Autumn Term

 

Week 14
Merry Christmas! 🎄 We have had the best week this week. On Thursday, we enjoyed Christmas Jumper Day, Priors Christmas, and a very special visit from Santa.

A huge thank you to Santa and his elves for all the hard work they put into making the day so magical and for the lovely presents the children received — we are all very grateful.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

 

Week 13
This week we performed our Starlings Nativity, and all I can say is wow! I am so incredibly proud of all the hard work the children put in. They were truly amazing and performed with such confidence and enthusiasm.

Well done, lovely Starlings! 🌟

Week 12

This term, we have been learning about the early explorers who attempted to reach the North Pole. We discovered that there is still debate about who truly arrived first.

In 1909, Robert Peary led an expedition to the North Pole, and Matthew Henson — a highly skilled Black explorer — played a vital role in the journey. Many historians now believe that Henson may have been the first person in the party to physically reach the Pole, even though Peary received most of the credit at the time.

To help us understand the importance of Henson’s contribution, the children created their own medals for him, thinking carefully about the symbols, colours, and words that would honour his achievements.

We also held a class debate about who truly deserved the official medal. The children gave thoughtful, well-reasoned arguments and listened wonderfully to one another.

To finish our learning, we took part in a role-play activity, imagining how we would feel if we were the first people to reach the North Pole. With the weather being so cold all week, it felt like we were practically there ourselves!

We feel it is important to acknowledge the challenges and unfair treatment faced by Black explorers, so that we can fully recognise and celebrate their achievements.

 

Week 11

This week was quiz week, and every child worked incredibly hard. Their focus, determination, and resilience were fantastic to see. We are extremely proud of the effort they put into each quiz.

We are also in full swing with our Christmas play rehearsals. The stage went up on Thursday, and the excitement was contagious! The children loved having their first practice on stage and are growing more confident every day.

Week 10

In PE this term, we are exploring both dance and ball skills, and the children are really enjoying trying out new movements and techniques.

In dance, we began creating animal-inspired routines. The children experimented with different ways of travelling, balancing, and using a range of levels to make their dances dynamic and exciting. Their creativity has really shone as they used their bodies to represent how different animals move.

 

Week 9

Welcome back! I hope you all had a lovely half-term break.
This term, our topic is Arctic Explorers, and the children have already shown so much enthusiasm for our new learning.

In literacy, we are creating our own polar bear fact files. This week, we researched lots of fascinating facts. Did you know that polar bears have black skin and transparent fur? Their fur only looks white because it reflects the light, helping them blend into their snowy surroundings. They even have blue tongues! The children loved discovering these facts and can’t wait to include them in their writing.

Week 8
Happy half-term, everyone!
It’s been a busy (and slightly crazy!) half term, but you’ve all worked so hard and I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of you. It’s been so lovely getting to know all our new Year 1s and welcoming the new faces in Year 2.
Well done for your brilliant homework projects—we’ve loved hearing all about the research and hard work that went into your creations and fact files.
This week, we’ve also been exploring art made from everyday objects, and had a go at creating our own imaginative pieces. The results were fantastic!
I’ve also sent out our Christmas play scripts—we’ll begin rehearsals properly after the break.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Well done, Starlings—you’ve earned a well-deserved rest. Have a fantastic half term, and I’ll see you all next half term. 

Week 7

We’ve had such a fantastic week filled with lots of amazing moments! Our class trip to Warwick Castle was a huge success, and the class disco was an absolute hit.

A huge thank you to the PTA for organising such a fabulous disco—it looked like so much fun, and the children had a brilliant time dancing and celebrating together.

Warwick Castle was truly amazing. The children were a credit to our school; their behaviour was exemplary, and I was so proud of how kind, respectful, and engaged they were throughout the day. From exploring the towers to discovering the dungeons, every activity was met with enthusiasm and curiosity.

We were lucky enough to see the trebuchet in action—what an incredible sight! It was fascinating to see how this powerful medieval machine worked. We also spotted a real archer hiding at the top of the castle, ready to defend the fortress! The children loved the sense of adventure and history that was brought to life all around us.

A real highlight was the bird of prey show—and believe it or not, one of the stars of the show was Plop the barn owl! That magical moment stole the show and had us all in awe.

It’s hard to believe we got to visit a real castle—what an unforgettable experience!

Week 6
This week in Guided Reading, we continued reading our class book, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. We’ve loved learning all about Plop the barn owl’s adventures in the dark!
In groups, we created mini roleplays to retrieve and explore all the people and things Plop has encountered so far. We even imagined who Plop might meet next—I think she might even meet Santa Claus!
To prepare for our upcoming trip next Thursday, we also created our own fact files all about Warwick Castle. The children worked really hard researching and recording interesting information—we're all very excited for the visit!

Dotty's Diary 

In Starlings, we have our class birds, Dotty and Spotty. Each week, one child will take them home along with a diary. We’d love for every child to write about their adventures with Dotty and Spotty in the diary and add some photos to share the following Friday.

Dotty has gone home for his first adventure this week and will have the chance to go home with every child throughout the school year.

We can’t wait to hear all about the exciting experiences you have together!

Week 5
In Maths this week, we’ve moved on to our second topic of the term: addition and subtraction. We’ve been looking closely at our stem sentences and practising saying them out loud to help articulate our ideas clearly. The children have had so much fun and worked incredibly hard to share their thinking in this way.
We’ve also been using a range of resources—such as the part-whole model, number lines, and ten frames—to support our learning and give us opportunities to practise Maths in practical, oral, and written forms.

Week 4
This term in Science, we are focusing on trees and plants. This week, we’ve been doing lots of observational drawings and watching the trees as they begin to change with the end of summer and the start of autumn. We've been exploring what happens to different types of trees, both evergreen and deciduous. Here are some of our findings so far!

Week 3

In our maths lessons this week, we have been learning to use number lines to help us find missing numbers and learn number facts. We are feeling much more confident with our number lines, and they are really helping us with our maths work.

In our DT lessons this week, we have been designing and making our own badges that showcase the things we love about our local area. We hope you like our badges!

Week 2

During our English lessons this week, we continued our learning based on the book, 'Bog Baby'. Our classroom had a visit from the Bog Baby, who made such a mess! Luckily, we trapped him to stop him causing even more chaos. We can't wait to write a story all about it.

Week 1

We had a fantastic first week in Starlings' class. We started our new topic and learnt about our local area. We also talked about why castles are important and the differences between a castle and a palace.