2023! Happy New Year and welcome back to school.

In EYFS we have a bespoke curriculum for the children in our school which progresses each term towards the children achieving the Early Learning Goals (ELG’s). We have overarching themes which we can predict will occur and we can teach, i.e. festivals and celebrations, seasonal changes, plant growth as well as other topics which 4-5year old children are often interested in such as ‘People who help up’ (doctors, nurses, firefighters, etc), dinosaurs, superheroes and much more. Each group of children are different (which is what makes being a teacher so much fun) and we like to tailor our curriculum to incorporate their interests which in turn increases their engagement with their learning.

We use an online learning journey to record ‘WOW’ moments and share what we have been doing in class with parents and carers at home. We welcome parents and carers to share WOW moments and key interests for their child with school (either through conversation or on Tapestry) so that we can incorporate these into our planning.

We look forward to working with you this year and helping your children to learn and grow in many ways.

Our class bear, Suza (named by the children) comes home with a child from our class each week for displaying one or more of the school’s gospel values. These values are kindness, courage, servant-hearted, generosity, and patience. You can choose to enjoy having the bear at your house for the weekend and return it to school on Monday, or longer and return by the following Friday. We ask that you upload photographs and videos to your child’s Tapestry account detailing the adventures the bear has had with your child. We will then be able to share these on the board with the children in class.
What will Suza bear get up to in 2023?

Upcoming themes and learning

Spring term

This term we will be using the questions ‘I wonder how…’ and ‘I wonder who…’ to shape our learning. ‘I wonder how…’ is an overarching theme which will be scientifically driven and we plan to learn about wild animals, farm animals, life cycles, and also dinosaurs. Some of our key texts will have a superhero focus, starting with ‘Juniper Jupiter’.

Our other question ‘I wonder who…’ is history and art driven. We plan to learn about famous explorers, artists, space, fairy tales and stories.

In addition to this we will also be learning about celebrations and events during this season such as Chinese New Year and Easter. There is so much exciting learning to fit in!

Monday – Music focus

Tuesday – PE

Wednesday – Forest School, RE

Thursday – PE

Friday- RWI books to be changed if read and returned (and reading record book signed)

Please ensure that your child has a water bottle every day, no juice please.

Regardless of the weather forecast please send your child in with a coat each day. We go out every day, whatever the weather so it is essential.

When it is your child’s birthday they can come in to school in their own clothes for the day. If their birthday falls in the school holidays they can choose to come in their own clothes on a day before or after the school holidays. We ask that they remain in sensible shoes (no dressing up shoes please) and if they are in dressing up that is a onesie that they also bring an alternative outfit in case they become too hot.

Snacks – There will be free fresh fruit or vegetables for the children to snack on each day. Your child is allowed to bring a healthy snack in from home, please refrain from bringing in packets of crisps or chocolate bars.

Toys – We do not encourage the children to bring in toys from home, as it can be upsetting if they get lost or broken. If you have been somewhere special, your child has learnt a new skill or wants to show something they have made then please let a member of staff know or pass it to them in the morning.

Junk Modelling Box – Outside the Year 1 classroom is a large wooden box for junk modelling materials. If you have any clean recycling items (no bigger than a tissue box) we would appreciate them for using in Junk modelling. Please put them in a carrier bag and leave in the box.

If you have any questions regarding EYFS or anything school related please ask any member of the EYFS team who will be happy to help.