Year 1

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Teacher Message

Dear Parents,
Welcome to our Year 1 class page.

I hope this page provides you with useful information to help you support your child's learning at home. Please look at our parent planners throughout the year for further information on the Year 1 curriculum. 

During the transition from EYFS to Year 1, your children will experience more opportunities for continuous provision alongside enhanced provision challenges to enable them to settle into the Year 1 classroom. Over the academic year, in R.E, your children will be learning how to become Discerning Disciples. They will continue to build up God's Kingdom by living out our class Values and Virtues. In the core subjects, your children will develop their Level 5 Phonics knowledge which will assist them with their more fluent and independent reading skills.  They will learn how to use colourful semantics to write short sentences and during the Spring term, your children will be developing their continuous handwriting font.  They will also be learning maths skills up to 100 including the songs for the x2, x5 & x10 times tables. Your child will also develop their knowledge & skills in Computing & Online Safety, History, Geography, Art and P.E.

Year 1 homework, which commences in October, will focus on Phonics application of 'real and alien' words, daily reading practise and the enjoyment of 1000 stories. (See below for details)

Please take time to look at our Facebook which is regularly updated with information and photographs of what we have been learning in class. 

It is our priority to ensure that your child remains happy and safe whilst in our care. However, if you do have any queries or you need to notify us of any medical or dismissal arrangements, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email. 

postbox@st-annes.walsall.sch.uk  

On behalf of the Year 1 team, we would like to thank you for your support and we look forward to welcoming your child into Year 1 and the opportunity to meet you all very soon. 

The Year 1 Team!

Mrs McCabe and Miss Wallis 

Key Information
Staff in Year 1

Mrs McCabe Year 1 Class Teacher: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,Friday 
Miss Wallis Year 1 Teaching Assistant Monday - Friday
Mr Johnston Science/History/Geography Wednesday AM
Mrs Baker Art Teacher Wednesday PM
Mrs Baynham-Hughes P.E Wednesday and Friday PM
 

Homework in Year 1

Homework in Year 1 will be introduced after October half term. The main focus will be on Reading and Phonics. There are numerous games and activities also available to your child via PurpleMash to support all curriculum areas. When your child is set up with their usernames and passwords, they will be located inside their reading packets so that they can be kept safe. Please look on our homework page for more detailed information on Year 1 Homework.

Reading in Year 1

Children will continue to develop their reading skills through the teaching of phonics in class and with their own class reading book. We aim to change these books once a week and we would like you to listen to your child daily (where possible) to help build their confidence and fluency in this area. Please sign your child’s reading record every time you listen to them read and where necessary notify us with your comments. These can be very useful to us. You are also welcome to record comments about additional books your child has taken an interest in and we encourage you to continue to read '1000 story books' or books of interest to your child so that they can hear you reading too! We are fortunate to have volunteer readers who have the privilege of reading with your child in school. Whilst your child will have read some of their book in class, please understand that we would also like them to read it at home before their book will get changed. This will also help them to develop their own fluency when reading. We aim to collect all books in every Thursday so they can be changed and will be sent home every Friday.

1000 stories

This will continue just like it did in Reception. At the start of the year, your child will receive a new 1000 book alongside a 'wow word' record sheet for you to record and discuss the special wow word in each book. Please encourage your child to change their book independently every morning. Once your child has read 30 books and you have recorded the wow word onto their record sheet, please send this back to class so your child can be rewarded with a certificate. Will your child achieve all 5 certificates by the end of year 1? 

Phonics

In Year 1, we start off the year, revising Level 3 Phonics sounds that were previously taught in Reception. After this, we progress onto Level 4 and Level 5. Level 5 being the main level being taught in Year 1. Each week we will send home a set of real and alien words for your child to practise segmenting and blending at home. Please support them through this task and please tick if you have heard your child sound out and say the words correctly. If your child is saying something different or having difficulty (especially with the alien words) please record their progress so we can assess this further in class. 

Please use this website (Phonics Play) at home to encourage your children to practise their reading skills by segmenting, using phoneme fingers and by blending. Suggested Levels to practise are below:

Autumn 1 - Any level 3 game

Autumn 2 - Any level 3, 4 or 5 game

Spring 1 - Any level 5 game

Spring 2 - Any level 5 game

Summer 1 - Any level 3 or 5 game depending on which digraph/trigraph your child needs most help

Summer 2 - Any level 3 or 5 game depending on which digraph/trigraph your child needs most help

Woodlands School in Year 1

This will take place every week (Tuesday) during all weathers. We would strongly advise that you send your child into school with a clearly labelled pair of wellies along with a clearly labelled warm waterproof jacket or preferably a wet suit. They can get very messy so an extra pair of socks could be handy too! 

Physical Education in Year 1

This will take place every week (Wednesday and Friday). Please remember that, we will be expecting your child to come into school all ready in their full St Anne’s PE kit and please ensure that earrings have been removed on this day. Children with long hair will also be expected to have this tied up.