Miss Lockwood would like to welcome you to Dandelion Class.

Welcome Back Dandelion Class!

Autumn 2 2024

Dear Parents/Carers, 

We hope you had a restful half-term break and your children are excited to come back to school. We look forward to more laughter and learning in the lead-up to Christmas! 

Curriculum  

This academic year, we are implementing our new CUSP curriculum which focuses on using evidence-led approaches to inform teaching practices. The CUSP curriculum supports children to build strong schemas of knowledge and make cross-curricular connections in their learning, progressing through topics in a structured and innovative way.  

An outline of what we will be covering in each subject area this half term is displayed in the table below: 

Please see the attached knowledge organisers for further information. There are also some fun and interactive resources linked on the Dandelion Class Page of the school website if you are looking for ways to support your child’s learning at home. These will be updated as needed to reflect current topics. 

PE and Forest Schools 

PE lessons will continue to be on Tuesday afternoons this half term. Dandelion Class will explore space, direction and speed in our Dance unit inspired by The Jungle Book. Children should arrive in school wearing their PE kit on the days they have PE lessons. It is very important that children have the correct school PE kit as well as a pair of trainers so that they can participate in these lessons fully and safely. Also, a reminder that long hair should be tied back and earrings should be covered for these lessons. 

Dandelion Class will continue to take part in Forest School once a week on a Monday afternoon with Mrs Shreeve. For all Forest School sessions, children should come to school wearing their uniform and bring a complete change of clothes for the afternoon (ideally not PE kit but clothing you don't mind getting a little dirty). Children must wear long trousers for these sessions to protect their legs against insects, long grasses, nettles and brambles in the meadow. Please also ensure that your child brings waterproof clothing as the weather starts to get colder and wetter. 

Reading 

Please encourage your child to read daily at home and write a comment in their Reading Record each time you hear them read aloud. Please continue to post stories you read to your children on the Dandelion Class Padlet – it is lovely to see so many photos of books the children have enjoyed. We support the children to select books that are appropriately challenging for them in our weekly library sessions, which they can borrow and return. Please support your children to return their books each week so they can change them and borrow new ones. They are unable to take new books home if they have several outstanding. Thank you for your support in helping to promote a love of reading within our school.  

Spellings 

Your child’s spellings will be sent home on a Monday ready to be tested the following Monday. Practice at home may include reading the words aloud with your child, explaining definitions of unfamiliar words, putting unfamiliar words into context within sentences or encouraging your child to practise writing their spellings on a scrap piece of paper. Please ensure your child brings their spelling book in each Monday for their new spellings to be stuck in. 

What your child needs in school 

The children must have a named water bottle with them in school at all times which will be placed in a box in the classroom each morning. No other items need to be brought into school; this includes fidget toys, pencil cases, toys, stationery and jewellery, unless adults in school request it or it is required to support additional needs. If we think your child may benefit from a fidget tool to support them in school, we will discuss this with you and provide one. Please feel free to ask if you wish to discuss this with us.  

Show and Tell 

Often, children have things they want to share and/or discuss with the class. This may include something from a special trip, a piece of exciting news or something they made/did outside of school that links to our learning. Show and Tell is a fantastic way to enhance children’s speaking and listening skills in a supportive environment. To facilitate this and give all children the opportunity to share, we have created a rota where they can take it in turns fairly. If your child doesn’t wish to share something in their slot, that is fine. Please do not send items of significant personal and/or financial value into school as the safety of these cannot be guaranteed. You may refer to the noticeboard in the Dandelion outdoor area for when your child has been given a slot.  

Uniform 

Please consult the school website to see what is expected to be worn to school in terms of uniform and PE kit. Smart trainers may be worn as long as they are completely black. Please ensure that all uniform items are named so we can return these to you if anything is misplaced in school. 

Bags and Wellies 

The children may bring in one bag, which must be a suitable size for hanging on their pegs, and a separate, named bag for their wellies (both of which must be named) to be stored on the welly rack.  

If you have any questions about these or any other matters, please email me on hlockwood@pulham.norfolk.sch.uk. If you would prefer to speak in person, please feel free to arrange a meeting with me via email or the school office. Please support your child to speak to me (or another Dandelion staff member) if they have any worries or problems so we can address these promptly. Alternatively, remind them of the class Worry Monster where their concerns will be read and followed up as needed. 

We look forward to welcoming your children back to Dandelion Class for another half term. 

Kind Regards, 

Miss Lockwood, Mrs Kineavy and Mrs Connor 😊  

Maths Games

English Games

Songs

Other Resources