Welcome to Classes 1 and 2. Our team consists of Miss Sheppard (class 1 teacher), Miss Gill (class 1 TA), Miss Tyler and Mrs Burton (class 2 teachers) and Mrs Offord (class 2 TA).  We also have some amazing people working to support specific children in each class. Class 1 are supported by Miss Slater and Mrs Chambers whilst Mrs Kaplan and Mrs Hensen support children in class 2. We love learning through play and spend our days being busy, active and often messy in our indoor and outdoor learning areas. Learning is planned around stories, chosen to engage and excite the children. Please check our website regularly to see the fun we have been having!

Curriculum Presentation

You can view our curriculum presentation for 2021-22 here.

A fantastic year!

Week beginning 25.7.22

We have had an amazing last week at school. We enjoyed a party day for our final day in F2 with lots of songs, games and treats. The children loved the big bubbles and were very keen to have a go on their own! Mr Hopkinson even joined in with some of the fun. We have loved working with your children this year and know they are going to be amazing in Year 1. Thank you all for your continued support and thank you for your kind messages, cards and gifts. Have a fantastic summer and we look forward to seeing you all back in September. 

Lots of love,

The F2 team.

Our final full week

Week beginning 18.7.22 

We have been so proud of how the children have handled the heat this week! They were very sensible and knew how to keep safe. They even made sure the grown ups were being safe too! We've had a lovely time in our classes playing games, singing songs and creating artwork. The children have been very proud of their work this year and were excited to take it home to share with you. If your child's work has not come home yet, it will next week. 

Could you please ensure any phonics books or story books are sent back to school on Monday to collect in. Your child will then come home with a phonics book for summer. Thank you for your continued support. 

Hot, hot, hot!

Week beginning 11.7.22

The children were very excited to go on their final visit to class 3 or 4. They've had lots of fun on the visits and have all made a bear to help them complete their Summer challenge. We've had lots of fun in the sun this week and the children have coped very well in the heat. They have been learning about ways to stay safe in the sun and are very good at reminding the grown ups! Enjoy the lovely weather this weekend and stay safe. 

Another busy week!

Week beginning 4.7.22

The children have been having lots of fun this week. They enjoyed wellbeing day on Tuesday where they took part in yoga, cricket and dance. The children also thought back to times they have enjoyed at school this year and made their own happy face! On Wednesday, the children enjoyed another visit to their new classrooms. It was lovely to see so many smiley faces when they returned. Many of them are very excited to visit again on Monday! 

So much fun! 

Week beginning 27.6.22

The children have had a fantastic week. They were very excited to meet the Year 1 team and spend some time in their new classrooms. They enjoyed playing with lots of friends and doing lots of fun activities. The children are very excited to go for another visit! The children have also enjoyed lots of different activities this week such as drama, dance, yoga, football, athletics and even archery! We were disappointed with the weather on Monday but we are really looking forward to Sports Day on Wednesday next week. 

Happy birthday WIS! 

Week beginning 20.6.22

This week, Woodthorpe Infant School turns 60 years old. We have had lots of fun with the different celebration activities. The children all added their handprint to the big WIS on the drive. Have a look with your child and see if they can remember theirs! The children have also enjoyed the bouncy castle, party games, a picnic and a very yummy cupcake! We are looking forward to the Summer fair after school on Friday and we hope you enjoy this too. 

Attenborough Nature Reserve

Week beginning 13.6.22

We had a fantastic time on our trip to Attenborough Nature Reserve. The children enjoyed a range of activities. We went pond dipping to find different wildlife, bug hunting, bird watching and explored the different outdoor areas. The children were very good at finding lots of different bugs and it was very exciting to see them up close. We have also been very excited this week to find our eggs have hatched and now each class has a dinosaur! 

The children have really enjoyed using the making area in the classrooms (as some of you will have noticed!). We would be very grateful to receive any boxes you have for the children to make models with. Thank you for your continued support. 

An exciting week!

Week beginning 6.6.22

The children have had a fantastic week back at school! They have been very excited using the classrooms with our new furniture and have been having lots of fun. When we came back to school, the class caterpillars had turned into butterflies and classes 1 and 2 came together to let them go. It was very exciting watching them fly away! On Tuesday, a mysterious egg had appeared in both classrooms and we don't know where they came from or what is inside! The children have been predicting what it could be and have had some fantastic ideas. We can't wait to see what it might be next week. 

A week of celebrations!

Week beginning 23.5.22

This week we have enjoyed celebrating the Queen's Jubilee by baking and eating some yummy cakes. We also loved celebrating all our hard work in becoming independent writers.  Thank you for coming to celebrate with us. Thank you too for all your hard work and effort in supporting your child to gain the skills and resilience needed to become confident, happy writers. Have a super break over half term. When we return we are looking forward to a brand new classroom with brand new furniture!

Doubles and bug hunting!

Week beginning 16.5.22

This week we have continued learning about minibeasts and made our own binoculars to go on a bug hunt! Why not explore your own garden or the local park and see what bugs you can find? Our school caterpillars  have grown a lot over the week and have started hanging upside down ready for their transformation!  Hopefully, we'll have some  photos of butterflies to share next week! In Maths this week we have been exploring doubles using dice and writing equations to match. We are looking forward to celebrating the children's hard work in writing with you this Thursday (26th May) at 3pm in the hall.

The very hungry caterpillar comes to visit!

Week beginning 9.5.22

In Literacy we have been enjoying reading 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. During the week we had some real caterpillars come to visit! We have been watching them munch through their 'food' and each day they are getting bigger. We haven't seen them eat any ice cream yet though! We also enjoyed our visit to the theatre to see 'The Gruffalo' with the rest of the school. Thanks to Friends of Woodthorpe for organising it!

The beach comes to Woodthorpe Infant School

Week beginning 2.5.22

As part of our learning about the ocean, Miss Offord and Miss Gill organised a beach day for us. It was so much fun! We paddled, dug for treasure, made water travel down tubes, had our photo taken as mermaids and pirates, completed a treasure hunt, made shaving foam ice creams, caught fishes from a pirate boat, searched for 20 gold coins (in order to get an ice lolly treat!) and enjoyed performing and watching puppet shows.  We even got to throw sponges of water at the teachers (or at least at their faces!). Thank you for sending your child dressed for the occasion - we had a super time!

Commotion in the Ocean

Week beginning 25.4.22

We have been enjoying the book Commotion in the Ocean this week. We have learnt our favourite poems - see the videos below to watch us performing them! We have also discovered interesting facts about a number of animals that live in the ocean and have had a go at writing our own non-fiction sentences. We are looking forward to our beach day next Thursday. Remember to complete our penultimate Flipgrid Challenge this week! 

Welcome back!

Week beginning 18.4.22

It was lovely to welcome the children back this term to a wellbeing day. During the day, the children learnt about people who have lost the use of their arms so paint with their mouth and feet to paint instead. Click here to see how they do it! Then they had a go themselves!  It made us realise just how grateful we are for what we have.

A fantastic half term!

Week beginning 28.3.22

We have had a fantastic week this week! The children have enjoyed the snowy weather. They loved trying to taste it and make tiny snowmen. We have also had lots of Easter fun in the classroom and have enjoyed the egg rolling. The children were very supportive of their friends when they made it into the final. It was lovely to see everyone's decorated eggs.

Thank you for your continued support this half term. Have a lovely Easter and we can't wait to see you back after the holidays! 

Strong Fingers

Week beginning 21.3.22

We have loved watching the Flipgrid videos of you completing your strong fingers challenges! There are a few more challenges to come after Easter along with some more exciting resources coming home! We will be recognising all your hard work with a special event - more details to follow shortly. Check out the amazing videos below from some recent Flipgrid challenges and remember to upload your video for this weeks challenge. 

The children have been very excited to see the ducklings this week. We have enjoyed watching the eggs hatch and seeing the ducklings in their cage. The children loved getting them out to hold and stroke. We have also been making the most of the sunny weather and have been spending lots of time outside. 

Handa's surprise 

Week beginning 14.3.22

We have enjoyed hearing our new story in literacy this week. We have been reading Handa's surprise and have been comparing life in Africa to life in England. The children were very excited to look at and try lots of the fruits from the story. We spent time looking at the different fruits and seeing what they felt like and what they smelt like. Lots of children in classes 1 and 2 were very brave to try and taste the new exciting fruits. 

An exciting time!

Week beginning 7.3.22

The children were very lucky and very excited to hold a piece of the moon. Classes 1 and 2 came together to talk about the moon rocks and hold them. The children were great at describing the different textures and colours. How lucky we were to hold something from space! We also had a great time at the disco! The children loved wearing their party clothes and showing us their super dance moves. 

A trip to Manor Farm!

Week beginning 28.2.22

We have been continuing to enjoy learning through our story 'The Three Little Pigs' this week. We even got to visit Manor Farm! The farm peacock gave us a lovely welcome by displaying his feathers to us to see. During the day, we enjoyed getting up close and personal to guinea pigs, rabbits, turtles and we even saw a hedgehog! The dinosaur trail and play barn were also a big hit! Thank you for sending your child in suitable clothes. It was a lovely day!

Welcome back!

Week beginning 22.2.22

It's been great to welcome the children back after the half term. A big well done for all the amazing mini gardens we have received!  There are some amazingly creative ideas - they all look beautiful. We look forward to watching them grow. We enjoyed our well being day creating our own Lego characters to add to our class poster. These posters are now on display in the dining area for us to enjoy over lunch. You will have received additional items for your strong fingers packs this week. Keep them safe as you will need them  for more challenges this term!

Chinese New Year

Week beginning 7.2.22

We have been learning about Chinese New Year, and this week we are making Chinese lanterns. We were so impressed with the children's cutting skills, and they decorated their lanterns beautifully using a range of sequins and "diamonds"! We hope you are able to put them in pride of place at home!  We also enjoyed our very own dragon dance outside. We are looking forward to meeting all of you at parents' evening this week, and we hope you enjoyed sharing your children's work with them when we sent their books home last week! Look out for some helpful resources coming home with your children to support their learning at home.

Outdoor Fun

Week beginning 31.1.22

This week we have had lots of new toys added to our physical shed outside. The children have had a wonderful time playing basketball, throwing and catching, bat and ball, quoits, ring toss and skateboarding with our fabulous new toys. They have been very respectful ensuring that they let a grown up know if a toy has escaped under the fences, and ensuring that things are put back ready for the next person to use. We will be developing some more of our outdoor learning areas over the course of the year so watch this space for some more exciting new resources!

Break the rules!

Week beginning 24.1.22

This week we have enjoyed changing the story of the 'Little Red Hen' and making it our own. One version was about a naughty cheeky monkey who went to McDonalds! We have also been very impressed with the children's blending skills when reading. They are recognising phonemes and blending them to read words. Thanks for all the reading you are doing at home to support them. Remember you can use Teach Your Monster to read to help bring a fun and engaging element to their reading practice. Do ask if you need a reminder of your child's log in details. There are other excellent apps from the same company available to download (currently free) to support Reading For Fun and Number Skills. Check out the website here for more details. On Friday, we enjoyed Break the Rules day which gave us the opportunity to wear trainers and accessories to school. We also loved eating pudding before lunch and enjoyed the novelty of bringing our own snacks into school!

Strong fingers and super writers

Week beginning 17.1.22

We have started using our new writing books over the last few weeks and we have been so impressed with the children's wonderful writing. This week the children have been using their segmenting skills to  label characters from the Little Red Hen story and will be continuing to create a story map. We have been so impressed with how they have used their knowledge of correct letter formation in their writing. Thank you so much to those of you who have used their strong fingers packs to support them. Well done to everyone who has completed the flipgrid challenge so far, and we hope lots more of you will take on the challenge soon - we look forward to seeing your efforts!

Bread Making

Week beginning 10.1.22

We have started our new Literacy unit by making bread. The children followed a recipe and used their reciprocity to work as a team, weigh and measure the ingredients, mix, knead and shape their dough to make their bread rolls. We had a tiny taste in class and then the children brought their own creations home - we hope you enjoy them! We explored some new vocabulary including flour, yeast, weigh, measure, stir, knead, dough and rise. Maybe the children could explain what some of these words mean? We will be starting a new story about someone else who makes bread, but unlike the Woodthorpe children, his friends aren't quite so helpful...can you guess what story we might be reading?

First day back

Week beginning 4.1.22

We have had a lovely first day back focusing on wellbeing. In the morning all the children enjoyed special sessions of yoga, street dance and dodgeball. It was great to see them enjoying such a varied range of activities and being so confident with different adults. In the afternoon we started learning about rhyming with the story Oi Frog and also enjoyed a painting activity making egg box animals. We now have lots more resources out in the classroom to offer more of a challenge to the children's independent learning, and it was great to see the children playing so well with them (and tidying up afterwards!). A great start to the new term!

Merry Christmas!

Week beginning 13.12.21

We have had a very exciting Christmassy week! The children loved their Christmas dinner on Tuesday and enjoyed the trip up to St Mark's church where we sang some Christmas songs. Wednesday was party day for class 1 and 2 where they enjoyed playing some party games in the hall and showed us their amazing dance moves! The children were very excited when Mr Hopkinson delivered some presents from Santa! We have also been very busy in the classroom this week making some beautiful decorations which we are sure you will love. Thank you everyone for your kind words, cards and gifts and thank you for your continued support so far this year. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break. Merry Christmas! 

Christmas fun

Week beginning 6.12.21

We are so proud of the children this week. They were amazing in the nativity 'Everyone loves a baby'. Thank you for your continued support and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Both classes have enjoyed getting ready for Christmas this week. They are getting very excited! We loved seeing them in their Christmas jumpers this week. Don't forget your party clothes for party day on Wednesday! 

Beaumanor Hall 

Week beginning 29.11.21

The children loved their first trip to Beaumanor Hall this week! We had a fantastic time learning about Victorian Christmas and Victorian schools. We made Christmas cards and played with different Victorian toys. The children were very excited to meet Santa and receive their magic pencils to write their Christmas lists. Some have written them already! It's really got everyone in the mood for Christmas! 

A sneak peek! 

Week beginning 22.11.21

The children are getting very excited for Christmas! We have been learning about the first nativity in our literacy sessions and the children have enjoyed the story. We have been rehearsing for our Christmas performance. The children have had lots of fun and it has been very exciting going on the stage! If you have not done already, please send in your child's costume in a named bag by Monday 29th November. Any questions, please ask a member of the F2 team. Thank you for your support and we hope you are very excited for the performance! 

Super segmenting!

Week beginning 15.11.21

We have had an amazing week in the lovely lions and bold bees. The children have been working very hard and doing lots of segmenting! They have been listening for the sounds in the words and writing them using magnetic letters or tiles. The children were great at being reflective and reading the word once they had finished. Take a look at some of the fantastic words on the pictures below. 

Please keep an eye out for a letter coming home about costumes for the Christmas performance and what your child will need. Thank you for your continued support and we hope you're as excited as we are for the Christmas show! 

Strong fingers

Week beginning 8.11.21

The children in classes 1 and 2 have been working really hard this week using their strong fingers. They have been doing different fine motor activities to help strengthen their hands. The children have really enjoyed using the hole punches, paper clips, scissors, elastic bands and even hunting for insects using tweezers! If you would like to, you can practise using your strong fingers at home with activities such as threading, cutting and playing with playdough. 

Welcome back!

Week beginning 1.11.21

It has been fantastic to see everyone back at school! We have had lots of fun this week. We enjoyed wellbeing day on Tuesday where the children had fun joining in with the drama, dance and singing. We also decorated our colourful feathers that will be added to the ‘Woodthorpe wings’ – keep an eye out for these as you walk up the drive! On Thursday, both classes had a fantastic time celebrating and learning about Diwali!  The children loved molding the clay to make their own sparkly diva lamps.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Week beginning 11.10.21

This week, we have enjoyed a bare foot bear hunt! We took our shoes and socks off and explored the feel of grass, cold water, leaves, mud and snow on our feet. There were lots of brave children as they approached the squelchy mud and the ice cold water! We also recorded ourselves telling the story and added the pictures. Watch our story video here! We've also had a go at writing the letters c, o and a in shaving foam.

Letter formation

Week beginning 4.10.21

This week, we have enjoyed listening to the story of the Bear Hunt and joining in with sounds and actions of our own! We have also practised writing some of the graphemes we have been learning. This week we have used paintbrushes and water when writing the letters. Last week we used cornflour and next week we will use  shaving foam! Whatever next?! Click here to see the patters we use when helping children to form their letters. There are some helpful videos here that show the correct formation. Why not have a go at home in the bath with some bath crayons, with chalk outside or if you are feeling brave, with some flour in a tray and your finger?! We have also enjoyed wearing yellow in support of World Mental Health Day. Thanks for all your donations.

Mud Glorious Mud!

Week beginning 27.9.21

This week, since the weather has turned, we have opened up our outside mud kitchen! The rain has made perfect mud pie building and worm hunting conditions! We have wellies and over trousers for the children to use in the mud kitchen so if you have any spare old wellies you are looking to pass on please send them our way! We have also been painting 2D shapes and recognising numerals and quantities up to three and have loved singing this Goldilocks counting song to help us in our learning. A big well done to everyone for being brave and having a go with their new reading books this week - keep up the good work!

Pebble Painting!

Week beginning 20.9.21

This week we have been painting pebbles for our school 'pebble pathway'. We have also painted large stones with our class names on. Can you spot them on your way up the driveway when you come to school? We have also been learning about 3D shapes. We know 3D shapes are solid shapes and are beginning to recognise and name some of these shapes. Why not go on another shape hunt around your house? Can you find a sphere, cube or cuboid? Your child will bring a reading book home with them soon. Share it together and see if they can spot any phonemes we have been learning in school. If they are ready, they can try and blend (push) the sounds together to read the words. Next week we will be reading and enjoying the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt". Do read and enjoy the story together at home if you have it! Thank you to everyone to came to our school fair. Mrs Burton and Miss Sheppard enjoyed themselves!

Tidying up!

Week beginning 13.9.21

This week we have been learning to name, recognise and describe 2d shapes - square, circle, triangle and rectangle. Have a look around your house to see what shapes you can find - what shape is your bedroom window? We have also been enjoying learning new letter sounds and we now know the phonemes s, a, t, p, i, n, m and d. Your child will have received a spelling booklet. Inside are words we will be teaching your children to read and write over the year. Please don't worry about teaching your child to spell these words just yet! Thank you for sharing the books with your children that they have brought home. We want the children to develop a love of stories and there's nothing better than snuggling up together with a story! At school, we encourage the children to put away what they are using before they choose to go somewhere else. You can help them by encouraging them to do this at home too! Thank you for all your support over these first few weeks while the children are settling in to their new routines.

First full week

Week beginning 06.9.21

What an amazing week we have had!  The children have been super brave and enjoyed lots of delicious school lunches. At lunch times, the Year 2 children serve the dinners and when the children have finished eating they can go out to play. Do encourage your child to try all the food they are given - they may discover a new food they really like!  Your child has been given a reading diary this week and they have chosen a story book to share with you at home. There are some instructions at the beginning that explain how they are to be used and also some details of our school approach to reading.

During the week we have enjoyed reading the story of Goldlilocks and the Three Bears. We then made some 'porridge' for Goldilocks by cutting, tearing and punching holes in paper. We even showed Mr Hopkinson how to add a pipette of paint into the porridge!  Class 1 have also made their very own lion to represent their class name 'Lovely Lions' whilst Class 2 have collaged a bee to represent their class name 'Bold Bees'. Both classes have also painted their class animal onto a large stone. See if you can spot them at the bottom of the school drive!

We are very proud of all the children this week!

A Great Start To Starting School!

Week beginning 30.8.21

We have had a great start to the new school year. The children have been absolutely amazing. They have shown how brave they can be by giving their parents a kiss at the door and coming into school completely independently (well done parents).

They have been thrilled to see old friends and have already started to make new ones too. The half days have been helpful in enabling the children to get to know the school environment and the adults that work with them. The children have had lots of fun exploring and the adults have enjoyed getting to know your child better. 

Many thanks to you all for supporting the children with everything they need for their school day. On Wednesdays, the children will be doing PE in the morning. Please ensure they bring a named drawstring bag with their PE kit in (black shorts and a white T-shirt). This will stay in school for the half term and be sent home in October. Also, just a quick reminder they need their book bags in school everyday, a water bottle filled with just water (no squash or flavoured water), a coat as we will be going outside everyday and please label all clothing with your child's name.

Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to lots more fun next week.