Autumn 2 2026

Welcome back to Chestnut Class! I hope you all had a lovely half term break; we are very excited to continue our learning journey together this half term. 

Our topic this half term is 'People and Our Community'. Through a range of engaging activities, the children will explore how people contribute to our community and the different ways that people celebrate special events and festivals. We will be encouraging the children to think about the similarities and differences between themselves and others, whilst developing respect for different beliefs, traditions and ways of life. 

As part of this topic, we will be learning about Bonfire Night and Diwali, exploring how and why these celebrations are important to many people. We will also be investigating the roles people have within our community, considering questions such as:

• What jobs do people do? 
• Where do they work? 
• How do different people help us in our everyday lives?
• Which jobs take place during the day and which happen at night? 

This term we have focused on exploring the season Autumn, and will continue to so by exploring the winter weather and learning about winter celebrations. The children will learn that winter follows autumn and will observe some of the changes that occur in the natural world. We will also learn about celebrations that take place during the winter months, including Christmas and Hanukkah. Drawing on the importance that people celebrate in different ways and follow different religions and traditions. 

To support our learning, we will be sharing and discussing a range of high-quality texts including - 

People and Our Community

• What Do Grown-Ups Do All Day?
• The Invisible
• What We'll Build

Celebrations and Festivals

• The Best Diwali Ever
• Hanukkah Celebrations Around the World
• The Christmas Story
• All Through the Night

Winter

• I Love the Season: Winter

Alongside our topic work, the children will continue to take part in daily Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Phonics sessions and NCETM Mastering Number lessons. Through practical activities, stories, games and discussions, children will continue to develop their early reading, writing and mathematical skills. In mathematics, we will build upon our understanding of number and pattern, developing confidence in recognising, representing and comparing numbers through engaging, hands-on learning experiences.

As always, we look forward to sharing the children's learning and celebrating their achievements throughout the term. We are excited to see their confidence, independence and curiosity continue to grow as they explore the world around them.

Reminders:

PE will be on a Monday, so please wear your PE uniform to school on these days.

Please do not send children to school with large bags, we do not have the space to store them. Packed lunches will be stored in a box or a trolley when the children enter school, so a book bag is more than sufficient. If your child is prone to accidents, please can you supply a spare change of clothes in a labelled carrier bag or in their book bag.

Please ensure no items are brought from home to school unless they are essential to learning or transitional/support devices previously agreed with school.

Communication:

Please contact the school office either by telephone 01252 871188 or email enquiries@newlands.hants.sch.uk

For direct contact with the teacher, please use the above methods to request a meeting or telephone call. Teachers are available for brief handover in Reception at drop off and for all children at the end of the day.

Please allow 48 hours for a response.

We look forward to a fun-filled year of learning together!

Miss Ross and Mrs Ridley.