Star Class
Welcome to Star Class.
Meet your teachers.
Miss Davies
Miss Simpson
Miss Croft
Sports Day was fabulous!!!
Well done to everyone in Star Class - you were all amazing. I am really proud of your resilience and confidence. You cheered each other and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Thank-you to all the parents and carers that came to watch. I hope you had a good time. I know the children were really pleased that you took part.
Enjoy looking at the photos and maybe we are looking at a future Usain Bolt or Dina Asher-Smith.
Well done to everyone who had a go at making the storyboxes. They were lovely and clearly a lot of hard work had gone into making them. I hope you and your child had fun together.
Here they are presenting them at Friday’s Assembly with Miss Jones. I am so proud of them. They stood up in front of all of KS1 and spoke clearly about their project. It was very brave.
Well done everyone.
Prizes will be given out on Monday.
Hope you and your children share a wonderful day together.
This is for all our wonderful mothers.
Mother, A Cradle to Hold Me by Maya Angelou
It is true
I was created in you.
It is also true
That you were created for me.
I owned your voice.
It was shaped and tuned to soothe me.
Your arms were molded
Into a cradle to hold me, to rock me.
The scent of your body was the air
Perfumed for me to breathe.
Mother,
During those early, dearest days
I did not dream that you had
A large life which included me,
For I had a life
Which was only you.
Time passed steadily and drew us apart.
I was unwilling.
I feared if I let you go
You would leave me eternally.
You smiled at my fears, saying
I could not stay in your lap forever.
That one day you would have to stand
And where would I be?
You smiled again.
I did not.
Without warning you left me,
But you returned immediately.
You left again and returned,
I admit, quickly,
But relief did not rest with me easily.
You left again, but again returned.
You left again, but again returned.
Each time you reentered my world
You brought assurance.
Slowly I gained confidence.
You thought you know me,
But I did know you,
You thought you were watching me,
But I did hold you securely in my sight,
Recording every moment,
Memorizing your smiles, tracing your frowns.
In your absence
I rehearsed you,
The way you had of singing
On a breeze,
While a sob lay
At the root of your song.
The way you posed your head
So that the light could caress your face
When you put your fingers on my hand
And your hand on my arm,
I was blessed with a sense of health,
Of strength and very good fortune.
You were always
the heart of happiness to me,
Bringing nougats of glee,
Sweets of open laughter.
I loved you even during the years
When you knew nothing
And I knew everything, I loved you still.
Condescendingly of course,
From my high perch
Of teenage wisdom.
I spoke sharply of you, often
Because you were slow to understand.
I grew older and
Was stunned to find
How much knowledge you had gleaned.
And so quickly.
Mother, I have learned enough now
To know I have learned nearly nothing.
On this day
When mothers are being honored,
Let me thank you
That my selfishness, ignorance, and mockery
Did not bring you to
Discard me like a broken doll
Which had lost its favor.
I thank you that
You still find something in me
To cherish, to admire and to love.
I thank you, Mother.
I love you.
22.03.19
Although it is still cold it is officially Spring and we celebrated this on Friday by making observational drawings of daffodils. I hope you'll agree they are very good. We encourage the children to express themselves creatively so if you're going to the park this weekend why not take some paper and pencils and try some drawing yourselves.
Happy drawing!
Healthy Start Information on Vitamins and Food Vouchers
You qualify for Healthy Start if you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old and you or your family get:
- Income Support, or
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or
- Child Tax Credit (with a family income of £16,190 or less per year)
- Universal Credit (with a family take home pay of £408 or less per month)
You also qualify if you are under 18 and pregnant, even if you don’t get any of the above benefits.
You can check to see if you qualify by clicking on the link below:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthy-start-vouchers/do-i-qualify/
About Healthy Start Vitamins
Pregnant women, women with a child under 12 months and children aged from four weeks to four years who are receiving Healthy Start vouchers are entitled to free Healthy Start vitamins.
You can get these from your local distribution points. Bellingham Childrens Centre, South Lewisham Health Centre Downderry Children Centre, Torridon Children Centre and Hatcham Oak Early Childhood Centre provides it. For more information click on the link below:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/for-health-professionals/vitamins/
About Healthy Start Vouchers
If you qualify for Healthy Start vouchers there are lots of great foods you can buy with your Healthy Start vouchers:
milk, plain fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables and infant formula milk. For more information click on the link below:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthy-start-vouchers/what-to-buy-with-the-vouchers/
8.03.19 World Book Day was fabulous! The children looked amazing - We had Alice and The Mad Hatter, two Elsa's, Snow White, a pirate, Dash from The Incredibles, Spiderman, Batman, Goldilocks, Angelina Ballerina, Where's Wally and the Mario Brothers, a knight, Peter Rabbit, Marshall from Paw Patrol, Belle and Hermione Granger.
Here great advice on why it is important to read aloud to your child.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/reading-your-child
You can find magic wherever you look.
Sit back and relax.
All you need is a book.
Dr Seuss
5.3.18 PANCAKE DAY! Today we all ate pancakes. The ingredients were: milk, eggs and flour. The mixture was runny when we put it into the pan. Our toppings were: honey and lemon and sugar. They were yummy!
14.02.19
We had a lovely time at Wagamama tasting, smelling and weighing out yummy ingredients and trying out new foods and drinks. At the end the chef prepared us a delicious plate of noodles, vegetables and chicken.
08.02.19
Our main focus today was sleep
These are the children’s ideas about why we need to sleep.
“So you can wake up”
“So I can go to school tomorrow”
“Because when the morning comes we will be tired.”
“We need to rest to do lots of fun things.”
“Your brain needs to rest at night”
Together we created a bedtime routine
Eat a warm snack or drink a warm drink
Have a bath or a shower
Brush your teeth
Put on your pyjamas
Turn off the TV, tablet and Xbox!!!
Read a story with your grown-up
Cuddle up with your favourite soft toy
Switch off the light and close your eyes
This is one of my favourite bedtime books. it is available from Amazon but you can also watch a version on YouTube.
Children’s Mental Health Week 2019 - Healthy: Inside and Out 4.02.19-8.02.19
This week we have been talking about our feelings and how we can look after ourselves to stay happy and positive. Please follow this link for more ideas that you can try at home.
https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/parents-and-carers/
HOMEPACKS
WE HAVE GOT ACTIVITIES FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD TO DO AT HOME. THESE ARE CALLED HOMEPACKS (an alternative to homework).
YOU PAY A £3 DEPOSIT AND WE WILL GIVE YOU A BAG WITH A FUN ACTIVITY FOR YOU TO DO WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME TO SUPPORT THEIR LEARNING.
THESE ACTIVITES INCLUDE; MATHS GAMES, READING/LANGUAGE/LITERACY GAMES, PUZZLES ETC...
IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR YOU CHILD TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SCHEME.
COME SEE ME FOR MORE INFORMATION.
01.02.19
We have been learning about how to look after ourselves to keep us clean and tidy. We learnt how to brush our teeth properly, how to wash our hands to keep the nasty germs away and how to blow our noses with a tissue. Click here for a helpful film about how to wash your hands. Everyone was given a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste to get started.
11.01.19
Happy New Year!
We had a lovely week settling back into school. Even though the weather was cold and grey we managed to do lots of activities outdoors.
Have a great weekend.
Outdoors Play
Athelney is proud to be able to offer children access to the garden at all times in all weather. Our garden is well-organised and all adults are committed to allow children learn on a big scale, get messy, be noisy, get active and use all their senses and their whole body. We believe that children learn better as a direct result of physical exercise. They are able to concentrate better and are more alert.
Reminders
School uniform:
All children are expected to wear school uniform.
School Bookbag
All children are expected to have a school bookbag and to bring it to school every day.
School Hours:
Please note the hours of the school day and help us to make a prompt start/finish.
Gates open: 8.30am
School starts: 8.50am
School finishes: 3.25pm Mon – Thurs
2.30pm Friday
Swimming
Every Monday
ALL children need to swim.
Children need a costume/trunks, a swimming hat and towel.
Please label ALL children’s clothing
What an amazing journey we have all had this first term.
Parents: be proud of your children because they are amazing. I am so happy to be their teacher. We had a lovely cosy day on Friday in our pyjamas. What a perfect start to Christmas.
Have a very happy and peaceful Christmas.
The children have been developing their artistic skills and have made some beautiful pieces. They are learning how to use the powder paints so that they can mix colours. Some children really enjoyed creating mood boards for their favourite PJ Mask characters or princesses. They are learning about collage and made these amazing tissue paper houses. Enjoy looking at their pieces.
Lewisham Fire Fighters on Red Watch were amazing! We had a great trip!
In a week of reflection I have found these words to be so true.
"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."
John F Kennedy
This Week’s Star Baker is…
The children have had a fantastic start to their year at Athelney. They have settled in beautifully and made lots of new friends. I hope you are as proud as we are.
We all enjoyed cooking cupcakes and the children are experts.
Why don’t you have a go at the recipe this half term. Bring me photos of your baking success.
Have a restful half-term.
Cupcakes
Get a bowl and a spoon
Put 125g of butter in the bowl
Put 125g of sugar in the bowl
Mix it
Put 125g of flour in the bowl
Crack 2 eggs
Mix it
Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Add a splash of milk
Stir it
Put the mixture into the cupcake cases
Then put it in the oven on 180 degrees.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
12th October – Downham Library Trip
We are so proud of Star Class who behaved beautifully on our first class trip. Well done to all the children. They were so sensible when we were walking and travelling on the bus.
The library staff said they were impressed by how grown up the children were and we are welcome back anytime.
Downham Library is a really great library with lots of events for children. Here is what’s going on there in October.
5th October
Sharing is caring!
It was lovely to see children enjoying each other’s company and sharing stories, jokes, skills.
28th September
This week's sounds were s a t p
Keep practising at home!
The weather was lovely this week so we have been spending a lot of time outside.
Enjoy the sunshine this weekend.
Outdoor Play!
Second Week at School
What a great week we had. The children are making lots of new friends and learning our daily routines.
We even started learning phonics. Here is the link to the Jolly Phonics Song which we sing to practice the sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COJdn6sbbsk
First Week At School!!
Well done to Star Class who have had a great first week at school.
Here are a few things we have done.
Learning through play
We are committed to make learning exciting, meaningful and memorable for our learners. Our curriculum enables children to make choices about their learning journey. We aim to provide quality and excellence through providing a stimulating environment which will develop social skills and encourage children to become active citizens within the school community and beyond.
Reading
Please make some time to share this book with your child. Just 10 minutes a day makes a difference.
