Category: Reception Blog

This week we will begin our work on festivals. This is a topic that runs across the year looking at different festivals that are celebrated across our school community. This week we will be talking about the festival of Diwali, how it is celebrated and by whom. The children will be involved in a series of different activities ranging from making Rangoli and mehndi patters, making their own diva’s and tasting some Indian food. We will learn about the story of Rama and Sita and the children will have the opportunity to act this story out. This will form the basis of the children’s understanding of how festivals are celebrated and will be further enhanced as we celebrate other festivals over the coming months. The children love to share their new knowledge so ask them about what they have learned and what they can tell you about the festival of Diwali and how it is celebrated. If you and your family are celebrating Diwali over the half term break, we wish you a very happy celebration and would love for you to send in photos of your child celebrating Diwali so that we can add them to our class books. Please send in any photos or notes of how you have celebrated to [email protected] or [email protected]

Last week the children were assed in their phonics session and we are now sorting them into their new groups for after the half term break. Some children will move on to learn the next set of sounds where others will need to recap the sounds already taught before we move on to teach more new sounds. Please do not worry and begin comparing your child to others. We will teach your child what they need. We will now be having a focus on blending the sounds taught to read simple words such as s-a-t, t-o-p etc. Please do this as part of your reading work with your child. After the half term break your child will come home with a reading diary with a reading activity to do. Please do these activities every night and sign the diary to say what you have done and how your child got on. All reading diaries should then be returned on a Wednesday ready for staff to add new reading activities to go home on Friday. When your child is ready they will get login details for an online account where reading activities will be set for them. We will let you know more about this when your child is ready. below are the videos for the last few sounds learned

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/xuKSEfkr/N5NaclAn

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/yPDKz3G1/fi07pPEW

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/k7Vmgexm/wgVc2pZy

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/9oxkBvZx/xgQ6YAZ8

In Maths 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 will 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. Can your child tell you how many there are up to 4 without the need to count? Can they tell you/ show you different ways to make an amount up to 4?

Over the last few weeks the children have been working hard at their independence. They have been set the challenge of putting on their own shoes and coats and most children can now do up their own coat. Please continue this at home and allow the children the time to foster their own independence by allowing them to dress themselves and getting their own shoes and coats on when they are going out. Try to continue going over the sounds that have been sent home so that they do not loose any of their learning over the break. Once the children have had a week at home they may get upset again about coming back in to school. This is completely normal after a break (think how you feel going back to work after a holiday) so don’t worry that there is something wrong.

It was lovely to meet so many of you last week at parents evening. Thank you for taking the time to come and chat about your child. We hope you have a lovely half term break and that the children get recharged for the term ahead.

The Reception Team

This week we will be continuing with our work on Autumn. We will be focusing on the fiction text ‘Don’t hog the hedge’. The children will recap all all they know about Autumn so far and will look at how some animals get ready to hibernate during the Autumn in time for winter. The story is a lovely text that not only helps the children learn a little more about the season of Autumn and how animals prepare but it also has a message about sharing and being kind towards others. This is especially important at the moment as the children now feel a little more settled and some are struggling to share the resources and play kindly with each other. We will be doing a bit of work on kindness towards each other and how we need to share the resources so that everyone has a chance.

This week we will be assessing the children on the sounds that we have covered since the beginning of the term. We will be looking to see if the children can say the sounds correctly, if they can hear the sounds to blend simple words and if they can put some of the sounds together to read simple words. We will then group the children according to their knowledge and weather they are ready to move on and learn more sounds or need to recap over the sounds already taught. Please continue to go over the sounds every night and add the new sounds sent home on Friday to your pack.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/0iRREeDL/3swbYTNl

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/8V128deR/1TVwLNTN

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6b58Yl54/brh2aCXc

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6b58Yl54/brh2aCXc

This week, the children will engage with activities that draw attention to the purpose of counting – to find out ‘how many’ objects there are. They have used subitising to identify the number in a set; they will now develop their counting skills to enable them to identify how many there are in a set that cannot be subitised. This connects subitising and counting to cardinality whereby the last number in the count tells us ‘how many’ things there are altogether. Using a ‘circling’ gesture to indicate all of the objects in a set will support children to develop an understanding of cardinality. They will also practise developing 1:1 correspondence, by counting numbers at the same time as moving or tagging the objects. The children will also explore how all sorts of things can be counted, including sounds. Singing counting rhymes will give them opportunities to hear, join in with and develop their knowledge of the counting sequence.

Can we remind parents that P.E is on a Monday. Your child should come into school dressed in their P.E kit of a red Coundon Primary T-Shirt, a red Coundon Primary hoodie and black bottoms. They should wear suitable shoes for P.E such as trainers. It would really help if your child can do up their trainers by themselves. Please steer clear of laces if your child is unable to tie them up by themselves.

Have a wonderful week,

The Reception Team

This week we will be focusing on the book ‘The Dinosaur’ by Anne Milbourne and Mandy Field. We will be linking it back to the work done last week and further developing our knowledge of dinosaurs and the past. The children will focus on a couple of dinosaurs from the text and will be talking about their similarities and differences. We will also do a range of activities linked to dinosaurs across the seven areas of learning both inside and out including actions, songs, models, pictures and crafts. Talk to your child about what they are doing in school, encouraging them to tell you all the things they have found out about. This will be an excellent time to visit the library and maybe find some stories or non-fiction texts about dinosaurs to support their learning in school.

The children are continuing on with their phonic sessions and have been introduced to the next 4 sounds ‘t, i, n and p’. These sounds will be sent home on Friday with your child. Please cut them out and add them to the sounds your child brought home last week. Continue to go through these every night so that your child becomes confident with them and can read them speedily. Once confident start putting the sounds together to make simple words for them to read such as t-i-n and m-a-t. Below are videos of the sounds covered this week for you to watch with your child and encourage them to join in with.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/DHTSbx6q/rkGf0p6Z

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/L50ItbgX/l2Tdnhux

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/sbzVATo4/jsYtRtfR

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/uQhomUmF/iOmpJHiX

This week in Maths we will be looking at patterns. The children will be completing patterns already started as well as making some of their own patterns. We will be looking at simple ABAB patterns and will then move on to more complicated ABCABC or ABBABBA patterns. We will use lots of natural resources to make their patterns as well as action patterns. See what you can use at home to make patterns. Your child could use toys/ cutlery or fruit. Can your child carry on a pattern? Can they then make their own pattern. Make it more challenging by making a pattern and see if they can identify the mistake.

On Friday your child brought home a Library book for you to read to them. This is a book that your child has chosen. Try to take time each day to read their book to them. Young children love to hear the same story over and over again. Try and use different voices for different characters and encourage your child to join in with repeated refrains. Reading stories to your child regularly and encouraging your child to have a love of books and stories is the best start you can give your child on their reading journey. Please return the library book each Friday so your child can change their book to get a new one. If books are not returned then unfortunately your child will not be able to chose another book.

As the weather changes for the new season can we please remind you to send your child into school with a warm waterproof coat. Work with your child to encourage them to put their coat on by themselves. It is taking the children a long time to get ready for lunch and home time as many of them struggle to put on their coats and are unable to turn the sleeves the right way. Work on this with them so they can be as independent as possible and don’t get frustrated at not being able to do it. If sending gloves and hats in to school (scarfs are not needed in school as they just trail on the floor and can be dangerous on the equipment) please make sure they are clearly named and your child is encouraged to put their gloves in their coat pocket and their hat in their coat sleeve. We ask that they do not go in bags please as the cloakrooms are tight for space and the children struggle to access their backs when they are all hanging up.

If you need to contact your child’s class teacher, please email on

[email protected]

[email protected]

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will be focusing on the topic of dinosaurs. The children really enjoyed the monster stories last week and many of the children have an interest in playing with dinosaurs so we have planned in some activities to support these interests. We will be talking about fiction and non-fiction texts looking at examples of both. The children will learn the difference and will carry out a range of tasks linked to both types of texts such as role play, craft activities and helping to write a class fact file. We will be introducing vocabulary such as carnivore, omnivore and herbivore. Use this as an opportunity to ask your child what they have found out about dinosaurs and see if they can share any of the new words they have learned.

Last week the children were introduced to the first four letter sounds m, a, s and d. They should have brought home these letter cards on Friday. Please ask your child to practise these sounds each night to prepare them for when they get a reading book once they know and can blend the first set of set one sounds. We will continue to teach the children more set 1 sounds this week and again will send these sounds home to be practised alongside the other sounds. If your child is confident with their sounds then begin to put the sounds together to make simple words e.g. s-a-d, a-m, m-a-d. This will help your child to begin to read. Below is a link to the parent page for Read Write Inc if you want more information on the program. Below are some videos of the sounds learned this week.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/acuQfxFp/kQwDrhp3

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/u2LYOyQb/2Hr5ynP7

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/e0hAChKQ/7ym1NMo1

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/FDt2BX40/v79VAaUH

Learning to read at home

This week in Maths we will be looking at comparisons. We will be comparing height, length, size and capacity. We will be focusing on the language of comparison; bigger/smaller, taller/shorter, more/fewer etc. Can your child use the correct language at home to identify differences. For instance which shoes are longer? Who is the tallest/ shortest in the family?

The children have all settled now into school very well and look very smart in their school uniform. Please check your child’s items so that a name is clearly visible as we would like any lost items to get back to its rightful owner. If your child does not need a big backpack then please do not send one. The children find them quite difficult to carry and they take up a lot of room in the cloakroom. The only bag required for school is a book bag so that any letters, pieces of work or home reading activities can be put in for taking home. Please get into the habit of checking your child’s bag each night and removing anything not needed. Can we remind you that P.E is on a Monday and children should come into school on this day wearing their P.E kit of black bottoms, a red Coundon t-shirt and hoodie and suitable footwear such as trainers. If your child’s trainers could do up with Velcro that would be a great help to the staff.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will have a focus on transition. The children will be thinking about moving on from Reception and into Year 1. We will be listening to stories and songs and playing a range of games to get ready. We will have a pirate focus to the week concentrating on the story ‘Jakes First Day’ about a pirate. Lots of our activities this week will have a pirate theme. This is a great time to be talking to your child about the move to Reception. Discuss all the things they are going to look forward to and remind them that they have grown so much in Reception and are now ready to learn even more. All the children should now know who their teacher is for Year 1 and they have had the opportunity to meet them. The Year 1 staff will also be talking to the children as much as they can over the next two weeks.

This week in Phonics we will be carrying out our final assessment of the year to set the phonics group for the next academic year. Please go over all of the sounds that your child has learned and see if your child is reading the speedy green words at the back of the on line book speedily without the need to Fred talk. We will collect all books in on Wednesday so that we can get all the books sorted for next year. Please have a look at home for any books not previously returned. We will also collect in the children’s library books on Friday, again please have a look and return any school library books that you may have at home.

Our focus in Maths this week will be games. The children will play a range of different games practising some of the key skills they have learned throughout the year. The children really enjoy playing games. This is something that is lovely to do as a family. Simple games like snakes and ladders, snap, pairs, dominoes or any other simple game. Orchard Farm games have a fantastic range of games designed for young children that the children always love when we play them in school.

This week will be our last full week as we finish on Thursday the 18th July. We hope to see you at sports day on the 16th July. Children should come into school in their P.E kit with a named water bottle.

Enjoy your week,

The Reception Team

This week we will be looking at growing up and how humans change. We will be discussing our move to Year 1 and how we have changed in our lives so far. The children will be thinking about the changes that have already taken place and the changes that are to come. This would be a good opportunity to talk to your child about how they are changing and have changed over the last year. The children will meet their Year 1 teacher on Wednesday so some conversations around this would be good to help them prepare.

On Wednesday it is our end of year beach day. We have lots of fun planned for the children. They will have a go on the bouncy castle, eat an ice-cream, paddle in the water and play in the sand. The children do not need to bring in swim wear as they will just be paddling in the water. Unfortunately changing all 60 children throughout the day would prove really difficult. If your child would like to bring in a bucket and spade then they can but please make sure these are clearly named. We ask that each child brings in a small plate of picnic treats to enjoy in the afternoon. The children will have already had their lunch so will not need things like sandwiches, just a few small treats to enjoy. If you have not returned your permission slip then please do so as we need your permission for your child to have an ice-cream and a go on the bouncy castle. Payment for the day can be made on the school payment system, we are asking for a £5 contribution from each child.

Last week in Maths the children played some games that focused on counting on. They enjoyed playing these games which not only concentrates on counting on but also co-operation and understanding that they don’t always win! Board games are an excellent activity to do with your child. There is a lot of maths involved with subitising (recognising the number on the dice without the need to count), counting on as well as working out how many more they need to complete the game.

We will shortly be coming up to our next assessment in Phonics. This assessment will place the children in the group for their next year group. Continue to go through the sounds at the beginning of the online book. These are all of the sounds your child has been taught this year and should be confident in. Below are some extra review sessions to watch and do with your child.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/PEiJZ3ZU/o7Y3qQFj

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/22oem1Vo/7mH9Zmrk

Have a lovely week,

The Reception Team

This week is History week. In Reception we will be looking at homes in the local area and homes from the past. We are planning to take the children out on a walk around the block to have a look at some of the different types of homes in our local area. The children will be looking for older and newer build homes and the different types of homes in our area. When walking with your child in the local area, get them to talk about the different types of houses and what they know about them.

Reception are looking forward to their beach day on the 3rd July. If you would like your child to be able to go on the bouncy castle and have an ice-cream from the ice-cream van then please complete the disclaimer and contribute £5 on the school payment system. We would love for every child to be able to join in all of the activities on offer. If you did not receive a letter then please speak to a remember of the school admin team.

The children are continuing to work hard in phonics and most children are now on their set 2 or set 3 sounds. Those children still working at Red or Ditty group need to demonstrate a knowledge of the special friends sh, ch, ck, ng, nk and be able to read these in words. Please continue to work on these with your child to be able to move into the next group and set of sounds. The videos below continue practice of some of our set 2 sounds

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/u1ri1bFa/uCmb8Cb9

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/XcUEzipr/GBI3sAfx

This week in Maths we are looking at positional language and directions. We will be using the language of position to describe placement as well as draw and describing maps. Check your child’s understanding of positional language by getting them to tell you where certain things are in the environment e.g. describe where the T.V is, Are they using the language of in front, behind, next to, on, in, between?

We are currently finding that some of the children are disregarding the rules that have been in place all year and are demonstrating behaviour that does not fit in with our school values of Resect, Resilience, Responsibility and Kindness. We will be working on this over the next few weeks reminding them about the choices they are making and the consequences they will receive if they continue to make the wrong choice. Please reinforce this message at home if you are seeing your child act in a disrespectful or unkind way towards others. The children will be beginning to get ready for their move to Year 1 and will be involved in some transition activities that will help them prepare for the change.

We currently have a collection of jumpers without any names on. Please ensure your child’s uniform is clearly labelled and check regularly to make sure it is still visible. If your child has lost their jumper we will put them outside for you to check the ones we have got. Could we also ask you to check your child’s hoodie as Isabella in RMT has lost hers and it is named. We have one un-named hoodie so somebody must have taken hers by mistake.

Enjoy your week

The Reception Team

This week we will be starting to learn about the season of Summer. We will be talking about summer and the changes that will occur. We will also talk about the differences between summer and the other seasons. Encourage your child to talk about what they know about the other seasons and how Summer will be different.

The children have been working well in their new phonic groups. Please continue to hear your child read every night, either the book bag book or reading activities sent in their diary or the online book or quiz. Sign the diary every time you hear your child read. Below are some set 2 videos to help with learning the set 2 sounds.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/wrQ3V3pY/vRqEC22O

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/3BWGwXlp/NZyKzqKK

In Maths this week we will be looking at

Thank you to all of those parents that came to RMT’s class assembly. We hope you enjoyed seeing your children talk about some of the things they have been learning in Reception. This week RCG will be performing their class assembly on Wednesday 12th June. All RCG parents are invited to come along and watch – it would be lovely to see you there.

Now that the weather is beginning to warm up please remember to send in a waterproof jacket every day as we know the weather changes all of the time. Please put sun cream on your child before school, we recommend using an all day cream. If you want your child to reapply sun cream then please teach them how to reapply and provide them with a named bottle of sun cream to keep in their bag. Children will also need a named hat. We would rather children not wear sun glasses as these can be dangerous on the large equipment and also have a tendency to get lost or broken.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team