As part of our 'in the woods' topic we are reading 'The Gruffalo' Story next week. 
​The sounds we are learning are i, n, p, g & o. 
Show and Tell is on Wednesday. Please bring 'something you find in the woods'. This could be an object e.g, leaves, conkers or a toy woodland animal. If you have trouble finding an object maybe bring a relevant book, photo or picture/art work. Not all children have to show something every week 

As part of our topic and maths work next week we need lots of natural objects for counting, drawing, sorting etc. If you can collect any of the following it would be appreciated - stones, sticks, conkers, acorns, pinecones etc. 

On Wednesday we went to the secret garden, for some children it was their first visit so there was lots to explore. As we had been enjoying the story 'Owl Babies' we decided to find different natural materials to make nests. The children also thought of their own activities. One group of children challenged themselves to move some large pallets around, they worked as a team and used ropes to lift and drag them. The little den and tree climbing was also very popular. 

All children visit the library every Tuesday. If they have their book bag in school with their library book in they are able to change if for a new one. They are not expected to read these books themselves, these are intended for story times with parents.
A few children are ready for reading books. If your child has a reading book please help them to read it regularly at home. Please sign in their blue reading diary when you have shared the book at home. Please do not feel you have to write a long comment every time, just your initials are fine. We aim to hear your child read 1:1 about twice a week in school so please make sure the book and diary is in school every day even If you haven't had time to share it at home. If you child needs a new book please encourage them to tell us.  
If your child has not got a reading book yet please do not worry. We are still assessing the children and each child will start when they are ready.

Next week we are reading the story 'Owl Babies' by Martin Waddell.
For Show & Tell on Wednesday please bring something with wings!  
We are still completing our Baseline Assessments with the children so we are not  due to start our Read Write Inc phonics program yet. We will however, begin to practise some letter sounds next week. The sounds we will be learning are m, a, s, d & t.

I thought it would be useful to explain our use of rewards and sanctions in Panda Class. Our main system works alongside the whole school policy, I have made it appropriate to the age of the children.
Each child has a star with their name on and every morning their name is on the 'ready to learn' sign. If a child does something really impressive their name moves to the 'superstar' sign. This could be a lovely piece of work, being kind to a friend, good manners, trying their best etc. Anyone on the 'superstar' gets a sticker at home time. There are also two other signs their name may get moved to. 'Time to think' is like a gentle warning or reminder to think about their behaviour. The last sign is 'Talk to parents'. On most occasions unwanted behaviour is dealt with in class but please be reassured that I will talk to you after school if there are any significant concerns that day. 
Below are some pictures of our behaviour chart, well done to all those children who were 'superstars' on  Friday.

As well as our superstar chart all the children have little cards in their trays. The cards have numbers to 10 on them and we hole punch holes on each number in turn as they do something well. When they have all 10 holes we give them a clap and they can take the card home to show you and start with a new card in school.

Finally we have a 'Panda of the week' certificate on a Friday for one child who has impressed us. As well as the certificate they get to take home Bamboo our class panda for the weekend. Bamboo has a diary for you to record the weekend and your child will then show this to the class the following Tuesday.

I would like to welcome all the new parents and children to Panda class, thank you for finding your way to our class blog. I aim to add to this blog at least once a week, the more parents that read the blog, the more successful it is.

The children had a brilliant first week. I was very impressed with how happy and confident they were from day one. We have achieved so much in just a few days. The children have learnt new routines and are making new friendships.

We have been to music, painted ourselves in our uniforms, sorted beads by size and colour, make playdough cakes, climbed on the new climbing frame, listened and responded to stories, counted to 100 and so much more. If you child is tired it is no surprise!

Each half term we have a different topic to explore. This half term is 'In the Woods', one of my favourite topics. Next week we are reading the familiar story 'Goldilocks and the three bears' and we have lots of exciting activities planned around this story.

Every Wednesday we have 'Show & Tell'. There is usually a theme, this week please can the children bring their favourite teddy bear from home to talk about.

On Thursday after school is our 'meet the teacher' meeting. I look forward to seeing you there. It is a chance for us to pass on useful information and for parents to ask questions as well as to have a look at the classroom where our learning takes place.