Palm Class

Earlier this week, the children embarked on an exciting spring stroll to Nuthurst Park, curious to notice the changes between winter and spring. In just half an hour, they encountered a whirlwind of weather, from the gentle warmth of sunlight to the rhythmic patter of rain and the unexpected appearance of hailstones! Along their path, they marveled at the sight of trees adorned with lush greenery and colorful flowers bursting into full bloom, while others shyly began to reveal their petals. The air was filled with the pleasant sounds of birds singing, and they watched with interest as bees buzzed and ladybirds fluttered around them, adding a delightful touch to their outdoor adventure.

During this term in DT, Miss Maynard has asked the children to design and create a box for her special painted egg, which will be displayed in her office. This week, we covered the reinforcement of a butt joint using triangular supports and learned about saw safety before practicing our safe sawing skills. 

Where would you rather be-Blackpool or Rio?

We have a focus on Geography this half term and are learning about two places Rio de Janeiro in South America and Blackpool which is in Europe and in the country we live in.

We will learn lots of facts about these places, compare them and ultimately decide where we would rather be! 

The knowledge organiser below will tell you more about our learning.

In English this week, the children will be writing journals. In today's session, we revisited the narrative "The Great Explorer" by Chris Judge, engaging in a discussion about the most important events within the story. We then explored the art of expressing emotions during these crucial moments. The children brainstormed words associated with Tom's emotions, and we captured their expressions through freeze frames :) 

During this week's PE sessions, the children are focusing on their jumping and landing techniques, as well as refining their seated balance. 

This week in art, the children engaged in creative exploration by blending play dough to discover the wonders of color mixing. They started with the primary colours of red, yellow, and blue, combining them to produce secondary colours. They then delved into the realm of tints, tones, and shades by incorporating white and black into powdered paint. The children thoroughly enjoyed the lesson, and they are progressing in their artistic skills

Snowy days = hats and gloves, making snowmen, and making marks in the snow :)   

What do we know about our school?
We have a focus on History this half term and are learning about the history of our school-the buildings, what it was like to be a pupil here in the past and how things have changed compared to today.
The knowledge organiser below will tell you more about our learning.

Party Day! 

The children had a fantastic day filled with fun, food, and laughter 

Father Christmas

We we’re so lucky on party day to have Father Christmas come to visit. 
The children all got to speak to him and he brought a present for everyone. 😁🎄🎅🏼

What do we know about our school?

We have a focus on Geography this half term and are learning about our school-it's location, where things are in our school and using maps, compasses and other sources. 

The knowledge organiser will tell you more about our learning.

Science: Animals including Humans (bodies and health). 

This half term in Science we will be exploring body parts and what animals including humans need to survive and be healthy. 

This week, we traced the outline of a child and identified and named the fundamental body parts associated with each of the senses. 

The children did a fantastic job - well done! 

What do we know about our school? 

This half term in Geography our question is 'What do we know about our school?'. Many of us didn't know where things were around school so we went on a walk to explore:

Show Racism the Red Card

As a class, we discussed what racism is and watched a video that discussed the personal encounters of a 10-year-old boy who had encountered racism on several occasions while participating in sports.

We then discussed what we would do if we were either subjected to or witnessed racism. The children brainstormed some fantastic responses and wrote them down on their very own red cards, which they carried home to share with their family and friends. 

Plants

In science, we have been designing an experiment to explore what plants need to grow. We discussed how to ensure our experiment is fair. We planted some cress seeds and placed them in different locations within the classroom (1 on the window sill, 1 under my desk, 1 in a cupboard, and 1 in the fridge) we also placed some seeds on a paper towel. Which do you think will grow?

Continuing with our mindfulness practices, this week I introduced the children to butterfly breathing - the children enjoyed this breathing exercise and it provided us with a calm and relaxing environment to learn :)

This week in English, we have been reading the story Rainbow Fish. The children enjoyed the story and wrote sentences containing adjectives and verbs to describe how Rainbow Fish looks, feels, and moves. 

By the end of the week, the children could successfully retell the story from beginning to end :) 

This week in Maths...

Year 1 - have been learning about place value within 10. We have been learning how to sort objects by colour, shape, and size. 

Year 2 - have been partitioning numbers into tens and ones and have partitioned the numbers in different ways using our equipment to help them!  

The children have all been Maths superstars - great job, well done! :)

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a practice that helps us to become more aware of what's happening in each present moment. This could be in our own thoughts, in our bodies, or in our surroundings. Mindfulness works differently for each individual but, in general, it aims to:

• help us become more self-aware;
• help us to observe thoughts and feelings rather than getting caught up in them;
• help us feel calm and less stressed;
• generally improve our mental state.

Although mindfulness might seem inherently spiritual, it's really a simple practice of becoming more aware of the senses, acknowledging thoughts and feelings, and observing them rather than letting them control our emotions and actions.

This week, Palm class has started practicing mindfulness practices such as breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation to help us stay calm, comfortable, and ready to learn. 

Welcome back Palm Class 

We have had a fantastic first week back in Palm class and all the children have been happy to be back in school. 

This week, as part of our art learning, we drew a self-portrait.

Please take a look as the children have worked incredibly hard with their drawings - amazing effort, well-done everyone. 👍😁

Palm Class Blog 2023-2024

🌴 Welcome to Palm Class! 🌴

Welcome to Palm Class’s blog! Please have a look at all the fantastic learning, stars of the week and special activities we complete each and every week! ☺️

Archive 2022-23

🌴 Welcome to Palm Class! 🌴

Welcome to Palm Class’s blog! Please have a look at all the fantastic learning, stars of the week and special activities we complete each and every week! ☺️

School's Out for Summer!

Have a lovely summer holidays Palm Class. Enjoy spending time with your families, have a good lie in and make lots of memories. 

Thank you for an action-packed year.

Mrs Wilson x 

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Month - June 2023 🏳️‍🌈

The children have been learning about what the Pride flag represents and the reasoning behind Pride Month. We then discussed the importance of equality in today’s society. 

🕰️ Big Ben Building 🕰️

The children used some of their time this week to build a famous landmark in London. They were very impressed with their creation! 

Well done to Louis, Abisola and George 🌟

Sonny also spent some time creating a train out of magnetics - well done Sonny ⭐️

🌿🍃 We’re going on a habitat hunt 🍃🌿

Today, Palm class took a lovely, but hot, walk down to Moston Brook. As part of our science learning, we wanted to explore the different habitats and the animals that may live there. 

We came across woodland, water, grassland and urban habitats. 

🌎 Environment Day 🌎

Today it was environment day. 

We had a talk about endangered animals from Mark and we looked at animals' habitats. 

The children created an animals' habitat afterwards in class.

It was a great day.

🎨Outdoor Artists🎨

As part of our art this half term, we had the opportunity to complete some outdoor art. The children used the school grounds to create rubbings. They had a fantastic time and were very engaged with their learning. 

➕➖National Numeracy Day➗✖️

Today was National Numeracy Day. 

All the school took part in activities relating to numeracy and watched a video with Katya Jones (Strictly Come Dancing) and Bobby Seagull (a maths expert).

We joined in with dancing and a maths quiz. 
We also took part in a game of bingo - who knew 5-7 year olds could be so competitive! 

We learnt that whilst some people may be a little worried about maths, that's OK. Maths experts are not born as a maths expert, they learn and get the skills they need.

✨ Happy Eid ✨

This week, the children have been learning about Eid. This is a festival for Muslims and is about being grateful. 

The children created Eid cards, most of them choosing to make them for Tala in Palm Class as she was celebrating Eid over the weekend. We hope you have a lovely time with your family. 

⭐️ Stars of the Week ⭐️

31st March 2023

Reading - Louis for his amazing reading with an adult in school. 

Maths - Jason for his positive can do attitude in all maths lessons. 

Handwriting - George for making a conscious effort to improve his handwriting, 

Teachers Award - Finn for being such a superstar and working really hard. 

Well done everyone 🌈

🐾 How does Pippa stay healthy? 🐾

Today, we were visited my Miss Maynard and Pippa to talk to us about what Pippa needs to stay healthy. Pippa showed us some of her tricks; she was very good. 

⭐️ Stars of the Week ⭐️

24th March 2023

Reading - Alissa for her effort on Reading Eggs at home. 

Maths - Heaven for her positive attitude to learning this week. 

Handwriting - Noah for a much improved presentation in his books. 

Teachers Award - Fletcher for always putting in 100% effort into everything he does. 

Well done everyone 🌈

🐥 When my ducklings met our ducklings 🐥

We have visited some very special members of our school family today. Last week our ducklings hatched and we are now the proud owners of five beautiful, fluffy ducklings. Mrs Wilson’s uncle will be looking after them when they are old enough and will keep us updated on their progress. 

⭐️ Stars of the Week ⭐️ 

3rd March 2023

Maths - Ezra for his fantastic quick recall of number facts. 

Handwriting - Tala for beautiful presentation in all of her books. 

Reading - Minnie for fantastic sounding out of unfamiliar words. 

Teachers Award - Tao for the confidence he has shown in all lessons. 

Well done everyone 🌈

📚 World Book Day 📚 

A big thank you to our parents and careers who joined us to read with their child. The children made such a fantastic effort and it was great to see a range of costumes. 

Knowledge Organiser Spring 2

This knowledge organiser will give you information on what your child will be learning in their next History based block of learning which is titled: "How have Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela helped to make the world a better place?"

You can also see the books they will be reading linked to this and may want to read these with your child at home.

Spring 2 Homework Grid

Below is the Homework Grid for Spring 2 for your child. 

All the instructions and expectations are on the grid.

I can't wait to see what everyone does :)

💛 Wear yellow for Mental Health Day 💛

Today we celebrated Children’s mental health. Children and staff wore yellow to school and we completed a range of activities to promote positive mental health. Every child completed a ‘hand of help’ thinking of 5 ways they could help themselves. We took part in a yoga session and learnt different techniques to calm ourselves. 

➗ Division - sharing and grouping ➗

In maths this week we have been focusing on division through sharing and grouping. After lots of practise, we are getting the hang of it! 

🧵 Needles, thread and a lot of concentration! 🧵

We worked so hard today learning how to thread a needle. The pictures say it all! The children really had to concentrate. After threading, the children had a go at creating a running stitch on a piece of fabric. It is the quietest Palm class has ever been 🤐 

🌟 This weeks stars - 20.01.2023 🌟

Well done to our superstars this week. 

Ella - Reader of the week.

Jason - Teachers Award.

Evelyn - Handwriting award.

Finn - Maths champion of the week. 

George - Lunchtime award. 

🐧 Are you taller than an emperor penguin? 🐧

This week we have been learning all about the emperor penguin. We have discovered that a male emperor penguin can grow to 1.3m tall and females grow to 1.2m. The children have measured themselves against a life size drawing of a penguin and were amazed that they are shorter! 

🥯 Bagel Breakfast 🥯 

Starting this week, all children get a warm, buttered bagel as they come into school. The children have loved them so far. 

🎅🏻 A very special visitor 🎅🏻

🧸 Can you create a moving teddy bear? 🧸

After lots of hard work, designing, making and evaluating, the children are very impressed with their moving teddy bears. After spending the half term learning about toys from the past and present, comparing them and even trying a few out, the children were ready for the challenge of creating their own. I think they look amazing! 

📚Parent's Reading Morning📚

This morning the parents/carers came into Palm class to read with their children. 

It was lovely to see so many adults joining us this morning.

Thank you.

🐊 A very hungry crocodile 🐊

The year 1 children investigated numbers using our greedy crocodile. We discovered that he only likes the eat the greatest number! 

The children were able to identify which number was greater and smaller, using the correct symbol. 

🔥 New Moston is Burning! 🔥

Today the children put themselves in the shoes of the people of London in 1666. As there were no fire engines back then, the children had to use buckets and lines to pass the water between them. 

The children were very sensible and didn’t spill a drop. London would been lucky to have them! 

🌟 This weeks stars - 23rd September 🌟

🌟 Our First Week 🌟

The children of Palm class have been superstars and have settled into Year 1 and 2 brilliantly. The children have been busy having a go at their challenges - we based our learning on the story of The Colour Monster, discussing our feelings and emotions about the new school year. 

💫 Our Classroom 💫 

Mrs Wilson loves decorating her classroom for the new year. This year, we have decided on a natural theme to give a sense of calm to the room. We also have our continuous provision areas which will have new challenges in each week. 

Welcome to Palm Class!

2022-2023

Hello everybody and welcome to Palm Class!

Palm class is a year 1 and 2 mixed class. In the class this year there will be myself, Mrs Wilson (Class teacher), Miss Aboo (TA) and on a Friday the class will be taught by Miss Leach.

PE will be on a Wednesday and Friday.

Please make sure your child has a PE Kit in school. This needs to simply be a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and a pair of pumps or trainers for going outside. P.E kits can be left in school and taken home at the end of the half term for a wash. 

Homework will be set on Google Classrooms. Your child will have a homework grid that has a variety of English, Maths and Topic activities on it for them to complete. They choose to do at least one activity each week (although they can do more!) Your child's username and password will be stuck in their Reading Record Book. Their homework needs to submitted by Thursday, as I will look at it before Friday and send a certificate home to those children who have completed homework.

Reading - We expect your child to read at least three times a week at home to an adult. This needs to be recorded in your child's reading  record and signed by an adult. This record needs to be brought into school every day. We will check this on a Friday. Again, they will get a certificate if they do this.

Book Changes - Book changes will happen every Monday in your child's Read, Write, Inc group. 

Children will need to bring a water bottle to school and it would be great if all clothes and coats can be clearly labelled. 

My door is always open and I am only a phone call away. If you have any concerns or anything you want to chat about, please do so. Alternatively, you can drop me an email to the class email address which is palm@newmoston.manchester.sch.uk 

Here is to a great year and new adventures!

Mrs Wilson :)

Archive 2021-2022

A final note just to say THANK YOU for being such an amazing class this year. We are so proud of how far you have come and it has been a privilege to get to know you all (children and parents). You have all worked so hard and I hope you all continue to shine. Have a lovely summer break and I cant wait to see you all in your new classes in September.

We will miss you! 

Miss Brown, Miss Keighley and Mrs George 

What an amazing day!

First we became palaeontologists and excavated real dinosaur fossils. Then we were lucky enough to meet Mia and Bella the baby Triceratops and T-Rex. We were lucky Bella wasn’t feeling hungry! Check out some of our photos below. 

Hi Palm Class!

Here is your summer 1 homework grids. These will be sent home this week. Try to do a range of activities over the next 6 weeks. I have had some fantastic homework this year so be proud and keep up the hard work. 

Miss Brown and Miss Keighley :) 

World Maths Day 23/3/22

Today is World Maths Day. 

Below are some ideas of activities you can do at home with your child. 

We hope you enjoy doing some of them.

This week one of our continuous provision challenges was to make our own paper aeroplanes linking to our story ‘Pigs Might Fly’.

We carefully followed instructions to fold them correctly and then we went and had a competition to see who’s went the furthest. 

Well done one to our winners, Jamie, Leila and Lottie! 👍🏻😁

What a treat to finish off our topic ‘Do all animals need sleep?’ Today, we had a visit from Birds of Prey. We met some very cheeky owls and learnt lots of facts about them. They swooped over our heads and we even got to hold one! 

In our class we have a worry box. If something is on our minds but we don’t know how to talk about it we can pop Miss Brown a note so she understands what is worrying us. No worry is too big or too small! We even made our own worry monsters just like in the story ‘Ruby’s Worry’.

Our new topic this half term is ‘Do all animals need sleep?’.

Today, we had a visit from the lovely Pippa our school dog. We learnt all about the key things she needs to survive such as air, water, food and shelter. 

Google Classroom

We are now putting homework on Google Classroom for the children to complete. 

There would also be learning put onto Google Classroom if the school had to shut due to unforeseen circumstances.

There has been an invitation sent for them to accept and join the classroom. 

Every child has their e mail address and password which they will need to access the classroom in their reading record book. 

I am also attaching a guide to using Google Classroom which will hopefully help you if you are new to this!

If you need any support with this, please contact your child's teacher or me (Mrs Waddell) and one of us can go through this with you. 

There are also useful Read, Write, Inc videos for the children to watch to support their learning in school. 

Remember: we are here to help! 

Mrs Waddell

We were so lucky today. Our topic this half term is called ‘Who is your superhero?’ And we had a real life super hero come and visit us! This is Albie the guide dog. We learnt all about how he helps and the tricks he can do. His owner was also a Paralympic athlete! What a great day!

Happy Friday!

Today, we finished off the week by making our superhero designs on our biscuits! We then evaluated how it went and most of us agreed that eating them was the best part!

Check out our pictures below. 

What a great start to the year! All the children in Palm Class are settling in so well. They have already been working so hard and this week we have been looking at place value in mathematics and building different numbers using the maths equipment. We have started our class story 'George's Marvellous Medicine' to. Keep an eye on this page for photos and up dates of what we have been getting up to!