Reception Class Newsletter Summer Term
Reception Class Newsletter Summer Term 2023.
Dear parents,
Welcome back to a new term. We do hope that you all had a restful and enjoyable Easter break. The children have settled very quickly into the new summer term routine and are really enjoying the big playground and field.
We have another busy term and we trust that this letter will provide you with some useful information.
Our topics for this term are; Once Upon a Time, introducing children to story language through reading a variety of traditional tales. We hope to grow our own bean stalks as tall as Jack’s! Then after half-term, what minibeasts inhabit the world around me?
| Communication and Language | Extending vocabulary, talking about the world around them and sharing opinions, listening to different versions of a traditional tale and retelling in their own words. Explaining how they will help their own beanstalk to grow and keeping a bean diary. |
| Personal, Social and Emotional Development | Taking steps to resolve conflicts – reaching a compromise, showing sensitivity to the needs of others, adjust behaviour to different situations, take change in their stride. |
| Physical Development | Handle and use simple tools safely and effectively, show good control in large and small movements, move confidently in a range of ways and negotiate space, know the importance of exercise and diet towards keeping healthy. In PE, we will be working outdoors with balls, and tennis rackets. We will be using our Sticky Kids resources with a sporty theme.
We will also be thinking about health and hygiene and advising the Giant at the top of the beanstalk how to become healthier! |
| Literacy | Write meaningful sentences in a range of contexts, ascribe meaning to the marks they draw, write and paint, break flow of speech into words, read and understand simple sentences using phonic knowledge to decode regular words, read some common irregular words: Phase 4 Tricky Words; said, have, like, so, do, some, come, were, there, little, one, when, out, what. Please display these words at home. Begin to use traditional story language heard in their own writing. We will also focus on comprehension in our guided reading sessions getting the children to demonstrate an understanding of what they have read through questioning. |
| Maths | Number – ordering numbers, counting reliably, counting in 2s and 5s, doubling and halving, adding and subtracting.
Shape – 3D shapes around – recognising names and properties. Capacity and Weight – water play measuring and balancing. |
| Understanding the World | Show interest in the lives of people familiar to them, notice that children don’t always share the same interests, thinking about special days. Forest School – minibeasts, growing beans. Using technology – cameras, recordable devices, IPads, Laptop, bee-bots. |
| Expressive Arts and Design | Introduce story narrative into their play, compose music with the instruments, create minibeast inspired art work – Eric Carle and models. |
Trip Request – we are currently organising a trip during May to a local farm in Chrishall. This would be to support our learning about growing and also Science Week. We thought to save costs, we might ask parents if you might be able to help with transporting the children there and back. The estimated times would be arriving at the farm for 10:15am and leaving at 1pm.
Reading Books – we will continue to hear the children read regularly in their guided reading sessions. Please continue to hear your children read regularly at home including their sound and tricky word book. Please make sure the children have their reading folder in school every day.
PE Days – Tuesday and Friday – please ensure children now have PE shorts to wear and that their trainers are still fitting them!
Snack – all children need to bring a healthy snack to eat during morning break time. Please make sure snacks are raw or dried fruit or vegetables ONLY – no crackers, cheese strings or fruit winders as snacks should be as natural as possible. They will have the Government funded snack during the afternoon.
Weather – now that we are getting warmer weather please could all the children bring in plain water in a named bottle, sun hat and sun cream applied at home before school (when necessary).
Labelling – please continue to make sure all clothes are clearly labelled with your child’s name. Please also relabel if you have hand-me-downs from other families!
Forest School – we will continue to visit the wood every other Friday this term. It will be a privilege to watch how the wood changes from the Spring into Summer and play in the magical cow parsley that often grows taller than the children! Our dates are:
Friday 28th April, Friday 12th May, Friday 26th May, Friday 16th June, Friday 30th June, Friday 14th July.
We hope to invite parents and younger siblings to one of our later sessions. More details nearer the time!
Please do continue do use Tapestry to follow your child’s learning journey but all messages and queries must go via the school office please. Remember, the children love to share their Tapestry news and photos with the class from the big screen.
Useful Dates:
Forest School – Friday 28th April, Friday 12th May, Friday 26th May, Friday 16th June, Friday 30th June, Friday 14th July.
3rd May – Bag 2 School
5th May – Coronation Party
Wc 15th May – Science / Eco Week
23rd May – Trip to Wire Farm, Chrishall – parents to transport
16th June – Reception Class Assembly (parents invited)
19th June – Sports Day
7th July – Tray Day
17th July – Class Swap – children visit new teacher and classroom during the morning.
21st July – end of term
Best wishes to you all and looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Alison Course and Wendy Berrett
