Dosbarth Gwy
Blynyddoedd 1 a 2 – Ffrwd Gymraeg
Dosbarth Gwy is the Yr.1/2 class in Ffrwd Gymraeg. Gwy is the Welsh word for the River Wye/Afon Gwy.
Croeso nôl! Welcome back to the Autumn term and to Dosbarth Gwy! We hope you’ve had a lovely Summer break and enjoyed the glorious weather. We have enjoyed welcoming the children back to school last week ready for another school year.
Our topic for this term is ‘Arwyr Bwyd Iach/Healthy Food Heroes’ linking our learning across Health & Well-being and Science & Technology. Throughout the term, the children will explore how the choices we make about food, drink and exercise can affect both our physical and mental health. They will investigate what makes a balanced diet, learn about healthy lifestyles and consider how making positive choices can help us to live long, healthy and active lives.
We encourage you to support your child at home by discussing healthy eating habits, involving them in food preparation where possible, and talking about the importance of regular physical activity.
We look forward to sharing the children’s learning with you as the term progresses.
In this letter, you will find information about the coming term. I hope that you find it useful.
Language, Maths and Digital Competence
This term, the children will develop their writing skills through a range of engaging activities. They will write a report based on their investigation into whether our school provides a balanced meal for children, create clear instructions linked to cookery activities, and explore creative writing by adapting and changing a story to make it their own. Through these tasks, learners will build confidence in writing for different purposes and audiences.
In maths, we will continue to build confidence in basic number skills, including counting, number recognition and simple calculations. We will also develop our financial literacy skills by ordering and comparing amounts up to £10, paying for items up to £2, and calculating change. In measurement, we will use non-standard and standard units to measure and compare weight and capacity through practical activities.
This term, the children will learn how to collect and organise information and present it in simple tables and charts. They will use digital tools to help answer questions and share their learning. The children will also create presentations using text, pictures and sounds, helping them to develop their confidence and creativity when using technology.
P.E.
Our P.E. lesson will be every Thursday. We ask that the children come to school in their P.E. kit every Thursday. They will need trousers or shorts (depending on the weather), t – shirt (no vest or crop tops), a jumper and appropriate footwear. For health and safety reasons, children who have pierced ears will need to remove their earrings for lessons. Long hair should be tied back in a ponytail so please ensure that they have a hair bobble. If for any reason your child is unable to participate in the lesson, please send an email to explain why.
Dydd Iau ar y cae (outdoor learning)
The children will take part in regular outdoor learning sessions as part of their curriculum. These activities will provide opportunities to develop teamwork, problem-solving, creativity and resilience while exploring and learning in the natural environment. Sessions may include nature investigations, practical maths and literacy activities, creative learning and outdoor games.
We are extremely lucky that the Friends of the School has provided every pupil with their very own waterproofs to wear during school outdoor activities, this means you do not need to provide these. However, we do ask you to bring in a pair of wellies for your child (unless they already have a pair at school). Outdoor activities will be taking place daily, however, Dydd Iau ar y Cae will be every Thursday.
Reading
We aim to listen to all children read as often as possible. We would be extremely grateful if you would support your child by listening to them read and asking them questions as often as possible. Reading on a regular basis will support your child’s learning in all areas. The children will also participate in weekly Guided Reading activities in class. We will continue to send home an exercise book with spelling words to practice on a weekly basis; these words go alongside what we learn within the letters and sounds sessions (Tric a chlic) that they have three times a week in school. The children will continue to practise their weekly words during our phonics sessions. They will only move on to new words once they can read them confidently, spell them accurately and use them correctly in a sentence. This helps to ensure that their learning is secure before introducing new vocabulary.
We would be very grateful if you could help your child learn these at home. Also, could you please ensure that your child brings their reading book to school daily.
Online Apps / HWB
All children will have access to their HWB account, Sumdog account and Darllen Co where they can practice Maths and High frequency words in the J2Blast section on Just2easy. Their usernames and passwords will be sent home with your child and they are free to use them as they like at home.
Water Bottles/Fruit
Children should bring a water bottle into school each day that will be readily available during lesson time to keep them hydrated. After their outside break, they will have ‘snack time’. We encourage all pupils to bring a piece of fruit to eat daily during this time.
Class teachers
Miss Ffion Williams is the full-time class teacher this year and Miss Menna Hughes will be the Class Teaching assistant working alongside her to support the children on Monday to Friday.
Beginning and end of the day
I would like to remind everyone of the arrangements for the morning and afternoon. The children should arrive in the morning between 8:30am-8:50 a.m. and will leave at 3.25pm from Pen Y Fan classroom door. If there are any changes to the usual home time arrangements for your child, could you please let the office know to ensure everybody arrives home safely – especially if your child travels on the bus.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using the email address below: