Monthly Archives: October 2019

P4 Homework w/b 23.10.19

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Welcome back! We hope you had a lovely October holiday and are feeling refreshed and ready for this next term.

As we have such a short week this week, there is only spelling homework to complete at home and returned by Tuesday 29th October.

Homework

  • Spelling:Pupils have written their new spelling words in their jotter today. At home they should use:

    LOOK  THINK  COVER  WRITE   CHECK

    to write out their new spelling words three times in neat columns. They should also complete a green activity card which will earn pupils 2 credit card points. An optional red activity may be completed for extra practice (and 1 credit card point) but is not mandatory.

Reading and maths work will continue in class and homework will start up again next week.

Additional Information

The Viking Quest activity is not compulsory and is only a suggestion of a game to try. As some people cannot access this at home then we will get the opportunity to play in school during ICT time.

Our Viking topic has got off to a great start and we are building up our learning to be showcased in our P4 Viking Assembly (date/time to be confirmed). If you have any cardboard that is to be recycled then please send into school to help us build our Viking shields. Finished cereal boxes would be great.

Friday 25th October 2019 – Dress down day

If possible please bring in a tombola prize appropriate for a child to win as a prize

 

PE – every Tuesday and Thursday with a 6 week block of Rugby starting on Thursday 31st October, 1:45 – 2:30pm (please ensure PE kit comes back into school)

Swimming – meet at your usual place, either at the bottom of the safe route or at the pool itsel,f and we will be having our 9th session on Friday 25th October!

Many thanks,

Mrs Watts & Mrs Roy

 

 

People Who Help Us Topic – p1 need your help

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Primary One have started their second topic of the year. We are going to be learning about all of the people in our community who help keep us healthy and safe. We would absolutely love if any parents or family members who work in any of these roles could come in and talk to us about your job and the role you play in our lives.

We already have a visit from the local community police officers booked in for the 31st of October. If you or any of your family work as part of the emergency services, part of a dental practice or veterinary practice or any other role relevant to our topic we would love you to join us at a time suitable for you.

If you are interested could you send me an email at k.ramsay@mgfl.net and we can arrange a time to pop in.

Thanks in advance,

Miss Ramsay

Sleep Workshop

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Hi all ,

Jane and Laura from our nursery have very kindly opened up a sleep workshop to p1 parents as well as their own nursery parents in early November .  The first workshop is on Friday the 1st of November from 11am-12.15pm and the second on Wednesday the 6th of November from 1:45pm- 3pm. Please note that should you wish to attend you only need to attend one workshop. If these dates don’t suit you don’t worry as our lovely nursery ladies will be running these workshops again next session.

I’m sure it’s going to be a very beneficial workshop for anyone who feels they need some support establishing a good sleep routine with their little one.

A letter has been sent home with regards to this (23/10/19) and if you wish to attend please fill in the tear off slip and return to the school office by the 31st of October.

Kind Regards,

Miss Ramsay

P7 Info W/B 23rd October 2019

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Hi all,

I hope everyone had a nice break. We only have a short week ahead before heading off to camp next Tuesday.

Info for this week:

Wednesday – PE – Please can everyone have a full PE kit to change into.

  • No Lunchtime Drawing Club

Friday – Dress Down Day – I realise most P7s will miss our Halloween disco next Thursday due to camp, so it’s up to you if your child would like to dress down and bring a tombola prize as a donation for the disco.

Independent Study Task – Children have chosen which area of World War 2 they would like to research independently. We will plan this properly over the next few days and draw up a timetable for this. I will not send home any maths this week or next. Thanks to all who completed the volume task.

World War 2 Topic –If anyone has a family member who remembers  WW2 as a child and would like to share their stories with us, that would be incredible. We will start to read Carrie’s War in class as our latest novel.

Numeracy – We have formed ‘Times Teams’ in class – a buddy system which focuses on learning our times tables efficiently. This really is a priority as poor knowledge of times tables impacts on so many other areas of numeracy. Maths – We’ll revise time telling using a normal clock face, digital clock and 12/24 hour clock.

Card designs – The annual card design activity is upon us. Children will design a card at school and bring this home for you to view and order a set of cards if you wish. This is a great fundraiser for school funds. **There has been a time extension to this so if anyone still has one to hand in, please do so this week with the correct money please.**

School Camp – The children and I will discuss camp this week and ensure we all are prepared for next week. The countdown is on! If your child is not going to camp, we will discuss what his/her timetable will look like next week too.

Learning Trio Notes – The notes discussed at the Parents’ Meetings should be sent home by Friday.

Clock Change – Just a reminder that the clocks go back one hour this weekend.

 

Thanks for your support,

Miss S Brunt

 

 

 

 

This week’s homework (due 25th October)

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Hello everyone, I hope you have all managed to have a restful and enjoyable October break!

Since we only have 2 and a half days in school this week, I have decided that spelling/Read-Write-Inc. is all I will be sending home to be completed by Friday. Reading will resume next week.

This week is your last chance to return winter holiday cards, so if you wish to make an order can you please bring that in as soon as possible. Exact change is preferable as it saves having to keep track of change owed ect.

I look forward to welcoming back Primary 3 tomorrow!

Best wishes,

Mr McGaff

Primary One Homework – clarification.

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Hi all,

I hope you and your families have had a wonderful October break and are rested and ready for another term at Loanhead!

One of the most common pieces of feedback that came up at parents evening was that there was some confusion regarding homework and what should be done and when. I apologise for any confusion but here is a list of everything you should have.

READING BOOK

Every child has a reading book. Some may have words and some may not. This  depends on how quickly your child has picked up their sounds and tricky words.  Reading is done every day in school so it is essential that your child’s book bag is in school every day. Book bags are also where all letters and school correspondence is placed. If a book bag is not there you may miss some information. If you find your child has maybe missed a new book on a Monday due to having forgotten their book bag or something please let me know ASAP. I do keep a list but it does get difficult to keep track of 25 books amongst everything else and I want your children to be excited to get their new book each week.

KEY WORDS

Stage 1 Key words- Picture and early reader books.

Stage 2

Every child should have a set of key words that look like this. These were handed out last term. If you find that you don’t have a copy please contact me. Once your child has been able to confidently and independently identify a key word 3 times they can colour that word in on their sheet. This lets me know when they are ready to be assessed for the next reading stage. I am going to send home small flash cards of these words this week. Feel free to use these as you please. I will send them home in sandwich bags however these aren’t ideal and are easily damaged. If you have any small Tupperware containers such as these below can you please transfer the laminated cards over.

You may find you also get home a small list like the one below. These are the same words as the lists above but they just tell you what the focus key words of this weeks book are so you can focus on them at home. If you do not receive one of these every week don’t worry just continue to revise the words on the Key stage 2 sheet/flash cards.

READING JOURNAL

This is in your child’s book bag as a way for us to communicate with regards to your child’s reading. For example if there is a key word I think should be the main focus at home this week that they have been struggling with in class I will leave a short note. Similarly, feel free to write any notes or questions you have in the journal. However, I do ask if it is something urgent or of great importance please catch me at drop off and pick up times or send me an email at k.ramsay@mgfl.net.

HELP SHEET

The extended stories and questions are sent home as a list of suggestions to help you to encourage a variety of reading skills at home. They may not be available for every book but where they are they are sent home.

TRICKY WORDS

A copy of this was given to most parents at parents evening. If you don’t have them let me know and I can get you a copy. Tricky words are words that can’t be sounded out and just has to be learnt as a whole word. They are used an incredible amount in reading and writing and if your child doesn’t learn them it can really impact upon their progress. We learn two new tricky words a week. We are currently working on the red list and we will be starting back this week on the word ‘be’. Similarly to sounds, these are taught one on a Monday and one on a Wednesday. These can be written on flash cards, used in pairs, snap or pong or written in sand, foam, play dough. The possibilities are endless. If you feel you are out of ideas look at Pinterest; it is a brilliant resource.

SOUND SHEETS

Each week in class we learn two new sounds. This week our focus is going to be on ‘o’ and ‘u’. Ideally one sheet should be completed on a Monday and one on a Wednesday as these are the days we learn our new sounds and these sheets will help to consolidate learning from in school. However that is not to say they MUST be done then, please make it work for your family life. Every child should have a booklet with the jolly phonics sounds order on the front and flashcards for each sound that you can cut up.

 

THIS WEEK

Our Sounds: ‘o’ and ‘u’

Our Tricky words: ‘be’ and ‘was’

Reading books.

Chips: The Water Fight

Biffs: Kipper’s Birthday

 

Kippers: The Swing Ball

Floppys: The Swing Ball

 

FINALLY…

I know this is an incredibly long post but I really wanted to clarify for all who were a bit confused what each item is for as I know it is a lot. Please don’t feel that you have to do everything every night. Maybe on a night with a phonics sheet forgo a reading book and hunt for key words in a story your child has selected or play a game with key/tricky words. Input at home is so crucial and all of your help at home is appreciated and makes a world of difference to your little ones learning.

Book bags are collected in on a Friday and must stay in school so I can look through homework jotters and change over books.

Thank you to everyone who came along to parents evening it was lovely to share our learning with you and everyone will receive their written strengths, areas for development and targets by the end of this week.

Looking forward to seeing your little ones  back and ready to learn on Wednesday!

All the Best,

Miss Ramsay

Phonics Information

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JOLLY PHONICS

WHAT IS JOLLY PHONICS?
Jolly Phonics is a fun and child centred approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics. With actions for each of the 42 letter sounds, the multi-sensory method is very motivating for children. The letter sounds are split into seven groups, as shown in the Letter Sound Order chart below.

HOW DOES JOLLY PHONICS WORK?
Using a synthetic phonics approach, Jolly Phonics teaches children the five key skills for reading and writing. Complimented by Jolly Readers and Jolly Grammar, it provides a thorough foundation for teaching literacy over three years in school.

LETTER SOUND ORDER
The sounds are taught in a specific order (not alphabetically). This enables children to begin building words as early as possible.

THERE ARE FIVE SKILLS TAUGHT IN JOLLY PHONICS

1.LEARNING THE LETTER SOUNDS
Children are taught the 42 main letter sounds. These include alphabet sounds as well as digraphs such as sh, th, ai and ue.

2.LEARNING LETTER FORMATION
Using different multi-sensory methods, children learn how to form and write the letters.

3.BLENDING
Children are taught how to blend the sounds together to read and write new words.

4.IDENTIFYING THE SOUNDS IN WORDS (SEGMENTING)
Listening for the sounds in words gives children the best start for improving spelling.

5.TRICKY WORDS
Tricky words have irregular spellings and children learn these separately.

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS OF LEARNING TRICKY SPELLINGS:

  • Look, Cover, Write and Check. Look at the word to see which bit is tricky.
  • Ask the child to try writing the word in the air saying the letters.
  • Cover the word over and see if the child can write it correctly.
  • Check to make sure.
  • Mnemonics. The initial letter of each word in a saying gives the correct spelling of a word. For instance, ‘laugh’ – Laugh at Ugly Goat’s Hair.
  • Using cursive (joined up) writing also improves spelling.
  • Say it as it sounds. Say the word so that each sound is heard. For instance, the word ‘what’ is said w – hat.

*Halloween Disco and Dress down day*

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*Halloween Disco and Dress down day*

DRESS DOWN DAY ON FRIDAY 25TH OF OCTOBER – Pupils should dress down for school on this day and bring in a tombola prize for the Halloween disco (e.g. Halloween sweets or small Halloween toy, cup, craft activity etc).

HALLOWEEN DISCO – Thursday 31st October.  6.30pm – 7.30 pm

Judging will be at 6.30pm prompt in the small hall. On the night there will be Pumpkin lantern displays and prizes, tattoos, tombola and lots of fun and dancing.