Norton Infant School

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:

• “I like my glasses because they help me see.”
• “I like my freckles.”
• “I like that my hair is curly at the bottom.”
• “I like the colour of my hair and when it is in an Elsa plait.”

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!