Welcome to Rowan Class!

The staff working in Rowan class this year are Mrs Smith, Miss Stones and Mrs Thompson. 

If you have any questions or issues please come and speak to us. 

Spring Term 

Spring Term

Our topic this term is 'Our Local Area/ Community'. During this term we will be learning lots of things daily such as English/Phonics, and maths. We will also be learning about our topic.

In Science, we will continue with our learning about... Animals including Humans! We will identify and name a variety of animals and learn all about their features such as talons, gills or fur. We will find out about human body parts and find out about a balanced diet and how germs spread. We will investigate our senses and complete some investigations about our bodies.  What animals live in our school habitat? Who will be able to jump the furthest in our class? How could we test this?

In Geography, we will be learning about … Our Local Area/ Bentley. We will find out about things in our local area, any shops, house types and different community buildings. We will understand vocabulary such as near and far. We will begin to understand what maps are, draw classroom plans and then follow a map to go on a local walk around the area! What do you think we will find on our local walk?

In other areas of the Curriculum, we will begin to find out about 'Dreams and Goals' linked to our PSHCE, answer questions in RE such as 'Which books and stories are important?' learn to count to 10 in French and draw shapes, lines and patterns linked to buildings around out local area. How could we show different colours using a pencil? What shapes and patterns do you notice in our local area?

This half term we are also very lucky to be talking part in forest school which im sure all the children are very excited about.

PE Kits

PE will be on Friday each week,

Please remember children should come to school wearing their PE kits (black or blue shorts/ joggers, trainers/ pumps and a plain white top). Anybody who wears earrings will need to remove them either at home or be able to do this in class independently before the lesson. Any questions please just come and ask!

Homework

This term in Cherry class we have a homework menu about ‘Our Local Area/ Community’ which links to our topic in class. Please complete an activity each week and return the homework by Friday. 

Reading at home

Apart from the obvious benefits of improving reading skills, by encouraging children to read regularly, it can improve their imagination, spelling and punctuation accuracy. Reading also improves their concentration and vocabulary. The habit also makes children more stylish writers, as they copy elements of authors they have enjoyed and adopt these as their own. Children who read for pleasure are far more academically successful than those that don’t. So it really is a no-brainer: good reading habits make successful children.

By reading regularly with you and discussing the situation that characters find themselves in, children have an invaluable opportunity to help build empathy skills. For example, if a character in a book is being treated unkindly by a classmate, it gives a ‘safe space’ for relationships and treatment of others to be discussed in a situation where children can be objective and measured, rather than approaching the issue with bias and heightened emotion, as may often be the case when these situations arise in their real lives.

Reading at home

    Remarkable Readers

Reading at home is one of the most important ways in which you can help your child. Children who read with their families develop these skills much more quickly and develop a love of Reading that can last a lifetime. Being a confident reader supports children in all areas of the curriculum and beyond school.

Our new Reading recognition system, Remarkable Readers, aims to ensure that all our children are remarkable with their Reading throughout the year.

Each time a child reads they achieve a ‘Reading Point’

Depending on age, this could be:

• Reading at home to an adult
• In school independently
• At home independently

Reading Points are cumulative and will be added up weekly throughout the year.

35 points = Bronze Award (Certificate and a message home)

70 points = Brilliant Bronze Award (Certificate, message home and prize)

105 points = Silver Award (Certificate, message home and prize)

140 points = Super Silver Award (Certificate, message home and prize)

175 points = Gold Award (Certificate, message home from Mrs Clifford and book prize)

210 points = Glittering Gold Award (Certificate, message home and an Afternoon Tea in The Reading Nook with our Reading Ambassadors)