Year 1 Finches and Sparrows

Hello, Year 1,

Welcome to our last week of Spring 2026! Time flies when you are having fun. :) Thank you for all the homework and reading done by parents this term. Just one more term to go and then our children are off to Year 2!

The Year 1 Team wish you a happy Easter and may you and your family spend quality time together. Have fun and make memories.

Collection of children after school:

Parents, please collect your children at the back doors of the Year 1 classrooms. You are welcome to wait underneath the trees until we release the children to you. For health and safety reasons, we ask that you not use the ramp to enter the classes when we release the children. If you would like to have a conversation with the teachers, please wait until all children are released before coming up the ramp.

Remember to read every day, because reading makes you smarter. Please ask your adults to write in your Reading Record after you read.

We have decided to share the following information with you to ensure everybody knows what is expected.

PE-NEWS

Our children enjoy PE and it would be fantastic if all PE bags and PE clothes are labelled so that we can identify items that may get lost or put accidentally into the wrong bag. Please could you also make sure that hair is tied up and earrings are removed on PE days? Your child will be having PE on the following days:

Swallows - Mondays and Fridays

Finches - Tuesdays and Fridays

Show and Tell

Children can bring ONE item to school on a Friday to discuss with the class.

Friday 27.02.26 - Ruby

Friday 6.03.26 - Amber

Friday 13.03.26 - Emerald

Friday 20.03.26 - Sapphire

Please send the Show and Tell item in a carry bag.

Contact with teachers

Please send any communications to teachers through the admin@greatberry.essex.sch.uk email address. Please allow teachers time to respond to your emails. Parents are also advised to communicate absences, doctor's appointments, and other matters that need immediate attention to the office email address.

Snack time in school

We have a small snack every morning after we go out for playtime at 10:15 a.m. The school provides a piece of fruit, but children do not always like the fruit on offer. Parents are welcome to send a piece of fruit to school for snack time. Please note that crisps, chocolates, biscuits, or any other sugary foods are not allowed, as we strive to teach children to enjoy a healthy snack. Raisins and dried fruit will be acceptable. Could you please limit the size of the snack, as we only have 10 minutes available for snack time?

Homework

Children have a Homework Book as well as a folder for Maths sheets. Homework will be available every Thursday. We will post a Weekly Overview document so that parents will know what we will be learning in a specific week, as well as the homework. Parents will be able to see this document online on the Great Berry Primary School website when clicking on the Year 1 Class Page option. English homework will normally be done in the Homework Book, and Maths homework will be a sheet that we will put into the Maths folder. Please return the Homework Book and Maths folder on a Tuesday so that it can be marked before the new homework activities are scheduled.

Reading

Children are encouraged to read daily to their parents/carers, and reading books will be changed once a week. Please write the date children read to parents/carers in the reading diary and a short note about their reading.

Barnaby Bear

Our class teddy bear, Barnaby, will be going home with one of our children on a Friday. We know he will have an exciting time with the children this year. If your child receives Barnaby for the weekend, please send it back on Monday so it can be ready on a Friday to go to a different child. There is a book in the Barnaby Bear bag, and it would be great if children could write/draw pictures of the things he has been doing.

We look forward to a wonderful half-term with all our Year 1 parents/carers and children!

The Year One Team