Welcome To Year One's Class Page

The latest news, home learning, learning and events will be posted on this page.

Friday 1st December 2023

Our rehearsals for the Nativity are in full swing and we are so excited for you to see our performance next week. Thank you to those of you who have sent in costumes, please can you ensure any that have not been brought in yet are in for Monday after school. On Tuesday morning we will be having our first dress rehearsal. 

In Maths, we have been exploring number bonds within 10. In R.E. we have been learning more about the Christmas story, what it means to Christians and why it is important to them. In Science, we have been learning about what time of year each season occurs. In Phonics this week we have been recapping the phase 5 sounds that we have been 'unlocking' this half term. I have attached the phase 5 sound mat we have been using in class, this can be used to support reading and writing at home. 

Next week will be our last spelling test this half-term as we will be assessing the children on all spellings to see which spellings they have retained and which they will benefit from further practice. We will also be assessing reading levels therefore your child will not have their reading record signed that they have read with an adult over the next two weeks whilst this is taking place. 

Home learning:

Reading: Reading 5 times per week. 

Spelling: Spelling books were handed out on Wednesday. Please practice the inside spelling list and bring the books in on Tuesday for the test. 

Maths resource: Numbots Well done to the children who have completed the Rusty level on Numbots, keep up the great work!

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Devlin :)

Friday 24th November 2023

We have begun our rehearsals for 'The BIG Little Nativity' this week and have thoroughly enjoyed acting and singing. We have also begun practising with year two on the stage today which the children were really excited about. 

In Maths we have been learning about fact families, writing number sentences and learning number bonds to 10. In English, we started a new book 'Farmer Duck'. In science, we have been learning about the different seasons and observing changes in our school environment. In R.E. we created a special bedroom for Jesus and explored how special Christians believe he is. 

Nativity

Please see below for details of the clothing that your child will need for the Nativity. Please bring the following items in a named bag by next Friday 1st December. We have the main parts of the costumes at school. Thank you for your support with this. 

Home learning:

Reading: Reading 5 times per week. 
 

Spelling: Spelling books were handed out on Wednesday. Please practice the spelling list that is inside and bring the books in on Tuesday for the test. 

Maths resource: Numbots Well done to the children who have completed the Rusty level on Numbots, keep up the great work!

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Devlin :)

Friday 17th November 2023

Year One have been working on their own versions of the story Stanley’s Stick. The children created their own mini books. The children in year four have also been working on their own version of their class story Buiscuit Bear. Year Four came down to year one to share their stories. Both classes listened to both class stories read by the teachers before sharing their own versions. The children buddied up and read their stories to each other. The children really enjoyed sharing their work with children from a different year group.

We also spent focused time this week on one kind word in 'Anti-Bullying Week'.  We also read the book ‘A Wrinkled Heart’ which demonstrates how doing something unkind and then saying sorry still leaves a mark (leaves a wrinkle on the heart). The children explored this in different ways and we explored the differences between being unkind and bullying.  
 

In maths we have been exploring the part whole model and writing number sentences through addition. 
 

Home learning:

Reading: Reading 5 times per week. 
 

Spelling: Spelling books were handed out on Wednesday. Please practice the spelling list that is inside and bring the books in on Tuesday for the test. 

Numbots: Today your child was sent home with their Numbots login and password. This is a great resource to develop your child’s number sense and fluency. 

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Devlin 

Friday 10th November 2023

Home learning:

Reading: Reading 5 times per week. 
 

Spelling: Spelling books were handed out on Wednesday. Please practice the spelling list that is inside and bring the books in on Tuesday for the test. 
 

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Devlin :)

Brooklands Museum -Cancelled

Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the upcoming trip to the Brooklands Museum. I am hopeful that I will be able to reschedule this trip however, due to a significant amount of outstanding payments towards the toy workshop, we have regrettably had to cancel the next trip. Please if you haven't done so already, can you make payment for the toy workshop ASAP. If you are unable to make payment please let Mrs Palmer know. 

Missed Parent Consultation 

If you were unable to attend the parent consultations a communication from Mrs Parlmer will be sent to you shortly. We will run these sessions during the KS2 parent consultation on Wednesday 22nd November. 

Friday 21st October 2023

What a fantastic Half-Term it has been! It was great to have the opportunity to talk to so many of you this week at the parent consultations. Thank you for making the time to meet with me and discuss your child's progress. If you were unable to make it, please contact the office to arrange a meeting after Half -Term. 

Home Learning:

 Please continue to read regularly - Reading Records will be checked and signed on the first Friday back. Spelling books were sent home today in your child's bag. The test will be held on Tuesday 31st October. 

Christmas cards:

 Your child's Christmas card design was sent home in their bag today please see below for information about purchasing them. Please return them back to school after the Half- Term. 

Have a great Half-Term!

Miss Devlin :)

The London Marathon 2024

I will be running the London Marathon 2024 for the charity Cardiomyopathy UK. I would really appreciate if you could take the time to read and support my donations page.
 

Thank you.

Miss Devlin 

Friday 13th October

This week we took every opportunity to take our Maths lessons outside, for example, we explored finding one less than a number with sticks and leaves. In English, we enjoyed writing a letter in the character role of Mr Big. The children were able to show off all of their learning in this piece of work. We took part in the ExploreRE workshop to introduce to the children some of the activities they will be able to take part in next week. For show and tell this week we have a special visitor called Toby the Tortoise! Eliza's mum brought in Eliza's special pet to share with us, the children loved this surprise. In celebration of Black History Month, we have started our study of Vanessa Nakate a Climate activist. We have started to learn about the action she took to make a change and have discussed climate change and what it means. 

Library:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the library was closed. As we have a very busy week next week we will not be able to go to the Library until our usual slot on Friday.  Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Reminders:

Photos

I have still not received all the baby, toddler and now photos.  I would really appreciate the photos to support our history project being handed in by Tuesday 16th October. Please see last week's post for further details. Many thanks. 

Parents consultations

On Tuesday and Wednesday - I look forward to meeting with you all, at our KS1 parents consultations. The focus will be on how well your child has settled into Year 1 and we will give you simple targets to support their next steps in learning.  If you have not yet signed up for a slot, there are still times available. This is a valuable time to discuss your child's progress. If you have questions or concerns, please bring these ready.

Home learning:

Reading: Reading 5 times per week. 
 

Spelling: Spelling books were handed out on Wednesday. Please practice the spelling list that is inside and bring the books in on Tuesday for the test. 

Thank you so much for your support with homework.  It is really making a difference and is supporting your child in class work. 

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Devlin :)

Friday 6th October 2023 

Another week has flown by in year one filled with lots of learning and fun. The children have enjoyed starting some new topics such as our ‘This is Me’ learning journey in art. The children studied different artists that specialised in self-portraits. They were then set the task of drawing their own self portrait. In English we continued our study of the book Mr Big, this week we created story maps and the children retold the story. In Maths we have been counting on from any number within ten and recognising numbers as words. In science we have been exploring materials and sorting them using a Venn diagram.  In PSHE we recalled what makes a good listener and how we can make sure we are listening to others. We also read the story ‘Flamingo was mean’ and discussed why it is so important to be kind to our friends.

Notices:

To support our learning in History please could your child bring in three printed photos of themselves. The first photo needs to be of them as a baby the second as a toddler and then a more recent photo. 

If you have any trouble with printing then please let me know and I will support with this.
The photos are needed by Monday 16th October. Please bring them in before this date if possible.

Please could someone put this information onto the class WhatsApp group also. Thank you in advance.

Own Clothes Day

On Friday 13th there will be an own clothes day. This is to raise money for our exciting ExploRE week that is happening the following week. More information about this will be released nearer the time.

Home learning:

Reading: Reading 5 times per week. 
 

Spelling: Spelling books were handed out on Wednesday. Please practice the spellings inside and bring the books in on Tuesday for the test.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Devlin :)

Friday 29th September 2023

Another busy week in Year One, this week we started a new book in English called Mr Big. The children have enjoyed reading the story and exploring Mr Big's feelings. In science, we have started our topic ‘Marvellous Materials’. In R.E. we had a visitor come in to host a workshop about creation. In maths, we focused on numbers to 10 ordering and sorting. 

Terrific Toys! 

On Thursday Year One took part in a History off The Page Toy workshop. The children had an incredible time. In the morning they were taken through a museum experience and explored a range of different old toys. The children had to explore how they worked and what was different about them to modern toys. The children then enquired and answered challenge questions as they moved around the museum. After the break they became archaeologists! They explored how we can find out about the past through searching underground. The children then explored different materials and were challenged to sort the materials into groups. The final section of the day involved making their own toys! The children really enjoyed making their own versions of toys from the past we had experienced in the morning. This practical hands-on learning experience was great, the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learned so much.  A huge thanks to the parent's helpers again for your support. 

Our Harvest Festival service is on Wednesday so please drop off your child, at St Mary's Church, at 8:45/8:50 am ready for our 9 am service. If you can stay and walk back to school with us, that would be really appreciated. 

Home learning:

Reading: Reading 5 times per week. 
 

Spelling: Spelling books were handed out on Wednesday. Please practice the spellings inside and bring the books in on Tuesday for the test.

 Friday’s group books were changed and the children were read with but unfortunately, I found the pile that I forgot to hand out after the children had left. We will ensure that this will not affect your child getting their stamp next week.

Reminder:

Library books need to be brought in on Fridays for your child to be able to change their book. Unfortunately, we do not have time in our timetable to go another day. There were a lot of children upset today that they couldn’t bring a new book home as they had not returned last week's book. I appreciate there is a lot to remember each week, so please leave the library book in your child’s bag for ease (if it fits) so it is there for Friday.

Friday 22nd September 2023

Another fantastic week in year one, the children have now really settled into their new classroom and routines. We have had a great week finishing our study of the book ‘Plenty of Love to go Round’ the children loved finding out what happened at the end of the story after lots of predictions! In maths we focused on sorting objects into different groups and counting objects using different techniques. In PSHCE we learnt about the importance of classroom rules. We discussed how they help us to learn and keep us safe. In music we started out topic on super heroes and we’re introduced to pitch. In computing the children were practicing logging on. If you are able to provide your child with access to a computer with parental supervision. It would be great if they could practice typing their name on a keyboard to support our computing lessons. In P.E we further developed our knowledge on running and jumping techniques.

Home learning: 

Please read 5 times each week with your child and sign the Reading Record book. 
 

Spellings:
The class Spelling assessments have been completed and spellings will begin being part of homework from next week. 

Six spellings will be sent home every Wednesday, the first time being the 27th September. Please support your child to learn their personalised spellings. They will then be tested on the following Tuesday. The first test being the 3rd October.
 

If they spell a word wrong in the test they will keep that spelling for the following week. If they are spelling a word they previously got right for spellings wrong in their work they will get that word back in their spellings. The spelling book they are tested in will come home so you can see how they have done each week. Please do not practice in this book. 
Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Devlin

Terrific Toys!

To complement our study of toys in our history topic ‘Terrific Toys’ and our science topic ‘Marvellous Materials’, I have invited History Off the Page to provide a ‘History of Toys Day' in school. The session will take place on Thursday 28th September 2023.

History Off the Page is a company which provides immersive and practical History, Science and Literature workshops to schools. The workshop, which will take place in the school during regular school hours, will allow the children to explore toys in an investigative way. On the day, your child will explore how toys have developed and changed over time, including the materials they are made of and how they are used. Based on what they learn, they will then make simple toys of their own. We will be keeping the toys the children make for a showcase later; following this, the children may take home and keep the items they have created.

We require a number of adult helpers during the day, and we welcome your participation. If you are able to attend, please indicate your availability on the school gateway (when this has been made available) or please email admin@stmarys698.herts.sch.uk to let Mrs Palmer know. 

Many thanks,

Miss Devlin

Friday 15th September 2023

In year one this week we have explored the book "The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer". The children loved exploring the different imaginative ideas in the story and then created their own story map in response to the book.  We have also been focusing on ordering numbers 1- 10 in maths with the children completing a range of activities to support their knowledge. We have also been working on improving pencil grip and scissors skills. Year one also enjoyed their first computing lesson where they learnt how to log on to a Chrome book by themselves. In P.E. we started our new topic locomotion focussing on running and jumping. The children enjoyed playing games that helped develop these skills and then participated in some team races. 

Home learning: 

Please read 5 times each week with your child and sign the Reading Record book. They will receive a stamp when they have read five times as part of the reading challenge. At different points of the challenge, they will receive special reading badges. 

Over the next two weeks, we will be conducting spelling assessments to allow for personal spelling lists to be sent home each week. More information will follow once these assessments have been completed. 

Have a lovely weekend. 

Miss Devlin :)

Friday 8th September 2023

Settling into Year 1

Thank you for preparing the children so well for their return to school. It has been lovely hearing about all the fun they have had during the summer!  The children have had a great short week they have settled quickly into their new classroom and have enjoyed their new routine.  We have had an exciting start to the term with lots of crafts, storytelling and exploring the classroom. We have started our phonics lessons and have been working on handwriting and letter formation. We have also created our own class prayer.

The children have enjoyed getting used to year one and their new routine. We also enjoyed a fabulous afternoon with their family groups working on a range of activities from scavenger hunts to painting. 

P.E Days:

Wednesday 

Thursday 

P.E. days will be on Wednesday and Thursday every week starting from next week. Please bring your child to school dressed in their P.E. uniform. 

Reading books:

All new reading books were sent home on Wednesday. Please can you bring your child's book on their book-changing day, it has stayed the same as it was in Reception and is also written on their reading records. I will be reading these books with your child on their day next week so it is really important they are brought in even if they have not been read five times as it has been a short week. It is also helpful if they are always left in their bags if possible. 

Home learning:

Reading is the homework set for this week. I will be introducing spelling as of next week. When additional homework is set I will inform you on the blog. 

I look forward to building a partnership with you to support your child on their journey this year.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the office or catch me in person on the playground. 

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Devlin :)

Birthday books already donated

Titles:

Stick Man x2

Gorilla 

Paddington 

A Dress With Pockets

Chocolate Cake

The Bear That Stared

The Dragon With The Blazing Bottom

Tiger Lily

Narwhal: UNICORN OF THE SEA

Isadora Moon- book series 

The Worst Princess

The Dragon With The Blazing Bottom

The Dinosaur Department Store 

The Princess And The Wizard