Welcome to Rabbit Class

Hello and welcome to year 1! My name is Miss Hinds and I am so excited to be your teacher this year. I have lots of fun learning planned which I am sure you're going to love. Year 1 my favourite years to teach because we get to explore exciting topics, delve into lots of new learning and make fun memories along the way. Miss Thornton is also be here to support you in the mornings, as well as Mrs Windebank Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternons, and Mrs Moyes on Tuesday afternoons. 

If you need to contact me, please do via email to the school office (admin@mountnessing.essex.sch.uk) or, say ‘hello’ after school.

School contact: admin@mountnessing.essex.sch.uk

Timetable Information

PE - Monday and Wednesday. Please come to school in full PE kit. 

Forest School - 11th September, 2nd October, 6th November, 17th November, 8th January, 29th January, 5th March, 16th April, 14th May, 11th June and 9th July. Please come to school in clothes, shoes and layers for the weather. Long sleeves must be worn in all seasons. Please bring a spare change of clothes for wet and muddy sessions, especially socks and trousers!

Book change - New guided reading books on Wednesdays, new banded books on Thursdays. Book change days may vary when timetabling or staffing has changed for the week.

Phonics, Reading and Homework

In year 1, we will continue our phonics learning through the Little Wandle programme. This will begin with a recap of phases 2 - 4 as taught in reception, followed by the new phase 5. These lessons take place daily just as last year. Phonics is vital to reading and writing therefore, it remains important to continue practising at home. You can do this through homework tasks, creating your own phonics resources at home, or playing some games online such as those at the following links: https://www.phonicsbloom.com/ https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ https://www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/5-7-years/letters-and-sounds https://www.phonicstracker.com/games  Each child has taken home a phonics information pack for the year. Each child has taken home the progression document and sounds sheets for year 1, these are also available above to enable you to see which sounds and tricky words we will be learning each week throughout the year. You can also follow this link to the Little Wandle website to support with familiarising yourself with the phonics sounds and how to blend: https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/ . Handwriting is also taught through the Little Wandle programme. The phonics information booklet provided to your child, as well as uploaded above, provides the letter formation phrases to support with writing each letter.

Children are expected to read at home with a grown up five times each week using the provided books matched to their reading ability, helping to develop their phonics, fluency, comprehension and writing skills. Each child has a reading diary where grown-ups are expected to record each time they hear their child read. Diaries are checked once a week during the book change and are for recording reading only – please do not write urgent messages in the diary as they will not be seen promptly. Home reading is monitored extremely carefully each week and children who consistently read five times a week will receive a certificate at the end of each half term. In school, children take part in guided reading sessions through the Little Wandle programme and will bring their guided reading book home each week.

Homework is set in year 1 after October half term. Each week this includes a phonics task, 1-minute maths game on the White Rose App, daily reading and one activity from the homework menu. Homework is due every Friday and will be monitored each week. This year, we're encouraging the whole school to choose more writing tasks from the homework menu. In Rabbit Class, each time you choose a writing task, you will receive one pom-pom for our reward jar! Homework is monitored extremely carefully each week and children who consistently complete all tasks each week will receive a certificate at the end of each half term

Parent Information

Attendance reminder:                                                                                                                                      Good attendance is key to helping children achieve their full potential. Every day in school provides valuable learning opportunities, helps children build friendships, and develops confidence and routines. We ask parents and carers to support us by ensuring children attend school every day and arrive on time wherever possible. By working together, we can give every child the best chance to thrive and succeed.

Uniform expectations:                                                                                                                                    We are proud of our school uniform and ask all children to wear it correctly each day. A smart uniform helps children feel part of our school community, promotes a sense of belonging, and ensures everyone is ready to learn. Thank you for your support in helping children come to school dressed appropriately and prepared for the day ahead.

Trips

Braintree Museum Victorian School Experience - Autumn 2, Friday 6th November.                      Links to our history topics of 'The Victorians' and 'Toys from the past'.

Wyvernwood - Summer 2                                                                                                                            Links to our topic 'Enchanted Woodland'.