This week in maths, the children have been consolidating their maths learning from Term 5. Through a variety of hands-on activities and group discussions, they explored and talked about 2D shapes, used positional language such as “next to” and “under,” and compared quantities using terms like “more than” and “fewer than.” These experiences helped reinforce their understanding of early mathematical concepts in a playful, practical way.

In phonics, we continued developing our phonological awareness through Phase 1, Aspects 5–7. The focus this week was on voice sounds and oral blending. The children experimented with different sounds using their voices and began blending and segmenting simple words, laying a strong foundation for early reading.

Our home corner featured a sensory pasta play setup using tongs, spoons, and containers. The children enjoyed moving the pasta between different containers, engaging in rich imaginative play. They played alongside their peers, extending one another’s ideas and practising turn-taking and communication.

Our focus book was Commotion in the Ocean, which led to wonderful discussions about the different sea creatures featured in the story. The children used a wide and developing vocabulary to describe what they saw and learned new facts about life under the sea, supporting both communication and understanding of the world.

In the playdough area, we explored blue playdough with added sea-themed materials like shells, pebbles, marbles, and fish. This encouraged children to be creative as they created underwater scenes while exploring different textures and materials.

The tuff tray was a popular exploration station this week, filled with blue rice, pebbles, sea animals, rocks, and shells. Using magnifying glasses and checklists, the children identified and discussed different ocean animals. This supported vocabulary development and gave them a chance to compare and categorise materials by their properties.

At the creative table, the children enjoyed a variety of sea-themed activities throughout the week. On Monday, they made observational drawings of real sea shells, focusing on detail and shape. Tuesday involved bubble wrap and blue paint for an ocean stamping activity, which introduced patterning. On Thursday, they created imaginative paper plate jellyfish, using various craft materials. By Friday, they were developing fine motor skills through ripping and sticking tissue paper to make colourful seaweed. These creative experiences helped children express themselves while building control and coordination.

In the water tray, we introduced a sensory science activity using water and tea bags with metal sieves. The children noticed the changes in colour and texture and were encouraged to talk about what they observed, developing their understanding of materials and how they interact.

For our NELI (Nuffield Early Language Intervention) sessions, we read The Knight Who Said No. We introduced new special words such as “lonely,” “whisper,” “polite,” and “always.” The children practised whispering their breakfast choices, sang songs, and talked about routines and polite behaviours such as washing hands and saying please and thank you. These sessions continue to support their language development and social understanding in fun, meaningful ways.

Windrush Celebration Exhibition:

We are delighted to invite you to our Windrush Celebration Exhibition on Monday, 23rd June, from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM at St Frideswide Primary School, Cricket Road, Oxford, OX4 3DR.

This special event honours the legacy of the Windrush Generation and showcases the incredible creativity and learning of our pupils. You will experience:

• Children’s Art Displaysinspired by Windrush stories and heritage
• Singing Performancesfrom our talented students
• Community Contributions, including photos, stories, and words from local voices

This is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a school community and celebrate the rich cultural history that has helped shape our society.

The exhibition is held in collaboration with the Eyukamba Foundation and The Parish of Cowley and St John.

We warmly encourage all parents and carers to attend and support the children’s work. We look forward to seeing you there!

We’re interested in Windrush stories from our St Frideswide’s community! If you or your family have any Windrush memories or photos, we’d love for you to share them with us for our exhibition. Please send your stories and images to our phase email.  

 In addition,  St Frideswide’s will be participating in the Cowley Road Carnival Windrush Celebration at St Mary and St John Church on  Sunday, 22nd June. We are looking for a group of children to perform the two songs they’ve been learning at school and to wear the carnival costumes they’ve been helping to create. Please let us know if your child can take part.  

Tuesday morning drop in session

Tracey will be holding relaxed drop-in sessions for parents and carers every Tuesday morning at 8:10am. Please meet at the main reception. Each week will focus on a different topic, but you’re very welcome to come along with any questions or concerns you may have.

Next week’s focus will be sleep, followed by toilet training the week after. Even if these topics don’t apply to you right now, feel free to join – Tracey is here to support however she can.

There will be tea and coffee provided for you!

We hope you have a lovely weekend!

Anemones team