Author: Marcella Towner

This week we will be starting on our topic of summer. The children will talk and learn about the changes that take place. They will also discuss the differences to the other seasons that we have already learned about. We will go on a walk of the school site looking for signs of summer. When out and about with your child talk about the signs of summer they see.

This week in Phonics the children will be assessed against all of the sounds they have been taught so far as well as how they can segment and blend words to read. Continue to go through the daily with your child and hear them read every day. Below are some videos to assist and practice blending.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/d4tEZDtC/pAcX0MdQ

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/WaDjWvzO/D9XyGQsw

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/49cHb8Ih/vCgmKJBj

This week the children will consolidate their learning on finding and making doubles. The children will be encouraged to double numbers but also to say what number has been doubled, by finding the inverse. Drawing on knowledge of even and odd sharing from the previous small step, children may recall that all doubles are even numbers, as they are made up of two equal groups.

The children had great fun on their sponsored wheels day on Friday. They loved cycling/ scooting/ pushing their prams around the playground and also made lots of noise cheering their friends on. Thank you for all of the generous sponsorship money which we will be using to purchase resources for the children to use in continuous provision. We will update you in the Friday focus when we have purchased the equipment. If you have any outstanding sponsorship money then please send it in as soon as possible and we will update you with the total in the focus.

Hopefully the sun will shine over the next few weeks. Please remember to apply sun cream to your child in the morning and send them in with a sun hat so they can be protected while outside.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

Welcome back, we hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable half term break. We are set for a busy term over the next few weeks with the children finishing their Reception year, assessing against the Early Learning Goals, Sports day and getting ready for their transition to Year 1. We will be talking a lot about the move to Year 1 and will be doing some transition work to help them to prepare for the move. It would be a good idea to begin to talk about this with your child so they can start to prepare for moving to a new year group.

Due to last half term being so short and us missing a week of Read Write Inc due to Year 6 SAT’s the children will not be assessed for another two weeks. Continue to hear your child daily either with their book bag book or their on line book and quiz. Continue to go through the sounds that can be found at the front of the online book. Encourage your child to read each book several times until they are reading it fluently. Below are some extra practice videos.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/nw24Acx8/4Wz2rBMh

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/wKrJBlPT/NJkdJDA9

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/JhGaM0Z8/CHDPeYb2

This week the children will begin to develop an understanding of sharing. They will investigate what sharing is and describe equal sharing as fair and unequal sharing as unfair. Within this block, we explore sharing and grouping, which are both different methods of division. Sharing involves dividing a set equally between a certain number of groups. Grouping involves dividing a set by placing a certain number of items in each group. . Children may remember from previous steps the concepts of even and odd numbers relating to this.

As we now head into the summer, please make sure your child comes to school each day for the varied British weather. Children should come into school each day with a water bottle containing only water, a sun hat and a waterproof jacket with a hood (even on hot sunny days). Sun cream should be applied before your child comes in to school. We recommend applying an all day sun cream as staff are not permitted to apply sun cream to your child. If you wish your child to reapply sun cream then please teach them how to do this themselves and discuss only needing a small amount.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

We will be continuing on with our topic of Healthy Me this week where the children will be learning about different ways to keep healthy. They will be learning about healthy and unhealthy foods and how we need exercise to keep our bodies healthy. This is a perfect opportunity to enhance this learning at home by getting your child to try healthy foods at home and make healthy choices. Talk about what they are eating and get them to identify if the food is healthy or not. Please also remember that the children’s water bottles should only contain water and not squash, as this is not healthy for their teeth.

This week RCG will be practicing for their class assembly after the half term break. Please look out for details in the Friday focus.

The children will be back in their phonics groups this week. They will be continuing to learn new sounds or recap over previously taught sounds. Continue to go through the flashcards at home and put sounds together to make words with 4 and 5 sound. Please return the reading book on Wednesday that was sent home with your child. Remember to sign the diary each time you hear your child read. Below are some videos to watch for extra practice.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/izVFvU6y/wr2JvsSD

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/BJree72q/SZztyDt7

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/zOwdzth2/ASnVGO2n

This week in Math’s, children will build on the learning from previous steps by now manipulating shapes. Children will explore moving, turning, rotating and flipping shapes to fit into the spaces provided. In this small step, tangram pieces are introduced for the first time. The children will explore the tangram shapes in open-ended activities before moving on to using these in adult-led tasks. Below are some songs about number bonds and doubles that the children enjoy signing and help with their number facts.

We break up for the half term holidays on Friday 23rd May. Enjoy the break and we look forward to seeing you after the break for the children’s final half term in Reception.

Enjoy your week and have a relaxing half term break,

The Reception Team

This week we will be beginning a topic on ‘Healthy Me’. The children will be learning about different ways to stay healthy including exercising, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and looking after our own mental health. The children will understand what it means to be healthy and how they can make healthy choices. Please talk about staying healthy at home and help your child to make healthy choices.

RMT will be performing their class assembly on Wednesday 21st May. All RMT parents are invited to attend. It will take place in the school hall at 8.55 am. We look forward to seeing you there.

Read Write Inc phonics will be cancelled in school next week due to support staff being needed for Year 6 SAT’s. The children will still have a phonics lesson each day and will be heard to read by a member of staff. There will be no online work set but your child will be bringing home a book that is at their phonic level. Please continue to read at home each night and sign the diary.

In this small step, children build on their understanding as they explore the change structure of subtraction by taking away. Children will have experience of taking away objects in everyday life and this is built on by focusing on taking away more than 1 object. The focus is on decreasing a quantity by a given amount, while continuing to work within 10 Encourage children to use real objects to see that the quantity of a group can be changed by taking some away. Children will remove the items and then count or subitise to see how many are left. The ‘first, then, now’ structure is an effective way to help build their understanding by creating mathematical stories in meaningful contexts, using ten frames, number tracks and their fingers.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will continue with our topic of superheroes. This week we will be focusing on the qualities of a superhero and how we can all be superheroes in the way that we act and behave. The children will learn about real life superheroes and we will learn about Florence Nightingale and why she is considered a superhero. On Friday we are asking the children to dress up as a superhero. They can come in wearing a costume they already have or can come in representing a superpower such as spreading happiness and wear yellow, or sparkle power and wear sequins. Please do not go out and buy a costume specifically for the day. Talk with your child about their power so they can talk about it in school.

Last week the children started in their new phonic groups and have been working hard to learn new sounds. Continue to read with your child at home every evening and sign their diary each time. Your child will also have a book and quiz set online on Oxford Owl that they need to complete. Below are some extra videos for practice at home.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/bQH7253c/QeCHrdQP

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/3zxhlGKK/X1AE0Q6c

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/vgXUffo9/QszyT7MY

This week in Math’s the children will be looking at numbers to 20 and counting, demonstrating a knowledge of the number one more and one less. They will also use the language of First, Next, Then to tell addition sums. They will use pictures/ toys to tell a simple addition story e.g. First there were 2 frogs on the log. Then 2 more frogs came on the log. Then there were 4 frogs on the log.

The children enjoyed the lovely summer weather last week and spent a lot of time outside. We noticed that a large number of children are not coming into school with the right protection. Please apply sun cream to your child before they come to school and provide them with sun cream that they can reapply themselves during the day. If they struggle with this then it may be worth applying an 8 hr cream so they are protected for the day. Children should also come into school with a named sunhat and a refillable bottle of water (not juice). Children should also come into school with a waterproof jacket with a hood so that they have it available should the weather change. Thank you for your help and support with this in helping to keep your child safe in the sun.

On Wednesday 21st May RMT will be performing their class assembly to parents. Please come to the school hall for 8.50 on the day.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

Welcome back! we hope you had a lovely Easter break and had the opportunity for a rest. This coming half term is a short one, so we have lots to try and squeeze in before we break up in May. The children will be working hard over the next few weeks and we often find this is the time of the year where their learning really starts to make an impact and they will show how much they have learned and what they can do. I’m sure you will be noticing this too. We have parents evenings on the 6th and 7th of May. please make sure you book your appointment slot. All details have been outlined in the Friday focus.

The children were assessed before the Easter break and will be starting in their new phonic groups this week. The majority of children have made great progress and will be starting on a new book colour. If your child is on the same colour as before the break then they need more practice at this stage. Please make sure you read with your child every night, do the online work set and go through the letter sounds that have previously been sent home. Below are some videos that you could watch with your child to further strengthen their phonic and reading knowledge.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/RM4pWyuq/HIGHnREz

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/UJubQhJY/bi15sCtX

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/qSwNVYZL/gCquTjf3

This week in Maths

This week we will be beginning our topic on ‘Superheroes’. The children will learn to recognise the qualities of a superhero and will start to think about how they can be superheroes in their everyday life. They will be joining superhero school and will complete some different superhero challenges every day to become a superhero. Maybe you could talk to your child about how they can be a superhero in the home and how they could help out.

Hopefully the weather will now start to warm up. We ask that you send your child into school with a sun hat and sun cream. These can stay in their bag so that they are there when they need them. Please apply sun cream before your child comes to school and if you wish them to reapply then please show them how to do this as staff are not permitted to do so. We also ask that you send a coat in every day as the British weather is very changeable. This can be a fold away rain mac and can stay in their bag but again will be there if they need it. Please tell your child that it is in their bag so that they know where to find it.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will continue learning about the celebration of Easter. The children will be involved in lots of Easter crafts and will be listening to different Easter stories. We will also have an egg and spoon race, an easter egg hunt and will be making chocolate Easter nests. The children will talk about all of the things they have learned about Easter and will talk about what they are looking forward to over the Easter break.

This week the children will be assessed on their reading and writing of sounds and words that they have been taught so far. They will then be assigned a new phonic group for after the holiday. We are looking for the children to recognise all of the sounds they have been taught so far and to be able to read these sounds in words.

This week we will be recapping shapes and their properties.

The children break up from school for two weeks on Friday. We hope you have a wonderful break and that you and your child get the opportunity to relax and recharge for the summer term. We will see you after the holiday for a short but busy half term

The Reception Team

This week we will be introducing the children to the celebration of Easter. We will talk about all of the other celebrations we have looked at and find out why Christians celebrate Easter. The children will learn about the Easter story as well as how people celebrate and will compare this to how other festivals are celebrated looking at similarities and differences. They will be involved in a range of Easter activities across the week and will also have the opportunity to taste hot cross buns!

This week will be the children’s last week of phonics before their next assessment. They will be tested on the sounds they have been taught as well as how they segment and blend these sounds to read words. Continue to practice all of the sounds sent home which can be found at the front of the online book and continue to read very night. Remember to log in to Oxford owl to do the reading activities on there also. Below are some additional videos to help support learning at home

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/fhjVkLxK/NpyEOCQV

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/TdXLGLna/XOHQDjWv

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/ZxcI7gPc/n0zpJOiC

This week in Maths, children will develop their conceptual subitising skills and start to recognise the groups in numbers to 10. Children use conceptual subitising to identify a whole quantity within 10 by subitising the smaller groups that make up that number. This skill will support children to develop mental images for addition and subtraction, which helps children to move away from counting on and counting back. You could prompt your child to recognise a number by grouping it into smaller sets and then saying each amount before confirming the whole number.

The children have all been given one ticket as an entry into the Easter chocolate raffle. If you would like to purchase extra tickets then please send in money in an envelope so that your child can purchase additional tickets. The draw will take place on the last day of term. Each ticket is 50p. Good luck!

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team

This week we will continue with our Spring topic and will be focusing on life cycles. The children will learn about the life cycles of a butterfly, frog and hen. The will understand how the process is a cycle and happens again over and over. When our and about encourage your child to look for signs of Spring and see if they can see any butterflies or frogs in the environment.

The children have all now been introduced to all of their set one sounds and many of them are learning their set two sounds. Continue to practice all of the sounds. These can be found at the front of the online reading book and your child has been sent home with a copy of all of the sounds. If you have misplaced the sounds then speak to your child’s class teacher so that they can print you off a new set. Continue to read and go through the sounds every night and remember to do the online activities on Oxford Owl if your child has log in details on the front of their diary. Below are some more blending activities for you to do with your child.

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/kt7qQb0O/rakiI09w

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/0B324Nge/orxunDVd

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/M6B6s559/yW4SjOmV

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/myUjkaAA/RIy6XiWW

This week the children will explore different representations of 9 and 10. As in previous blocks, the focus is on finding the representations rather than making them. they will match the verbal number names to numerals and quantities. The children will count to 10 using objects in different arrangements by touching each object as they count. They should recognise that the final number they say is the quantity in that set.

Key questions

• Where can you see 9/10?

• How many ways can you find 9/10?

• How many are there altogether?

The children are loving the resources in our creative area and are making some wonderful models. We are always in need of junk modelling materials. Please save us your recycling (no glass jars please) and send them in for the children to use in their model making.

Have a lovely week

The Reception Team