Nursery Newsletter 18th September

Dear Parents,

• We hope you all had a lovely Rosh Hashanah. Shana Tova!
• It was lovely seeing you all at the curriculum evening. Thank you for coming.

Our Week

• Another very busy week in Nursery! We started the week with the children sharing their special clothes with the class. We discussed how we all like different things, including what we wear, and the children talked about their chosen outfits.
• We played a fun name game, “Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee, can you say your name for me?” The children clapped along, saying the words with me, and then each child said their name.
• The children looked in the mirror and painted their self-portraits, exploring colour mixing to create different hair and eye colours.
• We read the book Cinnamon Girl and discussed how we are all different and the importance of being kind and respectful to everyone, whatever our differences.

Literacy – Phonics

• We continued to explore different environmental sounds, focusing on animal sounds.
• We then started to explore instrumental sounds. We passed a continuous beat or sound around the circle, with each child copying it. We discussed whether the sound or beat stayed the same as it was passed around the circle. We also explored the concepts of loud and quiet, and fast and slow.

Mathematics

• We explored 2D shapes, revisiting the names of different shapes and describing their properties. We also introduced some more complex shapes, including pentagons, hexagons and octagons. We read Mouse Shapes, and the children then had the opportunity to create their own pictures using magnetic shapes.

Understanding the World

• The children talked about where they had been on holiday, the countries they had visited and the things they had done with their families. They enjoyed sharing their experiences and learning about different places and cultures.

PE

• The children developed their speed, agility and power through a range of fun athletic activities and drills.

Ivrit

• It was lovely to meet some of you during our Curriculum Evening.
• This week, we began our Ivrit journey by learning how to greet one another using the word “Shalom – שלום”. We also practised asking “Mi at?” (Who are you? – to a girl) and “Mi ata?” (Who are you? – to a boy). Each child had the opportunity to introduce themselves using visual photos, making the learning fun and engaging.
• We were also delighted to meet two special friends from Israel – Podi HaKipod (Podi the Hedgehog) and Racheli. Together, we sang Shalom Lachem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHjAo6dfCQY) and created beautiful “Shalom Hands”, which are now proudly displayed at the entrance of the EYU building.
• It has been a wonderful start to our Ivrit  learning, and I look forward to a year filled with discovery, joy and lots of learning together!

Jewish Studies
This week Nursery class:

• looked into Yom Kippur and made brilliant Yom Kippur slipper pictures. 
• studied the story of Yonah and its meaning for the day of Yom Kippur. We each made a Yonah picture with a popsicle Yonah in the tummy of the big fish. 
• had a go at acting out the story of Yonah, and some of us chose to make big fish out of milk cartons and other junk modelling items. 
• This week Abigail and Max were on the Shabbat table. 
• Well done Nursery class, you have had a busy and brilliant week!

Reminders

• School is closed on Monday 21st September.
• Friday 25th September – school closes at 12.30 pm.
• Because of allergies, we won't serve milk at snack time.
• About Me Bag: Please return on Tuesday 22nd September. Let your child choose a few favourite items that tell us about them. Please only send items they are happy to leave at school.
• Library: Library is now on Thursday afternoons. Please return your child’s library book in the folder by Wednesday, so they can choose a new one.
• Please send your child in with an empty kitchen roll holder. Thank you!

Wishing everyone a good fast.
Shabbat Shalom!
Miss Cowen and the Nursery Team

Nursery Newsletter 11th September

Dear Parents,

Our Week

• The children settled into Nursery very well and had a great first week.
• We learnt classroom expectations and played games to get to know each other.
• We enjoyed stories about starting school, including The Kissing Hand.

 Literacy – Phonics

• We explored different environmental sounds and enjoyed guessing what they were, and we made our own “listening ears” and went on a listening walk.
• The children enjoyed their first library visit, listening to a story and choosing a book to take home. Please return your child’s library book by Monday each week.

Mathematics

• We explored weight, using balance scales to compare objects and identify which were heavier, lighter or balanced. 
• The children enjoyed their first baking session, making honey cake and taking turns to weigh and mix the ingredients.

Understanding the World

• Children explored the garden and enjoyed digging for potatoes.

PE

• In PE, Nursery began the new school year focusing on developing their agility, balance, coordination and hand-eye coordination skills, through different activities and games. 

Music

• We had a lovely first music lesson, and it was lovely to get to know your children. In preparation for Rosh Hashanah, we sang "The Shofar in the Shul" and "Dip the apple in the honey." The children loved using the egg shakers to accompany their lovely singing. We are looking forward to our music journey together this year. 

Ivrit

• It was such a pleasure meeting your lovely children this week!
• We started by learning to say Shalom, using our Yad (hand). We had lots of fun playing games with our hands!
• As we began learning about Rosh Hashana, we discovered some special words: Tapuach (apple) and Dvash (honey). 
• We also met the Dvора (bee) who makes the honey, and learned about the Shofar and Rimon (pomegranate).
• It was a fun and exciting week of learning together!

 Jewish Studies

• Painted beautiful honey-coloured Shanah Tovah cards.
• Decorated their own honeycomb stones.
• Learnt about the sounds of the shofar and created colourful mosaic shofar pictures for display in the EYU.
• Used real apples and sponge shapes to decorate special Rosh Hashanah apple and honey mats.
• Tasted delicious simanim at a festive Rosh Hashanah Model Seder.
• This week Gabi and Avital were on the Shabbat table.

Reminders

• Monday 14th September: Please send your child in a favourite or meaningful outfit for our “This Is Me” topic. Please avoid best clothes as we may do messy play. Talk to your child about why they chose it so they can share with the class.
• Please email us a baby photo of your child and some holiday pictures by Monday 14th September.
• Curriculum Evening: Tuesday 15th September at 7:30 pm.

Shabbat Shalom!
Miss Cowen and the Nursery Team