Friday Headlines
the weekly newsletter from EHS
Nursery to Year Six Highlights
16 May 2025
Shape Hunts
In Nursery, we have continued our exploration of shapes by spotting circles all around us. We also introduced triangles as our shape of the week and went on a triangle hunt around Westbourne – the girls were brilliant at finding them in all sorts of places! Our creative activities included using paintbrushes to sweep paper circles into a large triangle shape, which was great for developing fine motor skills. We also used triangle shaped sponges to print triangle shapes on a triangle outline, helping us really focus on the shape’s properties. Outdoors, we spotted circular patterns on the bricks as we built castles and noticed that the sieve in the water tray had a circular shape too – such careful observation from our curious learners! In phonics, we had lots of fun playing Silly Soup, where we found and sorted objects that shared the same rhyming string – a fun way to build early phonological awareness through play.
Sustainable Thinking
Inspired by the story Michael Recycle, our Kindergarten girls turned everyday junk into imaginative masterpieces! They used cardboard boxes, bottle caps, fruit punnets and more. The young builders created astronauts, binoculars, impressive buildings and even a miniature Eiffel Tower! This fun project not only sparked creativity and teamwork but also taught the importance of recycling and sustainable thinking. It was amazing to see how big dreams can come from simple recycled materials! As a bonus, the ‘junk modelling’ activity linked to our letter sound of the week, ‘j’ for junk.
Cafe Culture in Reception!
Reception pupils enjoyed a fantastic learning experience last week during a special trip, out of school, to the Boston Tea Party Cafe. As part of their Mathematics topic on money, the girls had the opportunity to identify and use coins in a real-life setting. With great excitement and, on a beautifully sunny day, they set off on the short walk to the cafe. On arrival, girls worked out which coins they needed and confidently ordered and paid for their own babyccinos and ice cream. The cafe staff were wonderfully supportive, helping the girls take their time when counting out their money. This trip was a great way to connect classroom learning to the wider world. We were so proud of how confidently and sensibly the children represented our school. Well done, Reception!
Terrific Toy Day
Year One are learning all about toys this term and are exploring the topic through a cross-curricular approach, incorporating subjects such as History and Science. The highlight of the term so far was a special Toy Day, where the girls had a fantastic time engaging in a variety of activities. They used their Mathematics skills to measure the lengths of their toys, showcasing their growing confidence with numbers. In English, they wrote descriptive sentences about their toys, demonstrating impressive writing skills. The day also included creative Art sessions, where the girls sketched and painted their toys with great care and enthusiasm. It was a fun and enriching day for everyone!
Clay Sculptures
Over the past few weeks in Art, Year Two have been working with clay to create stunning fish sculptures. They began by moulding the clay, then carefully drew and cut out fish shapes. To add detail, they decorated their creations with a variety of patterns and textures. Using the 'slip' method, they skillfully attached an eye to each fish. Once the clay had dried, the girls brought their designs to life with metallic paints, highlighting the intricate patterns they had created. The girls did an amazing job and should be proud of their creations.
Fair Testing
This term, Year Three have been diving into the world of Materials and Their Properties in Science. Pupils have been busy investigating the characteristics of a variety of everyday materials through hands-on experiments and thoughtful discussions. To wrap up the topic, the children took on a fun and practical challenge: Which paper is best for soaking up a coffee spill? Their mission was to help their teacher clean up a (pretend!) coffee disaster by testing six different types of paper to find the most absorbent. Using their knowledge of fair testing, the young scientists carefully planned and carried out the investigation, making sure everything was measured and recorded accurately. They were able to identify which paper absorbed the most liquid — and which didn’t do the job at all! Well done to Year Three for showing fantastic curiosity, teamwork, and scientific thinking!
French Culture
Whilst a large number of our Year Six pupils have been in Northern France immersing themselves in French culture. A select group of Year Six pupils who
remained in school this week have been enjoying what has included a set of French themed activities, including researching and presenting facts about the landmarks of Paris.
They have also studied some of the works of artist Henri Matisse and painted their own interpretation of his artwork which is entitled "The Open Window, Collioure" (a Fauvist
painting created in 1905).
Prep Highlights
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