What an amazing afternoon we’ve had — I’m absolutely thrilled to be the new Year 1 teacher, and even more excited to be working alongside the lovely Kelly (sadly, not in the photo!) and the fabulous Mrs Harris!
We started by showing the children around the new unit — including the all-important toilet tour!
Once everyone was a bit more familiar with where everything is, we headed into the classroom to get stuck into our first activity: making birthday cards for next year. It was the perfect opportunity for us to chat with the children and get to know them a little better — and, it means that when birthdays roll around, every child will receive a special, personalised card made with love.
Meanwhile, Mrs Harris was busy taking groups of children out to write their names. We’re going to turn these into handwriting books so we can celebrate the progress they make throughout the year — and let me tell you, I was so impressed with their beautiful handwriting already.
Later on, Kelly read Whiffy Wilson to the class — which got plenty of giggles (he really is pongy!). We then ended the afternoon with some much-needed sunshine and fresh air — the children popped on their hats, grabbed their drinks bottles, and enjoyed a play outside. They had a fantastic time and it was wonderful seeing those happy faces running around in the sun.
To finish the day, we all came back into our brand-new classroom and sat beautifully on the carpet. We wound down by watching The Gruffalo, a much-loved classic, and the perfect way to relax after such a busy and exciting afternoon.
I can already tell it’s going to be a brilliant year ahead — full of fun, learning, laughter, and a whole lot of growing together.
Laura 🙂
The first day back in the Autumn term is Thursday 4th September. Registration time for all classes is 8.45-8.55am. On the first day back, teaching staff will be in class ready to greet children as they arrive and to support where necessary. After this, we encourage children to come in on their own so please drop them off in the playground and allow them to enter by themselves. Staff will be at hand to help.
Teaching staff arrangements for September will be as follows:
Reception: Mel, Mrs Kench and Lucy
Year 1: Laura, Kelly and Mrs Harris
Year 2: Emma, Emily and Emily
Year 3: Andrea, Mrs Wallis and Sarah
Year 4: Kirsty and Sue
Year 5: Tom and Mrs Murray
Year 6: Dan and Mrs Walkinshaw
What will it be like in Year 1?
In Year 1, children take the next step from Early Years into more structured learning — but we keep the transition gentle and supportive. They build on their skills in phonics, number recognition and operations, basic sentence structure, and handwriting, as well as developing confidence in reading, writing, and maths.
We also focus on encouraging curiosity, kindness, and a love of learning. Children will build social skills, form new friendships, and grow in independence.
It’s a big year of progress, and we’re here to support them every step of the way!
Please try to read as much and as often as you can with your child over the summer holiday, it really does make a huge difference to their success at school. The Summer Reading Challenge is running again via local libraries and is a really great way to help keep your child interested in reading over the holiday.
How do I pass on important information?
If you have any questions or concerns at any time, we do hope that you will get in touch, just as we will contact you if necessary. There are regular opportunities to meet and discuss your child’s progress throughout the year, in addition to this you can contact me on Class Dojo or make an appointment through the school office at any point throughout the year.