Welcome to Year One

Dear Parents Moving from Reception to Year One is an important transition. For the children it means ‘going upstairs’ – a very exciting prospect! Mrs Walsh has worked in Pre-Prep for many years and has become a very experienced teacher in Year One. This year we welcome two new teachers to the Year One team; Miss Arr has a long association with RGSW having been a pupil at Alice Ottley. Her mother – Mrs Arr - teaches Year One at RGS Springfield so they will be able to swap stories! Miss Hill joins us from Dorrington Academy, Perry Barr. She is very excited to be moving to Year One after working for two years in Reception. I know these teachers will give your children a challenging and rewarding year. Having completed the EYFS your child will now move onto a more structured curriculum. Some will be more ready for this than others and we will ensure that there continues to be plenty of play and choosing opportunities during their day, especially in the first term. This year your child will start to visit the ICT suite each week, they will also learn French for the first time. Phonics teaching will continue to be a key focus; the children will continue to be grouped for Phonic sessions to aid differentiation. English and Maths lessons take place daily and Topic work covers the other key areas. If you have any queries or concerns about your child’s education please contact the class teachers or me at any time. I always welcome your input or feedback in person or via email to sea@rgsw.org.uk. When emailing teachers, please be aware that you may not get an immediate response as their priority during the school day is the children in their care. Urgent messages should continue to go via the school office. I very much look forward to working with you and your children this year. I hope you find the information in this booklet useful. Sarah Atkinson Head of Pre-Prep

SCHOOL’S MISSION AND VISION

Our Mission RGS The Grange strives to enable all children to achieve full potential in all their educational, social, physical and emotional needs, and to create an environment to foster a caring, sharing sense of community involving all members of the school: children, staff, parents and governors.

Our Vision - Through excitement and challenge, children at RGS The Grange develop

a joy of learning in an inspirational environment. - Children experience a sense of beauty, awe and wonder. - They are given opportunities to acquire a sense of responsibility within

the community, and to nurture a compassionate and respectful attitude towards others.

- Children develop their moral values by gaining attitudes of sensitivity,

fairmindedness, and honesty. - There are opportunities to develop a sense of individuality, to increase

their self-esteem and to take pride in themselves and their achievements. - Children learn both independently and co-operatively and acquire the

lifelong skills of perseverance, communication and initiative. - They experience physical and mental well-being through leading a

healthy lifestyle.

Your Child In Year One

Year One Teachers Mrs Walsh – 1W lc@rgsw.org.uk Miss Hill – 1H phh@rgsw.org.uk Miss Arr – 1A kea@rgsw.org.uk What will my child learn in Year One? Year One is a very busy and exciting year. You will be amazed by the progress your child makes. The curriculum becomes slightly more structured. Your child will be taught Mathematics, English and Science as core subjects. History, Geography, ICT, RE, Art, Design & Technology will be taught, mainly through topics. French, Music, PSHE, PE and Games will be taught by specialist teachers. Forest School will take place on a Monday afternoon in the Michaelmas and Trinity Terms. All children will need named wellington boots and waterproof clothing in school for these sessions. We work in partnership with you in order to maximise your child’s potential. Please take time to come up to the classroom and see the varied pieces of work on display throughout the term.

Topics for Year One

Michaelmas One

Michaelmas Two

Lent One

Lent Two

Trinity One

Trinity Two

Minibeasts Toys The Local Environment Growth The Seaside

PE/Games and Swimming The PE programme will allow the children to experience a wide variety of activities as they rotate on a fortnightly basis. These groups cover Gymnastics and Dance, Ball Skills, Team and Playground Games. Children should bring PE kit into school on a Monday and leave it in school until Friday. Children will change in school on the days they have PE or Games. Please encourage your children to get themselves dressed at home to speed up this process. Your child will swim in the Lent Term. The swimming sessions will take place in the teaching pool at Sansome Walk Swimming Baths on Monday afternoons. Please ensure that your child has their swimming bag in school on Monday. This should include a named towel and named school regulation navy blue swimwear (See uniform list). Please would you ensure that all items of clothing worn on days where uniform will be changed are named, especially socks, pants, vests and shorts! What will my child need to bring to school? Your child must bring their Homework Diary and reading book to school in their book bag on a daily basis (unless informed otherwise) and the appropriate clothing for playtimes i.e. fleece, sunhat etc.

When does the school day start? School is open from 8am until 6pm. Registration is in the classroom at 8.40am, but your child will be supervised in the Old Hall until 8.35am, at which time the class teachers will lead them to their classrooms. Please ensure that your child leaves their book bag and blazer in the cloakroom and then makes their way straight to the hall. If you are late arriving please enter school through the front door and ask the school secretary to register your child.

When am I able to meet my child’s teacher?

Should you wish to talk to your child’s class teacher or any other member of the teaching staff please write a note in the homework diary or ask the school office to make you an appointment. Please feel free to email teachers with queries or questions at any time. Teachers are available from 8.15am or after 3.35pm each day for urgent matters. There will also be parents’ meetings with your child’s teacher during which you will be able to discuss your child’s progress and any other relevant issues. These are held in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. What is the school’s policy on sickness? If you suspect that your child is ill please keep them at home and inform the school of their absence. On return to school please provide an absence note for our records. In the case of sickness and diarrhoea please keep your child at home for at least 48 hours after the last attack. Should your child require medical treatment at school eg. antibiotics or asthma treatment please take the named medicine to Mrs Weeks in the Medical Room at the start of each day with written instructions and consent for administration.

Will my child attend assemblies? Your child will be expected to participate in Whole School Assemblies, Celebrating Success Assembly, Form Assembly and a Hymn Practice. These assemblies will take place at 8.50am until approximately 9.10am, after which morning lessons will start.

When will my child have a break? Your child will have a break in the morning. During this time they will be provided with a drink of either milk or water and a piece of fruit. You may provide a further small, healthy snack if you wish. They will then go out to play where they will be able to make use of a variety of equipment, whilst under the close supervision of staff. Water is available at any time throughout the day, if you wish your child may bring a named bottle of water into school.

What will my child eat for lunch? Pre-Prep children have an earlier family style lunch. This will be at 12.10pm. Teachers sit with the children when they eat in the Dining Hall. Everyone will have a served, balanced meal, special dietary requirements are catered for. The menus run on a three weekly rolling cycle and are displayed outside the Dining Hall. Children are encouraged to try a little bit of everything and to drink plenty of water.

Will my child have homework? Your child is expected to read at home on a daily basis. Please ensure that you make a comment on how much, and how well, your child has read in the Homework Diaries. In addition your child will have spellings to learn each week. Each week your child is given a list of words with a common sound, they are asked to find six more words that match the sound pattern. These spellings are to be learnt throughout the week, at home and at school, and will be tested on Fridays through a simple spelling test or dictation. Weekly notes in the Homework Diary will let you know if we wish your child to complete any additional tasks.

Will my child go on trips? We try to plan trips each half term to compliment our topic teaching. The children learn a great deal from these excursions. You will be informed by letter about trips as soon as they are organised. The letter should tell you about dates, times and items required. The cost of the trip will be added to your end of term bill and you will be notified of this cost prior to the trip.

Will clubs and activities be available? After school clubs will run from Monday to Friday. A letter will be sent home to inform you of the clubs. Many are very popular and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. If your child is unable to attend please inform the club leader as soon as possible. Clubs start at 3.45pm and finish at 4.45pm. Children are dismissed from the New Hall, parents are asked to sign their children out when they are collected. If your child is staying for After School Care or a club they may bring in a Little Tea to eat at 3.35pm.

When does the school day end? School finishes at 3.35pm. If you are later than 3.45pm you are to collect your child from the supervised Homework Club. If your child is to be collected by someone other than yourself, please inform the school to avoid any confusion. After School Care is available until 6pm and must be booked in advance. Booking forms will be sent out each term. If you know you will not be needing After School Care after booking a place please inform the office so that this place can be added to the emergency list.

What is Golden Time? We link our Discipline Policy to Golden Time. Each classroom has a wall display to monitor the children’s behaviour. If a child misbehaves or breaks a Golden Rule during the week they are moved onto a warning cloud. They then move down the chart in a series of 5 minute steps. Children can move back up the scale if they behave well. Each class has 30 minutes Golden Time built into the timetable on a Friday. During this time the children choose an activity to complete either in the classroom or outside.

When will I get written reports about my child’s progress?

This year we are revising the way we report to parents. Our aim is to give you far more information about how your child is progressing as well as giving you an indication of the level of effort we feel your child is putting into their work. We will be sending out short reports at the end of the Michaelmas and Lent Terms. As well as teacher comments about your child’s overall progress these reports will contain effort and attainment grades in all subjects. In addition to this we will be monitoring the children’s attitude to learning. We will share this with you at the Michaelmas and Lent Parent Evening meetings.

Sun Care Policy (the following is a reminder from our Parent Handbook)

At RGS The Grange we acknowledge the importance of sun protection and want staff and children to enjoy the sun safely. We will be encouraging children throughout the school to avoid sunburn and overexposure to the sun by: - Discussing Sun safety with all children in an appropriate manner - Encouraging pupils to wear their regulation sun hats. - Ensuring children are wearing clothing that protects the skin, particularly for outdoor activities and school trips. - Encouraging children to seek the shade, particularly in the middle of the day

- Encouraging children to keep hydrated by sipping water during the day

Some children are at greater risk of sunburn than others, however overexposure to the sun can cause overheating, dehydration and of course sunburn. We would ask all parents to apply ‘once a day’ high factor sunscreen to their child before they come to school each day (at least Factor 15). These are very effective nowadays and protect children for up to twelve hours.