St John the Baptist Primary School
Autumn 1: Everyone Different, Everyone Loved.
We have had a lovely start to the school year in our new classroom. The children have settled in well and adapted to their new surroundings. This half-term we have enjoyed lots of Theraplay games and focused on sharing and turn-taking. We’ve enjoyed reading many stories and learning through play. Autumn time is always lovely in Nursery because the children love exploring with natural resources and experimenting with autumnal colours. We have also had weekly cooking sessions and made some tasty treats like, pumpkin soup, sandwiches, crispy cakes and decorated biscuits.
During our worship sessions we have focused on Thankfulness and thought about the many things we are thankful for in our own lives.
Autumn 2: Starry Night
Another half-term has flown by and the children have been learning many new and exciting things. This half-term we have started learning phonics and Story Dough. We have enjoyed Squiggle Time every week and the children are working hard on their early writing and pencil grip. Our focus in worship has been Trust and learning about the importance of truthfulness. We ended the half-term with a wonderful trip to Cherry Hill Garden Centre and a Christmas performance for the parents/carers. The children worked exceptionally hard to learn the words to the songs and many parents praised their wonderful performance!
Spring 1 2025: Footprints in the Snow
The children have loved learning all about winter and animals that live in the coldest of climates. We have investigated with ice and created some beautiful wintery artwork. In maths we have focused on problem-solving and recognising numbers 1-5. The children also learned about Chinese New Year and tasted spring rolls, noodles and prawn crackers.
We ended the half-term with wonderful visits from our school therapy dogs, Penny and Nova. Mrs. Conroy has the dogs trained very well and the children were in awe of the tricks they performed!
Spring 2: The Vegetable Patch
This half-term we have enjoyed the return of the sunny weather and we have loved exploring all things that grow in outside. The children have been learning how to grow plants and where fruit and vegetables come from. We have made fruit salads and printed with vegetables. We enjoyed completing our Spring Promise by listening to a story being read by the amazing author Adam Bushnell. We have celebrated Autism Awareness Day and World Down Syndrome Day.
The children continue to work on their fine motor skills and some of the children are getting ready for Reception by beginning to write their names. We hope that the Summer term brings as much fun as we have had this half-term!
Summer 1: All Creatures Great and Small
Although it’s been a short half-term, we’ve packed in a bug load of learning with one of the children’s favourite topics — Minibeasts! From buzzing bees to crawling caterpillars, we’ve explored the fascinating world of insects and mastered the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle. We’ve also discovered the buzz about bees and how their busy work helps flowers flourish through pollination.
A highlight of the term was a wild and wonderful visit from Crazy Creatures, where the children came face to face with an astonishing array of animals — a truly unforgettable experience!
We’re buzzing with excitement for the second half-term and can’t wait to continue our learning adventures, come sunshine or showers!
Summer Term 2: Adventures at Sea!
This final term, we’ve been blessed with glorious weather and have thoroughly enjoyed our exciting topic, Adventures at Sea. The children have loved learning about the wonderful creatures that live in the ocean and discovering what we might find at the seaside.
A highlight of the term was our fantastic trip, where every single child was a credit to our school, showing impeccable behaviour throughout the day. We’ve also enjoyed reading a range of wonderful stories about pirates and mermaids, and the children had great fun building outdoor pirate ships using our construction equipment.
Those children leaving Nursery have continued to work so hard on their mark making and phonics in preparation for Class 1. On that note, the Nursery team would like to wish every child lots of success in their new class. We hope they continue to grow in confidence and keep shining brightly, just like the stars they are.
Everyone Different, Everyone Loved