Let's Work Together!

 

Dear Gecko Class Families, 

I hope you are all staying safe and dry on this rainy, typhoon day!

It has been a busy week in the Gecko Class as we explore our new space and become more familiar with our classroom routines. The children have been learning to take responsibility for their belongings and complete their "jobs," such as putting away their school bags and tidying up after snack time. These activities help them practice essential self-help skills.

It has been wonderful to see some of the children problem-solve by asking their peers for help, as well as the resilience they demonstrate as they try their best to complete tasks independently - well done Geckos! 

Going into next week kindly be mindful of the following:

Snack Time 

- Pack a nut-free and healthy snack for your child. 

- Make sure your child can open and close their snacks - if it is in a plastic wrapper we ask children to use scissors to open it by themselves. At snack time we encourage the children to be as independent as can. This is something that can be practiced at home too :) 

Library

- The Geckos Library Day is Wednesday. Please keep your Geckos library books and bags at home every other day of the week.

PE

- PE Day is Wednesday. Please Dress your Gecko in a short sleeve t-shirt and shorts/skirts to make sure they are comfortable and not too hot when participating in physical activities. 

- Please make sure your Gecko has closed shoes such as trainers to make sure they can exercise safely.

If you would like to learn what a typical week in the Gecko Class looks like this please see the schedule below:

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P.E Class 

Last week, the Geckos started their PE classes over at Bradbury school. Most of the children were very curious and eager to visit the gymnasium and were intrigued by all the equipment and materials! 
They were greeted by Mr. Smith, who led them in some fun games, including "Red Light, Green Light" and "Musical Statues." The children enjoyed practicing their listening skills by following instructions and responding to the music as it played and stopped. The chad a great time building their gross motor skills by pretending to be different animals!

**Photos from our P.E Classes can be found here AM / PM **

We will update this album throughout the term

** REQUEST ** 

Mr Smith and Mr Maclay are making a Gecko class Playlist full of the children's favourite songs. They would like to use them for their games and activities during class. 

**If you would like to share your Gecko's favourite song, please complete this form ** 
Link 

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We can work together! 

We started our week by exploring what it means to work together. We read the delightful book Scribbles and Ink, which tells the story of two artists—a cat and a mouse—who have very different styles and share a book that may not be big enough for both of them. Ink prefers things to be clean and precise, while Scribbles embraces a more carefree approach. As the story unfolds, they realise that squabbling isn’t much fun. They learn to collaborate and listen to each other's ideas, ultimately creating something magical—a portrait of friendship!

The children reflected on ways they can work together, such as building things, sharing, taking turns, and listening to others' ideas. Throughout the week, we captured some wonderful moments of the children working together and have begun co-constructing a 'Let's Work Together' poster to display in our classroom. The children were encouraged to look out for Geckos who were working as a team and learnig to identify what it means when we say 'working together'. 

At home, you can model working together with your family members to help complete jobs around the house or when playing a game!

** You can add photos of Team Work / Working Together to our Community Album here AM / PM and we can share your photos during our circle time :) **

Working Together - Small Group Activity

During a small group activity, the children were invited to use their creativity and imagination by independently building something with blocks. However, there was a twist—they only had 2 minutes to complete their creations!

Once the time was up, the children took turns sharing their masterpieces, while their peers were encouraged to listen attentively and ask questions.
In the next round, the children were asked to collaborate with a partner to create something together. It was wonderful to observe that while many of the children initially preferred to work on their own, with a bit of guidance and encouragement, some began to open up to the idea of teamwork. This willingness to collaborate with others was great to see!

**Some snapshots from the small group activity can be found here: AM / PM ** 

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Planning Learning Spaces 

Throughout the week, the children engage in activities that are set up for purposeful play. To provide agency in the classroom, we work together as a class to plan for some of these activities. During circle time and small group time, the children share ideas, listen to each other and think of how to incorporate the different suggestions into the activities. By collaborating in this way, we ensure everyone has a voice in deciding how we set up the learning spaces. 

This week, the children have enjoyed working together to build an sweet shop and ice-cream truck. They have worked together to paint the ice cream truck and make things to sell such as ice lollies and cupcakes.  

The afternoon class have been working together to plan a Pokemon and Princess land. The children have very kindly offered to bring in their own Pokemon and Princess toys in from home. They have been very kind in sharing their toys with others and being purposeful in what they bring to school. 

**Some snapshots from the small group activity can be found here: **

Planning: AM / PM

Making Things For The Role Play Area: AM / PM 

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For more photos, kindly note we continue to add to our unit of inquiry 'Who We Are' photo album:
AM / PM. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Warm regards,
Ammie, Vicky and Iris