K1 Announcement

This K1 Announcement page will be used to share curriculum updates, giving you an overview of what the children will be learning over the course of the year.  Your child's class teacher will let you know when to look out for these announcements through a message on Seesaw. 

K1 Curriculum Information

August - December 2025

UWCSEA Profile Focus:

Self - Manager - Developing independence in our morning jobs, daily routines and learning

Self-Aware - Being mindful of ourselves and all the things we can do

Principled - Emphasising the importance of showing fairness, respect and responsibility for things and people around us

Possible ways to help at home:

• Use the same terms at home to support the home-school partnership and help foster a growth mindset in the children.

• Encourage independence in daily routines and activities at home such as putting their own socks and shoes on, helping lay the table for dinner etc.

Making Connections

How do I connect with the people, places and things around me?

As the K1s join their new learning environment they will explore how to be connected to self, connected to others and connected to the environment in different ways throughout the term. The students will make a plan to focus, guide and support their learning and to develop a greater understanding of their own identity as a learner. The students will develop and reflect on their own goals linked to each of the following areas (eg unpacking my bag, sharing my ideas with others, exploring a new space, playing with a new friend, helping our classmates, being respectful and helping to tidy up, writing my name).

Connections to Self 

A sense of identity will help the children feel more positive about themselves and more open-minded to those different, new environments and new experiences. When exploring literature we will focus on Illustrations and notice the details of a story and the way the author uses illustrations to express feelings and identity. We will recognise and identify our individual feelings, interests and preferences.The children will be developing their fine and gross motor skills through a range of sensory experiences, such as nature visits, water exploration, swinging and climbing in the playground, and using materials and tools in different ways - e.g. playdough, clay, fabrics. 

Connection to Others 

Children will explore how their interactions with others make them feel and by understanding the feelings of others, this can support their growing relationships and positive identity of self. Oral language development will be a focus throughout as the children develop confidence to elaborate upon their ideas when sharing observations and thoughts. As children connect with their classmates and develop friendships in our community we will focus on fairness, kindness, respect.

Connections to Environment

This unit will encourage the children to use their senses to explore their new learning environments and routines, both indoors and out. We will be focusing on slowing down, to enhance our ability to notice and observe what we see, hear, touch and smell. They will be using a variety of materials,tools and techniques to connect with their environment and develop motor skills. 

Whilst slowing down, listening to and being responsive to the learners, the different connections will be interwoven and dependent on the needs and interests of the students.

Conceptual Understandings:

• Personal Social Education:

Understanding emotions allows individuals to better express their feelings in different situations

Qualities, preferences, and lived experiences make people unique. 

Learning and growing requires taking risks, trying new things and making mistakes 

• Outdoor Education

  Individuals can use their senses mindfully to experience and form connections to outdoor environments.

• English: 

         Active listening supports learning and sharing ideas, information, and feelings. 

Ideas, information and feelings can be shared through listening and speaking.

• Visual Arts: Materials, Tools and Techniques

Artistic experimentation with materials, tools and techniques enables artists to investigate media using their senses

• SSP: Peace:

Certain experiences can make people feel peaceful 

• Mathematics: Geometry: 

People can use specific terms to describe the position of objects in space 

Guiding Questions:

• What makes you, you?

• What do you like … what do you not like?

• How can you slow down and observe?

• How can you use tools and materials to share your ideas?

• How do you use materials responsibly?

• What are feelings?

• What can you do when you feel….?

• What does listening look like?

• How can you start communicating with others?

• How can we take care of our learning spaces?

Possible ways to help at home:

• When sharing stories at home, value the illustrations in a book and encourage your child to read from the illustrations to develop rich vocabulary. Children need to be able to verbalise a sentence before they can write it down.

• Acknowledge your child’s emotions, for example when they are feeling upset, angry or tired. Help your child to talk about and understand how they are feeling and discuss strategies to work through these feelings.

• Visit parks and green spaces and enjoy taking time observing your surroundings - what do you notice about plants / trees / wildlife? What can you see? What can you feel? What can you hear? What can you smell? What colours can you identify? What shapes can you spot? How is wildlife moving? What do you already know about them and what do you want to find out? 

Love of Literacy

August 2025 - June 2026

Throughout the year we will be fostering a love of all things literacy in K1.

Fostering a love of language - ‘Playing’ with language and developing the children’s phonological awareness (rhyme, words, syllables, sounds within words). Providing  intentional opportunities for the children to share their personal experiences through oral language. 

Fostering a love of reading - Developing a passion and a love of reading through exposure to ‘read aloud’ sessions with the whole class, in groups and individually. We hope your child has been enjoying their Class library books and Library Books from their first visits to the Primary Library.

Fostering a love of writing - Emergent mark-making and writing may take many forms; drawing, squiggles or mark making, a random string of letters or an attempt at recording the letter sounds they hear in words. All of these are legitimate forms of writing that should be valued.  Over time, we will also be modelling and encouraging children to try new things in their writing. The development of phonemic awareness and letter formation will follow; however, until they see themselves as writers, it is often difficult for children to take that first step and try something new. 

Phonemic Awareness

Meaningful and purposeful provocations will be set up to encourage the development of phonics (the direct relationship between sound and symbol). Throughout the term in K1, we will enjoy ‘playing’ with oral and written language, such as in rhyme (cat, sat, mat), alliteration (Sam sips soda) and hearing sounds in words (e.g. by clapping the syllables in their own and others’ names). Teachers will build upon children’s knowledge, skills and understanding of phonics based on their existing understanding and the ongoing inquiry in the classroom. 

Possible ways you can help at home:

• Please continue to value the importance of reading to your child at home. In order to support and encourage this, children will be able to select books from our class library as well as the school library to take home each week

• Please focus on reading for enjoyment and purpose e.g. identifying the rhyming words in a Julia Donaldson or Dr Seuss book

• Looking for specific ‘facts’ your child has inquired about in an information book

• Playing ‘I spy with my little eye’ focusing on initial sounds in words

How you can help at school:

We would like to invite parents to come and be a Mystery Reader throughout the year. You are also welcome to send in a video of you or a family member reading a story and then we can share it with the class at a suitable time.

Number Sense

August - December 2025

This term the K1 children will be involved in various explorations involving counting - both verbally and matching the count to objects.  Through daily routines such as self-registration, children will learn to use mathematical language when noticing if our five or ten frames are full or not full to determine how many friends are at school and to start to notice and understand the beginnings of the base ten system. We will also be exploring numeral identification and begin to develop an understanding that the last number counted states how many in all. These explorations will be encountered through play-based games, rhymes, stories, songs and inquiry projects. Teachers will work with students to ascertain their current understanding and move them on from this point. 

Conceptual Understandings:

• Number sense develops through the ability to recognise the value of numbers, their magnitude and relationships to each other

• Quantities can be compared concretely, pictorially and numerically.

Guiding Questions:

• What do you see? How do you see it?

• How does counting help people know how big numbers are?

• What is a number?

• Why do we need numbers? Why are numbers important?

• How do I show how many? How do I know how many?

• How do numbers help me to count?

• What are the different ways I can count?

• How can I record numbers? (eg taking a photo of a group of objects)

• How are objects alike?

• How are objects different?

• How can I put objects into size order?

Possible ways to help at home:

• Incorporate maths and number into everyday practical situations to make number problems meaningful for your child e.g. how many apples are left in the fruit bowl? How many red cars are in the car park? 

• Identify and recognise numerals in and around your home and local area

Chinese

The first unit of Chinese learning will focus on “Welcome to UWCSEA”. The K1s will learn their Chinese class routines and be able to comprehend and tell the basic instructions in Chinese. At the same time, they will begin to explore the Chinese language through rhymes, stories, songs, and arts and crafts. The children will experience and understand the culture and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Spanish

In this first year of Spanish, students will learn the language through songs, videos, games, role-plays, storybooks, and rhymes. This term, they will practise their listening and speaking skills by using greetings, giving personal information, and talking about their families. They will also learn about the needs of plants and the life cycle of living things in the garden. In addition, students will develop their communication skills by expressing their needs with simple words and understanding teacher instructions and questions. As part of their cultural learning, students will explore Christmas celebrations in Spanish-speaking countries.

Music

In Music class, students have the opportunity to explore music by experimenting with their different voice types (singing, speaking, whispering, shouting) and by engaging with instruments and bodily movements. They will also explore musical contrasts such as loud/soft (dynamics) and fast/slow (tempo) to enhance their listening and creative skills. This approach helps students become analytical and creative thinkers, transforming them into imaginative musicians who understand how music fits into their world. We are looking forward to sharing the joy of music with your child!

PE

Welcome to K1 PE! Our focus at the start of the year is locomotion and spatial awareness. Through stories and adventures the students discover how to move in a variety of ways, such as hopping, jumping, skipping, galloping and moving side-ways. They also learn how to travel safely in our learning environment through beginning to recognise general and self space.  They will also be introduced to skills involving large balls, where they will learn different techniques for passing the ball using their hands and practice bouncing and catching. 

Key Dates:

Upcoming Dates:

• Monday 1st September OR Tuesday 2nd September: Parent-Teacher - Settling In Conferences

• Monday 22nd September: Professional Learning Day (no school day for students)

• Friday 19th September: K1A and K1B Learning Share 12.45 - 1.30pm

• Friday 26th September: K1 Learning Share with PE - more details will follow

• Friday 10th October - Last Day of Half Term 

• Saturday 11th October to Sunday 26th October - School Holidays

• Monday 27th October - Return to school

• Thursday 13th November - Parent Teacher Conferences (no school day for students)

• Friday 5th December - UN Day

• Thursday 18th December - Last Day of Term 1

Welcome to K1!

We are delighted to welcome you to K1 and extend a particularly warm greeting to families who are new to the UWCSEA East community.

The early years of a child’s formal education are a significant and formative time. It is in these years that children will begin to form an idea of themselves as thinkers, as communicators and as social beings. They begin to express their ideas, emotions and opinions in many different ways, building the foundations for lifelong learning.

There are four classes in K1 and we are all looking forward to getting to know you and your children over the coming weeks and working closely with you throughout the year.

Your K1 Team is:

Back row: Ms Sarah, Ms Tarika, Ms Ros, Ms Masyitah, Ms Jeanie, Mrs Udaiyar, Mrs Rhodes, Ms Rebecca, Ms Robinson, Ms Ida

Front row: Ms Tiara, Ms Grace

First Week in K1

What a wonderful first week it has been in K1 welcoming all the children into their new classes. The children have enjoyed exploring their new learning environments and beginning to get to know their new friends. 

This past week we have spent a lot of time becoming familiar with classroom routines and developing a sense of curiosity and enthusiasm within the children. It has been great to see new friendships developing.

Meet the Teacher

Thank you so much to all the parents who joined us for the Meet the Teacher evening last week. It was a welcomed opportunity to share more detailed information specific to K1 and for you to meet some of the other parents from your child's class. In K1, we work very much as a team and we encourage you to play an active role in your child’s inquiries, curiosities and wonderings throughout the year. 

Please find a link below to the Head of Grade Meet the Teacher presentation with more detailed information about our K1 community and curriculum information in K1. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. 

Physical Education (PE) Days

Your class teacher will have informed you as to which two days your child’s class will have PE. Please make a note of this and send your child to school in their PE uniform on those days. The children will remain in their PE uniform for the duration of their PE days; no change of clothing is needed.

‘Brain Food,’ or Breakfast, Snacks and Lunches

‘Brain Food’ is a small healthy portion of ‘energy food’ to keep the children going until Snack Time, such as rice crackers, raw fruit/vegetables or cheese cubes. Some children may also choose to have their breakfast when they arrive at school if they have come in early on the bus. Please provide separately packaged snacks and lunches that your child is able to easily open and eat on their own.  

Please clearly label all containers etc. and remember that we are a NUT FREE school.

Water Bottles

Children require a named drink bottle which is leakproof. We ask that it is only filled with water. The children can refill this at school when needed.

School Shoes

Please ensure that your child is wearing closed toe shoes to school for safety reasons when playing in the playground. Shoes should fully enclose the feet and velcro straps are preferred so the children can be independent. The children will keep their shoes on for the whole school day.

Sun Hats/Sunscreen

Please send in your child's hat in their bag on Monday. We will return hats every Friday so that they can be washed.  Please feel free to decorate your child’s white sun hat with washable paints, markers or beads… and your child's name and class.  If your child does not have a hat, they will only be allowed to play in shaded outdoor areas. 

Sunscreen should be applied before your child comes to school in the morning. 

Communication

Information will be sent to you from the class teacher or the school via email, so please check your inbox regularly. Please use the following email addresses to contact us:

Rachel Rhodes: rrh@uwcsea.edu.sg  

Tarika Anandsongkit: taa@uwcsea.edu.sg 

Naomi Udaiyar: nau@uwcsea.edu.sg  

Belinda Robinson: bro@uwcsea.edu.sg 

Rebecca Clapp: rcl@uwcsea.edu.sg  

Please be reminded that if there are any last minute changes to your child’s travel arrangements at hometime, please call Cheryll at the Infant School Office before 1.30pm (tel. No: 6305 5344 Ext: 2101). Thank you for your understanding.

Dates to Remember

• Monday 1st September and Tuesday 2nd September: Parent-Teacher ‘Settling In Conferences’ - Look out for email detailing how you can sign up for your Settling in Conference appointment.

• Monday 22nd September: Professional Learning Day (no school day for students)

• Friday 19th / Friday 24th September: K1 Learning Share with PE - more details will follow

• Friday 10th October - Last Day of Half Term 

• Saturday 11th October to Sunday 26th October - School Holidays

• Monday 27th October - Return to school

• Thursday 13th November - Parent Teacher Conferences (no school day for students)

• Friday 5th December - UN Day

• Thursday 18th December - Last Day of Term 1

The K1 Team