Nursery Stars

Welcome to Nursery Stars!

Mrs Lee is delighted to be teaching the Nursery Stars this year. Mrs Mehmood and Mrs Patel will also be helping us in Nursery. Please remember that we are always here to help! At the bottom of our class page, you will find lots of important information such as our class bulletin, curriculum overview and lots of useful websites to support learning.

Important Reminders

PE - Our PE day has changed to Thursday this term. Children will need to come to Nursery in their pumps on this day.

Our Value this term is Friendship.

Meet The Teacher - Video Links

https://stmichaelwithstjohn.primarysite.media/media/nursery-stars-meet-the-teacher-part-1

https://stmichaelwithstjohn.primarysite.media/media/nursery-stars-meet-the-teacher-part-2

https://stmichaelwithstjohn.primarysite.media/media/nursery-stars-meet-the-teacher-part-3

Nursery Virtual Tour

As we are currently unable to invite our parents into the nursery classroom I have prepared and uploaded a virtual tour of some of our classroom areas. If your child is due to start with us in January this video aims to help them become familiar with the nursery environment and suppress any worries they may have.

Nursery Classroom

Reading Area, Maths Area, Writing Area

Outdoor Area

Nursery Toilets

Nursery Entrance

How to put your coat on

Nursery Sessions

Nursery starts at 8.40am.

Children must be collected at 11.40am.

Please line up at 11.35am outside the School gate.

Please be prompt.

Nursery Fund

We are very busy in Nursery baking, gardening and completing art and craft activities. Please help us to enhance these opportunities for your child by bringing your £1 to nursery on Monday mornings. Alternatively, the total amount for this half term is £6 if you would like to make a single payment.

Please note that our Nursery Fund also provides your child with a daily snack. Please see our menu on the Nursery Notice Board.

Nursery Stars - Class Gallery

Mrs Lee- Careful Counting Video for Parents

Home Learning Websites to Visit

Explore Number Blocks

Learn and sing some Nursery Rhymes

Learn and sing some number & counting songs

Summer 1

Our new topic this term is ‘Growing - Life Cycles

Literacy

During Literacy we will be reading a range of fiction and non-fiction books which will include Jasper’s Beanstalk, the Tiny Seed and the Very Hungry Caterpillar. We will be focusing on listening to these stories with increasing attention and recall.

Topic

Our ‘Understanding of the World' work will include looking at the range of different jobs and roles in the world. We will be launching our SMSJ Nursery Star’s farm shop so please encourage your child to help you when you are out and about in the shops. Talk to your child about the different names of food items, the shape, size, texture and look at the labels on packages and talk about how much things cost. Allow a little extra time at the end of your shop so that your child can pay the cashier!

Throughout our topic work will we be thinking about growth and different life cycles. At the end of last term we began planting some seeds. This week we will be checking for signs of growth and we will continue to learn how to care for our plants. We also had the arrival of some frogspawn before the Easter break so we will be looking for any changes that have happened over the holiday. We will continue to discuss how to care for our tadpoles over the next few weeks and monitor the changes that take place.

Maths

In maths, we will be beginning to look at number problems with our pre-school children, representing numbers, comparing groups of objects and exploring measure. Please continue to count objects, begin to make marks that represent number and draw your child’s attention to numbers in the environment as these activities will help prepare your child for their Reception year in September.

Finally we would like to welcome our new children and their parents that are due to start with us this term. Please explore our school website and our class page as this will help you get to know our rules and procedures and keep you up to date with all the exciting things that we get up to at SMSJ.

Spring 2

Our new topic this term is ‘Big Machines!’

We hope you’ve had a lovely half term holiday and that you’re looking forward to all the lovely activities that we have planned for you this half term.

We will be continuing with our remote learning activities which can be accessed on the class page on our school website and also via Tapestry. You will need to access both of these daily to keep up with your child’s learning and activities. Please post pictures of your child completing their learning activities via Tapestry. This software package is a two way process allowing both your child’s teacher and yourselves, as parents, to communicate and be involved with your child’s education. If you need any support with Tapestry please contact Mrs Lee who will be able to assist you.

Topic

This half term we will be learning all about different types of air/land/water transport. This will include taking a look at old and new transport, conducting our own car survey and making 3D models of vehicles.

Also, this half term we will be making pancakes and preparing for the Special Celebration of Mother’s Day.

Literacy

In Literacy we will be looking at print (writing) in the environment. When you are out and about please draw your child’s attention to supermarket names, food packaging logos, mail such as leaflets / letters / cards, etc. Talk to your child about the print that you read on a daily basis, so they begin to understand the importance of reading and writing.

Phonics

This term our pre-school children, those children who will be starting school in September, will be thinking about the initial sound in words and will begin to look at blending for reading and segmenting words for spelling. Our younger children and those children who have just joined us will be focussing on listening to sounds in the environment.

Maths

Our maths work will include an introduction to addition and subtraction, using language of quantities, making comparisons and finding more and less with different objects

Spring 1

Our new topic this term is ‘Splish Splash Splosh’

Happy New Year! We hope you have enjoyed the Christmas holidays and remained safe and well.

We welcome our new children who have joined us this week. Please bear with us whilst we settle them into our nursery routines.

Literacy

This term we will be reading a range of stories which include: ‘Kipper’s Snowy Day’ and ‘Jack Frost’. Throughout our activities we will be recalling events, understanding who and what questions, describing the characters and discussing the story settings. Each morning we will be continuing with our ‘Dough Disco’ session alongside working hard to develop a good pencil grip. We encourage children to use what is called a ‘tripod grip’ when writing or drawing – see the picture below. Whilst in our Phonics work we will be continuing our work on Rhyme and alliteration. We are also beginning to understand the concept of ‘I spy’ type games. Please play this game at home or whilst you are out and about.

Maths

Our Maths work will include forming numbers, recording numbers, counting and ordering numbers to 10 and shape arrangement. Please continue to practice these key skills at home in a practical way. Please speak to a member of the nursery team if you would like more ideas in order to help your child at home.

Topic work

Our Topic work will include exploring and observing ice and the heating and melting process. We will be encouraging lots of ‘talk’ in order to discuss the things that the children have observed, looking at similarities and differences, making comments and asking questions.

Tapestry

Most parents are now registered with Tapestry and are therefore able to access their child’s online learning journey. Please see a member of staff if you still require a password. Staff work hard to photograph and record your child’s daily activities, utterances and learning which are then published out to parents. Please note that your child might not appear in every single observation as this is very time consuming, however, the observation still allows you to find out exactly what your child has been learning whilst in nursery.

Primary School Applications

The deadline to apply for a primary school place for September 2021 is the 15th January 2021. You must do this by visiting -

https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/schools/apply-for-a-school-place/

If you need any help with this please speak to a member of staff or ring our school office.

Autumn 2

Our new topic this term is ‘Light and Dark’

Literacy

This term we will be reading a range of stories which include: Percy the Park Keeper, Whatever Next and Pumpkin Soup. We will be talking about the characters, ordering the stories and acting out the events whilst learning lots of new vocabulary.

Maths

Our Maths work will include counting, number recognition, shape work and pattern. Please help your child by looking for numbers in the environment whilst out and about. See if you can find any shapes and say their names.

Phonics

We will be continuing to listen to sounds in the environment and using percussion instruments to create our own sounds.

Topic work

Our Topic work will include discussions and activities around the different celebrations that will be taking place this term such as, Bonfire night and Christmas. We will be exploring the Autumnal changes to our environment, the darker nights and change in weather.

Autumn 1

This term we welcome all of our new children and their families to our Nursery alongside welcoming back some of our older children who will continue their journey with us. We hope that you have enjoyed the Summer break and that you're now looking forward to all the exciting things we have planned for the new school year.

This half term our topic is 'All about Me'. We will be learning how to make new friends whilst settling in to the Nursery routine. We will begin our topic by learning about our body parts and our senses and how we use them.

Please spend some time talking to your child about their senses and the different parts and functions of our amazing bodies.

Important Documents

Termly Bulletins 2020-21

Curriculum Overview 2020-21 Cycle 2

Cycle 1 Curriculum Overview 2020-21.pdf

Nursery News

We are always working very hard in Nursery to ensure that your child gets the very best start. You will receive a School Newsletter each week and a Nursery Newsletter every half term to keep you informed on our Half Termly Topics, Wow Events, Achievements, and 'At Home' practical activities to support your child's learning at home. This information can also be obtained from our Nursery Notice Board and right here on our class page.

Tapestry

In the Early Years Foundation Stage we use a piece of software/app called Tapestry. It allows us to take photos/videos of your child, link them to the age bands that they are working in and then share this with you via email. This software/app will also enable parents/carers to send photos/videos to Mrs Lee and the Nursery team which we can share with your child throughout the morning.

An activation email has been sent to all of our parents using the email address that you provided us with when you completed our Tapestry letters in September. It is very important that you activate your account. I have added a link below which demonstrates how to activate your account.

Tapestry for parents/relatives: Setting up your account

This video runs through how to set up your account as a parent or relative on Tapestry. Your child's school, nursery or childminder will need to initially se...

Home Learning - Websites to Explore

Reading Eggs & Purple Mash - Your child's personal logins were sent home on the 12/11/20. Please allow your child to explore these websites funded by school.

Funky Feet Music-Play Dough Disco. Hand eye coordination, crossing midlines, developing fine motor

Dancing with play dough . A fun song to support children's development with fine motor skills, hand to eye coordination and a whole lot of fun.

Shake it Out Body Parts Song with Matt | Featuring the Learning Station | Dance Action Song for Kids

Shake it Out is a fun original body parts action song to get you up and moving! Matt is joined by Don from the Learning Station in this fun dance body parts ...

The Shapes Song - Learn shapes (featuring Debbie Doo!) - "Shapes are Everywhere"

Shapes are Everywhere!

Things to try at home - Cbeebies Try having fun on the cbeebies website with your child, it will help with their number and letter recognition skills.