The parent newsletter is sent out, via email, on Mondays. Please read this every week for the most recent updates on events.

Key dates:

May Bank Holiday: Monday 4th May 2026

Friday 15th May - The Farm trip

Monday 25th May 2026 

May Half Term Holiday: Monday 25th May 2026 to Friday 29th May 2026

The children have also been working on their gross motor and physical development skills, which are essential for building strength, balance, and overall body control. They have been given opportunities to climb, balance, and move in different ways, helping them to develop confidence in their physical abilities and awareness of space.

Through these activities, the children are learning how to work together, follow simple rules, and develop important physical skills that support their overall development.

As they grow in confidence, they will also begin learning Set 2 sounds. The children will practise orally blending, as well as reading and writing words that include these new sounds, helping them to become more confident and independent readers

To support your child at home please can you:

- watch the videos sent home daily by your class teacher and weekly from their phonics' teacher each week via teams.

- Read with your child everyday for 20 minutes. This link shows you how to support your child when reading at home. https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6snIXuLO/0spiTZeQ

- Practice speed reading the green words sheet sent home (this is a sheet with a variety of words on). This could be made into a game ' how many words can you read in 1 minute'

- Encourage children to 'fred talk' and orally blend words for example... c   a   t - cat. These are the sounds they are learning:

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/JqgbttmG/UYyoOrML

- Regularly use the speed sounds chart at the front of the phonics book to rehearse the sounds. See image attached.

- Practice reading 'alien words' with your child at home. These are made up words that support you child in learning to blend sounds.

In the second half of the term, the children will be focusing on The Farmer Duck. As part of their learning, they will be exploring farm animals in the story, and retell a story using vocabulary. Read them a range of stories surrounding the farm and animals, non-fiction books and watching videos. It would be a great opportunity to expand their knowledge.

Nurturing your child's imagination and foster a love of reading, be sure to read a variety of stories together and discuss what you've read. Talk about the characters and key events in the story. Each week, your child will continue to bring home library books for you to read to them. This is a great opportunity to talk about the characters and key events in the story.

Each week, your child will continue to bring home library books for you to read to them. This is a great opportunity to engage with your child, ask questions about the story, and explore different themes and ideas together.

The children will begin to recognise and identify coins, including 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2, helping them to build early understanding of money and its value.

Alongside this, they will be learning about number bonds to 5 before progressing onto number bonds to 10. These activities will help the children develop a strong foundation in number sense and support their overall confidence in maths.

After learning about The Gingerbread Man, the children were very excited to make their own gingerbread biscuits, carefully following instructions and enjoying the process from start to finish. A highlight of the term was a special visit from a theatre group, who performed and re-enacted the story, capturing the children’s attention and making the experience even more memorable. The children also loved retelling stories, acting them out, and discussing their favourite characters, helping to build their confidence and language skills.

This term has been busy and full of exciting experiences as the children have been learning about and celebrating a variety of important religious festivals, including Easter, Holi, and Eid. The children have enjoyed learning about different cultures and traditions, and it has been wonderful to see them take pride in their own backgrounds. They had the opportunity to wear their cultural clothing, have henna designs applied to their hands, and take part in meaningful discussions about these special celebrations.

We also had a lovely Mother Language Day, where parents were invited into the classroom to share stories in their home languages or teach the children new words and phrases. This was a truly special experience that helped the children appreciate the diversity within our school community.