Week 24 and 25

Dear Parents, 

Within the classroom, and in keeping with the Montessori approach, we introduced a ‘running snack’ system. Children have their snack at their preferred time during the morning work cycle, with up to five children eating at the same time. Through this routine, they learn to wait patiently for their turn and to show respect for others who may also be waiting. During snack time, the children also develop independence as they eat on their own, practise table manners, and clean up after themselves.

As we approach the upcoming Student Led Presentations, the children are becoming very excited. This presentation is a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase the learning skills they have been developing at school. They have been practising some of these activities in preparation for next week’s event. The activities they will show you represent just a small part of their daily classroom experiences. However, we hope this will give you an overview of their learning journey. Most importantly, we hope you will enjoy seeing the pride and confidence they show while demonstrating what they have learned. Please ensure that you arrive on time. Kindly note that some of the Reception activities involve partner work, and late arrivals may affect the flow of the teamwork.

Lunar New Year

To conclude our unit on Lunar New Year, the children took part in preparing a delicious stir-fry featuring longevity noodles, chicken, and a variety of vegetables. They were actively involved in the cooking process, helping to chop the vegetables and prepare the ingredients. The experience was both meaningful and enjoyable, and the noodles were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Unit on Clothing

We began our unit by exploring why we wear clothes, discussing how clothing is chosen for different activities and types of weather. The children developed an understanding of a variety of fabrics and textures, and were introduced to the difference between natural fibres and man-made (synthetic) materials, including where these fabrics come from.

A particularly engaging experience took place this week when the children observed the process of creating a dress, from sketching the design and tracing the pattern, to cutting the fabric and sewing it together using a sewing machine. The tailor, Pak Agus, generously shared his expertise and demonstrated each step of the process, enriching the children’s understanding of how clothing is made.

Through art and craft activities, the children created colourful flip-flop collages, while others strengthened their fine motor and folding skills by making paper shirts, skirts, and trousers. Using geoboards and elastic bands, they also designed patterns to represent different clothing items such as a vest, boot, skirt, shirt, and hat.

We look forward to continuing our exploration with hands-on experiences linked to our unit on clothing.

Year 1 additional learning covered – Week 24 and 25

Phonics   

To identify sounds represented by more than one letter, for example /ch/, /th/, /qu/, /ng/, /ay/

Some children are beginning to learn about alternative sounds such as /ee/ can also be written with ‘ea’, ‘e-e’, ‘y’.

To use phonic knowledge to read decodable words. Reading and writing CVC words,words with adjacent vowel / consonants using sounds covered, words with double consonants such as bell, mess, mitt, back. 

Language / Literacy – Reading. Guided Reading groups – Practising fluency of reading and gaining the confidence to recognise sounds and blend them to read words and sentences.  Reading comprehension, to be able to answer direct questions about the book.

Language / Literacy– Grammar 

We have been practising reading verbs ending with -ed. Reading the root word and adding -ed as well as finding the root word in words, i.e ‘skipped’ – ‘skip’.

Writing

The children have explored how to write a fact file on ‘horses’. Researching, reading and writing were all skills used to learn more about horses and writing a non-fiction piece of writing. 

They also completed a diagram of a horse and labelled the different parts of a horse. 

Maths –

3D shapes 

We continued to identify and describe the shapes by learning their names and the properties of each shape. The children participated in a sensory game in which they reached into a bag, felt a shape without looking, and attempted to identify and describe it using their sense of touch.

Important dates for Semester 2

Further information will be shared closer to each date. Please note that unless otherwise stated or indicated as ‘parents are invited,’ these events are for children only

3 & 4 Mar – Montessori student-led presentations (parents are invited)

2 Apr – Easter Egg Hunt

13 Apr – School Photos

23 Apr – World Book Day

22 May – Fun day

2 Jun – First dress rehearsal for the End of Year Performance

3 Jun – Second dress rehearsal for the End of Year Performance

4 Jun – End of Year Performance (parents are invited)

 

Kind regards,

Montessori Team