We have had a super start to the Autumn Term. The Reception class girls have been very interested in babies since the term began and because this fitted in so well with getting to know each other and ourselves we have run with it! Mrs Wellman brought in her gorgeous baby to show and tell about and not only the girls but the boys too were absolutely fascinated and followed this up by playing with the baby dolls, bathing, dressing, feeding and role-playing. It was valuable learning and lovely to see. The Nursery class have settled in well. They have been writing their names and making woodland faces as well as getting to know each other and their new learning environments both in the Pre-Prep and around the school. Year Two have had a great start. They have been learning where India is in the world as well as the seven continents. They have been using ‘The Elephant Dance’ by Theresa Heine to help with their journey through India and this has led to some great work on similes as well as some fabulous elephant art work. Year One have also used a book as the foundation of their learning this week. Inspired by ‘The Kiss that Missed’ by David Melling. The children have been making and decorating swords using a variety of skills and this will lead them into the world of stories and fairy tales. Some of our parents have also been back to school and attended our Curriculum evening yesterday (thank you!). We talked about ‘Resilience’ – the ability to bounce back after difficulties or when facing challenges. I introduced the Resilience Tool Kit devised by Dr Martin Seligman et al, as it is easy to say that our children (and we) need these skills but difficult to do. Resilience can be learned and the tool kit provides a method of talking through difficulties which has proved to be very effective with both children and adults. If you would like a copy of the handout, I have put some on Pat’s desk and I am more than happy to talk through the process with you. We will be using it in school so it would be good if it were used at home too.
FSM School Pre-Prep 