Author: Marcella Towner

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

RMT@coundon.coventry.sch.uk or RCG@coundon.coventry.sch.uk

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 rmt@coundon.coventry.sch or rch@coundon.coventry.sch.uk

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 RMT@coundon.coventry.sch.uk 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

This week we will be following the children’s interests in story telling, following on from our Frozen week last week. We will be looking at the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The children will be learning all about the story, will retell and act out the story and will even help to plan our own story based on the text. We will be making bridges and taking on the roles of the different characters in the story. Maybe you could read a version of the story to your child at bed time and encourage them to act out the different parts by using different voices for the different characters.

In Phonics the children are working hard on blending words and are now beginning to read and write simple sentences. Make sure you log on to Oxford owl each week and do the reading activities set (log in details are on the front of your child’s diary). Don’t forget to sign your child’s diary each time you do some reading work. Continue to go through the sound flash cards to ensure your child is confident with all of the sounds. If reading C-V-C words confidently then move on to C-C-V-C or C-V-C-C (4 sound) words such as stop, clap, flash. Can your child segment and blend these words confidently.

This week in Maths we will be looking at the numbers 6, 7 and 8 in greater detail. We will be using the strategies used with numbers to 5 to gain a deep understanding of how 6, 7 and 8 is made up and what it looks like in its different forms. Can your child tell you or show you with visual aids such as pasta, building blocks, cars etc how to make 6, 7 and 8 in different ways?

The children had a wonderful Frozen day on Friday. They looked fantastic in their costumes and had lots of fun during the day, finished off with a frozen treat. We would like to say a big thank you to all of the parents for making the effort to dress your children in Frozen colours. We hope they enjoyed the day.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

Happy New Year to you all. We hope you have a happy and restful Christmas break with family and friends. The Reception staff would like to say a huge thankyou for the very kind cards and gifts that we received at the end of term. They were very much appreciated by us all.

The children have started their new phonics groups and are moving forward with learning new sounds and recapping the sounds previously taught. Most of the children will now have log in details to Oxford owl on the front of their reading diary. Please make sure your child goes on to Oxford owl to do the reading activities set and read any text that has been assigned to them by their phonics teacher. They have also been issued a book bag book or Ditty sheets to read at home. Please sign your child’s reading EVERY TIME they do a reading activity with you so that we can see how much they are reading at home. This will help us understand the children’s needs and why they may not be making the expected progress. Try to get into the habit of reading every night with your child as this is the only home work we expect of Reception children and it gets them into a good habit for moving through the school. If your child has QR codes in their diary please watch these videos with your child and encourage them to join in.

In maths we are continuing to work on deepening our understanding to 5. The children will be focusing on subitising amounts ( knowing how many are in a set without the need to count), finding more and less ( again without the need to count) and knowing the different ways to make 5. Below you will find a link to the Top Marks website where your child can play a range of games. Please focus just to 5 and see if your child can recognise the amounts without the need to count. Ask ‘What can you see and how can you see it?’ There is also a link to the numberbonds song to 5 that will help your child learn about the numbers that make 5.

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

The children have been learning all about Winter. We have talked about the signs of winter and the clothes that we need to wear. This week we will be looking at the changes that have taken place between the Autumn and the Winter. Can your child tell you how winter is different to Autumn? We will be doing a range of winter crafts and challenges such as making a bird feeder, making snowmen and even having a snowball fight with paper snowballs. When you are outside with your child ask them about what they can see and what they know about winter. The children should know about dressing for winter and should be encouraged to put their coat on by themselves and do it up and put their gloves on last. We ask the children to keep their gloves in their coat pockets and their hat in their coat sleeve so they are easily accessible. When hats and gloves are put into bags the children leave them there and do not wear them all day as they are not easily accessible. Please encourage your child to do this at home also so it becomes a habit.

Now that the children are settled in school we will begin to award a child from each class with a head teachers award each week. This award will go to a child displaying our school values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Kindness, or demonstrating great effort, progress or behaviour. A letter will be sent out with the chosen child on a Friday inviting you as their parent/ guardian to attend a celebration assembly on the following Thursday at 2.45. It would be wonderful to see you there if your child has been chosen for the Head Teachers award so that you can share in their success.

Have a wonderful week

The Reception Team

The children break up for the Christmas Holidays today Friday 22nd December and will return on Tuesday the 9th of January. The staff would like to say a massive thank you for all of your support this term and for helping your child in their first term of school. The children have made fantastic progress in their learning and are working hard on becoming independent.

The staff would like to say a huge thank you for all of the very generous gifts and cards that we have received. They are very unexpected but much appreciated. We are looking forward to the Spring term and working with your children for the rest of the year.

We will not be sending books home over the Christmas break but please continue to read to your child. The holidays are a great time to spend some time reading stories together or visiting the library for your child to choose some books of their own. We have added some links below to some games and activities to help practise some of the skills learned this term.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/qktWI0gx/3E3Dq60e

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/KRutxIff/iPO1hWVU

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/y6cyApmb/8GNWl1dz

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/5oR5fvZc/WUedFKFr

Please follow the links below for some websites where your child can practise their Maths skills.

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

https://whiteroseeducation.com/1-minute-maths

Please enjoy the Christmas break, try and remember that your presence is more valuable to the children than presents! Spend time chatting and playing with your child as this will be the most beneficial thing you can do to help them feel safe, happy and secure.

Have a healthy and safe Christmas

The Reception Team