Foundation Stage Weekly Newsletter
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Puffins and Penguins Weekly Newsletter 22nd March 2019
Dear Parents and Carers,
Wow, it has been an incredible week, where do we start?
On Monday, Patch and Nibbles were welcomed into the classroom. The children have been very keen to take on the responsibility of caring for them. We are taking it in turns to feed, groom, clean and cuddle the guinea pigs. Patch and Nibbles have settled in well to Foundation life and if they could rate us on Trip Advisor I think they would give the children a 5 star rating.
On Tuesday, we welcomed local vet, Tom Yalland, in to the classroom. Linking to our school values Responsibility and Respect, Tom spoke to the children about the different veterinary roles, the five welfare needs of animals, the importance of a healthy diet and how the needs of each type of pet are very different. The children were fascinated by the information and used this experience to ask some wonderful questions. As part of our innovative curriculum we value the importance of meeting people from the community and broadening children’s experiences. It has been wonderful to hear from the children how they have been inspired by our visitors, some of them even thinking ahead to their future careers.
To continue our learning on animal care Puffins and Penguins went on their first school trip to Pennywell. We all had an amazing time, it was so much fun. The children took part in a carousel of activities including; bottle feeding and milking goats, riding on a tractor, cuddling piglets, feeding red deer and meeting a variety of animals including rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, hedgehogs and chicks. The children enjoyed exploring the farm and learning about the animals. It was a great opportunity for them to ask questions and understand the responsibility we all have to care for animals. We are very proud of how the children behaved, they were using all of their school values and it was recognised by the staff at Pennywell. It was a real privilege for us to take them on their first school trip. Each child will be coming home today with a voucher for a free return to Pennywell (with a full paying adult).
This week in Maths we have been deepening our understanding of numbers 11- 19. We have matched numicon with teen numbers to help understand the value of the digits. For example 16 is made up of one ten and six ones which can look like this using numicon, it isn’t a one and a six. We have also been practising counting backwards 20-0 and recognising numbers 10-20.
Next week we will be busy preparing for our Traditional Stories learning outcome. The children would like to invite you in to school on Thursday 28th March at 2.40pm. We will display the children’s work in the woodland area (weather permitting) and they will then take you down to the woods to view it. We would like to advise you that the path down to the woodland area is uneven, and suitable footwear is recommended. Please meet at the gate by the school office where someone will greet you. If you have any queries please ask a class teacher.
On Monday 1st April at 2.30pm, we are holding a Mother’s Day assembly and all Foundation Stage Mums are invited. Thank you to everyone who has already sent in a photograph of yourself (Mummy) with your child. Please could we have all photos in by Wednesday 27th March, you can e-mail them to: admin@preston.torbay.sch.uk
We hope you have a restful weekend.
Home Learning
- Go on a number hunt looking for numbers 11- 19
- Talk to your child about their trip to Pennywell Farm and they could draw a picture and write a simple sentence
- Share a traditional story together and talk about their favourite parts
Mother’s Day Shop
The PTA (FOPPS) will be selling small gifts for Mother’s Day on 27th and 28th March. The gifts are priced at £1 each. If your child would like to buy something they can bring in no more than £2 and we will take them along to the shop on Wednesday during the day.
Dates to remember:
27th and 28th March - FOPPS Mother’s Day Shop
28th March – Traditional Stories outcome in the Woods 2.40pm
1st April – Mother’s Day Assembly 2.30pm
School finishes for Easter on Friday 5th April and re-opens on Tuesday 23rd April.
Many thanks, Foundation Team