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Preston
Primary School
Academy

Foundation Stage Weekly Newsletter

Puffins and Penguins Weekly Newsletter, 4th March 2022

Teamwork

 Our school value for this half term is ‘Teamwork’. We learn our school values through dinosaurs, and we would like to introduce you to ‘Teamatops’ "I am Teamatops. I am very good at working with other people. I always listen to my friend’s ideas and enjoy working out how to solve problems together. I am great at sharing my ideas and know that we can achieve more by working as a team."

On Monday, we spent an afternoon engaged in a rotation of activities to explore the skills of teamwork:

  • We read the story of ‘The Enormous Turnip’. Then we used drama to act out the play. We discussed how sometimes it is much easier to work as a team to get things done.
  • We listened to the bible story of Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Then we built a wall together using large bricks. We talked about how it is easier to work as a team and help each other – imagine how tiring and how long it would take to do it on your own!
  • Our group held hands, and we had to try to get a hula hoop around the circle without letting go off hands or breaking the circle. We need to work as a team and support each other to help the hoop move around the entire circle. What talked about what happens if not everyone follows the rules in a team game.
  • We had to work as a team using dinosaur footprints to get from one side of the room to the other. We were not allowed to stand on the floor, so we had to collaborate and pass the footprints to the other team members so that our group could move forward. We talked about how everyone has to be involved when working as a team.

Shrove Tuesday

On Tuesday, we celebrated Shrove Tuesday. We talked about Lent and how some people give up things, e.g., chocolate, during this time. We then talked about Shrove Tuesday (or pancake day) being before Lent and that it was a time to use up ingredients. We talked about safety in the kitchen, and we made sure that an adult was responsible for using the cooker and the pan. We mixed the ingredients to make the batter, and then we watched while Miss Lewis cooked them for us. Our favourite part was eating the pancakes. Yummy!

First Lego League Discover – Session 5: ‘Let’s innovate’

This week we talked about the different types of vehicles that can be used to transport packages. We then discussed the new vocabulary of ‘innovation’. The children were invited to build vehicles which combined two different types of vehicle or to have additional moving parts. We had many wonderful and innovative creations, including a car with helicopter propellers (so that when it came to the sea, it could fly over to the island), a train with aeroplane wings, and a truck with a slide so that the delivery person doesn’t have to get out of their vehicle to deliver the package. What fantastic imaginations!

World Book Day

The children have had lots of fun celebrating World Book Day. We have had many rich discussions about which books they love and why. It is important that children are read stories so they hear new vocabulary that sparks their imagination. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and developing a love of books and reading inspires children to read for pleasure. The children said…

“My favourite story is Goldilocks because the bears are all in height order” 

Delilah

“My favourite part of Superworm is when the lizard is in the lair”

Errin

“I love Thomas the Tank Engine stories. The Fat Controller tells Thomas what to do ”

Dylan

We enjoyed sharing with others who our dress-up character was, and we loved hearing about the other characters that our friends were. We went to the school assembly today where we sang a song about Gruffalo to the whole school.

We have also had lots of book related activities in the classroom, such as decorating Elmer the elephant, searching for hidden ‘Where’s Wally?’ and making stick puppets.

This afternoon we had a special storytime - we turned the lights down and had milk and cookies while we had a story read to us.

Thanks to BookTrust’s ‘Time to Read’ campaign, all the children will be coming home with a pack today, including a book to keep. The campaign encourages families to make time to share stories and read together. We hope you enjoy the story book. Inside the pack we have also put your child’s £1 World Book Day token – this can be exchanged for a World Book Day book on the special displays in supermarkets and bookstores. We encourage you to use this to purchase a new book to enjoy as a family.

Home Learning

  • Enjoy the Seesaw story ‘The very hungry caterpillar’ read by Mrs Clague.
  • Explore the contents of your Booktrust pack. We hope that you can use the voucher to exchange it for a World Book Day book.

From Mrs Bastin, Mrs Clague and the Foundation Stage Team

Address
Preston Primary School Academy
Old Paignton Road
Torquay
Devon
TQ2 6UY

Phone
01803 607075