Wk: 19th May 2025

Round and round the garden and When I grow up.

It’s hard to believe that we are already coming to the end of this half time, it only just feels like it has started.

Maple children continued with Round and round the garden. We focussed this week on their cutting skills. The children chose which types of paper they would like, they also chose glue and a variety of scissors to practise with. They showed great perserverance, especially when cutting tissue paper. They cut, tore and scrunched different papers up, made some beautiful collages which we then displayed in the classroom.

Elm joined Maple for some more St Mary’s room olympics - Maple children loved showing Elm children how to use the tools on the whiteboard. As well as our carousel of activities we also joined in with Cosmic kids going on a bear hunt. A much loved story with everyone repeating the phrases as they squelched and swished on their way to the deep dark gloomy cave.

Elm children read the book’When I grow up’, they all had a chat about what they would like to be when they do grow up and they then drew pictures of what they will look like.

In maths they have been continuing focussing on the number 5, confidently showing how to make 5, recognising the numerals and knowing the value. This focus will also continue the first week back after half term.

We have been talking to all the children about how grown up they have become and talked to the Maple children that will soon become Elm children and how they feel about that (all very excited) and the same with Elm children about being big Reception children. One aspect in their day which will differ is lunchtime. Once the children are in Holly class they will have their lunch in the lunch hall. So on Wednesday, Mrs Wilford, Mrs Park and their present Holly children came to see Elm class with an invite to come and join them in the lunch hall. Initially, we had a little apprehension from some children, but they all wanted to try it and Rachel, Mrs Wilford and Mrs Park stayed with them for the entire time. After about 30 minutes Maple children could hear all these excited sounds coming from familiar voices - it was Elm coming back, having eaten with Holly class. I’m sure they all looked more grown up when they came back. They were very excited to tell Maple children everything they had done, where they had sat. The children which already have hot lunches were very impressed that they actually got to walk up to the serving hatch and choose their own food before carrying their trays back to the table, watched with big eyes from their peers.

The children enjoyed it so much, they have asked if they can have lunch in the hall again. We have planned for it to happen once a week (normally on a Wednesday as we have sufficient enough staff to be in two different rooms), don’t panic if your child does not attend on a Wednesday, we are also going to be having little groups go down on different days with their friends so we can ensure everyone has had their lunch in the hall.

We are all so very proud of all of Elm children, they are definitely ready to become big Holly children soon!

Well, after a lovely couple of weeks of sunshine, we hope that the weather continues for the next week so everyone has the chance to enjoy the weather during the Whitsun holidays.

Have a lovely week and we shall see you all when school reopens on Monday 2nd June.