Year 1 Saint Cecilia

Once there was a little girl named Cecilia.  She was a very happy child who loved to sing and dance and play.  She also liked to pray because she believed that Jesus loved her and watched over her always.

As she grew older, Cecilia wanted to give her life to Christ as a nun.  But her parents wanted her to get married and so she did.

After her marriage, Cecilia often talked to her husband and his brother about God.  Soon, they too became Christians. They both did all they could to help the poor, the sick, and anyone in need. 

Cecilia was always kind to everyone.  She loved music and she would often “sing to God in her heart.”  Her favourite musical instruments were the organ, the harp and the viola.

Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians and her feast day is the 22^nd of November.

In Year One, the children begin their journey from Reception into more formal learning.

In Year One, Our R.E. topics are as follows:

The Vine and the Branches

Autumn 1.      Creation and Covenant

Autumn 2.     Prophecy and Promise

Spring 1.        Galilee to Jerusalem

Spring 2.       Desert to Garden

Summer 1.     Ends of the Earth

Summer 2.    Dialogue and Encounter

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns.

With best wishes,  Mrs Bridge

Year 1 Class Procedures 2024-25

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to our new school year. We hope that you have had a good summer and that you and your child are ready for an exciting time in Year 1 St Cecilia!  We look forward to your support in giving the pupils an enjoyable and rewarding learning experience.  Please find below procedures and expectations in Year 1, which we hope you will find useful.

Teaching Staff

Mrs Bridge – Class Teacher

Mrs Rushton – Teaching Assistant

Uniform

The following are some guidelines to help you and your child settle back into school life at St Alban’s:

Winter uniform is usually worn from after October half term until Easter. Summer uniform is usually worn from after Easter until October half term. There is flexibility to wear either uniform on unseasonably hot or cold days. Please ensure all uniform is clearly labelled with your child’s first and last name.

Earrings and jewellery must not be worn at any time in school. The only exception to this is if a child has had their ears pierced during the summer and needs to keep earrings in for the next six weeks. Earrings that must be worn will be covered with surgical tape. Long hair must be tied back at all times and extreme haircuts are not permitted.

Clothing - Please ensure that your child’s name is on ALL items of clothing, shoes, wellies, PE bags, book bags and lunchboxes.  If things get lost (which they often do!) they can then be returned to their rightful owner.

Beginning of the school day – Morning drop off for all year groups is 8:45am. All children need to be in class by 8:55.

End of the school day – Children from all year groups should be collected at the end of the day at 3:25pm. Please let us know if your child is being collected by anybody other than parents/carers. We are not permitted to let children leave without a parent’s permission.

Communication - If you would like to discuss a matter in detail or in private, please make an appointment with us. We are available to speak after school or, if you prefer, we can arrange a telephone conversation.

PE - PE will take place every week, on a Thursday and Friday, however the day may vary from time to time due to the weather. 

Medical – if your child uses any medication (eg. an inhaler) please ensure that he/she has it in school and that it is clearly labelled and is within expiry date. It is parents’ responsibility to ensure that medication is in date. A health care plan form should also have been filled out by parents so that staff can ensure the correct dosage is being given.

Homework – See homework grid on the website. Year 1 is as follows:

We cannot over-emphasise the importance of reading in Year 1. Children who flourish are invariably the children who are frequent readers. Your child will bring home their Reading Record. Please use this to comment on their reading and ensure that it is in school every day. Your child will be given an e-book or a reading book each week that corresponds with the phonetic sounds that they have been learning that week. They should read these every night to consolidate the week's learning.

We also encourage children to read ‘free read books’, which are to help develop your child's vocabulary and interest in reading. These are the books that we have in our class reading area and are the types of books that you will find at the local library or at home. As they will be chosen by the children to read for pleasure, they may be at a different level to their phonics books. They are to be enjoyed with adult help. If your child would like to take some of these books home in addition to their phonetically decodable book, then they are more than welcome. Once they have finished exploring a whole ‘free read book’, they can exchange it for a new one the next day in school. Please ensure that these books are returned daily. Feel free to supplement your child’s reading with ‘free read books’ from the library or home and write this in their reading logs.

Homework tasks will be set on a Friday. There will be pages set from their Phonics Homework book and a practical Maths activity. These are tasks for you to complete at home. We do not need evidence of this to be handed into school as the homework tasks will be reinforcement of what your child has been learning in school that week.

Curriculum – Please refer to our curriculum overview on the website.

Newsletters – the school newsletter is sent out to parents/carers electronically every Friday afternoon. Please contact the school office if you do not receive this and update your email address with the school office.  PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU READ THE NEWSLETTER AS IT WILL INCLUDE DATES AND ANY OTHER INFORMATION THAT YOU WILL NEED.

Snacks – In KS1 the children have two break times. Children are given free access to pieces of fruit or vegetables during this time. Your child may also bring in one or two healthy snacks every day. Please do not send in any nuts, sweets or chocolate. We also ask that grapes are cut in half, lengthways, for health and safety reasons. Please also send in a named water bottle for your child to access in the classroom. Juice and fizzy drinks are not permitted. If you are interested in purchasing a daily bottle of milk for your child to enjoy at break time, please register at www.coolmilk.com

If you have any queries or concerns, please feel free to ask.

Best Wishes,

Year 1 Team