Yeadon Westfield Infant SchoolOur blogs
Date: 22nd Dec 2023 @ 8:35am
This half term we have had some extra help in Nursery in the form of our student Miss Simonett. She will be leaving us at Christmas and we wish her well in her next placement.
The children have been very busy learning now they are settled and familiar with the Nursery environment. The children have learnt about different events and celebrations as well as learning about themes related to their own interests. They have learnt about Bonfire night, Antibullying and of course the last 2 weeks in particular have been focused around that highly anticipated event – Christmas!
In phonics we having been looking at Phase 1 and have spent lots of time learning to listen and join in with different forms of sounds around our environment and also experimenting with instrumental sounds.
In maths we have learning lots of counting songs, recognising and reading numbers in our environment and have been learning how to use flashcards – just ask us how quickly we can say our name!
We have done lots of learning around different stories with Dear zoo, We’re going on a Bear Hunt and Brown Bear coming out as clear favourites.
Despite the weather the children have enjoyed playing outside, jumping in muddy puddles and then using the puddles to paint our hut.
The bikes are still a popular hit although some children have added a Christmas twist and have been delivering presents around Nursery and the outside area. Father Christmas will be out of a job at this rate!
This final week before Christmas has seen us making reindeer food, modelling for our calendars, developing our fine motor skills by punching out those hearts and designing and writing our Christmas cards, We have also had a great time decorating our very unique Nursery Christmas tree!
We were so proud of all the children in our Nursery sing-along. They were so brave, looked fabulous in their outfits and had worked so hard learning all the songs and actions. We hope you enjoyed the performance!
Mrs Waterworth and I are so proud of the huge progress the children have made in their confidence and independence this term.
We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
Christmas Message from Ms Lowry
Date: 20th Dec 2023 @ 3:44pm
Hi,
We have made it to Bethlehem which has felt like a long journey.... I think we are all ready for the break after a final visit to Church, a disco and a visit from Santa. The children have had a great half term. They have worked hard and learned a lot. They had a great time at the theatre and with the theatre groups that came into school. Thank you for your support with fundraising particularly the Christmas Fair and the Santa Dash.
Have a restful break and we look forward to seeing everyone on 8th January at 8.40am.
Ms Lowry
School Council Christmas Biscuit Fundraiser
Date: 19th Dec 2023 @ 4:00pm
The School Council baked and iced biscuits for every child in school this week. Thanks for the donations of silver coins - £19.46 was raised.
Date: 19th Dec 2023 @ 12:05pm
The children really enjoyed their Christmas Dinner last week!
Date: 19th Dec 2023 @ 10:24am
Well done to the Reception children for their amazing singing today and thanks to the staff for all their hard work. We hope everyone enjoyed the performance.
Date: 14th Dec 2023 @ 2:54pm
The children have enjoyed sharing books in Year 1 today.
Date: 8th Dec 2023 @ 1:20pm
Sneaky Santa has returned to STARS. Ask your children if they have spotted him and what mischief he is getting up to.
Date: 7th Dec 2023 @ 11:25am
Date: 7th Dec 2023 @ 9:30am
The children in Year 1 had great fun at the Santa Dash yesterday.
Date: 15th Nov 2023 @ 2:15pm
The children started Antibullying week wearing odd socks and celebrating their differences.
Remembrance Day and Children in Need Activities at STARS
Date: 15th Nov 2023 @ 2:11pm
Date: 8th Nov 2023 @ 2:59pm
Date: 27th Oct 2023 @ 9:46am
Welcome to the first Year 2 blog of the year! This first half term has gone incredibly fast as we have all been very busy settling into a new year. Year 2 comes with more responsibility for the children who are now the role models of the school! There are lots of weekly jobs the children can volunteer for such as playground friends, bell ringers, door openers, chair monitors and more. Those who have school dinners are given the opportunity to be servers and help at lunch time. We have found that the children have risen to these roles brilliantly. Well done children!
The topic for this half term is Space. It is such an interesting and engaging topic and will run through until the end of the next half term too.
In literacy, we have looked at the stories, ‘Here Come the Aliens’, ‘Wanda’s Space Party’ and ‘Toys in Space’. The children have used their imagination, creativity and lots of adjectives to enhance their own versions of these stories. We have been impressed with their originality and unique ideas. We are working hard on the presentation of writing and beginning to model the use of joined up writing.
In Topic (science, history, geography, art, DT), we have learned so many fascinating facts about what can be seen from space, what can survive in space and who has been to space! The children have been thoroughly engaged during these lessons and have enhanced the sessions by adding in their own thoughts and space facts. The Wonder Dome experience was a real highlight for the children and brought all our learning to life. In art, the children spent three weeks creating a wonderful space scene where they used different paint, collage and pastel techniques. In DT they had the opportunity to design, make and evaluate their own 3D space rockets using recycled materials. They could all talk about what features they liked, what they would improve and how they could make their models stronger and sturdier.
In maths, the children have impressed us with their understanding of key concepts. This half term we have looked at place value, counting in 2, 5, 10s, naming familiar 2D shapes, doubling, halving, addition and subtraction. We continue to use practical games and methods to work out the answers. We have a bank of favourite maths songs on YouTube, ask your child to show you these!
In PE, we have been looking at body management and how to control our bodies. The children have spent several weeks developing their ‘send and return’ ball skills. Rolling, pushing, bouncing, catching and working out which is their dominant and non-dominant side. We stress the importance of being physically active in school and encourage the children to develop these key skills at home. If you don’t have a ball to hand, you could play catch with a pair of socks!
The children in Year 2 take part in whole class reading sessions. These sessions help to develop confidence, pace, fluency and reading with expression. Please continue to read at home with your child at least three times a week. Please return reading books on a Monday morning and we will exchange the book and send a new one out on Monday afternoon.
Thank you so much for your support this half term. It has been a great start to a busy and fun year. If you have any questions then please speak to a member of staff in Year 2 and we will be happy to help.
Many thanks,
Mrs Sharp & Miss Worton
Date: 27th Oct 2023 @ 9:22am
The children have settled brilliantly into Year 1 and have been working hard. They certainly deserve a break!
They have been loving our space topic which has brought about great learning across nearly all subjects. In science they have learned about the solar system and the conditions needed for plants and humans to live. In art, they have made space pictures using painting, collage and pastel drawing techniques, while in design technology they have planned, made and evaluated model rockets and made space rocks (buns) in cooking. In geography we started by asking the question “What on Earth can be seen from space?” This has led to work on the continents and seas and hot and cold places on earth. In history we have learned about the space race, Neil Armstrong and Tim Peake. In computing the children have used laptops to learn about keyboard and mouse skills (designing and typing), followed instructions (algorithms) to create a model rocket, flown their rockets and measured the distance travelled and finally recorded their measurements as data. Whew! We have covered so much!
In addition to all that, we have of course been working daily on phonics, reading and writing (we managed to get some space work into that too) as well as maths, PE, RE and PSHE. The children are getting fitter with their daily running and have shown some great skills in PE. In music they have been learning singing and performance skills to get ready for the Harvest Festival.
We are so proud of how far they have come, how they have become real Year 1s so quickly and of all their achievements.
Well done Year 1 – you are amazing!
Date: 27th Oct 2023 @ 8:31am
Well this first half term has gone quickly! The Nursery children have been fantastic and have settled beautifully into their setting. We have been so proud of the bravery they have shown coming in on their own and organising themselves.
We have been learning new routines, rules have been established and it has been a pleasure watching friendships beginning to form and grow.
The children have been developing their gross motor skills outside with lots of climbing, running, rolling and riding bikes.
They have also been developing their fine motor skills through mark making, painting, building using duplo and wooden bricks.
All of this gross and fine motor development will be getting their muscles and their brains ready for writing.
Lunchtimes have been a hit and we have been very impressed as children are starting to try different foods. We have been learning to speak clearly using sentences and remembering to use our manners when talking to each other.
This year’s Nursery are loving singing – you can always hear someone singing a Nursery rhyme somewhere. I have high hopes for our sing-along at Christmas!
We have seen lots of imaginative play both inside and out with campfires being made, pirate ships captured and children rescued. We have also taken advantage of all this wet weather and laughed until our bellies hurt when we’ve shot down the slide in our wetsuits.
We’ve also had many wonderful meals being prepared in the playdough area (and outside in the mud kitchen) and then cooked and served in the home corner.
Nursery, you are already becoming such a fabulous team who look out for each other and work so well together. Mrs Waterworth and I are very proud of you.
Now go and have a wonderful half-term!
Date: 26th Oct 2023 @ 4:20pm
This half term has seen the children settle into school life incredibly well. It has been a joy to watch new friendships form and the children develop independence.
New rules and routines have been established and the children are working hard every day to follow these to the best of their ability.
The children are working hard on speaking in clear sentences and listening to others when adults or children are speaking. We have learnt lots of new, interesting and amazing things about our reception class already.
The class have been busy learning new sounds in phonics and are trying hard to sound out words and blend them together in order to read. We will continue to learn new letter sounds next half term too.
We are having lots of fun developing our gross motor skills. Climbing, crawling, and using chalk outside, ‘painting’ large areas with water and much more. We are also busy developing our fine motor control by using Lego, being creative in the DT area, using scissors and investigating ‘funky fingers’ activities. All these activities (and many more) will help your child develop strength in their fingers and will help them to gain more pencil control.
In maths we have been learning all about a number each week. So far we have learnt all about 1, 2, 3 and 4. Within these number sessions we have looked at 2D shapes, objects that have 1, 2, 3 and 4 things. We have been counting lots of things in the classroom (saying each number as we count each object).
We have been enjoying our weekly PE sessions learning new skills and developing on existing ones. We have been concentrating on body management and the fundamental skills such as hopping, skipping, jumping, walking and running. We do our PE sessions following the PE Hub scheme and have enjoyed playing lots of games using the new skills we have learnt.
Well done reception for a successful first half term. We look forward to seeing you all after a week off and starting a new half term of learning and fun.
Team Reception 😊
Date: 26th Oct 2023 @ 4:01pm
In our Computing yesterday the children looked at fictional planets and whether they would be in the Goldilocks Zone. They then designed their own planet along with a fact file. The children went outside and created their own galaxy. Well done Year 2 Red!
Date: 26th Oct 2023 @ 11:14am
It has been a busy and exciting half term. It has been so lovely to welcome our new children and watch all our children grow in confidence. We have had Wonderdome in Keystage 1 which was amazing. We have welcomed parents in for phonics and maths information sessions as well as Shared Learning. I have a feeling that next half term is going to be even busier, so please have a restful break and we will see you in November!
Dawn Lowry
Halloween Colouring Competition
Date: 26th Oct 2023 @ 11:10am
Thanks to everyone who entered the School Council colouring competition. Congratulations to the winners:-
Nursery - Isabelle
Reception - Annie & Matilda
Year 1 - Molly, Darcey, Kyla & Isabel
Year 2 - Joel, Kurtis, Rachel, Gabriel & Finlay
Date: 20th Oct 2023 @ 11:46am
Ten year 2 childen went to Leeds Trinity University yesterdayto take part in a Cheer Dance event led by Dance Action Zone Leeds (DAZL). Following a warm up the children learnt some cheer dance techniques, covering things like cheer dance arm motions, cheer dance jumps and cheer dance turns. The session ended with the schools learning a short cheer dance routine.
Making Obstacle Courses at STARS
Date: 11th Oct 2023 @ 3:02pm
At STARS this week the children have been building their own obstacle courses and trying very hard with their cutting techniques.
Date: 2nd Oct 2023 @ 11:44am
The children have had a fun start to the year in STARS. It's been lovely to see the children again after the Summer holiday and to welcome new starters.
End of Year Message from Ms Lowry
Date: 21st Jul 2023 @ 4:41pm
What is going on with the weather!! Another half term has just whizzed by and with it the year! It has been a pleasure to watch the children blossom this year and we will be very sad to say goodbye to Year 2 and our Nursery children who are leaving. We wish them the best of luck.
Thank you so much for all your support through some difficult times and I look forward to the new year and what it will bring. Fingers crossed the weather improves!
Half term message from Ms Lowry
Date: 24th May 2023 @ 4:09pm
It is so lovely to be writing this with the sun shining – it has been a long time coming! We are at the end of another busy half term.
Year 2 have made us really proud with their positive attitude regarding their special work. We have had our spring bounce which was as popular as ever. Thankyou for your kind donations as we really do appreciate them. We have had Phonics and SATS information evenings which I hope you found useful. The children seemed to enjoy our Coronation lunch. We have welcomed two new members of staff; Miss Chalders joins the kitchen team and Miss Harris joins the lunchtime staff.
I hope the sunshine lasts through the half term. We will see you all on Monday 5th June at 8.55am.