DATE: 13.03.2026

The Star of the week:    1L - Thea

                                        1R - Naima

Congratulations!

The Welsh Speaker of the week/Siaradwr yr wythnos this week:  1L - Jacob

                                                                                                              1R - Theo

Llongyfachiadau! 

This week's news:

Dydd Gwener Hapus pawb!

It’s been a lovely week in Year 1, full of curiosity and great learning. The children have really enjoyed getting stuck into our new topic and have shown fantastic enthusiasm throughout.

🏰 Castles and Homes in Wales

We began our topic with some mysterious castle‑themed objects for the children to explore which inspired lots of brilliant guesses and questions. The children also looked closely at different parts of a castle to inspire their “I see, I think, I wonder” writing as they came up with their 'big questions' for this topic. Their ideas were thoughtful and imaginative, and it’s been a great way to spark interest in the weeks ahead.

🔢 Maths

In maths, we’ve been building our understanding of tens and ones, using Dienes and part–whole models to help us represent numbers and add larger amounts. The children have worked really hard and are becoming much more confident showing their answers and explaining how they know.

✏️ Language and Phonics

Our language sessions have been full of discussion as we explored our ‘big questions’ for the new topic. The children asked thoughtful questions about castles, homes, and how people lived in the past, and it has been lovely to see their natural curiosity. 

In phonics, we’ve been practising our split digraphs: e–e, i–e, and o–e, as well as revisiting some of our tricky words and cvc/cvcc words. The children have enjoyed applying these in reading and writing activities across our provision areas. We will be sending home a Year 1 word list that we are working towards by the end of the year, and practising these at home will make a big difference to the children’s reading and writing confidence.

🗣️ Welsh

In Welsh this week, we’ve been learning how to say “I live in a…”, ("dw i'n byw yn y..."), introducing both topic‑based vocabulary such as castell, palas, and tyred, as well as modern places to live like flattiau, tŷ, and carafan. The children have loved practising these new words and using them in simple sentences, pretending to be different characters who live in different places.

Best wishes, The Year 1 Team 🌟