Outdoor learning!
The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum emphasises the importance of the outdoor environment. As you know, we have enhanced our outdoor area to improve the quality of learning experiences for the children:
- Being outdoors has a positive impact on children’s sense of well-being and helps all aspects of children’s development.
- Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors.
- It gives children first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world.
- Outdoor environments give children freedom to explore, use their senses and be physically active and exuberant.
Funky Fingers!
Reception had fun developing their fine motor skills this week. Fine motor activities are essential to help your child develop the skills needed for good handwriting. Why don’t you try some of these activities at home?
- use padlocks and keys – how quickly can your child unlock them?
- clothes pegs – how many can your child peg around a box in one minute?
- how many small beads can (s)he pick up in one minute using tweezers?
- mix pasta and dried peas – can your child separate them using tweezers?
- how many bubble wrap bubbles can (s)he pop?
Don’t forget that gross motor skills such as climbing, carrying, pulling and pushing are important too!
Get set for a new park run
A new free weekly 2km run at Roundhay Park has been set up after a £1500 grant was provided by local councillors. The Roundhay Junior Park Run will take place every Sunday morning and is open to children aged between four and fourteen. Parkrun is a worldwide organisation which sets up and manages free weekly timed runs in parkland surroundings. Fancy a go yourself…? There is also a weekly 5km run every Saturday at 9am.
Feel the benefits of being active in Leeds
Leeds Let’s Get Active is a programme of free activities from October to December 2013. Free gym and swim sessions will be available across all Leeds City Council leisure centres from 30 September 2013. Other activities such as walking and running as well as family-based activities are also available at locations in the city. You can now register online to find out more information on what is available, where and when on the Leeds Let’s Get Active activity programme.
With free swim and gym at Scott Hall leisure centre and health walks at Meanwood there is plenty on offer in the local area.
Enjoying our new outdoor area!
The children have been enjoying our new outdoor area.
Did you know that in order to develop perfect coordination of body and brain, children need to do lots of actions in which their muscles encounter resistance such as pushing, pulling, stretching and carrying?
Children like to hang from bars, to dig and rake and to feel tension in their limbs. Activities which allow for this are skipping, climbing, pedalling bicycles and pushing wheelbarrows. We intend to do lots of these over the year.
Significantly, movement is actually what allows children to sit still!
Teacher training!
This morning, the teachers have been learning/recapping how to use the school website to post news, homework and spellings.
Welcome to Reception!
It is not long now until your child starts school. We will begin our home visits this week and look forward to seeing you and your children.
Our home visits are an opportunity for you to share as much information as you can with us in order to ensure the transition into school is as smooth as possible for your child. In addition, the information you give us will help us to support your child to reach their full potential. Please feel free to ask lots of questions at the visit and to provide us with information which will help us give your child the best possible start to school.
New SEAL theme – New beginnings
As we start the new school year, our SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) theme focuses on New beginnings.
We begin this half term with a focus on manners: I can greet someone politely.
Subsequently, I can make someone feel welcome is the first SEAL statement to launch the theme of New beginnings.
New beginnings allows children the opportunity to discuss and reflect on how they or others may feel in a new situation or setting. This SEAL theme offers children the opportunity to see themselves as valued individuals within a community, and to contribute to shaping a welcoming, safe and fair learning community for all.
The key areas of learning throughout this theme are empathy, self-awareness, social skills and motivation.
Through discrete SEAL lessons, circle times and across the curriculum, children will explore feelings of happiness and excitement, sadness, anxiety and fearfulness, while learning (and putting into practice) shared models for calming down and problem-solving.
New beginnings supports the development of a learning community in each classroom where all members feel that they belong. Class contracts, produced at the start of the year, allow children to contribute to how they feel they can achieve a safe and fair learning community.
Time for a Smart Restart?
Coming back to school after the holidays is a great time to make a fresh start and to get into a healthier routine for the new term. Change4Life’s brand new campaign – Smart Restart – has now launched and encourages families to take on one change for the better, for six weeks.
Have you seen the TV advert for the campaign?
Research by Public Health England shows that sticking to a healthy routine right from the start of term can have real benefits. Children that do more physical activity have improved concentration levels, enjoy good relationships with classmates and have fewer reports of problems. It is also associated with lower levels of worry amongst children.
So by signing up for the free Smart Restart, you will receive offers, discounts and lots of support with the free app, emails and texts to help you stick to your chosen healthy change all the way through to half term. You can also enjoy Disney family fun and games in the kids’ zone.
From super lunches to beat the treats, there are a variety of changes to follow. Let us know how you get on.
Goodbye!
We have reached the last week of the children’s first year at school! Over the course of the year, we’ve seen the children grow in confidence, make firm friends and develop into happy and healthy learners.
- Well done, Isaac, Manpreet, Sachpreet, Martha and Noorpreet, for your amazing progress in reading.
- Well done, Isaiah and Dylan, for your creativity and positive attitude to your learning.
- We have been impressed with Ripley’s and Alex’s mathematical knowledge and ability throughout the year.
- Well done, Ismail and Ishaan, for trying really hard with your handwriting and also to Nicky for remembering to hold his pencil correctly!
- Theo has been one of the busiest members of the class and Ben one of the politest this year.
- Well done, Lori, for being the best tidier!
- We have all been impressed with Lewis’s drawings and artwork and with Mia’s individual designs and ideas.
- Well done, Albert, Farai, Josh and Ethan, for your Lego stories!
- It has been a delight to see Pia, Grace and Phoebe grow in confidence throughout the year.
- Well done, Thomas, for persevering with your writing and always being cheerful and positive.
- Well done, Filip, for your enthusiasm during our ‘Jungle’ topic.
- Humairah has been our chattiest and friendliest member of the class and we will miss Gabby’s giggles!
- Well done, Karam, for learning to listen well and to Kai for his exemplary learning behaviour!
Have a great summer!