WELCOME TO FS2

  2024-2025

Class Teacher: Miss Tomlinson

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Haires

A massive welcome to all FS2 children, parents and visitors. We hope you have all had a fabulous summer and are as excited as we are about starting this new autumn term. We are thrilled to see so many familiar faces returning to the team and we extend a very warm welcome to those parents and children joining us for the first time this September.

Please do not hesitate to ask me questions regarding your child and their education or if you require a general update on how your child is progressing. I will ensure I make time to meet or speak with you. 

I love working out, hiking and cold water swimming. I spend lots of time climbing mountains and exploring new places. I am so excited to learn all about your children's hobbies and interests and generally getting to know them!

Miss Tomlinson

Key Information

- School starts at 9.00am with the school gates opening at 8.35am (allowing extra time).

- School ends at 3.25pm

- Please ensure the office staff have your up to date contact details.

- Please ring the office if your child will be absent. 

-If someone else is collecting your child, please inform the office, we will not allow your child to leave the premises if we have not been notified.

►Reading - Reading is at the heart of all our learning at Holy Family. To support this at home, please could all children ensure that they read their school reading book every night and that the planner is signed by an adult. Alongside this, it is also key that all children select their own reading for pleasure book which they will also have opportunities to read and share with others in school. 

►Phonics- Phonics is a way of teaching reading where children are taught to read letters or groups of letters by saying the sound(s) they represent. The phonics programme we follow is called Read Write Inc. (RWI). In reception we are beginning to blend sounds together to create words. Your child will bring home sounds that they are learning to consolidate at home. It is really important that the children practise blending sounds together to create words so please blend, blend, blend with your children at home. Playing simple listening games can help your children understand phonics a lot more. Asking your child 'Can you get your c-oa-t?' 'Sit on the ch-air.' etc. will help them understand 'Fred talk' or 'sounding out'.

►Homework - All children will be given weekly English/Phonics or Maths homework. This is to be completed and returned to school as required. 

►Uniform

Here at Holy Family we pride ourselves on our smart appearances. Please ensure children come to school dressed appropriately wearing full school uniform in line with school policy, including black shoes and no jewellery.

New School Year 2024 - 2025

Reception children had a unique learning opportunity that supported most areas in the EYFS framework. The visit was a great opportunity to develop children's language and communication skills and to broaden their horizons. It also enabled children to experience non-cognitive skills such as patience, wonder and success and to build aspirations and meet new adults. After having a tractor ride to see the piglets on a neighboring farm, children also took part in a carousel of activities:

1. Planting a seed

2. Animal/mini beast dress up costumes

3. Crops in buckets for children to explore

4. Farm wooden toys

5. Bug boxes and large magnifiers

6. Clay bugs

7. Milling the wheat to make flour

Children (and adults) had a great day out and built happy memories.

After revisiting the health and safety rules, children in Reception prepared the ingredients to create their rainbow salad. They tasted and evaluate their rainbow salad.

Children learnt about the patterns, colours and symbolism of mandalas to create a suncatcher version using collected leaves and petals.

Children in Reception celebrated VE day by using different media to create flags, bunting and banners. They learnt that On 8 May 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, announced that the war in Europe had come to an end and this became known as VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, and it is commemorated every year on 8 May. 

Children in Reception have really enjoyed practicing bouncing and catching a ball in the sunshine today. 

Children have been getting better at understanding that God sent the Holy Spirit to share God's love.

Children in Reception have been busy representing data using pictograms.

Children made a friendship recipe and for each quality of friendship discussed, children placed a pompom, a bead or a piece of paper in our friendship jar to remind us to keep friendships happy and strong.

Children have been getting at developing accuracy when throwing to a target and developing dribbling skills with their hands.

Children laid in the prayer garden to watch the clouds. They looked for shapes and pictures to remind them of when Jesus ascended into Heaven.

Children are really enjoying drawing club. They are learning new vocabulary and beginning to write extended sentences. 

WOW! What amazing skills the children have shown when doubling and halving. They doubled flowers and compared methods and found half of numbers to 10 and related to doubling.

Children learnt all about the seasons and the weather. Children explored sensory bins, created a seasonal weather wheel and sorted and matched different weathers to each season.

Reception children used their footprints to create art work symbolising how we are following in Pope Francis' footprints by showing love for creation and care for others.

Children enjoyed joining in with action songs and finding the beat and exploring tempo. They really enjoyed dancing and performing to others. 

In art and design, children in Reception used their cutting and threading skills to join materials. They also made paper snakes and designed and made tissue paper flowers.

Children used pictures, stories, artefacts and accounts from the past to explain similarities and differences and recognised some things that happened before they were born.

Children in FS2 decorated Easter biscuits together and remembered that Jesus is still with us. Whilst children ate their Easter biscuit they remembered that Jesus has love for everyone.

Children took part in Celebration of the Word using the Stations of the Cross to help them reflect on Jesus' journey to the cross and understand the meaning of His sacrifice.

The children in Reception made Easter cards to celebrate the season and share joy with others, including special cards for the local parish as a way of connecting with and giving back to the community.

As part of the EYFS curriculum, the children enjoyed a creative and sensory learning experience by making their own Easter gardens, exploring themes of new life and springtime.

Children have been getting better and finding totals, adding amounts and subtracting amounts.

Children sequenced the Stations of the Cross.

To help children understand Holy Week, Reception children tasted Hot Cross Buns as part of celebrating with signs and symbols.

Children were asked to sort some 3D shapes according to how many vertices they have and whether the shapes have a curved or flat face. Children had to use overlapping circles and decide which shapes went in each part.

Children have been getting better at counting in groups of two to find the total.

Miss Tomlinson hid plastic eggs around the room with pictures of Easter symbols inside (cross, lamb, chick, lily, sun, butterfly). When children found the eggs we discussed the meaning of the symbol inside.

🌞 Sun – A bright new beginning

🐣 Chick/Egg – New life

✝️ Cross – Jesus’ love for us

🌸 Flower/Lily – Joy & hope

Easter is a time of happiness and new beginnings!

We read, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', and we explored the life cycle of a butterfly, learning how a tiny egg hatches into a caterpillar, forms a chrysalis, and transforms into a beautiful butterfly. This story also helps us understand healthy eating, as the caterpillar eats different foods—some healthy, like fruits, and some unhealthy, like sweets—teaching us which foods help our bodies grow strong. We even discovered symmetry by looking at butterfly wings, noticing how each side is a perfect match! Through fun activities like painting symmetrical butterflies, sorting healthy and unhealthy foods, and sequencing the life cycle, children develop key skills in science, math, and well-being.

Parents joined a Phonics workshop to help them understand how we teach their children to learn to read words in Read, Write Inc. Phonics by blending sounds together: alongside teaching their children sounds, parents were introduced Fred and how we use Fred Talk to blend sounds to read words e.g. s-a-t sat. 

Children learnt about the four different groups of musical instruments, where they are positioned in the orchestra, their different sounds and the role of the conductor.

Children demonstrated great speaking and listening skills whilst discussing people who are familiar to them. They spoke about things that have happened in the past, at parties, birthdays and different celebrations. Children joined in with 'Weekend News' circle time, they played 'guess who' describing a special person form their past and they used small world and puppets to describe interactions and relationships at home.

Children in Reception reflected on the word sacrifice and made Lenten promises to keep for 40 days. 

Children explored clay through manipulation and experimentation and developed their fine motor skills. They explored properties of playdough using hands and tools to manipulate it in different ways. Children also created 3D landscapes using natural objects they found in the outdoor area, using their imagination to choose and arrange objects. They completed their exploration by making and painting animal sculptures.

Children placed a small piece of black tissue paper to represent Ash Wednesday. Then, they added a small white heart to show love and kindness during Lent.

Lent helps us change and grow by being more loving.

Reception children joined a Lent national assembly today from CAFOD as part of our Jubilee commitment!

The children have been exploring the significance of Ash Wednesday. They thoughtfully made their own Lenten promises, considering ways they could help others. During our Celebration of the Word, they received ashes on their foreheads as a symbol of the beginning of Lent.

We discussed Shrove Tuesday, and the children had the opportunity to make and taste pancakes. Yum, yum!

Helping Hands Tree

Children printed their hands and each time a child did something kind for them, sharing, helping, listening, they were given 'A Helping Hand Print' and added it to the tree. Children are going to watch the tree "grow" with kindness through Lent!

Lent is a time to help others and fill the world with love.

Children placed the concrete representations that they made in order. Children were given time to complete any towers for numbers 0 to 15 needed so that they can place all numbers 0 to 15 in order. children discussed the order, saying where they started ordering the towers and in which direction.

Children independently used fine motor skills to create threaded Easter decorations.

Children accessed the instruments; drums, maracas, and tambourines and the children explored rhythms. They compare how different cultures express themselves through music and movement.

Children were able to talk about what is different and what is the same in a set of objects.

Children got nice and comfy in the reading room to share and enjoy their favourite books.

In PE this week, children were getting better at moving with control and co-ordination and being able to copy and repeat actions.

Take a look at Reception's spring classroom environment. It is lively, refreshing, and full of energy, reflecting the season's sense of renewal and growth. Natural light streams through open windows, filling the room with warmth and fresh air, while colorful decorations—such as flower cutouts and farm crafts add a cheerful touch. Learning activities incorporate themes of nature, renewal, and discovery, with children engaging in hands-on science projects about plant life cycles. The atmosphere is vibrant yet calming, encouraging curiosity, collaboration, and a sense of excitement for learning as children embrace the changing season.

In RE the EYFS children have been learning that Jesus teaches us to share what we have with others. We talked about how there are lots of ways that we can help people who don't have enough food to eat. We talked about food banks and the children brought in food, which will be taken to the church and given to the local food bank. We had a special Celebration of the Word to pray for those people who do not get enough food. This activity allowed the children to put Social Catholic Teaching into practice and will also help our local community.

Children in Reception created a concrete representation of counting equal groups and adding them together using cubes.

Reception were lucky enough to receive a special visitor... Ed Miliband! On his visit to school to speak to the school council, he was given a tour of the school where he spoke to the children and answered questions in each class.

Children used percussion instruments to represent the sounds in the story, 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Children chose an instrument to represent the grass, river, mud, forest, snow and the cave. They decided which instrument would be best, explain why and decide if they would play it loud of quiet and quick or slow. The children played their instruments at the correct part in the story.

Children investigated how many dinosaurs would be in each area if 25 dinosaurs were placed into 5 equal groups.

Children really enjoy this activity and ask for it to be in provision daily. They roll the dice, read the word and write the word. So much fun whilst learning!

To expand the children's vocabulary in Reception, our word of the week this week is 'roamed'. 

Children used counters to and a number track to solve how many people were on the bus.

What an exciting day we have had celebrating Chinese New Year. We have joined in with lots of activities, painting Chinese numbers, discussing a fortune cookie and we have applied newly taught joining skills to make a 2D AND a 3D dragon. We suggested a name for our dragon and wrote these suggestion on post it notes. We tasted prawn crackers and even though they smelt fishy, they tasted delicious! We also made cards to wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year.

Children in Reception really enjoy Drawing Club. They love drawing, learning new vocabulary and being able to bring their imagination to life.

Children in Reception explored junk models practiced cutting and scissor skills, chose resources they wanted to use, paper clips, treasury tags, bulldog clips, split pins etc and then they had the opportunity to build their creation. What a fantastic creation it is!

Children in Reception have Julia Donaldson as their Author Spotlight.

Children in Reception designed a simple trail involving turns and linked this to Maths.

Children in Reception played a 'flapping fish game' to help them learn ordinal numbers. 

Children have been getting better at copying simple movements and actions.

Children in Reception were super excited to see the farm animals. They asked lots of different questions and had a truly memorable experience.

Children getting better at counting up to 9 objects.

Children in Reception learnt to express and communicate ideas through movement and exploring directions and levels.

Children in Reception used different resources to count and identify numbers to 7.

Children in Reception learnt all about contrasting environments. They used non-fiction books to look at similarities and differences between two environments and used their fine motor skills to sort different animals and to create a collage using colour for a purpose. 

Children in Reception have been consolidating learning in their maths meeting. 

Children in Reception made Christmas cards for our local Parish.

Reception lit the second candle and reflected for the need for us to prepare our hearts and minds for the arrival of Jesus. This candle serves as a reminder to reflect on our Love for Jesus.

Children in Reception joined in with action songs and made up their own actions to the lyrics.

Reception lit the first candle of Advent which symbolises Hope. As the light flickered in the darkness, we reflected on our hope of what Christ's arrival will bring to the world.

Children in FS2 have been learning all about natural processes. This week we have looked at floating and sinking. The children explored waterproof materials, learnt how to design a boat and they also created a boat before testing it on water to test if it would float or sink.

This second parent’s maths session was all about matching Numicon shapes to numerals, combining, equivalence, pattern and generalising and using Numicon to add. All the children worked extremely hard and completed some really tuff challenges.  

All parents that attended, were given a Numicon starter pack to use at home with their child along with some number cards. Throughout the afternoon, activities were demonstrated so parents could use these at home to support their child. 

Children in Reception worked together to create a paperchain 'Respect Rainbow'. They wrote words and phrases that show kindness and respect.

During the first session of Stepping into Maths in Reception, parents were introduced to Numicon and it was explained how it is a must-have resource in teaching the early year's maths curriculum and that they are perfect for tactile, multi-sensory, hands-on learning experiences. Parents were told that using Numicon regularly, empowers children to become familiar with the shapes, recognising them visually and linking them to the representative of number. Children completed different activities using Numicon and thoroughly enjoyed having their adult join them in their learning. 

Remembrance Day in EYFS was taught to help children understand their community, the world around them, and the people who have helped shape it. It lends itself to Understanding the World, allowing children to make connections between past and present and learn about significant historical events.

Reception children have been recognising, describing and copying colour and size patterns. They have Created and described their own colour and size patterns and are counting one, two and three objects reliably.

Children in Reception learnt all about their teeth. How to brush them and how important it is to choose healthy foods and snacks. The children discussed visiting the dentist and how they can prevent tooth decay.

Children in Reception use these resources to support their understanding in prayer and liturgy, classroom prayer, reflections, devotions and special services for times in the school year.

Our topic this half term will teach children about the changes that happen during winter, including the different types of weather associated with the winter season. It will also explore environments that have snow all year round and will help children understand the physical changes that come with winter and the adaptations of people, plants, and animals in snowy or icy environments!

Children in Reception have learnt all about good dental hygiene. 

Children picked lots of autumnal natural objects and made a cross because they love God.

Children were really excited to show the adults they had made in the mud kitchen area using simple tools, equipment and natural resources.

What a busy time we have had learning all about Black History. We have celebrated the amazing achievements and important contributions of:

Lorraine Pascale - a very talented Chef who loves to cook delicious food - Our Tiger cake was delicious!

Dame Elizabeth Anionwu - A very special person who helps take care of sick people - we used bandages and plasters to help our friends get better.

Maresia Liburd-Spencer - a co-founder of the organisation 'Black Deaf UK' - we used sign language to sign the Hail Mary.

Lubaina Himid - an Artist - we took inspiration from Lubaina's art work and replicated one her famous pieces.

Children in Reception gathered to give thanks for the food that has been gathered from the fields. We learnt about  the food we eat and how Harvest is celebrated on the Sunday closest to the Harvest Moon, which is a full moon closest to the Autumn equinox.

Children have been learning all about the way in which God made our beautiful world and everything in it and that He made us. They have also learnt the words and actions for the sign of the cross and learnt to say, 'In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Children learnt what it means for an animal to hibernate and discover what different species need. They then designed and made a hibernation box for a hedgehog.

Lots of mathematical exploration has been happening in FS2. Children have been sorting collections of objects in different ways, sorting shapes based on colour, sorting concrete objects to form sets, matching pairs and lots more!

Reception children learnt that the Rosary is to help people remember the events in the lives of Jesus and Mary and to thank and praise God for them. The children made their own Rosary using pom-poms and applying their threading skills.

Reception children dressed as Rock stars to celebrate Maths in school.

Children shared images of their family to develop an understanding of past and present and listened to what others said about their pictures.

Children are enjoying lots of different activities to improve their fine motor skills.

Children in Reception used the display to talk about where they live and what their environment looks like. Some children named the road and the City they live, the number they live at and they knew the name of our school.

Take a look at our inviting classroom environment.

Children will be challenged in the maths area, use provision to apply what they have learnt in phonics and read in the reading area.

Children will also learn all about the season of autumn and observe changes in the environment.

They will create habitats and understand why animals hibernate.

Children in Reception having 1:1 reading time.

Children in Reception have learnt that nursery rhymes involve sequences. They worked together to identify all the key steps in nursery rhymes.

Reception children learnt that nursery rhymes need involve a sequence and they made their own flow chart.

Reception children are setting up their own Collective Worship and explaining why we use the cloth, cross, candles and bible.

Children in Reception really enjoy visiting the Reading Room to choose a reading for pleasure book to take home and share with their adults.

Children have been working really hard to write their letters, starting and finishing in the correct places.

Reception children have been busy exploring the natural world around them, learning all about plants. They have named and described some plants, their favourite being the sunflower. Lots of discussions were made to find out how plants grow. New vocabulary was introduced and children began to use this when labelling parts of a plant. They used their creative skills too to make a sunflower, using different media and colour for a purpose.

Prayer Bear will be coming home with children to help them learn their prayers.

I’m just a little Prayer Bear,
I’ll sit upon your bed
It’s my job to remind you
When your prayers should be said.

When you put me on your pillow
As you make your bed each day
Remember as you hold me,
To take the time to pray.

Then when you go to bed at night
And put me on the floor,
Remember to take the time to kneel
And say your prayers once more.

Children made marks with wax crayons and explored textures in the classroom environment using wax rubbings. They also used felt tips to develop fine motor skills whilst making patterns. Children then made marks in our outdoor provision using chalk.

Children looked at the pictures of our school and discussed the name of the road and town that our school is located in.

What a fantastic amount of parents attending our very first phonics session. Thank you so much to each and everyone of you, your support is very much appreciated.

The first session introduced parents to phonics, what it is and how we teach it in EYFS.

Keep an eye out on parent mail for the next one in the next half term.

The children visited our chapel. They reflected on the word 'respectful'. Together they said a personal pray to God.

                                                                  'Thank you God for everyone'

Children in Recpeption are already demonstrating independence. They balanced their food on their tray, removed their lunch and took their own tray. The dinner staff were amazed at how well they managed their first week in the hall, also commenting on how well the children used their manners.