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Junior News – 29 September 2023 |
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In the realm of early childhood education, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) stands as a cornerstone philosophy that shapes the developmental journey of young minds. At the heart of the EYFS lie three fundamental characteristics of effective learning: active learning, playing and exploring, and creating and thinking critically. These characteristics, though seemingly simple, hold the power to foster holistic growth, lay robust foundations for future learning, and embrace the uniqueness of every child’s developmental trajectory. Active Learning: Nurturing Curiosity and Engagement By actively participating in their learning, children develop a sense of ownership and self-confidence. This approach encourages them to take calculated risks and embrace challenges, instilling in them a growth mindset that will serve them well as they progress through their educational journey. Whether it’s investigating the properties of water, conducting simple science experiments, or creating their own stories, active learning propels children towards a path of self-discovery and a lifelong love for learning. Playing and Exploring: The Gateway to Multisensory Discovery Play is a child’s natural language, and the concept of “playing and exploring” within the EYFS framework celebrates this innate drive for discovery. Through play, children embark on exciting journeys of multisensory exploration, manipulating objects, experimenting with ideas, and testing hypotheses in an environment free from fear of failure. Play is not just entertainment; it’s a powerful vehicle for developing cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills. In the world of playing and exploring, children are free to exercise their imagination, allowing them to construct and reconstruct their understanding of the world around them. This characteristic enables educators to weave educational goals seamlessly into playful activities, nurturing children’s ability to absorb knowledge in an organic, enjoyable manner. Be it building intricate structures with blocks, delving into imaginative role-play scenarios, or engaging in messy art projects, playing and exploring is a treasure trove of experiential learning that transcends traditional classroom boundaries. Creating and Thinking Critically: Cultivating Young Innovators By nurturing the capacity to think critically and creatively, children become adept at adapting to new situations and embracing change. They learn to express their ideas, explore alternatives, and take risks in a safe and supportive environment. Activities that stimulate creating and thinking critically, such as designing a new invention, experimenting with art techniques, or solving puzzles, promote a growth-oriented mindset and pave the way for innovative thinking in the future. The beauty of the EYFS characteristics of effective learning lies in their applicability across all stages of a child’s educational journey. They don’t merely prepare children for the next academic level; they lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning, curiosity, and adaptability. These characteristics underscore the notion that education is not just a destination but a continuous voyage of exploration and discovery, where every child is a unique traveller charting their own path to knowledge and understanding. Getting it right with a child’s EYFS education is incredibly powerful and provides a platform on which we see our successful Sixth Formers building upon. We are strong advocates for our pupils starting their journey with us from 2 years old, or as early as possible, as we see the impact of this on future success. Miss Hair |
Upcoming Events |
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Autumn Term Holiday Club for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 |
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Bookings are now open for the autumn term Holiday club for pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. We are pleased to be able to offer childcare during the two week October half term and part of the Christmas holiday, 8am to 5pm at a charge of £39 per day. We have a limited amount of spaces available and would encourage you to secure your places as early as possible to ensure we have availability. Please see the following links: – October Holiday Club: 08:00-17:00 (Monday 23 Oct to Friday 3 Nov) Bookings will close one week in advance. Should you need extended care during the holiday dates, the following daily sessions are also open for bookings: Early Session – 07:00-08:00 (includes Breakfast) and Late Session – 17:00-18:00 (includes Tea) If you wish to pay for any of the above via Childcare voucher or Government Tax Free Childcare Allowance, or have any further queries then place contact nhsaccounts@nhs.gdst.net, and for any support with booking the sessions you require, please contact junioradmin@nhs.gdst.net. |
Save the Date: Christmas Fayre |
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This year’s Christmas Fayre wil ltake place on Friday 1 December, 4.30-7.00pm. The event will include; a grotto, games, raffles, tombolas, market, refreshments, and carols, and more information will follow in the coming weeks. Wraparound Care will close at 4.00pm on this day to allow all staff and families to attend. We hope to see you there! |
Parents Evening |
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Thank you for your responses requesting appointments with your daughter’s class teachers on Thursday 19 October for Parents Evening. We will communicate your allocated appointment times next Friday. |
Macmillan Coffee Morning |
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This morning the dining room was absolutely buzzing, as the Year 5 girls rushed to sell cakes at their Macmillan Coffee Morning, raising money for cancer support in the process. A huge thank you to girls, parents and grandparents who helped us by making cakes, and to every single person who came along and bought them. So far we have raised a fantastic £569 and we couldn’t have done it without you! Year 5 and Miss Brandon-Jones |
Food Bank Donations |
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Thank you to everyone for the generous food donations that have been made so far at our food bank donation station in the Junior School entrance. It has been very encouraging to see these donations build! At this time of year we celebrate Harvest, and we would value as much support as possible to make a large collective contribution to the local food bank. Please place all donations in the container in the entrance ahead of the end of next week. Thank you for your continued support. |
News from our classrooms: Nursery and Preschool |
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This week in Nursery we have been cutting various different materials practicing our fine motor skills. We have experienced varied weathers outside and used different objects to see how they work as umbrellas. At Forest School, we planted some bulbs in the raised flower beds and we will watch to see what happens to them. Our ‘Story of the Week’ has been the ‘The Runaway Pea’, and we have used props to add to the story and also had our own runaway peas to explore in the classroom. |
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This week in Preschool, we have been looking at the book ‘All about families’ and discussing who lives with us in our family. The girls were also keen to include their pets! We have been looking closely at conkers describing how the shell has spikes and the conkers feel smooth, and the reasons behind this. We have been counting our conkers using the tens frame and started introducing the term ‘how many more’ to make the total 5 or 10. The girls have also explored painting with ice paint, developing their cutting skills, controlling a ball in various ways in PE and flying like fairies in Ballet. |
Reception |
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This week we have used the story of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ as an introduction to some of our activities. We have sequenced by size, re-told the story, made masks, sang a song and acted out the story using dressing up and props in our role play. In our topic, we have been learning about our sense of taste and that different parts of our tongue taste for different things. Tasting lemon, grapefruit, sugar and pretzel definitely got our taste buds tingling! In Maths, we have been sorting objects, using taller and shorter when building towers and using the scales to find out which object is heavier and which is lighter, and in Cooking we enjoyed making crumpet pizzas! |
Year 1 PSHE Focus |
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Year 1 enjoyed choosing their School Council representatives this week. Each member of the class spent time thinking about why they would make a good rep and some ideas that would make our school even better. They then all delivered a short speech from their notes before voting began. Pearl and Luna were the winners and we congratulated them both. The class are excited to hear their first meeting report next week! |
Year 2 PSHE Focus |
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In PSHE this week, Year 2 have been learning about rights and responsibilities. We have discussed what rights we feel we are entitled to, including the right to feel safe and the right to nutritious food. We then thought very carefully and suggested our responsibilities. The class gave some excellent suggestions, including ‘being kind’ and ‘helping around the house’. Well done girls! |
Year 3 PSHE Focus |
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This week, the girls have been thinking about our emotions and how we feel when we are in school. We then tried to imagine a ‘Nightmare School’ and how we would feel if we had to go there instead of Northampton High. We wrote the emotions down on flipchart paper and then compared the two. Needless to say we feel very lucky that we don’t attend ‘Nightmare School’! |
Year 4 PSHE Focus |
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This week, the girls have been preparing and presenting their speeches for the School Council elections. The girls thought about what qualities a good leader would need and thought about how they show these qualities in everyday life. The girls have also been working on their listening skills in order to complete tasks in a minimum amount of time with the least amount of fuss. They found it wasn’t as easy as they thought! This lead us onto how to be a great member of a team, making sure everyone contributes in some way to the activity and to be encouraging to each other. |
Year 5 PSHE Focus |
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This week the Year 5 girls have been thinking about children’s rights. We started our lesson by looking at pictures of different children and discussing what we thought about them – it turns out that clothing and facial expressions do make an impression! We decided it was important not to make assumptions about people based purely on their appearance. After that, the girls thought about what they have a right to have, before looking at The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. |
Year 6N PSHE Focus |
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6N have been discussing target setting in PSHE. The girls have made sure their targets are achievable and manageable. We then talked about what obstacles we may face that would stop us achieving our targets, then we thought of ways to help each other overcome these problems. |
Year 6H PSHE Focus |
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In our PSHE lesson this week, we have been discussing learning goals for this year and how to achieve them without giving up. We thought about some of the obstacles we might face and possible solutions to overcome them. We are now motivated to achieve our goals and know what we need to do! |
News from outside of the classroom: School Council 2023-2024 |
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Following in-class processes, each class has now selected their School Council representatives. With the first meeting of the academic year now held, it is clear that this group of pupils are committed to executing their roles as effectively as they can. We are looking forward to seeing the impact this fabulous group of pupils will have. Year 1 – Luna and Pearl |
Awards This Week |
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Star Learners of the Week – Anaya V, Aleya L, Dulcie S, Pixie R, Evette B, Eloise C, Imogen O, Lulu P, Daisy S, Artemisia U Sports Captains: External Achievements: |
What's On - Autumn Term |
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Community Sessions |
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Children's Activity Morning at Dobbies |
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Rock Concert for Year 5 and above |
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To book you tickets, please click on this link.
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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