Happy Holidays

 Good morning Hedgehog parents, 

Happy half term holiday! I don't know about you, but this academic year seems to be flying by. In a few weeks' time it will be the summer holidays and the children will be getting ready to move into their next school year. 

We have had a lovely week. On Monday the children all took part in an introduction to cricket session, and heard about opportunities for them to play cricket. 

For most of the week, the children took on the role of the Big Bad Wolf (from the Three Little Pigs), making ears and carrying out their day. It wasn't a good day - all three pigs got away. After half term the children will be writing diaries in role as the wolf. 

We have also, of course, been celebrating the Platinum Jubilee. From Thursday afternoon until the end of Friday, the children got involved in a range of activities:

• creating their own Jubilee medals
• making a crown
• creating a commemorative Jubilee postage stamp
• sketching some (un)official portraits of The Queen
• plotting the route of the Jubilee relay baton on a large map
• playing rounders

All of this ended with a lovely Jubilee street feast and games on Friday afternoon.

I am not going to set much homework this half term. Please:

•  keep reading
• Reception children, practice subitising to 5 and you bonds to 5
• Year 1s, practice your bonds to 10 and counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s
• Year 1s, also prepare for the phonics screening check:

The Phonics Screening Check
This is a compulsory test that all Year 1 children take part in at the end of the academic year. It is to test their knowledge of phonics and how well they can use phonics to decode words. The children read 40 words, 20 of which are real and 20 of which are 'alien' words. They do this on a 1:1 basis with myself, and do not know it is a 'test' - there is absolutely nothing for them to worry about! 

We have been practising at school. Year 1 parents, please help your child continue to prepare for this test by:

• Practising the phase 3 and 5 sounds using this powerpoint, or phonicsplay.co.uk 
• Using these powerpoints to practise reading alien and real words
  Powerpoint 1
  Powerpoint 2
  Powerpoint 3
  Powerpoint 4
• Asking your child to draw some aliens, then writing them alien names (using the phase 5 digraphs that we have been learning) and seeing if your child can read them

I hope you all have a good week - see you next half term!

From Mrs Simpson