Welcome to Blackbird Class! Our Teacher is Mrs Harvey, our Nursery Nurse is Mrs White and we have two Teaching Assistants Ms Arcos and Mrs Davis. One of us will be assigned as your child’s key worker, however, all staff will be supporting your child so please feel free to approach anybody in the setting if you would like to discuss your child’s learning journey.
There are seven areas that we will focus on with your child. The three prime areas are: Communication and Language / Personal, Social and Emotional Development / Physical Development. The four specific areas are: Literacy / Mathematics / Understanding the World / Expressive Arts and Design. These areas will be embedded in our topics throughout the year, this can be explored in more detail on our Autumn 1 and 2 Nursery Learning Journey Map.
For Autumn Term 1 we have so many exciting learning opportunities for the children and staff, focusing on the topic ‘Amazing Me’. We will be revisiting all of our routines which involve promoting independence with toileting, hanging our coats up, putting our bookbags in our trays, finding our names and helping ourselves to a healthy fruit snack.
We will look at how we are all different and special and talk about ourselves, body parts and families. We will produce self-portraits, model homes and many more!
We will also be exploring the seasons and looking at the changes involved in Autumn and Winter. This has a very prevalent link with ‘Understanding the World’ and gives the children many opportunities to look at the range of events during this time such as Bonfire Night, Diwali and Christmas.
We will use Tapestry as a means of communicating with you and sharing some of what your child has been doing in Blackbird Class. Please feel free to comment or even add something that you have been doing with your child at home. You will be given the login details after your child joins and you can download the app on mobile devices. This is a secure platform that only you and the staff will have access to.
Reading and Singing
At Beechwood Primary Academy we follow Read Write Inc, a program to help your child read at school. In Nursery the focus is very much on developing your child’s communication and listening skills. This is rooted in conversations around your child’s-initiated play. There are also short periods of designated teacher led activities that will enable your child to explore lots of exciting books, singing time and craft activities. Knowing many rhymes and being able to talk about books will really support your child’s communication and language, a key element embedded in all learning areas.
Blackbird Class will really focus on sharing books and singing rhymes (particularly number rhymes). The children with bookbags will have the opportunity to borrow a book each week, this will be sent home for you to enjoy with your child. Please try and encourage your child to join in with any repetition or rhymes, ask them questions about the characters and setting. Do you think this character is happy, why/why not? What is the weather like there? What do you think might happen next? Etc.
Behaviour
We love earning rewards and stickers in Nursery! We also pick children each week for the post card home, which celebrates one child and something(s) that they have tried particularly hard with. We celebrate being ready, respectful and safe. At nursery level this involves kind words and actions.
If you would like any further information on your child’s learning then please do not hesitate in contacting any of the setting staff, we are always more than happy to help and support you in whatever you and your children need . We would also like to direct you to PACEY (www.pacey.org.uk) it has a wealth of information about how to help your child become school ready. It also provides lots of ideas and free resources for supporting home learning activities and promoting communication and language.
Internet Safety
‘Parent/Carers – Discovery MAT extends its commitment to E-safety and Online Learning to parents through use of the National Online Safety Platform. If you follow the link below: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/beechwood-primary-school-pl6-6dx and select parent/carer, you will become part of our parent community on our platform. Once you are a member, you will be able to access a wide range of E-safety CPD and resources designed to further consolidate children’s E-safety knowledge. You will also be able to access many ‘What Parents Need to Know’ guides which provide useful updates about the latest technology.