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

This week we will be beginning a topic on ‘Healthy Me’. The children will be learning about different ways to stay healthy including exercising, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and looking after our own mental health. The children will understand what it means to be healthy and how they can make healthy choices. Please talk about staying healthy at home and help your child to make healthy choices.

RMT will be performing their class assembly on Wednesday 21st May. All RMT parents are invited to attend. It will take place in the school hall at 8.55 am. We look forward to seeing you there.

Read Write Inc phonics will be cancelled in school next week due to support staff being needed for Year 6 SAT’s. The children will still have a phonics lesson each day and will be heard to read by a member of staff. There will be no online work set but your child will be bringing home a book that is at their phonic level. Please continue to read at home each night and sign the diary.

In this small step, children build on their understanding as they explore the change structure of subtraction by taking away. Children will have experience of taking away objects in everyday life and this is built on by focusing on taking away more than 1 object. The focus is on decreasing a quantity by a given amount, while continuing to work within 10 Encourage children to use real objects to see that the quantity of a group can be changed by taking some away. Children will remove the items and then count or subitise to see how many are left. The ‘first, then, now’ structure is an effective way to help build their understanding by creating mathematical stories in meaningful contexts, using ten frames, number tracks and their fingers.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will continue with our topic of superheroes. This week we will be focusing on the qualities of a superhero and how we can all be superheroes in the way that we act and behave. The children will learn about real life superheroes and we will learn about Florence Nightingale and why she is considered a superhero. On Friday we are asking the children to dress up as a superhero. They can come in wearing a costume they already have or can come in representing a superpower such as spreading happiness and wear yellow, or sparkle power and wear sequins. Please do not go out and buy a costume specifically for the day. Talk with your child about their power so they can talk about it in school.

Last week the children started in their new phonic groups and have been working hard to learn new sounds. Continue to read with your child at home every evening and sign their diary each time. Your child will also have a book and quiz set online on Oxford Owl that they need to complete. Below are some extra videos for practice at home.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/bQH7253c/QeCHrdQP

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/3zxhlGKK/X1AE0Q6c

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/vgXUffo9/QszyT7MY

This week in Math’s the children will be looking at numbers to 20 and counting, demonstrating a knowledge of the number one more and one less. They will also use the language of First, Next, Then to tell addition sums. They will use pictures/ toys to tell a simple addition story e.g. First there were 2 frogs on the log. Then 2 more frogs came on the log. Then there were 4 frogs on the log.

The children enjoyed the lovely summer weather last week and spent a lot of time outside. We noticed that a large number of children are not coming into school with the right protection. Please apply sun cream to your child before they come to school and provide them with sun cream that they can reapply themselves during the day. If they struggle with this then it may be worth applying an 8 hr cream so they are protected for the day. Children should also come into school with a named sunhat and a refillable bottle of water (not juice). Children should also come into school with a waterproof jacket with a hood so that they have it available should the weather change. Thank you for your help and support with this in helping to keep your child safe in the sun.

On Wednesday 21st May RMT will be performing their class assembly to parents. Please come to the school hall for 8.50 on the day.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

Welcome back! we hope you had a lovely Easter break and had the opportunity for a rest. This coming half term is a short one, so we have lots to try and squeeze in before we break up in May. The children will be working hard over the next few weeks and we often find this is the time of the year where their learning really starts to make an impact and they will show how much they have learned and what they can do. I’m sure you will be noticing this too. We have parents evenings on the 6th and 7th of May. please make sure you book your appointment slot. All details have been outlined in the Friday focus.

The children were assessed before the Easter break and will be starting in their new phonic groups this week. The majority of children have made great progress and will be starting on a new book colour. If your child is on the same colour as before the break then they need more practice at this stage. Please make sure you read with your child every night, do the online work set and go through the letter sounds that have previously been sent home. Below are some videos that you could watch with your child to further strengthen their phonic and reading knowledge.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/RM4pWyuq/HIGHnREz

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/UJubQhJY/bi15sCtX

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/qSwNVYZL/gCquTjf3

This week in Maths

This week we will be beginning our topic on ‘Superheroes’. The children will learn to recognise the qualities of a superhero and will start to think about how they can be superheroes in their everyday life. They will be joining superhero school and will complete some different superhero challenges every day to become a superhero. Maybe you could talk to your child about how they can be a superhero in the home and how they could help out.

Hopefully the weather will now start to warm up. We ask that you send your child into school with a sun hat and sun cream. These can stay in their bag so that they are there when they need them. Please apply sun cream before your child comes to school and if you wish them to reapply then please show them how to do this as staff are not permitted to do so. We also ask that you send a coat in every day as the British weather is very changeable. This can be a fold away rain mac and can stay in their bag but again will be there if they need it. Please tell your child that it is in their bag so that they know where to find it.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team