Welcome to Chestnut Class

Summer Term 2024 

'Earth Explorers' 

Chestnut class plan to go on lots of nature walks, exploring different types of trees, leaves, flowers and mini-beasts. We will be reading different types of story books such as ‘Superworm’, ‘Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell’, ‘The Enormous Potato’, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and many more. Children will have opportunities to:

• collect twigs, leaves and flowers to create a nature face
• draw around their findings and use leaves to do nature rubbings
• make homes for mini-beasts using recycled materials, Lego and Duplo
• make mini-beasts out of playdough
• plant sunflowers and watch them grow
• plant potatoes and carrots
• look at life cycles of some mini-beasts
• look at the life-cycle of a sunflower
• investigate animals that exist on land, sea and air.

As a class we will be looking at the different seasons and what we should wear.

Pupils will be looking at different types of transport and how they move. Pupils will be learning about different types of forces which involve pushing and pulling.

Pupils will watch videos of David Attenborough and Steve Backshall.

Our staff consists of Mrs Doherty, Mrs Davies, Jan, Mandy and Dr John.

Class Information

• Physical Development will take place every Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Please can your child wear joggers and trainers to school on these days so they don't have to change. 

• The children will be given 1/3pint of free milk each day but labelled water bottles are also encouraged that can be filled at school.

• Pupils are able to bring in a healthy snack of fruit or vegetables for play time each day. Please ensure your child's snack is clearly labelled.

  If your child brings in grapes as a snack - please can we ensure they are cut in half - long ways.

• Please can you label your child’s clothes especially cardigans and jumpers, we have children losing clothes on a daily basis.

• If you have changed your personal information such as telephone numbers and address, please can you inform the school of the changes. There will be lots of text messages sent out with important information on.

‘Toasty Tuesdays’ and ‘Fruity Fridays

We are introducing ‘Toasty Tuesdays’ and ‘Fruity Fridays’ in our class. This is to encourage pupils to taste a variety of different fruits. Pupils will take part in preparing the snacks, set up the table and wash up. This is a great opportunity for pupils to practise their fine motor skills, oracy and listening skills. If you would like your child to take part then please can you send in 50p every week in an envelope.

If you have any concerns or worries please do not hesitate to contact me before or after school on 01443 472247, email me on MorganC314@hwbcymru.net or DaviesC2458@hwbcymru.net  or pop into school. 

Kind regards,

Mrs Doherty and Mrs Davies.  

Spring Term Topic 2024 - 'What can I see?'

We plan to explore:

• In our local community - looking in the park, in shops and what we can see on our roads.
• In our home - looking at what we can see in our kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room.
• On land and in the sea - looking at different types of animals, vehicles and flowers. 

Autumn Term 2023

Our topic is called:

'With Our Hands...'

As a whole class we will be looking at how we use our hands in everyday life and also how we create different things using our hands. Furthermore, we will be looking at different tools we use to make things. 

We plan to: 

• make simple dishes such as a sandwich and fruit salad using different tools
• create our own musical instruments using different materials
• explore how we use our hands in everyday life
• feel different textures
• be creative using Lego, stickle bricks, recycled materials and large blocks
• mix paints using our hands and creating different colours
• create our own piece of art using lollipop sticks, sponge, straws, fork and toothbrush
• cut out different shapes using various materials and create our own pictures
• plant flower seeds and shrubs and care for them. Create our own flowers using various materials

Pupils enjoyed mixing different coloured paints together and creating different colours. 

SUMMER TERM 2023

Our topic this term is all about 'going to the shops'.

As a whole class, we will be looking at different types of shops, comparing and contrasting. Our topic focus will be maths and numeracy. Pupils will experience handling money, paying for items, adding and subtracting etc. Pupils will explore what different items are used for and where they have come from. We plan to visit various shops in our surrounding area.

Pupils in Chestnut class are all enjoying their new topic. We have been to the superstore just down the road from our school. Pupils explored products sold in the store, chose an item they wanted to buy and waited in the queue. Pupils had the opportunity to handle money. We also visited the local florist and saw beautiful flowers. Pupils have been building their own shops using Lego and building blocks.

SPRING TERM 2023

Our topic is all about magical journeys

We will be reading lots of fairy tale stories such as Cinderella, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Gingerbread man, The Three Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel and many more. We will be concentrating on literacy and so most of our activities will emphasis key language skills. 

Autumn Term 2022

Our topic is called Me, Myself and I

We will be reading a variety of books linked to our body, feelings, family, senses, keeping healthy, active and growing up, drawing parts of our body and labelling. As a whole class, we will be writing a list of healthy and unhealthy foods, inviting Juile Cook from Asda to talk about different foods and where they come from. We will be looking at our teeth and labelling a tooth. We will be creating a healthy dinner and making healthy foods such as fruit smoothies, salad sandwiches and fruit kebabs. We will be thinking about what we want to be when we grow up, looking at different types of professions. We will be looking at our senses and plan a sensory walk around the school. We will be talking about what makes us happy and sad and sorting pictures out under correct headings. We will create our own individual family tree and look at our own daily routine.

Summer Term 2022

Our topic is - Creep, Wriggle and Crawl

This term we will be enjoy reading a variety of stories about all things that wriggle and crawl!

We will learn about lifecycles of different plants and animals and how to take care of them.

Spring Term 2022

Topic - Once Upon A time

What are we learning about?

This term we are learning about traditional stories and rhymes, giving the children to play with words and learn new vocabulary. Pupils will develop a love of stories and reading, encouraging children to learn, retell and act out familiar tales including:-

The Gingerbread Man

Jack and the Beanstalk

Cinderella

Our topic this Autumn term 2021 is called:

'Will you read me a bear story?'

We will be reading different bear stories such as ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ and many more, looking at old and new bears, measuring the height of different bears and ordering them from biggest to smallest, counting bears, decorating bears, making bear masks, going on a bear hunt and using positional vocabulary, arranging a bear picnic, creating a bear home and much more.

The four core purposes below will be the heart of our new curriculum. They will be the starting point for all discussions on the content and experiences developed as part of the new curriculum to support our pupils to be:

• Ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives.
• Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work.
• Ethical, informed citizens who are ready to take part in Wales and the world.
• Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. 

I hope you have all had a lovely Easter holiday. We are all looking forward in seeing you all back in school. Our topic this term is: 

'All About Summer'

We will be looking at what we take to a beach, what we wear in the Summer time, looking at different types of weather, looking at different types of transports, setting up our very own beach in class, organising a teddy bears' picnic, making our very own sunglasses and much more. 

Science week 2021

Pupils in Chestnut class have been very busy looking for minibeasts using their magnifying glasses, investigating what objects are magnetic, looking at parts of a flower and investigating what objects float and sink. 

Fairtrade 2021 

Pupils enjoyed smelling and cutting the fairtrade products. Pupils had to sort out what was fairtrade and not fairtrade foods.

St David's Day 2021

Our topics this spring term are called:

'Are eggs alive'?, 'Do cows drink milk'? and 'Why are carrots orange?'

We will be looking at what animals come from eggs, describing different eggs, decorating eggs, looking at what lives on a farm, matching farm animals, listening to different animal sounds, matching animals to their young, looking at where different farm animals live, looking at healthy foods, making healthy dishes etc. 

Hello everyone. It is wonderful that you are all keeping well at this difficult time and enjoying this fabulous weather we are having.  Mrs Doherty, Mrs Pearce, Mrs Howells, Dr John and Mrs Davies are all missing you.

As discussed over the phone, below is a suggested timetable which is non-compulsory and is intended to support your child in having structure throughout the week. I hope it helps. If you have any queries or need support with anything please do not hesitate to contact via email on MorganC314@hwbcymru.net. If you can send me photos of your pupil's work so I can tweet then that would be fantastic but no pressure if you can't. 

Below is a lovely children's yoga website on You Tube. Type in 'squish the fish cosmic kids yoga'.

Below are some suggested activities for your child to do which are fun but at the same time keeping active. 

Below are 1.1 set words to practise reading. 

Some useful websites on letter and number formation, literacy and numeracy games.

www.opendooronline.org.uk

www.crickweb.co.uk

www.topmarks.co.uk

Also on Youtube there are some lovely science experiments for your child to do. Just type in 'Top 6 DIY Science Experiments To Do At Home'. 

Our topic this term is called:

‘ Dinosaur Planet’

Look who came in to our school!

Andy and Tom told us lots about dinosaurs. 

Ronnie was the biggest dinosaur. 

Look at how big their teeth and eggs were.

We enjoyed making a class dinosaur out of recycled materials. 

We have been looking at lots of different books on dinosaurs.

We had dinosaur eggs in our class! 

We have been comparing dinosaurs.

We made big and small dinosaur eggs out of playdough.

We had fun making dinosaur homes 

We have been sorting dinosaurs by colour and counting dinosaurs. 

We have been finding dinosaur numbers in the sand. 

We are planning to book a dinosaur to come into school to engage pupils in our new topic and also hope to book a trip to Dan Yr Ogof Caves at the end of the term to see what pupils have learnt over the term.

We will be making our very own dinosaurs using recycled materials, sorting different dinosaurs and comparing, measuring the height and length of dinosaurs, making 2D and 3D shaped dinosaurs, ordering numbered dinosaurs, looking at different reptiles, finding dinosaur eggs and dinosaur feet in the sand and outside in our garden and even watching a dinosaur egg hatch!!

I need to remind you about a few things that will be happening in our class this year.

• Physical Development will take place every Monday and Thursday afternoons. Please can you send into school a PE kit (Shorts/T-shirt and trainers) with your child’s name on and in a suitable bag also labelled with their name. These can be kept in school until half term.

• The children will be given 1/3pint of free milk each day but labelled water bottles are also encouraged that can be filled at school.

• Please can you label your child’s clothes especially cardigans and jumpers, we have children losing clothes on a daily basis.

• If you have changed your personal information such as telephone numbers and address, please can you inform the school of the changes. There will be lots of text messages sent out with important information on.

I am looking forward to teaching class 4 this year. If you have any concerns or worries please do not hesitate to see me before or after school.

Kind regards,

Mrs Doherty, Mrs Davies and Mrs Pearce.            

Croeso i ddosbarth 4. Welcome to Class 4.

Our topic this term is called:

'Do you want to be friends'

We will be discussing what makes a good friend, looking at similarities and differences between each other, looking at people who help us at home and at school and looking at healthy eating.

I need to remind you about a few things that will be happening in our class this year.

• Physical Development will take place every Monday and Thursday afternoons. Please can you send into school a PE kit (Shorts/T-shirt and trainers) with your child’s name on and in a suitable bag also labelled with their name. These can be kept in school until half term.

• Please can you label your child’s clothes especially cardigans and jumpers, we have children losing clothes on a daily basis.

• If you have changed your personal information such as telephone numbers and address, please can you inform the school of the changes. There will be lots of text messages sent out with important information on.

• The children will be given 1/3pint of free milk each day but labelled water bottles are also encouraged that can be refilled at school. 

Look who came to visit us.

Look who helps us in our community. 

Our school nurse came in to tell us what she does to help us. We enjoyed dressing us.

We found lots of different coloured leaves on our Autumn walk.

We decorated hands for anti bullying week.

Great sharing and playing.

Excellent team work.

Finger gym is lots of fun.

HEALTHY EATING

We enjoyed making patterned fruit kebabs, especially eating them!

Ardderchog Class 4.

We enjoyed catching the train to Asda in Aberdare to look at different foods.

We found lots of healthy foods.   

SUMMER TERM

Our topic this term is called:

How does that building stay up?

We will be looking at different types of buildings, materials and building lots of our own buildings using recycled materials.  Please can you collect empty boxes of different sizes for us to get creative. Also can you please take a photo of your house for us to discuss what materials it is made from, how many windows it has etc.

Spring Term 2

Our topic for this term is called:

Do Cows drink milk?

We will be finding out: 

• where food comes from,
• what animals live on a farm,
• labeling animals body parts,
• looking at farm machinery,
• cooking at food chains. 

We hope to plan a visit to a local farm.

Reminders

• Please can your child bring in p.e. clothes and leave in school till the end of term. Our p.e. lessons are on Mondays and Thursdays. 
• Reading books and homework given out on Fridays and to be brought back on the following Tuesday. 

Miss Morgan, Mrs Davies and Mrs Pearce would like to wish all of class 4 a very happy Christmas.

Our topic next term is called:

HOW MANY COLOURS IN A RAINBOW?

We will be mixing different colours together, making patterns, exploring different materials and looking at different weathers. 

Our topic this autumn term is called:

Why can't I have chocolate for breakfast?

We will be looking at different types of foods, the sensory properties of food, looking at healthy and non-healthy foods and cooking up some tasty dishes!

Please can you collect some empty food packaging and bring them into school.