Today in Reception, we enjoyed another successful community meeting, where we came together to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our children. It was a special time to reflect on all the hard work, kindness, and determination shown across our classes this week.
Well done to all of our stars — you truly show us what it means to Be Kind, Work Hard, and Get Smart!
This week, Class 1 have done an amazing job exploring their brand-new books. The children have been so enthusiastic, showing great focus and excitement as they read together in class. It has been lovely to see their confidence grow and their joy in discovering new stories and ideas.
The best part is that the children are now looking forward to taking their books home. This means their reading journey can continue from school to home, giving them the chance to share their stories with family and keep practising every day.
This week, Class 1 took part in their very first Counting Collections session — and what a success it was!
Working with a partner, the children began by choosing a collection of objects to count. Together, they thought carefully about which strategies might help them — such as grouping, sorting, or counting in different ways. With lots of concentration and teamwork, they counted their collections carefully, making sure not to miss or repeat any items.
To finish, the children even had a go at recording their mathematical thinking, showing the strategies they used and the numbers they discovered. It was fantastic to see such enthusiasm, collaboration, and persistence in action.
Well done, Class 1 — you are already becoming brilliant mathematicians!
This term, our Year 1 and Year 2 children are going on an incredible learning journey through our Autumn expedition, Not All Heroes Wear Capes, guided by the big question: How can I be a superhero where I live?
From creating their own superheroes inspired by Supertato, to marching for justice after studying Let the Children March, to meeting real-life heroes from our community, the children will explore what it truly means to show courage, compassion, and kindness.
We would love to invite you to join us for our Presentation of Learning:
You don’t need to stay for the whole time — please feel free to drop in at a time that’s convenient for you between 3:00pm and 5:00pm.
This special event will take the form of a museum-style gallery walk, where you’ll be able to see:
– The children’s artwork and writing
– Photographs and memories from expert visitors
– Pop-art placards from our peaceful march
– Reflections, pledges, and our very own expedition book
– Introduce some of the real-life heroes they have met, who will be joining us to help demonstrate their skills
It’s really important that the children come along too, as they will be your tour guides — explaining their learning, sharing their work, and showing off everything they have achieved.
Friends of Norton Campus Association will also be supporting us by selling refreshments during the event — so you can enjoy a drink and a treat as you explore the children’s fantastic work.
This is a celebration of your children’s hard work, character, and creativity — and a chance to see how they have discovered that not all heroes wear capes… sometimes they live right here in our community.
We can’t wait to share this with you!
Key Stage One Crew
This morning we had a very special visitor in school. Stuart came from an organisation called Starting Point. He spoke to us about his important job supporting homeless people across Doncaster.
Stuart told us that his role is to make sure people who don’t have a safe home can get the help they need. He explained that this could mean finding them a safe place to stay, helping them get food, clothing, and health care, and supporting them to make positive changes in their lives.
We asked him lots of thoughtful questions, such as:
Stuart said that one of the best parts of his job is seeing people smile again when they feel safe and supported. He told us that anyone can help by being kind, donating food or clothing, or even just raising awareness about homelessness.
We learned that there are many people involved with the work Stuart does. Together, they make a huge difference to people who might be going through very difficult times.
At the end of Stuart’s visit, we were proud to present him with one of our special Community Champion Awards. The children thought carefully about the character traits Stuart shows every day in his work. We agreed that he demonstrates compassion, respect, and integrity in all he does.
Meeting Stuart made us think about how important it is to help others in our community. We left the session inspired and ready to play our part in making Doncaster a kinder place for everyone.
This week in Class 1, we have been busy exploring art as part of our current expedition. To celebrate everything that makes us special, we created our very own self-portraits. Using a mix of oil pastels and watercolour pencils, the children experimented with colour, line, and texture to capture their individual features.
We are so proud of Class 1 for their creativity, focus, and confidence in expressing who they are…
This week we have been reading some stories from different cultures and looking at the deeper meaning of them. We read the story of ‘Duni Chand and the silver needle’ and discussed how to be kind and generous to others. We made an anchor chart to list our ideas and then we added a cup of water to a class bowl and explained what we would like to add more of to the class.
Today, we came together for our weekly Friday Community Meeting—a time we all look forward to each week. It’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and recognise the fantastic efforts and attitudes our children have shown over the past few days.
This week, we celebrated our “Work Hard, Get Smart, Be Kind” stars—children who have gone above and beyond in demonstrating our school values. Whether it was through focused learning, a growth mindset, or acts of kindness, each child has truly earned their moment of recognition.
This week in Class 1, we’ve been diving deeper into our Marvellous Me expedition, celebrating all the things that make each of us unique and wonderful. As part of our journey, we’ve been reading the heartwarming book “What I Like About Me”—a joyful story that encourages children to embrace their individuality.
At the end of the book, we had a very special moment where each child looked into a mirror and shared what they liked about themselves. The positivity they expressed were truly touching.
Here are just a few of the heartwarming things the children said:
It was a moment filled with smiles, pride, and self-love. These small reflections showed just how confident and thoughtful our children are becoming, and how important it is to recognise and celebrate what makes us all special.
At our school, the outdoors isn’t just a place to play—it’s a space where some of the most meaningful learning happens. Whether it’s bright sunshine, a light drizzle, or a brisk breeze in the air, you’ll find our children outside, exploring, investigating, and connecting with the world around them.
We are excited to share that we have officially launched our very first case study of the year! This term, we are diving into the big, meaningful questions: “Who am I?” and “Who is in my family?” These questions are at the heart of helping children explore their identity, build self-awareness, and celebrate the unique stories that make each of us who we are.
To kick off our exploration, we read a delightful book called Measuring Me. This story is packed with fascinating and fun ways to measure yourself. It inspired us to start measuring ourselves too.
In addition to measuring, we’ve been busy exploring new vocabulary from the book. The children have shown so much curiosity as we unpacked the meaning of different words, building our understanding and adding some exciting new terms to our word banks. One of the highlights? Discovering what stapes are! (Ask your child if they remember!) The children were amazed to learn about this tiny bone in their ears—and couldn’t believe just how extraordinary they really are!
We’re also thrilled to share how well the children are doing in phonics. This week, we’ve been focusing on identifying initial sounds in words. The children have been listening carefully and working hard to write down the first sound they hear. It’s been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they connect sounds to letters—a big step in their early reading and writing journey!
