Welcome to Ash  and Oak Class!

September 2020

Welcome to our Early Years page.

We hope that you will find this page useful.  It will have topic curriculum information, website links and presentation notes in addition to our Tapestry page where we will be sharing our weekly news.

Our Final Week!

Hi everyone, 
Hope you are enjoying this amazing weather. Below are a list of reminders for our last week ahead - 
. Monday is our summer fun day. 
Children can come in shorts and T-shirts and comfy shoes they can take on and off, 
no laces please. They will need a packed lunch, sun hat, suncream applied before they come to school and as always a named water bottle 
. Monday we will be collecting in all reading books and diaries 
. All children need a named carrier bag in school by Tuesday to bring work home in 
. No PE Tuesday 
. Wednesday EYFS has Talent! 
. Wednesday all spare clothes bags will be sent home 
. Thursday is our last day together 😢😢😢😢😢

At parents evening a few families asked if there would be an opportunity to meet the Year one team. I have asked the Year 1 team to put together a film where you can meet the staff and see the year 1 learning environments. This will be published before Wednesday.

Enjoy the Sunday sun!

Best wishes

Mrs Howitt and Mrs Preston

Week Ending Friday 11th June 2021

We have had a fantastic week back at school. We have enjoyed hearing about all of exciting things the children got up to in the half term. We then asked them to produce an independent piece of writing, and they really made us proud with how well they used their phonics to write. In Maths we have started to look at doubling numbers, and that 'double' means 'two of the same' or 'twice as many'.
Our learning focus for this half term is Journeys and Transport. We started off the week with Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins and discussed and used positional and directional language to describe where Rosie went. The children then took part in an obstacle course with Miss Woodward. We aslo discussed different places we might travel to on our feet. On the craft table the children created their own props from the story. Today both Ash and Oak class spent some time in the school quiet garden. We looked at all the different plants and flowers. Miss Woodward spent time with a group of children making a flower chain. We found lots of secret passages and had great fun exploring them, and climbing trees. We also had a special visit from Mrs Palmer and baby Archie, and the grown ups finally got to have cuddles!
We finished off this afternoon with Diamond Time activities. Today we gave the children the choice of four activities. These will be on offer for the remainder of this half term to allow children to take part in all four activities if they wish.

Please remember to send your child to school each day wearing suncream. If this is not an all day protection they may bring in cream which they must be able to apply themselves before we go up to lunch. Children must also bring a named sunhat and named filled water bottle. Reading folders must also be in school every day. If your child is now 5 and they would like to continue having milk you must sign up to the Cool Milk Scheme.

Have a fantastic weekend,
The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 21st May 2021

Starting with the end of the week today- we had the best visit today from two very special people!! Mrs Palmer and baby Archie came in to see us this afternoon and we had a lovely time cooing over Archie and asking Mrs Palmer lots of questions.

This week we have focused on the lovely story Errol's Garden.  The children have thought about different types of houses we live in and used a range of construction materials to build with.  We have started to think about labelling pictures for information, and next week we will be designing our own gardens.  We will plan them on paper first, label them and then use a range of materials to create them.  If you have any shoe box lids or plastic trays which we could use for this please send them in on Monday.  We are also quite low on junk modelling resources so please send any washed plastic/ clean boxes in too.
The children have all planted some cress seeds in the hope it they will grow much more quickly than all of the other planting we did earlier in the term.  They remembered well the story of The Tiny Seed and all of the things the seeds would need to grow healthy and strong.  Some children have helped Mrs Wenman to create a pond in our courtyard.  In maths this week we have looked we have been looking at 2D shapes and thinking about how we can fold or cut the shapes to create new shapes.  We have also been practicing our scissor skills this week by cutting along different lines.
Today we joined in with the whole school D & T Foundation Friday and had a great day being architects, engineers, mechanics and inventors.

Next week we will be continuing with Errol's Garden  and we will be carrying out individual phonic assessments instead of individual readers.

Week Ending Friday 14th May 2021

The children have had another busy week in Ash an Oak! Our learning this week has been focused around the story 'The Tiny Seed' by Eric Carle.
We have been thinking about what a seed  needs to survive and once it germinates, the names for the different parts of a plant!
This week we have also had a focus on children's mental health. Mrs Howitt led teaching sessions for Oak and Ash class about children's 'Safety  Circles'. We discussed and identified who could help if we felt unhappy, worried or we just need someone to talk too. The children then recorded their own safety circles using pictures and labels.
This week has also seen the children labeling parts of a plant, sorting different seeds, solving simple addition number sentences in a variety of ways, making plant pictures with loose parts and recording their finished piece by photographing with an ipad, observational drawings using pastels, taking part in turn taking games and using our phonic skills to read and write using our new phonic cubes.
Next week our learning will be based around the story of 'Errol's Garden'.
Have a lovely weekend 
The EYFS Team

Week Ending Friday 23rd April 2021

Our learning this week has been focussed on the story Jasper's Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen.
On Monday we listened to the story, but on Wednesday Mrs Preston's story had disappeared from the laptop so we helped her to remember what had happened so that she could draw a story map. We were really good at this. On Thursday we used the story map to retell the story ourselves and put some actions with it. In the provision we had resources to make Jasper masks, tools to join pieces of paper together to make a giant beanstalk and some of our lovely new resources which were kindly bought for us off of the Amazon wish list.
On Tuesday we had our Gardening Day. Thank you so much for all of your very generous donations. The children had a fantastic day and our courtyard and outside area will soon be blooming.
For our maths learning this week we have been looking at the numbers 11-20 and how they are made of ten and part of another ten.
In the afternoons the children have taken part in phonics sessions which is tailor made to move their learning on.
On Friday we had a surprise visit from Teddy. We celebrated his 4th birthday as Mrs Preston had been so busy in the week she forgot on Wednesday!
We hope you have a lovely weekend in the sunshine!
The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 16th April 2021

We have had a fantastic first week back skipping into our new topic Skip into Spring!
The children all came in brilliantly and have been super busy getting back into the routine of school.
This week the children have all talked about what they did during the Easter holidays and we can see they they have all made great progress with their phonics and writing. We hope you have enjoyed looking at them in their journals.
In maths we have started to look at the composition of numbers eleven to twenty, being ten and one more etc.
We have read with most children this week and based on our phonic assessments carried out previously, and given new books to those who had returned book folders. From Monday, book folders and books must be in school every day, to allow us to read with children throughout the week. Books will be changed on a Monday and Thursday.
We have talked lots about Spring and how we know it is Springtime.
Today we have had great fun taking part in the whole school art focus. Keeping with the Spring theme, we have painted blossom trees, painted large flowers on big pieces of paper outside and drawn landscape and portraits.
Next week we will be looking at seeds and planting. On Tuesday 20th April, instead of PE we will be holding a 'Planting Day'. We invite the children to come to school in old clothes and ask that if you can, each child brings in a plant or packet of seeds, for example, vegetable/ salad seedlings, flowering plants for pots, or quick growing seeds beans/ sunflowers/cress/lettuce etc). We have had great fun doing this in the past and are really looking forward to brightening up our outside areas, so any donations will be very gratefully received.
Mrs Howitt has had a fantastic first week back and has very much enjoyed being back in the classroom with the children.
A few reminders ;
If your child is 5 and you would like them to receive milk please sign up to Cool Milk
Please check that you have paid snack money for this term
Remember to send book bags into school every day
Send a named water bottle into school each day - but please do not put them into book bags
Please ensure long hair is tied up, and on Tuesday's remove earrings for PE
Please ensure that you are sticking to your allocated time for pick up. If you are further down the register alphabetically and you arrive early your child may not be ready in the cloakroom (as names do not always come over clearly on the radio) and this then can cause a back up at the gate.

Have a fantastic weekend,
The EYFS Team.

Just a reminder that on Friday we are inviting the children to come to school dressed up as a Superhero or People Who Help Us. Dressing up is not compulsory. If your child does not wish to dress up they could bring in a picture or book instead. Could you please also send in a named carrier bag so that we can send home all of the children belongings.

We can't wait to see you on Monday morning!

The adults were very busy on Friday afternoon moving tables and resources ready and turning Ash side back into a classroom rather than a lunch room!
Don't forget, in the morning you need to bring your book folder, home learning work book and your story spoon and bookmark if you've made them and place them all in the boxes which will be out on the blue area of the playground. Please make sure they are all named! A grown can do this part for you! Then you only need to carry in your spare clothes bag, water bottle and lunch box if you are having one. Mrs Preston will be in the playground to remind you all and Mrs Rodriguez will be in the cloakroom to welcome you and support you in putting your things away. When you have done this you need to go onto your own side of the classroom and give your hands a really good wash with lots of soapy bubbles, and then find your name card which will be in a space at your table and practise writing your name. Once all of the children are in we will come to the spots on the carpet for the register. Make sure you have decided with your grown up what you are going to choose for lunch- the menu has been emailed out to them.
After we have had a chat about what it has been like at home and at school, we will go off to busy learning. You can see there are bottles of hand gel at the tables. Each time you move to a different table you will need to give your hands one squeeze of gel and rub it in really well. After busy learning for a while we will stop and tidy up, wash our hands and have a snack and then do some phonics altogether on the carpet. We will then go back to busy learning. Before lunch we will tidy up, wash our hands really well again and then do some counting and number songs while the other adults tidy away and get the tables ready for you to eat your lunch at them. At lunch time Mrs Ward, Mrs Lawrie and Mrs Wenman will look after you. When you have eaten you will go outside for a good play. At the end of lunch you will tidy up and do some circle games then come inside and wash your hands again with lots and lots of soapy bubbles! After yoga and the register we will go back to busy learning, and at the end of the day we will have a lovely story whilst the grown ups clean all of the things we have been using.
We are really looking forward to seeing you all!

Returning to School on Monday 8th March 2021

Following on from our Zoom meeting on Monday morning, please find the details of our planned reopening to ALL children on Monday 8th March.

Children are to be brought to school by ONE ADULT ONLY at your Surname Alphabetical time slot, as outlined in Mr Down's email last week.  Book folders and workbooks must be placed in the box provided on the blue area of the playground.  In order to keep the line of adults moving and a strict 2m distance between, you must simply drop your child at the canopy and continue along and make your way back into the line and out of the gate.  If your child is unable to leave you calmly at this point you must continue and do another lap and try again.
Children only need to bring their coat and named drink bottle into school.  On Tuesday's they must come to school in their PE kit and trainers, with earrings removed.  A gentle reminder that long hair should be tied up every day.  This is for safety and hygiene reasons.  Please also return your child's spare clothes in their green PE bag, along with moist toilet wipes if necessary.  Don't forget an extra fleece or under layer as the room is well ventilated with windows and doors open at all times.
If you have a message for the EY's staff, this must be relayed through the EYFS Tapestry email.  Staff will be standing at the cloakroom door and will not be entering into discussions at drop of and pick up.

In contrast to the rest of the school, we will be operating as one Early Years unit of 52 children, not individual classes.  This ensures that we are still able to give the children the best possible educational experience in line with the Early Years Framework.  Therefore, we have put a number of additional measures in place to encourage good hygiene.
Children will wash their hands as soon as they enter the classroom.    During the day there will be times where children will be spaced out on the carpet (for direct teaching), at tables for adult led activities and also free flowing to access the continuous provision.  Where children are free flowing, hand sanitizer will be placed at each table/activity area and the children will be taught from day 1 to sanitize hands before they start the activity and when they have finished, before moving on.

During times when children are on the carpet, staff will be sanitizing resources, tables and chairs and children will be washing hands with soap.

Where possible all staff will be aiming to keep 2m away from children (and each other).  Where this is not possible staff will wear face masks and visors.  Full PPE including gloves and aprons will be worn for first aid or if supporting children with toiletting/changing.

Lunch will be eaten in the classrooms.  As we do not have enough space or tables/chairs for the entire group to be seated hot dinners will be eaten at tables and packed lunches will be eaten picnic style on the carpet.  All children will then go outside together at 12.30pm.  Midday supervisors will be in charge between 12pm and 1.10pm, to allow staff to have their lunch and set up the classroom for the afternoon session, sanitize resources and clean toilets etc.  Children will wash their hands before eating, after eating and when returning inside from the playground.

At the end of the day, once again, please only collect your child during your allocated time slot.  If there is anything that staff need to discuss with you you will be informed when you collect your child that we will need to phone or email you.  Children will wash hands before leaving the classroom at the end of the day.  Due to the increased hand washing and sanitizing, you may send a hand cream in for your child only.  This must be clearly named, your child must be able to apply it themselves sensibly with an appropriate amount and it must be kept in their own drawer and not shared with anyone else.

Please remember that Friday's are early pick up starting at 2.15pm.

During these first two weeks of reopening, our main priority is that the children are happy to return to school.  We may need to rebuild friendships, go over school and classroom rules and learn new routines.  We will observe the children's well being and mental health, and towards the end of the second week and we will be assessing the children's phonic, reading, writing and math levels so that after the Easter holidays we can group children if needed based on their next steps in learning.  New reading books will be given out once this information has been gathered.  Until then you can continue to access the reading activities in the Documents section on the Tapestry website (not app).

If you have any questions or worries that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kindest regards,
The EYFS Team.

Home Learning Packs

Below you will find daily learning packs for your child to complete at home, during this period of school closure.  

They will be posted at 4pm daily, ready for you and your child to access the next day.  This will give you the opportunity to gather any resources you may need, check that any links to websites work and preview any videos.

The pack will have new messages, phonics and maths activities added daily.  The topic activities are for the whole week and you can choose when to do them.

We ask that you upload only one observation each day, or one for the whole week, to your child's own Tapestry page to show us what your child has completed.  This can be a photo or video or a simple message.  Please add this to your own child's Journal, and use the date as the title.

This page will be monitored throughout the day between 9am and 3.15pm, where we will respond to your observations as necessary.  You can also contact us with any queries via the email address; eyfstapestry@bushmead.cambs.sch.uk    Please use this method for queries rather than your child's journal or this page.
 
Best wishes

The Early Years Team

Week Ending Friday 11th December 2020

A fantastically busy week in the run up to the final week!
We entered the classroom on Monday morning and discovered we had been left a Christmas tree on each carpet and a box of decorations. 
Mrs Preston received a phone call form the Elves up North to say that there had been a terrible mix up with the post and as the Royal Mail delivery service is under quite a lot of pressure at the moment (I am reliably told) the elves thought it would be a good idea if everybody wrote a letter to Santa, just in case they had previously sent one and it was caught up in the mess on the mail room floor!  The children all used their phonics really well to help them stretch out the words they wanted to write, and copies of the letters have been sent off with Mr Preston who has assured me that these ones will definitely get there.
The children did a fab job of decorating the trees, and whilst the Elves were dropping off the Christmas trees for us they had turned our role play area into Santa's workshop!  The children have been practising their wrapping skills and writing lots of cards.
They have also been practising their scissor skills this week with a range of Christmas crafts.
Oak class had their final Woodlands session on Wednesday, and Ash will have theirs this week.
On Thursday afternoon Mr Robb from St Mary's Church Eaton Socon visited us and told us the wonderful Nativity Story.  The children knew lots about the story already and since the visit have enjoyed using the small Nativity sets to retell the story themselves.
Next week we look forward to the Pantomime on Wednesday, Christmas Lunch on Thursday and our annual Christmas Service on Friday morning.
Please remember there will not be any PE taking place this week, and as we return after the Christmas holidays in January we will not be taking part in formal PE sessions outside as it is too cold.  Activities which develop the children's physical skills will instead be planned for both the inside and outside areas which the children will be able to do during their busy learning time.
There will not be any Woodland School sessions after the Christmas holidays.
Please continue to check your child's hair for headlice and treat accordingly if required.  Please note that most treatments require a repeat application after 7 days due to the cycle of the lice.
The last day for Christmas cards is Monday 14th.  Could you please also send in a named carrier bag so that we can put all of the children's belongings, cards, gifts and art work in them on Thursday ready to bring home on Friday.
Many thanks,
The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 4th December 2020

This week the children have been extremely helpful party planners in preparation for Hector's 5th Birthday.  They have written a list for Mrs Preston so that she could go to the shop to get all of the things needed for a party. The children have been busy making hats, decorations and birthday cards to make the day as special as possible!
In phonics we have continued our consolidation of Phase 2.  Over the next two weeks we will be making assessments of the children to ensure they are ready to move onto Phase 3 after Christmas.  To clarify the expectation with the word wall,  these are words which the children are expected to be able to read by sight, without blending; which is why practise, practise, practise is the key.  The children will need to blend them to begin with, but as they get more and more confident they should just be able to look at the word and say it, without the need to say the individual phonemes.  Once they can do the whole layer of the word wall they will be given the next words.
In Maths this week we have been looking at ways of making 5, and using the vocabulary for addition, for example four and one makes five.

We have also been practising our song for the Bushmead Christmas Extraveganza and today Mr Down recorded this. You will be able to view it from Monday 14th December.
We finished off the day with Hector's birthday party.  We played a giant game of Pass the Hector and each child filled their own party bag if they had hold of a Hector when the music stopped.  Hector was very happy with his tin of cat food and then we all enjoyed a cake!

Thank you all for your generous donations today; the children all looked fabulous in their Christmas jumpers.

There will NOT be any more PE this term; as it is far too cold.  As the session is a 'teaching' session there is a bit of standing still and listening and watching the adult model; different to our Forest session where the children can be wrapped up in layers and constantly on the move. 

Please check your email which has details of events happening over the next two weeks.  In particular you must inform the office if your child DOES NOT wish to have the Christmas dinner.  It will be assumed that every child is having one unless the office have been informed that they DO NOT want one.

Have a lovely weekend,
The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 28th November 2020

The children have had to be detectives this week after Mrs Howitt's birthday cake got taken from the classroom.  The children have been busy making traps, looking for clues and even interviewing suspects.  We narrowed it down to the office ladies due to a mysterious list of jobs which we found in the unit which had not been left by any of the Early Years Team, and Mrs Turner's CCTV footage identified the moment the cake got taken by a figure in disguise!  We looked at what clothes they were wearing and rewound the video a bit further and to our shock we saw Mrs Durrant come into the classroom in the same clothes just moments before to drop off some filing and eyeing up our cake as she walked passed!  We called Mr Down to the classroom straight away to share our news and he gave Mrs Durrant a very firm talking to!  All was forgiven when she popped back at snack time with some delicious cake for us to share during Diamond Time this afternoon.

For our writing this week we have been looking at the photographs of the children celebrating their birthdays and using this as a stimulus.  In phonics we are going to be spending the next few weeks before Christmas recapping and consolidating Phase 2 to ensure that the children are really secure with their phoneme/grapheme correspondences, and that they are applying their blending and segmenting skills for reading and writing.
Our role play area has been set up as a party house, and next week we will be preparing for a very special birthday, as a member of our school community turns 5!  We will be writing lists, making decorations and having a birthday party on Friday.  The children who have not baked cakes yet will do so next week.

We will also be very busy practising our song for the Bushmead Christmas Extravaganza.

A few reminders please for the week ahead:
Please continue to check your child's hair for headlice. 
Children will still need to bring a packed lunch to school next week.  Can we please remind you that we are a nut and nut product free school (this includes hazelnut chocolate spread.  We also request that the children do not bring in sweets or chocolate bars.  A chocolate covered biscuit is acceptable. 
PE for both classes is on Tuesday.  Please ensure hair is tied back, full PE kit is worn with suitable footwear.  Earrings must be removed.
Woodlands session is Wednesday.  Please layer up as the children often like to remove their coats as they can move more freely without them but we still want to ensure they are warm.  An extra pair of socks to pop on with their wellies are also a good idea to keep feet warm.
Friday is Christmas Jumper Day.  Children can wear a Christmas jumper (with their school uniform) for a donation.  Donations must be in an envelope please.

Have a lovely weekend!
The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 20th November 2020

STOP!  LOOK!  LISTEN!  THINK! Has been the message this week.  Super Cat has helped the children to learn all about keeping safe when out and about by the road.  The children who went out on their walk to cross the road were all brilliant at keeping safe and hopefully will be able to relay the message to you next time you cross the road.
In class we have been colour mixing the primary colours to paint traffic lights,  cutting and shaping brightly coloured paper to decorate drawings of ourselves to make us 'bright' so we can be seen on dark mornings and nights.
In maths this week the children have been exploring the different compositions of 1, 2 and 3 using a range of resources.  We have been exploring the question "What makes 3?" and finding different pairs of numbers which can go together to make three, for example 2 and 1 or 3 and 0 or 1 and 2 or 0 and 3.  The children have been using the language 'and, add, plus' and 'make, equals.'
In phonics we have learned the phonemes b, f, ff, l and ll, and the tricky words I, no, go.
Next week we will be spending the week consolidating Phase 2, ensuring the children are confidently recognising the graphemes and saying the phonemes  and blending 2 and 3 phonemes together to read words and segmenting  them for spelling.
Our focus for the next two weeks will be birthdays, building up to planning a celebration for Hector the Hedgehog who turns 5 in two weeks time.  If you could add a photograph of your child's last birthday celebration it will be lovely to share these next week and use them as  a stimulus for discussion.  We will also begin to learn our song for the Bushmead Christmas Extravaganza and introduce the story of the Nativity.
Don't forget PE kit on Tuesday and Woodlands kit on Wednesday.  It is getting quite chilly so you may want to layer up the clothing on Wednesday (a long sleeved thermal vest under white t shirt and school jumper) and extra socks to wear under wellies.
Have a great weekend,
The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 13th November 2020

Another super busy week for the children in Oak and Ash class.  We have continued our whole school focus on the Oliver Jeffers text ‘Here We Are’. This led to us thinking about how we can care for our planet, as it is the only one we have.  In maths we have been comparing sets of numbers using the language greater than, fewer and the same.  On Wednesday we took part in Remembrance Day and have created some beautiful poppy pictures.
 Woodlands School was another big hit!  In phonics this week our phonemes have been u,r,h and today we learned the tricky words 'to' and 'the'.  Tricky words are words which cannot be sounded out and blended back together - we just have to learn to recognise the word by sight.
Next week our focus will be Road Safety.  Please remember to send in your permission slip for a short trip out to practise crossing the road using the Nelson Road zebra crossing.  We will not take children who have not returned this permission slip.
Word Wall words will be checked on Monday.  The expectation is that children can read these words on sight- without having to say the individual phonemes and blend back together.  Don't forget to make the learning of these words lots of fun by creating games to practise them.  Also don't forget that everyone learns at a different pace, some children pick this up very quickly and others take a little bit longer.  Practise, practise, practise little and often is the key here.  If your child is confidently reading the words you can have a go at asking them to write them, ensuring correct letter formation.  (Refer to the Penpals Letter Patters sheet). If you have any questions regarding the word wall please email us on eyfstapestry@bushmead.cambs.sch.uk
New books will be sent home on Monday if you have returned your reading folder today.  Please refer to the previous post regarding ideas for reading activities to do at home whilst the scheme books are quarantining over the weekend.  Mr Down had just signed off an order for a new set of books so hopefully we will be able to do a midweek change of book once these have arrived.
We sent home a copy of next weeks menu today.  You only need to return this on Monday if you want to ensure that your child has the hot choice.  If you are happy for your child to choose a sandwich you do not need to return the sheet.
A few gentle reminders;
Children do not need to bring in their own snacks; these are provided by school
Please check your child's hair this weekend for any 'visitors' and treat accordingly
Tuesday is PE day; please send your child in full PE kit, trainers and remove earrings
Wednesday is Woodland School; please wear trousers, layers and a coat which you do not mind getting dirty.
Have a lovely weekend,
The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 6th November 2020

This week we have a whole school focus on the text 'Here We Are' by Oliver Jeffers.  It is a beautiful story written by the author for his son.  We started off the week by looking at the front cover, and the children wowed us with their knowledge and vocabulary related to the earth and planets.  We used Google earth to observe the land and sea, identified hot and cold places and to find where we are on the planet.  We found our school, Williams house, Mrs Preston's house and Adams house.  In our provision I we had out lots of maps and atlases.  On Tuesday we looks at the first page which was all about the solar system.  Again, the children amazed us with their knowledge of the planets.  We made space pictures.  On Wednesday we looked at the features of the planet, the land and sea.  We listened to the song A Wonderful World.  In our Woodland session we shared our thoughts on all of the different things we can see on our planet an what makes it so wonderful.  Our writing activity this week has been to draw a picture of our planet and some of the things we can see.  We have used our phonics to help label our pictures.  On Thursday we had a day exploring Bonfire Night.  Today we have talked about the people living on the planet.  We have looked at pictures of our body and named all the different parts.  The children then enjoyed drawing around each other and labelling themselves.  We also talked about how it is important to look after ourselves by eating, drinking and staying warm.  Next week the books moves on to explore our communities and the importance of being kind and caring for our planet and all of the things on it.
In phonics this week we have recapped the phonemes already learnt last half term, making sure we can blend them together to read simple words and segment words into sounds for writing, knowing which letters are needed to represent the sounds.  We also learned our first digraph (two letters which make one sound) 'ck', which never goes at the beginning of a word, and 'e' which we use mostly in the middle of words (cvc).
The children all had a fab time at our Woodland School session on Wednesday.  Don't forget to wear trousers and a warm waterproof coat.  PE will now take placing Tuesday so full PE kit including trainers will need to be worn to school.
New reading books will be coming home Monday after they have quarantined over the weekend.  We are currently looking into ways of being able to send a new book home on a Friday but this depends on how many books we have available. 
Have a great weekend!
The EYFS Team.

Monday 2nd November.

Welcome back!  Firstly we have had an amazing first day back. This morning the children discovered a gift that had been left for them. Once opened  they discovered it was a new book, 'Here We Are' by Oliver Jeffers. This will be the focus of our learning for the next few weeks!
We are happy to announce that on Wednesday all EYFS children will be taking part in their Forest School session. This will continue every Wednesday for this half term. Please send your children dressed in appropriate clothing as detailed in the letter sent out in September. This information is also in the Forest School section on our website.
Children who returned their reading folders today have brought home a new book to keep at home and return on Friday. If your child did not return their book today please make sure it comes into school tomorrow.
Going forward all books must be returned on a Friday, this will allow us to quarantine books over the weekend and send new books home on a Monday.
Lunch menus no longer need to be filled in however we do request that you discuss with your child, prior to entering school their choice for the day. They will then tell us this during morning registration.
Best wishes
The Early Years Team

Week Ending Friday 23rd October 2020

Congratulations! You have reached the end of the first half term at Bushmead! This week the children have all enjoyed the story of The Little Red Hen. Today we told the story around the circle and the children took it in turns to say parts of the story. We hope that they have showed you their story telling skills. They have also all enjoyed making bread and tasting it. In our writing this week the children were asked to draw a picture of their favourite part of the story, and some children had a go at using their phonics to label it. On Thursday we learned about Ella Fitzgerald and listened to some of her music. We made musical instruments. So far in phonics we have learned the phonemes satpinmdgock - there are so many words that you can make! Today we have made spooky biscuits ready to enjoy this afternoon for Diamond Time whilst watching a film. Today your children have brought home their reading book. Please watch the presentation attached to Early Years News or on our class page on the Bushmead website before reading with your child. Children will also bring home their PE bags, please ensure that these are replenished ready for the first day back after half term.
Don't forget to keep us updated with what you get up to over half term, and enjoy the week!
The Early Years Team

Week Ending Friday 9th October 2020

This week we have really enjoyed sharing our family photographs, and hearing the children talk about the similarities and differences between families in the class. We still have a few more to do, so if you haven't sent one in yet and your child would like to share a photo please send one in on Monday. We have shared a number of stories about families, and had lots of discussions about how all families are different. The children have also each drawn a picture of their family this week. At our creative table this week the children have used a range of materials to create a self portrait. These look fabulous and we can't wait to display them in the classroom once everybody has made one.

In our phonics this week we have learned the new sounds 's, a, t, p.' When the letters are written down they are called a 'grapheme', and the sound they make is the 'phoneme'. We have started to use this vocabulary with the children. We introduced a new letter each today and today we were able to put those sounds together to read words! Amazing work children. Have a go this weekend at putting two or three of the letter shapes together (using flashcards or magnetic letters) and ask your child to say each phoneme (sound). They should then say them faster and faster until the sounds blend together to make a word. Examples are at, as, sat, pat, tap. The children have also been practicing forming the new graphemes (letters) in a range of ways - writing, with pegs, with magnetic shapes etc. Have a go at home.

In maths this week we have been sorting objects, looking for similarities in items which could be grouped together. Children have sorted items by size, colour and shape. Again, have a go this weekend at sorting some objects at home.

We have been on walks this to look for signs of Autumn and discussing how we know it is Autumn. We will be using some of the treasures we have found this week to make pictures with next week.

In PE we have been practicing following instructions and using the space, travelling in a range of ways.

Finally today we took part in Mental Health Awareness. We shared a story about all being the same but different too and listened to an assembly by Mr Down. We discussed our different feelings and how it is OK to have different feelings and important to talk to adults if something is making us feel sad, worried or scared. We also talked about the importance of telling others when we are happy too!

For Diamond Time this afternoon we have a disco and popcorn.

Please remember, PE on Monday for Oak and Tuesday for Ash. Trainers must be worn as PE takes place outside and the children need a good grip on the surface.

Have a lovely weekend!
The EYFS Team

Week Ending Friday 2nd October 2020

This week we have been talking about what makes each of us special - our likes and the things we are good at. It has been lovely to hear the children speak confidently within the circle during whole class discussions.

In our maths this week we have been matching objects and saying how things are the same. We have played lots of pairs games. The children have been really good at spotting how two children match when an adult has chosen them to stand in the middle of the circle.

We took part in our first PE session out on the playground. The children had lots of fun using their listening skills and travelling in different ways. Please remember to send your child in to school in their PE kit - Oak class on Monday and Ash class on Tuesday. Long hair must be tied up and earrings must be removed.

We have continued with our baseline assessments of the children. This week we have finished phonics and number, so next week we will be starting with our Phase 2 phonics direct teaching. Look out for a date soon to be published for a Phonics Workshop - to be held via zoom or recorded. In maths next week we are moving onto sorting objects into groups. The children have all shown us their cut and stick skills, using a range of tools and joining methods.

Next week we will be drawing pictures of our families and labelling them. We will be asking the children to share well known stories with us as we observe how they handle books and learn how to use the book corner. We will be encouraging the children to talk about their families using their photographs, encouraging them to think about similarities and differences between families.

Please remember to bring your menu choices back on Monday morning. This allows us to fill the choices in for the rest of the week before the children arrive, therefore reducing the amount of time we need to have the children sat on the carpet.

Have a lovely weekend,
They EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 25th September 2020

WOW!  What a full on week we have had this week!  If the way we feel is anything to go by I'm sure your children are super tired by this afternoon!

The children have amazed us with how brilliantly they have come into school each morning.  They have quickly got used to the routines of putting their belongings away and settling to an activity.

This week we have started our Marvellous Me topic by drawing self portraits and writing our name.  We have really enjoyed sharing the children's All About Me books  with them.  If you have not yet filled in and returned the All About Me book (which came home in your starter pack) then please return it on Monday so that we can  share these.  We have been playing lots of games to help us learn each other's names.  We finished this week playing some fun party games for Diamond Time this afternoon.

We have been lucky with the weather and still managed to get outside as much as possible.  Oak class had their first Forest School session on Monday which they really enjoyed.  Unfortunately Mrs Palmer has been poorly for the rest of the week so fingers crossed Ash will get their turn on Tuesday. Please remember that the children need to wear trousers on their Forest School day.  That is Monday for Oak and Tuesday for Ash.  We have decided that to save on the amount of outfits you need for the week, the children will do PE on the morning of their Forest School session.  So the children can come to school in their PE kit in the morning, and should wear long jogging bottoms, a PE white t shirt and a zip up hoody.  Outdoor trainers should also be worn.  Please ensure that we have a pair of named welly boots at school for the Forest School session in the afternoon, and a warm waterproof coat as the weather turns colder and wetter.  The only time we won't go out will be in extreme high winds or lightning. 

The adults will be spending this weekend adding your child's first Tapestry update, covering their first week at school.  You will be able to view this next week, and will receive a notification once it has been published.  We would be extremely grateful, if once you have read the observation that you kindly comment on how you feel your child has settled.

Next week we will be talking with the children about their families, so you still have time to send in a family portrait if you would like it displayed in the home corner. 

Have a fantastic weekend,

Kindest regards,

The EYFS Team.

Week Ending Friday 18th September 2020

As Tapestry is not yet up and running we thought we would put a short update on here to let you know how FANTASTIC your children have been this week.  They have come into school with smiles on their faces (and hopefully gone home with them too!)  Lunch has been brilliant and the children have enjoyed a range of activities based on the information we gathered from your home zoom visit.  We have been super lucky with the glorious weather this week - next week unfortunately is not forecast to be so great so please ensure your children come prepared.

Next week we will start to introduce some more routines and rules to ensure that we are all happy and safe.  We will continue to observe the children to help us complete our baseline assessments so that we have a sound knowledge of where each child is and how to move them on in their learning.  Our topic for this half term is Marvellous Me and you can find an overview of this below.

We would like to decorate our home corner with 'family portraits' so that the children have something familiar in there to talk to their friends about.  We would be extremely grateful if you could send in a family photograph to be displayed to help with this activity.

Please remember to send in a named water bottle each day.  Don't forget that on Monday our school day runs in line with the rest of the school.  Please refer to the email you have received from the office with the details of drop off and pick up times.  All copies of letters sent home can be found on the school website.

Polite reminders

Please remember that long hair must be tied back at all times and elaborate hair accessories must not be worn.

PE, kit should be a plain white t shirt and navy or black shorts plus a navy or black tracksuit as the weather gets colder.

Outdoor trainers are also needed.  PE is Monday for Oak Class and Tuesday for Ash Class.  Children will not be permitted to take part if the correct clothing/footwear is not worn.  If you need any assistance please speak to a member of the team.

ALL items of clothing must be clearly named.  Unnamed items are stored for a short period.  Please also ensure that your child has not brought home any items of clothing that do not belong to them. 

Please ensure snack and cooking money is paid up to date via ParentPay.

Once your child turns 5 they will stop receiving free milk the Monday of the week of their birthday.  You will need to sign up to the Cool Milk scheme in advance of this if you would like them to continue having milk. 

Tapestry

As a school we have invested in Tapestry as a method of recording your child's learning and progress during their time in Early Years.  Staff will upload weekly observations of individuals or groups, linking this to the Early Years Curriculum areas and where appropriate age and stage the observation.  On the Early Years Page we will also send any notifications of events, reminders and requests.  Please note, that due to the nature of the Early Years Curriculum and that we follow the children's interests, some events may be planned at short notice.  We thank you in advance for your co operation and support with such events. 

We request that once you have read an observation, either your own child or the Early Years page, that you acknowledge this by 'liking' the observation.  This helps us to ensure that messages are getting out to parents.

Tapestry is a two way platform and we encourage you to add your own observations of your child's learning.