Nursery 2024 - 2025

Dear Families,                                                                                                                                                

 We hope you had a wonderful Christmas break and are excited for the start of the new school year in Nursery.                         Below, you will find all the details for our curriculum overview for the spring half-term. We hope this information is helpful!   

Staff

My name is Mrs Calderbank, and I am thrilled to be teaching in Nursery this year!                                                              Supporting me in the classroom is Mrs Oakes, who will assist with learning activities in the  mornings and Mrs Coverly, who will support the children throughout the day.                                                                                                                                  During lunchtime, your child will be cared for by our midday assistants, Mrs Elsmore and Mrs Zahan. The children will continue to play alongside Reception during this time.                                                                                                                  Additionally, Miss Bower will be teaching the children on Friday mornings.

Topic 

Spring 1, our topic is "W W Winter"—a season full of wonder! We will explore the beauty of winter and everything around us. As young scientists, we will investigate ice, observing how it changes from a solid to a liquid. We will discuss the seasons and the changes they bring, as well as the wildlife around us. Together, we’ll learn how to protect animals during the colder months and discover which creatures hibernate and what that means for them.

In RE, our new topic is "Galilee to Jerusalem." The children will also take part in the Celebration of the Word every Thursday, reflecting on Sunday's Gospel.

Personal, Social, and Emotional Development: We will continue developing group skills, learn-ing to follow rules, and understanding how our behaviour  affects others. With support, chil-dren will begin resolving minor conflicts, such as taking turns. We’ll also show respect for oth-ers by sharing family traditions and customs.

Physical Development: Children will learn about the importance of a healthy diet, exercise, good sleep, and personal hygiene. Fine motor skills will be developed through activities involv-ing various materials to prepare for future drawing and writing tasks. Outdoor activities will focus on gross motor skills like running, jumping, and climbing and riding a bike.

Communication and Language: Daily story time will include extended conversations about what we read, helping us build longer sentences. An inviting role-play area will give children the chance to take on roles and share ideas with peers.
Literacy: Through story time and phonics, we will work on recognising our names, understand-ing print, and enjoying phase 1 phonics activities, such as rhyme and alliteration. The “letter of the week” will also be introduced to help recognise letters.

Maths: We will continue to practice counting and number recognition through number songs. Through practical activities related to our topic, we will learn how to count up to 5 objects us-ing 1:1 correspondence, saying one number for each item in order: 1,2,3,4,5. We will continue to use our fingers, objects and five frames to deepen our understanding of number. We will begin to record numerals, experimenting with our own symbols and marks.                                                                                  For more information on the Nursery curriculum, please visit St Paul's Catholic Primary School: Nursery.

Phonics
In Nursery, children will engage in Phonics, both during their playtime and in carpet sessions. During Phase One Phonics, the focus will be on helping children "Tune into Sounds" by listening for sounds in the environment, the sounds of instruments and body percussion. These activities are designed to build the essential listening and attention skills that form the foundation of phonics and all other aspects of learning.

Uniform and Clothing
We will be learning outdoors in all weather conditions, so please send your child with a waterproof coat and a pair of wellington boots. If possible, we ask that the wellies be kept at Nursery.                                                                                      To help ensure that any misplaced items are returned, please make sure that all your child’s clothing and footwear are clearly labelled with their name. Accidents can happen, so we also ask that you provide a set of spare clothes for your child. These will be kept on their peg and sent home if a change of clothes is needed.

Snacks
The school provides healthy snacks, such as fruit and milk, on a daily basis. Children are wel-come to bring their own water bottles, but please make sure their names are clearly labelled on the bottles. To support our commitment to being a healthy school, we kindly ask that the bot-tles contain only water, not juice.

Nursery Fund
We greatly appreciate any contributions to our class fund, with a suggested donation of £1 per week. This donation is entirely optional and if you prefer to donate termly, that is perfectly fine as well! The fund helps cover the cost of various extras that enhance your child's learning experience, such as additional snacks, ingredients for cooking and extra learning resources for our classroom. Your donations make a difference and the children truly benefit from them.

Learning
The learning your child engages in at school will be documented in weekly observations on Evidence Me. These observations will highlight your child’s learning journey over the half term through photographs, notes, and focused tasks. You will also find evidence of their achieve-ments on their individual Learning Journey displayed on our display wall in the cloakroom. Par-ents and carers are welcome to view these at the end of the day, once all children have been dismissed safely.                                Any home learning or significant achievements can be recorded and sent into school and we will add these to your child’s Learning Journey on the wall.
The new EYFS curriculum emphasises understanding each child as a learner and supporting their individual development. This approach includes a mix of individual and group play, com-plemented by practical assessments at key developmental points.

Home and Nursery partnership
Parents will receive a login and consent form for our Evidence Me observation application. This tool enables practitioners to record significant moments in your child’s learning, which will be shared with you. You can comment on your child’s progress and the class teacher may set "Next Step" targets for you to work on at home. You can also upload your own observations of your child to the platform.                                                                                                                                                               Additionally, we will provide WOW cards for you to use. Whenever you notice something impressive your child can do at home, write it down on a WOW card and send it into Nursery. This practice helps promote your child's confidence, strengthens their vocabulary and sup-ports their speech development when they share their WOW moment with their peers.
Finally, if you have any concerns or wish to communicate with us, we operate an 'open door policy.' You can speak to us during Nursery drop-off, but pick-up is preferable once all the children have been dismissed. Alternatively, you can reach us via email at admin@st-pauls-hyde.tameside.sch.uk. For longer discussions, it’s best to schedule an appointment.                    If someone other than yourself will be collecting your child, please inform us when you drop them off in the morning or contact the school. Children will not be released to an unfamiliar adult without prior notification.
We look forward to working with you and your child throughout the coming year and appreciate your valued support.
Mrs Calderbank, Mrs Oakes and Mrs Coverly