JUNIOR INFANTS
Helping your child to become an independent learner.
Teach them how to put on and take off their coat.
Please label all belongings especially jumpers.
Go through the sequence of going to the toilet and washing hands.
(NB closing the door and flushing the toilet).
Model and teach your child how to tidy up after play time and meal times.
Check your child’s lunchbox to see if they are eating their lunch. Ask your child weekly if they like their lunch options. If not please change their menu on the Ashdale Catering website. It might be a good idea to pack a few extra snacks.
Emphasise the importance of coughing/sneezing into their elbow and to use a tissue when their nose is running. Please encourage your child to put the used tissues in the bin. A small packet of tissues in their bag is a good idea.
Help develop your child’s fine motor skills through activities such as beading and playdough.
Allow your child to use a child friendly scissors under adult supervision.
Allow your child to practise writing their name every day. A mini whiteboard is a great investment. Please remember that only the first letter of the child’s name should be a capital letter, the rest should be lower case. For example Mary not MARY. Please use a pencil for homework. Do not do extra pages in the books for homework. We can provide extra worksheets upon request.
To help your child with pencil grip get them to lay the pencil down on the table with the pointy bit facing towards their tummy then pinch the pencil and flick it back.
Remind your child of the rules of colouring.
There are opportunities everywhere to develop mathematical skills such as counting, matching, comparing and sorting.
Download the Jolly Phonics app on your phone or tablet.
This has all of the sounds, letter formations and more!
If you don’t want to buy the app you can just google Jolly Phonics songs and it comes up. Bua na Cainte also have an app for Irish.
Junior Infants finish at 1.40. Please collect them at this time. Children start to feel anxious if they are not collected on time. To a child 5 minutes feels like an hour.☺
At morning time encourage your child to walk into their classroom on their own. This encourages independence. Drop and go is the best policy. ☺
Check out our school website for information and regular photo uploads ☺
Cuddle and Read
Cuddle & Read is a Literacy Initiative which will run in November 2021 to encourage “A love of book” among Junior Infant children in our school.
How will it operate?
Every Monday (1st – 26th November), the class teacher, a support teacher and Annett from HSCL will read a book to a small group of children. Each child will then choose a book of their choice to take home. This book can be brought home and used as Cuddle & Read material and returned to the school the following Friday. On the final Friday every child will receive a new book that they can keep at home to continue Cuddling & Reading.
What do I, as a parent, need to do?
Cuddle & Read is simply you spending some quality time reading a book to your child. Cuddle & Read can take place at a time of the evening that suits your family’s needs best. Before bedtime is a perfect example…why not include the whole family! It’s a lovely opportunity to spend some quality time together in a relaxed atmosphere. Children LOVE being read to!!! We would love to see some photos of you Cuddling & Reading at home. These can be emailed to the class email address: infantschoolroom10@gmail.com
Junior Infant Homework
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xYnu6G-QxzaJZgdt3iaIkVKxcQhc3FS9/view?usp=sharing
Written work will be from different copies and workbooks every week.
The word bag is more important that the reading sheet. The reading sheet can be easily learnt off. Play word games, such as snap or go fish or find the word. Write out the sentences from the reading sheet cut them up and put them in order.
Homework will be collected every Friday morning so please make sure the homework is in the bag on Thursday night.