Welcome back! It has been lovely to see the children return after the Easter holidays, ready to learn and share their news. We have had a busy and exciting first week back, settling into our new topic of Growing and Changing.

Phonics
In phonics this week, we have been learning the sounds ‘or’ and ‘ur’, as well as the tricky word “you.” The children have been practising blending words that include these sounds and reading simple sentences. We have also been working hard on writing words containing ‘or’ and ‘ur’, and using our tricky word “you” to write our own sentences. It has been fantastic to see the children becoming more confident in both their reading and writing.

Maths
In maths, we have been revisiting the concept of 5. Using the rhyme 5 Little Kittens and the stem sentence “5 is made of ___ and ___,” the children explored different ways to make 5. They used their fingers to represent these combinations and practised identifying missing parts.
We also looked at whether a set of objects shows 5 or not 5, and extended our understanding by learning that 6 can be made of 5 and 1, and 7 can be made of 5 and 2.
In addition, the children have continued building numbers beyond 10, with a focus on numbers 14–20, developing their confidence in recognising and constructing these numbers.

Drawing Club
As part of our new topic, we have been reading Tadpole’s Promise. We discussed the story together and explored key vocabulary. The children then completed a range of creative tasks throughout the week, including:

• Drawing the moment the tadpole meets the caterpillar
• Illustrating the life cycle of a frog
• Imagining an adventure for the frog and butterfly

The children also wrote sentences about their drawings, explaining what they could see or what was happening in their pictures. We were so impressed with their creativity and storytelling!

PE
In PE, we have started our new unit on Ball Skills. This week, we focused on developing rolling and tracking a ball. The children followed instructions such as rolling the ball forwards and backwards, spinning with it, and chasing it. They also had the opportunity to explore the climbing apparatus, building their confidence and coordination.

It has been a fantastic start to the term, and we are so proud of how well the children have settled back into school life!