Dear parents,

This week we have started looking at Autumn, we have read the story of Leaf Man and been out collecting leaves, acorns, conkers and sticks to create our very own giant leaf people, the children have also enjoyed making their own leaf pictures including animals like hedgehogs and butterflies! We have been thinking about the season, Autumn, and what happens during this time. We spoke about the colour of the leaves, what happens to the trees, the weather and what we wear in Autumn. We have been discussing Autumnal objects using different adjectives to describe them, such as prickly, spikey, smooth, rough, bumpy, round and rigid.

In cooking, the children have made hedgehog bread! They worked really hard to make the dough and then shape it into a hedgehog with raisin eyes and crisp spikes. This week, instead of PE we had Perform (a drama company) come in to school to carry out a workshop with the children. They all had a great time pretending to go on an adventure led by Phileas Fogg to find the sacred boomerang. They had to pretend to be kangaroos, trees, lions and met a very strange crocodile on their adventures- it was great fun!

In phonics, the children have been learning the sounds e, l, h and r. Here is a video from RWI website for your child to practice their oral blending skills with Fred! In maths, we continued looking at our numbers from 16 to 19 and representing and counting the number. If you would like to do more counting with your child please do use their log in details (at the front of their planners) to access Ten Town. The children are really enjoying learning about the characters associated with each numbers and there are lots of activities they can do at home for productive ‘screen time’.

Next Week, we will continue looking at Autumn, with a focus on hedgehogs as we are fundraising for The Wildlife Trust by walking around the school grounds everyday to try to reach our cumulative goal of 3km. Each morning, our walk will focus on a different sense; on Monday it is hearing, Tuesday is taste, Wednesday is smell, Thursday is touch and Friday is sight.

Here is our fundraising link if you would like to support Kites and The Wildlife Trust. Feel free to share the link with friends or family! Thank you for any support you can give. https://thewildlifetrusts.enthuse.com/pf/sckites 

We will also be apple picking and thinking about the lifecycle of an apple, by dissecting the apple, planting apple seeds and understanding the life cycle of an apple tree.

Reminders:

• Please ensure your child is bringing a water bottle in to school each day with their name on.
• Please take the time over the holiday to ensure your child is equipped for PE (t-shirt & shorts/ trousers or leggings) & Forest camp (water proof coat and trousers/ all-in-one)
• Books will now be changed on a Thursday due to Forest Camp, so please could bookbags and planners be brought in on Thursdays after half term.
• Please fill in and sign library forms before the half term.

Challenge:

We have noticed children are finding using a knife and fork a little tricky during lunch. We do help the children for the time they are in the lunch hall, but quite a few are still are hoping help with eating and using their cutlery. Over this week and half term (or even longer), please could you help your child to be more independent at meal times by showing them how to hold their knives and forks and how to cut up their food. Here is a useful video that may help. The children will have a chance to show off their new skills in Show and Tell and during lunch! Team points given to those having a good try!

We hope you have a lovely weekend and thank you for your continued support.

The Kites Team.