This week we will be learning about the celebration of Diwali. The children will be learning about the celebration and how people celebrate and why. We will be learning about the story of Rama and Sita, making our own clay diva’s, making and designing rangoli patterns as well as tasting some Indian food. If your family celebrates Diwali please talk about it with your child so that they can share their celebrations with us all. If you are celebrating Diwali we hope you have a fantastic time and would love to see photo’s of your family’s celebration that we can then share with the children. Please send any photos to [email protected] or [email protected]

The children have all now been assessed on the first 16 sounds taught. These have been sent home with your child. If you have misplaced the cards then please speak to a member of the team. Alternatively if you would like to buy a more durable set of cards with all of the sounds, these can be purchased on Amazon for approximately £6 https://amzn.eu/d/4oH8i9z This week we will continue to recap the sounds and work on blending the sounds to make simple words. Pease watch the videos below with your child for extra practice. The children will start in their new phonic groups after the half term break.

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/resources/vc-pathways/264623/13p2Qe3nCAl6ekv8

This week, the children will explore how numbers can be composed of 1s and, from this, begin to investigate the composition of 3 and 4. Composing and de-composing numbers involves children investigating part–whole relations, e.g. seeing that 3 can be composed of 1 and 2. The children will learn from practical experience that a ‘whole’ is made up of smaller parts and is, therefore, bigger than its parts. ​​
The children have experience of subitising small quantities and will use their skills to identify the numbers within 3 and 4.​ They will begin to recognise that 3 and 4 can be made by combining sets in different ways. When children are able to compose and flexibly de-compose numbers mentally, they will become more fluent in their knowledge of number bonds, and be able to use these efficiently when calculating in KS1 and KS2.

We break up for the Autumn term on Friday for a well deserved rest. The children have had a wonderful first half term in school and have already learned so much. Please continue to encourage your child to develop their independence by dressing themselves, wiping themself when they go to the toilet and walking rather than being carried or in a pushchair. Half term is an ideal opportunity to get out to a park and encourage your child to hang, swing and climb on equipment which will help to develop their shoulder strength which in turn will help them with their core strength and fine motor control which is essential for writing. Try to allow your child to take risks and not always lift them or hold them on equipment.

Have a wonderful week and we will see you on Monday 3rd November

The Reception Team

This week we will be continuing our topic on Autumn. A huge thank you to all the children and parents who have bought natural items into school to enhance our activities. We are still welcoming donations of natural items such as conkers, coloured leaves, acorns, pine cones and twigs as we continue our Autumn topic this week. The children will be reading the book ‘Don’t Hog the Hedge’ this week and discussing kindness and sharing. We will also learn about animals who hibernate and be continuing to talk about changes that happen in the season. We have been talking about evergreen and deciduous trees too. Talk to your child about which trees are which when you are out and about, can they spot the signs of a deciduous tree? You could go on a tree hunt to spot different types of trees too.

This week the children will be reviewing the letter sounds they have learnt so far. We will then assess the children’s progress towards the end of the week, in order to target their phonics learning more effectively. They will continue blending the sounds together to make simple CVC words with the sounds taught such as t-i-n, b-a-g, n-e-t. This is something you could do at home with your child using the flashcards that have been sent home. Please continue to access the videos for sounds taught on previous blog posts, in order to help your child make even greater progress.

This week in maths, your child will be learning all about counting. We will focus on counting with 1:1 correspondence, recognising that object they touch represents an amount and the last number they say when counting is the total. We will also practise this by hearing how many objects are dropped into a cup. The children will use number wands to help them count and will also have a go at counting out an amount from a larger group of objects, recognising when they need to stop counting. You could help your child with this at home by encouraging them to help you count out objects to 5. They could set the table, counting out the correct number of forks, knives, spoons, plates. They could help you count how many toothbrushes are in the bathroom, how many shoes are by the door etc.

We will be continuing changing library books on a Friday afternoon. Please ensure your child has returned their library book to the named box outside the classroom door on a Friday morning in order for us to change your child’s library book and prevent any delay in them receiving a new one.

Have a lovely week,
The Reception Team

This week we will be starting our topic on Autumn. Please bring in any collections of natural items such as conkers, coloured leaves, acorns, pine cones and twigs. We will be using these for a wide variety of activities throughout the next few weeks. The children will be focusing on signs of Autumn and how the Autumn is different to other seasons. Talk to your child about the changes taking place and see if they can spot signs of Autumn.

This week the children have learned how to read and write the letter sounds g, o, c and k. They have also been blending the sounds together to make simple CVC words with the sounds previously taught such as s-a-t, g-o-t, m-a-n. This is something you could do at home with your child using the flashcards. Below are some videos to help with the letter sounds taught.

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/AcDPJwtX/ctKf9jJk

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/uC1z772J/riAWJjar

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/kf2DhTrb/z32jsJa0

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/C4ed4JHB/oDbKUl8z

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/knycXbNr/CJuyyM91

In Maths this week the children will explore different representations of 1, 2 and 3. The focus is on finding the representations rather than making them at this point. We start by ensuring children can confidently say the number names ‘one’, ‘two’ and ‘three’ out loud. Once they can do this, they will match the verbal number names to numerals and quantities. We will encourage the children to count to three using objects in different arrangements by touching each object as they count. They should recognise that the final number they say is the quantity in that set. You could encourage your child at home to identify sets of 1, 2 and 3.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week the children will continue with their learning all about dinosaurs. We will be building on from what they have learned last week focusing more specifically on non-fiction dinosaur texts. The children will have a chance to complete a dinosaur hunt in the outdoor area and complete more dinosaur crafts in the creative area. They will be able to role play using some dinosaur masks and will practise using their new phonics knowledge writing on dinosaur eggs in the writing area. The children will think about how dinosaurs move and the noises they might of made, they will practise these when pretending to be dinosaurs.

Well done to all of those children that are continuing to use their flashcards and have been practicing at home over the last week. This continued practice will help your child become confident with their letter sounds and make blending words easier. Please check that these are not left in book bags and have been removed and folded into cards, as with extra practice at home, your child will really progress. This week the children will be introduced to g, o, c, k. They will also start to put the sounds taught so far together to blend and read simple words such as top, got, cat and dog etc. This is something you could now do with your child at home with the letter sound flashcards that have been sent home. Below are some videos to help with learning the new sounds.

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/PJOvoBGY/LREfVBSQ

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/dFxxTgSg/CO0Yngge

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Jop2rmRI/a411w4wI

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/7eokSmQQ/kxGU0Dcw

In Math’s this week we are looking at patterns. In this small step, children will practise recognising patterns and continuing and creating their own patterns. They will make patterns using concrete resources such as cubes and bears, with sounds and also actions too. You could do this at home too using things you might have in the cupboards such as two different types of dried pasta, beads, buttons. See if your children can carry on the pattern you give them. Can they create their own pattern too?

Library Books

Your children have all come home with library books this week. Please enjoy sharing these with your children, reading the words, talking about the pictures and asking lots of questions to encourage them to think about what they have been read. These will be changed every Friday, please make sure they are back in school to enable us to issue your child with a new book each week.

Please remember to label all items of clothing, including shoes. If items get misplaced around the school going to P.E or the lunch hall then they can be returned if clearly named. Please also provide your child with a warm waterproof coat with a hood so that they are appropriately dressed for the ever changing British weather. If you haven’t yet sent your child to school with named wellies, could you please do so as soon as possible as the weather has been so unreliable. In Reception we go outside in every weather and your child spends a substantial part of the day outside so needs to be kept warm and dry.

Remember staff can be contacted on [email protected] or [email protected] or we are available for a chat most evenings at the end or start of the day on the door. Please be mindful of safeguarding procedures through please and allow us to welcome/dismiss the other children before having a chat.

Have a fantastic week,

The Reception Team

This week we are beginning a topic all about dinosaurs. We will be looking at both fiction and non-fiction texts and the children will help to write a class dinosaur fact file. We will be learning about dinosaurs being alive a very long time ago and will look at our class timeline and where dinosaurs belong. We will also earn about the terms herbivore, omnivore and carnivore and what these mean. The children will have the opportunity to try a range of different crafts and activities linked to dinosaurs such as collaging, painting, developing fine motor skills and playing games.

Well done to all of those children that cut out their flashcards and were practicing at home over the weekend. This practice will help your child become confident with their letter sounds and make blending words easier. This week the children will be introduced to four more letter sounds t,i,n,p. They will also start to put the sounds taught so far together to blend and read simple words such as mat, sad, sit etc. This is something you could nor do with your child at home with the letter sound flashcards that have been sent home. below are some videos to help with learning the new sounds and one to show how to blend sounds to read.

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/RNdeQ5vB/qipkd8Vc

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/EOrzRORb/lkUmBXuA

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/ZbhgAG1w/oPAQM98a

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/AKtRW6Ih/ngYSW8K2

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/MLpqXtkx/79oG62op

In Math’s this week we are looking at comparisons. In this small step, children will build on their previous skills of sorting. They will learn that sets can be compared and ordered. Children will use the language ‘more’ and ‘fewer’ when comparing sets of objects. The focus of this small step is on comparing sets of objects specifically. It is easier for children to make comparisons when the difference between the sets is greater. You could do this at home by asking your child to compare sets of 5 and 2 objects rather than sets of 5 and 6 objects.

Can we please remind you to label all items of clothing, including shoes. If items get misplaced around the school going to P.E or the lunch hall then they can be returned if clearly named. Please also provide your child with a warm waterproof coat with a hood so that they are appropriately dressed for the ever changing British weather. In Reception we go outside in every weather and your child spends a substantial part of the day outside so needs to be kept warm and dry.

Remember staff can be contacted on [email protected] or [email protected] or we are available for a chat most evenings at the end or start of the day on the door. Please be mindful of safeguarding procedures through please and allow us to welcome/dismiss the other children before having a chat.

Have a wonderful week,

The Reception Team.

This week we will be focusing on the story ‘A Monster Surprise’. We will do a lot of work this week on story retelling and sequencing, with a focus on children being good talking partners, discussing different aspects of the story. We are encouraging the children to not only talk to their partner but to be a good listener and be able to repeat what their partner has said. Parents can support this at home by encouraging their child to wait when they require attention, and to also involve them in two way conversations where your child is looking at you when you speak and you model being a good listener towards them. This blog is a great place to discover what your child has been learning in school and can give you topics to discuss in conversation.

This week the children have started to learn their phonic sounds. They have learned how to read and write the sounds m,a,s and d. Your child will bring home flashcards of these letters on Friday. Please cut them out and fold along the line to make a set of flashcards for your child. Go through these cards every night so that your child can read them confidently. This is the start of your child’s reading journey. Each week they will get the next letter sounds they have been introduced to, to add to their pack of flashcards. Once the first set of sounds have been taught we will assess the children and then sort them in to groups so that those children ready to learn more sounds and begin to read will focus on that and those children that need more practice on the first sounds can review them before moving forward. Below are a few videos of the sounds taught that you can do with your child.

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/eksr3UNO/eD4wfxMK

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/trj4BJTR/ojSQjbPu

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/lZDDCfql/wnpamoqM

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/5GKMgUj7/Xc5SvKyM

This week in Math’s we will be concentration on matching, grouping and finding ‘the same’. The children will be playing games like ‘Snap’ to find pairs that match as well as sorting items into groups that go together. Snap is a great game that you can play with your child that will help them to not only identify matching pairs but will also encourage them to take turns, understand that they can’t always win and have to wait and be patient. Below is a link to a simple snap game that you could print off if you haven’t got playing cards at home.

Click to access Snap.pdf

This week the weather has started to get a little bit colder. Please ensure your child comes to school each day with a NAMED, warm, waterproof coat with a hood. Thank you to those parents that have sent in wellington boots for their child. Again please name these and add to the boxes outside the classroom doors if you have not provided any for your child.

Have a lovely week,

The Reception Team

This week we will be starting on our topic of summer. The children will talk and learn about the changes that take place. They will also discuss the differences to the other seasons that we have already learned about. We will go on a walk of the school site looking for signs of summer. When out and about with your child talk about the signs of summer they see.

This week in Phonics the children will be assessed against all of the sounds they have been taught so far as well as how they can segment and blend words to read. Continue to go through the daily with your child and hear them read every day. Below are some videos to assist and practice blending.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/d4tEZDtC/pAcX0MdQ

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/WaDjWvzO/D9XyGQsw

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/49cHb8Ih/vCgmKJBj

This week the children will consolidate their learning on finding and making doubles. The children will be encouraged to double numbers but also to say what number has been doubled, by finding the inverse. Drawing on knowledge of even and odd sharing from the previous small step, children may recall that all doubles are even numbers, as they are made up of two equal groups.

The children had great fun on their sponsored wheels day on Friday. They loved cycling/ scooting/ pushing their prams around the playground and also made lots of noise cheering their friends on. Thank you for all of the generous sponsorship money which we will be using to purchase resources for the children to use in continuous provision. We will update you in the Friday focus when we have purchased the equipment. If you have any outstanding sponsorship money then please send it in as soon as possible and we will update you with the total in the focus.

Hopefully the sun will shine over the next few weeks. Please remember to apply sun cream to your child in the morning and send them in with a sun hat so they can be protected while outside.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

Welcome back, we hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable half term break. We are set for a busy term over the next few weeks with the children finishing their Reception year, assessing against the Early Learning Goals, Sports day and getting ready for their transition to Year 1. We will be talking a lot about the move to Year 1 and will be doing some transition work to help them to prepare for the move. It would be a good idea to begin to talk about this with your child so they can start to prepare for moving to a new year group.

Due to last half term being so short and us missing a week of Read Write Inc due to Year 6 SAT’s the children will not be assessed for another two weeks. Continue to hear your child daily either with their book bag book or their on line book and quiz. Continue to go through the sounds that can be found at the front of the online book. Encourage your child to read each book several times until they are reading it fluently. Below are some extra practice videos.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/nw24Acx8/4Wz2rBMh

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/wKrJBlPT/NJkdJDA9

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/JhGaM0Z8/CHDPeYb2

This week the children will begin to develop an understanding of sharing. They will investigate what sharing is and describe equal sharing as fair and unequal sharing as unfair. Within this block, we explore sharing and grouping, which are both different methods of division. Sharing involves dividing a set equally between a certain number of groups. Grouping involves dividing a set by placing a certain number of items in each group. . Children may remember from previous steps the concepts of even and odd numbers relating to this.

As we now head into the summer, please make sure your child comes to school each day for the varied British weather. Children should come into school each day with a water bottle containing only water, a sun hat and a waterproof jacket with a hood (even on hot sunny days). Sun cream should be applied before your child comes in to school. We recommend applying an all day sun cream as staff are not permitted to apply sun cream to your child. If you wish your child to reapply sun cream then please teach them how to do this themselves and discuss only needing a small amount.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

We will be continuing on with our topic of Healthy Me this week where the children will be learning about different ways to keep healthy. They will be learning about healthy and unhealthy foods and how we need exercise to keep our bodies healthy. This is a perfect opportunity to enhance this learning at home by getting your child to try healthy foods at home and make healthy choices. Talk about what they are eating and get them to identify if the food is healthy or not. Please also remember that the children’s water bottles should only contain water and not squash, as this is not healthy for their teeth.

This week RCG will be practicing for their class assembly after the half term break. Please look out for details in the Friday focus.

The children will be back in their phonics groups this week. They will be continuing to learn new sounds or recap over previously taught sounds. Continue to go through the flashcards at home and put sounds together to make words with 4 and 5 sound. Please return the reading book on Wednesday that was sent home with your child. Remember to sign the diary each time you hear your child read. Below are some videos to watch for extra practice.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/izVFvU6y/wr2JvsSD

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/BJree72q/SZztyDt7

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/zOwdzth2/ASnVGO2n

This week in Math’s, children will build on the learning from previous steps by now manipulating shapes. Children will explore moving, turning, rotating and flipping shapes to fit into the spaces provided. In this small step, tangram pieces are introduced for the first time. The children will explore the tangram shapes in open-ended activities before moving on to using these in adult-led tasks. Below are some songs about number bonds and doubles that the children enjoy signing and help with their number facts.

We break up for the half term holidays on Friday 23rd May. Enjoy the break and we look forward to seeing you after the break for the children’s final half term in Reception.

Enjoy your week and have a relaxing half term break,

The Reception Team