This week we have continued our Gruffalo story focus. We made our own Gruffalo lair using junk modelling and then added leaves, sticks and twigs to make it look really ‘hidden’. We had fun using this all week. First we used puppets to act out the story, then we made our own and finally we used our ‘mini me’ and added ourselves to the story.

​Later in the week we had a go at writing what we thought the animals in the story would be thinking. We were so proud of our work we made this display.

Here’s to another successful week in Cherwell class. This week we have be playing some speaking and listening games in phonics, including an initial ‘m’ sound Kim’s game. This is preparing us for our journey into Read Write Inc Set 1.
In maths we have been looking at the ‘oneness of one’ by collecting different items that interest us. We were only allowed to collect one of each!

We have flown through another busy week in Foundation. This week we have focused on learning the days of the week in Maths and the children have been great at learning a song to help them to remember. We also did a calendar about the week to help them to remember what happens each day. 
We thought about the different jobs that grown ups do in our Jigsaw work this week. Most of the children could tell me what the people in their family did and we also acted out doing a few different jobs as a class. I saw some fab mechanics and fire fighters during this time. 
Literacy focused on what the characters in the story were doing. We thought about the different actions that Harry and his dinosaurs were doing and talked about how we could describe them.
We have had a big focus on reading this week as the children have had a lot of exposure to phonics and really need to be practising reading everyday to apply these phonics skills to help them to retain the sounds they have learned. With this in mind I have set the children a reading passport challenge at home to encourage them to practise frequently. This is in their book bags and explains what they need to do. 
Finally 3 things to ask your child this week:-
- Can they tell you the days of the week?
- Do they know what job you do?
- Can they name 2 phonics sounds they have learned this week?

Hope you all have a lovely weekend,
​Mrs Ballard. 

Wow, we are flying through this term and have come to the end of another busy week in Foundation. Firstly, we all really enjoyed performing our Nativity for you on Wednesday morning, I think you will all agree the children performed brilliantly and sang their hearts out. I was very impressed with how much they remembered and how well they performed to such a large audience. Please have a look on Tapestry to see some of the pictures from the day.
We have been learning lots of phonics sounds this term and have now learned 24 new sounds. Please make sure you are practising the sheets with your children so that they have a go at home to reinforce our learning in class.
Our maths this week has focused on measuring and we have been learning about the terms longer/shorter and wider/thinner. We used play dough to compare lengths and the children picked up the new terminology quickly.
PE saw us practise how to navigate space safely, follow simple instructions and begin to learn how to throw and catch. The children were very good and listened very well, particularly for a Friday afternoon. I have sent PE kits home today but please feel free to take them home for Christmas and have them back in school at the start of term.
Literacy this week has focused on writing Christmas messages to our families and making Christmas cards. These have been given out today so please keep an eye out for them.
Finally, three things to ask your child this week: -
- Can they think of any words that start with a ‘y’?
- Do them remember what longer/shorter mean?
- Can they tell you the 2 songs we shared?
Hope you all have a lovely weekend,
Mrs Ballard :)
 

Out of the Blue to perform at Appleton Primary School!

Mrs Barker is thrilled to announce that the Oxford University a capella group, Out of the Blue, will be performing at school for the children next Wednesday, 11th of December. Each KS2 class will have a singing workshop with the group, before the choir give a whole school performance at the end of the day. 

We are particularly excited to welcome Out of the Blue to school as former pupil Rhys Surtees is a member of the choir. He was part of Mrs Barker's first class, back in 2007!

Everyone at Appleton Primary would like to thank the Appleton Trust for their kind donation to pay for this special event.

We have had a really lovely first week of the half term in Foundation Stage. The children have quickly settled back in to the school routines and have enjoyed lots of our learning this week.
Our phonics has seen us change our structure this week and we are now following the ReadWrite Inc scheme. This not only teaches the children phonics sounds but also gives them rhymes to support their letter formation. At the end of each session we pop a practice sheet in to each child's book bag for you to have a go at with them at home. 
Maths has focused on recognising 2D shapes in the environment and number recognition to 20. The children have been learning a 2D shape song to help them remember the properties of 2D shapes.
The children really enjoyed our science work this week and loved our first investigation looking at how water changes colour and is absorbed over time. There are lots of lovely pictures on Tapestry to have a look at.
All of the children loved coming in to the Gruffalo woods in class on Monday and we will be continuing work on the Gruffalo for the next few weeks. 
Finally, 3 things to ask your child this week:-
- Can they find a circle and a square in the environment?
- Can they sing the song "Wriggly Nativity" to you?
- Can they explain what happened to the water when we aded food colour? 
Have a great weekend,
Many thanks,
Kayleigh Ballard.