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 Mrs Hermione Trypanis We are supported by our fantastic teaching assistants - Ms Martina Tkacova,  Miss Tasha Burt, Miss Katie Smith and Mrs Sarah Lawson. The classes are called ‘Nightingales’ and ‘Jays’. In Nightingales Mrs Barnett teaches Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and Mrs Trypanis teaches on a Wednesday. 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.

Uniform/Jewellery/PE

Please, 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 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 tricky for younger children and we would ask that they 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 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. The children will need to come to school on P.E. days wearing their P.E. kit. We would ask that they wear a white tee shirt, black shorts or jogging bottoms and trainers on their P.E. days. Children will need to wear their kit on Tuesdays and Fridays in Nightingales and Wednesdays and Fridays in Jays. This will begin from the week commencing Monday 8th September.

Can we please remind you that children need a pair of welly boots which will remain in school for the year.

Water Bottles

Please send children to school with a clearly named water bottle everyday.  Bottles must be filled with water, not squash. As well as promoting a healthy lifestyle, we find water bottles are frequently spilt at school and when children have squash the carpets get stained as well as problems with ants

Birthdays

When it is your child’s birthday we will sing to them and talk about how they have celebrated. We are happy for you to send in a photo of your children celebrating their birthday via the admin@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk email address. Unfortunately, due to allergies, we do not allow children to bring in sweets/ cakes when it is their birthday. Thank you for your support in this matter. We also do not give out party invitations in the classroom and would request that children do not bring invitations to school.

Homework

We understand 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 also bring home a sharing book in their reading folder. This is for an adult to read to them and we change these regularly.

From time to time there may be a task or activity to complete which is topic related. Our topic for Term 1 is called ‘What Makes Me A Me’ which is based on a story by Ben Faulks. Here is some more information about the different areas of learning we will cover.

• In Literacy there will be opportunities for developing Speaking and Listening skills e.g. speaking in full sentences. We will develop questioning skills, linked to our topic. We will respond to stories and use prediction and inference skills.

• From the second week of school we will be learning new letter sounds, known as ‘phonemes’.
• In Maths we will be sorting, comparing, classifying and ordering. We will explore patterns.
• Exploring our classroom and the natural environment, learning about humans, talking about families and looking into the recent past as well as investigating our own personal history will make up our ‘Understanding the world’ learning.
• In our PSED learning we will think about how we are all unique, talk about our emotions, focus on kindness and consider the importance of sharing.
• As part of our Expressive Arts and Design curriculum we will have opportunities to explore painting materials such as a range of brushes and different types of paint. We will create self portraits. We will learn a range of different songs about our bodies and begin to learn how to play percussion instruments including changing the volume at which we play.
• In PE we will begin to explore how we use the space around us safely to move. We will also begin to think about passing a ball with some accuracy.

Phonics and Reading

Initially your children will share wordless books individually with an adult. They help us to assess readiness for reading. Your child can talk about what is happening in the story, what they can see, similarities and differences, they can make predictions, sequence and recall events. Lots of children benefit from spending time at this level to develop their imaginative storytelling skills. Your children might really benefit from hearing you model a version of the story first. There is no limit to how many times they might like to retell it and, like riding a bike, the more they do it, the better they get at it.  As soon as they are ready for simple sounds and words they will bring home books with simple words in. These books will be changed once a week on your child’s specific reading day. In addition to this, the children will have a ‘sharing’ story book – this is a story book for you to enjoy together.

We will hold a Parents’ Evening where we can discuss how your children have settled into school. We will inform you of the dates later this term. Additionally, there will be a further information sharing session regarding Literacy and Phonics.

Finally, please can we ask you to bring in any junk modelling materials you have at home, for e.g. cardboard tubes, cereal boxes. small boxes etc for the children to use in our modelling area. Can we ask for no plastic materials please, just cardboard.

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