Literacy- We have been enjoying read a range of stories in different areas of the classroom. This week our whole class book was ‘Leaf Man’. The children have enjoyed spotting and creating leaf creatures.

Maths- The children have been practising counting in 2s using pairs of socks on a washing line and counting objects. We have also been learning about doubles, up to double 5.

Phonics- This week we have been learning the phonemes for the graphemes short ‘oo’ (book, look), long ‘oo’ (boot, moon), ar (car, barn), or (born, for). We have also been learning to spell the tricky words no, go.

PE- The children have been practising their balances for 5 seconds on the apparatus. We have been practising our narrow shape, star shape, pike shape, straddle shape and tucked shape.

RE- Reception class have been learning about the Creation story. We shared the story together and the children attempted to make jellyfish out of jelly, craft materials, construction materials etc. We discussed why we were unable to make our jellyfish come to life. We talked about Christians believing God being the ‘Creator’ and ‘giver of life’.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you for bringing in or emailing photographs of you spotting changes last week. We have been discussing with our friends the changes we have observed over the last few weeks. The children then explored some different squashes. We cut them in half as the children wanted to know whether the squashes were the same inside. They used tweezers and magnifying glasses to have a closer inspection.

Literacy- We have really enjoyed reading our first Percy the Park Keeper story this week. The children have been inspired and are enjoying getting to know Percy and his role as a park keeper.
Thank you for sending in your post after the half term holiday. We have been spotting logos and reading phases. The children enjoyed sharing this with their friends.

Maths- We have been learning about the number 8 this week. We have been developing our 1:1 correspondence by counting different objects to 8. The children have also been showing the different number bonds to 8 using a range of apparatus such as numicon, ten frames, unifix cubes, counting objects.

Gymnastics- The children were practising their ‘tuck shape’, ‘straight shape’, ‘pike shape’ and ‘star shape’ in gymnastics today. We encouraged the children to practise holding their balance for 5 seconds as they decided that 5 seconds is what makes a good balance! We discussed straight arms and legs and pointed toes and fingers. There was so much to think about!

IT and Computing- The children were developing their ‘completing a simple program’ computing skill in this week’s session, engaging in an underwater counting game.

The children have been learning about Remembrance Sunday (Armistice Day) this week and have been discussing why people where poppies to remember those soldiers who have served or who are serving in the armed forces. The children then decided to make some poppies using a range of materials.

Have a brilliant weekend Reception!

Literacy- This week there was a crime scene in the three bears cottage role play area. We found footprints in the porridge oats on the floor and a strand of hair (yellow wool) with a red bow. The children carried out an investigation, using magnifying glasses to make careful observations. They generated some fantastic questions to try and solve the crime!

Phonics- We have been learning the phonemes for the graphemes sh, th, ch and ng. We have also been revising the tricky words he, she, no, go, to, the, I, into.

Maths- The children have been learning to subitise numbers to 6. This means recognising quantities to 6 without counting them. E.g. dots on a dice. We have also been representing number bonds to 7 using a range of maths apparatus. Mrs Barnett has been working with children focussing on comparing quantities of objects.

PSED- In HeartSmart this week the children have been continuing to talk about Boris the Robot. The children went on a ‘heart hunt’ and we discussed how our hearts are special and need to be looked after.

Communication and Language- We have been learning our final ‘word aware’ word for this half term, ‘chimney’. We discussed the purpose of a chimney and how chimneys differ. The children have also been developing their understanding of ‘where’ questions and in particular positional vocabulary e.g. on, under, below, in, between etc.

Gymnastics- We continued to practise different ways of travelling along the benches and different balances on the table tops. Some of the children modelled their movements and balances to the rest of the class.

RE- We read a story from the Qur’an about ‘The Sad Stump’. Ask your child to retell the story.

Thank you for all of your donations for the foodbank. We hope you enjoyed our Harvest Concert too.

Finally, we want to say how proud we are of all of the children for settling so well into school this first half term. We cannot believe the first half term is already complete! The next half term is a very busy yet exciting one so please ensure you have a restful and well-deserved week.

Thank you for your continued support, we appreciate all that you do to help with your child’s learning.

Have a fantastic week. See you on Tuesday 5th November (teacher training day on Monday!)

Phonics- This week we have been learning the phonemes for the graphemes y, z, qu, reading the tricky words he, she and spelling the tricky words the & to.

Literacy- Goldilocks visited us at Tardebigge and made porridge with the children which was very exciting! Many of the children enjoyed asking Goldilocks lots of questions about what happened in the story with the three bears. E.g. ‘Why didn’t you like Daddy bear’s porridge?’ ‘Why did you go into the bears cottage?’ The children wrote a list of ingredients needed to make porridge.

Maths- We have been developing our number knowledge, finding one more and one less than numbers up to 6 and proving this using equipment such as Numicon, ten frames, part, part, whole diagrams and counting objects.

RE- The children were introduced to the Holy book for Muslims, the Qur’an. We found out that it is kept in the highest place in the school and before we touch it, we wash our hands. We discussed that many Muslims will do this to show respect towards the sacred book. The children then practised writing in Arabic, the language in which the Qur’an is written. Next week we will be sharing a story from the Qur’an with the children.

PE- In Gymnastics this week, we have been developing our balances on the table tops and moving in different ways along the benches.

IT and Computing- First, we carried out some data handling, finding out which pets/weather/fruit children like best and then the children entered their data on a pictogram using a program called J2E on the laptops.

Thank you to everyone who attended the parent consultations this week. We hope you found this informative and helpful. Have a fantastic weekend Reception!

Phonics- The children have been learning the phonemes for the following graphemes; j, v, w and x. We have also been practising reading the tricky words; to, no, go, the and I.

Literacy- The children have enjoyed receiving a letter from the three little pigs explaining that they are lost! Each child drew a map of outdoor area and went on a hunt for the missing pigs. They then labelled their maps when they found a pig. Next week we will be reading the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Maths- We have been continuing developing our number knowledge with numbers 0-5. This week the children have been learning their number bonds to 5 and representing this using a range of equipment such as the ten frames, part, part, whole diagram and counting objects. At the end of the week we introduced number 6 and practised counting numbers on a dice. The children need to be able to recognise the number of dots on a dice without counting (subitising).

Science- The children were set the challenge to build a stick, straw and brick house and then carried out an investigation to find out whether their air (blowing on their house) would blow down their structure or whether the hairdryer (the wolf) could blow their structure down. The children then recorded their results on a table. The children were making excellent observations such as ‘my air is not strong enough.’ ‘the bricks are too strong’ etc.

PE- We were so fortunate to engage in a Netball session with England player, Jade Clarke. She delivered a fantastic session in which the children were fully engaged and inspired by the sport. We even got to hold her bronze and gold medals!

RE-This week we acted out the story ‘the wise and foolish builders’ and sang a song about the story. We talked about what story means to Christians.

IT and Computing- The children practised using the trackpads on the laptop to program the ‘sprite’ to move around the screen. We talked about these instructions being called an ‘algorithm’.

Finally, a reminder that the children should not have any sweets or chocolates in their lunchbox. Thank you!

Have a super weekend, see you on Monday!

Phonics- In phonics this week we have been learning the phonemes for the graphemes h, f, b and l. We have also been learning to read the following tricky words; go, no, I, to and the. Please practise the actions for the phonemes and reading the tricky word trucks at home. Your child should have come home with a ‘home reading’ book this week. Next week we will be checking reading diaries each day and handing out a guided reading book as well.

Literacy- The children have loved reading ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and have been building a stick, brick and straw house in the outdoor area using our den building materials. They have then been acting out the story with their peers using the repeated refrains. E.g. ‘Little pig, little pig, let me in!’ ‘Not by the hairs on my chinny, chin, chin, I will not let you in!’ We have also been reading CVC words from the story e.g. huff, puff, pot, pig. Next week we will have a go at writing these CVC words. Our ‘action words’ this week are; Mum, Dad, my.

Maths- We have been representing numbers in a range of different ways e.g. 5 conkers, 5 bears, 5 children, 5 counters on a ten frame. We have then been splitting numbers. E.g. 5 ducks in a pond can be split into 3 in the net and 2 in the net. 3 and 2 makes 5. 3 add 2 equals 5. The ducks could also be split into 4 ducks and 1 ducks. 4 and 1 makes 5. 4 add 1 equals 5. As a class we then represented this using counters on a part, part, whole diagram. The children have been practising saying the sentence stem ‘a part and a part, together makes a whole’. We have also began representing and learning our number bonds to 5. E.g. 1 and 4 makes 5, 5 and 0 makes 5 and 3 and 2 makes 5.

PE- For the first time, the children explored the apparatus. We had the table tops, benches, balancing beams, mats and wall bars to balance and climb on, over and under. The children have also been learning our safety rules when using such apparatus.

Next week for our PE session, the children will be having a go at Netball taught by an England Netball player! How exciting, watch this space!

Have a brilliant weekend Reception and see you on Monday!

Cooking- The children really enjoyed baking gingerbread men this week and decorating them too! We used our senses to explore the gingerbread dough before and after cooking it and discussed the change that occurred.

Literacy- We have been retelling the story ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and ordering the story pictures which were all mixed up! The children have enjoyed saying the repeated refrain ‘run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!’

Maths- The children have been learning about numbers 1-5 and that they can be represented in different ways. We have been developing our skill of ‘subitising’ numbers. For example, knowing how many are in a group (1-5) without counting them.

Phonics-This week we have been learning the phonemes for the following graphemes e, u and r. We have also been learning to read the tricky word ‘the’.

Science- We were set the challenge to build a bridge across the water tray so that the gingerbread man could cross safely. Many of the children decided plastic stickle bricks were the most appropriate material. The bridges were very impressive although the gingerbread man did fall off and got a bit soggy!

RE- We introduced the Holy book for Christians, the Bible. We looked at a few Bibles and compared them, some had pictures, some had small writing, some were colourful and some were not. We then acted out a story from the Bible in which Jesus calms a big storm. This was a great success with the children who loved using music and props to support their story telling.

Thank you to all of those parents/carers who were able to attend our Curriculum evening on Tuesday. If you were unable to attend and would like to know more about the learning packs then please let me know.

Reading books will begin going home with the children next week. 6 children will read each day so do not worry if your child does not receive a book until Friday. Feel free to read books from home and write this in your child’s reading diary.

We will be checking reading diaries and awarding team points to those who have read from the following week.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Missing school coat- Do you have a school coat at home that does not belong to you? Please check the name. Thank you!

Literacy- We have been reading the story ‘The Gingerbread Man’. The children made story predictions about what the gingerbread man may have done when he came to the river with all of people and animals chasing him. We have been learning the repeated refrain ‘Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man’.

Maths- We have been continuing developing our subitising skills as well as 1:1 correspondence when counting to ensure we count accurately. The children have also been ordering numerals 1-5 on a washing line and spotting missing numbers.

Forest School- Mr Bennett has said the children had a lovely session down in the Forest School area and that many of the children enjoyed exploring the rope swing this week.

Phonics- This week we have been learning the phonemes for the graphemes g, o, c, k. Pleas practise these phonemes and actions over the next week.

PE- The children practised rocking and rolling on the mats this week in gymnastics. We were very impressed with the children’s changing again.

Thank you for sending your child to school with their favourite book. The children loved sharing these with their friends. It was lovely to talk about our special books. This was a great opportunity to encourage reading at home and also to introduce a very special book to Christians, the Holy Bible. Over the next couple of weeks, the children will be hearing some Bible stories during our RE sessions.

In the mornings you are all very polite and queue at the gate but unless you want to catch me to have a word, please feel free to send your child in as soon as I open the gate. I know many of you are in a rush to get off afterwards so this should speed up the process a little.

Remember next Tuesday it is our Curriculum Meeting at 6pm. We look forward to seeing you all there. I will be handing out learning packs and suggesting helpful activities to support your child’s learning at home. We will also be viewing some photographs of the children’s first 3 weeks at school!

Have a brilliant weekend and we’ll see you next week!

We are only in the second week yet I cannot believe how well the children have settled in and taken to school life. This week the children engaged in Forest School and Gymnastics for the first time. Mr Bennett was so impressed with the children’s listening skills and how safe the children were down in the forest school area. He is excited for the year ahead and to explore with the children in Forest School. If you, or any grandparents, would like to help on a Tuesday morning for our Forest School sessions that would be brilliant!

Gymnastics- The first challenge for Reception PE sessions is getting changed (!) but Mrs Barnett and I were very impressed with the children’s efforts in this area! We explored moving in different ways and worked with our friends to crawl under them and jump over them. Next week we will be practising rocking and rolling.

Phonics- We have been learning the phonemes for the graphemes I, m, n and d. The children were also excited to segment and blend, using robot arms, consonant, vowel (CV) and CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words. Can you believe we are already practising reading words? Reading books and diaries will be given out after the Curriculum meeting on Tuesday 24th September at 6pm. This meeting will be really useful in helping you to understand how to support your child’s reading, writing and mathematics learning at home. We will also be giving out learning packs to help you and your child.

Number Time- The children have been introduced to the Numberblocks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. We have been developing our ability to subitise numbers (recognising groups of objects up to 5 without counting). The children have also been familiarising themselves with these numerals. It is really important that the children have a deep understanding of the concept of a number. We will be explaining more regarding this at our Curriculum meeting.

Thank you very much for your chocolate donations. Have a super weekend and we will see you on Monday!

Welcome to Reception! We have had a fantastic first week at school. The children have really impressed us and are already beginning to settle into school life. They have taken part in whole school assemblies, experienced having lunches in the community hall and playing on the field and playground with the whole school.

The children are beginning to explore their new classroom environment and learn some of the school rules and routines. There is so much for them to learn and they are already doing so well taking on new information.

Thank you to those of you who sent in postcards and letters. We have thoroughly enjoyed sharing these throughout the week. It has been lovely to hear about the children’s exciting Summer adventures.

Phonics- We have been learning the phonemes for the following graphemes s, a, t and p. You should have received an action sheet for these graphemes. It would really help your child’s learning if you could practise these at home.

The children have also been drawing and painting pictures of themselves to be displayed in the classroom.

Have a well deserved rest this weekend! I’m sure there will be some very tired children!

See you on Monday Reception.