Hello, my name is Miss Seaman and I am delighted to be in my tenth year of teaching here at St John’s. Most of my experience has been as a Reception Teacher, and this year I will be teaching Sparrows for three and a half days each week.

Previously, I was the subject leader for Art and Design and Design Technology, which reflects my love of all things creative. I enjoy weaving creativity into everyday learning—whether that’s painting tigers coming to tea or helping pirates hunt for treasure! In Early Years, children are encouraged to try new things, discover hidden talents, and use art as a wonderful way to explore their ideas.

I also have a real passion for literature and believe that a good story not only fires up the imagination but also plays a key role in learning. This year, I am excited to take on the role of Phonics Lead for Early Years and Key Stage 1, continuing to support children on their journey with reading and writing.

Outside the classroom, I love sport and adventure—whether that’s cycling, sailing, or watching (and now only sometimes playing!) rugby.

 

Hi, I’m Mrs Nottage and I teach in Sparrow class on a Thursday afternoon and all day on a Friday. 

I love teaching at St John’s and helping children settle into school life. I enjoy helping children with arts and crafts; having lots of fun together, painting, stickiness and glitter! 

I’m married and have 3 wonderful children. I love baking, tennis, pilates and walking in the countryside or by the sea. 

 

Other staff working in our class are: 

Ms Royden - Teaching Assistant

Miss Harding - Teaching Assistant

Miss Stiles - Teaching Assistant

Save the date:

8th and 10th December - Christingle making sessions with parents/carers - more info to follow

16th December - Year R Nativity

PE - Every Tuesday from week 3 (Come to school in your PE kit and trainers!)

Forest School - Every Friday from week 3

 

Our weekly timetable: 

Term 2 timetable

Our learning this term: 

Our topic this term will be 'Wonderful World'. We will keep on learning about seasonal changes and we will start learning about different types of celebrations. 

Literacy

Linking to our topic 'Wonderful World', in Year R we will be reading these books: 

 In Literacy, we will learn to:

• recognise alliteration for a group of words 
• describe the main events, settings and characters in a story 
• hear and say the initial sound in a word 
• read the individual letters I have been taught, saying the sounds for them 
• recognise some familiar words (e.g. Daddy, names of friends) 

Phonics

We are learning to read and write sounds in this order: 

Maths

We will learn to:

• show fast recognition of up to 5 objects without having to count them (subitising) 
• count objects, actions and sounds up to 5 
• match numerals up to 5 with their cardinal number value 
• solve real world mathematical problems with numbers up to 5 
• understand one more/ one less 
• compare items by weight, length or capacity, using mathematical language such as longer, shorter, heavier, lighter, empty, full 
• identify and name and combine/ decompose 2D shapes – square, circle, triangle, rectangle 
• sequence a set of events 
• understand and use simple positional language e.g. next to, in front of, behind, under

Learning at home for Sparrow Class:

Reading

Thank you all for coming to the Phonics/Early Reading workshop last term! We are looking forward to starting to reward the children for their reading, as they start blending the sounds they've learnt so far. Please, keep on sharing with us all the books they read at home on the reading record and keep supporting them as they venture through their reading journey. If you need any help at all, please ask us!

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

Everything you send in to school MUST be labelled clearly with your child’s name. Lost property will be available for parents to access daily on the school premises should anything go missing. 

• Book bag (provided by school) 

• Water bottle (no squash or juice) 

• Lunchbox (if not having a school meal) 

• Wellington boots (to leave in school) 

• Coat 

• Bag of spare clothes to leave on your child's peg

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

Outdoor learning:

Outdoor learning plays a pivotal part in our children's development. Therefore, much of our learning in EYFS, takes place outside, and we aim to enjoy our outdoor learning area in any weather! So please, provide a pair of wellington boots which you are happy to leave in school for outdoor play. 

Highlights from term 1: