Year /2016

 Welcome to Year 1!  Teachers: Miss Brownlow & Miss Hegarty  Teaching assistants: Mrs Nicolaou and Miss Davis Welcome

 English - The Gingerbread Man. We are focusing on using our phonics to help us to read and write sentences.  Phonics We will be having another meeting about the national phonics screening check.  Maths - Addition and subtraction, shape, counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.  R.E. - Family and Belonging  Science - Human Body and our senses  Geography - Where we live Curriculum overview

Reading and tricky words  Reading books will be regularly changed as we complete initial reading assessments.  Please read with your child every day and make a comment in your child’s reading record.  Reading at home makes a huge difference to your child’s progress in literacy.  Children will be sent home with lists of words that are useful to learn to read and spell.

Helping at home  Using money – introduce children to different coins and let them pay in shops so they can see how change works too.  Read bedtime stories that are above a level that children can read independently. This will help to improve vocabulary and expression.  Spend some time each day talking with no distractions like TV or tablets. This will help children to become good listeners e.g. by maintaining eye contact, and improve speaking. Ask them to tell you the story we have been studying!

Home practice  Children will be taking home ‘home practice’ after Christmas.  This will consist of maths and literacy.  Children will receive work to complete at home once a week.  It is an opportunity to reinforce what they have learnt at school and will be at a level that the children can complete independently.  We will also be sending home some important prayers to learn over the course of the year.

Attendance & punctuality  School starts at 8.55  It is important that children do not miss school as it affects their progress.

Contact sheets  Thank you to those of you who have returned your contact sheets.  If you have not yet returned them, please do so as soon as possible and ask the office if you need another one.  It is very important to keep the school updated with your current contact details should they change in case we need to contact you urgently.

Medical information  Please inform staff of any medical needs such as allergies or asthma.  Make sure medication is kept in school.

Speaking to the teacher  If you would like to speak to your child’s teacher please do this before school at  If you are unable to make this time, you are welcome to speak with the teacher after school once all the children have been dismissed.  You can Miss Brownlow at helens.lambeth.sch.uk and Miss Hegarty at with any helens.lambeth.sch.uk

Keeping updated  Check the website regularly for updates.  Half-termly letters will be sent out with a curriculum overview.  Phonics sounds of the week for both classes will be on the first board in 1B’s classroom.

Prayer God of wisdom and might, we praise you for the wonder of our being, for mind, body and spirit. Be with our children as they begin a new school year. Bless them, their parents, teachers and staff. Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow, wisdom and knowledge to their minds as they search for understanding, and peace and zeal to their hearts. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.