Welcome to the Woodpeckers Class!
Staff
Teacher: Elaine Curran
TAs: Adam Hinchliffe, Danielle Taylor and Emma Hobin
Mid Day Leader: Sam Grundy
Newsletter
Inside / Outside
We have had an amazing half term in the Woodpeckers at the start of 2023.
Firstly some changes to our class team to let you know about. Andy is now our full time school life guard. He continues to support us at lunchtime. We welcomed Emma to our team and she is settling well and tells us she enjoys work every day! We welcomed Becky to our team who is learning how to be a teacher. She has a wealth of previous experience before her training and she is an amazing asset to our team. Elaine and Becky are developing new and exciting opportunities for learning all the time.
We have had an amazing time developing our skill building sessions even further. We have many new resources of cause and effect toys, toys with functional tools and toys that promote our anticipation skills. We are learning how to complete short tasks through these toys and what starting, completing and finishing a task looks like.
We are so lucky to have been involved with Live Music Now and the lovely Alice brings her cello every Thursday morning to work with us. Adam has been working with Alice to develop our respond-create-interact sessions and we are finding new ways to develop positive communication skills in the children through rhythm and beats.
Swimming finally started for us! We love the water and the freedom on our bodies in the pool. We are learning some very early safety skills in the water at the moment and some of us have been working on floating.
Our Move and Mark sessions have gone so well this half term. Some of us are now copying large circular movements and learning the power of making marks to communicate. Some of us like using the tools to help us mark make. The session is 20 minutes of pure fun and we have sent some photos home via seesaw to show you what we are doing.
Have a wonderful half term and we are looking forward to some slightly warmer days and more fun and learning in the Woodpeckers.
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
This half term our topic is Earth, Wind and Fire. Here are some things you can do together at home.
Play is the best way for your child to learn. Here are some play ideas you might like to try at home.
Visit the park – now the weather is hopefully defrosting it’s the ideal time to make the most of the outdoors! Alexandra Park offers a range of ideas under a page called Let’s Go For A Walk and the link can be found here – https://www.oldham.gov.uk/downloads/file/4085/alexandra_park
Wheels 4 all is also based at the park on a booking basis.
Gallery Oldham is only a tram ride away and offers a range of free activities every Saturday as well as the Small Cinema Experience for a small fee. It’s well worth a look at what’s happening there for all the family.
Remember to send in waterproofs and spare clothes for your child and every day they will need a coat with a hood in case it rains or is cold. Your child may come home from school with paint on their clothes or mud on their shoes – this is just a sign of a good day of learning! We need a full swimming kit for your child each week please – if you would like us to keep it in school then this is fine and we will send it home every half term for a wash.
Thank you
