Otters Class

Welcome the Otters Class page. 

Otters Class staff:

Class Teacher: Miss Card 

Class Teaching Assistant: Mrs Wilkinson 

Reading

• We encourage you to read with your children at home at least 5 times a week to foster a love of reading within your child. We will be sending home 2 books a week to engage with. These will be the Read Write Inc phonics books and a book from our library. Children will be assessed in due course on a suitable book from the library so they will not immediately be bringing these home.
• Once your child is allocated their reading books, they will be collected in at school on a Friday and new reading books will be given out to children on a Monday. This allows children to read 5 out of 7 days a week at home.
• Please remember to write in your child's reading journal every time they have read at home. We also encourage the children in Year 2 to write a comment in their reading journal. They have been shown how to do this! 
• Children will have the opportunity to visit the library weekly.
• Please also ensure that you keep the reading books in school bags as we may want to record our reading with them in their reading journals too!

PE

• Otters Class have a PE lesson every Monday afternoon and Thursday morning.
• PE will take place inside and outside in the autumn term.
• Please ensure all your child's PE kit is labelled.
• PE kits will be sent home with children on the last week of each half term.

Homework

• Children will be provided with 6 weekly spellings to learn at home. These will be sent home via the children's spelling records. Children will be tested on these words the following Monday; please ensure these are brought into school. 
• Children are asked to read their books at home as much as is possible. This will encourage children to learn new words and be able to write for longer. 
• We will be rolling out 'Times table Rockstars' very soon! We will keep you informed. 

Forest School

• Your child will attend a forest school session once a week.
• Clothing will be kept at school.
• Your child will take part in forest school once every fortnight.
• Children should have wet weather suits for these sessions to ensure that they are covered and safe.
• Children are split into either Group 1 or Group 2, for Otters Class. 
• Children will be getting their wet weather suits muddy! This is all part of the forest school experience. We are developing children's outdoor experiences and resilience. 

Spring Term: Under the Microscope 

In our Spring term topic 'Under the Microscope' we will be

exploring the similarities and differences between Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole and Edith Cavell. These ladies were all pioneers within the nursing industry and had an enormous impact in shaping medicine and how it is viewed in today's society. We shall be delving into life during the Crimean War which took place from 1853 to 1856 and comparing this to World War One (WW1) which took place from 1914 to 1918. Children will learn that Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole helped soldiers during the Crimean war through improving hygiene and cleanliness. Edith Cavell helped soldiers in WW1 and encouraged nurses to help any soldiers regardless of their nationality. 

Key texts this term include: 

• Florence Nightingale - Little People, Big Dreams

• Hoorah for Mary Seacole

• Brave Nurses: Mary Seacole and Edith Cavell