Class Teacher: Miss Ollerton

Teaching Assistants: Mrs Edgerley & Mrs Lau

Week Commencing: 15.04.24

Wow! What a busy first week back we've had in Class R/1. We have enjoyed exploring Shirley Hughes' 'Out and About' poetry book in English. Year One worked very hard to write a Forest School themed poem using lots of exciting adjectives and rhyming words. In maths, Year One have been focusing on multiplication using 2's, 5's and 10's. Whereas, Reception have been busy building and comparing numbers between 10 and 20.  On Wednesday, the sun was shining during our Forest School session. As we are learning about plants in science, the children investigated the different types of plants that we have on our school grounds.  After that, they were all so excited to build dens with the new tarpaulins and camouflage netting. We would like to say a huge thank you to Mattie's parents for their generous donation to our Forest School.

Week Commencing: 18.03.24

In Forest School this week, Class R/1 had lots of fun making houses, meals and games for meerkat Sunny. The children have loved reading Sunny's postcards about his adventures so they were keen to show Sunny around St Joseph's Forest School. We have been writing in the role of Sunny during our English lessons this week too.  Where will Sunny travel to next we wonder? In science, the children used their knowledge of everyday materials to design a bed suitable for a puppy. They used some impressive vocabulary such as absorbent, flexible, opaque and waterproof. 

Week Commencing: 11.03.24

To celebrate British Science Week, Class R/1 enjoyed participating in a 'Humpty Dumpty' themed experiment. The children had fun using different every day materials such as fabric, tinfoil, play dough, kitchen roll and cardboard to make crash mats to help save Humpty when he fell off the wall! 'Meerkat Mail' is our focus text in English which is a story about a friendly Meerkat named Sunny. Sunny Meerkat lives in the Kalahari desert with his family. Under the hot sun, Sunny and his brothers and sisters work together, play together, eat together and learn together. Sunny needs a break, so he decides to take a trip to visit some relatives. The children have enjoyed reading Sunny's postcards home and are looking forward to writing their own postcards soon! In maths, Year One have been learning how to count by making groups of 10 and partitioning numbers into tens and ones. Reception have been mastering 1 more and 1 less and number bonds to 10. 

Week Commencing: 04.03.24

What a great week we've had in Class R/1! We have made the most of the sunshine and got outdoors as much as possible. In Forest School, the children enjoyed using natural materials to make crosses. The significance of the cross is something that we have focused on in our recent R.E. lessons as we approach Easter. In the outdoor classroom, the children enjoyed hosting tea parties in the mud kitchen and retelling stories with the outdoor puppet show.

Week Commencing: 26.02.24

'The Snail and The Whale' is one of our focus texts in English this half term. The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the characters, setting and vocabulary this week. The rhyming words within the story make it a popular book among the class. In maths, Year One have been busy mastering addition and subtraction within 20 whilst Reception have been comparing height and time. Continuing our science work on everyday materials, the children had fun sorting materials according to whether they are absorbent or non-absorbent. To end the week, we looked at climate zones in geography and the children discovered that places closer to the equator have higher temperatures. 

Week Commencing: Week Commencing: 19.02.24

Class R/1 have enjoyed spotting signs of Spring this week. In R.E., we have started our new topic of Lent and talked about Lenten promises and made some of our own. Many of the children said that it would be a good idea to donate their old toys to somebody who may need them. Giving up chocolate, sweets and praying more often were some of their other great ideas. We are enjoying following the 'Walk with Me' Lent Calendar in the lead up to Easter. 

Week Commencing: 05.02.24

Class R/1 were delighted to see a brand-new mud kitchen in Forest School this week. We would like to say a huge thank you to Tommy's mum and dad for building this for us. The children thoroughly enjoyed cooking burgers, soup and vegetables in the kitchen this week. We would also like to express our thanks to parents who have donated old pots and pans. It is much appreciated! I'm sure the mud kitchen will continue to be a popular area of Forest School, therefore, if you have any old utensils or plastic bowls and plates that you no longer use, we would appreciate them to further enhance our Mud Kitchen. 

Week Commencing: 29.01.24

In Class R/1 this week, the children have enjoyed learning about the celebrations that take place during Chinese New Year as part of our exploration of different cultures in RE. They enjoyed making a red lantern, decorating it with good luck messages and dragon designs to represent the year of the dragon. In English, Year 1 have completed their independent write. Inspired by the story 'There's No Such Thing As Dragons', the children have worked incredibly hard to write a new version- 'There's No Such Thing As Aliens' which includes the skill of including a repeating refrain in a story. Maths wise, Year 1 have completed their unit of 'Place Value within 20' and are moving on to 'Addition and Subtraction within 20'. Reception have been busy continuing to explore mass and capacity. 

Week Commencing: 22.01.24

In computing this week, Year 1 had lots of fun using frames in their animations. They were so excited to show their moving pictures with their peers after working very hard in their pairs. The children demonstrated great resilience! In PE, Class R/1 had fun showing off their fabulous dance moves! Our topic of dance makes PE a popular lesson of the week. 

Week Commencing: 15.01.24

The children were thrilled to be able to play in the snow at the beginning of this week. It was a great opportunity to develop our learning on the melting and freezing process linked to our recent seasonal change topic. Maths wise this week, Year 1 have been busy using the rekenreks, bead strings, base 10 and tens frames to explore and represent numbers to 20. Reception have been continuing their maths learning of 'Alive in 5' in which they have been subitising, representing and comparing numbers within five. In English, our topic is 'Stories with Repeated Refrains'. The children have thoroughly enjoyed reading 'There's no such thing as a Dragon' by Jack Kent and 'There's No Such Thing as Dragons' by Lucy Rowland and Katy Halford. They have been developing their comprehension skills by predicting events in both of the stories, inferring character thoughts and feelings, sequencing events as well as making comparisons between both books. 

Week Commencing: 08.01.24

Wow! What a busy first week back we've had in Class R/1! It has been Art Week and the children have been busy exploring the artwork of Darrell Wakelam. They've been developing their drawing skills through using different media to draw on a range of materials whilst also developing their knowledge and understanding of joining materials in different ways. It has been lovely to see how inspired the children have been by Wakelam's work and this has been reflected during the designing and making process of their own 3D model made from recycled materials. Class R/1 have also been getting creative in other areas of the curriculum such as computing, where they have been learning about animations. To end the week, we began our dance topic in PE which is always popular! The Year One children also participated in a TriKidz PE lesson on Friday which they thoroughly enjoyed, while Reception pupils completed an obstacle course.

Week Commencing: 11.12,23

Excitement is mounting in Class R/1 as we get closer to Christmas. During our walk of the local area on Tuesday, the children enjoyed spreading some Christmas cheer by delivering their hand made Christmas cards to members of the local community. We also enjoyed carrying out a traffic survey whilst on the walk which was linked to our geography topic 'My Local Area'. In Design Technology this week, Year 1 have been busy planning and designing a moving Christmas Card, while Reception have been busy making Christmas decorations for the class tree. It was lovely to see so many of you at this afternoon's festive stay and craft session. Class R/1 would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! 

Week Commencing: 04.12.23

Wow! We are so proud of Class R/1 this week, especially of their amazing performances during the Nativity. They have worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks learning the songs, actions and their lines. It really was a “Twinkly Nativity” - we hope that we brought some twinkle to your toes! We continued the Christmas celebrations this week by making some Christmas cards to deliver to the local community. We are looking forward to making some more Christmas crafts next week during the Class R/1 Festive Stay and Craft session next Friday, 15^th December from 2pm to 3pm. 

Week Commencing: 27.11.23

We have had a fabulous week in Class R/1! In R.E., we have been exploring the Advent wreath and the meanings of the different coloured candles. In English, we have moved onto a non-fiction unit inspired by the story 'Martha Maps It Out'. As part of our 'People who are special to us' topic in PSHE, the children enjoyed creating a 'Friendship Flower' in which they drew themselves and things that make them a good friend to others. To end the week, the children were so excited to try on their costumes for the Twinkly Nativity. We had one last practise before the dress rehearsal to the whole school on Monday! 

Week Commencing: 20.11.23

In Class R/1 this week, the focus of our R.E. lessons has been messages. We have explored the messages spread in the Nativity story, particularly from the Wise Men and the Angel Gabriel. We talked about messages and good news that we can celebrate within our school community and the children enjoyed writing a positive message in a card to make a friend smile. Maths has moved onto subtraction on a number line for Year One and the composition and representation of 4 and 5 for Reception. In geography, the children have been focusing on directions and map symbols. We are looking forward to carrying out some fieldwork of our local area soon. 

Week Commencing: 13.11.23

Class R/1 have had a very musical week continuing to practise our songs for 'The Twinkly Nativity'. They also learnt some new festive songs with Miss Galea during Wednesday's music lesson. The children are extremely excited that they will be trying on their nativity costumes next week and practising their performance on the big stage! We look forward to sharing it with you soon. Computing is always a popular lesson of the week. This week in Jam Coding, Reception had fun developing their trackpad skills to make digital pictures, while Year One used their ‘click and drag’ skills to create a digital painting in the style of Kandinsky. Miss Sanders was super impressed with Class R/1's collaboration skills. Kindness was the theme of this week to celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and World Kindness Day on Monday. The children participated in a kindness themed Collective Worship and a kindness activity during their PSHE lesson. 

Week Commencing: 06.11.23

We've had another fantastic week in Class R/1! On Tuesday, the children enjoyed spending time with their parents in Forest School. Thank you to everybody who came along. In English, we have been busy sequencing and retelling events from the story 'Goldilocks and The Three Crocodiles'. This traditional tale with a twist has been very popular among the class. In geography, we are exploring our local area. The children identified the different types of houses that we can see in Hoghton. Continuing our work on seasonal change in science, we investigated the changes in daylight hours within the different months and seasons. To commemorate Remembrance Day, the children have got creative by decorating poppies and designing medals of bravery. 

Week Commencing: 30.10.23

Since returning to school after the October half term, the children in Class R/1 have continued to impress me with their enthusiasm towards their learning. We have got stuck into our new topics this week. In English, the children have enjoyed exploring the story of 'Goldilocks and The Three Crocodiles'. They have had lots of fun making predictions, inferring character thoughts and feelings and sequencing events from the book. Maths wise, Reception have been busy mastering one more and one less, while Year One have been working on addition within 10. On Tuesday, we took our science learning outdoors and investigated how and why puddles change over time. Our R.E. work this week has focused on mothers and what makes them special as an introduction to our Prophecy and Promise unit. 

Week Commencing: 16.10.23

It has been a fun-filled week in Class R/1! On Monday, the children enjoyed working in teams to build their own dens and bug houses in Forest School. In computing, the children consolidated their programming skills and had fun navigating their robots around a maze. In drama, the children learnt and performed an Autumn poem and added their own actions. To end the week, Class R/1 practised their throwing and catching skills in P.E. 

Week Commencing: 09.10.23

What a busy week we've had in Class R/1! In science, we explored the meaning of hibernation and animal migration. The children sorted animals into two groups: animals that hibernate and animals that migrate. In history, the children worked collaboratively to create a timeline to demonstrate how air travel has changed over the years. A highlight of the week, was this week's computing lesson where the children had lots of fun programming and navigating their robots through an obstacle course. The children thoroughly enjoyed spending time with their loved ones during our Stay and Play session on Wednesday. Thank you to those who attended. If you were unable to attend this session, please don't worry as we look forward to inviting parents into school again soon.  

Week Commencing: 02.10.23

This week in Class R/1, we welcomed Father Raphael into our class. He talked to the children about Baptism. The children enjoying asking lots of interesting questions. Father Raphael was very impressed with the children's knowledge! Maths wise, Year One have moved on to comparing and ordering numbers, while Reception have been comparing size and mass. On Friday, we got creative and the children enjoyed illustrating how the trees change with the seasons. We ended the week with a class Collective Worship based on the theme of Our Lady. 

Week Commencing: 25.09.23

What a brilliant week we've had in Class R/1! In PE, we have been focusing on the skills of hopping and underarm throw. The children worked very well in their teams, demonstrating this terms PE personal attribute of determination. In History, we explored the history of the Viking Longship. The children enjoyed making their very own Viking Longships using our junk modelling materials. The children were shocked that the Vikings had blankets made out of animal skin to keep them warm! On Friday, we continued our topic of seasonal change in science. We explored the different types of clothing required for the different seasons.  

Week Commencing: 18.09.23

This week in Class R/1, we have been busy comparing transport from the past and present as part of our history unit. The children enjoyed identifying and discussing the features of cars from the past and cars that we see on our roads today. Maths wise, Reception have been focusing on creating sorting rules and comparing groups and sets of objects. Year One have been concentrating on solving missing number tracks to ten in addition to finding one less and one more than a number. On Thursday, we spent the final part of our afternoon in Forest School with Year 6. It's great to see the children building on and forming new friendships. We are incredibly proud of the children, who are consistently demonstrating our school values of compassion, respect and thankfulness. 

Week Commencing: 11.09.23

What a wonderful week we've had in Class R/1! In English, we have been exploring the story of Mr Gumpy's Motor Car. Many of the children enjoyed the ending of the text in which all of the animals went swimming after working together to push Mr Gumpy's car out of the mud!  Maths wise, Year 1 began their place value within 10 topic. They have been sorting, counting and representing numbers within 10. Meanwhile, Reception have been matching, identifying and comparing sets of objects. The children are mastering their new routines nicely and we are so impressed with how much they are reading at home already. Well done, Class R/1! 

Week Commencing 04.09.23

What a fantastic first week we've had in Class R/1! We are incredibly proud of the Reception children who have settled into school life brilliantly. It has been lovely to watch their confidence grow each day. Year One have been excellent role models to Reception, demonstrating our school behaviour charter of being Ready, Respectful and Safe at all times. Reception have enjoyed meeting and getting to know their 'Big Friend' in Year 6 who will act as their buddy. We have had an exciting week taking part in Forest School, music, drama and so much more! A highlight of the week was the children exploring robots in computing. We hope you have a restful weekend and we look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Monday.