Welcome to the Skylarks Class! 



Staff

Teacher: Charlotte Harlow

TAs: Nicola Hicklin, Claire Agnew and Ellie Cozens

Mid Day Leader: TBC


Newsletter

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

What a half term we have had here in the Skylarks! It may have been a shorter term but it has been jammed packed with lots of learning opportunities! 

Our story ‘The Wizard of Oz’ has been at the heart of our learning this topic. We went with Dorothy and her little dog Toto as they got caught in a tornado before being dropped in munchkin land! We continued with them as they had the help of the good witch to follow the yellow brick road where we met a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion. Together we met the great and powerful Oz before we had to defeat the wicked witch! Who knew it only took a bucket full of water! We learnt that those things that Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion wished for they had the power to achieve all along!

In our ‘Attention Autism’ sessions we have recreated scenes and characters through different materials, light and craft. The performing adult presented the class with red glitters to create the ruby red slippers, emerald green materials to create the land of Oz and yellows and golds to create the yellow brick road. The adult modelling in the ‘Attention Autism’ sessions helped us to create our own scenes and characters in our creative development sessions. We used red paint and glitter to create Dorothy’s shoes, we used a range of paints to create our own rainbows, we used green glitters and materials to create the Emerald City and used yellows and gold glitter to create the yellow brick road. We combined all the art and craft together to create our own ‘Wizard of Oz’ grotto in our class entrance way.

This half term we have been working very hard to further develop our independent skills through our personal care routines. We have been trying hard to undress and dress ourselves during our weekly swim slot in the big splash pool. Each morning as we come into class we have been using our very own facecloths and toothbrushes to brush our teeth and wipe our faces clean. After each bathroom visit, messy session and before and after each meal time we are working on using hand wash and paper towels to wash and dry our own hands! We are even starting to help fill our own wash bowls and get the paper towels ready!

This half term we have been fortunate to have two very big celebration days here in school. At the end of April we celebrated Eid. We enjoyed sensory exploration sessions where we could explore and mark make in different spices while listening to Eid celebration music. We shared an Eid story which involved exploring scents, lights and different materials. Then, at the beginning of May we celebrated the coronation of King Charles by having our very own class tea party! We made jam and cheese sandwiches and enjoyed lovely cakes and biscuits and even made our very own Union Jack flags. We sat and shared the story of Charles’ rise to the crown before having our very own coronation ceremony in class!

At the end of the half term we took part in the ‘Living Eggs’ project. Over the course of the 10 days we got to see 10 eggs hatch into 10 spritely chicks! 5 yellow and 5 brown! Each morning we helped our teachers to give them water and feed and help to change their bedding. As we had more time with the chicks, we got brave enough to stroke them and even hold one or two! As the half term came to a close, we were sad to see them go.

From us all in the Skylarks we hope you have a restful half term break. We will see you in June ready for some more exciting learning opportunities in the sunshine (we hope).


Follow along with this half term’s Signalong video!

Signalong

At Kingfisher we use Signalong as a part of a Total Communication Approach, we are constantly using core vocabulary with the children to support their language development and then through each of our topics we introduce new signs and language, which extends their vocabulary further. We also have two “Signs of the Week” which helps maintain and extend key knowledge and skills of everyday vocabulary.

Each half term we will be creating a short video showcasing and demonstrating signs relavent for the current term so that you can learn the signs and further this learning at home.

Click play to watch this half terms Signalong video!


Lunchtime

If your child has a school dinner, the school menus can be accessed by clicking here. For children who bring a packed lunch, please remember to provide healthy and balanced options. We are a Healthy School and will be focusing on healthy eating and how children can make healthy lifestyle choices.


How You Can Help at Home

  • Our story this half term will be ‘we’re going on a bear hunt’ – this book is about going on a journey and we will be going on our own bear hunt – could you go on a bear hunt at a local park? You can find the story online here:

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

  • Everything is an opportunity for communication! Give your child lots of opportunities to make choices and requests at home. Please contact me if you would like any symbols to support this. Exchanging symbols is a great step forward in communicating your wants and needs. Make sure you always model the language for them. 
  • Go on a walk – how many types of transport can you see? Have you ever been on a train or plane? Take a trip somewhere together. You could go to the local park and see if you can see any bikes on the way or planes in the sky!
  • We are practicing our mashing skills in our food discovery sessions; can your child help the adults at home to make different snacks. They could help mash potatoes for their dinner or mash up banana to make some delicious banana bread! 
  • We are going to be exploring ‘all about me’ – look at family photos, can your child recognise themselves and other family members? Can they tell you what they like and dislike?

Useful Links


Scroll to Top