Another busy and exciting term has flown by in Holly Class and we are so proud of everything the children have achieved. In phonics, we have now finished learning our Set 1 sounds and have moved on to Set 2 sounds. The children are now learning digraphs and trigraphs and are growing in confidence every day with their reading and writing. We have also been practising our red words, which include a grotty grapheme, which we know we just have to learn by sight.

In Drawing Club, we have focused on Traditional Tales with a twist, including Goldilocks and the Three Crocodiles, Three Billy Goats Fluff and The Great Gran Plan. We have explored the characters and settings in each story and the children have been incredibly creative during Adventure Time. We have been working hard on writing full sentences and remembering to add a full stop at the end. Some of us are now writing much more independently which is great! 

In Maths, we have been busy learning about the numbers 6, 7 and 8. We have been finding one more and one less and have also begun learning about doubles and pairs, using butterflies and ladybirds to help us. More recently, we have explored length and height, linking this to Valentine’s Day by sorting roses by their length. 

We have also been developing our understanding of the world around us by looking at our local area and where we live. The children have learned what their address is and what it means as well as locating different places within Midsomer Norton. The highlight was definitely finding our houses on Google Maps! We then made Valentine’s Day cards and posted them to our own homes in the big red letterbox, which caused lots of excitement!! 

We were very lucky to welcome PC Hillier to school for Police Officer Day. He arrived in his police car with two dogs and we were able to sit in the car and turn the lights on. We watched the dogs sniff and find a hidden item around the car and before he left, PC Hillier sounded the sirens-they were very loud! He told us about his role and how his job helps the community.

We also enjoyed our first official school trip as we walked down to Specsavers in town to learn about the role of the optician and how they help us. The staff were very kind and showed us some of the amazing equipment they use before letting us try on some glasses. We were kindly donated some hi-vis jackets, which we proudly wore back to school.

In DT and Science, we have been learning about waterproof materials and investigating which materials float and sink. We applied this knowledge when we designed and made our own boats, testing them carefully to see if they would stay afloat. Finally, STEM Week brought even more excitement when a real-life tractor parked on our playground. We were also visited by a veterinary nurse, who let us hold a real bone, and a pilot who explained how STEM influences his job. It has truly been a wonderful term full of learning, exploration and memorable experiences for Holly Class.

Term 4

Forest - Tuesday
Children should come into school wearing their forest clothes-their own clothes. Waterproofs-coat and trousers, wellies and extra layers (including socks!)

PE - Friday
Children should come into school wearing their PE kits.

Reading -To read at least 3x a week (scheme book/ book to share). Speed Sound Book/Sound Blending Book-daily. All reading to be evidenced in Reading Records. 

Your child will also have some red word flash cards to help them learn them by sight. Please remember that they are unable to be sounded out phonetically due to the ‘grotty grapheme’.

Over the last half term, in Holly Class, our focus was on Celebrations and Festivals. We explored why different events are celebrated and learned to appreciate the special traditions connected to them.

We began with Firefighter Day when Firefighter Pete visited us. We learnt important safety rules, including what to do in case of a fire. We practised the fireman shuffle, which helped us understand how to stay safe in an emergency. We tried on a real fireman helmet and felt what it’s like to be a firefighter. We also had the exciting experience of putting out fires, which helped us understand the role firefighters play in keeping everyone safe.

In Drawing Club, we explored stories such as Owl Babies, Santa's Postbox, The Gingerbread Man, and The Best Diwali Ever. We learnt five new vocabulary words connected to these stories, and added actions to them to help us remember. We created secret number codes and added magical aspects to the characters and settings in the stories. We also used our phonics knowledge to write CVC words and short phrases, which has helped us develop our early writing skills and creativity.

In phonics, we learnt new sounds and began to practise segmenting and blending words. We used finger spaces between words and Fred Fingers to help us spell words correctly-as us to show you how!

In maths, we explored ABAB patterns and matching pairs, which helped us recognise sequences and similarities. We practised counting numbers 1–5 and subitising, which allowed us to quickly identify small quantities without counting. We used tens frames and part-whole models to understand number relationships, helping us build a strong foundation in number sense.

In science, we learnt about nocturnal animals and discovered which animals are active at night and how they survive. We also learnt the importance of looking after our teeth, including brushing techniques and healthy habits to keep our teeth strong and clean.

We celebrated and learnt about many special events. For Remembrance Day, we thought about why people wear poppies and remembered those who have served in the armed forces. For Diwali, we explored the story of Rama and Sita, made Rangoli patterns, and adapted our role play area to bring the festival to life. During Halloween, we discussed why it is celebrated and explored different traditions. For Bonfire Night, we learnt the story of Guy Fawkes, made wanted posters, and created colourful firework art. At Christmas, we took part in Santa’s Workshop role play, were surprised by our Funky Camel Christmas classroom door, learnt about the nativity story, and performed in the Lights Camel Action Nativity as Funky Camels, which was exciting and helped us work together as a class. We also loved coming into school every morning to see what our naughty Christmas elf, Twinkle Tim, had got up to. 

In Forest School, we joined in activities connected to Remembrance Day and poppies, made firework crafts, toasted marshmallows, drank hot chocolate, and enjoyed Christmas-themed activities.

In PSHE, we learnt about friendships and families, understanding the importance of love, kindness, sharing, and caring for one another. We discussed ways to be good friends and how to express our feelings positively.

Overall, this half term was full of exciting experiences, creative learning, and opportunities to celebrate different festivals and traditions. We developed our reading, writing, and maths skills, learnt important safety rules, explored science, and deepened our understanding of friendship and kindness. It was a fun, busy, and memorable half term where we learned a lot while celebrating and exploring together.

Wishing you all a very magical Christmas!

Best wishes,

Miss Collins

Term 3

Forest - Tuesday
Children should come into school wearing their forest clothes-their own clothes. Waterproofs-coat and trousers, wellies and extra layers (including socks!)

PE - Thursday
Children should come into school wearing their PE kits.

Reading -To read at least 3x a week (scheme book/ book to share). Speed Sound Book/Sound Blending Book-daily. All reading to be evidenced in Reading Records

Holly Class have made a wonderful start to the new school year! The children are settling in really well and are enjoying exploring the classroom and all the resources available. The role play home corner has quickly become a firm favourite, sparking imaginative play every day. Our mark making area is always busy, with children creating lots of exciting drawings, writing and creative masterpieces! Alongside this, the children are practicing recognising and writing their names, developing their early literacy skills with confidence.

The children are loving their time outdoors, both in the garden and in the forest. In the garden, they have been building obstacle courses and playing in the mud kitchen, developing their coordination, teamwork and creativity. In the forest, they have enjoyed climbing trees, learning the forest rules, making conker snakes, drilling conkers and even toasting marshmallows around the fire, making their outdoor learning both fun and adventurous.

In maths, Holly Class have been busy exploring ABAB patterns, learning numbers 1, 2, and 3 and developing an understanding of one more and one less. They have also been practicing subitising, as well as matching, sorting and grouping objects, which has helped build their confidence in early mathematical concepts. In phonics, the children have learnt new sounds and have begun to blend and segment CVC words, strengthening their reading and writing skills.

Our work in Understanding the World has been exciting and varied. For Black History Month, we explored the lives of inspiring figures such as Mae Jemison and Nelson Mandela. In science, we investigated the five senses and in geography, the children followed a pirate’s treasure map-they even found the pirate’s footsteps along the way! They also created their own maps to lead the teddy bear home and were able to confidently describe the journey using geographical vocabulary. 

The children have begun Drawing Club, where they explore characters, settings and stories, while Adventure Time allows them to develop their imagination even further. They have also been reading lots of stories in class, which has enhanced their love of reading.

In PE, Holly Class have been focusing on the basic fundamentals, practising skills such as finding a space, hopping, running, skipping, jumping, balancing, ball control and stopping and starting. These activities help develop their physical confidence and coordination.

Finally, the children are settling into classroom routines beautifully and are thoroughly enjoying our daily celebrations. Proud Clouds and Teacher Mail are a highlight of the day, celebrating each child’s achievements, efforts and contributions to the class community.

It has been a busy and exciting start to the year in Holly Class and we are looking forward to all the learning adventures still to come!

Miss Collins

Term 2

Forest - Tuesday
Children should come into school wearing their forest clothes-their own clothes. Waterproofs-coat and trousers, wellies and extra layers (including socks!)

PE - Thursday
Children should come into school wearing their PE kits.

Reading -To read at least 3x a week (scheme book/ book to share). Speed Sound Book/Sound Blending Book-daily. All reading to be evidenced in Reading Records

September 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are on to an incredible start to the school year - it has been wonderful watching the children settle into school life with confidence and enthusiasm. Friendships are also beginning to blossom. Exploring our new school and classroom has been an adventure in itself. We have spent lots of time getting to know each other and settling into our daily routines. The start of a school year is always busy, so I would like to make you aware of the following: 

• Please ensure that your child comes to school with their book bag and a named water bottle everyday. It is essential that every child has a book bag as this is where school communications, if any, will be placed each day along with your child’s Reading Record and reading books and Speed Sound Book. 

• Your child will need a complete change of spare clothes (t-shirt, pants, trousers and socks) in school at all times. This is just in case of any accidents or messy play! Please ensure everything is named. Spare clothes do not need to be a set of school uniform. 

• PE will be on a Thursday, beginning 18th September. Please could children wear the correct kit (Longvernal P.E. t-shirt, black shorts or sports trousers and daps or trainers) to school on a Thursday each week.

• Forest School is on a Tuesday morning, beginning 16th September. Forest school will take place regardless of the weather (unless extreme) so please make sure your child comes to school on Tuesday’s, wearing the appropriate attire (long sleeved top and trousers/leggings). With this in mind, please send your child into school with extra layers of clothing during the late Autumn and Winter months, it can get very cold out in the forest, therefore the more layers the better! 

• Your child will need to have a pair of wellies, waterproof trousers and a waterproof coat in school at all times. Although our forest sessions are on a Tuesday this term, this doesn’t mean your child’s waterproofs and wellies won’t be used on other days throughout the week - especially as the weather begins to turn. Again, please make sure everything is named.

• As it starts to get colder, please provide your child with warmer items, including hats and gloves. Again, please name these. Your child has their own drawer, which they can keep these in, if preferred. 

• Every child will be given a reading book to take home, along with a Reading Record. The books that have been sent home do not contain words but children should use them to create their own stories and talk about the illustrations (there are questions within the books to support discussions). Furthermore, please use this as an opportunity to support your child in how to hold a reading book, and turn the pages left to right etc.

• Children are expected to read at home at least 3 times a week. Books and Reading Records need to be brought to school daily. This way we can monitor progress and change books when necessary. Reading regularly has such a positive impact on every area of a child’s learning, so your support with this would be much appreciated. All children will be required to read Read, Write, Inc (R.W.I). scheme books at least twice to aid their fluency of sight word recognition. 

• Once the children have learnt the first ten sounds, they will start to take home a R.W.I sound blending book. Please aim to go through the sounds with your child at home. Practice makes perfect! 

• When we begin Phonics lessons, the children will be sent home with their sound books to practice letter formation and pronunciation. By week 3, the children will begin to learn a new sound every day, therefore it is important that they complete a page in their sound book every evening for consolidation. 

• Children will also pick and take home a ‘book to share’ every week. This is a book of a higher reading level that can be read to and shared aloud with your child. 

• As mentioned in the Home Visit packs given out to you in June or July, it is important that we recognise when your child does something to be celebrated at home. Please continue to complete a ‘Proud Cloud’ and send them into school via your child’s book bag so we can celebrate and display all their achievements during our Circle Times. 

• You should’ve already provided the office with an ‘approved pick up list’ and password, which I will use to ensure your child is collected by an approved adult each day. If you have not yet done this, please urgently do so. For safety reasons, I will not let your child go home with anyone who is not on the list or has been discussed with either myself or the office prior to pick up, regardless of whether the child knows the person or not. If there is a change of plan with regards to pick up, please communicate this via phone or email with myself or the office. 

As always, I am more than happy to answer any questions or queries you may have before or after school, so please do not hesitate to come and see me at any point throughout the year. 

I am looking forward to an exciting year and working in partnership with you to best support your child. 

Kind regards

Jess Collins

Holly Class Teacher

EYFS Lead

Holly Class Summary