St. Augustine's Catholic Primary School

Dear Parents & Children,

Fun Easter Activities - 2nd April 2020

Home School Learning - 23rd March - 1st April 2020

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs. Folkard

Dear Parents,

A few parents have started to ask questions about what might happen should we close and the work that children may be asked to complete.

We have been working hard to ensure that work will keep the children on track, but at the same time we are mindful that children will be trying to do school work in a situation where family members will be working from home, or where people in the house could be poorly or self-isolating.

Please remember, as parents you can only do your best with this. You have many other considerations and pulls on your time.  Just do your best!  It’s what we are all trying to do in such uncertain times.

So, this is how it works for year R:

• On the class homework page on the website there will be a list of tasks that will last a week. The grid will be updated every Friday afternoon, after 4pm. This will give parents the weekend to look at tasks for the week ahead and get organised. Try to do what you can. If you can’t do them all, don’t worry.
• I have kept the layout that the rest of the school are using to begin with but the activities are different.  After Easter there will be much more detailed planning available.

   

Setting a routine

• We recognise that all families are different and so timings and expectations will be different. We have put a very basic model schedule together to help parents. This model can be adapted for your own family.
• As we all know, children like routine and so this approach will ensure that things mainly get done, otherwise you will find children still lolling about in front of CBeebies at 11am!
• Obviously, each age of child will need slightly more or less work. You know your children best!
• Feel free to tell the children that we will be calling up to check on them! This may help with motivating the more reluctant ones. The important thing is not to have battles. Do what you can, but don’t feel that completing everything is the be all and end all.
• Please ensure that children have a schedule all planned out before they begin.
• And just as we would recommend during normal times, ensure that the children get plenty of outside time, fresh air, play and exercise.  This is good for the mental and physical wellbeing of us all.

   

We hope that you find the above useful during this challenging time for us all.  Please don’t hesitate to contact Mr McConnell or Mrs Crook if you have any questions. You can contact us on scrook@st-augustines-hythe.kent.sch.uk or headteacher@st-augustines-hythe.kent.sch.uk

For additional ideas and activities I have complied a list of websites that contain a mixture of online games, play ideas and printable activities.  Some websites are also providing a month’s free membership.  https://time.com/5803373/coronavirus-kids-at-home-activities/ for advice on routine and day structure.

Online games: 

• www.topmarks.co.uk 3-5 and 5-7 all maths games are suitable.
• www.primarygamesarena.com Filter by clicking on the years tab and choose games from the Rec section.  These are sorted into subjects.
• www.wordsforlife.org.uk Lots of useful information, games and links about communication and reading.
• www.teachyourmonstertoread.com fun reading game with different stages that can be saved and continued.
• www.phonicsplay.co.uk play phase 2 or 3 games (most children haven’t been taught phase 3 yet) username – caritas password – caritas
• www.phonicsbloom.com play phase 2 or 3 games.
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games

Printable activities:

• www.twinkl.co.uk A wealth of printable activities available across all subjects and stages.  Offering free membership for a month.
• www.themeasuredmom.com some very simple printables for phonics and maths.
• www.kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk Offering free membership for a month.  Lots of activity pintables.

Play ideas:

• www.themuddypuddleteacher.co.uk Offering free membership.  Lots of ideas for play in the garden.
• www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people Ideas for messy play and other activities.
• https://www.naturallylearning.co.uk/50-outdoor-activities-toddlers/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers

In order to keep in touch with you all and to keep building on your child’s profile please email photos of your home learning with a brief description of what they did and said during the activity.  Send emails from the same address that you registered with 2 simple to inbox@2buildaprofile.com

Stay safe.

Mrs Emma Folkard 

How to make a learning observation.

As you might be aware I assess your child's progress by observing them as they play.  I do this by taking photos and writing notes, which I can then match against early years guidance to make a judgment about the progress they are making.  During this uncertain time I am going to have to hand the observation reins over to you, so here are a few tips on how to observe effectively and give me information that I can use.

Tip 1 make sure the photo(s) taken are of the process not just the finished article.  I can tell quite a lot by looking closely at what is happening.

Tip 2 in your notes try to record every detail.  What does your child say?
What questions did you/they ask or answer?
What were they doing with their hands/arms/legs etc?
How did they choose what they were doing?  Was it in response to a book/comment/interest/found item etc
If you offered help/suggestion or support how did this affect the play?
The more detail you put in the better.

Tip 3 avoid making sweeping statements about what they can do unaided, be honest.

Tip 4 sometimes it's best to just sit back and watch and just let them problem solve/fail/succeed, these are usually the best observations.

Once you have made your observation email it to inbox@2buildaprofile.com from the email address that you have registered.  (Please check junk to see if you have a confirmation email if you haven't yet received anything from me.)

Below is an example of an observation that gives me lots to work with and one that doesn't.

Useful observation - Johnny was colouring a color by numbers picture.  He was able to identify all the numbers to 10 correctly but asked for help with number 13 and 17.  He held his pencil with a three finger grip in his right hand and was able to colour within the lines.  When he couldn't find green he said 'look mummy I can make green with yellow and blue.'  When he had finished I gave him a book about sea animals and he then looked through the book and was able point out the creatures in his picture which matched the book.  He said 'they live in the sea in hot places.'

Not so useful observation - Johnny did a colour by numbers sea creature picture.  He knew numbers to 10.

Observing isn't easy and you don't need to record every little thing that your child does but it would be great if you could try to do one detailed observation a day to continue to grow their profile.  You can observe them doing pretty much anything from playing in the garden to doing a puzzle.

Thank you for your support with this, it will help a great deal when I have to make end of year judgments.