Category: Reception Blog

We are currently enjoying our ‘Healthy Me’ topic. The children have been discovering different ways of keeping healthy such as eating healthy food, exercising, getting a good nights sleep, visiting the dentist, limiting time on technology and even made our own fruit kebabs. This week we are continuing to look at a balanced diet and making good food choices. Use this time as an opportunity to explore healthy food with your child and encourage them to tell you what they have learned.

This week we will not be having Read Write Inc. sessions as some of the staff are needed to support Year 6 SAT’s. We will be having whole class phonics recapping on the sounds already taught ready for our next assessment the following week. Please support this at home by continuing to practise the sounds and reading words using ‘special friends, Fred talk, read the word’. Your child will be bringing home a reading book that is slightly different to their normal book. This book will have the sounds in that your child should already know and will be a good opportunity for you to see how your child is progressing in their reading – are they using their strategies to read the word? Are they recognising words that are not new to them and reading them speedily? Remember to ask your child to read the book more than once until they are reading it speedily and fluently. There will be no online work set.

This week in Maths we will be focusing on grouping and sharing. We will be looking at putting amounts into different sized groups and will be sharing amounts out equally between groups. This is the early stages of multiplication and division and is essential before we move on to children reciting times tables or division facts as they need to understand what the terms mean. You could support this work at home by encouraging your child to share items into groups of . . . . . . . and group items into groups of . . . . . . . your child could then finish the sentence stem such as 8 can be shared between . . . . . . groups of 2.

The sun has finally come out and is hopefully here to stay. Please make sure your child has a sun hat, a water bottle containing only water please, not squash and apply sun cream before they come to school. We recommend using an all day sun cream as the children struggle with applying their own cream and often make quite a mess of themselves and the surrounding area. We also ask that your child brings a waterproof coat to school everyday. The British weather is ever changing so it is better that your child has the right clothing with them if it gets colder or rains. Remember the children in Reception spend a large portion of the day outside and we go out in all weathers.

On Thursday the children will be taking part in a sponsored wheeled event. You should have received an email all about it. Please send your child in to school on Thursday with a bike, scooter or pram to join in with our event. Th children will pedal, push or scoot around the playground 10 times to encourage them to be active and to show them that exercising can be fun. Sponsor sheets can be obtained from your child’s class teacher or from the school office or you can print off a copy that was sent with the email. Speak to a member of the team if you are struggling to provide a wheeled item and we will do our best to help.

Enjoy the lovely sunshine

The Reception Team

This week we are continuing with our superhero topic with a focus on real life superheroes. We will be talking about the different qualities people show that makes them a superhero. This will include occupations such as police, doctors, teachers etc. On Thursday the children have been asked to come into school dressed as a superhero. This does not need to be a pre bought costume. We do not want you to go to any extra expense. Children can come in dressed as a certain colour or theme e.g. rainbow colours or sparkles or all one colour. We would like you to talk to your child about the quality that their superhero will have e.g. kindness, happiness, love, sunshine so they can talk about it with the class. Children do not need to have a cape or facemask but if your child would like one they can easily be made with a pillow case and some cardboard. Please speak to a member of staff if you are struggling for ideas.

In Maths this week we will be looking at shapes and how they can be manipulated. We will be looking at tangram puzzles and will be giving the children the challenge of copying some pictures and then using the shapes to make their own tangram pictures. The children will be focusing on how to rotate the orientation of shapes to change them.. We will also be looking at what different shapes we can make out of other shapes such as putting two triangles together to make a square.

The children are working hard in their phonic groups and most of them have now been introduced to all of the set 2 sounds. We are working hard on using the sounds to both read and write words. Continue to go through the sounds at the front of the on line reading book to check that your child knows all of the set two sounds and work on any that they are less confident of. Its lovely to see so many children doing their online work as well as their book bag book. Remember to sign your child’s diary every time they read with you.

The children are enjoying using the junk modelling to create their own models but we are often running low on supplies. Please send in any appropriate recycling for the children to use as it will always be used. We would like to say a big thank you to all of the parents who continue to contribute 50p each week. This money helps us to enhance the children’s learning with each of our new topics. Next week we will be making fruit kebabs and will need to purchase fruit for the children to be able to make these so all contributions are vital to help us provide these experiences for the children.

Can we please remind parents that your children should not be playing on or with the equipment at the start or end of the day. The equipment in the outdoor area is for the children’s learning and can easily get damaged by children not playing with it appropriately. Please supervise your children when waiting in the playground and remove them from any equipment if they begin to play on or with it. Your help with this is very much appreciated.

Have a lovely week,

The Reception Team

This week the children will become superheroes! We will be learning all about the qualities of a superhero and what makes someone a superhero. We will read stories, sing songs and even make our own class superhero thinking about the qualities that we would like to see in our class superhero. The children will also attend Superhero school, where they will have to complete a range of tasks to become a superhero. Talk to your child about what makes a superhero. How could they be a superhero at home?

The children will be continuing with their phonic lessons and will be learning new sounds. Those children in purple and green groups will be recapping all of the set 2 sounds to help embed them. Continue to work at home going through the sound cards, reading the book bag book and doing the online task. Remember to sign the book every time your child does a reading activity with you at home. Below are a few more videos that recap on some of the set 2 sounds learned.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/jZ9OZOCt/4Ybq7rav

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/bMC5Gsgo/dqLEJ2e4

This week in Maths we will be focusing on subtraction and will be using number stories to help us work out the answer. We are trying to encourage the children to use their knowledge of number bonds to help them answer questions rather than counting, as counting is where children tend to make the most mistakes. The children have been working on the subitising so should understand that if 3+2=5 then 5-3=2 without the need to count amounts. Try this with your child. Can they answer simple subtraction sums without the need to use their fingers? If they can see if they can subtract above 10. e.g. 17-3=11. Can they explain how they got their answer?

It was lovely to see so many parents attend our parent consultations last week. If you didn’t manage to make an appointment then please speak to your child’s class teacher to arrange an alternative date. Over the next few weeks we will be working hard towards the early learning goals. If you would like to read through the early learning goals then please click the link below.

We are really hoping that the weather now warms up. Please continue to send your child to school with a waterproof coat with a hood. Your child would also benefit from having a sunhat in their bag for those days when the sun does come out. We would rather children didn’t bring sunglasses into school as they easily get lost or broken and are not really needed in the setting. Please remember to label any new coats, hats or summer wear. We are still getting lots of jumpers and hoodies without names on.

Have a lovely week and we hope the children are celebrating a sky blue win to start the week off on a high.

The Reception Team

This week we will continue to learn about Spring with a focus on new life. We will be learning about the life cycle of a butterfly, a frog and a hen. We will learn what is meant by a life cycle and will grow a deeper understanding of the process different animals go through. We will do a variety of crafts and role play and the children should be able to tell you about a life cycle. Talk about it with your child and see if they can explain what happens. If you are out and about for a walk get your child to tell you what they know about spring. Can they spot any signs of spring around them?

The children have been working in their new phonics groups and are continuing to learn new sounds and are using these sounds to blend words. Your child will bring their diary and any reading activity home on a Friday. Please go through the ditty sheets or book in the diary several times over the week and log on to Oxford owl to do the online activity. Remember your child can redo the book set on line by clicking on Fred the Frog. There are some videos below to help with some of the new sounds. Remember to sign the diary every time your child reads.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/mzomjmmP/bF0TWzEA

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/j1Q0NNj4/oQIWtCI4

This week in Maths we are continuing with numbers to 20. The children have learned the numbers to 20 and should now know that numbers above 10 are a ten and so many ones. We will look at ordering numbers to and from 20, finding missing numbers and simple addition to 20. Can your child tell you how to make numbers to 20 e.g. 14 is 10 and 4. Can your child use what they know about number to calculate an amount e.g. 14 + 3. “4 and 3 make 7 so 10 and 7 is seventeen. Is your child able to count to 20 accurately without mixing the numbers 14, 15, 16? Say some numbers in order and make a mistake. Can they recognise the mistake e.g. 15, 16, 18. 17 19?

Finally it looks like the weather might be warming up. As your child should be able to tell you, Spring weather is very changeable. Please ensure your child comes to school with a waterproof coat with a hood. Children should also be wearing suitable school shoes that support their feet and keep them dry if it rains. We are noticing a lot of the children are wearing fabric type trainers rather that school shoes. These do not provide the best support for children’s feet and are not waterproof so result in children having wet feet. On those days that are not P.E days your child should be wearing suitable school shoes. Please also check your child’s clothing to make sure they are clearly named so that we can return lost items to their rightful owners. The children have a tendency to leave their jumpers wherever they go and it is difficult to return them without a name.

Thank you to those parents who have emailed pictures of their child’s bean plant it has been lovely seeing them grow and sharing them with the class. We would also love to see any photos of your Eid celebrations and would like to share these with the other children to help them learn about the celebration. Send any photos to

[email protected] or [email protected]

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team.

Welcome back! We hope you have a lovely relaxing Easter break. This week we will be looking at the season of Spring and the changes that occur. We will go out on a Spring walk looking for signs of spring, we will learn all about the season of Spring and will do a range of spring crafts. Talk to your child about the season and see if they can tell you how Spring is different to winter and Autumn. This is a good time to plant some flowers with your child. Start by replanting the bean that your child brought home for the Easter break. Keep a log of how it grows by sending photos in to school at [email protected] or [email protected]

This week the children will be moving in to their new phonics groups. A number of children have not made the expected progress and have remained in the same level phonic group. Please ensure you hear your child read every night and go through their phonic sound cards paying particular attention to the special friends (two letters that make one sound such as ch, sh etc). The children are now using the phonic sounds they know to write. They are writing simple words and sentences by segmenting words to then write them. If your child is confident reading CVC words, then see if they can write them. Below are some more videos for set 2 sounds to practise over the break.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Vd1Og1RF/U5ghCNNa

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/9dIMLnyh/jRcdVhgv

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/NhPlFHMc/72FP54Ex

This week in Maths we will be looking at the numbers to 20. We will be ordering the numbers, counting to 20 and making amounts. We will look at representations of the numbers and will play different games to ensure we have the numbers in the correct order. Can your child count to 20 accurately? Can they tell you what number comes next? Before? If you count and miss a number out can they tell you the number?

As you know the weather in the spring time can be a little bit changeable. Can we ask that you send your child in to school every day with a waterproof coat with a hood. The children get very upset if they can’t go outside when all their friends are outside, because they haven’t got a coat. The weather can often be sunny in the morning but can turn cold and wet by the afternoon. Please also label any new jackets, sun hats or uniform so that any misplaced items can be returned to you.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week is British Science week. The focus this year is ‘Time’. We will be tying this in with the beginning of our Spring work. In Reception we will be looking at the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk. We will learn the story, act it out and talk about alternative stories. During the week we will be planting our own bean to grow a beanstalk in our own greenhouses. We will monitor how the beans grow over time and will record this information. We will then take our beanstalks home to replant and look after and hopefully they will grow some beans. This would be an excellent opportunity for you to talk to your child about plants and what they need and you could even plant some seeds of your own. Don’t forget to send in any pictures of your planting so that we can share them with the class.

All of the children are now taking home a reading book or ditty sheets as their reading homework. Please try to get into the habit of hearing your child read every night. This is a lovely time to share together and gets your child into a good habit for moving through school. Most of the children will also have work set online on Oxford Owl. Please use your log in details (on the front of the diary) to do the activities set. To redo the book just click on Fred Frog. Children do not need to read their online book and their book bag book every night. Chose one to focus on rather than making them do too much which may put them off reading. Don’t forget to sign the diary each time you do a reading activity. You do not need to sign the diary when you read the library book with your child.

This week we are looking at time. This will tie in with our Science week. We will be looking at periods of time such as the week, using the language of time and will be seeing what activities we can do in a certain period of time. We will also look at the clock and will be learning about o’clock. We will finish the week playing what’s the time Mr Wolf looking at the o’clock time. Can your child identify the days of the week? Do they know what day comes after Wednesday? What day comes before Saturday? Do they understand what the term weekend means?

Although we have entered the season of Spring it has been very cold this week. Please make sure your child continues to come to school in a warm waterproof coat. It is better that their coat stays on their peg if the day warms up rather than them having no coat or only a thin coat when the weather is colder. The children all spend lunchtime outside and have access to the outside area throughout the day.

This years Red Nose Day is March the 15th. Children can come into school in non-uniform and crazy hair for a donation of £1.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will continue our work on People Who help us, but will have a focus on Dentists. Part of the statutory guidance for Early Years requires all children to learn about oral health. We will be teaching the children all about keeping their teeth clean and why this is important. The children will learn how to brush their teeth correctly and will learn about the important role of the dentist. Please help us with this important area of learning by ensuring your child brushes their teeth twice a day ( at this age an adult should be helping children to brush), by eating healthy foods, drinking water or milk and keeping drinks like squash for during meal times. We ask again that children only have water in their bottles that they bring in to school as some children are currently bringing in squash and this does not promote good oral health.

The children are continuing with their Phonic groups and are moving forward with learning their special friends (two letters that make one sound). Please continue to go through the special friend sounds with your child, you have been sent these home but will also find them at the front of the online books set. Remember to sign your child’s diary EVERY time they read so we can monitor how much they are reading at home.

This week in Maths we will be delving deep into the number 10. We will be finding all the different ways to make 10 with two and three amounts. We will be subitising numbers to 10 and will be learning the number bonds to 10. Below is a numberbonds song that the children will be learning in school to help with numberbonds.

Thursday 7th March is world book day. Your child can come into school dressed as a book character. If your child does not want to dress up as a book character they could come in to school in their pyjamas and bring their favourite bedtime story. We will do a range of activities during the day including breakfast with books where your child can bring in a breakfast snack and story to share. We can’t wait to see everyone’s costumes and share their love of books.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will be starting our topic on ‘People who help us’. The children will be learning about a range of different occupations and how these people help us in society. We will talk about their roles and the important job they do. The children will be hearing stories, acting out roles and sorting the variety of equipment different jobs need. If you have stories about people who help us, such as doctors, nurses etc then please take this opportunity to read them to your child. If you yourself work in an occupation such as the emergency services then we would love to have you in to school in your uniform to show the children – please speak to your child’s teacher if you can help.

The children have now moved into their new phonic groups. They will have come home with either a book, sheets or QR codes for videos to watch. Please make sure you get your child to do these activities every night where possible and sign the diary each time. Also log in to Oxford owl to do the online activities set. Below are some extra practise videos to do if you wish with your child.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/ZJNaPjIv/melZ8Mrl

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/t7pnebxx/W6IVsJR7

This week in Maths we will be looking at 9 and 10. The children will be recognising 9 and 10 and not 9 and 10, composing 9 and 10 in different ways and developing a deep understanding of what makes up 9 and 10. We will continue to focus on subitising where the children learn to recognise the amount without the need to count. Remember to ask your child to talk about what they can see and how they see it e.g. I see a 3 and a 3 and a 3 which is 9.

One of our school values is’ Respect’. Currently we are noticing some of the children are showing a lack of respect in the way they treat the equipment in the setting. We are getting lots of broken items where children are throwing things on the floor, stepping on them or using equipment in the incorrect way. Could we please ask you to reinforce the conversations we are having in school and talk to your child about looking after the equipment in school and also having the same expectation with their toys at home. Unfortunately we do not have the funds available to purchase new equipment so once broken needs to be thrown away.

The children are loving playing with our marble run. Unfortunately lots of the pieces are broken. If you have an old marble run at home that you would like to get rid of then we will happily take it off your hands. We are also looking for toy cars and small world figures.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will be looking at the celebration of Chinese New Year. The children will be learning about the story and acting it out. They will find out how the Lunar New Year is celebrated and will join in with our own celebrations. We will be dancing to music, making a range of crafts and will even try some Chinese food. Ask your child what they know about Chinese New year and if they can tell you the story. You may like to celebrate at home by having some Chinese food. Pleas send in any photos to [email protected] or RCG at coundon.coventry.sch.uk of your celebrations.

This week we will be assessing the children to see if they have retained the phonic sounds taught and if they can blend the words to read them. We will then look at putting the children into appropriate groups for after half term. Please continue to work at home with your child’s reading activities which you will find in their reading diary, this is the best way to help support the work going on in school and will help to improve your child’s reading confidence and ability.

This week we will be continuing with 6, 7, 8. The children are becoming confident in recognising amounts without the need to count but sometimes struggle when they can’t see the amount and have the need to count. We will start the week with basic counting skills and 1:1 correspondence. We will also be looking at 1 more and 1 less, composition of 6, 7 and 8. Your child could practise this skill at home, counting objects from around the house. Encourage your child to move the objects as they count. There is a link below for some fun games to play on Top Marks. Look for the counting games.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=16&AgeGroup=1

This week is well being week. The children can come into school on Friday dressed in a way that expresses themselves. Please talk about this with your child so they can explain why they have dressed as they have and how this reflects them. We will do some other well being activities in the week to support this learning.

Tuesday is Safer internet day. We will be talking to the children about going on line and how to stay safe. We will focus on them telling an adult if they see anything online that they do not like or know they shouldn’t be seeing. Take the opportunity to talk to your child about going on to the internet and how to stay safe.

Enjoy your week,

The Reception Team