A warm welcome to our class page, where we will be sharing all the exciting things we get up to in Reception

                       receptionmt@hotmail.com                               receptionleveridge@hotmail.com 

In the lead up to the Easter holidays we have been learning all about the Easter story, from Maundy Thursday up to Easter Sunday. Please find child-friendly copies of these stories below.

We would also like to thank you so much for the effort put into our Easter craft competitions! Congratulations to the winners who were chosen by Mr Deane.

Please take a look at some photos of our visit from the Easter Bunny who helped us on our chocolate egg hunt!

The children returned to school after half term to find that there were some new additions to EYFS! Whilst the children waited patiently for  the chicks to hatch, we learnt all about the life cycle of a hen. Luckily, the children were able to see the chicks begin to pip their way out of their eggs, they could hardly believe their eyes! After the chicks had dried off, we spent time gently caring for our new little friends. We even made information books about chicks to share with our friends around school. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our Mother's & Others' Day Tea Party. Thank you to everyone who came, the children were thrilled to share some treats and play time in their classroom with you!

In school we have been learning all about the changing seasons and the signs of winter that we have noticed. It was therefore fantastic to wake up to a snowy day this week and take the children outside to explore. We had so much fun throwing snowballs and even making a snowman, who we've named 'Mr Frosty Face' - just like the snowman in our new class poem 'My Snowman Friend' which you can read below. 

We had a wonderful last day of term. Our favourite part was meeting Santa! Take a look at our pictures below. We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Reception team!

Reception Parent Meetings

Progress meetings will take place on the following dates:

Monday 13th November

Monday 20th November

Monday 27th November

Sign up sheet available outside the classroom at drop off and pick up times. Phone appointments also available on request.

Monday Morning Reads

An opportunity to come into the classroom with your child and listen to them read! Every Monday morning from 8.45-8.55am beginning on Monday 4th December

Phonics Meeting for Parents/Carers

A polite reminder that our ‘Phonics and Early Reading’ meeting for parents and carers is coming up this Wednesday 4th October at 2:45pm in the Parish Hall. Slides from the presentation will be attached below, following the meeting.

Welcome Meeting for Parents and Carers

If you were unable to attend our in-person Welcome Meeting on 22nd September 2023, please find a copy of our presentation below:

Reception Baseline Assessment

All children across the country take part in a Baseline Assessment during the first six weeks of starting Reception. Please find information about this process in the document below; if you have any further questions, please speak to your child’s class teacher. 

Phonics and Early Reading

Every school must choose a government approved phonics programme for the teaching of Phonics and Early Reading. Our school adopted programme is called ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds’.  Please click on the link below to find specific information for parents and carers.

The link below will take you directly to our Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum page.  

What you can do to help to help your child in Reception?

• Support your child to become more independent with daily tasks, particularly with self-care skills. This includes dressing and undressing, using cutlery, washing hands, brushing teeth and looking after themselves on the toilet.
• Home learning challenges will be set each Friday. Support your child to complete challenges and return them to school on Monday. 
• Reading books are assigned on Mondays and Fridays. Please set aside some time each night to share the texts with your child. 
• It is important that children feel rested and ready for a fun day of learning in school. Therefore, it is important that children have plenty of sleep.
• WOW Slips - we cant wait to hear all of the exciting new things your child has learnt at home. Please post completed WOW slips in our class post box (outside our classroom), so that we can share them with the class.

We were so proud of both Reception classes during our two minutes' silence on the big playground with all of the older children. They proudly held the poppies that they had made earlier in the week. We then continued some more poppy crafts when we returned to class. Some children also chose to design a medal for the brave soldiers. 

We have enjoyed learning all about the special celebration of Diwali, also called the 'festival of light'. The children listened to the story of Rama and Sita where we learned the reason why people light candles at Diwali: to celebrate that light triumphs over dark. These candles are often put into special holders called Diwa lamps. We even had a go at crafting some! Our other crafts included using different materials to make rangoli patterns which you can see below.

We have enjoyed making Bonfire Night crafts by recreating fireworks and bonfires using different materials. We even made some tasty 'sparkler' snacks by dipping breadsticks in melted chocolate with sprinkles. Take a look at some of the fantastic work from the children below. 

In preparation for the weekend, we spent some time discussing firework safety and we were so impressed to hear that children were discussing Firefighter Fred's rules with their families.  You can find a copy of the rules underneath our craft pictures.

Pupils in Reception have loved learning about the work of artist Andy Warhol. They have looked carefully at his use of bright colours and repeating patterns. In our provision, they have experimented with pattern making and created some bright images ready to collage together as a class piece. Next week, they will be starting to create their own ‘Warhol inspired’ masterpieces!

It’s never a quiet day in Reception with so much fun to be had! Have a look at some of our recent photos below!

All staff work hard to make sure the learning environment on offer to pupils is both inviting and exciting! What we also have in mind, is the importance of play and the opportunity for children to talk to one another and collaborate or share playful narratives together. Take a little peek at some of our learning spaces this half term.

We were delighted to welcome local poet and author, Elayne Ogbeta, into school on National Poetry Day. Pupils from Reception joined Elayne in the school library to listen to her read aloud her wonderful collection of poetry. Children were entranced by Elayne’s wonderful storytelling and really enthused to join in and respond! At the end of the session, they even had the opportunity to recite one of our class poems to Elayne. What a special experience!

The Autumn term has got off to a flying start! Children have eagerly explored their new classroom and become familiar with their new routines. Staff have been focusing on getting to know the children and helping them to feel safe and happy. We have all been delighted to meet some new friends who have joined us from other Nurseries too, and we are taking extra time to get to know them and make them feel welcome in our school family.

In Reception, there are three things that we absolutely love to share together: stories, songs and rhymes! Below you will find a video of our 'settling in week' story called 'Dragon goes to School'. The children enjoyed listening to this in class throughout the week and it would be lovely for you to re-share with them at home - or should I say for them to share with you!

Below the story, you will find a link to our first class song 'Fabby Dabby Dee, It's Good to be Me!' The children have enjoyed learning the melody, words and actions together. The theme of the song ties in perfectly with our PSHE work this week. The children have been discussing how we are all different and have different likes and dislikes, but in fact these differences make our classroom a much more interesting place! Children have also started to make their own 'All about me' mini book, ready to add to our class library.

Talking to your child about school

When we ask children, ‘How was your day?’ it can sometimes feel to them like a huge question – if they did many different things and felt different ways at different points in the day, it might seem overwhelming to decide which answer to give. They might not yet understand that we mean ‘in general’ how was their day. A good tip is to be more specific, for example:

Can you remember one thing that made you feel happy at school today?

Did anything make you sad?

Which activity made you smile?

Another great tip is to share and model your own response to questions first. For example,

I had a chicken sandwich and then a banana for my lunch today. What did you have for lunch?

I felt so happy today when my friend at work helped me with an important job. Did anything make you happy in school today?

One or two questions may be a limit for most children - a full day in school can be quite exhausting after all!

Please follow the link below to find WELCOMM Language and Communication resources to support your child at home.

Children have had great fun exploring their new classroom and discovering lots of new areas for play and imagination! A particularly popular spot has been the class lego tray. Here, children have worked alongside and sometimes with one another, to build their unique creations. They have thought carefully about which bricks they need, in terms of colour and size, and have used 'trial and error' - fitting the bricks in various positions until they are happy that their design is 'just right'. It has been lovely to observe the children making space for one another and sharing the resources so that everyone has what they need. When finished, the children enjoyed the opportunity to tell one another what they had made. I wonder what lovely creations will appear at the lego tray this week!