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Addington School

Sunflower home learning page

SUMMER 2ND HALF TERM WEEK 1 UPDATE - 02.06.20

(Click here to see - Home Learning Week 1 Theme Map)

Dear Parents,

We hope you all had a restful half term and managed to take sometime to enjoy the lovely weather we have had!

We are returning back to school this half term and as we do, there will be some changes to home learning processes as school guidance is constantly changing.

As mentioned in whole school emails to parents and families, the amount of children attending school will slowly begin to increase. We are also aware that some parents have chosen to still keep their children off during these uncertain times.

Please rest assure that home learning resources and plans will continue to be sent home to you, but at the moment, teachers and SLT are in discussion about how and what the home learning resources will now look like, due to changes in the way staff are working with the increase of students in school. Going forward resources will not be directly produced by the Early Years team but a team of teachers from across the school. Please bare with us, we will be contacting you later this week with further information on how you will access Home learning. This week we have sent out a weekly theme map for this first week back (please find a pdf document attached), but as explained Home-learning will look different as of next week.

 
Kind Regards
Yvonne Wilson
Head of Early Years

SUMMER TERM WEEK 5 UPDATE - 18.05.2020

(Click here to see - Home Learning Week 5 Theme Map)

Dear Parents,

We have reached the end of a very different half term. It has been an incredibly strange few weeks, and we thank you for all of your support and understanding throughout the period of home learning. As you know, things are changing regularly, so do please keep an eye out for the emails and notifications from Sara Attra, so that you are as up-to-date as possible.

For our last week of the ‘Animals’ theme, we move our focus onto jungle animals. As always, in the home learning activities on Earwig, you will find videos, songs, activity sheets etc. You will also find video updates on Julie’s caterpillars who are changing into butterflies, and Lou’s bird eggs, which have begun to hatch. The Early Years teachers have also put together a special ‘Animal Boogie’ music video, which we encourage you all to join in with at home or school. Thank you to our small helpers who had lots of fun joining in with the dancing and dressing up.

As mentioned last week, please do email your child’s class teacher if you wish to have a ‘parents’ evening’ phone appointment, where you can discuss PLPs and your child’s learning.

This week is Steph’s last before she begins maternity leave.

A message from Steph: ‘ I would dearly love to have been able to say goodbye in person to the pupils, parents and staff. A HUGE thank you to all the Early Years staff who have been working so hard, but particularly those who have selflessly gone into school during the pandemic, and cared so wonderfully for our precious pupils. I will really miss everyone, but will be back next year! Bye for now, Steph’.

Have a good week, and a restful half term holiday the week after.

Warm regards,

The Early Years team

                                              

SUMMER TERM WEEK 4 UPDATE - 11.05.2020

(Click here to see - Home Learning Week 4 Theme Map)

 

Dear Parents,

We hope you all had a good bank holiday weekend, and were able to celebrate VE Day in some form. It has been lovely to see some photos on Earwig of children decorating decorations and having tea parties.

This week we continue our learning on ‘Farm Animals’, and there are lots of lovely new videos and resources available on Earwig, including singing, dancing and handwriting. Please see the attached theme map for this week, with full details about our home learning ideas. If you haven’t managed to look on Earwig yet, why not try it out this week? The children do seem to like seeing familiar faces on screen, although it can be a little confusing for some at first!

You should have received an email from Sara Attra last week, which included information about a change to the usual parents’ evening appointments:

Parents Evening

As this will not be going ahead, teachers will be offering parents a short progress telephone call between 14th May and 5th June. Parents will receive an email from the class teacher asking if they wish to take this up and a mutually convenient time will be arranged between parents and the class teacher. The teacher will discuss pupil progress in school up until March as well as asking about home learning.

If you would like a phone call, then please do email the class teacher(s) with several suggested days/ times, so that the teacher can find a mutually convenient time to ring you. Phone calls will be 10-15 minutes long. Thank you.

Thank you for all of your continued support and hard work with facilitating home-learning.

Warm regards,

The Early Years team

 

SUMMER TERM WEEK 3 UPDATE - 04.05.2020

(Click here to see - Home Learning Week 3 Theme Map)

Dear Parents,
 
We hope you had a good weekend, and managed to get out and about a little bit.
 
You should have all received your child’s PLP by now; these were sent by email on Friday, and also uploaded onto Earwig. The targets are designed to be able to be worked on at home, and also at school if your child is attending part-time/ full-time. We completely appreciate that some of the children may be reluctant to work on their targets, so we encourage you to support them through a play-based approach, for short periods of time. Please do let staff know any particular issues.
 
Friday is a bank holiday and people across the country will be celebrating VE Day. You may wish to make red, white and blue decorations, or have a special tea party. Whatever you do, we would love to see photos/ videos on Earwig.
Please find our new theme map attached, which details a range of activities based around our new focus on farm animals. We hope your child enjoys exploring lots of them.
 
Thank you for all of your continued support and hard work with facilitating home-learning.
 
Warm regards,
The Early Years Team

SUMMER TERM WEEK 2 UPDATE - 27.04.2020

(Click here to see - Home Learning Week 2 Theme Map)

Dear Parents,

We hope you are all well and staying safe. We are really missing all of the children and our regular routines with them.

You should have all received our weekly theme map last week, outlining a range of activities for home learning. This was sent from the Daisy class email account, but was for all Early Years pupils. From today, the theme maps will be sent from each class’ own email account to make it easier for you to respond directly to your child’s class teacher. We would really appreciate it if you could email a brief update on how your child is getting on; a brief sentence is fine, although of course you may wish to write more! If we do not hear from you by the end of the week, we will give you a quick phone call to check all is well. This is likely to appear on your phone as a withheld number.

Please find attached this week’s new theme map, which continues our focus on minibeasts. The whole Early Years team of teachers meet virtually every week to plan this together, to ensure that our wide range of learners are catered for. Please use as appropriate for your child; there is no expectation for the amount of home learning taking place. The theme maps are also on our class webpages.

In addition to emailing your class teacher, if you have any specific issues that our behaviour or ASD team can support with, we can pass these requests onto the relevant members of staff. The speech and language team are also available to support by phone or email. The helpline email can assist with any technology issues you may be having helpline@addington.wokingham.sch.uk 

It is lovely to see some records of home learning on Earwig. This is where we save our resources for the children, and each week there will be a range of videos, songs and stories for the children to look at (please see theme map for specific details). We hope they enjoy them.

Kind Regards,

The Early Years Department

Daisy Class, Sunflower Class, Tulip Class, Lily Class and Daffodil Class


                              

SUMMER TERM WEEK 1  UPDATE - 20.04.2020

(Click here to see - Home Learning Week 1 Theme Map)

 

Dear Parents,

 We hope you are all keeping well and have managed to enjoy the lovely weather we have had over the Easter period. I am sure for many of you this is a very difficult time, having to stay at home and extremely hard for the students to understand the change of routine. We do understand how difficult it is being at home and are aware Home-learning may be difficult or not possible at times. The Early Years department have been busy making videos on Earwig to try and support student’s to access learning from songs, modelling of activities that they are familiar to them in school, reading the stories for that week, Makaton signs, among other activities linked to Summer Term theme.  These will also support home learning activities we have suggested and you will have access to these via Earwig each week. We hope you have enjoyed the videos we have posted so far. As well as the creative Arts, Music and P.E videos.

Our topic for this half term is ‘Animal and Mini Beasts’ and we have chosen stories linked to our theme as a focus for our learning activities. Some books will be explored across several weeks and a choice of two books to cater for all classes abilities, unless the text is relevant to all students.

This term you will receive a weekly theme map showing the activities you can dip into across the week. Please find Week 1's weekly theme map here.

We have written these in child friendly language so you can share them with your children. We feel this will be easier than having to read through resources on an e-mail like we did last term. It will be something you can print off to refer to if you would like to.  These weekly Theme maps will be uploaded onto Earwig for you to see and also saved as a link on the class Home-learning pages. This week we have also added it as an attachment. Lots of the resources, PDF files and videos are uploaded on to your personal Earwig page and Class teachers have tagged you into resources that would be relevant to your child. Not all resources will be available to all, as weekly theme map activities cover all five Early Years Classes. So please dip into the activities on the Theme maps that are appropriate for your child and adapt accordingly. We hope you enjoy accessing all our videos and activities.

On Earwig we have also uploaded PDF information files taken from the school website, outlining the importance of intensive interaction and we would encourage many parents to explore using this technique to develop early communication and play skills. Some classes also use the curiosity programme which you will be tagged into on Earwig if appropriate for your child.

Each week we would ask you contact your class teachers, even if it is just an e-mail to say you are safe and well. If we have not heard from parents each week, teachers will follow this up with an e-mail asking you to make contact. If you have made entries on Earwig there is no need to e-mail as well. If we have not heard from you or there has been no activity on Earwig we have a duty of care to ring you, to check you are all keeping safe and well and see if you need any support.

It is lovely to see parents posting records on Earwig for us to see what you have been doing. If you have not used it yet we would love to see your photos and videos of activities you have been doing each week. You can access Earwig through the use of any device such as a phone, tablet, or laptop. You can find out all about how it works at www.earwigacademic.com. 

Class teachers would like to know if there are any targets you have set up for your child to work on, while you are at home. These may be different to the things we work on at school and would love to hear about them. Please e-mail the class e-mail and let us know. 

 

Below is some links to YouTube songs linked to this week’s theme:-

 Hungry Caterpillar song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tUBBh4QzTU

 

Insect Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxH7NBbL9JY

 

Singing Hands: There's a Spider on the Floor - Nursery Rhyme - Makaton Sign Language - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aMuD2CRqc4

 

We hope you enjoy the activities and look forward to hearing what you have been doing this week.

 

Kind Regards

The Early Years Department

Daisy Class, Sunflower Class, Tulip Class, Lily Class, Daffodil Class

EASTER UPDATE - 10.04.2020
Dear Parents & Carers
The Early Years Department would like to wish you a very Happy Easter/Bank holiday weekend! We hope you are all keeping well, while the country is on lock down. I know some parents have not made contact via the class e-mail, we are requesting that you keep in contact at least once a week, even if it is just a quick e-mail to let us know you are safe and well. We understand that not everyone is able to send photos and videos, please don't feel you have to. 
It is great to see photos and videos of activities you have been doing in the first week of the holidays and nice to see parents familiarising themselves with using EARWIG and making records and uploading photos and videos. Please feel free to use EARWIG just to access resources and a wealth of videos from Early Years Teachers, Music department, PE department and whole school song videos.
Enjoy the lovely weather and the rest of the Easter/Bank Holiday
Kind Regards
Daisy Class Team, Sunflower Class Team, Tulip Class Team, Lily Class Team & Daffodil Class Team
USING PECS AT HOME - 04.04.2020
Dear Parents
We hope this is finding you well and safe and you are managing at home in this difficult time.
In Early Years communication is a key part of our curriculum and something we encourage in everything that we do. For your children, their primary method of communication is PECS and is important we continue to promote this through our home learning activities so that we can continue to build on these skills. We hope that you all have the necessary resources to use PECS at home, and if you need any symbols made for use at home please email using your class email and we will try to get these made for you.
To help you feel more confident in using PECS at home as a department we have put together some short videos which demonstrate how to encourage PECS at the various phases and where your child might progress next.
We hope you find these to be a useful resource, and if you have any further questions about PECS or using PECS at home please don't hesitate to contact your class teacher using the class email and we will get back to you as soon as can.
Kind regards,
Shannon
ATTENTION AUTISM PROGRAMME - 04.04.2020
Dear parents,
 
Across Early Years we use the Attention Autism Programme that was devised by Gina Davies, a Speech and Language therapist. Below are some links that let you know a bit more about the Attention Autism programme & the impact it has on our pupils. 
 
Across Early Years we use the Attention Autism Programme that was devised by Gina Davies, a Speech and Language therapist. Below are some links that let you know a bit more about the Attention Autism programme & the impact it has on our pupils. 
Free parent videos are available that talk about Coronavirus, sneezing & coughing.  
 
After Easter, Early Years teachers will be doing Earwig videos showing Attention Bucket sessions for all stages, to watch from home. 
 
The ASD service have collated the below resources from Gina Davis and hope you find these links useful. 

1. What is the Attention Autism – How does it work? (USEFUL FOR PARENTS)

Stage 1 the Bucket This is a bit of explanation for parents about what Stage 1, often called the Bucket! This is the first part of the Attention Autism programe. I also talk about some of the thinking behind the way it works.

2. What the Adult does in the session

What the adults do in an Attention Autism session In this clip we look at how the adults behave in an Attention Autism session. there are 2 main roles; 1. The leading adult. The person drawing on ...

3. Stage 1 - Bucket (Items relating to what we may use during the Coronavirus) 

4. Ideas for parents & for us to use in school to build that joint connection

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3481706275190908&id=397002627100566?sfnsn=scwspmo&extid=rX4b9Tup7G3ataar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SBbofzKNxM&feature=youtu.behttps://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=606288989950661&id=397002627100566?sfnsn=scwspmo&extid=CczaLX2uwM5tzrLS

 

5. Tricky when the children want the toys from the bucket

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=606288989950661&id=397002627100566?sfnsn=scwspmo&extid=CczaLX2uwM5tzrLS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRqDVHqG75o&feature=youtu.be

 

6. Stage 1 & 2 – Coughing (Visual what happens when we cough)

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=606288989950661&id=397002627100566?sfnsn=scwspmo&extid=CczaLX2uwM5tzrLS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl2E6i6BWrI

 

7. Stage 1 & 2 – A bit more about coughing (What you can do if you don’t have a tissue)

https://www.facebook.com/397002627100566/posts/1821638241303657/?sfnsn=scwspmo&extid=hA2H9ZaryX51r19E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y2F_YZpjaA&feature=youtu.be

 

Kind regards,

Shannon

 

 

 

EARWIG LAUNCH & CLASS UPDATE - 02.04.2020
Dear Parents,
I hope you are all keeping safe and well and have been continuing to enjoy the sunshine and outdoor play! We hope the last e-mail with links and resources will be useful to you all. Please don't worry if you are finding it difficult to facilitate activities at home. We have loved seeing the videos and e-mails so far and hearing what things they are enjoying and engaging with.
This week we have Launched Earwig to use as our main Platform for Home Learning. Through this we will share learning resource and videos to support your Home Learning and share activities you are enjoying at home together. You would have received a login e-mail, directly from Earwig for you to access the site. 

 
Earwig will make it easier to share what you have been doing at home by uploading pictures and updates. Please refer to a support e-mail you have been sent with a PowerPoint to explain in more detail of how to use Earwig and create your own Home Learning records, to keep us in touch what fun things they are enjoying at home. It has been so nice to see that some parents are already uploading records. 
 

 
After Easter we will be using this as our main platform to share resources, ideas, links and videos in combination with the Addington website/ Home learning section/ Information for Specific learners/Early Years/ Early Years Resources/Parent Folders
 

Today you can access the following videos on Earwig with your parent login

  • Gingerbread men cooking activity

  • ​​​​Washing your hands.

  •  Easter Theme :Chickens & Eggs

  • 'We'll be there for you' song Addington Team.

  • Fitness/P.E lesson 

  • P.E with Mel Stretching and Yoga.

  • Creative Arts song videos

  • PDF File 'Call and Response Story 'Little Red Hen.'

 

Sensory Activities/Easter Activities/Traditional Tales
Website Resources

Located:  Addington website/ Home learning section/ Information for Specific learners/Early Years/ Early Years Resources/Parent Folders
 
  • Home Activity Pack Easter, for sensory learners - Links to useful sites, story massage 'Easter Bunny, 'Sensology Workout', Dance massage, Hand massage, foot massage, Easter sensory craft activities, Little chick colour rhyme.
 
  • PowerPoint Story ​(Literacy & Phonics)

Maths - Outdoor maths trial cards.
 
Sensory Play - Best quick play dough recipe, Clink clank sound sensory bottle, Ding dong Sound sensory bottle, No cook play dough recipe, Rustle rustle sound sensory bottle, Splashy sound sensory bottle, wholegrain play dough recipe, Harvest wheat play dough, Little Red Hen number play dough mats, Thud thud sound sensory bottle. 
 
Additional Useful Links & Resources
 
​Creative Arts Team Video song/show to watch and respond 
The Creative arts team have sent out a link to their first show.  They aim to make this a weekly feature and are asking parents to send in videos to make it as interact with us as much as possible! 
Makaton resources:
Free resources for refreshing Makaton

 
​Story to help understand Coronavirus:
 
This is a simple picture story with simple sentences to help explain about the Coronavirus. Just click on link to upload the book.

 

Education City have some great games, songs and resources that Early Years classes love using. We use activities in the section EYFS F1,F2, KS1, Lower KS2. There is temporary free access to all parents - to login go to the Education City Website and login using the following details:

Username: 872ADDINGTON

Password: 543463


HelpKidzLearn online resources:
 

 
 
 
Please email me should you require any help with anything or have any queries.
 
We hope you have a lovely Easter, keep safe and well!
 
Shannon and sunflower class team

SHARING PARENT CONTACT DETAILS - 31.03.2020

Dear Parents/Carers

We have had some parents asking to share their contact details with other parents so their children can communicate with each other whilst being isolated in their own homes. We are happy to facilitate the sharing of this information within class groups.

A good way of doing this would be to set up a WhatsApp group amongst a class group of parents (for those that want to be involved).

Therefore if you would like to share your mobile number or email address with other parents in your child’s class please email your details to your class teacher who will share them with ALL of the other parents in the class.

School will only be able to share the details, we won’t be able to help monitor or set up groups. Parents will have to monitor and police any misunderstandings or upset caused.

Best regards

Shannon Rosier

Sunflower class teacher

CLASS UPDATE - 30.03.2020

Dear Parents and families,

We hope you are all keeping well and have been finding the home learning packs that were sent home useful. This week we have uploaded resource files on the main Addington website/home learning page/specific Learners/Early Years. Through our weekly e-mails we will direct you to different activities and resources you could try.

We have loved receiving some e-mails and hearing what you have been doing. Do keep us updated of some of the things you have been doing at home. We will be checking class e-mails once a day. If we can support you in any way please e-mail us on the class e-mail sunflowerclass@addington.wokingham.sch.uk. We hope this will be an effective way to keep in touch with you!

All the Early Years teachers have been busy making videos you can watch and finding resources for you to access at home. We will be launching some videos on 'Earwig' shortly and will notify you by e-mail when these are ready. You will be sent an information e-mail this week, explaining how to use the EARWIG programme so you will be able to access these resources when they officially go live!!

 

We know how extremely hard it is to do focused activities at home, especially with other siblings at home too. Please don't feel under pressure to do all the activities, just dip into the activities, links and videos that we will be sending you each week, that work for you and your child. 

 

Play is at the heart of our curriculum so engaging and focusing on toys and activities you may have at home and extending what they will play with. The best learning is done through play! Some students will continue to explore the early stages of play, throughout their time in Early Years and continue with these play skills into middle school and beyond.  

 

Below are a list of skills and types of play we explore in school:

Social Emphasis On Play 

  • Extending their play to play alongside their /peers (siblings), not necessarily being aware they are present. 
  • Building to sharing toys and acknowledging others playing with what they are playing with, even if just fleeting. 
  • Allowing adults/siblings into their play, to join in with what they are doing.
  • Moving on to accepting adults directing their play and responding to adult led play based activities.

 

Types Of Play 

  • Sensory - exploratory, where the properties of objects are felt, squeezed, shaken, smelled and mouthed etc. We do not out-grow these skills and will still use them if we need to, even as adults. 
  • Exploring what objects do, so that we discover that it bounces, or makes a noise when squeezed, or fits nicely into this big box. 
  • Exploring toys functionally such as cars, dollies, tea sets etc.  
  • Imaginative play using object and actions eg: running with both arms held out wide becomes a plane, rocking arms to pretend they are holding a baby. 
  • Dramatic play - acting out situations with roles. 

Don't forget to enjoy the nice weather and have fun playing outside in your gardens or in quiet outdoors spaces (when taking daily exercise). 

 

 

Activities & links for This weeks Home Learning 

Physical Education

Some of you have e-mailed to say you have been doing the tough daily Jo wicks P.E lessons. This week Danny one of our P.E Teachers has posted on our website his own workout for you to try! 

Try the Addington P.E Workout!  

Do at your level; Lovely to see some of you exercising in your standing frame!

Please Use the link below. 

PE home learning page https://addington.schooljotter2.com/pupil-pages/online-learning/home-learning-pephysical-development

 

Information - Website 

Useful information on 'Sensory Processing Difficulties'Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is when the brain finds it difficult to organise and respond to the sensory messages it receives from the sensory organs. SPD affects 1 in 20, it doesn’t only impact autistic people it can affect anyone. SPD is a neurological disorder as it affects the way the brain processes information. Sensory processing happens in 2 stages. The first is the reception/ sensation received by the sensory system (e.g the eye, ear, skin) the second stage is the perception and processing of that sensation by the brain. SPD does not mean the sensory organ is impaired, this is usually working perfectly well - it relates to the second stage - that of perception and processing. Sensory differences are now (since 2014) included in diagnosing autism. Research says that over 75% of autistic people have SPD. We also know that SPD is familiar with ADHD, Fragile X, Epilepsy, Dyspraxia, learning difficulties and many other diagnosis’.

Fun activities and an online shop, selling sensory toys/resources.  Need to sign up using an e-mail address, but it was free

https://www.sensoryspectacle.co.uk/

 

Messy Play ideas

We have uploaded some ideas onto our Early Years home Learning page - have a look or have a look at your email from us (listing the different recipes and resources you can use at home).

 

Stories Focus This Week

Resources can be found on our website - Addington Home page /Link from Home Learning page / Information for specific learners / Early Years / Parent Folder 

 Little Red Hen Story theme:

(Literacy & Phonics Folder)

Power point story, colouring sheets, Little Red Hen matching cards, Little Red Hen pencil control sheets, Role play masks, stick puppets, Little Red Hen trace the words, Little Red Hen word cards, s.a.t.p.i.n phonic activities.

(Maths) Cutting skills sheet, Little Red Hen counting Sheet.

(Experiences Folder – Recipe sheets) Making Bread recipe sheet.

(Sensory Play Folder) Little Red Hen Template for collaging, small world story back grounds, The Little Red Hen sensory bin

(Songs) Little Red Hen songs x2 Little Red Hen Number Song.

 

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Do let us know what resources were helpful and any particular things you would find useful.

Shannon Rosier & the Sunflower class team

 

 

 

CLASS UPDATE - 24.03.2020

Dear Parents and Pupils in Sunflower class,                                                         

I hope you are all keeping well.

As you are all aware, unfortunately due to unprecedented times, teachers and support staff are currently supporting many of our pupils and families with home learning. The school have set up class emails to enable us to communicate with one another and provide further support. I will be emailing at least once a week to check in with parents and families, this will usually take place on a Monday morning. I will be checking this email at least once a day, so please feel free to also send emails to this class account (sunflowerclass@addington.wokingham.sch.uk). I'm hoping this will be an effective way of staying in touch with one another!

 

I hope you are all finding the home learning packs helpful. If you would like further assistance or support in using the home learning packs that were sent out, please do use this email to contact me. I will aim to help in any way that I can. Early Years teachers are currently working on posting videos and visual communications for parents to use with their children. When these are completed I will be sure to send them out or share them with you. I am sure that all pupils will enjoy seeing a familiar face read them a story. These videos may be sent via email or by two apps the school are currently looking into sharing; Earwig and Zoom. I will keep you posted on this. In the meantime, if you would like to send a video of your pupil saying hello to their friends or giving a wave and you are happy for me to share it with Sunflower class parents and pupils, send it through to this email address and I will forward them, but please do not feel obligated to do this.

 

In the meantime, if you have any issues regarding family support at home, then please do not hesitate to email our school helpline, using the following email:  helpline@addington.wokingham.sch.uk This email account is checked daily by members of staff and so please rest assure that somebody will get back to you.

 

Kind regards,

Shannon Rosier

Sunflower class teacher

 

Home learning page - This link takes you to the main Home Learning page where you can find lots of other suggestions and resources for home learning.

 

letter to parents and carers about home learning  ,- signed by David Maycock (assistant head).

 

Message from ASD Support - 24.3.20