This newsletter aims to inform you of some of the routines, expectations and key learning areas so that you can continue to support your children at home. 

This year we are pleased to be able to work again as a Reception Base. This means the two Reception classes are working together in one large space. The children will be interacting with all of the adults. Within the base, the teachers are Mrs Sophie Barnett, Mrs Ruth Kennedy, Mrs Laura Keay and Miss Konni Jackisch . We are supported by our fantastic teaching assistants - Ms Martina Tkacova,  Miss Tasha Burt, Mrs Gemma Player and Miss Katie Smith. The classes are called ‘Nightingales’ and ‘Jays’. In Nightingales Mrs Barnett teaches Monday to Thursday and Miss Jackisch teaches on a Friday. In Jays class Mrs Kennedy teaches Monday to Wednesday and Mrs Keay teaches on Thursdays and Fridays.

As you will appreciate, the mornings are a busy time and staff are not always available to speak with each parent directly. If you need to pass on information about changes to collection arrangements, future appointments etc please email pickupchanges@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk by 1.30 pm rather than informing teachers at classroom doors. Any concerns or queries can also be directed to Earlyyearsphaseleader@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk.

Please note drinks bottles should and only be filled with water. This is primarily to promote a healthy lifestyle but also we now have quite a few stains on our classroom carpet where children have spilt squash so we would appreciate bottles just containing water.

Please continue to ensure your child brings minimal possessions into school. Children must not bring any toys from home. 

Can we please remind you that children need a pair of welly boots which will remain in school for the year. Please ensure that these are labelled with your child's name

Supporting your child at home

We expect you will want to support your children to achieve the very best that they are capable of and to this end we encourage even our youngest children to continue their learning at home. This might include:

• Sharing a reading book
• Learning phonemes (letter sounds)
• Learning a rhyme
• Practising name writing, letter formation or number formation
• Practising common exception words (more on this to follow)

Your child will bring home a sharing book in their reading folder. This is for an adult to read to them and we change these twice a week.

From time to time there may be a task or activity to complete which is topic related.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you to please write in your child’s reading log book each time you read with them, as this is helpful for us to know how the children are progressing at home.  Children will be rewarded with gold stars for their reading at home. If your child does any writing at home please bring it in to show us so the children can be celebrated in class. 

As the year progresses and the phonics and reading knowledge becomes increasingly challenging, we would ask you to take the time to support your child with their learning. When children are consistently reading at home, progress is good. Please ensure that you are reading 5 times a week, practising common exception words and also support your child to practise correct letter formation. 

Please continue to practice common exception words at home. There are many words to learn, so it is important for you to support your child's progress. 

PE

The children will need to continue to come to school on P.E. days wearing their P.E. kit with their school jumper over the top. We would ask that they wear a white t-shirt, black shorts or jogging bottoms and trainers on their P.E. days. 

Our PE and dance days are Tuesday/ Friday in Nightingales and Wednesday/ Friday in Jays.

Clothing

When the weather turns warmer please ensure that children come to school with a sunhat and water bottle. Sun cream should be applied at home on hot days.

PleasePlease, please, please could you make sure your children’s belongings and uniform are named. It is difficult to dismiss the children at the end of the day when so much uniform is unnamed. Despite our best efforts to keep all uniform in one place, they do get mixed up. If there is no name, it is very difficult to know which clothes belong to which child, especially as they are so similar. Frequently washed biro does fade so it is not sufficient to label clothing with this. In order to help the children become independent and responsible for their own uniform they do need to be able to recognise their name. In conjunction with this, we would like to ask parents to support us in developing your children’s independence. This may take the form of encouraging them to take off their jumper independently or showing them how to turn things the right way out. Now your children are at school we will be encouraging them to be as independent as possible, so anything you can do to support this at home would be great! Here are a few ideas:

Can they take their shoes on and off? (laced shoes are not appropriate and are not to be worn in Reception please) Can they take their jumper off on their own? Can they peel a banana? Can they zip up their bags or coats? Can they put their coat on themselves? Can they eat with a knife and fork? We’re sure you can think of many more.

Jewellery is not permitted except for watches and stud type earrings and if these cannot be removed children will have to wear micropore tape across their ears for PE.

This term our topic is ‘If You Plant A Seed’

Phonics
● We will be learning the Phase 4 blends and common exception words. We will be learning to read and spell words containing adjacent consonants such as trip, vest and strong.

Maths

● We will focus on developing fluency with concepts such as doubling, halving. subitising, number recognition and counting.
● Securing addition and subtraction facts
● Number patterns within 20

Literacy

● Lots of opportunities will be given to apply our phonic knowledge - writing sentences.
● A focus will be developing letter formation in writing.
● We will be making predictions when reading stories.
● We will write instructions for planting a seed.
● We will be reading and writing letters and postcards.
● We will write simple riddles.

Music

● There will be a focus on singing and performance.

Art

● We will continue to develop our knowledge of working with clay, focusing on how to use the different parts of our hands to roll, pinch and press the clay in order to make a pot. We will then create textures on the outside building on our learning this term. We hope to visit White Horse Pottery as in introduction to our clay unit.
● We will explore the work of an Italian artist - Giuseppe Arcimboldo who created portraits using materials such as fruit, vegetables and flowers.
● We will continue to develop our understanding of how to join different materials when junk modelling. The children will be encouraged to think about and discuss what they will make, solve problems and then reflect on the making process.

PSHE

● Our PSHE topic this term is ‘Relationships’. We will be thinking about how to know and show what makes a good relationship. Discussions will include; how to solve friendship problems when they occur and how to help everyone feel part of a group.
● We will think about treating others with respect and exploring some techniques to help ourselves and others when we feel upset and hurt.

Understanding the World

Learning will include:
● Sowing seeds and knowing what plants need to grow.
● Knowing the main parts of a plant.
● Investigating the life cycle of a butterfly and comparing it with the frog life cycle.
● Reading and drawing maps.
● Learning about London and the royal family.
● Understanding the past by reading stories.
● Learning about communities, and how they celebrate special times.
● A local study.

Physical Development

● In PE we will be continuing to participate in our weekly dance sessions with Miss Amy.
● In our other PE sessions we will be focusing on Gymnastics.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you to please write in your child’s reading log book each time you read with them, as this is helpful for us to know how the children are progressing at home. Please continue to practise their common exception words. There are many words to learn, so it is important for you to support your child’s progress.

Thank you for your continued support.
 

Sophie Barnett, Ruth Kennedy, Laura Keay and Konni Jackisch Reception Team

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