Welcome to Donaldson Class 

Year 1 is a fantastic year, building on the foundations of Reception. Your child will continue to develop their independence throughout the year and build up stamina for concentrating for longer periods of time. We have some amazing topics to learn, such as the Great Fire of London and all about canals!

Staff

Mrs Jorgensen will teach Year 1 everyday except for Thursdays. Mrs Sawyer will teach you on a Thursday. Mrs Gregory and Mrs Brady will support the Year 1 team. Please feel free to contact us with any queries; we enjoy working in partnership with parents and carers, to ensure the best outcomes for your children.

Curriculum

Our curriculum is inspired by what we know children of 5 and 6 years of age love to learn, as well as being completely embedded within the expectations of the National Curriculum. We have made links through the year so your child's learning builds on what they already know, is ambitious for what they can achieve and aspirational for what can be learned. A full list of our topic webs and plan for the year can be found in the folders on the right hand side of this page.

Reading

Phonics is a huge part of learning in Year 1. Reading unlocks so many doors for children and adults, which is why it is so important that your children become confident and competent readers, who have a love of books and all that they offer. Reading for 5-10 minutes a day at home will allow your child to thrive in all areas of the curriculum. This valuable time can be an opportunity to tackle new words, discuss new word meanings, and enjoy discussing new texts together. We love hearing your children read in school, which takes place daily/weekly/fortnightly depending on the needs of your child. We will continue to communicate in their reading record and look forward to reading about how your child is progressing at home.

"There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place." "If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book." "When in doubt, go to the library."

Each week, your child will receive a mixture of Common Exception Words and patterned spellings to learn at home via Google Classroom. We will be learning these over the course of each week within school. A spelling quiz will take place once a week on the learnt words. We are striving for children to become confident spellers who apply their knowledge into all areas of writing.

Mathematics

An overview of what we are learning in school is on our topic web; this gives you and your child an opportunity to practise and share the strategies that they are learning within school and consolidate learning.

Trips and Visitors

In Donaldson class we enjoy visits from our grandparents and the fire service. We also enjoy a visit to the zoo as part of our science work and the canal as part of our history work.

Daily Organisation

Children need to bring their reading books, reading records and a water bottle into school every day; water bottles should be filled with water only. Even during the colder months, it is important that the children keep hydrated throughout the day. At break time, a healthy snack is provided by school. Children should wear their PE kit to school on PE days. Please make sure all clothes, water bottles and book bags are clearly labelled. 

We look forward to all of the opportunities through Year 1, watching every single member of our class grow in confidence as they travel through their learning journey.

‘And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.’ – The Minpins (Roald Dahl)