Welcome to Spring Term in Year 1

A warm welcome back from all of the Year 1 staff. We hope you have all had a lovely Christmas break and are looking forward to a new year at Elworth.

Staffing 

Squirrels - Mrs Harper with support from Mrs Noden and Mrs Evans  

Hedgehogs - Mrs Pepper (Mon-Wed)  and Mrs Copnall (Thurs- Fri) with support from Mr Street and Mrs Odutola.

Miss Hilditch will be supporting in Year 1 as a volunteer.  

Mrs Rookes is the KS1 Phase Leader. 

Start and End of the School Day

Our day starts at 8:40 am. The children in Squirrels and Hedgehogs access their classroom via the Middlewich Road gate.

Topic

Our Year 1 topic for the Spring Term will be ‘Adventurers and Explorers’. We will be finding out about Explorers from the past such as Tim Peak and Christopher Columbus. Children will learn about their great adventures and how they went about exploring Earth and Space. Our Spring Term books are ‘The Secrets of Black Rock’ by Joe Todd-Stanton and ‘The Last Wolf’ by Mini Grey.  These are fantastic stories and we will base our writing and learning around these themes.

English

In English we are now exploring the book 'The Secrets of Black Rock' by Joe Todd-Staton. Erin loves to lie on the jetty, looking for the weirdest fish in the sea -- the weirder, the better! And she knows the best ones must be further out, where her mum won't let her go ...Out there in the deepest sea lies the Black Rock: a huge, dark and spiky mass that is said to destroy any boats that come near it! Can Erin uncover the truth behind this mysterious legend? Children will be writing letters to the characters and their own version of  their story. 

After half term, we will be exploring the book 'The Last Wolf' by Mini Grey. Once upon a time, Little Red set off into the woods to catch a wolf but the woods aren't all they seem - and are there even any wolves left? Mini Grey re-imagines the classic Little Red Riding Hood fable in an entirely new way. Can Little Red help her new friends in need and recover the wild days of the past? This is a powerful, moving and funny picture book which will have children and adults revisiting its exquisite pages time and time again, and discussing the important message it holds. 

General Information for Year 1

Homework

Homework will be set weekly. It will be set on a Monday to be completed by the following Monday. This homework can be found by logging onto Spelling Shed and Maths Shed. Please let your class teacher know if you are having problems accessing either site. There is additional Oxford Owl reading material on the portal if you would like to do additional reading. 

Reading

The children will be continuing the Read Write Inc reading scheme.

Your child will read daily in school, as part of a small group. Some colours follow a 3 day reading system in school (Red, Green, Purple, Pink) and others follow a 5 day plan (Yellow, Blue, Grey).  Alongside this, they will be given a high quality story book to share with you.  This needs to be returned and will be changed on the same day as their RWI book.

We would love you to be reading with your child everyday at home, and ensuring you are signing their Reading Record once you have read with them. This is essential for their successful reading journey and to develop a love of reading.

You will also continue to have access to Oxford Owl and their library of resources and ebooks which match with the story they are reading in school. 

Oxford Owl Student Login

Please ensure your child has both their reading book and reading diary in school everyday and secured inside their plastic wallet.

Phonic screening check 2024

All children in Year 1 will be completing their phonic screening check on the week beginning Monday 9th June 2025. It is important that your child/children are in school that week. Please continue to watch the RWI phonic videos from the link sent via the school email to support your child. 

Further support can be found on our Elworth Phonic Page which contains vidoes for chilren to watch to support their development of phonics. 

https://sites.google.com/elworthce.cheshire.sch.uk/phonics/home

PE

We will continue to have one P.E session a week on a Tuesday afternoon.

Children are required to come to school wearing their full PE Kit. With the guidance in place advising against changing clothes in school, children will be required to come to school wearing their full PE Kit on their allocated day (and also on Fitness Friday).

We are suggesting that the Elworth PE t -shirt and shorts/skort be worn underneath the Elworth jogging bottoms and zip up top on colder days.  A waterproof jacket is a necessity, in case of poor weather. Children will also need to come in wearing a sensible pair of sports trainers.

Swimming

Swimming timetable to follow. 

Snacks

Children will be able to order snacks on a daily basis. If your child is having a snack from home, please can you ensure it’s a healthy snack and avoid sending in chocolate, sweets or crisps.

Please ensure your child has a water bottle every day. In the current climate we are unable to provide cups for children who have forgotten their bottle.