Animal Man Visit – Grasshoppers and Fireflies

Grasshoppers and Fireflies are having a visitor on the first day back after Easter: the Animal Man.

 

As this may involve some direct interaction with the animals, could any parents/carers with children with allergies to any animals fill in the following form: https://forms.office.com/e/JDYdm3NjE9

 

World Book Day (7th March) and Comic Relief (15th March)

We have two upcoming events that we are planning on celebrating in school.

 

World Book Day (Thursday 7th March)

For World Book Day, children are encouraged to come to school dress as character from their favourite (or any) book/story – and also bring along the book (if the have it); however, we appreciate that not all children will enjoy “dressing up”. If so, they can come in their own clothes. As this is not a charitable fundraising event, no donation are being requested.

 

On the day, the children’s classes will be mixed to form 5 new classes (with children from reception to Y6 in each class). The classes will then rotate around a variety of different book-themed activities throughout the day.

 

In the afternoon, we’d like to invite any parents and carers (and others) to come into school – in a similar way as last year – to share some reading books or stories with your child or any others . This will be from 2:15pm. At around 2:45pm, we will be having our usual celebration assembly – which anyone is also welcome to stay for.

 

 

Comic Relief – “Red Nose Day” (Friday 15th March)

We are also having a fundraising day for Comic Relief. Children can come into school in their own clothes (with something red). We are requesting donations for this event as it will be raising money for Comic Relief; however, the amount is entirely up to you.

 

As part of the day, children can also bring in their own joke – written on piece of paper with their name on. The joke doesn’t have to be an original one. Teachers will be picking their top 20 jokes – which will be shared in assembly and the top joke (by volume of laughter it generates) winning a prize! Unfortunately, due to timings, this will be an assembly with just children.

Science – Alive/Dead/Once Alive/Never Alive

Grasshoppers have enjoyed learning about what makes something alive and sorting objects into groups depending on whether they are ‘Alive’, ‘Dead / Once Alive’ or ‘Never Alive’. There are some great activities on the BBC Bitesize website that they might like to try with you at home to help embed their learning.

Dead, living and non-living – BBC Bitesize

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Club Spaces

There are still spaces for the after school clubs this term – children can start this week if payment can be dropped into the office. I have attached the Clubs letter for more information. Please email careclub@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk if you have any questions.

Cheerleading KS2 – 3 spaces

Create Club year 1-year 6 – 3 spaces

Multisports KS1 – 5 spaces

Invasion Games year 2-year 6 – 4 spaces

Activity Clubs letter Spring Term 2 2024

Maths Games

In class, I have shown the Year 2 children how to play these games to support their multiplication work, at home.

I will also send home information about TTRS, next week, as the Year 2 children can begin accessing this, if they haven’t already. They should begin on their 2, 5 and 10 times tables, before progressing onto their 3 times table.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/times-tables/coconut-multiples

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/mental-maths-train

 

Spring Term Clubs

There are still some places left in after school clubs this term, and we are opening up our fantastic art club on Wednesdays, Create Club, for year 2s!

KS2 Cheerleading Tuesday – 2 spaces

Create Club Wednesday – now open for year 2 upwards.

KS1 Multisports Thursday

Invasion Games Friday

The letter that went out last term is attached for more information and cost of the clubs. Please send payment into the office.

Activity Clubs Spring Term 1 2024

Welcome back!

Welcome back!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas break and enjoyed spending time with your families.

Hopefully, you all feel refreshed and ready for the Spring term ahead.

Our topic for this term is ‘Australia’.

Click on the link below for a clearer view.

Australia Curriculum Overview Spring 2024

Please find below some information about the ‘Grasshoppers’ class.

Monday – Thursday, the class is taught by Mrs Nicky Morris.

On a Friday, the class will be taught by Mrs Katherine Brescianini.

Grasshoppers will be supported in class, at various times, by Mrs Markall, Mrs Robinson, Miss Burton and Mrs Moreton.

This year, we have 26 children in class: 22 Year 2 children and 4 Year 1 children.

 

PE Days

Monday: Gymnastics & Dance (Indoor PE kit)

Friday: Games (Outdoor PE kit)

 

Water bottles

Please can water bottles be plastic, not metal and they must have non spill spouts. Children need to have a clean water bottle in school every day.

 

Bags and Coats

The children will need one bag for their belongings which will be placed in the cloakroom at the start of the day. They will bring their reading book, reading record and water bottle into the classroom only. There will be a box outside the classroom for lunchboxes to be stored.

Children must bring a warm, waterproof coat every day. They will be going outside at playtime whatever the weather.

Please ensure that all belongings are named, especially school jumpers, cardigans, coats and bags.

 

Hair

Long hair (below shoulder length) should be tied back. Hair should be kept out of children’s eyes using headbands or clips.

 

Trinkets and toys

Please can you ensure that the children do not bring into school trinkets or other small toys from home.

 

Reading

The children will be expected to read regularly throughout the week and have their record signed by an adult.

The children must bring their reading record and reading book to school every day. They need to bring them into class and place them in the blue box.

 

Homework

Homework is reading, learning the spellings for their year groups and learning their times tables. To support them to do this they will have access to ‘Spelling Shed’, ‘Numbots’ and ‘Times Table Rock Stars’.

The children have log in details for these but if you have any problems, please get in touch.

(You can also find our school ‘Homework Policy’ on the school website.)

Please look out for regular updates on the Grasshoppers page of the school website. Here you will find reminders, photographs and information about the curriculum we follow in class.

All this information can also be found in the ‘Information’ section on our Grasshoppers class page.

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me by email, send a note or arrange a telephone call/ appointment via the school office.

Our class email address which you can contact me directly on is: grasshoppers@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk

Many thanks,

Mrs Nicky Morris

Forest School tomorrow

A reminder that all of Grasshoppers will be going to Forest School tomorrow afternoon.
Please can they be dressed appropriately with warm clothing, covering arms and legs, and a waterproof coat.
Many thanks

Dress rehearsal & Evening performance – Wednesday 13th December

Tomorrow is our nativity dress rehearsal and evening performance, for Key Stage One children.

Please could all the children be back at school for 5.30pm.

There are 6 costumes that are still outstanding for children in Fireflies. Please let us know if you are having difficulty providing one and we will help. 

Please could the girls have their hair tied back tomorrow.

Many thanks.

 

 

Nativity Costumes

If your child has been asked to provided a costume for the nativity performance, please can they bring it into school by Friday 8th December.

If you have it ready before that date, please feel free to send them in from Monday. Please ensure that they are in a plastic bag, which is clearly labelled.

We appreciate parents providing costumes. For the past few years we have managed to sort out a costume for all the children but some of them are now looking very well-worn.

Many thanks,

Mrs Morris & Mrs Fox

Forest School Session

Grasshoppers will all be going to Forest School on Monday 18th December, in the afternoon.

Please can the children have clothing and coats suitable for the weather conditions.

Many thanks

Have you got odd trainers?

Please can you check at home if your child has returned wearing odd trainers. Some children took their trainers off after lunch as it was raining and two pairs of trainers have been muddled up!

Please can you return them tomorrow.

Many thanks

Spelling Shed – Year 2

Please encourage your child to use Spelling Shed to learn the new spelling patterns taught in Year 2.

Log in details can be found in the front of their yellow reading record.

I have set assignments for each new spelling pattern, covered in class.

Once they have logged on, they need to click on ‘View’ in the ‘Assignments’ box. (See below)

I will check the activity of each child, every week and the children can see how they are doing on the class league table.

It does have a big impact on their spelling skills!

5 – 10 minutes each day, if possible. Please let me know if you have any issues with Spelling Shed.

grasshoppers@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk

Many thanks.

Art work

Grasshoppers have been learning about ‘Pop art’ this term. We have focused on the artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
The children have created two different self portraits and repeated the image to create an Andy Warhol inspired piece of work.
They have also designed their own comic book style onomatopoeia word. In the background, the children have used the Ben-Day dot technique, which both Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein used in their work.
We also created digital ‘Pop art’ images of the children with a superhero background.

Activity Clubs

There are still places left for the after school clubs next term:

KS2 Cheerleading

KS2 Create Club

KS1 Multisports

KS2 + yr 2 Invasion Games

Please send payment and a reply slip into the office as soon as possible to secure a place.

Activity Clubs letter Autumn Term 2023.docx

Forest School Visitor

In our Forest School session yesterday afternoon, we were very lucky to have a visitor, called Lucy. She came to talk to the children about dormice as there have been signs of them on our site. Hazel nuts had been found that had the tell-tale signs that they had been eaten by dormice. The children examined nuts to see if they could find those that had a smooth inner rim with tooth marks at an angle to the hole on the surface.

The children were able to see a scale replica of a dormouse made out of wool. Lucy has put up two nest boxes in the forest school site which any dormice can use for hibernation. The children looked at a nest which had been made by a dormouse. They use stripped bark, leaves and moss and weave them tightly, forming a sphere.

Lucy also set up a footprint tunnel so that we can look for evidence of the dormice. This has ink inside and a strip of paper so footprints can be recorded. The ink is made out of charcoal and olive oil.

We had a really enjoyable afternoon and learnt a lot about this shy, nocturnal animal.

To read more about dormice click on the link below.

https://ptes.org/campaigns/dormice/

Forest School – Monday 9th October

On Monday, we will be taking the whole class to forest school as we have a visitor coming to talk to the children about dormice.

Please can the children have available long leggings/tracksuit bottoms and a long sleeved top/jumper so their arms and legs are protected.

Many thanks

Forest school

In Grasshoppers, the children will continue to have a Forest School session, with Mrs Rollings.

This will be on a Monday afternoon, starting on Monday 18th September.

The class will be split into two groups, which will alternate each week.

Please can all children have a waterproof coat in school for break times and Forest School.

Children coming to school in PE shorts may want to bring some long leggings or tracksuit bottoms with them to wear during Forest School but we do have waterproof trousers available to wear as well.

I will send an email to say which group your child is in and when their first session will be.

Many thanks.

Spelling Shed, Numbots & TTRS Homework

As part of your child’s homework they will have access to Spelling Shed, Numbots and Times Table Rock Stars.

Your child has their log in details for these games in the front of their yellow reading records.

Numbots and Times Table Rock Stars have the same log in details.

Children in Year 1 can use Numbots. Year 2 children should continue on Numbots and after Christmas can begin to use TTRS as well.

Spelling Shed will help your child learn the ‘Common Exception’ words that they need to be able to read and spell by the end of Key Stage 1. It will also help to support them with spelling words containing all the sounds and letter patterns from Phases 2 – 6.

https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/

https://play.numbots.com/

https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student

I can see how many times each child has accessed these games throughout the week and so will check on a Thursday that children are completing Spelling Shed and Numbots.

If you have any problems accessing any of the games, please get in touch.

grasshoppers@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk

After School Clubs

After school clubs are starting next week. There are a few spaces left in the following clubs:

KS2 Art Club on Wednesdays

KS1 Multi Sports on Thursdays

yr2-6 Invasion Games on Fridays

If your child would be interested in any of these clubs, please fill out a reply slip (attached) and return it with payment to the school office asap. Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

Activity Club information

Reply Slips Autumn 23

Welcome back Grasshoppers!

Welcome back!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Summer break and enjoyed spending time with your families.

Hopefully, you all feel refreshed and ready for the new school year ahead!

Please find below some information about the ‘Grasshoppers’ class.

Monday – Thursday, the class is taught by Mrs Nicky Morris.

On a Friday, the class will be taught by Mrs Claire Wright.

Grasshoppers will be supported in class, at various times, by Mrs Markall, Mr Smith or Mrs Robinson.

This year, we have 26 children in class: 22 Year 2 children and 4 Year 1 children.

 

PE Days

Monday: Gymnastics & Dance (Indoor PE kit)

Friday: Games (Outdoor PE kit)

Water bottles

Please can water bottles be plastic, not metal and they must have non spill spouts. Children need to have a clean water bottle in school every day.

Bags and Coats

The children will need one bag for their belongings which will be placed in the cloakroom at the start of the day. They will bring their reading book, reading record and water bottle into the classroom only. There will be a box outside the classroom for lunchboxes to be stored.

Children must bring a warm, waterproof coat every day. They will be going outside at playtime whatever the weather.

Please ensure that all belongings are named, especially school jumpers, cardigans, coats and bags.

Hair

Long hair (below shoulder length) should be tied back. Hair should be kept out of children’s eyes using headbands or clips.

Trinkets and toys

Please can you ensure that the children do not bring into school trinkets or other small toys from home.

Reading

The children will be expected to read regularly throughout the week and have their record signed by an adult.

The children must bring their reading record and reading book to school every day. They need to bring them into class and place them in the blue box.

Homework

Homework is reading, learning the spellings for their year groups and learning their times tables. To support them to do this they will have access to ‘Spelling Shed’, ‘Numbots’ and ‘Times Table Rock Stars’.

I will give the children log in details for these and put more detailed information about spellings and times tables at the beginning of term.

(You can also find our school ‘Homework Policy’ on the school website.)

Please look out for regular updates on the Grasshoppers page of the school website. Here you will find reminders, photographs and information about the curriculum we follow in class.

All this information can also be found in the ‘Information’ section on our Grasshoppers class page.

 

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me by email, send a note or arrange a telephone call/ appointment via the school office.

Our class email address which you can contact me directly on is: grasshoppers@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk

Many thanks,

Mrs Nicky Morris

Click on the link below for a clearer view.

Autumn Term Overview – Superheroes

Clubs

Thank you for all the interest in clubs for next term – Cheerleading and Lego are now fully booked, but there are spaces left in KS2 Create Club, KS2 Multisports and Invasion Games (yr2 – 6).

Please return a reply slip and payment to the office as soon as possible if your child is still interested in taking part.

Reply Slips Autumn 23