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EYFS Ash: Ms J Rutherford & Mrs Nichols

EYFS Ash 2024-2025
Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Welcome We have had a wonderful first term in Ash Class, filled with excitement and lots of learning! The children have been very busy taking part in various activities that make learning both fun and engaging. In our maths sessions, we have focused on key concepts such as subitising, which helps children to recognise quantities without counting. We’ve also explored the ideas of more and fewer, and have enjoyed using positional language in our activities. In English, we've read some lovely stories such as Peace at Last, The Little Red Hen, and The Gingerbread Man. We are starting to incorporate phonics into our writing, allowing the children to use the phonemes they are learning to write simple words. It’s fantastic to see their confidence blossom as they start to express themselves in writing! In our outdoor learning environment, we have been very busy taking part in a variety of activities from exploring the sand and the water to using large blocks for building various structures; the children enjoy exploring a variety of activities outside and they have especially enjoyed chasing bubbles on our yellow day! We've also been on numerous nature walks, observing the beautiful signs of autumn. The vibrant colours of the changing leaves have provided a stunning backdrop for our explorations. These walks have been a great opportunity for the children to learn about the different aspects of nature, fostering a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world around them. The children have also enjoyed looking at the shadows we make on sunny days. We have also been learning the Bible creation story whilst looking at our wonderful world that God created for us. The children have also enjoyed looking at the shadows we make on sunny days. Thank you for being a part of our learning journey in Ash Class, and here’s to more fun and learning ahead! Have a lovely half term break and we will see you in term two.
Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Yellow Day	Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Walk Outside	Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Subitising
Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Phonics	Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Outdoor Learning	Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Maths	Term 1, Ash Class, EYFS: Construction table

Topic webs and letters
2024 - 2025 will be available in the new academic year

Phase 3 sounds taught in Reception Spring 1
These are the Spring 1 ( Phase 3 ) phonemes taught this term and repeated in Spring 2
How to say the Phase 3 sounds
Phase 3 sounds taught in Reception Spring 1

Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 1
Phase 2 grapheme information sheet: Autumn 1
Phase 2 grapheme information sheet: Autumn 2

This Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 1 video is designed to be shared with families by schools using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to help them to support learning at home.

Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 2
This Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 2 video is designed to be shared with families to help them to support learning at home.

Meet the teacher - Ms J Rutherford

A big welcome to Early Years at Holy Cross Primary School Swindon. I joined the school as an Early Years Phase leader when it opened in 2015 to set up the Early Years Phase. However, I have had an exciting teaching journey across London, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Swindon. I have taught years 6 through to reception. My experience has grown from the varied roles I have had - teacher, subject leader, key stage leader, phase leader, SENco, Education Consultant and Deputy Head.

My special place is Holy Cross. Everyday the children and families at Holy Cross inspire me in my Faith and I love to come to school. I teach across Ash and Oak class to get to know all the children.

We have lots of fun in Early Years, our classrooms and outside learning environments are set up to engage children in a quality education experience that supports the curriculum. I am passionate that all children are excited about learning and achieve their goals. I strongly believe that as a teacher I work alongside Parents and encourage Parents to come into school for our fun events such as Stay and Play, Parent Café and Prince/ Princess day. My spare time is busy with my Family and dog. But I do like to escape to visit new places and other countries for some sunshine. I also love live music concerts and theatre.

Meet the teacher - Mrs Nichols

I have been working at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School and I am very excited about the year ahead. I am working with Mrs Rutherford in Ash class on a part time basis. I have been teaching and working in early years education for over 20 years and it is my passion to help children grow and learn in their first years of school life. I love to provide opportunities to learn about the world around them and I really value the importance of learning through play.

I live with my husband, my two teenage sons and our Labrador dog Ruby. Spending time with my family is very important to me; we value a healthy lifestyle and children keep me very busy by watching them take part in lots of sports such as football, cricket and martial arts.

Click to see our gallery archive.

EYFS Gallery 2023-2024

EYFS Ash 2023-2024
Term 6 in Ash Class Welcome to the latest update from Ash Class! This term has been filled with incredible experiences and valuable learning opportunities for the children. Our adventure began with a thrilling visit to Farmer Gow's - an enriching trip where the children got to gain first-hand experience of farm life and learnt about which animals live on a farm. Another highlight of our term was witnessing the magical transformation of caterpillars into beautiful butterflies. Ash class observed this incredible process before releasing the butterflies into our outside area and watching them flutter away into the sky. Sports day was a roaring success, filled with laughter, cheers, and fun. The children had great fun participating in various activities and showcasing their sporting prowess. We have also delved into the depths of the jungle with our role play area, sparking creativity and imagination among our explorers. In literacy, the children have been honing their writing skills through engaging activities centred around animals. From descriptive animal tales to informative instructions, our budding writers have truly excelled in their sentence writing. Mathematics has been another focus area this term, with a strong emphasis on mastering number bonds and recognising 2D and 3D shapes. The 'shape bag game' has been a hit among the children, making learning shapes a joyous and interactive experience. As a school community, we embarked on a sponsored walk around our picturesque school field, raising spirits and funds along the way. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all parents and guardians for their unwavering support throughout the term. Your involvement and encouragement have been instrumental in the growth and success of all the children in Ash class. As the term draws to a close, we want to wish all our amazing children the very best as they transition into Year One next year. May they carry the joys of learning and the memories of Ash Class with them as they embark on new adventures. In conclusion, we hope you all have a fantastic summer break filled with laughter, relaxation, and precious moments with loved ones. Thank you once again for being part of our vibrant Ash Class community. Until next term, stay curious, stay enthusiastic, and keep shining bright!
Writing in Ash, Term 6	Outside fun in Ash, Term 6
Charity walk in Ash, Term 6	Farm in Ash, Term 6	Maths Activities in Ash, Term 6	Butterflies in Ash, Term 6
Term 5 in Ash Class At the start of the term in Ash class, we read the classic story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. We took part in some exciting activities linked to the tale, including writing our own 'fee fi fo fum' sentences from the perspective of the giant. We even had the pleasure of growing our own beanstalks, observing their growth with magnifying glasses as they reached taller and taller heights – a truly magical experience for the little ones. We have also read the story 'The Princess and the Wizard' by Julia Donaldson, the children had fun constructing magnificent castles using our range of building materials. Through role play in our continuous provision, they engaged in retelling the story using the characters, building on their creativity and communication skills. In our writing sessions centred around the Princess and the Wizard, the children wrote fantastic sentences describing the various animals that the princess was transformed into by the wizard. This theme extended to our castle role play area, where they enjoyed acting out the stories we have explored, bringing the narratives to life with their costumes and royal feasts. On a musical note, the class learned the charming song 'There was a princess long ago', complete with actions that brought the lyrics to life. The highlight of the term was undoubtedly our Prince and Princess day, where the children showed our parent visitors the song and worked together with their adult to create wonderful artwork, from shields to crowns and wands. In the realm of mathematics, the children have been exploring the concepts of halving and doubling using objects such as counters, pebbles, and cubes to grasp the fundamentals effectively. Additionally, they have been enhancing their understanding of number composition, particularly focusing on number bonds, essential for their numeracy skills. Wishing you a wonderful break and looking forward to welcoming the children back for more adventures in term six.
Castle building & castle role play
There was a princess long ago	Tricky Words	Number Bonds	How to grow a bean
Term 4 in Ash Class Ash class have enjoyed lots of wonderful activities during Term 4. We began learning about Lent in RE; We are learning that we can be closer to God through prayer and that we begin to prepare for Easter during Lent. We created some lovely Lenten promises to display in our classroom to remind us of our preparation for Easter.
Easter Egg hunt	Parent Café
Menu writing	World Book Day	Palm Sunday	Pancake Day
Term 3 in Ash Class Ash class have been so busy this term. We started the term with the Journey of the 3 Wise men following the Star to Bethlehem and imagined how long that journey was. We have also enjoyed dressing up as Vets and customers in our role play. We have have loved using stethoscopes and bandaging poorly pets. After listening to Dear Zoo we wrote to the zoo to ask for a pet and made pet carriers for them just like they had in the story. We also took part in maths week activities and wore tee shirts with numbers on for a day. That was good fun. The last week of the term we celebrated Chinese New Year and tried some Dragon and Ribbon dances. We also made lanterns, dragon puppets and masks. Our best bit of the term was when our Parents came to our Stay and Play session they helped us make our dragons and played outside with us. We are also super proud of our writing this term as we are now beginning to write simple words by ourselves. You can see all we did in the photos from the term - enjoy.
Writing in Ash class	Stay and Play in Ash class	Chinese New Year	Vets
RE	Maths Week in Ash class	EYFS Term 1	EYFS, Term 1 Celebrations – What a fantastic start to the year

EYFS Gallery 2022-2023


End of Reception Celebrations	Reception - Term 4 Celebrations

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Queen's Drive
Swindon
SN3 1AR
Telephone: 01793 527679
Email: admin@holycross.swindon.sch.uk
Headteacher: Mrs S Dowdeswell

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