Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back to a new term in Reception class! We hope you have had a restful festive break and are looking forward to a busy and exciting term at school. This half-term the children will be learning about ‘The World Around Us’. We will be reading stories such as, Owl Babies and Goldilocks and the Three Bears and we will be using the children’s ideas to inform our planning. We will also have a special focus on learning about different animals and their habitats. If you feel you would be able to support the children with their learning in any way then please let us know.

Update

As you will be aware, there will be an addition to our Reception class team. We are really excited to be welcoming Ms Georgina Machray as the class teacher on Thursdays. I will be in school still but in the office in my Assistant Headteacher role. We will work very closely as a team to ensure a smooth transition for the children. Ms Machray has lots of experience with teaching all age groups, including the reception age group, and we know that the children will enjoy their Thursdays with her. There will be a slight change to the routine with PE now being on Wednesdays. Outdoor learning will be an important part of our new project and the children will continue to have a weekly outdoor learning session. However, there will not be a set day as such as it will follow in line with our learning. Please continue to ensure that warm waterproof clothing and wellie boots are in school each day. It will also be important for children to bring in a named warm woolly hat each day please, as we will be out in all types of weather.

Phonics and Reading Books

The children are making good progress and have learned lots of new sounds. They are gaining in confidence and are starting to blend the sounds together to make words. They are also beginning to listen to the sounds that they can hear in words and use them to spell simple words. We regularly check the children’s phonic progress to monitor this and thank you for your support at home. In this term, as the children progress with their phonic learning they will begin to bring home simple words or school reading scheme books with a yellow reading record book. There are tips about reading at home inside the cover of the reading record. Please ensure that these books remain in the plastic wallet provided and are in your child’s book bag each day, as we will regularly read with the children in school and it also makes sure that our reading scheme books do not get damaged. When your child is ready for a reading book, we ask that they read it at least three times a week and please can you record each time you have read the school scheme book in the yellow record book? There is no need to record the school library books or any other books in this book, thank you. Our library session will continue to be on Fridays and our class reading teddy bear will also be chosen at random each Friday, to see who will be taking Ted home for the weekend!

Maths

The children have continued to make good progress with learning numbers 1-5, early addition and are particularly good at subitising (recognising the numbers of objects straight away without counting). This half-term we will be working on:

· Number and place value- numbers to 10. Counting, subitising and comparing numbers within 10.

· Number-addition and subtraction to 10.

· Measure-length, distance and height.

We will also continue our additional ‘Maths Mastery’ learning each week and practise our new skills!

You could practise these skills at home through games using number cards, comparing heights, puzzles, board games and singing songs such as nursery rhymes.

Additional Information

Please note that the children will now be having their phonic teaching at 9:00 am, at the same time as the rest of school. Therefore, it is really important that the children arrive at school between 8:45 am and 8:55 am, so that they can hang up their coat, have the register at 9:00 am and then be ready for their phonic lesson. This helps them to feel settled and ready for the day.

 

Reminders

• Book bags must be brought to school each day. Please check your child’s book bag as this is where we will put any letters or important information.
• Library books will be changed every Friday.
• Please name all clothing and personal possessions.
• Please let somebody know if someone different is picking up your child at the end of the school day.
• Please ensure that your child has a named pair of wellies and wet weather clothes in school each day.

If you have any queries, concerns or anything you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

 

Rachael Moore