Pre-Prep Reflections Week 4 October 2025

Diary Dates

16 October – Year 2 taster day at Exeter School

17 October 3pm – Harvest assembly for parents

20-31 October – Half term (two weeks)

13 November 2.15pm – Entry to Year 3 parent info meeting

26 November 4-7.30pm – Parents’ evening

11 & 12 December 2.30pm – Nativity performances

15 December 3pm – Informal parent drop-in

18 December – End of term (early finish at 12 noon)

Term dates for 2025-26 and 2026-27 are available to download from the school website.

Spotlight on Year 1

We have had an excellent start to the year in Year 1. In English, our focus has been on letter formation and sentence writing. This week in mathematics, we have been comparing different numbers and groups using the ‘greater than’ and ‘less than’ symbols. The children have been learning about different types of animals in our science lessons, while in geography, we enjoyed finding our school on Google Earth and zooming out to see its location within the local area and wider world. A highlight of every week is our swimming lesson at Exeter School and the children have all impressed us with their skills. In our computing lessons, we have learned how to use a variety of different tools, including adding text, in a painting app on the iPads. After the excitement last week of creating art outside using natural objects, we have returned to the classroom to experiment with leaf rubbings using graphite sticks. We also had lots of fun outside at forest school this week, singing autumn songs and making clay animals. We are very proud of how the children are adapting to life in Year 1 and are thoroughly enjoying teaching them.

Ms Richards, Mrs Goodwill, Mrs Thomas and Mrs Higgins

Google Classroom

A reminder that our Google Classroom is now up and running for children in Years 1 and 2. Individual login details were sent home in reading records on Tuesday and the first homework activities for both classes were set on Wednesday. For parents in Year 1 and new parents in Year 2, please refer to the parent guide that was previously sent home for help logging in and navigating the app. If you need any further guidance, please contact your child’s class teacher.

Ms Richards, Mrs Goodwill and Miss Wheller

Christmas cards – final reminder

If you would like to order packs of Christmas cards, or other items, with your child’s design, please follow the instructions on the artwork form. You must then return the form, with the artwork attached, to school by next Monday 6th October at the latest. The artwork will be collected on Tuesday 7th October so it can be professionally scanned ready for print.

Mrs Goodwill

Harvest Assembly

Parents are warmly invited to attend our harvest assembly on Friday 18 October from 3pm in the school hall. You do not need to reserve tickets. Nursery children who do not attend on Fridays are welcome to join parents in the audience.

We will once again be supporting our local food bank, the Westbank community larder, and would welcome non-perishable donations to be brought into school by the children from Monday next week. All donations are welcome but priority items listed by the charity are shown in the adjacent flyer – please click on it to enlarge.

The children will be told all about this in assembly next Tuesday. We would appreciate it if items could be sent in carrier bags or small boxes to aid transportation. Every item will be used to help a local person or family in need. Thank you in advance for your support.