Happy Friday, everybody! We have had a very exciting week in Key Stage 1 with the visit of the football freestyler Jamie Knight. Jamie did a whole school assembly with us in the morning where he showed us some tricks and spoke about his journey in becoming one of the top freestylers in the world. His message of perseverance and self belief was something the children could very much relate to. In the afternoon each class had a workshop with Jamie, trying out their own skills!
World Mental Health Day
On Tuesday 10th October, we will be celebrating World Mental Health Day at Down Hall.
The theme for 2023, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is "Mental health is a universal human right."
Down Hall Primary School see mental health and wellbeing as "being comfortable, healthy and/or happy."
To celebrate this very important day, we would like the children to come to school next Tuesday (10th) in non-school uniform wearing clothes that are comfortable and, if possible, linking to the colours of "Inside Out" which are: green, purple, yellow, blue and red. We hope this will encourage them to explore some of their own emotions. Throughout the day, the children will be taking part in class activities relating to World Mental Health Day. We aim to raise awareness of mental health and drive positive change for everyone's mental health.
Harry Potter Book Day
Message from Miss Harvey:
Thursday 12th October is Harry Potter book day and Miss Harvey is inviting any fellow Harry Potter fans to attend a special after school event full of Harry Potter activities to celebrate.
This will be straight after school until 4pm and all children are welcome to attend but be quick as there are only 30 spaces.
Dressing up is encouraged so please feel free to bring something to change into after school for the event.
A letter will come home with your child by owl on Monday with a reply slip.
Miss Harvey
Parent/Teacher Consultations
On Tuesday 17th October & Wednesday 18th October we will be holding our Parent/Teacher Consultations. This will be an opportunity to meet and discuss how your child has settled into their new Year group.
Bookings can be made now via Scopay. If you are unsure of your Scopay login, please go and see the office as they will be able to issue you with your details. It is important to have these details as they will be used to book trips, dinner money and meetings throughout your child's time at Down Hall.
Maths Homework
This week, we would like you to look at pages 12 & 13.
For Year 1's this focuses on counting skills and comparing amounts. Developing accurate and reliable counting and then being able to say which of two or more amounts is more or less is an important aspect of the Year 1 curriculum. It is also important that the children understand that equal means the same as. There are also some games in the link below to help reinforce these ideas.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting
For Year 2's this focuses on the number line and making estimates as to where numbers lie on the number line. When doing this, it is important to firstly look at the numbers that we can see already on the number line - are they going up in 2's, 5's, 10's? From here, look at which 2 numbers the arrow is in between to work out a number that is more/less than the given numbers. The game below will help reinforce the ideas presented in the homework book:
https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/37/placing_numbers_on_a_number_line
Alternatively, you can draw out your own number lines, giving a starting point and an end point and asking your child to place numbers where they feel they would go between these numbers.
Don't forget to keep up all your fantastic efforts with your reading at home - it will make a huge impact on your child's reading development.
If you have any issues or questions, please, please come and see us at the end of the day. Just come down the steps to see us!
Have a super weekend!
All the best
Mr Jude, Mrs Yuille & Miss Smith
