Blog letter Friday 03.04.2020

Good morning to you my lovely reception children.

It is Friday and today would be the last day of term before the schools break up for the Pesach holidays.

Although it has only been three weeks, it feels like such a long time ago that I saw you.  When your parents have sent me pictures of you, I am surprised to see how much some of you have grown. 

Keep being the awesome and amazing children that you are. 

I miss you and think about you all the time.

From Mrs Collier

JEWISH STUDIES

3rd April 2020

My dear Reception class

We have now  come to the end of the term and soon it will be Pesach.  I want to wish you and your families a lovely Chag.  I hope you will enjoy using your special Haggadah book, (that you have completed over the past 2 weeks) during the Seder and will have fun crunching your way through lots of matza over Pesach!

Please don't forget to keep practising your Hebrew reading using your Aleph Champ books so that you can become champion readers!!

I have attached a Hebrew reading game for you to play! you will need to cut out all the apples and blue tack them onto the tree.  When you have read the word correctly you can place the apple in the basket! how many apples do you think you can collect?  Have fun!

I miss you all very much, stay safe and well

Love Mrs Roodyn

Blog letter Thursday 2nd April 2020

Good morning and happy Thursday my lovely reception children.

I have had many queries as to how I am feeling.  Thank you all for your concern.  I am pleased to say that I am feeling so much better than I did.  I am almost back to my old self again.

Today's special number is 2.  What do you know about the number 2?  I can tell you that writing the number 2 is also a tricky word.  You write it two.

Today I would like to carry on with some learning about time.  I wonder if you managed to make a paper plate clock.  If you didn't, don't worry about it. You can use the blank clock faces to draw the o'clock times.

I have asked you to create a beautiful butterfly.  I have really enjoyed meeting all your monsters, and now I look forward to meeting all your butterflies.  Be as creative as you can and make your butterfly as beautiful and as different as you can.

Take care of yourselves and your families by keeping healthy and safe.  Keep washing those hands and making sure your germ fighting armies stay strong.

From Mrs Collier

JEWISH STUDIES

2nd April 2020

Good morning Reception!

I hope you and your families are all safe and well and that you had a lovely Wednesday!

Today we are going to complete the LAST page of your Haggadah books - Nirza, we have now finished the Seder and we ask Hashem that next year we will  all be together in Israel.

I would like you to take a look at the attachment picture of the Kotel in Israel, ( maybe some of you have been to visit the Kotel in Israel and davened to Hashem there) please try to now draw your own Kotel on the Nirza page, with people davening to Hashem at the Kotel.

Please let me see your completed page.

Well done! Your special Haggadah book is now finished and ready for you to look at during your Seder on Pesach, be proud of it and enjoy it!

Love Mrs Roodyn

JEWISH STUDIES - Hebrew Reading

1st April 2020

Hello Reception!

I am sending you a practise reading sheet with lots of different Hebrew letters, final letters and vowels.  Please read the words very carefully and give yourself a tick next to the star when you have read them correctly.  Please also practise all the vowels in the middle of the ladder!

Have fun and please let me see your completed page.

Love Mrs Roodyn

JEWISH STUDIES

1st April 2020

Dear Reception

I hope you and your families are all safe and well and that you had a lovely Tuesday.

Today we are going to complete the 2nd last page of your special Haggadah book - Hallel.  We now praise Hashem and thank Him for all the good He does for us.  Can you think of something you want to say “thank you” to Hashem for?

I would like you to decorate the Hallel page with music notes, to make it look like we are singing “thank you” to Hashem.  I have attached a sheet with music notes on them, you can either try and copy them by yourself and decorate the Hallel page with lots of music notes or if you prefer you can cut and stick them onto the Hallel page.

Please don’t forget to let me see your completed page!

Have fun

Mrs Roodyn

Blog letter Wednesday 01.04.2020

Hello my lovely reception children and a happy Wednesday to you all.

Today is a new month.  It is April.  This is exciting because it means that spring is well on its way.  The days are getting warmer and longer. 

Today I have set you some work on the blog, but I have also sent some phonics and maths work to your mum's or dad's email address.

I hope you have a fun time with your work from home today.

Keep safe and stay healthy.  Wash your hands regularly, keep eating your fresh fruit and vegetables to keep your germ fighting armies healthy, stay at home and be awesome.

Good bye

From Mrs Collier

Blog letter Tuesday 31st March 2020

Good morning my lovely Reception children.

I hope you are all still well and doing lots of good things.

Thank you for the lovely photos that you have sent me of your MONSTERSAURUS.  One cutie monster was called Monty, just like my cat.  One was called Boris and he was just awesome, and one that I saw was so big he was even bigger than the person who made him.

This week we are going to learn a bit about frogs and tadpoles, as well as start learning about time.

Time is not only about being able to tell the time, but about different times of the year, different times of the week, different times of the day.  That is why I sent you the link to the 'Seasons of the Year' song.  That is why I would like you to draw some different things you do in the morning, in the afternoon and at night time.

Tomorrow is going to be a new month.  Do you know what that month is called?  It is called April. 

Listen to the song on YouTube about the months of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCz7CmIlewk

I have read you a story called "The Teeny Weeny Tadpole" and it has been emailed to you.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Until tomorrow my lovely children, take care.

From Mrs Collier

JEWISH STUDIES 

31st March 2020

Good morning Reception!

I hope you and your families are all safe and well and that you had a fun Monday.

Today we are going to complete 2 pages of your Haggadah books and then there is only 2 more left to finish the whole Haggadah book!

The next page is called Tzafun   -  it is now time to eat the Afikomen.

Did you hide it in a really good hiding place?   or  do you have to now find the Afikomen ?

I would like you to either draw your own Afikomen bag with  half a piece of Matza inside it  - that was put aside during Yachatz or you can choose to cut and stick the attachment picture of a piece of matza in an afikomen bag.

The second page we will complete today is Barech - we bentch, we say thank you to Hashem for the lovely Yom Tov meal.

I would like you to draw yourself sitting at the Yom Tov table with a Bentcher   or  you can choose to cut out one of the little people holding a Bentcher and stick it on the Barech page.

Please don't forget to let me see your beautiful work!

Have fun completing these page

Love Mrs Roodyn

Blog letter  Monday 30.03.2020

Hello to my lovely reception children

I hope you have had a lovely weekend and that you have managed to go out for a walk and be sensible and get some exercise.

I have set you some fun activities to do today.  I hope you enjoy them.

I'm glad you enjoyed the story of MONSTERSAURUS.  I wanted to read another book for you today, but the book I wanted to read is at school so that didn't work.  So I have sent you a YouTube link to the story.  However, I promise to record some more stories and send them to you in the week.

Some of your parents have told me that their printers are running out of ink.  This might seem a bit of a worry, but it really isn't.  You are all very clever and this shouldn't bother you one little bit.  You can still read the instructions on the computer, and then do the work on a blank sheet of paper, or, if you have one, on a whiteboard.  This is all fine.

Stay safe and well my lovely children and I hope to see you soon.

From Mrs Collier

JEWISH STUDIES 

30th March 2020

Good morning Reception!

I hope you and your families are all safe and well and that you all had a lovely Shabbat.

Last week we learnt 2 new letters “Pay ….P” and “Fay…F”  they are written in the same way except PAY….P has a PENNY in his tummy.

Today we are going to learn “FINAL FAY…….F  ף  

Final Fay only comes at the end of the word….just like the other final letters that we have already learnt - final chaf, final mem and final nun.

I have attached 4 activity work sheets for you to complete to help you learn to read and write using the Final Fay.  Have fun completing these sheets and please let me see your work when you have finished it!

Take care and stay safe

I miss you lots

Mrs Roodyn

JEWISH STUDIES 

30th March 2020

PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK FOR NEW PAGES TO COMPLETE YOUR HAGGADAH BOOKS - UNDER PESACH LESSONS

Good morning Reception!

I hope you and your families are all safe and well and that you had a good Shabbat.

Today we are going to complete another page of your Haggadah books - Shulchan Orech...we now enjoy the special Yom Tov meal.  What will you have to eat?

Please can you draw your favourite meal that you would like to eat for the Seder Yom Tov meal or if you prefer you can cut and stick some of the foods from the attachment.

Have fun creating your meal and please let me see when you completed this page!

I miss you lots

Mrs Roodyn

Blog letter Friday 27.03.2020

Good morning parents and lovely reception children.

Wow! It is Friday already.  We have now been learning from home for very nearly two weeks.  It has been challenging and different and strange but we have done it.

What I wanted to do was to say a huge thank you! to everyone.  I have received nothing but concern from you, particularly in the last week when I've been feeling poorly.  I have received good wishes, photos of your children, short video clips from your children, get well messages, etc. and they have made me smile and have really lifted my spirits.  I can honestly say I feel like I am now on the mend and am feeling very much better.  So thank you for that.

However, aside from that, I also wanted to thank you for something else.  I have received nothing but thanks and support for the work that I have been setting.  I asked for feedback and I got feedback.  No negative criticism, but positivity all the way.  I feel very blessed to have started at Kerem School in January and to now be a part of such a wonderful community.  So thank you for that.

So I just want to take this opportunity to say to you, the parents, "Well done!"  You are all coping with this situation very well.  I know this has been tricky for many of you.  You have suddenly needed to become teachers, cope with kids who are out of routine, many of you are juggling two, three or four children's work and you are being amazing.  What I see from the photos are happy, engaged, learning children.  I know it's possibly not like that all the time but when you feel like tearing your hair out and locking yourself in the bathroom for just a few minutes of peace, please just know that you are not alone and that you are doing a great job.  Give yourselves a pat on the back, a thumbs up, a round of applause.

Together we will get through this.

Keep up the good work and hopefully this will be over sooner rather than later.

Thank you and kind regards

Lindsay Collier

JEWISH STUDIES 

27th March 2020

PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK FOR NEW PAGES TO COMPLETE YOUR HAGGADAH BOOKS - UNDER PESACH LESSONS

Good Morning Reception!

I hope you are all safe and well and enjoying completing your Haggadah pages for Pesach.

The next page I am attaching is called "Korech" - a sandwich!

We make a sandwich with matza and maror (lettuce) and we make a special bracha before we eat it.

For this page you will need to cut out the lettuce leaf that I have attached and you will need to cut out 2 pieces of matza.  Put the lettuce leaf in between the 2 pieces of matza…..like a sandwich! and stick it onto the Korech page.

I hope you have fun doing this activity and don't forget to let me see your work when you have completed it!

I have also attached a Hebrew reading sheet to practise reading 2 letter words and a sheet to practise your Hebrew writing from Aleph to Yud.  Please let me know how you get along with these activities.

Have a lovely Shabbat

Mrs Roodyn :)

JEWISH STUDIES 

26th March 2020

PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK FOR NEW PAGES TO COMPLETE YOUR HAGGADAH BOOKS - UNDER PESACH LESSONS

Dear Reception Children
I am sending you the next page for your Haggadah book - Maror - bitter herbs.
We dip the maror into the charoset -( the sweet apple/cinnamon/wine paste), The Maror reminds us of the bitter times the Jewish people suffered when they were in Mitzrayim (Egypt).
I have attached a picture of Maror - its name in English is "horseradish". It is peeled and grated and it is VERY VERY strong - even eating a little bit of it will make you have tears in your eyes.
Please try and draw your own Maror underneath the writing or you can choose to cut the maror attachment out and stick it on the page.

Have fun completing this page and I would love to see some of your completed Haggadah book pages!

I miss you all

Mrs Roodyn

Blog letter Thursday 26.03.2020

Hello lovely reception children. 

It is Thursday already.  I cannot believe how quickly this time is passing.  I hope you are all making good choices at home with your mums and dads and doing good listening. 

Thank you for all the lovely pictures of you doing work that your mum's have emailed to me.  It's lovely to see you all so busy and happy.

I have given you another phonics story today.  This one is called 'Mark in the Park'.  If you are able to read it independently, then that is great.  Some work will be emailed to your mum's email address for you to answer questions.

If you can't read the story independently, then ask a grown up to help you.  But if a grown up follows the words with their finger, then I hope you will read some of the easy words.  I know you can!

I hope you are all creating something amazing with salt dough.  I think I am going to make some dough myself and make some decorations.

Remember to keep saving junk modelling things.

Please think very hard about Mrs Craig's idea of putting your teddy in your window.  I think she would love to see some photos of your teddies.

I hope you are all still being safe and sensible.

Love from

Mrs Collier

Blog Letter Wednesday 25.03.2020

Good morning parents and lovely Reception children.

I hope you are all still well and keeping fit and healthy.

Today I have set you some fun activities on the blog, and I have emailed mum just one page of work.  This is your maths page.

I hope you enjoy it.

You will see on the blog the recipe for salt dough.  Please make something awesome out of salt dough, let it dry and then paint it.  Then keep it and bring it back to school when we return and we will make a special place to put all your things to remind us that we all went through this coronavirus together and that we were all fine and well after.

Remember to keep healthy and to keep listening you your mum and dad.

From Mrs Collier

Blog Tuesday 24.03.2020

Good morning parents and lovely reception children. 

I hope you are all still well and that nobody has become ill.  I hope that you are all being sensible and following the rules. 

I have set you some fun work today.  Your work is all on the blog again today. (no emails today).

Thank you to all the mums and children who have been sending me photos just to say Hi!  They have all really cheered me up and made me feel better.  

Enjoy this time with your family - no fighting with your brothers and sisters please!!  Work hard and listen to mummy and daddy. 

Love from Mrs Collier

Dear Reception parents and children

I hope you and your families are all well and safe and I hope you are enjoying making your Hagadah book at home ready for the Seder night.

I have now sent you pages H - L in the Pesach lesson section.  Please follow the instructions and have fun preparing these pages.

If you get a chance I would love to see how you are doing and some of your completed pages.

Please take care and stay safe

I miss you all so much

Mrs Roodyn

Good morning reception children

I hope you are keeping safe and well and are ready to do some more work this week.

As some of you may already know, I have been feeling a bit poorly recently.  I don't know if I have the coronavirus or if I have a bad dose of flu, but whatever it is, I have been feeling very under the weather.  Hopefully I will soon be on the mend, and then I will start sending you some videos and talking to you and telling you how you can do things.  I'm really looking forward to that.

For your home learning today, I am not sending your mum any emails.  All your work is on the blog today.

Have fun, be good, listen to your mums and dads and most importantly, keep your immune system army safe and healthy.

Miss you all

From Mrs Collier

Jewish Studies 20 March 2020

Friday 20.03.2020

Good morning reception children and parents.

I hope you are all still fine and well and not showing any symptoms and if you are then I wish you a speedy recovery.

In Phonics the children will be revising the oa sound.  I have sent a story about a goat called Joan.  If your child is able to read the story independently, then that is great.  However the idea is that most children will have support to read the story.  Maybe you can read it to them, pointing to the words as you go and asking your child to sound out the CVC words.  The work related to the story will then be emailed to your child.

Please start collecting some junk modelling boxes, cartons, tubs, rolls, bottles, etc. as next week I'm going to set them a construction task.

I think the maths that I've sent is pretty self explanatory in the emails.  If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to email me and ask. 

I am very aware of the fact that many parents may be feeling overwhelmed or confused or just unsure as they feel that they have suddenly been placed into the role of teacher.   Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.  It's what I'm here for. Remember, there is no such thing as a silly question.  If you don't know, ASK!

Thank you to all the parents who have emailed me with pictures of your children, video messages from your children, kind messages and queries.  It makes me feel like I am still linked to your child. 

Have a happy Friday, a good and healthy weekend and I will 'see' you all again next week.

Kind regards

Mrs Collier

Homework for Thursday 19th March 2020

Good morning reception children and parents

Happy Thursday to you.  I hope you are all well.

I am sending you some more work to do today.  I know you were promised stickers for awesome work.  I promise you that all your hard work will be rewarded with stickers when we eventually get back to school.

As I have previously done, some work is here on the blog and some work will be sent to your mum's email address.

I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you to everyone that has emailed me photos of you doing your work.  They have really cheered me up and made me feel better.

Keep eating your healthy food and drinking lots of water to keep your immune systems healthy.

From Mrs Collier

Good morning Reception children and parents.

I hope you are all well and having a good time working from home at all your classroom activities.

Remember to keep washing your hands and eating lots of healthy fruit and vegetables to keep your immune systems/your germ fighting armies strong.

I have sent you some more fun things to do today.  I hope you will all complete them and then bring them to school to show me.  There will still be some awesome stickers for children who have completed all their work but I guess I might need to go and buy some more stickers. 

Some work is here on the blog and some work will be sent to your mum's email address.  If your mum hasn't received your work by 10.00am, please ask her to email me and I will check and send it again.

Have a good day and I hope to see you soon.

From Mrs Collier      

Good morning Reception children and parents.

I hope you have had a lovely weekend and that you have all managed to stay safe and healthy.

Remember to eat lots of healthy fruit and vegetables to keep your immune systems/your germ fighting armies strong.

I have sent you some fun things to do today.  I hope you will all complete them and then bring them to school tomorrow to show me.  There will be some awesome stickers for children who have completed all their work. 

Some work is here on the blog and some work will be sent to your mum's email address.  If your mum hasn't received your work by 9.00am, please ask her to email me and I will check that I have not made any silly mistakes and I will send it again.

Have a good day and I will see you tomorrow at school.

From Mrs Collier      

Newsletter 13.03.2020

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children first discussed what they were going to do for Purim.  They were very excited about dressing up for the day in school and for the parties they were to attend. They then discussed what they did on Purim.  It was a very exciting day and some children wrote about how they celebrated the day.  

We also felt it was important to address the Corona Virus.  Many children have been coming to school having heard conversations at home. Parents have also voiced their concern about what their children are coming home and saying. I thought it would be helpful to give you an overview of what we have talked about in school.

We read the story ‘Ruby’s Worry’ about a little girl who had a worry which grew and grew until she found that if she talked about it, it started to disappear.  We then talked about the Corona Virus. This included talking about their immune systems, also known as their germ-fighting army. We discussed ways to keep our immune systems strong:  eat lots of fruit and vegetables, get lots of sleep, drink lots of water, get fresh air, wash fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. We also discussed the importance of keeping our hands clean and not touching our noses, mouths etc.  The children have also got used to washing their hands multiple times a day. It was clear that the children have heard that people have died from Corona Virus and this was understandably a worry for them. I’ve explained that the people who have died have been old and sick and their germ-fighting armies have been tired from fighting different germs.  They have accepted this explanation. I’ve also explained that should they become infected that doctors think it would be like having a very bad cold with a temperature and a cough and that in time they would start to feel a bit better and they would recover. So, while we are doing everything in our power to prevent the spread of the virus, we are also trying to keep calm about it. 

If your child is concerned about the spread of the virus then we suggest that you talk to them about it.  I would suggest you tell them the truth but in a calm, rational way and explain things. (It’s a bit like the initial discussion about where babies come from.  You answer all the questions, you always tell the truth, you never lie, but you keep it age-appropriate). Children hear much more than they are often given credit for so, we would also recommend that as with all sensitive matters, adult conversations happen away from children.

You will have received an email from Mrs Craig and Ms Simon that the school will be closed for a deep clean on Monday.  The children will all receive work to do on Monday. This will be sent to you via the blog on Monday morning. Certain subjects will need to be differentiated to best suit your child’s abilities.  These sheets will be emailed to you directly. Please complete these with your child on Monday and return them to school on Tuesday morning.

In Phonics this week the children have started recapping the digraphs which they have learnt.  This week was the ai sound and the ee sound.  The children were all writing words and sentences with these words in them.  They also recapped the tricky words was and the as some children still get a bit confused when writing them..

In Maths this week the children have continued learning about money.  They have been working out the total cost of two items, first up to 10p and then up to 20p.  They then started to learn about getting change, first from a 10p coin and then from a 20p coin, using a number line to support their learning.

In Forest School this week, Emma talked about the changes in the seasons.  The children knew that it was spring, and observed the flowers and the buds on the trees.  They looked at all the different colours of green that they could find and made their own small green colour charts.  The children were very interested to find moss and to feel its soft texture.

This week was STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) week.  The children experimented with sinking and floating, magnets, and wind.  They did a lot of independent exploration and came to the conclusion that if something was metal, then it might well be magnetic.  If it wasn’t metal, then it definitely wasn’t magnetic. They also concluded that if something was heavy, it would probably sink, but if it was light then it would more than likely float.   The children also used straws to blow little foil cupcake cups across the water tray and they had races with their friends to see whose cup would go across first. It was a fun activity and the children were very competitive.  

On Tuesday this week the children enjoyed celebrating Purim, and have now started to learn about Pesach.  We talked about Pesach lasting for 8 days (7 days in Israel) and during this time we do not eat chametz - foods made using wheat flour.  We talked about where wheat grows and how it is made into flour. The children also started to learn about Seder night and have started to make their own Hagaddah book.

The children have also learnt another  new aleph bet letter - ayin. We sing “and a silent ayin” - as ayin makes no sound like the aleph.  Please keep practising the aleph champ reading books with your children to enable them to become fluent with their reading.  Thank you so much for your support.

In Physical Development this week, for fine motor development the children did cutting, threading, sticking, playdough and lots of letter formation practise. In PE the children were able to go outside and work with basketballs.  They had to bounce the balls and catch them, then they had to bounce a ball to their partner for their partner to catch. The consensus was that the basketballs were easier than the tennis balls because they were bigger, they didn’t have to use a racquet, and they were bouncier.  

Reminders:

• Please can I ask you all to return  your children’s aleph champ reading books every WEDNESDAY morning, in order that Mrs Roodyn can read with them individually and then set the next pages to read at home.

       Please continue to read as much as possible to help your children become fluent in their Hebrew                 reading.Thank you so much for your support.

• Please could you ensure that your child has spare trousers, underwear and socks available in case they get wet or dirty.  This would be particularly useful on Thursdays when we have been to Forest School.

Shabbat shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

Newsletter 06.03.2020

I am very pleased to inform you that Mrs Haziza had her operation last Thursday and it went very well.  She is making a good recovery and was able to return home on the weekend.

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children recapped how they should be respecting the toys in the environment and how to use them in the correct areas. Children talked to their talk partners about how they should use the toys and then shared their ideas.  We also recapped how we can be independent, even when we are collaborating. We reread the story of There’s an Ouch in my Pouch.

In Phonics this week the children have learnt a new digraph (two letters that make one sound) and a new trigraph (three letters that make one sound). The new trigraph we learnt was ure and the new digraph we learnt was er.  The children also learnt the new tricky word was this week.  In addition to this they have been revising the ones we have already learnt.

In Maths this week the children have been learning about money.  They have learnt about the different coins which we use in England and how to identify them.  We created Kerem Clothing and Toy shop in the classroom, which caused great excitement.  It would be lovely if you could take your child to the shop and give them some coins with which they could pay.  Ask them if they can work out how much they must pay for two items. See if they can work out the change. Unfortunately in this modern age of card payments, this is a skill that many children are sadly lacking.

In Forest School this week, Emma continued the Pirate theme.  The children recapped the different phrases a pirate might use. The children followed Emma’s treasure map to find her buried treasure.  There was lichen, oak leaves, ivy leaves and acorn cups in her treasure chest. The children were then set the task of going to find more treasure.  After that the children could choose to saw a piece of a log to make a pirate doubloon or they could dig for treasure or they could make a treasure map.  The children had lots of fun.

In Jewish Studies this week the children carried on learning more about the Purim story.  They have now all finished making their greggers and are very excited to take them to shul to make a noise when they hear Haman’s name read during Megillat Esther. 

The children have also learnt a new vowel - Tzereh, two dots next to each other. which has the sound EH.  We say “2 eyes is my face say EH”. 

They have also learnt a new letter Samech.  Please remember to read the aleph champ books with your children as much as possible so they are fluent with the letters taught.  Thank you for your support.

In Physical Development this week, for fine motor development the children did cutting, threading, sticking, playdough and lots of letter formation practise. In PE the children had small sponge balls and tennis racquets.  They had to walk around balancing the balls on the racquet and then they had to bounce the balls on the racquet while standing still in one place. 

Reminders:

• Please can I ask you all to return  your children’s aleph champ reading books every WEDNESDAY morning, in order that Mrs Roodyn can read with them individually and then set the next pages to read at home.

Please continue to read as much as possible to help your children become fluent in their Hebrew reading.Thank you so much for your support

• Please could you ensure that your child has spare trousers, underwear and socks available in case they get wet or dirty.  This would be particularly useful on Thursdays when we have been to Forest School.

• Next week is STEM (Science, technology, engineering and Maths) week. On Friday 13 March we will be having a whole school junk modelling build.  Please could you bring any cardboard boxes, cartons, tubes, plastic bottles, etc to school. (Please no toilet roll tubes).

• Further to the email from Ms Simon it was decided with Kerem Cares: Kehilla that birthdays will no longer be celebrated with cake or treats.  You can now make a donation of a book to the class or a donation to a charity. We will still blow out candles and sing happy birthday to your child on their special day.

• Please remember that school starts at 8.30.  The register needs to be completed by 8.40. Any children arriving after 8.40 will be marked in as late.

Shabbat shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

Newsletter 29.2.20

Unfortunately Mrs Haziza fell in the playground on Tuesday and is currently in hospital. We hope that she will be home with her family as soon as possible.  Many of the children have been making ‘Get well soon’ cards for her and on Wednesday Ms Reiff went to see her and took them with her.  She was very pleased and wrote the children a lovely email to say thank you.

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children told their friends what they did in the half term holidays.  The children were very respectful of their friends talking and sat quietly and listened. The children also had a recap of how to look after the resources in the classroom, e,g. Putting lids on glue sticks and felt tips, picking books up if they fell onto the floor, etc.

In Phonics this week the children have been learning some new trigraphs.  A trigraph is three letters that make one sound.  The new trigraphs we learnt this week are ear and air.   I am aware that I am teaching the digraphs very quickly and some parents have approached me to say their child doesn’t know them all.  Rest assured we will revisit these sounds. We follow the Letters and Sounds programme and this is how they are taught. The children have not learnt any new tricky words this week. We have been revising the ones we have already learnt.

In Maths this week the children have been measuring.  They started with non standard units of measurement. On Tuesday we measured all the children using the foam bricks.  They then counted to see how many bricks high each child was. The children then used Unifix cubes to measure different objects independently.  Yesterday the children were introduced to a ruler and a 1 centimeter measurement. Some children had great fun going around the classroom measuring chairs, books, the sofa, etc, and recording their findings.

In Forest School this week, Emma talked about being a pirate.  She read a book about how to be a pirate and the children learnt some of the words and phrases that pirates use.    The children then had choices. They could either make an eye patch, or they could dig in the mud for buried treasure, or they could build a pirate ship or a treasure chest.  It was very muddy out there on Thursday and we all got quite dirty but it was lots of fun.                 

In Jewish Studies this week the children have started to learn about Purim.  They have started to make their own greggers to make a noise in shul when they hear Haman’s name said during the reading of Megillat Esther.  They have also had fun playing with the Purim character puppets and acting out the story. 

We have also learnt a new Hebrew letter - NUN.  Please keep practising aleph champ with your children to help them become fluent in their reading.

In Physical Development this week, for fine motor development the children had to thread Cheerios onto a string to make bird feeders which will be hung up in the garden. 

In PE the children had small sponge balls which they had to throw carefully into the air and then catch, all while walking around.  Then they had to find a partner and measure 5 steps between themself and their partner and throw the ball to each other using two hands.  After that, still working in their pairs, one child held a cone while their partner would try and throw the ball into the cone.

Other information

• A note from Mrs Roodyn - Due to Mrs Haziza’s absence for the next few weeks, there has been a slight change in how we will be reading aleph champ with the children.  Please can I ask you all to return your children’s aleph champ reading books every WEDNESDAY morning, in order that I can read with them individually and then set the next pages to read at home.

       Please continue to read as much as possible to help your children become fluent in their Hebrew                 reading.Thank you so much for your support

• Please could you ensure that your child has spare trousers, underwear and socks available in case they get wet or dirty.  This would be particularly useful on Thursdays when we have been to Forest School.

• The week beginning 9 March is STEM (Science, technology, engineering and Maths) week. On Friday 13 March we will be having a whole school junk modelling build.  Please could you bring any cardboard boxes, cartons, tubes, plastic bottles, etc to school. (Please no toilet roll tubes).

• Further to the email from Ms Simon it was decided with Kerem Cares: Kehilla that birthdays will no longer be celebrated with cake or treats.  You can now make a donation of a book to the class or a donation to a charity. We will still blow out candles and sing happy birthday to your child on their special day.

• Please remember that school starts at 8.30.  The register needs to be completed by 8.40. Any children arriving after 8.40 will be marked in as late.

Shabbat shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

Newsletter 14.2.20

It was book week this week.  The children visited the book fair and bought some lovely books.  It was great to see them talking to their friends and showing them the books they bought.  The Author Ted Dewan, who is the creator of Bing Bunny, came to visit on Wednesday. He read three of his books, which the children enjoyed very much. The children were very well behaved when he was there and they made me very proud to be their teacher.  Ted drew some lovely sketches of Bing and gave them to the school.

The children were excited to welcome the year 6 pupils today who came to read with them as part of book week. 

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children have been thinking about how much they have grown since they were in the nursery, not only in size but in other ways too.  They agree they are now much stronger, braver, cleverer, kinder and more sensible. They have decided that maybe they need to help the nursery children to start behaving more like reception children and that they are going to model this behaviour in the corridor, the dinner hall and the playground.  

In Phonics this week the new digraphs the children learnt are ur, ow and oi.  I am aware that I am teaching the digraphs very quickly and some parents have approached me to say their child doesn’t know them all.  Rest assured we will revisit these sounds. I will assess all children when we reach the end and those who are able to will go ahead and those who are not sure will have it retaught.  However, they will be at an advantage because they will be aware of the sounds already. There is only one tricky word this week and that is was. You will find the tricky word and the digraphs in your child’s book bag.

In Maths this week the children have been consolidating addition and subtraction.  Some children are becoming more confident to add and subtract given numbers while others are creating their own number sentences, some working in the 1-20 number range and beyond.

In Forest School this week, Emma read the book “Where the Wild Things are” by Maurice Sendak.  The children looked around the forest for signs that ‘the wild things’ had been there. The children found some big footprints and some sticks stuck in the ground.  They then divided into two groups. The first group worked with Emma to make a big boat out of sticks and logs. The second group work with Abbey to make the island, creating a camp fire to cook food.  Emma taught the children a new song on the island and then we all sailed back to the mainland again.

In Understanding the World this week the children have been looking at how the bulbs, which they planted in the playground a few weeks ago, are growing.  We also did an experiment involving a greedy monster, some white vinegar and a couple of spoons of bicarbonate of soda. There was great excitement in the room when the greedy monster started spewing white foam. 

On Monday in Jewish Studies the children enjoyed celebrating Tu B’shvat.  They had lots of fun making their own fruit kebab from a fruit buffet table and enjoyed eating them afterwards. It was lovely to see so many parents, grandparents and other adults in the class on Monday morning to make ‘Family Trees’ with their children.  Thank you everyone for your input to make it such a successful morning.

In this week’s Parsha Yitro the children learnt how Hashem gave His very special present - the Torah to the Jewish people at Har Sinai. They learnt that Moshe brought the Luchot down from Hashem and on them was written the 10 commandments. We discussed the 10 commandments concentrating on (4) keep Shabbat and (5) listen to your parents.

In Physical Development this week the children used small foam balls which they had to balance on an open hand while walking around.  They then had to stand still and throw the ball into the air and catch it again. After that they had to try rolling the ball in a specific direction towards a cone.  

Other information

• We have sent your child’s Forest School waterproofs home with them to be washed.  Please can you ensure that you send them back after the half term holidays.

• We have also sent your child’s water bottle home.  Please could you return these on the first day after the half term.

• I have sent some homework sheets for your child for the half term.  There are two letter formation pages, one number formation page, one holiday news page and the sheets with the Phonics and tricky word.  On the holiday news page, the children should draw a picture of something they have done in the holidays and then write a bit about what they have done.

• Enjoy a fantastic week with your child(ren) and we will see you all again next term. 

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

Reception News and Information. Week Beginning 7.2.20

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children have been learning how to be kind to themselves.  We read the book “I Like Myself” by Karen Beaumont. It is all about having good self esteem and liking who you are. They were all able to say something that they liked about themselves.

In Phonics this week the children revised the phonemes and digraphs that we have learned so far.   The digraphs that they learned this week are ‘oo’ which has two different sounds, the first is ‘oo’ as in moon and the second is ‘oo’ as in book and also ‘ar’ as in ‘park’ and ‘or’ as in ‘fork’. Some children were very good at sounding out words with these digraphs in them.  It is always hard when teaching the digraphs as children often say words that have the correct sound but it is with one of the alternative digraphs. Ie caught using or. We always praise them for getting the correct sound and then model the word on the board showing them the way it is spelt.  The new tricky words this week are my, her and are.

In Mathematics this week the children have been learning about number bonds of 5 and 10.  Some children found it quite handy to use their fingers to support their learning. The children then used a number fan to find partner numbers.  So for example, I wrote 4+__=10 and they had to find the number 6 on the number fan. 

This week at Forest School the children looked at different buds from different trees.  They then had to walk around in partners and see if they could match the twigs to the trees in the park.  The children then got a stick, which they had to cut using very big loppers. They got a piece of fabric which they decorated with felt tips and attached to the stick using pipe cleaners to make a flag.

In Understanding the World the children enjoyed the science experiment of making slime.  They looked on in amazement as the liquid changed consistency. The bowl of slime was then passed around for the children to feel and they had to describe how it felt.  Some of the words they used were slimy, like lychees, like jelly, blobby, squishy and gooey.

In Jewish Studies this week the children have been learning about Tu B’shvat.  This is a special day for trees. We discussed how we must appreciate that Hashem makes things grow from the seeds that are planted.  We talked about different fruits, some grow on trees and some grow in the ground. We learned that we say the bracha Ha’etz for fruit that grows on a tree when we eat them and the children were able to name some fruits that we say Ha’etz for.  The children enjoyed making their own fruit trees.

In Physical Development the children used hockey sticks to hone their ball skills.  They had to dribble a ball a short distance using the front and the back of the hockey stick.  They then did the same, moving between and around cones. For fine motor this week, the children did cutting and tearing of paper, threading of beads and twisting of pipe cleaners to make their flags.

Other Information:

• We look forward to you joining us on Monday morning for the Tu b’Shevat learning session and activities.  Children are allowed to come to school in green, brown or pink clothes.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

30.1.20

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children have been learning how to say kind things about each other. They sat in a circle and drew a name out of a box.  They then had to pay that person a compliment. The children were very pleased to hear nice things said about them.  

In Phonics this week the children continued learning digraphs and a trigraph.  A trigraph is three letters that make one sound. The new ones this week were ee, igh and oa. They were amazed at how many different ways there were to write the igh sound.  Our word of the week was Highgate.  We were all very impressed. The tricky words this week are ‘you’, ‘they’ and ‘all’. You will find the tricky words and the digraphs in your child’s book bag.  

In Maths this week the children are recapping numbers.  They have been learning how to use a number line to support their understanding.  The number line can be used to find any number more or less than a given number. They have also been recapping addition and subtraction, counting the jumps on a number line.  The children were very good at counting forwards and counting backwards, depending on whether we were adding or subtracting.  

In Forest School the children learned about one of the tools used by early man.  They used a Y shaped stick, two rubber bands and a piece of leather to make a slingshot.  They discussed how to use a slingshot safely. They were given tiny alder cones and were able to shoot them into the bushes.  Some found it really easy but some found it quite tricky.  

In this week’s Parsha Bo, the children learned about the last three punishments that Hashem sent to King Pharoah and the Egyptians.  We talked about punishment number eight, which was the locusts/grasshoppers that ate up all the grass, fruit and vegetables in Egypt.  Punishment number nine was three days of darkness followed by three days of darkness and not being able to move. The final punishment was the oldest child in the family becoming very sick.  After these ten plagues, King Pharoah begged Moshe and Aron to take the Jewish people and leave Egypt.

In Understanding the World the children observed how placing Skittles sweets in a circle on a plate and then pouring warm water onto the plate created a beautiful Skittles rainbow.  Some children had seen this done before so they were able to say what would happen next. Others were amazed at the pretty colours. Some children thought the Skittles were melting. Others thought it was the fruit juice from the Skittles making the colours.  One of the children predicted that when all the colours joined together it would make brown and he was right!  

In PE this week the children were learning different ways to improve their ball skills.  They were shown how they hold a hockey stick. Safety was of paramount importance and they quickly learned to be sensible.  They then had to use the front and back of the hockey stick to manoeuvre the ball a short distance. Some children found this very tricky while others mastered it very quickly.

Other information:

• Reminder for the diary - Monday 10th February - Parents are invited to join us at the EYU for a Tu b’Shevat learning and activity session from 8.45am until 9.45am. We look forward to you joining us.

• Water bottles:  From now on the children will be taking their water bottles to the main school on a Monday for PE and then bringing them home.  Please can you return them on a Tuesday morning. 

• Should anything different be happening at home, however insignificant you think it is, please do let us know. The smallest of changes can have an impact on a child's mood or behaviour and knowing things in advance helps us to be aware of possible changes and be ready to offer support. These might include but are not limited to, a parent being away from home on business, a member of the family being in hospital, a bereavement, a break in, etc 

Shabbbat Shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

Newsletter 24.1.20

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children continued with the Characteristics of Learning that we are learning about.  The characteristic for this week is INDEPENDENCE. I read them the story “There’s an Ouch in my Pouch”. It’s the story of a young wallaby that jumps out of his mum’s pouch because it’s uncomfortable.  The discomfort is caused by his new baby sister. When his mum invites him to share her pouch with the new baby, he decides he likes his independence and doing things for himself. This proved to be quite a tricky concept as the children struggled to understand that they could still be independent while collaborating with their friends. 

In Phonics this week the children have been revising the digraphs that we have learned.  The new digraphs for this week are th, ng and ai.  Some children struggled to say and hear the ng sound but the winning word of the day was ‘singing’ which had a ng sound in the middle and one at the end.  Looking around the classroom they were excited to find the words ‘going’ and ‘learning’. The tricky words of the week are we, me and be. You will find these in your child’s book bag as well as he and she from last term.

This week in Maths the children have been investigating 3D shapes.  The children learnt the names of the different 3D shapes including cube, cuboid, cone, pyramid, cylinder and sphere.  They have also learned some unusual sounding names like hemisphere, triangular prism, square based pyramid to name a few.  The children took their tick sheets out into the garden to see if they could find and identify 3D shapes in the environment.  They were really excited about this and searched enthusiastically. The pyramid proved a bit tricky but eventually we found one.  

In Forest School we learned the story of Chinese New Year.  The children acted out the story using cute little finger puppets.  Some children knew that this is the year of the rat. The children then played a game with Emma.  Emma pretended to be a mummy dragon and placed an eye mask over her eyes. Children had to take it in turns to creep up to her as quietly as possible and steal her dragon eggs and she had to hear them and identify which direction they were coming from.  As you can imagine, some children were super stealthy and others stomped their way forward. To end off the lesson the children were given a bit of elder tree branch which they had to hollow out. Using a pipe cleaner and some twigs, the children made a rat. 

In Understanding the World, the children were excited to find ice in the playground.  They enjoyed the sunshine but found the temperature quite chilly. They were very interested when they found a dead bee in the playground and this led to some interesting discussions about mini beasts in general and bees in particular.  

In this weeks Parsha Vaeira, the children learnt Moshe and Aron went to King Pharaoh to ask him to let the Jewish people go free.  King Pharaoh did not want to let them go. Moshe warned King Pharaoh that Hashem would punish him and all the Egyptians if he did not let the Jewish people go.  King Pharaoh did not listen. The children learnt the 7 punishments mentioned in this week’s Parsha.

1) all water turned to blood 2) frogs jumping everywhere 3) lice 4) wild animals roaming around 5) King Pharaoh’s animals became sick 6) boils 7) hail with fire inside the hail.  

The children learnt that although the Jewish people were living in Egypt NOT one Jewish person was affected by the punishments Hashem sent on King Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

In Physical Development the children were honing their ball skills.  They worked in partners, throwing, rolling and bouncing the ball. They then had to throw the ball, aiming to hit a cone.  This proved quite tricky for many children. They also had to balance a tennis ball on a racquet and walk a short distance.  Many times the ball dropped but they persevered. The children practised their fine motor skills by manipulating play dough, cutting pictures to make travel posters and threading small beads.

Other Information:

• Just a reminder that on Friday 31st Jan it is Blue-ish Jewish Day. Children are able to come into school in blue and white clothing (no football kits and girls cannot wear jeans or trousers). The children bring in a minimum donation of £1 which goes to Jewish Child’s Day.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

Reception News and Information. 16.1.20

This has been my first full week with the children in my class and I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  I feel that I know the children really well and I am starting to know the parents too. Thank you to all of you who have introduced yourselves to me and have welcomed me.  It is really appreciated. The children have settled well and although I’ve tried to keep the changes to a minimum, they have adapted admirably.  If you need to email me directly my email address is lcollier@keremschool.co.uk

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development this week the children have started with the Characteristics of Learning that we are focusing on this year.  Our word of the week was COLLABORATION. Some of your children may have come home and told you this word and even asked you if you knew what it meant. They know that it means working together with someone else and it means teamwork. I had a child tell me this morning “Look Mrs Collier, we are working together with the Lego.  It’s collaboration!”  

In Phonics this week the children revised the phonemes, focusing on the correct way to say the sound.  They then started learning some more of the digraphs. They know that a digraph is two letters that make one sound.  The digraphs that they learned this week are ch, sh and qu.  The children were very good at saying words with these sounds in them and they thought of a record 29 words that had the sh sound in them! Here is the link for the phonic sounds that was shown at the curriculum meeting should you wish to practise with your child. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwJx1NSineE

In Mathematics this week the children have been learning about positional language.  They listened to the story of The Gruffalo and used the setting of the story to support their learning.  They used masks of the different characters in the story and used positional language. They had the mouse hiding BEHIND the tree and the fox hiding UNDER the logs.  The children really enjoyed this activity and used some very good language. They now know that under, underneath, beneath and below all mean the same thing.

This week at Forest School the children recapped what they did last week about rubbish lying on the ground and the long word BIODEGRADABLE.  Some of the children were a bit upset that the Tree Spirits they made last week had fallen off the trees. Emma told them about the fairies that live in the woods and look after the trees and the plants.  Some of the children used clay and found objects to make Fairy Houses and Fairy Playgrounds in the park. Others chose to use the litter pickers to pick up some rubbish that was lying around.

In Understanding the World the children were very fascinated by the very long earthworm that someone found at forest school.  We talked about it and then put it back on the ground. The children also used the IPads to support their phonics learning, segmenting and blending words.

In Jewish Studies in this week’s Parsha Shmot, the children learnt that the Jewish people had to work very hard for King Pharaoh in Mitzrayim.  They were very sad and cried because the work was so hard. King Pharaoh set a new rule, all Jewish boys born had to be thrown in the river.  Yocheved hid her baby boy in a basket in the river whilst Miriam his sister looked after him. Batya, King Phaaroh’s daughter heard the baby crying and found him in the basket in the river.  She took him to the palace and called him Moshe. She took care of him in the palace

In Physical Development the children warmed up by running and jumping to instructions.  They then worked in partners to sit and roll a ball to one another. Then they stood and rolled the ball to each other.  They then practised their own throwing and catching skills. Finally they threw the ball to each other and had to catch it.  

Other Information:

• The children have been given an Aleph Champ reading book today, you will find it in a new folder in your child’s book bag. Please practice reading with your child and sign the record book so that we know your child has read it. Please return the folder every Tuesday.

• Please can we remind all parents to ensure their child has their waterproof clothing at school.  This week at Forest School a few children still did not have their waterproof clothing and it was very muddy.

• Can you please ensure that your child has the following items of clothing in their spare clothes bag at school, in case of emergencies:  a pair of socks, underwear, t-shirt, jumper and tracksuit bottoms.

• Please can we remind you that a kippah is part of the school uniform for boys and should be worn everyday.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Collier and the Reception team

Reception News and Information 10.1.20

Welcome back, we hope you had a lovely break.

In PSED the children were very excited to share their holiday news with the class. We heard about some interesting holidays and outings! This linked to the Literacy lesson where a sentence was modelled on the board and then the children drew a picture and wrote a sentence about their holiday.

In Phonics the children have learnt the phonemes x, y and z and practised writing them. We have also re-capped the phonemes, digraphs, high frequency words and tricky words that they have learnt so far.

In Mathematics the children practised recognising numbers to 20. They have also re capped addition and subtraction. They also played the number splat game on the IWB and had to find the answer to one more and one less than a given number.

In Forest School this week the children learnt about littering and where they should throw their rubbish.  They learnt about the difference between man-made and natural objects and how they should dispose of them.  They learnt long words like ‘biodegradable’ and ‘environment’ and they now know what these words mean.  They used litter pickers to pick up plastic and metal litter and put the items in the bin. 

They also learnt how to use clay to make ‘tree spirits’ which were attached to the trees.  The tree spirits are being left on the trees to look after the trees and the park.  When asked what their tree spirits might say, a child said “Don’t drop litter on the floor or you will have to suffer the consequences!”

Other Information:

• Please remember to bring back your child’s water bottle on Monday.
• If your child did not have their waterproof clothes yesterday for Forest School please make sure that they are brought in for next week.
• As a reminder we give out new reading books on a Tuesday and Friday.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Collier

Reception News and Information 13.12.19

We hope you all enjoyed the Chanukah show, the children made us feel very proud the way they learnt their lines and joined in the songs. They also enjoyed making their Chanukah crowns.

In Phonics the children learnt the names and sounds of the letters ‘v’ and ‘w.’ Can your child think of any words beginning with these phonemes or have the phoneme in the middle? We have also practiced writing ‘v’ and ‘w’.  We also re-capped the letters we have learned so far. We have also practised sounding out and blending simple words.

In Mathematics we looked at different addition and take away sums, how addition makes the number larger and taking away makes it smaller. We also discovered that adding or taking 0 didn’t change the number. We have also been looking at the number 13 and how it is written and where it comes on the number line.

Miss York told the children why and how she celebrates Christmas as a Christian. She showed the children a Christmas tree and the children heard about all her traditions and then sang some Christmas songs with her.

In PE after a warm up, they learnt how to jump properly by bending their knees to land safely. They tried to jump forward as far as possible with their partners.

This week in ICT every child was given an iPad. They had to find the correct icon to open the program. They could then create a Chanukah picture using the Chanukah stamps and create their own festive picture.

Other Information:

• We have sent out handwriting homework. The work should be done with a pencil. Please ensure they are holding the pencil correctly and start at the correct place. Please return the completed sheets after the holiday.

• We have also sent home the phoneme homework sheet.

Finally I would like to say what a privilege it has been to teach your children this term, I wish them continued success. Thank you very much for the lovely card and generous gift, I was very touched.

Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach,

Mrs Onona

Reception News and Information 06.12.19

In Phonics the children learnt the sounds of the digraphs  ‘ss’, ‘ff’ and ‘ll.’ They learnt that they are found in the middle or end of a word. Can your child tell you any words that have one of these digraphs in? We also re-capped the letters and tricky monsters we have learned so far. We have also practised sounding out and blending and writing simple words. 

In Mathematics the children started to learn about taking away. We put fruit counters in a bowl, then took out the required amount to find out the answer. We recorded the sums together. We then used superheroes to practice taking away and recorded the answers on whiteboards. Some of the children learnt how to use a number line to take away bigger numbers. We have also been looking at the number 12 and how it is written.

This week at Forest School the children learnt about how some animals need to hide and camouflage to protect themselves from being eaten. They then made dens in the woods to hide in and camouflaged them and themselves! Yesterday was the last forest school till next term. Please see the information below re clothing for next term.

In PE the children started with a warm up by moving in different ways. Then the children continued to develop their rugby skills by playing in teams, passing the ball to the next person once they had run past the cones in the lines. To help with fine motor skills the children practiced cutting accurately along the dotted lines.

In Understanding the World the children completed a science experiment where they looked at getting a toy trapped out of a block of ice. We talked about the meaning of the word experiment and also what it means to predict something. The children then predicted that if they poured warm water over the ice it would melt quicker than if they poured cold water. The children enjoyed carrying out the experiment and made some interesting observations.

For technology the children have had the opportunity to use a variety of programs on the iPad including one for letter formation and another for drawing.

In the Jewish studies lessons the children learnt a new letter, yud. They also started to make their Chanukiah which they will be bringing home next week. 

In this week’s Parsha Vayishlach the children learnt that Yaacov ran away from his home land, he made himself a place to sleep with stones around his head to protect him .He had a dream of a ladder reaching up to the sky with Hashem’s Angels going up and down it. This was a sign that Hashem would protect Yaacov on his journey away from home. 

We are all very excited about the Chanukah show and the children have been practicing their lines and songs for you. 

Other Information:

• Your child has a sentence to say during the Chanukah presentation on Friday 13th December, this was stapled to the front cover of their reading record book, please ask your child to practice it at home this weekend.

• Next week we will be sending the children’s waterproofs home as some of them are getting tight! Please can you check if they and their wellies still fit them. If you need to get larger waterproofs please can you purchase ones that pull on like trousers so that they can change easily.

Shabbat Shalom 

Mrs Onona and Mrs Craig

Reception News and Information 28.11.19

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development the children have been learning about healthy eating. We read the story of ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ and looked at all the foods the caterpillar ate and then discussed which foods are healthy and which ones are unhealthy. They had lots of great ideas about which foods should be eaten regularly and which ones should be eaten occasionally. The children then recorded the foods they thought were healthy and unhealthy.

In Phonics the children learnt the names and sounds of the letters ‘l’, ‘j’ and ‘f.’  Can your child think of any words beginning with these phonemes? They also practised writing ‘l’ and ‘j and will learn the correct formation for ‘f’ next week.  They have also re-capped the letters they have learnt so far. We have also practised sounding out and blending simple words. If you and your children can find any objects at home that begin with this weeks sounds please bring them in on Monday for the phonics table.

In Mathematics we continued to learn about addition. The children all had a go at writing a simple number sentence. They used fruit counters to add together 2 groups to find out the total and then recorded the answers. They learnt to use the number line to work out ‘one more’.  The number of the week is 11 and the children have been looking at the number, where it is positioned on the number line and how it is written.

This week at Forest School the children were shown some animals that are mammals. Emma explained to them that mammals feed their young with milk and carry their babies. The children learnt what hibernate means and discussed which animals will hibernate now that it is winter. The children listened to their own heart beats and learnt that the animals that hibernate will have a slower heart beat whilst sleeping. This is because they do not have the food to give them energy. The children then went in search of paw prints hidden in the woods and needed to collect prints from six different mammals. The children then had a choice of activities to choose from, they could use paw potato prints to make pictures using mud, make a den for the animals or search for paw prints using the magnifying glass.

In Understanding the World the children used the iPads, learning how to use them sensibly in the classroom. 

In Jewish Studies this week the children learnt a new Alef Bet letter - Tet.  The children have now learnt the names and sounds of the first 10 letters of the Alef Bet.  Please practise every day for a few minutes so your children are fluent with the letters.

In Parsha Toldot, the children learnt that Yitzchak and Rifka had twin boys, Aisav the older one was red and hairy and liked to hunt animals and Yaacov liked to learn Torah.  Aisav swapped his firstborn for a bowl of lentil soup that Yaacov was cooking. Yitzchak, their father, who was blind, wanted to bless his older son. Rifka dressed Yaacov in animal fur skins to feel like Aisav and sent Yaacov to get the blessing.  When Aisav found out that Yaacov got the bracha he was furious.

In Physical Development the children have been practising their cutting skills. The children have learnt how to hold the scissors properly and to guide the paper with the other hand. In PE the children started with a warm up and then continued learning rugby skills including throwing, catching, running with a ball and passing, all whilst avoiding obstacles.

Other Information:

• REMINDER: Each week on a Friday the children will bring home a learning folder with their reading book, a phonic sheet and tricky monsters (if learnt that week). Please keep the reading book at home until completed and then sign and return the reading record and return it with the book. The tricky monsters and phonic sheets are for you to keep so you can reuse them.

• In your child’s reading record today you will find a sentence that your child needs to practise for  the Chanukah presentation on Friday 13th December. We would be grateful if you know that your child will be away that day, that you inform us. 

Shabbat Shalom 

Mrs Onona and Mrs Craig

22.11.19

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development our topic was Anti-Bullying. We discussed what the word bullying meant and the children shared their ideas. We then talked about what the children should do if they see behaviour that they do not feel is appropriate. The children listened to a story about anti-bullying and discussed how they should treat other children and make them feel included in games. They then talked to one another about how they can be friends with others who have different interests to themselves.

We now have a new reward system in the class. All the children have their name on a rocket and when they reach the top they will get a certificate to bring home. It is a daily reward system and each child starts the day in the same place.

In Phonics the children learnt the names and sounds of the letters ‘h’ and ‘b’.  We learnt the songs and actions that accompany each of the letters and did lots of activities relating to these phonemes. Can your child think of any words beginning with these phonemes? The children also practised the tricky words that they have learnt so far as well as learning the new tricky words of the week he and she.  You will find the tricky words and phonemes in your child’s book bag, please practise recognising these at home.  We also re-capped the letters we have learnt so far and practised sounding out and blending simple words. If you and your child can find any objects at home that begin with this week’s phonemes, please bring them in on Monday for the interest table.

In Literacy the children shared their holiday news with their peers. They sat in a circle and when they were holding Kevin Koala they were allowed to speak. To encourage their listening skills the children answered questions about their friend’s adventures. Some of the children wrote a sentence about what they had done over the weekend.

In Mathematics we continued to focus on addition. The children remembered how to show the plus and equals signs using their fingers. They then used Unifix cubes to combine numbers by making towers for each number and then joined them together to find the answer. In the second lesson the children were learning to write number sentences using their whiteboards. The sums were demonstrated using clown objects and then the children recorded them and practised saying them. It would be great if they could show you how to write a number sentence at home.

In Forest School the children pretended to be birds migrating to Africa. They then made nests on the ground using leaves. For the food in the nest, they searched in the woods to find hidden pieces of red string to represent berries, green string to represent seeds and brown string to represent worms to feed the birds. When they migrated back to England they made bird feed using pine cones, vegetable lard and seeds which they then hung up on the deciduous trees.

In Expressive Arts and Design the children made their own superhero picture using a photo of their face. They used various pieces of collage to create their picture. They produced some great and will be on display in the classroom next week.

Parsha Lech Lecha - This week the children learnt how Avraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Yitzchak. Whilst on his journey through the desert Eliezer came to a well and saw a young girl (Rifka) there. He asked her for a drink of water.  He thought if she brings me a drink and also water for my 10 camels I will know she is a kind girl and will be a good wife for Yitzchak.  Rifka brought water for Eliezer and his 10 camels. Now  Eliezer knew she was the right girl and took her back to Avraham and Yitzchak.  Yitzchak married Rifka.

The children also learnt a new Alef Bet letter this week - Chet.  We have now learnt 9 Alef Bet letters.  Please practise the letters every day with your children so they are familiar with the name and sound of the letters learnt. Also please can you make sure that when you return your child’s aleph bet pencil case that all the letters are inside, as they use them in class.

Shabbat shalom

Mrs Onona and Mrs Craig

14.11.19

On Monday in honour of Remembrance Day we had 2 minutes of ‘quiet time’ to remember the soldiers that made sure we could be free and able to come to Kerem School to do lovely things.

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development we have talked about superheroes and what powers would be useful to have at school. The children listened to the story Superkid and shared their ideas of what powers they would like if they were a superhero. We have set up a new role play area in the classroom and they had great fun playing in the”Superhero Headquarters”.

In Phonics the children learnt the names and sounds of the letters ‘u’’ and ‘r.’ Can your child think of any words beginning with these phonemes? We have also practiced writing these letters.  They have also learnt the tricky words I, no and go. We re-capped the letters we have learned so far and practiced sounding out and blending simple words. If you and your children can find any objects at home that begin with this week’s phonemes, please bring them in on Tuesday for the interest table, no more than 2 items each please!

In Mathematics we introduced the ‘+’ sign. A number gets bigger when we add to it. We used various objects to count out two different amounts and then the children added them together to find out the answer. We looked at the number sentence with the = sign and then wrote it on a whiteboard together, ie ‘3+2=5’ 

As part of Maths week in technology, the children learnt how to make shapes on the computer using the ‘Paint’ program.

This week at Forest School the children learnt how to make a spark by rubbing together a flint. They also watched Emma from Forest School put a willow branch in a tin box on the fire. They observed that the fire made the bendy, green branch turn black and brittle, like charcoal. They then used the charcoal to draw on the ground.  

In Expressive Arts and Design the children went to the art room to paint pictures of autumn trees, thinking of the shapes and colours of the trunk, branches and leaves.

In Physical Development the children continued with learning rugby skills. They had to run with the ball, touch down on the lines then run back to their teams.

This week the children learnt about the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim - inviting guests to our home. In the Parsha Vayaera, the children learnt about how Avraham's tent had 4 entrances, so people coming from any direction were invited into one of the entrances. He would look after his guests with food, drink, shade and care.  One day 3 malachim (angels) came to visit Avraham, but they looked like ordinary men. Avraham washed their sandy feet, prepared them a beautiful meal and let them rest.  After the meal one malach (angel) told Avraham that soon his wife Sarah would have a baby.  When Avraham was 100 years old, Sarah had a baby boy.  They called him Yitzchak.

The children also learnt the new letter “zayin”.  We have now learnt 8 Alef Bet letters. Please practice with your children every day in order for them to become familiar with the name and sounds of each letter.

Other Information:

• As it is half term there will be a handwriting sheet for your child to complete in their home learning folder. Please ensure they are holding the pencil correctly and start at the correct place for each letter. Please return the handwriting sheet when it is completed, it should be done over several sessions.

• The home diaries are to be completed by the parent the week before the teacher meeting and brought to the meeting.

• If you wish to help your child with mathematics then please practice ‘1 more’ or ‘1 less’ than a given number. 

• The folder they use to bring home the things they make in Jewish Studies each Friday should be returned empty on a Monday. 

• Please keep tricky monsters and letters at home but return the reading book with the reading record book in the home learning folder as soon as you have heard your child read. If you need longer with the book then that is fine. Please comment on your child’s progress, if there is nothing to write then please sign in the book so that we know it has been read. 

• Please remember to send your child’s water bottle back in on Tuesday after the long weekend.

Have a lovely half term with your children, I look forward to hearing what they have done in their news next week.

Mrs Onona

Reception News and Information 8.11.19

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development we talked about sharing and how to look after and play appropriately with the resources at school. We also reinforced the topic of last week, how to be a good friend. We have started a cookie jar in the classroom, if the children work and play well the class will get a cookie in the jar and when the jar is full the class will have a treat. This is to encourage them to try to be responsible for the resources and share nicely as a class.

In Phonics the children learnt the names and sounds of the letters ‘e’ ‘c’ and ‘k.’ They also learnt the digraph ‘ck’ which is usually found in the middle or at the end of a word e.g. “sock” (a digraph is two letters that make one sound.) Can your child think of any words beginning with these phonemes or words ending in ‘ck’? We have also practiced writing these letters.  They have also learnt the tricky words ‘to’ and ‘the’. We also re-capped the letters we have learnt so far and practised sounding out and blending simple words. If you and your children can find any objects at home that begin with this week’s phonemes or contain the digraph, please bring them in on Monday for the interest table.

In Mathematics our topic was more and less.  The children learnt how to work out one more or one less than a given number using a variety of ways.  Some of the children worked on two more or less. We showed the children how to use the number line to find one more/less than a given number. We counted forward and backwards. The number gets bigger for more and smaller for less. We made a bus where children got on 1 at a time, so we could see how many children would be on the bus and then got off 1 at a time. They also played various games to help them find one more and one less.

This week it was muddy at Forest School but the children loved it!! We started with a muddy march, good morning song and a reminder of the rules. The children then had to find a willow tree, safely use loppers or secateurs to cut a branch, then they had to pass the tools to each other in the correct way. As their willow branch was bendy they could make them into a crown or armband and decorate them with leaves. They twisted pipe cleaners around the branch to keep the leaves on.

In Understanding the World we talked about Guy Fawkes and keeping safe on bonfire night. The children learnt how to use the paint programme in the computer room and used paint to make firework pictures in the art room. 

In this week’s Parsha, Lech Letha, the children learnt that Hashem told Avram to leave his home with his wife Sarai and his family because the people around him were bad. Avram and his family travelled by camels through the desert to Canaan.  Once there, Hashem promised him that he would have as many children and grandchildren like the stars in the sky. We talked about a desert and how hot it is there and cactus is the only plant that can survive in a desert.

The children enjoyed creating a camel using dot to do numbers, created their own star patterns and had fun with the connecting camels.

In Physical Development the children started with a warm up and then learnt how to run with a rugby ball. They also learnt how to pass the ball to their partners and back again. They also practiced throwing to their partner.

Other Information:

• The children who have returned the consent forms for the flu immunisation will be having the vaccine on Monday at the main school. 

• Reading books will come home on a Tuesday and Friday as long as the books are returned the day before. If you need to keep them for longer then that is fine. Please comment on your child’s progress, if there is nothing to write then please sign in the book so that we know it has been read. 

• With the phonics sheets that we send home please keep them together at home to practice, it is useful to practice words from previous weeks. You will receive a new sheet each week. We will also send home the tricky monsters for you to keep.

• If you wish to help your child with maths then please practice following patterns, then making their own. For example blue, red, blue, red. This can be extended with more variables for example circle, square, triangle, circle, square, triangle etc. As we have also been learning about ‘1 more’ and ‘1 less’, ask your child to count on 1 from a given number, for example so you can ask “what is 1 more than 8?”

• The folder they use to bring home the things they make in Jewish Studies each Friday should be returned empty on a Monday. The children also have a home learning folder to bring home their reading book, tricky monsters and phonic sheets.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Onona and Mrs Craig

Newsletter 1.11.19

In Phonics the children learnt the names and sounds of the letters ‘g’, ‘d’ and ‘o.’  We did lots of activities relating to these phonemes. The children also practised writing the letters, learning where to start each letter and using the correct formation. We will also be putting special objects beginning with these letters on our interest table, if your child has an object beginning with ‘g’, ‘d’, or ‘o’ at home please bring it in on Monday. You will find in your child’s book bag the phonemes that the children have learnt this week, some CVC words and 6 high frequency words for them to practise.

In Mathematics we talked about what a pattern is.  The children made repeating patterns with different colours, objects and shapes and also made up and repeated different sound and movement patterns.  The children also demonstrated different patterns to their peers using themselves, eg boy, girl, boy, girl.

In Understanding the World the children learnt about Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. The children watched a video and shared their ideas about what they saw. We talked about different religions and how people who celebrate Diwali are Sikh or Hindu. We also talked about being Jewish and discussed that Jewish people celebrate Chanucah as the festival of lights. 

In Expressive Arts and Design this cross referenced with Diwali and some of the children made Rangoli patterns. Also in Forest School the children collected autumn leaves, berries and straw to make rangoli patterns. 

In Physical Development the children participated in a variety of races including running, dribbling, hopping and side stepping. The children also practised how to use a hockey stick.

In Jewish Studies the children learnt about Parshat Noach and how Hashem brought a flood to destroy all the bad people but Noach and his family and the chosen animals were saved in the ark that Noach built. The children enjoyed making their own ark using lollipop sticks and animal stickers. They completed animal puzzles and built their own Lego ark and placed animals into their ark.

This linked to their technology lesson where the children drew an ark using rectangles, lines for the rain and learnt how to change the colours on the picture. 

Other Information:

• You will find a reading book in your child’s book bag, please look at the guidance inside. When your child has read the book please sign and comment and return it to school. New books will be given out on a Tuesday and a Friday.
• Please ensure that all of your child’s items are named including coats, shoes, wellies etc. It is very difficult for us to find an item if it is not named.
• As part of the Ivrit lessons your child will be taking turns to bring the puppet Benzi home. They will take Benzi home on a Wednesday and it must be brought back by the following Monday. Please take a few photos of Benzi doing different things with your child at home and email them to me at honona@keremschool.co.uk

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Craig and Mrs Onona

Reception Newsletter 25.10.19

In Personal, Social and Emotional Development the children were very excited to share their holiday news with the class. The children passed ‘Danny the Dragon” puppet around the circle and were able to talk when they were holding it.  We tried to encourage the children to use the correct tense when talking about past events, e.g. “I went to a restaurant”. The children had to listen to one another as they were occasionally asked to answer questions about their friend’s news.

We also talked about class rules. The children shared their ideas with their talk partners about what they thought was important. Their ideas were then modelled on the board and will become the class rules. They are also now on display in the classroom. 

In Phonics the children learnt the name and sound of the letter ‘m’. They learnt the song and action that accompany the letter and did various activities relating to this phoneme. Please make sure that you are using the correct sound for ‘m’. If you are not sure of the correct pronunciation, please ask us. We thought of words beginning with a lower case and capital ‘m’. 

We will be putting special objects beginning with the phonemes the children have learnt so far on our interest table. If your child has an object beginning with ‘s’, ‘a’,’t’,’p’, ‘i’,  ‘n’ or ‘m’ at home please bring it in on Monday. 

In Mathematics we continued to look at 2D shapes. The children looked at a PowerPoint and counted the different types of shapes that they could see. We also talked about the properties of each shape, such as the number of corners and sides.

In Understanding the World the children went to the park and found a variety of leaves, conkers and feathers. We looked at the different colour leaves, talked about deciduous and evergreen trees and there is a display in the classroom of some of the items they found.

In Jewish Studies the children learnt about Parashat Bereishit. They learnt that Hashem created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th - Shabbat. The children enjoyed making their own kiddish cup using silver foil and they also made challah. We suggest the following cooking instructions - bake for approximately 20 minutes at 180 degrees. We hope the children enjoying eating them tonight!

Other Information:

• You will find in your child's book bag a 'home learning' wallet, for you to scaffold your child's learning. Please return the wallet next week so that we are able to put the next sheet in.
• Please remember to return your child’s water bottle on Monday if you have not already done so. We will be keeping the bottles here at school and we will clean them daily. It is easier this way as we then insure that all of the children have a water bottle in school. 
• We will ring a bell at 10am to let your children know that it is snack time. Any snack not eaten will be sent home. 

Shabbat shalom

Mrs Craig and Mrs Onona

Reception Newsletter and Information – 11.10.19

The children have had another busy few days at school and it is great to see how well they have settled.

In Phonics the children have learnt the names and sounds of the letters ‘p’, ‘i’ and ‘n’. They learnt the songs and actions that accompany each of the letters and did a variety of activities relating to these sounds. We also thought of words beginning with these phonemes (a phoneme is the sound a letter makes) and the words were modelled on the board.  Please see below the resources for you to use at home to help scaffold your child’s learning.  We will also be putting special objects beginning with these phonemes on our interest table, so if your child has an object beginning with one of these sounds at home please bring it in on Thursday after the holiday. The children have also been practising writing these letters.

In Mathematics we began to look at 2D shapes - flat shapes.  We introduced ‘Mr Clown,’ a clown made up of different 2D shapes and talked about the shape names and properties of the shapes, such as the number of corners and sides.  We also hid shapes in a bag and asked a child to feel the shape through the bag and describe it for the rest of the children to guess. See how many shapes you can find at home on different household objects. We have also been playing lots of counting games.

In Understanding the World the children had another great lesson at Forest School. The children worked in groups to build a den. They were given a rope and were taught how to tie it to two trees. Then they were given a ground sheet to put over the rope and then using a mallet they carefully knocked in stick pegs. Some of the children camouflaged their dens with leaves. Great fun was had by all, as you can see in the photos!

In Jewish Studies the children continued to learn about Yom Kippur. They enjoyed listening to the story of Jonah and made a big fish using different sized buttons. They also learnt about Succot. They looked at a model succah and then made their own decorations to take home. They also practiced shaking a lulav and etrog reciting the correct bracha. They also enjoyed making a flag for Simchat Torah that we hope they will have fun with.

We wish you Chag Sameach and a lovely Succot break.

Mrs Craig and Mrs Onona 

Hi all!

Those short weeks sure go by fast!

But don’t be fooled by the short week; we still had plenty of time for learning and exploring. 

I’d like to thank all the parents who received the reminder to label all coats, bags, Kippas, water bottles, water-proofs, Wellington boots, jumpers, coats, and snack containers.

This week I introduced the students to their Phonics Book. (They were so excited because they thought it was homework - haha!). The book is used to practice properly forming each of the sounds in Phonics. In addition to this the students have an opportunity to illustrate some objects/people/ideas which begin with that specific Phonics sound (furthering their understanding of where we find that sound in everyday speech). The sound (letter) formation and the illustrations also help me assess their pencil grip so I can adjust it if necessary. This week we completed the ‘s’ and ‘a’ pages in our book. They created beautiful illustrations and I can see improvements in their penmanship already. Perhaps you folks would like to practice forming these two at home?

Mathematics this week had us focusing more on the teen numbers. We’re still  looking at the one to ten digits because for a few of us those numbers are a tad tricky still. In our lessons we are focusing on counting. Students are either given a digit or a cluster of objects and they must convert it to the other, for example if the student was shown a cluster of eight circles, they must count them and write the digit beside and alternatively if they are shown a digit they must draw that amount of circles. (Sometimes the circles are REALLY BIG!)

The students became very creative this week. In our Creative Arts and Expression time students were inspired by nature. Step by step I demonstrated how students could create a tree. Once we added all the branches it was time for some leaves. We used the bottom of a plastic soda-pop bottle as a stamp by pressing the five “legs” into paint and stamping it on the end of our branches. They look great!

Fire was the focus of this weeks Forest School. We talked about how helpful fire can be when we are cooking or keeping warm. More importantly we discussed how to be safe around fire. We took two sticks and tried (unsuccessfully) to create our own fire! Then we tried to create heat with our hands by rubbing them together. Following this Emma showed us a Fire Steel, a fancy tool with two parts, and when you strike them together it will create sparks! We all got a turn with the fire steel. Almost every student was able to create sparks! Emma also told us about FAIRY PILLOWS! These, obviously, are the pillows that fairies leave behind after they’re done snoozing. Emma showed us the respect position (kneeling on one knee) we need to be in while using the fire steel, and the standing position we get in if we start a fire. We collected the fairy pillows from the garden, used our fancy fire steel and created our own mini fire. Some of us made a little fire, others need a little practice. And to finish our day we roasted some marshmallows! Yum!

Again, under this blog posts I have attached a document.  It is similar to last week, showing you folks what sound we have learned in Phonics, the song & action associated, and some suggestions of how you can practice this at home.

I hope you folks have a lovely weekend!

Shabbat Shalom,

Mr. Menard 

Hello all!

Have three weeks really gone by?? Amazing how fast time flies when you’re having fun. 

I’ve witnessed improvements in all of the students in this time. They are adjusting well to all of the changes. Our schedule is busy and they are aware of what is expected during these times. I’m very proud of how hard they are all working to follow the guidelines, play fair, and try new things. 

This week in Phonics we have continued with sound talking. This is breaking down one syllable words into the sounds within them; for example, cheese (ch-ee-s). We have invited puppet pals into our class who help us with sound talking (puppet pals only speak in sound talk). The puppet pal will sound talk a word (s-u-n) and the students have to blend the sounds to discover what the puppet pal is saying. The students have done so well with this lesson. Following this, we have introduced our first phonemes (sounds) of the year: 's' and 'a'. We have learnt the song “The Snake is in the Grass” and the action we use with our hand that is in the shape of the letter 's'. Both of these will help the students to remember the sound and formation of the pre-cursive 's'.  Late this week we learned the 'a' sound. We also practiced forming this letter properly and we learned the "Ants on my Arm" song to reinforce the sound it makes. Now we’re only a few sounds away from forming words!

Under this blog post you will find an attachment. This attachment contains information, songs, and tips for you to help your child with their Phonics. 

Mathematics this week has been a deeper look at the numbers 1 to 10. Some students have even showed me how capable they are of representing and forming numbers beyond this. In our lessons, all students form the numbers and they represent these numbers by drawing the correct amount of circles. They are very focused during this, I’m happy to see of how keen they are to perfect their numbers. 

On Wednesday in our Expressive Arts and Design lesson, the students worked on creating their very own Wooden Spoon Buddies (because we can all use an extra friend)! The students used their creativity, and fine motor skills to cut out clothes and apply clothes, arms, and eyes. Some of the children even gave their Wooden Spoon Buddies a name. The Reception class is very creative and we ended up with some very interesting buddies. 

Many of us anticipated a rainy day at Forest School and we luckily didn’t have a drop fall on us ... but we did have lots of mud to enjoy on the way! Under the tent with the sweet smell of rain in the air, we listened to the sound of a parakeet and Emma taught us about acorns. She pointed out the Oak tree where they come from. Emma then allowed us to pick our very own acorn. She then asked us to be like a squirrel and hide our acorn. Off the students went to find the best hiding spot. We then went back under the tent to play some squirrel games. Emma then sent us off to go find our acorns where we left them. I predict some squirrels took their acorns back because some of us couldn’t find the acorn where we left it! After this we used some binoculars and magnifying glasses to explore the area. We also created some mud paintings, clay creatures, and nature bracelets. What a fun day at Forest School!

I hope everyone had a lovely week and I wish you a fun and relaxing weekend. 

Shabbat shalom,

Mr. Menard

Reminders...

Please ensure all of your child’s items are labelled. We have many unlabelled Kippas, water bottles, and jumpers that frequently end up in our lost & found. 

Regarding students being picked up and/or dropped off by someone other than a parent or guardian... for your convenience, I make a weekly poster that hangs on the white cupboard just left of the reception (middle glass door) entrance. I kindly ask that you write the name of the person and their relationship to your child/children on the day which they will drop off and/or pick up your child/children. 

Remind your child/children that we do not bring toys to school, unless otherwise requested.

If you have not already done so, please remember to bring waterproofs, Wellington boots, and warm clothes for your child during Thursday’s Forest School. Because the weather is cooling off please ensure your child/children have a jumper and a coat each day.

Who likes Treasure?? Last weekend Mr. Menard had to take a boat to Treasure Island to dig up his treasure chest (before Mr. M became a teacher he was a pirate)! Now all of the students are working hard to earn stickers. When we see the students helping, sharing, singing well, asking good questions, trying something challenging, taking turns, or anything else amazing, they are awarded a sticker to put on the treasure chart. Once the students have earned eighteen stickers they are ceremoniously given the treasure chest key. Then they may open a treasure chest and choose one piece of treasure to celebrate their hard work, determination, and growth in Reception. The students are working hard towards this goal and we are so proud of them. Arrr matey!

Hello all!

Our second week of reception has kept us all very busy. The children have been showing Mr. Menard and all the other staff members how well they are adjusting to reception life. It is so nice to see all of their personalities emerging as the beginning of year shyness fades. 

In the morning the students have a solidified morning routine they are getting used to. It looks a little like this: they come into the school and drop off their bag and coat. Then they take their snack to their tray. After this they sign in. Each morning there is a sign-in table set up where they locate their animal group, find their name, and write their name beside it. After this they sit on their carpet spot where we have left them a book to enjoy while they wait for the register and Tefillah to begin.

This week in Literacy we have been focusing on using the proper pencil grip. The students have learned the alligator snap fingers to help them use their thumb, index, and middle finger to grip the pencil.  They are doing very well. Perhaps they can show you at home!

Expressive Arts and Design lessons this week has consisted of creating self-portraits. The focus of this activity is to observe the different characteristics of ourselves and others. We used mirrors to help us with this. Some students even created portraits for the staff members. While sitting down with the students to make these I asked each of them to tell me one thing they liked about themselves; their answers ranged from "I like my smile" to "I like that I can play". These are all on display in our main hallway and we are so pleased with their efforts. 

In Mathematics we are becoming more familiar with the numbers 1 to 10. We are focusing on how we properly form these digits as well as what quantities these digits represent. We have used whiteboards and the SmartBoard to help us with this learning. Some children have also moved beyond this and have worked on forming and representing higher numbers.

During our “exploring time” or CIP (child-initiated play) the students have been creating pirate ships, trains, paintings, chalk artwork on the pavement, and practicing ordering numbers. I’m happy to see a lot of sharing amongst the resources as well as a strengthening of positive relationships amongst the students themselves and also the staff members. 

We had our first Monday afternoon at the main school! We enjoyed a jam-packed afternoon of P.E., Computers, and Jewish Studies. The P.E. teacher, Mr. Howells, set us up with some exciting games where we worked in teams to collect the most cones. Our students are all so speedy that the winning team was just too close to call. In computers, Mr. Moses showed us how to use a painting app on Chrome. He explained how to maneuver the mouse and how to start drawing in different colours. And in Jewish Studies, Mrs. Roodyn showed us the importance of washing our hands correctly before eating bread. She demonstrated how it is done and the students followed along. 

Forest School this week was a blast. We were lucky to have a sunny and warm day to explore the Forest School area. This week we created our own instruments from found materials (leaves, sticks, seeds). After we found the perfect amount of items we turned them into shakers. We also took a moment to listen to all the sounds in nature; a bird, leaves in the wind, and crickets were some of the sounds we observed. 

A focus I’ve had this week is working to further build a positive relationship with the students in regard to establishing trust and respect. The ways in which I am working on this goal is through Drama activities, yoga, and joining the students during their exploring time. 

Additional Reminders:

- We will be sending waterbottles home on Friday evenings, kindly return them with your child on Monday mornings.

- For your information and convenience, I've attached the link to the phonics sounds of each letter you and your child can practice at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwJx1NSineE&t=198s

- Some days your child/children may come home with their Alef Bet bag of Ivrit sounds, please remind your child to return them on Tuesdays and Fridays.

I hope you folks have a lovely weekend. Enjoy the sunshine!

- Mr. Menard

Alef bet pencil cases

Dear reception parents

please remember to send in your child’s Alef bet pencil case every Tuesday as they will need it for their JS lesson, thank you

mrs roodyn

A wonderful first week, indeed! 

The reception students have been adjusting so well to a new teacher and a busy schedule. Our week has been jam packed!

The main focus of this week is to become familiar with the rules and procedures of the classroom. We have a special tool to help us with learning on the carpet. It’s called the Learning Light. 

When the learning light is turned on we focus on four things to ensure we are learning and everyone around us is learning. These are the four Learning Light rules:

1. We turn our bodes and eyes towards the speaker
2. We sit “Criss-Cross-Applesauce”
3. We don’t touch others
4. We raise our hand when we would like to be heard

This tool has been very effective as a good reminder of these guidelines. 

In the AM we have a morning routine we are getting used to. We start our day by taking the register. Following this is our Tefillah lesson/prayer. After this we always start with a good morning welcome message from our special visitor (Peppa Pig, Thomas the Train, Paw Patrol), and a daily fun fact. Then we stop for a body break to get us energised to learn (yoga, dance, Drama). After this we have a reminder of the Learning Light rules and our lesson follows (Phonics, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and so on...)

We have met or been reintroduced to the P.E. coach, Ivrit teacher, Jewish Studies teacher, Head of EYU, and our Music teacher. 

In Mathematics we have been counting ... all the way up to twenty! Our focus is to be able to count and recognise these numbers. Perhaps this weekend you can practice these numbers with your child. Next week we will continue with this learning. May I suggest that you challenge your child to count all the cars on the street or perhaps count all the dogs they can see in the park.

In Literacy we have been reading a number of books to explore rhymes. We are also working on our predicting skills to anticipate what will happen next. We’ve also been learning a variety of songs - we have a class of talented, enthusiastic singers! You could read some rhyming books at home and see if your child can identify the words that rhyme. 

The children have loved their first day at Forest School, hosted by the lovely Emma, Abby, and Caroline. We learned the basic safety rules of learning outside this week as well as how we can identify a Oak, Willow, and Hawthorn tree by looking at it’s leaves and/or seeds. 

I’m so pleased with the growth I’ve seen in your children. They are a great class and we are in for a great year. To help with adjusting to school life, may I suggest that we begin saying goodbye at the door and your child will put their coat and bag away on their own. 

Have a lovely weekend,

Shabbat shalom,

Mr.Menard

Hi all!

It was wonderful meeting all of you folks last week. Your children created such lovely pictures to brighten up the classroom. 

I've attached the reminder document to parents under this post for you to view. Just one additional reminder: can you please provide a label to the snack you bring with your child so the container goes home with the correct person. I am happy to re-use any zip-lock bags if they had dry, uncut fruit in them (apples, oranges).

We're all very excited about this school year and we hope you are too. I will post lots of photos later this week of how our week has been going.

Have a great day!

- Mr.Menard