The Reception team would like to wish you all a very happy new year. We all hope you had a wonderful break over the Christmas period. Thank you for all of the very kind cards and gifts, it is very much appreciated.
We have started the term learning all about Winter. We are focusing on the change of season and are encouraging the children to recognise the changes. The children are learning about what happens in the winter months and have been taking about how to dress appropriately for the weather. You could support this learning at home especially when experiencing frost and ice and encourage your child to share their ideas and understanding of the weather, how they should dress and how the weather feels.
We have started our new phonics groups this week. The children were assessed on the sounds they know and their ability to blend the sounds to make words. They will continue to work on the sounds they are finding tricky as well as learning new sounds. The children are working hard on blending the sounds to read simple words. Continue to practise the letter sounds at home every night. The set 1 sounds were sent home previously with your child. If you have misplaced these then please speak to a member of staff so we can send another set home. If your child is on a reading book you will find all of the sounds they are learning at the front of the books. Be sure to go through these every time your child reads. Remember the children need repetition to become fluent readers. Reading once a week will not encourage fluency. All of the children will have on line activities to do each week. Some children will be using QR codes to access videos while the rest of the children will have work set on oxford owl ( log ins are attached to the reading diary). Again please read the online book more than once. You can access the book again by clicking on Fred frog.
In Maths this week we are looking at all the ways to make 5. The children are exploring different ways of recognising amounts and ways to make 5 without counting. By the children knowing what makes up 5 they will gain a deeper understanding of number for when they move onto place value and larger numbers as they move through the school. You could support your child by getting them to share the different ways to make 5. Ask questions such as ‘ if I have 5 sweets and I eat 2, how many are left?’ Your child should be able to answer ‘3’ as they have learned that 2 and 3 make 5 without the need to use practical aids. If they are struggling then use practical aids to show them.
Can we remind all parents that children should only be bringing water in their water bottles and not squash. We have a duty of care to protect the children’s oral hygiene and the expectation is that between meals only milk or water should be drank. Squash should only be drank during meals. This is to protect your child’s dental health. We appreciate your help and support with this.
Next week we will be concluding our winter Topic with a ‘Frozen’ day. Look out for a letter this week explaining what we are doing.
Have a great week
The Reception Team