Croeso!
Welcome to the Squirrels Class Page!
Class Teacher: Miss J. Morris
Teaching Assistant: Mrs A. Williams
LEA Support Staff: Miss L. Hughes
The Squirrels Class is a Year 1 class and we currently have 24 pupils. We like to have lots of fun and learn a range of new skills every day.
Schools starts at 8:45am so please make sure you arrive to school on time! Pick up time is at 3:15pm.
Here is some important information that you may find useful...
- Reading days - The children have allocated reading days, however please ensure that you send your child's book bag in every day. You will find your child's reading day on the sticker placed on their reading record.
- Snack - You are encouraged to send a piece of fruit in for snack with your child every day. If you send your child in with grapes, please ensure that they are cut in half, length ways. The children will be given milk/water at snack time but please feel free to send in a bottle of water that they can drink it throughout the school day.
- PE - Our PE sessions will take place every Wednesday. Please ensure that your child arrives to school wearing their PE kit. They can wear a t-shirt, jacket and shorts or jogging bottoms for their PE sessions.
- Homework - The children will bring home their learning logs on a Friday. Please can these be returned on a Wednesday of the following week. It is important that you support your child to complete their homework tasks. Sometimes homework tasks may be set online via Purple Mash, Reading Eggs or MathsSeeds.
- Share Sessions - Our share sessions take place every Wednesday between 3.15 - 3.30pm. Please feel free to pop in for a chat if you have any questions or concerns.
- Forest/Beach School - The children will access outdoor sessions throughout the year. I will notify you when these will take place!
Over the School Year we will cover a variety of topics to develop our skills and knowledge! We will have the opportunity to go on lots of trips to enrich our learning experiences.
Throughout the year we learn about lots of exciting things! Please have a look below to find out more...
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This half term we are learning to be Healthy Confident Individuals
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Our topic for Term 3b is... Paws, Claws and Whiskers!
Over the next 7 weeks we will be:
- Listening to ‘Superworm’ and innovating our own version of the story
- Investigating different types of animals
- Sorting and classifying animals
- Labelling parts of different animals
- Using instruments to explore the sounds different animals make
- Investigating different countries animals come from
- Using ICT to complete research and learn new skills
- Identifying what animals need to survive
- Develop an understanding of different animal habitats
- Explore what herbivores, carnivores and omnivores mean
- Understanding the life cycles of different animals
- Spending time exploring animals and their tracks in our outdoor areas
- Using our creative area to create artwork themed around different animals
- Developing our understanding of how we can preserve wildlife and their habitats
We will also be…
- Visiting Welsh Mountain Zoo
- Continuing to develop our use of Welsh
- Transitioning into our Year 2 classes
…as well as many other exciting activities!
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This half term we are learning to be Enterprising Creative Contributors
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Our topic for Term 3a is... The Big Event!
Over the next 6 weeks we will be:
- Using the story of ‘The Scarecrow’s Wedding’ as a hook
- Considering religions and love in different cultures and families
- Finding out what you need to plan a wedding
- Designing and making a cake
- Making invitations to the special day
- Using speadsheets to present data and use formulas
- Explore places of worship
- Use tools to design and create decorations
- Use Garageband to create music
- Taking part in the Year 1 Wedding at St Paul’s Church
We will also be…
- Take part in Sports Day
- Engaging in activities outdoors to support our learning
- Following the Jigsaw RSE scheme of work to learn about relationships
- Talking about how the Glan Gele Dragons help us become lifelong learners
- Using a range of sources to find information
…as well as many other exciting activities!
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This half term we are learning to be Ambitious Capable Learners
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Our topic for Term 2b is... 'Around the World – Wales and Italy’
Over the next 5 weeks we will be:
- Exploring Wales and celebrating our language and culture
- Preparing to travel to Italy – creating tickets and passports
- Building a map of Italy using resources around the classroom
- Investigating different landmarks around Italy
- Using ICT to conduct research
- Learning about Italian artists and exploring their style
- Taking part in traditional Italian dance – the Tarantella
- Tasting and learning about some traditional Italian food
- Writing postcards to describe our experiences
- Following instructions to make a tasty pizza
- Practicing some simple Italian phrases
- Using the Garageband app to create some Italian music
We will also be…
- Celebrating Dydd Gwyl Dewi – St. David’s Day
- Practicing traditional Welsh songs and folk dancing
- Taking part in the annual Glan Gele Eisteddfod
- Learning about Fairtrade and how we can help
- Engaging in activities outdoors to support our learning
…as well as many other exciting activities!
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This half term we are learning to be Ethical Informed Citizens
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Our topic for Term 2a is... SOS... Save Our Planet!
Over the next 6 weeks, we will be:
- Investigating how we can help protect the environment
- Exploring how vehicles move and cars powered by electric
- Recognising how materials can be reused
- Understanding what happens to our waste and how it affects the world around us
- Recalling and writing instructions to help the planet
- Experimenting with Augmented Reality on an iPad
- Sorting objects for recycling based on their materials, describing their properties and uses
- Recording, presenting and evaluating data based on local issues
- Learning about the water cycle
- Recognising a ‘problem’ in our locality, considering inventions and changes which could make Abergele a better place
- Understanding how our actions contribute to the wider world around us
We will also be…
- Engaging in a STEM learning, inventing something to help protect the planet
- Going on a class trip to the beach to explore!
- Developing our understanding of the UN Convention of Rights
…as well as many other exciting activities!
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This half term we are learning to be Enterprising Creative Contributors
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Our topic for Term 1b is... Celebrations Around the World!
Over the next 7 weeks we will be:
- Considering why people celebrate
- Using the story ‘Little Glow’ as a stimulus to write a story
- Exploring the celebration of Diwali
- Investigating where places are on a map
- Finding out about Hanukkah and the Jewish religion
- Comparing ways people celebrate around the world
- Investigating countries and culture
- Tasting food from different parts of the world
- Improving our understanding of symbols and their meaning
- Talking about Christmas and why it is a special time
- Making cards and special ornaments
- Creating digital artwork using a range of apps on the iPad
- Understanding that people celebrate Christmas in different ways
We will also be…
- Taking part in the Year 1 Nativity at St Paul’s Church
- Raising money for Children in Need
- Learning about the UN Convention of Rights of the Child
- Completing Forest and Beach school sessions
…as well as many other exciting activities!
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This half term we are learning to be Ambitious Capable Learners
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Our topic for Term 1a is... As Time Goes By!
Over the next 8 weeks we will be:
- Settling into our new class
- Considering how people grow as they get older
- Exploring feelings and how they can change over time
- Investigating the history of toys
- Comparing toys of the past to modern day toys
- Finding out where toys come from and locating them on a map
- Investigating the properties of materials toys are made from
- Finding out about how technology has changed over time
- Improving our understanding of how we can communicate in different ways
- Investigating how transport has changed over time
- Developing our understanding of coding to provide instructions
- Creating timelines to sequence objects from old to new
- Understanding how the locality of Abergele has changed over time
- Using a range of sources to find out information and talk about what things were like in the past
We will also be…
- Engaging in a music and dance week
- Getting to know our new friends
- Celebrating Harvest time
- Spending lots of time outdoors!
…as well as many other exciting activities!
In the Squirrels Class we work hard and we always try our best. We make sure that we all know the Ysgol Glan Gele’s special words, ‘Happy and Secure as we All Learn Together’.
