Spring 2, Week 4

Stars of the week: Kavalli and Lilian

This week in Reception we’ve been writing sentences. Lilian and Kavalli have done a wonderful job applying their phonics knowledge and including digraphs and trigraphs in their writing.

For Music, children have been learning a new hymn that we will sing in the Cathedral at the service on Wednesday 27th March.

In Computing, we’ve been playing with BeeBots this week, and learning to code and give instructions.

For Art, the children have been making and decorating jelly fish with paper bowls, paint pens and tissue paper.

In RE, we have been learning about the Easter story and Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Next week in Literacy, we’ll practice descriptive writing and using adjectives to describe animals.

At home, you can use lots of fun adjectives in your speech.

In Mathematics, children will be introduced to 3D shapes. To help at home, notice the 3D shapes we see in everyday life. For example, books are cuboids and balls are spheres.

Thank you for your continued support!

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Miss Hardy

Spring 2, Week 3

Stars of the week: Tiwa and Nathan

This week we’ve been learning a new song in Reception, called ‘Five Fine Bumblebees’.

Nathan and Tiwa have made a great effort to take part and learn the lyrics, focusing on the pitch and tempo of the song.

This week being World Book Week, the children have been thinking about pirates!

We’ve heard pirate songs and read pirate books, the children have enjoyed creating WANTED posters to post around the school. On Thursday the children had time with Year 4 and were able to chose their favourite classroom books, for the Year 4 pupils to read to them.

In Mathematics, children have been learning to tell the time.

To help at home, when it’s on the hour and the minute hand points to 12 – ask your child to help you tell the time!

Today we’ll have a big class photo all together on the pirate ship. In the afternoon, children will take part in our Mystery Reader and get to choose a book to be read by a mystery teacher.

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Miss Hardy

Spring 2, Week 2

Stars of the week: Amelia and Nathan

This week we have read Ten Delicious Teachers and painted our own monsters, and used googly eyes and feathers to bring them to life. Amelia and Nathan have worked hard to create brilliant, imaginative monsters!

Today the children have benefited from an early World Book Day workshop, with the authors Burchett and Vogler. They went along on an interactive treasure hunt with Jan and Sara and later had a whole school assembly where they told us of their journey as authors.

Next week in Mathematics the children will learn about time. We’ll discuss the different times of the day that we typically do certain things. For example, in the morning we wake up and brush our teeth.

In Literacy, we’ll be writing mothers’ day cards for all of our mums!

On Friday we’ll be celebrating World Book Day officially (it’s pirate themed) and the children can dress up as they like!

 

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Hardy

Spring 2, Week 1

Stars of the week: Kavalli and Araliya

We have been thinking about rainforests and the animals that live within them. These children wrote beautiful sentences about different animals in their literacy books this week. They both tried so hard and were able to apply their phonics learning.

The children have had a great return to school and have loved sharing their half term stories.

This week, we’ve looked at the art of Henri Rousseau, that shows us beautiful jungle scenes with animals nestled amongst the leaves. Children have had the opportunity to create their own art using bright wax crayons and sugar paper.

Next week in Literacy we’ll read Ten Delicious Teachers and create our own monsters!

In Mathematics, we’ll think about pairs and doubles.

Playing a game of dominoes at home will help to support this learning.

Noticing any pairs of socks, gloves, shoes will also helpful.

Next Friday (in anticipation of World Book Day – which will take place the following week) the children will take part in an external pirate themed workshop!

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Hardy

 

Spring 1, Week 5

Stars of the week: Ariella and Nathan

This week in Reception we have been making rainbows for our Christian Symbols display. We have used colourful tissue paper and PVA glue. Ariella and Nathan worked particularly carefully and have created beautiful artwork!

It was lovely to see you all this week for parents’ evening. Thank you all for coming!

Now we’ve made it to the end of the term, a huge congratulations to all of the children.

We hope everyone has a relaxing break.

When we return, we will be reviewing phase 3 digraphs that we’ve already learnt.

In Spring 2, we will be consolidating the sounds we covered in Spring 1.
I will attach the overview for the following half term here:

Reception_Spring_2_overview_Aug-23

In Mathematics, we will be looking at the composition of 6, 7 and 8 – with a focus on subtraction.

You can help at home with this by looking at subtraction within 10 at home using real objects. If you begin with 8 grapes and then you eat 2, how many grapes will be left?

Our new half term topic is: Habitats of the World.

In the new half term, we’ll spend time looking at different types of habitats and the animals that live in them.

We’ll begin by looking at the jungle and reading ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ by Giles Andreae.

 

Have a wonderful half term!

Miss Hardy

Spring 1, Week 4

Stars of the week: Liv and Amelia

These girls are our stars for their efforts to dress independently for our PE lesson. Well done girls!

Next week in Literacy our traditional tale will be The Gingerbread Man.

We’ll look at compound words, like gingerbread. Children will be taught about how compound words are words that are made up of other words, but have their own individual meaning.

For example: sunset, cowboy, pancake, daylight.

You can support this learning at home by noting any compound words you use in daily life and highlighting the different words that make up the compound word. For example if you eat pancakes or blueberries at home, make sure to discuss the compound words and their composition.

In school, the children will sort words as to whether they are compound words or not.

In Mathematics we’ll look at weight. We’ll use scales and weigh classroom items, whilst discussing which items are heavier and which are lighter.  Whilst cooking or baking at home, include your children whenever you weigh any ingredient. Let them help you!

As Chinese New Year is on Saturday 10th February, we’ll learn about the animals of the zodiac and make our own dragons.

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Miss Hardy

Spring 1, Week 3

Stars of the Week: Leiys and Ralph

These boys have shown a real commitment to developing their reading and writing. Both boys listen excellently throughout our phonics lessons and have shown lots of improvement. Well done boys!

This week in phonics, we have learnt: ur (as in fur), ow (as in owl), oi and ear.

To practice applying these phase 3 sounds, you can write lists of words that use each sound.

For example: ear, fear, near, clear, dear, tear.

Next week, we’ll learn air and er. Then we’ll focus on words with double letters, like hammer and rabbit.

Literacy this week has been all about Jack and the Beanstalk. We’ve been sequencing the story and discussing what happens at the beginning, middle and end of the story.

Next week will be all about The Little Red Riding Hood. We’ll focus on our writing and the skill of segmenting a word so that we can hear all of the sounds that we need to write down.

In Mathematics we’ll be thinking about what it means to double a number. We’ll learn the doubles within 10 for example 5+5, 6+6, 7+7 etc.

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Miss Hardy

 

 

 

Spring 1, Week 1

Stars of the week: Robert and Nina

These children have been selected this week for their lovely behaviour and attitudes to learning this week.

PE this term will take place on Wednesday afternoon. Children will be working with a professional gymnast during PE this term.

Sessions will take place mostly inside, in shorts and with bare feet. Though, the second part of the lesson may take place outside, so it’s important for children to have pumps as well. PE kits can still come into school on Monday, and will go home with children on Wednesday.

It is better for children to have their PE kit in an additional bag, that they can place into the PE kit boxes located just beneath their pegs.

This way they’re all in the same place and it is easier for them to access for the lesson.

This week in Phonics we’ve learnt the digraphs: ai, ee, oa and igh. 

It’d be great to try to write words with these sounds in them at home to reinforce this learning.

For example: snail, tail, maid, rain, pain/ see, feel, peel, keen, tree/ goat, coat, boat, float, soap.

Next week, we’ll learn 00 (as in book) and oo (as in moon), ar, and or.

In Literacy, the theme this term is Terrific Tales and it centers around a different traditional tale each week.

This week has been The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Next week, we’ll read and The Three Little Pigs.

Children will be asked to sequence the story, and to summarise the main plot points: the beginning, middle and end.

In Mathematics, we’ve been looking at the number 0. Children have been asked addition and subtraction sums including 0 to ensure they understand the concept. For example, 10 + 0 = 10. 7 – 0 = 7.

Next week, we’ll look at comparing different amount and numbers. Children will be encouraged to use the language of comparison: greater/ smaller/ bigger/ fewer/ more/ less.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Hardy

 

 

 

Autumn 2, Week 7

Stars of the Week: Meadow and Dhani

These girls have been selected this week for their excellent listening skills. This week has been one full of lots of new things and these girls have made everything that little bit easier by always listening and following instructions swiftly. Well done girls!

Thank you to everyone who came to see our first nativity! The children had a lot of fun performing for you and seeing you in their classroom afterwards. I’ve attached some photos below from the Stay and Play session.

In phonics this week, we’ve been consolidating the sounds we already know, especially those consonant blends: th, sh, ch, ng and nk. When we return from the Christmas holidays, the first sounds we will learn are ai, ee, igh and oa. If you want to consolidate your child’s phonics learning over the break keep reading lots of wonderful books! In addition, Alphablocks is an entertaining show to watch. Alternatively, Mr T on YouTube uploads videos entitled Geraldine the Giraffe and makes sure to pronounce each sound accurately.  Here’s an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyrYDitif1o

In Mathematics, we’ve been thinking about number bonds to 10. Here’s a YouTube video that we dance along to in the classroom that you could use for fun at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD9tjBUiXs0

Once again, thank you for all of your continued support over the Autumn Term!

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Warm wishes,

Miss Hardy, Debbie and Sara