🌟 Welcome to Year 1! 🌟
Hello lovely families,
We’re so excited to welcome you and your children back to school for another wonderful year at KPNS! Year 1 is a magical time full of growth, giggles, and new adventures—and we can’t wait to get started. The children have had a fabulous start and it’s been a privilege to have them!
🗣️ Staying Connected
We believe communication is key to a happy and successful school year. You can reach us through:
- The school website and class blog (keep checking for updates!)
- Arbor messages and emails
- Notes via Mrs Buttery
- Quick chats at drop-off/pick-up
- Messages in the home-school diary
- Or we can arrange a time to meet after school
We’re here for you—don’t hesitate to get in touch!
📚 Home Learning: Little and Often
To support your child’s learning at home:
- Read their phonics book together at least 3 times a week and sign their diary
- Keep them in the green zone on Doodle Maths
- Homework should be short and sweet—just 10–15 minutes
🏅 Reading Awards
We LOVE reading at KPNS, and we want to celebrate every step your child takes:
- Bronze: 25 reads by Christmas
- Silver: 25 more by Easter
- Gold: 25 more by summer
Each milestone comes with a special prize! You’ll find the reading chart in the back of your child’s diary—let’s make reading magical.
🏃♂️ PE Days
This half term, PE is on Tuesdays and Fridays. Please send your child in with:
- Black shorts
- Red round-neck t-shirt
- Trainers or plimsolls
- A warm top for chilly days
And don’t forget to label everything—jumpers love to go on adventures!
🥁 Music Magic
Year 1 will be learning drumming on Tuesday afternoons with a specialist teacher. Keep an eye out for performances and musical showcases throughout the year. If your child is keen to explore more music, speak to Mrs Buttery about extra lessons.
🔤 Phonics Fun
We teach phonics daily using Read Write Inc. Children are grouped by their phonics stage and reassessed every half term. Books will be changed every 3–5 days. You can help by:
- Using pure sounds (not letter names)
- Practicing Fred Talk
- Listening to your child read their Storybook daily
- Reading stories to them every day
We will also be reading Toy Tales by Helen Cooper and The Magical Toybox by Melanie Joyce to support our topic.
🧠 A Few Friendly Reminders
- Label everything (jumpers, coats, bottles, lunch boxes, shoes…)
- Book bags and books should come to school every day
- PE kits need to be in school on PE days
- Check the class blog for updates
- Help your child reach their reading goals by signing off in their diary
💬 A Final Thought
“Teach a child to read and keep that child reading and we will change everything. And I mean everything.” — Jeanette Winterson
Here’s to a joyful, inspiring, and unforgettable Year 1. Let’s make it brilliant—together!
With warm wishes, Miss Waugh & the Year 1 Team