What a busy but wonderful week we have had in Reception! There has been so much happening I’m not quite sure where to start…!

We have been actors, narrators, writers, artists, inventors and much much more. The children have such a thirst for learning and it’s fantastic to see them working together as a team, sharing their knowledge and learning from each other. The children have also loved sharing these experiences during our first two stay and play sessions. Thank you so much for coming along and getting involved in our play (I think tambourines will be on grown up's Christmas lists this year!).

We really hope you enjoyed the afternoons and we look forward to welcoming more grown ups next week!

What have we been learning this week…

Phonics: This week, as well as reviewing all of our previously learnt sounds, we have introduced the sounds sh (we call ‘sh’ special friends, two letters that make one sound), r, j and v. We have focused on the sound that the letter makes, writing the letter using the correct formation and suggesting / reading words with this initial sound. We have also been doing lots of Fred Talk so we can hear the sounds within words (e.g. h-a-t = hat).

Maths Mastery: This week we have continued with our focus on comparison by using language such as more than and fewer than to compare amounts. (‘Fewer than’ is used rather than ‘less than’ because the focus is on countable things). The children have become more confident using this language in full sentences and building on their understanding by explaining how they know. There have been some wonderful discussions e.g. “Pat has fewer than Sam because Sam has 6 and Pat only has 5 and I know that 5 is one less that 6”.

Language & Communication and Literacy: This week we have been narrators and actors and in particular, we have enjoyed the story of ‘The Enormous Turnip’. To help us learn the story, we drew a story map and thought of some actions. We enjoyed acting out the story and used exciting expression and story telling voices to bring it to life! Can you teach the story to your grown ups at home?

Personal Social Emotional Development and Understanding the world: We have already had some lovely family pictures which we have displayed in our home corner. These have sparked some wonderful discussions and the children are really enjoying sharing these special memories with each other. If you would be happy for us to display a family photograph in our classroom please send one to s.hartley@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk. If you have already shared a family photo for the pick up list and would be happy for us to use that, please let us know via email.

Curriculum Evening

On Thursday 17th November at 6pm, we will be welcoming both parents and children into school for a Curriculum Evening where there will be a variety of interactive stations around school for you to engage with. These activities will share information regarding aspects of our curriculum, our school’s virtues and Read Write Inc Phonics.

This will be a wonderful evening and an exciting opportunity for you to learn more about our schools curriculum and how we can work together to support your child throughout their learning journey. We are really looking forward to coming together as a whole school community once again to share how we promote that love of learning in the children.

We hope you can make it!

Let’s Celebrate!

Determined Sadie Spider: Aubree
Aubree, you have blown us away with your determination this week, especially in Phonics. You have remembered all of our new sounds (very speedily!) and did not give up even when you found the letter formation tricky. You’re doing so well with our Fred Talk as well, listening carefully to all of the sounds in our words. Its wonderful to see how much you are enjoying learning to read.
Well done Aubree, keep up this fantastic determination!

Brave Tommy Turtle: Leo P
Leo, you have been such a brave learner in Phonics this week and you have tried really hard with your letter formation. You have not been afraid to make mistakes because you have seen just how much you can achieve when you practise. It was wonderful to see you beaming with pride when you realised what you could do and we were incredibly proud too.
Well done for being a brave learner; always believe in yourself Leo!

Important Notices & Polite Reminders:

On Friday 18th November we are having a pyjama day to raise money for Brian House who support children in need in our local area. Children can come to school in pyjama’s and trainers and we kindly ask that they bring a £1 donation which will be given to Brian House.
As explained in a previous message sent out by the school, Stuart Robinson will now be joining us in school on the morning of Wednesday 16th November for our sport session.
Reading Books - Polite reminder that reading packets and books must be brought to school each day so we can read with the children in school. Thank you for your support with reading at home, it is really important that they have regular opportunities to read and build on these skills.
School Bags - Now that we need extra layers and winter coats, our cloakroom area is beginning to get quite full! Please could you only send in one school bag, ideally this should be the blue school bags as these fit in the trays leaving space on the pegs for coats etc. If keyrings on bags could be limited to one, it is easier for them to fit in trays. Independence is a huge part of Reception and having fewer items makes things much easier for them to be independent; thank you for your understanding and support.
Outside Provision and Play - We use our outside classroom throughout the day and as the weather is getting colder, children will need warm coats, hats, and wellies. Please make sure these are clearly labelled to avoid getting lost.

As always, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact via email - s.hartley@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk

Have a wonderful weekend,
God bless,

The Reception Team