Welcome to Star Class

Class Teacher: Ms George

TA: Ms Simpson

Star Class email address: star@kafed.org.uk

MONDAY - SWIMMING 

IN A SEPERATE BAG-
swimming trunks/ costume, towel, swimming cap 

Monday - Thurs 

8.45am - 3.15pm

Friday 
8.40am- 2.15pm
Everyday you child needs to bring in their school bag and a water bottle. 

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD AT HOME IN PHONICS 

Phonics Week 1

We have learnt our classroom rules this week-

Classroom rules: 

good listening

good sitting 

good looking

good waiting in free play/ good waiting on the carpet ( hands up) 

good talking / kind words 

We have also been learning Zones of Regulations-

this is to do with our emotions and how we are feeling. 

We looked at the emotions and their colours to represent them
sad/happy/worried/angry. 

Its ok to feel all these emotions.... its how we self regulate ourselves ( bring ourselves back to calmness) which is most important in our development. 

Some things we can do to help us: 

 feeling sad- have a hug/ talk to someone/ play with someone 

 feeling worried- talk to someone- teddy bear/ person

 feeling angry- deep breaths/ timers/ sensory toys/ mindfulness colouring

 feeling happy- JUST BE YOURSELF! 

Have a look at the ZONES below and talk about how they're feeling. What colour are you and why?

Week commencing: 30.09.24

We have been looking at the book 'Monkey Puzzle' this week and children have been learning to join in with the story and add expressions. 

Why not watch the clip below together with your child and see if they can join in when the monkey  says "no no no"

See if they can read it with expression-  a fed up/ angry expression as the monkey is getting annoyed that the butterfly keeps getting it wrong and is not finding his mum.

We have also been talking about how to describe a family member too. 

e.g. My dad is tall. My dad has freckles. My mum has black hair. My nan has blue eyes. 

Have a go at home and see if you can describe each other?

OUR SOUNDS WE WILL BE LEARNING THIS WEEK.

WEEK 6
Week commencing: 7.10.24

We have been looking at the book 'So Much' this week and children have been joining in with the story and add expressions. 

Why not watch the clip below together with your child and see if they can join in when it says 'DING DONG' and 'SO MUCH'. 

See if they can read it with expression. 

We have also been talking about what our family members do with us. 

E.g. My nan bakes with me. My Dad reads me a story. My Mum plays with me. 

Discuss with eachother what each family member does at home. 

You can also talk about a birthday party- what would you bring to a party/ see at a party as we will be doing writing on this :)  
Why not try and make a cake -  put all the ingredients - 4 eggs, 225g self raising flour, 225g caster sugar, 225g margarine into a bowl- mix it altogether and cook at 160 degrees for 40 - 50 mins)  TAAA- DAAAA a YUMMY CAKE ! 

Week commencing: 14.10.24

We have been looking at the book 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' this week and children have been joining in with the story and adding expressions. 

Why not watch the clip below together with your child and see if they can join in with the story when it says "We're going on a bear hunt, we're going to catch a big one, what a beautiful day, we're not scared"

See if they can read/ sing it with expression and add the actions to it.

We will be discussing what we would be bring on a bear hunt and talking about brown bears e.g. how they hibernate in cave like dens. 

We will be trying to make a bear from healthy snacks. 

Why not try the above at home and try and draw a brown bear in a cave! 

In Autumn 2 we will be focussing on:

• Majority of children stay at school full time. Children know and understand the classroom routines and boundaries.
• Children establish their friendships groups.
• Children independently use resources available in the learning environment.
• Children improve gross and fine motor skills e.g. through pencil practice, scissor practice, dressing and undressing in our swimming lessons and through practising ball skills outdoors.
• Children begin to use their imagination and think about what they want to create.
• Children will begin to see themselves as writers- they will be ascribing to the marks they make.
• ​​​​Children talk about signs of autumn, winter and celebrations.

AUTUMN 1 NEWSLETTER 

What a great first term the children have had!

Click on the PDF below to see what we have been getting up to, things to do in half term and what we will be learning about next term. 

THIS OCTOBER HALF TERM

Kew Gardens are showing Room on a broom. See the link below for more information, 

Adults £13 and children ( 4 years + ) £5 

Children under 4 go free 

See on the newsletter above for more things to do this half term- things that are free and some that are payable. 

We're Going on a Leaf Hunt

We have been looking at the book 'We're going on a LEAF HUNT' this week and children have been joining in with the story and adding expressions. 

Why not watch the clip below together with your child and see if they can join in when it says 'we're going on a leaf hunt, we're going right away, lets fine colourful leaves'  and ... its a wonderful day!”

See if they can read it with expression. 

The book is about children going on an leaf hunt and finding lots of colourful leaves in the season Autumn. We have also been talking about what happens in Autumn in class.

Why not talk about this at home

the leaves change colour- red/orange/yellow/brown

the leaves fall down

the climate/weather gets cooler

What should we wear in autumn?- trousers/ jumpers/trainers/boots/ jackets

Autumn Stories for Kids: WE'RE GOING ON A LEAF HUNT

Week commencing 11.11.24

We have been looking at the book   'Stanley Stick' 

Children have been thinking of ideas of what their stick could turn into to support language and imagination. 

Why not watch the clip below together with your child and talk to them about what their stick or box could be 

e.g.

its not a stick its a..... broom/ spoon, skipping rope

its not a box its a.....  dog/robot/car

We have also continued our learning on shape and been finding different shapes in the environment. 

Why not try and find some shapes in the environment and ask your child about the properties e.g. 

square- 4 sides the same- equal

rectangle- 2 long sides, 2 short sides

circle- 1 curved side

triangle- 3 sides 

CHECK OUT OUR PHOTOS BELOW !

Gruffalo!

This week we have been reading the Gruffalo.

Talk to your child about the story. Can they tell you what happened?

What was their favourite part?

Who was their favourite character?

Watch the song from YouTube and see if your child can join in

WEEK 6 

Week commencing: 2.12.24

We have been looking at the book 'The Gruffalo's child' this week and children have been joining in with the story and adding expressions. 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

"I'm not scared" - in a brave voice

"you're not the mouse" - in a confused voice

 "the big bad mouse"  - in a yelling/shouting/scared voice

See if they can read it with expression.

Nativity 

Next week children will be learning about the Christmas Story. We will be talking about their understanding and what this story means to Christians around the world. Have a look at the story below with your child.

In Spring 1 we will be focussing on 

Children begin using knowledge from their life skill sessions in their free play to impart knowledge. 

Children talk about signs of winter.

Children begin to write labels, captions and simple sentences using their sounds.  This may be with adult support. They blend cvc words and read words with diagraphs. 

Children will start to record data independently in free flow and begin to answer number sums.

See below for our Autumn 2 newsletter- what we got up to this term and what will be happening in Spring 1. 

Thanks for all your support this term 

Week commencing: 9.1.24

Welcome Back! We hope you had a lovely Christmas/Winter Holiday, 

We have been looking at the book 'Polar Bear, Polar bear what do you hear?' this week and children have been joining in with the story and adding expressions. 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and join in with the repeated sentences. E.g. polar bear, polar bear, what do you hear?

lion, lion, what do you hear? 

See if you can guess the animal before it comes u

Week 4

Week commencing: 29.1.24

This week we have been learning about chinese new year, in preparation for Chinese new year being celebrated on Saturday 10th Feb.

We have been looking at the book 'Goldylucks and the three pandas' this week and children have been joining in with the story and adding expressions. 

" mmm just right " 

Do you recongise this book? Does it remind you of another story? 

How are they similar to Goldilocks and the Three Bears? 

How are they different? 

Watch the clip below to learn more about chinese new year

We will be making red envelopes with money inside, lanterns, dragon masks, dragon dances, Chinese number writing, trying prawn crackers, prawn crackers and try using chopsticks to pick up ' noodles'. 

Week 5 

week commencing 5.2.24
 

This week is children's mental health week. The theme is ' my voice matters'

This week we have been learning about our emotions and our voice. 

We have been looking at the book 'Ruby's Worry' this week and children have been joining in with the story and adding expressions. 

" ENORMOUS " 
' could it be a worry?'

Why not try and watch the clip below and have a go at joining in with the story. 

We have been talking about who helps us grow and if you have a worry the best thing to do is talk to someone e.g. mum/ dad/ cousins/ grandparents/ sisters/ brothers/ friends/ teachers. 

We have also been talking about how colours link to feelings - watch the clips below of the colour monster and inside out. 
We have also been talking about what we like and to speak out. 

Also why not try and have a go at doing the cosmic yoga trolls to spread happiness.

In Spring 2 we will be focussing on 

See below for our Spring 1 newsletter- to see an overview of what we got up to this term and what will be happening in Spring 2. 

See below for more weekly updates of what we got up to in Spring 2 :) 

Week 1

Week commencing 19.2.24

This half term we will be looking at fairy tales/traditional tales.

Fairy tales, or otherwise known as traditional tales, are stories that have been told for a long long time.

Themes: love, talking animals, magic, good vs bad, power of 3 

Setting: castle, forest 

Talk about the characters. 

We have been looking at the book 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Ghanian Goldilocks' this week and children have been joining in with the story and adding expressions. 

"mmm just right " or " whose been eating/sitting/sleeping....... my porridge/chair/bed" 

Why not try and watch the clip below and have a go at joining in with the story. 

What is similar and different about these books? 

Do they remind you of another book we read last term? answer- Goldylucks and the three pandas. 

BOOK WEEK- 04/03/24

Remember to design a  fairy tale character or superhero

Dress up as your favourite book character- Wednesday 6th MARCH

We are still continuing our learning on fairy tales/traditional tales.

Fairy tales, or otherwise known as traditional tales, are stories that have been told for a long long time. They may include themes of love, talking animals, magic, good vs bad, power of 3.

We have been looking at the book 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'The gingerbread man' this week and children have been joining in with the stories and adding expressions. 

From Little Red Riding Hood - " Oh Grandma, what big....... you have" 

From Gingerbread man- " run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread man' 

Why not try and watch the clips below and have a go at joining in with the stories. 

Questions/discussion points to ask with your child about the books: 

Who are the characters in the story?

Who is the baddie? ( wolf and the fox)

Did you like the story? Why?  

What themes are in the story? ( good vs bad) ( talking animals) 

Where was the story set? ( deep dark forest and the cottage) 

Week 4

Week commencing: 11.3.24

We are still continuing our learning on fairy tales/traditional tales.

Fairy tales, or otherwise known as traditional tales, are stories that have been told for a long long time. They may include themes of love, talking animals, magic, good vs bad, power of 3.

We have been looking at the book Jack and the beanstalk and 'The enormous turnip' this week and children have been joining in with the stories and adding expressions. 

From Jack and the beanstalk- "FEE FI FO FUM" 

From The enormous turnip-  " ...but the turnip didn't budge" 

Why not try and watch the clips below and have a go at joining in with the stories. 

Questions/discussion points to ask with your child about the books: 

Who are the characters in the story?
Can you describe the characters? What do they look like?

Who is the baddie? 

Did you like the story? Why?

How do you know they are fairy tales- What themes are in the story? ( good vs bad) ( talking animals) 

Week 5

Week commencing: 18.3.24

We are still continuing our learning on fairy tales/traditional tales.

Fairy tales, or otherwise known as traditional tales, are stories that have been told for a long long time. They may include themes of love, talking animals, magic, good vs bad, power of 3.

We have been looking at the book 'Cinderella' 'Rapunzel' and 'Snow White' this week and children have been introduced to speech bubbles to also show someone is talking. 

Why not try and watch the clips below and have a go at joining in with the stories. 

Questions/discussion points to ask with your child about the books: 

Who are the characters in the story?
Can you describe the characters? What do they look like?

Who is the baddie? 

Did you like the story? Why?

How do you know they are fairy tales- What themes are in the story? ( good vs bad) ( talking animals) ( love) ( magic) 

Week commencing: 25.3.23

We are on our last week of our learning on fairy tales/traditional tales. Thankyou to everyone who bought in their fairy tale boxes. We enjoyed listening to the children retelling their fairy tale story using their box.

Fairy tales, or otherwise known as traditional tales, are stories that have been told for a long long time. They may include themes of love, talking animals, magic, good vs bad, power of 3.

We have been looking at the book 'Princess and the Pea' and 'Hansel and Gretal' this week and children have been introduced to speech bubbles to also show someone is talking. 

Why not try and watch the clips below and have a go at joining in with the stories. 

Questions/discussion points to ask with your child about the books: 

Who are the characters in the story?
Can you describe the characters? What do they look like?

Who is the baddie? 

Did you like the story? Why?

How do you know they are fairy tales- What themes are in the story? ( good vs bad) ( love) (magic) 

WEEK 1

Week commencing: 15.4.24

We will be looking at the book 'Ramadan Moon' this week and learning about the religion Islam. We will be learning about Muslims and how the celebrate Ramadan and Eid. We will learn about the Crescent moon, how Muslims give to the poor/charity, how they try to be kind, caring and polite and not get angry, how they fast ( don't eat in the day), how they pray, where they pray ( at home or in a mosque). When Eid comes they have a party, have hennas, have sweets, wear new clothes, have haircuts and have family members/ friends/visitors come over. 

We will be making our own mosques from the blocks or from drawing, making our own henna patterns. We will have a go at drawing the moon and star (symbol for Islam). We also will make our own crescent moon from tin foil in our art lesson. 

Eid Mubark! 

Week 2

Week commencing: 22.4.24

We have been looking at the book 'The hungry caterpillar ' this week and ' The crunching munching caterpillar. We have been learning the life cycle of a butterfly. First it is an egg-caterpillar- chrysalis- butterfly and children have been acted this out as a form of dancing. We have also got our very own real caterpillars that we are looking after and will observe them over time. 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

 The crunching munching caterpillar

"munch crunch" 

"well you can't" - in a strong demanding voice

 "I guess so"  - in a glum voice/ sigh 

See if they can read it with expression. 

 The hungry caterpillar 

...' but he was still hungry' 

Talk about the days of the week and healthy/unhealthy foods. 

Week 3
Week commencing: 29.4.24

We have been looking at the books 'The very busy spider ' and ' The bad tempered ladybird' this week. 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

 The Very Busy Spider

The noises the animal makes e.g. "“oink” “ baa!” etc… and 
'The spider didn’t answer. She was very busy spinning her web.' 

 The Bad Tempered Ladybird

See if they can read it with expression. 

Also talk about time- what do you do at different times of the day e.g. morning/ lunch/dinner. Why not try and play a time game below and continue learning about o'clock and half past. 

WEEK 4

Week commencing: 6.5.24

We have been looking at the books 'Sam plants a sunflower seed ' and 'Oliver's fruit salad/ Oliver's vegetables'

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

“but where are my big yellow sunflowers?"

We have been planting our own sunflowers seeds and following step by step instructions. 

1. Put soil in the pot

2. make a hole

3. add the seed

4. cover the seed with soil

5. water it and put it in sunlight

6. check it to see when it is growing 

WEEK 5

Week commencing: 13.5.24

We have been looking at the books 'the Tiny Seed ' and 'Errol's Garden'

Why not watch the clips below, together with your child. 

We have been planning our own imaginary gardens where we have been talking about different things we can plant e.g. different flower seeds, fruits and vegetables. 

We have been learning new flower names e.g. poppy, sunflower, bluebells, lavender, pansies, daisy's, Lily's and daffodils. 

Week 6

Week commencing: 20.5.24

We have been looking at the book 'Twist and Hop Minibeast Bop' and ' Superworm' 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child- try and spot the rhyming words in the story. 

Why not try and think of words that rhyme with cat? - dig? - sun? - pot? 

Remember rhyming words are words that sound similar and they normally end in the same sounds. 

Phonics and Maths homework

Phonics is recapping all words and sounds from this term ( see below for each weeks phonics hw) 

Maths is addition/ subtraction/ telling the time - o clock / dividing- sharing out 

SUMMER 2

In Summer 2 we will be focussing on...

• Children talk about the season summer and can compare the seasons.
• Children reflect on their learning journeys. 
• Children participate in adult led activities to support transition into year 1.
• Children begin to reflect on their work/models/artwork and think how they could make it better or self-correct mistakes.
• Children are independent in most areas of learning and will find ways to support them to complete a task e.g. visual aids.
• Children continue to use mathematical/topical/science language in free play confidently, to describe and/or categorise objects, to impart their knowledge e.g. with animals, sizes, weight, capacity.

WEEK 2

Week commencing: 10.6.24

We have been looking at the book 'What the ladybird heard on holiday ' this week.
For the next few weeks we will be looking at farm animals, zoo animals and pets. 
We will also be learning about what baby farm animals are called and part of your half term challenge was to try and find out this.

What is a baby called pig/ horse/ cow/ rabbit/dog/cat/ goat/ duck/ chicken called?

See if the children can sort farm and zoo animals out. What animal lives on a farm? What lives at the zoo? 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

"the ladybird never said a word" 

and see if they can join in with the animal noises
 

See if the children can draw their own zoo map. What animals would they like to put in their zoo. 

WEEK 3 
week commencing:17.6.24

We have been looking at the book 'Squash and a Squeeze ' this week.
For the next few weeks we will be looking at farm animals, zoo animals and pets. 
We will also be learning about what baby farm animals are called and part of your half term challenge was to try and find out this.

What is a baby called pig/ horse/ cow/ rabbit/dog/cat/ goat/ duck/ chicken called?

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

"Wise old man won't you help me, please? My house is squash and a squeeze" 

and see if they can join in with the animal noises

We will be measuring this week using non- standard units ( using cubes) 

We will be encouraging children to use different mathematical language to describe things instead of using the words big and small

e.g. heavy/light      wide/ narrow     long/ short        tall/ short 

Encourage using this language at home and if you got some cubes get them to start measuring things - ensuring they start from either end NOT in the middle 

Week 5 
week commencing 1.7.24

We have been looking at the book 'Tiddler' this week.

We have started our final topic of seaside/ underwater. 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

"sorry I'm late" " TIDDLER'S LATE!"

Talk about the sea animals in the stories - their names, what they look like, any special characteristics. 

What will be your excuse if you was late for school? 

WEEK 6

Week commencing: 8.7.24

We have been looking at the book 'SPLASH!' this week.

We have started our final topic of seaside/ underwater. 

Why not watch the clip below, together with your child and see if they can join in when it says

"will you come and play in the waves with me?"

" And she wants to splash with somebody!"

Talk about what you would do at the beach and what you would bring to the beach with you?

We will be writing lists next week.