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The Good Shepherd
Catholic Primary School
“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and my own know me”. John 10:14"
Year 1- St Raphael the Angel
In our topic Long, Long Ago, we try to give children a sense of the past. We start with the past when they were babies, then plot some of the things we have previously learned about in history on a timeline. We stretch right the way back to pre-history - their favourite time of all - and learn about dinosaurs! We learn about Mary Anning, the famous fossil hunter, explore fossils, bones and ammonites and try to create the primeval forests and primordial swamps that would have been the landscape during those times.
We learned about the science behind movement in our On the Move topic, seeing for ourselves the importance of pushes and pulls, whether we are pedalling a bicycle in the park or in a sailing boat on the river. We read about vehicles on land, sea and in the sky and made our own using a range of kits and resources, testing our theories for what it is that allows them to move as they do. We even made boat-shaped sandwiches that sailed into our mouths pretty quickly! Here are some pictures of us busy at work...
We've been thinking about all the people that help us keep safe and well including doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, builders and cooks. We have had great fun at school dressing up as these people and getting on with our important work!
We have been looking at repeated patterns, matching, pairing and comparing sizes and weights as well as counting in our daily maths sessions. Here are some of our set ups and photos of the children learning to follow instructions and solve mathematical problems through play.
All children are naturally drawn to playing outside and there are numerous benefits of outdoor exploratory play which have a real positive impact on children’s lives. They have the chance to connect with the natural world and have first hand experiences of life and growth. There are endless opportunities for creativity and imagination not to mention improved fitness, developed muscle strength and coordination. Here are some pictures of our garden this half term and of the children making the most of our garden:
A little tour of the classroom showing key areas - our learning journals shelf, our story-voting shelf, our reading area, our wall displays and some of our art based on books we have read so far.
The children are enjoying weekly multi-sport sessions on Monday afternoons and gym sessions on Wednesday morning. They're learning to negotiate space and obstacles safely and to demonstrate strength, balance and coordination as well as having lots of fun.
We have spent three wonderful weeks honing our creative skills using collage, clay, printing, painting and pens and a range of small tools with Auriol at Kite Studios around the corner. We've looked at the work of Giacometti and other artists and created a range of portraits for this half-term's topic - Who Am I?
Our medium term topic map which outlines the skills we are working on this half term ...
Mental Health Awareness Week
11th July - 15th July
Monday - Squiggle
We enjoyed drawing together with our friends.
We started with a single line, we all added to the picture.
Tuesday - Wake and Shake
We took part in Wake and Shake,
We really enjoyed shaking our sillies out.
Curriculum Maps
Mary Our Mother
Part of our RE topic this term, New Life. We learn that May is a very special month where we remember Mary. We know Mary is the Mother of Jesus and our Mother. To show our love for Mary we joined in with the whole school procession and watched year 1 tell the story of Mary's Life. We then lay flowers at our statue of Mary and prayed the Hail Mary together.
Yucky Worms
We have new additions to our classroom!
World Book Day 2023
St Andrews Day
Numeral 3 hunt!
Busy days at Nursery!
Lunchtime at Nursery
Fruit Salad
Jam Pennies
Baking Cakes
How can you help your child to settle in?
Practise our prayers
Each day we gather together to say a morning prayer, a lunchtime prayer and an afternoon prayer.
Morning Prayer | Lunch Time Prayer | Home Time Prayer |
Oh my God, You love me, You are with me night and day, I want to love you always, In all I do and say, I try to please you Father, Bless me through this day.
Amen | Bless us O Lord As we sit together, Bless the food We eat today, Bless the hands that make our food, Bless us O Lord. Amen | God our Father I come to say, Thank you for your love today, Thank you for my family, And all the friends you give to me Guard me in the dark of night, And in the morning send your light. Amen |
Read a story under our awning before school
We have a selection of books to read under our awning. You can spend a few quiet minutes reading with your child before the day begins to settle them before you say goodbye.
Build their confidence to become an independent individual
Each child has their own peg, please encourage your child to hang up their coats, jumpers and cardigans here. Build their physical skills by practising pulling clothing up and down, before and after using the toilet. Practise going to the toilet and washing and drying hands properly.
Say goodbye to your child
Get to school in good time so you can say a proper goodbye to your child with a reassuring hug, particularly if they are occasionally worried about coming to school. If you are late, your child may feel rushed and this may make separation difficult.
Collect your child with a smile
Your child has had a busy day. Greet them with a smile not your phone. Talk to them about their day, tell them about yours, get down to their level if you can. It is a long day; they have missed you.
Share their WOW moments with us
Please share your child's WOW moments with us. We want to know about their WOW moments and love finding out about some of the positive things they have done at home; we will share them with their friends, too. There is WOW moment slips on our nursery board.