The children have had a wonderfully busy first full week in Pufferfish, and I am so proud of how quickly they have settled into school life. They are already learning our daily routines with such enthusiasm, often reminding me to move the arrow along the timeline if I forget!
This week, we began our phonics journey, introducing the sounds s, a, t, and p through our Little Wandle phonics scheme. You can find guidance and advice on how to support your child at home by following this link: https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/.
In literacy, we have also launched into Drawing Club. Our story focus last week was The Cat, the Mouse and the Runaway Train. The children created wonderful train drawings and used their ‘magic codes’ to decide what might happen next. We had flying trains soaring through the sky and trains with legs marching along the track! Drawing Club sessions always begin with a story to spark curiosity, followed by drawing, secret symbols, and imaginative ideas. This special approach helps children build language, creativity, confidence, and a love of stories, all while having fun.
In maths, we have started the term with number rhymes, using our fingers to represent numbers. So far, we have enjoyed singing Two Little Dickie Birds, Tommy Thumb, Three Blind Mice, Eight Fat Sausages, and Dingle Dangle Scarecrow. The lyrics and music can all be found online, and we encourage you to sing them together at home. Number rhymes are a joyful way to support counting forwards and backwards, develop early maths understanding, and build memory, language, listening, and coordination skills.
The children have shown a real passion for creating and building, which has led to some fantastic conversations about inventing and working together. They have also loved exploring colour mixing in different ways, as an introduction to the artist Wassily Kandinsky, who we will be learning more about this half term.
On Friday, your child brought home a yellow “WOW” cloud. These are for you to share special moments, big or small, that made you think “wow!” (for example, sleeping in their own bed, setting the table, putting on a coat independently). Once returned, we celebrate these in class and display them proudly on our WOW Wall.
Please send a family photo and a photo of your pets for our class books. The children love looking at each other’s photos and sharing their own stories. Photos can be sent to parents@westoverprimary.co.uk
Looking ahead, we are already preparing for Christmas card artwork. Your child’s designs can be ordered and transformed into beautiful cards to share with friends and family. Please ensure all artwork for orders is returned by Monday 29th September, ready for delivery at the start of December.
This week, we will also be starting toothbrushing after lunch. This will only include children whose signed consent forms have been returned, so please send yours in as soon as possible if you would like your child to take part.
Finally, we are looking forward to another exciting week, with plenty of opportunities to practise writing our names and strengthen fine motor skills.
Thank you for your continued support,
Mrs. Mackett
