Hi, my name is Miss Eccles, and I am the Year 1 Teacher for Hummingbirds. I am thrilled to be teaching at St John's Primary School and to be part of the Year 1s journey of learning.

I have a passion for fostering a love of learning in young minds, with a background in Early Childhood Education and a dedication to helping children reach their full potential.

In Hummingbirds, I look forward to a year full of growth, fun and memorable learning experiences. I love teaching maths in year 1, and I have a huge passion for story telling. I enjoy nothing more than ending the day with a story and becoming lost in the world of books. Outside of teaching, I enjoy reading, cooking, hiking, spending time with family and friends. 

Other staff supporting Hummingbirds:

Miss Reilly is our teaching assistant. Mrs Archer is our learning support assistant. Mrs Nottage teaches all day on a Tuesday.

 

Please have a look at some of our highlights from last term: 

  

Term 4

Last term we saw some incredible learning taking place! Term 3 emphasised a balance of academic growth, creativity, and social development, laying a strong foundation for further learning in Year 1. We explored toys from the past and present, conducted science experiments and developed our writing skills. We also celebrated world mental health week. 

 

In English this term, we will be basing our writing around our new topic ’Where we live’ and exploring our local area. We will be looking at the changes of Spring. Some of the exciting stories we will be reading include: Jasper’s Beanstalk, The Tiny Seed, Sam plants a sunflower, and Jack and the Beanstalk. We will continue to be using our phonic knowledge to read, write words and construct simple sentences. We will continue to practise how to punctuate our writing and develop our writing skills by spelling words using suffixes.

                                                                           

Reading - Your child will be bringing home a reading book every day so please bring a book bag to keep the books safe. Please try to spend 10 minutes each day listening to your child read as it really does have a positive impact on their progress. Remember to sign your child’s reading record book when they have read to you, these needs to be brought into school each day to be checked. The children will be able to change their reading book every Monday and Thursday. This will give your child the chance to become more confident by re-reading the same book several times.

This term we have introduced ‘cosy reading time’. Cosy Reading focusses on creating a relaxed, enjoyable environment where children can develop a love for reading and improve their literacy skills. During this time, children are encouraged to explore a variety of texts, including storybooks, picture books, and simple chapter books of their interest.

Your child's spelling shed login is stuck at the front of their reading record. Assignments are set once a week, so please keep practising as it really makes a difference to your child's progress! Thank you! 

Phonics - The children will continue to learn their sounds in set 1, 2 & 3 and use the sounds they know to help with their writing. 

 

In Maths we will be exploring the concept of place value within numbers up to 50. We will learn how to recognise the value of each digit in a number based on its position, focusing on tens and ones. We will use manipulatives such as numicon, counters, tens frames and cubes to help us to solve addition and subtraction questions with more confidence. We will also learn to continue to use a number line, and how to use our knowledge of addition and subtraction within 50 to answer word problems. We will also be learning about length and height.  

                                                                            

Your children's Numbots login details are stuck at the front of their Guided Reading Record books.

In RE, we will be focusing on the question ‘Why does Easter matter to Christians?' 

We will be exploring the signs of Spring and understanding that Spring is a time of new life, linking this to the Easter story. 

 

This term in Science, we will explore the topic of materials in, developing an understanding of the different types of materials around us and their properties. We will ask scientific questions and have the opportunity to take part in scientific investigations and inquiries. In Geography we will be looking at our local area; Canterbury. We will be using our geographical skills to read and locate specific landmarks on a map. We will be thinking and comparing similarities and differences between two locations. We will also be observing changes of seasons and weathers in our environment.

 

 

Outdoor learning is every alternate Tuesday and you will receive a text beforehand so appropriate clothing can be brought in. PE is every Wednesday morning.

Please do not hesitate to talk to us if you have any concerns so that any problems can be sorted quickly.  

 

Be ready for learning! In Hummingbirds, your child will need to have these items in school: 

Key Stage One (Years 1 and 2) 

• Book bag (no rucksacks please) 

• PE kit (to be worn on PE day) 

• Water bottle (no squash or juice) 

• Lunchbox (if not having school meal) 

• Wellington boots (to leave in school) 

• Coat (weather appropriate) 

Please don’t bring other items into school, as we do not have space to store them, and it can cause upset if things are lost or damaged. 

 

Learning at home for Hummingbirds Class: 

Children are expected to read every night for at least 10 minutes.  Reading records should be signed by an adult and brought back to school each day to be checked by a member of staff. Your child will take home 2 books each day – a banded book, and a phonics book.  These will be changed on Mondays and Thursdays.

Spelling Shed and Numbots can be accessed from home using the logins provided on the inside of your child's reading record. 

 

School Uniform Checklist:

Please label ALL items of clothing and shoes clearly with your child’s name. This helps even our younger children to take responsibility for and look after their uniform. 

Reminders

In the morning, please drop your children off at the gates and leave any important messages with staff on the playground. We start our day's learning as soon as the children arrive, so teachers are not available to speak with parents and carers at the start of the day; after school is best.

 

 Hummingbirds learning highlights so far this term: 

We had so much fun creating our toy cars and exploring any new signs of Spring!!