Alder 2026 - 2027

Welcome to Alder Class! 💚

🍂 Autumn Term 1
A very warm welcome to Alder Class! We’re so excited to start a new school year together and look forward
to lots of fun, learning, exploring and developing new skills.
👂 Our Topic: Things I Can Hear
This half-term, our topic is Things I Can Hear, and we’ll be exploring sounds across the curriculum through
lots of exciting and practical activities.
📏 Number & Measure – Length
Counting, comparing and measuring length using a range of objects and practical activities.
🌍 Geography
Exploring musical instruments from different countries and finding out where they come from around the
world.
🔬 Light & Sound
Investigating how light and sound are made, exploring how we hear different noises and discovering how
light helps us to see.
📚 Reading
Enjoying the fantastic story Peace at Last by Jill Murphy, alongside the non-fiction book I Hear Thunder. We’ll
also be exploring poetry.
💻 Computing
Learning about the different components of a computer and how we can use them in everyday life.
🪔 RE
Learning about Hinduism, including Hindu traditions and worship in the home, through stories, sensory
exploration and practical activities.
🤝 PSHE
Exploring how we treat others, including showing kindness, respect and consideration.
🏀 PE
Developing our physical skills and having fun playing basketball.
🌾 Special Event
We’re particularly excited about celebrating Harvest together as a school.

Growing in Independence
This year, one of our key focuses will be helping everyone to become more independent, both in and out
of school.

We’ll also be developing:
🧩 Problem-solving skills
👀 Attention and Awareness (AA)
🔤 Phonics
✋ Sensory learning
Confidence and independence
And, of course, we’ll make sure there is plenty of fun, laughter and enjoyment along the way! 💚

📌 A Few Important Reminders

🏷️ IMPORTANT: Please Label Everything!Please label all of your child’s belongings, including clothing, shoes, coats, waterproofs, wellies, PE kits,
swimming items, lunch boxes, snack containers and water bottles.
Even your child’s initials on the label are fine. We spend a lot of time trying to find missing items and work
out who they belong to, so clear labelling makes it much easier for us to return things quickly.

🏀 PE Kit
PE is every Monday morning.
Please make sure your child has a full PE kit in school, consisting of:
T-shirt
Shorts
Pumps or trainers
Please ensure that every item is clearly named.
We will also be going swimming at some point during the school year. The Alder Class team will provide
further information, including dates and details of what your child will need, once arrangements have been
confirmed.  Please make sure all swimming items are clearly labelled.

Be Ready for the Weather!
Please send in waterproofs and wellies if they are not already in school, so that we are prepared for
whatever the weather brings.
A spare set of clothes, including underwear and socks, is also really useful to have in school.
Please ensure that all waterproofs, wellies and spare clothes are clearly labelled.

🍎 Lunch, Snacks & Drinks

Please make sure you have ordered a school lunch, where appropriate.
Please also send your child in with a variety of snacks. You can send in enough snacks for the whole week
at the beginning of the week or send them in daily. Please put the snacks in a named lunch bag or lunch
box.
Please label all snack containers and lunch boxes clearly.
Your child should also bring a suitable, named water bottle to use throughout the day.
If your child does not drink water, please send in a bottle of cordial for them to drink during the day. Please
ensure this is clearly labelled.

💬 Keeping Us Informed

If there are any changes, concerns or useful information that could help us to support and care for your
child, please let us know by email or phone.

Good communication between home and school is really important to us, and we are always happy to listen
and help wherever we can.

💚 We’re Looking Forward to a Fantastic Term!

All the staff in Alder Class are always happy to answer any questions or queries you may have. We look
forward to working closely with you and supporting your child throughout the year.

Thank you for your continued support!

🌳 Jo and the Alder Class Team 🌳