This week in Ashdown Class...

Week commencing 5th January 2026 

Happy New Year!  It’s been a cold start to the new term, but the children have been full of enthusiasm, and it’s been a real pleasure to be back. 

We have enjoyed investigating ice and other signs of winter and the changing seasons.  We have also noticed that the days are shorter in winter as it gets dark early in the evenings.  What other signs of winter can you spot? 

In maths we have been revisiting mass and capacity, and the children have enjoyed comparing the size of different objects and investigating their mass.  We made our own balance scales using a ruler and pencil.  Can you either make or use scales at home and compare objects to see which is heavier? 

As the cold weather continues, please make sure your child is wearing full winter uniform to school and that they have a warm coat and outside clothes, especially on days when they have Woodland Wonder which is on the following days: 

Snowdon – Monday 

Thames – Tuesday 

Ashdown – Friday 

This week’s talking task:  

Next week we will be learning about sleep and why sleep is important.  What bedtime routines do you have?  What do you need to do before bed?  Why is it important to wash and brush our teeth before bed? Are there special clothes you wear for bed? Do you have a special book or song?  A toy?  Maybe you can draw a picture of your bed or your favourite pyjamas and share it with the class? 

To enable children to develop their language skills, we have used AI to translate this into other languages spoken in our school community.    

The children are encouraged to use the toilets and drink water throughout the day and are allowed to go to the toilet whenever they need.

The Reception timetable evolves as the children settle into the routine of school.  This is what we are hoping the timetable will be by the end of term.

During Adventure Time, the children are free to use and explore the resources and activities in the indoor and outdoor classrooms.  During this time, the Reception adults lead activities or work with individuals or small groups on a particular task or skill.  Waterproofs and wellies are used everyday during these sessions, so these stay in school.