the children. Keep an eye on the 'What are we doing this week' page, to keep up-to-date with what is happening in class 1.

In Literacy, we will continue to use our sound knowledge to read and write words. We will be developing our cursive handwriting and attempting to write simple sentences. Alongside these, we will continue to learn the High Frequency Words. Please continue to read regularly with your child – it is already noticeable the difference between those who read very regularly and those who do not.

In Numeracy, we will be developing our number skills by looking at and counting numbers to 10 and beyond. We will also be writing numerals 0 – 10, working on addition and subtraction, exploring 3D shapes and re-creating patterns. 

The PSHE focus is ' dreams and goals'. We will be exploring aspirations, how to achieve goals and unpicking the emotions that go with this.

Forest School will continue this term. It would be helpful if your child could bring a set of warm old clothes (named) in a plastic bag. The clothes can stay in school for the half term, and it means they have something warm to wear on the colder days.

Weekly Information

7.4.25

Easter

I cannot believe that we have come to the end of another term. Doesn't it go quickly?

This week, we will be finishing our work on Easter with a few fun learning opportunities. There will be Easter card making, Easter crafts, and an Easter egg hunt to finish the week. On Monday, we have our Easter Service; please don't forget to drop off your children at church in the morning. On Friday, we have a coach from Worcestershire Cricket Club visiting the school, and they will work with each of the classes during the day.

The children will have two readers and a library book to read over the Easter break. Please feel free to read any other books of their choice.

We will have a show-and-tell news session on their return. It would be great if they could keep a simple diary of some of the things they do over the holiday. It only has to be a picture and a sentence. Please remind them that they need a capital letter at the start, spaces, and a full stop at the end.

The children have worked hard this term, and I am really pleased with the progress that each of them has made.

Well done, Class 1!

I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter break and that the children have a well-deserved rest.

30.3.25

Easter

I hope that you have had a fabulous Mother's Day and enjoyed looking at the wonderful writing in the Mother's Day card.

This week, we will be exploring the Easter story—its significance to Christians and the meaningful symbols tied to this special celebration.

On Friday, Sue from Upton Library joined us for a delightful story time session with the class. At the end of her visit, she spoke about libraries and library cards. If you're not already a member of one of our fantastic local libraries, why not sign up? It's completely free, and you have a choice of places to visit—Malvern, Upton, and Worcester all boast libraries with an incredible selection of books.

Upton Library 

Malvern Library

Worcester Library - The Hive

Over the past term, you've likely noticed significant progress in their reading skills. To build on this improvement, please ensure you listen to them read daily. This consistent practice not only enhances their reading abilities but also boosts their confidence, and it is a great opportunity for a cuddle!!

24.3.25

Eid Al-Fitr

This week, we will explore the importance of Eid in the Islamic faith. Eid will be celebrated on the 30th of March, and we will be using a wonderful book titled The Most Exciting Eid to guide our learning.

On Friday, we will revisit the story Waiting for the Biblioburro. A representative from Upton Library will visit Class 1 to share this captivating story, using fantastic props to bring it to life. The librarian will also accompany us during our visit to the library next term.

17.3.25

More Minibeast Madness!

What an incredible week we had last week! Your children demonstrated such hard work and accomplished some truly amazing things. From attentive listening and thoughtful questions during our science week activities to creating stunning illustrations in our virtual author session, their efforts were outstanding. You should be incredibly proud of them!

A special thank you to Arthur's mum for bringing in the lambs—what a delightful experience! It was wonderful to see the class engage with them so inquisitively and gently.

Looking ahead, this week we’ll continue exploring the fascinating world of minibeasts and their habitats. We'll kick off with the story The Bad-Tempered Ladybird by Eric Carle and wrap up the week with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, also by Eric Carle, in celebration of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day on March 20th. Throughout the week, we’ll dive into several other Eric Carle books.

This week is also British Sign Language Week. We will be celebrating this and helping to raise awareness of this important language.

Finally, don’t forget Comic Relief on Friday! Wear something red for a small donation.

10.3.25

Minibeast Madness!

What a beautiful weekend! I hope you enjoyed the sunshine. This week, we will be exploring the season of Spring (whilst it lasts) and finding out about minibeasts. 

We will be Spring detectives and will find evidence of Spring around the school grounds. We will also have a very special visitor on Monday – a newborn lamb! The children will get to see this visitor up close and maybe even get to feed it! 

Minibeasts are all around us, and this week we will be finding them and describing them. We will be talking about camouflage, habitats, and using an information text to find out some interesting facts about them. There will also be an opportunity to start making a minibeast house! 

On Friday, we will be joining in a 'virtual author' session. We will be listening to Farhana Islam talk about her very special book called Ibraheem’s Perfect Eid. There will also be an opportunity to join in a live illustrations session. These events are always inspiring and really do promote a love of stories and reading. Ibraheem’s Perfect Eid

3.3.25

Waiting for the Biblioburro!

This week, we are travelling to a little village in Spain and finding out about a little girl's home and the importance of books and libraries. The story is inspired by the heroic efforts of a real-life librarian called Luis Soriano Bohorquez. It is a story that will bring together a few themes, including homes around the world, World Book Day, talking Spanish, reading, books and storytelling. It also sets up the excitement for a trip to Upton Library later this academic year.

In Religious Education, we're discussing symbols and their meanings. If you get a moment at home, take a moment to spot symbols around the house and consider their significance and what they represent.

On Tuesday, we will be having a very exciting visit from a 'vet' as part of our British Science Careers project.

On Wednesday, our wonderful rugby sessions continue.

Do not forget World Book Day on Thursday. Please see the Weekly Words for more details and ideas.

24.2.25

Animal Homes

Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful half-term. 

This week, our theme is animal homes. We will be exploring the animals that live in and around school, as well as the animals that live in other countries.  We will begin to use the scientific term ‘habitat’ to describe these places.

We will find out about animal habitats through a selection of poems. We will also discover how humans impact animal habitats with a book that focuses on deforestation in the Amazon Jungle. 

On Wednesday, we will be starting a set of rugby sessions. These sessions are led by Jack from Petelo Rugby All Stars - Children's & School Rugby Coaching, Holiday Camps & Clubs (petelorugbyallstars.co.uk)

10.2.25

The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs!

What really happened in the story of The 3 Little Pigs? That will be the question that we will explore this week. We will retell the story and then look at the events from the wolf's point of view. Was he really big and bad? Or did he just have a terrible cold? Our investigations will cover interviews with the wolf, a mapping activity, information texts and the great story - 'The True Story of the Three Little Pigs'. It is going to be a lot of fun to finish the half term!

Tuesday is ‘Safer Internet Day,’ and we will be learning about online safety. This becomes increasingly important every year. Just as we wouldn't let our children go out on the roads without guidance and supervision, we should not let them play online without it either.

Here are my top two tips:

1. Keep technology out of the bedroom and in communal areas of the house. Using technology in the bedroom makes children more vulnerable. Establish good routines now to make it easier in the future.

2. Limit your child's access to unstructured online content. Think of it this way: you are not just giving your child access to the internet, you are giving the internet access to your child. Is that what we, as parents, really want?

Technology and online platforms are designed to be addictive and come with numerous problematic issues. By understanding this now, we can empower ourselves to keep our children safe and informed, ensuring they have better childhoods/lives.

There will be more information about this very important area on Friday's Weekly Words. In the meantime, if you have any questions about online safety, please come and ask.

Last week, I updated the photos on the 'photo page'. Please take a look and enjoy it with your child.

Your children are working very hard in school and are making good progress. I will send home a library book and 2 reading books for you to enjoy together over the half term. Most importantly, enjoy the break, have fun and enjoy your time together.

3.2.25

The Three Little Pigs

This week, we will explore the story of The Three Little Pigs and enjoy a selection of activities based on it. This will include being 'real scientists' and looking more closely at the building materials—can we really blow down a house of straw?

Thank you all for attending the open classrooms last week. It was a privilege to see the children so confident in the classroom. I am so proud of how far they have all come, I hope you are too.

27.1.25

The Chinese New Year

This week, we will explore Chinese culture and learn about the Chinese New Year. We will find China on maps, investigate similarities and differences between China and the UK, and examine their New Year celebration. There will be lantern-making, dragon dancing, chopstick challenges, and many more fun learning opportunities.

20.1.25

Mi Casa Es Su Casa Continued...

We had so much fun with houses last week, that we did not get on to houses from around the world. This week we will be looking at various houses and homes from around the world using stories and information books.

13.1.25

Mi Casa Es Su Casa!

This week, we will be exploring what makes a house a house. The children will get to create pictures of their house, talk about it, and we will even try to find their house on 'Google Earth'. It will be very exciting! We will also be reading a traditional Mexican book all about a house in Mexico and hopefully... learning a little Spanish!

PE this half term will be on Wednesday and Friday. On Friday, we have a teacher from Dance in Motion leading the lesson, and each week, the session will be based on a different dance type. Last week, we did 'street dance'. I am recording the dances, and you will be able to watch them later this term!

Forest School will start on Thursday afternoon, please ensure your child has a set of warm old clothes in school that day.

6.1.25

A New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and welcome back!!

I hope you all had a great holiday and enjoyed the time with your children.

We will be jumping straight back into school life this week with a host of New Year activities. We will be finding out about their Christmas holiday, and using this as a stimulus for writing, drawing and painting.

We will be learning about New Year's resolutions and creating our own.