Steven Connors B Ed(Hons) M Ed
Head Teacher
Newsletter to parents Autumn Term 2012
Dear Parents,
Welcome back! We hope you had a good summer and are ready for a busy term. We are excited about the forthcoming school year with new challenges ahead and look forward to getting to know you all.
We have an exciting range of topics to cover this term. Our first mini topic will be
‘Ourselves’ as an introduction to each other and the new term. We will be looking at how our bodies work, the senses and feeling and preferences. Both classes will take part in ‘senses’ exploration during the second week.
Our main topic for the first half term will be ‘Circus’. We will be linking our D&T with the Science and asking the children to design and make a waterproof big top! There will be lots of opportunities for ‘clowning around’ and working on our juggling and mime! In Art we will be looking at Georges Seurat’s painting ‘The Circus’ and creating our own versions.
After half term our theme will be ‘Castles’. As part of this we will be conducting experiments involving light and dark, exploring religious festivals which are based upon light and writing fantasy stories in literacy based on
Princess and Knights. We will also be looking at different styles of castles and the Kings and Queens who lived in them.
In Key Stage 1 children have an indoor and outdoor PE session each week. Our outdoor PE lessons will be taught by an external agency, Rising Stars, who provide specialist Games coaching. Indoor PE will consist of apparatus and mat work. P.E. will take place on the following days: Tuesday (indoor) and Wednesday (outdoor) for both classes.
Please could you ensure that all your children’s PE kits and other belongings are clearly named.
For indoor P.E. children will need shorts and a t-shirt. For outdoor P.E. they will need trainers (not plimsolls), and they should have tracksuit bottoms and a sweatshirt. At all times hair should be tied back and earrings removed. If your child cannot remove their own

earrings, please ensure either that they are not worn on P.E. days or that they are covered by plasters before they arrive in school.
Please continue your hard work from reception by listening to your child read at home and explore the text with them. We will aim to change the children’s books 3 times a week but really do rely on you to help with getting the children to practice.
Allowing for the ‘settling in process’ of the first week; we hope that by next Monday the children will be encouraged to come down the steps and into the classroom independently.
This eases congestion, makes it safer and speeds up the morning routine allowing lessons to start more promptly. If there are any issues relating to your child that you wish to discuss with us, please feel free to come and see us after school, as before school can be rather hectic!
In year 1 and beyond we ask that the children bring their own water bottle to school to ensure they have independent access to a drink throughout the day. If they finish their bottle we can refill it but it would be helpful if they started the day with a full bottle.
Please ensure your child has a clearly labelled water bottle every day in addition to their lunch drink. This is particularly important if your child has school dinners.
The children will continue to have the opportunity to visit our library and borrow a book each week. Please could you assist in this routine by returning your child’s library book. Both classes’ library day will be a Wednesday.
In order to raise the profile of spelling across the school all children will be given a spelling book to work in. In KS1 the children will receive either a list of spellings or spelling activity to be learnt and completed fortnightly. The words will be based on the learning taking place in their Phonics groups and given out on a Friday. We hope this will provide you with a focus spelling
The children in 1M will be taught by Mrs Arend on a Friday who is a very experienced infant teacher and has worked at Manor Fields for many years.
We would like to take the opportunity to invite all parents to our meeting on Tuesday 8 th
October at 2.30pm, where we hope to explain the format and structure of life in Year 1.
We will put notices in the window for you to look at. Please feel free to come and see them either before or after the crowds have gathered. We thank you for your cooperation in advance!
We hope you find this information useful and we wish you and your families a very happy time with us.

Steven Connors B Ed(Hons) M Ed
Head Teacher