We have had another busy and exciting week in Acorn Class, with lots of wonderful learning taking place across our different areas of the curriculum! As we reach the end of our first term, it has been lovely to see how much the children have grown in confidence, developed their skills and settled into their school routines. Here is a look at what we have been learning this week!

Phonics

This week in phonics, we have learnt two new sounds: 'n' and 'm'. We have been practising saying each sound using its action to help us remember it. The children have also been developing their blending and segmenting skills by listening carefully to the individual sounds in words and putting them together to read words.

We have continued to practise our letter formation, using whiteboards to write both 'n' and 'm'. We focused on forming each letter correctly, helping the children to develop their confidence and accuracy when writing. We have been working so hard in our phonics lessons, and it is wonderful to see the children becoming more familiar with the sounds we have learnt so far!

Maths

In maths this week, we have been developing our understanding of numbers and learning how to compare quantities.

We began by practising representing a given number on our fingers without looking at our hands! This encouraged the children to think carefully about numbers and how they can show different quantities using their fingers.

We then introduced the mathematical word 'more'. We talked about what it means and explored different examples by comparing quantities. The children practised identifying who had more and explaining their answers using full sentences, such as "Two is more than one." We also compared two different sets of objects and worked on explaining which set had more.

Next, we introduced the word 'fewer' and discussed what this means. The children practised comparing groups of objects to identify which group had fewer, again using full sentences to explain their thinking.

We also explored comparing mass by investigating which objects were heavier and lighter. The children used balance scales to compare different objects and thought carefully about how they could tell which object was heavier or lighter. This was a great opportunity to develop our mathematical vocabulary and encourage the children to explain how they knew their answers.

Art

This week in Art, we got creative making our Christmas cards using our handprints! The children enjoyed getting involved in creating something special. 

These have now been made and will be ready for you to purchase when they become available. We look forward to sharing the finished creations with you!

RE – Including Everyone

In RE this week, we have been thinking about how it feels when we are not included and what we can do to make sure everyone feels welcome.

To begin our lesson, I showed the children a box containing a picture of a celebrity, but I didn't tell them who it was. Miss Burkinshaw put the box up high on a shelf, and we encouraged the children to try to see inside. When they couldn't reach or see the picture, we talked about how this made them feel and why it might be upsetting when we are left out of something.

We then explored Tom and Tessa's bag and discovered a picture of a parade, a streamer and a Bible. These helped us think about a story Tom and Tessa had experienced. They had gone to watch a parade but were too short to see what was happening. Tessa asked Grandpa to lift her onto his shoulders, which helped her see, but it left Tom feeling sad because he still couldn't see anything. Tessa then suggested that they take turns so that both children could enjoy the parade.

Grandpa went on to tell them the Bible story of Zacchaeus. We talked about how Jesus was a very important person, almost like a celebrity, and how He still chose to spend time with Zacchaeus, even though other people did not like him. Zacchaeus recognised his mistakes and apologised, and we discussed how people forgave him.

At the end of the lesson, the children finally discovered that the picture inside our mystery box was Peppa Pig!

To help us think further about including others, we played a game of musical statues. Whenever the music stopped, the children had to find a partner and stand together. We then thought about how it might feel to be the person left without a partner. The children shared ideas about what we could do to help someone who was feeling left out, and we were so pleased when one pair offered to include the child who was on their own. This helped him to feel happy again!

It was a lovely way to bring our learning to life and remind the children that we can all make a difference by being kind, taking turns and making sure everyone feels included.

Understanding the World – Where We Live

In Understanding the World, we have been learning about where we live and the places we come from.

We talked about how England is the country we live in and Tunbridge Wells is our town. We discussed familiar places in Tunbridge Wells and thought about the places we might recognise when we are out and about with our families.

The children then had a go at colouring in the flag of England and drawing a picture of a familiar place in Tunbridge Wells. They also practised writing the names of both England and Tunbridge Wells, helping them to develop their early writing skills while learning more about the world around them.

PE

In PE, we have been focusing on working safely with a partner and moving around the space carefully.

The children practised leading a partner safely around the area, thinking about how to guide one another without bumping into other children or obstacles. We also continued to develop our understanding of how to use equipment safely and responsibly.

These activities encouraged the children to listen carefully, work cooperatively and think about how their actions can keep both themselves and others safe.

Name Writing

Throughout the week, we have also continued to practise writing our names. The children have been working hard to recognise the letters in their names and form them as accurately as possible. Regular practice is helping them to become more confident and independent when writing their names.

Star of the week: Congratulations to Maxine, who is our star of the week, for always engaging in lessons, putting her hand up and giving such great answers. Maxine will be taking home her certificate and Wilfred the Elephant to write in the book all about her time spent with Wilfred over the next week and will bring him back the Thursday after half term. If you are unable to print photographs, you can email them to acorn@st-barnabas.kent.sch.uk, and we will print them for you to add to Wilfred's book.

Please remember to read with your child, even for just 5 minutes! Please also remember to record it in the reading record. We will only change your child's book if you have read with them 2 or more times in that week! Reading books are changed on Monday's and Thursday's. Please also remember to have the library book in your children's book bag on Thursday to be changed. 

Any issues or concerns we need to know about, please speak to the Acorn team before and after school or email at: acorn@st-barnabas.kent.sch.uk

Thank You!

As we come to the end of our first term, we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who came along to parents' evening. It was lovely to have the opportunity to talk about how the children are settling into Acorn Class, celebrate their achievements so far and discuss their next steps in learning.

The children have worked incredibly hard this term, and we are so proud of how much they have achieved. They have been learning new routines, building friendships, developing their independence and making a wonderful start to their school journey.

We hope you all have a lovely half-term break, enjoy some well-deserved rest and have lots of fun together. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term of learning in Acorn Class!