Hello everyone! Welcome to the Squirrels class page. Here you will find some helpful resources and information and also an overview of what we will be getting up to this half term.
In Reception, Mrs Bales is the class teacher and Mrs Tomlinson, Mrs Rowely, Mrs Newton and Miss Hall are the Early Years Practitioners who will be working with the children throughout the week.
Miss Harrison is the Early Years Co-ordinator who will be popping in lots to check we are having lots of fun whilst we learn. She will also be taking Squirrel Class for our weekly Forest School Session!
We want your child to be happy and to enjoy learning. If you have any questions or concerns please come and see us! Don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, no matter how big or small. Email us at squirrels@coppice.derbyshire.sch.uk
Meet the Squirrels Class Team
Mrs L Bales - Reception class teacher
Mrs D Tomlinson - EYFS Practitioner
Mrs L Rowley - EYFS Practitioner
Miss S Kean - EYFS Teaching Assistant (on Maternity Leave)
Mrs S Newton - EYFS Teaching Assistant
Miss K Teather - EYFS Teaching Assistant
Our topic this term is
‘Splish, Splash, Splosh’
This term, we are looking at the ocean. We will be finding out what animals live in the sea, sharing our own experiences about going to the seaside and listening to tales of pirates!
Week 1 – Pirate Pete Loses his Hat
Who is the main character in the story? What did Pirate Pete lose? How did Pirate Pete feel when he lost his hat? Where did Pirate Pete look for his hat? Who helped Pirate Pete find his hat? Did Pirate Pete find his hat in the end? What was your favourite part of the story? What would you do if you lost something special?
This week we are beginning our exciting Splish, Splash, Splosh topic with the story Pirate Pete Loses His Hat. Through our story and themed activities, the children will be exploring pirate life, learning new vocabulary and taking part in lots of imaginative adventures.
We will be reading Pirate Pete Loses His Hat and using the story to inspire our learning. The children will be busy developing their Level 4 phonics skills, creating pirate-themed word maps and writing pirate postcards. I wonder where they travelled in their pirate ship...
We will also continue to enjoy our weekly Helicopter Stories, Poetry Basket sessions and handwriting practice.
In maths, we will be focusing on doubling. The children will explore doubling through practical activities using pirate treasure, mirrors, jewels and games to help develop their understanding of numbers.
As part of our learning about the ocean, we will discuss how we can help to keep our seas clean and why it is important not to litter. We will also share and discuss some of our favourite stories and what makes them special to us.
The children will have lots of opportunities to use their imaginations through pirate role play aboard our pirate ship. They will design their own pirate flags, create pirate-themed artwork and even transform themselves into pirates. In music, we will continue developing our listening and performance skills through our Big Band unit.
Week 2 -Pirates Love Underpants
What treasure did the pirates have in their treasure chest? What treasure is magnetic? How do we know if the treasure is magnetic? Why did the pirates like pants? What different patterns can make on the pants? What did the pirates use their treasure maps for? How could we make treasure maps look old?
On Week 2, our pirate adventures continue with the hilarious story Pirates Love Underpants. The children will enjoy retelling the story through our Talk for Writing activities, learning new vocabulary and using the book to inspire their own imaginative ideas and writing.
The children will continue to develop their phonics skills through daily Level 4 sessions, practise writing simple sentences, and take part in our weekly handwriting lessons, Helicopter Stories and Poetry Basket. We will also be writing messages in bottles and exploring pirate-themed writing by creating and labelling pirate underpants!
In maths, we will be learning about sharing and making equal groups. Through practical pirate-themed activities, the children will share gold coins between pirates, divide pizza toppings equally and begin to understand the concept of fair sharing.
Our learning will also focus on caring for the world around us. After reading Undersea Cleaning Spree, we will discuss ways to look after our planet and keep our oceans clean. We will also be exploring stories from the Bible in RE.
The children will have opportunities to be creative by designing their own pirate underpants and creating treasure maps to guide fellow pirates to hidden treasure. Through role play in our pirate area, they will continue to develop their storytelling skills and bring their pirate adventures to life.
Week 3 - The Night Pirates
What happens at night when the pirates come out? Where do the pirates travel? How can we programme the Bee Bots to travel across the ocean like the pirates? What could we find on the desert island? What message could we write to put into the bottles to throw into the ocean? Which materials would be the best ones to use to make a new pirate boat? How can we see materials in the dark? How should we look after ourselves? What emotions do we feel?
Week 3 we will be reading The Night Pirates, an exciting story that will inspire our learning as we explore adventures after dark. We will be thinking about the differences between day and night, discussing how the night-time makes us feel and learning about the things we can see and do when it gets dark.
Using our focus story, the children will continue to develop their literacy skills. They will practise writing simple sentences to match pictures and create packing lists for the pirates, encouraging them to use their phonics knowledge in meaningful writing activities.
In maths, we will be exploring odd and even numbers, making pairs and continuing our work on doubling through pirate-themed activities. The children will also use cubes to create models, helping them to develop their mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills.
As part of our Understanding the World learning, we will investigate the similarities and differences between day and night and explore reflective materials, discovering how they can be seen when light from a torch shines on them. We will also continue to develop our computing skills by programming Bee-Bots to travel around an ocean-themed map. In RE, we will listen to and discuss the story of David and Goliath.
The children will also be busy creating special Father's Day cards and gifts and thinking about what makes our dads special.
Week 4 - Commotion in the Ocean
What can we find in the ocean? How are the sea creatures similar/ different? How can we describe the sea creatures? Where are the sea creatures? How can we sort the sea creatures into groups? How do we stay safe near water? What floats or sinks in the water? Where is Gulliver’s Valley? How are we travelling to Gulliver’s Valley? What did we do at Gulliver’s Valley?
This week we will be diving beneath the waves with our focus story, Commotion in the Ocean. The children will be learning about a variety of sea creatures, using descriptive language to talk about their features and habitats, and sharing their favourite ocean animals while celebrating the fact that we all enjoy different things.
Our literacy learning will be inspired by the wonderful creatures we discover under the sea. They will create their own underwater scenes and write sentences to create fact files about sea creatures.
In maths, we will be exploring number composition and addition through practical, sea-themed activities. The children will investigate missing numbers, solve simple addition problems using starfish and pufferfish, and continue to build confidence with number facts.
As part of our Understanding the World learning, we will explore rock pools and investigate the creatures that live there. The children will sort sea creatures into different groups and carry out floating and sinking investigations in our water play areas. Following our visit to Gulliver’s Valley, we will also reflect on our experiences and think about how rides and attractions work. We will continue to discuss ways to stay safe in different situations, including near water, and in RE we will explore the story of The Two Sons.
Week 5 - Finding Dory
Who is Dory? Who are her friends? Which sea creatures can we see? What does Dory do? How can we stay safe so we don't get lost? What can we do to help Dory? Who are our family? Why is our family important to us? What races are we doing at our sports day? Which team came first?
This week we will be exploring the wonderful underwater world of Finding Dory. Through this focus, the children will develop their storytelling skills by retelling events, discussing characters and creating their own adventures using familiar Finding Dory characters in our small world area.
In literacy, the children will take part in a range of writing activities, including describing what they can see in underwater scenes, practising CVCC words and using their phonics knowledge to write sea-themed vocabulary. Weekly Helicopter Stories and Poetry Basket sessions will continue to encourage creativity and a love of language.
Our maths learning will focus on addition, comparing amounts and revisiting patterns. Through practical under-the-sea activities, the children will add groups of sea creatures together, explore number relationships and strengthen their understanding of number.
As part of our Understanding the World learning, we will investigate what can be found beneath the ocean and learn more about the creatures that live there. We will also think about our families and the important people in our lives. After our whole-school transition day, the children will have opportunities to talk about their feelings and emotions as they prepare for their exciting move to Year 1.
In art, we will learn about the artist Alfred Wallis and create our own artwork inspired by his paintings. The children will also continue to develop their creativity through a range of ocean-themed art activities.
Week 6 and 7 - Lucy and Tom At the Seaside
What is the seaside? What will we find at the seaside? How do we get to the seaside? What did Lucy and Tom do at the seaside? What do we take to the seaside with us? What can we make with the sand? How can we be 'sun safe' at the beach?
For our final two weeks in Reception, we will be enjoying Lucy and Tom at the Seaside, exploring seaside adventures while reflecting on our wonderful year together and preparing for our move to Year 1.
Using our seaside theme, the children will learn new vocabulary and complete writing activities such as labelling a whale and writing simple sentences inspired by their learning.
In maths, we will be developing our understanding of counting, mapping and positional language. The children will count and compare sea creatures, create simple maps and explore ordinal language through Sports Day races and activities.
As part of our Understanding the World learning, we will explore the seaside environment and compare it with other places we have learned about throughout the year. The children will investigate how ice cream changes when it gets warm and discuss different ways people can travel to the seaside. We will also spend time talking about their favourite memories from Reception and sharing their thoughts and feelings about moving to Year 1.
At the Creative Station, the children will create a range of seaside-themed artwork, including 3D octopus models, whale crafts, chalk under-the-sea pictures and bubble wrap sea creatures. We will also continue our Big Band music unit, celebrating all the skills we have developed this year.
Alongside our learning, we will be looking forward to Sports Day, Wellbeing Week and our special beach-themed activities, where the children will enjoy working together, taking turns and making happy memories with their friends as they come to the end of their Reception journey.
Dates for your diary:
- Monday 1st June – School reopens!
- Wednesday 10th June – Fun Run in the afternoon
- Monday 15th June – INSET day – School closed
- Wednesday 24th June – EYFS at Gulliver’s Valley all day
- Thursday 25th June – SEND Coffee Morning in the hall
- Thursday 2nd July — Whole school transition day
- Monday 13th July — Summer Fair
- Friday 17th July — Wednesday 22nd July —Wellbeing week
- Friday 17th July - Sports Day
- Wednesday 22nd July — Last day of term
Knowledge Organiser
To see the Knowledge Organiser for this half term please click on the link below:
Splish, Splash, Splosh - Knowledge OrganiserMagical Monsters Knowledge Orangiser
Topic Web
To see the Topic Web for this half term please click on the link below:
Splish, Splash, Splosh - Topic WebParent phonics information
Parents information Powerpoint : Meet the Level 2 Twinkl Phonics Family
The Early Years Foundation Stage
In Squirrels class we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage which is organised into seven areas of learning. These seven areas are as follows:
PSED - Personal, social, emotional development (developing self confidence and self awareness, making relationships as well as managing behaviour and feelings).
CL - Communication and Language (speaking, listening and understanding)
PD - Physical development (moving and handling as well as health and self care)
LIT - Literacy (reading and writing)
MATHS - Mathematics (numbers, shape, space and measures)
UW - Understanding the World (people and communities, the world and technology)
EAD - Expressive Arts and Design (exploring and using media and materials as well as being imaginative!)
Expectations
In school we have a set of non-negotiables for Literacy and Mathematics for the children to aspire to by the end of each year group. Click below to see what is expected by the end of their time in Squirrels class (end of EYFS).
Writing non-negotiables for Squirrels class
Mathematics non-negotiables for Squirrels class
We work towards the Early Learning Goals (ELG's) in Squirrels class. Click on the document to see what the Early Years curriculum is all about and what the children should be able to do by the end of their time in Squirrels class.
EYFS curriculum explained for Parents/carers
Squirrels' Stars of the Week
At our school we have a special 'star of the week' from each class! In Squirrels class we have Sammy Squirrel who goes home with the star of the week for a whole week and he has a special diary for the star of the week to fill in ready to be shared with the class the following week. Sammy can't wait to meet you!
Our School Values
Each week we have a new value – 12 in total. The children will have an assembly Monday morning about how to show and give respect to others both in school and at home! We will be expecting this to be demonstrated to all members of our Coppice community, it is important that even when we move onto a new value, the old one isn’t lost.
Our new core values will now form the basis of our ambassador passports (these have now been renamed – core value passports and the children can achieve their bronze, silver and gold awards throughout the year for each core value. We will of course keep you informed about how your child is getting on with this throughout the year.
Each week Mrs Seaton will send out a Newsletter that will reflect the value we are working on so that it can also be supported at home. We look forward to seeing our children bright and early ready to embrace the new weekly challenges!
Learning Journeys
During the last few years we have developed the way that we collect observations about what your child can do during their time in Nursery. Your child will have a gorgeous book called 'My Little Book of Adventures' where we put in evidence of what your child has been learning! As part of this we will be using an app called 'Tapestry' on our iPads to take photographs of your child completing different activities and make notes about what they are doing. One of the best features of this is that we can email you all the evidence we collect! You can also let us know of any 'wow' moments you witness at home. We will be sending home an information letter and permission form for this during the beginning of September!
We also love to hear what your child has achieved at home and so we ask you fill in proud clouds and share them with us!
Proud cloud letter - September 2022
Proud cloud template - September 2022
Information for Parents
The EYFS curriculum for parents/carers handout
Dough disco information leaflet
Letters and Sounds Phase 1 booklet
Letters and Sounds Phase 2 booklet
Letters and Sounds Phase 3 booklet
Coppice Primary School and Nursery - Early language development booklet for parents
Small Talk booklet - age related expectations related to communication
Communication friendly environments
Finger Rhymes
Stay and Play sessions
Each term we have a stay and play session so parents, carers and other family member can join us in Squirrels class to see what we do. The children love showing everyone their classroom and the type of activities we do every day in Squirrels class. We always end with an activity for both children and adults. This could be a story, a squiggle, a dough disco or a dance! Who knows!! We like to keep it a surprise!!
The children love showing their grown ups the Squirrels classroom and EYFS outside area. We cannot wait to welcome you to our stay and play sessions this year!
Have a question or concern?
We understand that there are times when you might have a question or concern! You have an open door policy in our school and you are always welcome and to come and speak to any member of staff. You can email me at Squirrels@coppice.derbyshire.sch.uk or our EYFS co-ordinator, Miss Harrison, at kharrison4@coppice.derbyshire.sch.uk. Alternatively you can ring school on 01773 712840 and we will do all we can to help.
Helping at home
There are lots of things you can do to help your child. We don't have formal homework in Squirrels class but below are some ideas of what you can do which are quick and easy and will help your child consolidate skills we have taught in school. Look on each topic web for some challenges we have set the children to help them gain extra points for their reward chart in school! If you would like any help or support please ask any member of EYFS staff. We would be more than happy to help with ideas!
Reading
Your child has a reading folder which includes flashcards, a homework book and reading book. Please practise these for 5 - 10 minutes every night if possible. We will hear your child read every week in school and will practise letter sounds and high frequency words in our Twinkl Phonic activities.
Phonics
Every week your child will have a phonics activity to complete at home. As we move through Level 2 and Level 3 phonics they will also be bringing flashcards home to practise.
Writing
Encourage your child to write their names on invitations and cards reminding them to have a capital letter at the beginning! As they learn their letter sounds help them practise writing them using the correct letter formation.
Mathematics
Play board games such as 'snakes and ladders' to encourage your child to count spaces to move their counters forwards or backward. When you are walking as the children to count how many foot steps from one place to another and ask the children to identify different numbers they see on doors or buses. Practise counting in order to at least twenty and backwards to zero.
Life skills
Encourage your child to put on and fasten their own coat, to put on their own shoes and to get dressed and undress by themselves. Remind them to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before eating a meal. When eating encourage your child to use a knife and fork correctly.