Home Communication Letter - Autumn

19^th September 2018,

Dear Parents/Carers of children in Reception class,

The children have made a super start to their time in Northleach School. They are all trying very hard and I’m proud of them all: I’m sure you are too.

Topic: Our first topic is going to be ‘Once Upon a Time’ where our work will be based on different traditional tales including The Little Red Hen and The Gingerbread Man. We will be cooking various goodies so please inform me about any food allergies your child may have if we’ve not already discussed this.

Our science activities will involve exploring our outdoor spaces around school finding out about changes in our environment and finding out about opposites. We will be spending lots of time outdoors, especially in the garden, so please can we have a coat every day and if your child has a spare pair of wellies that they could keep in school we would be very grateful. (We do have some spare pairs available for the children to borrow so please don’t buy any specially)

In R.E. we will be thinking about who Christians believe made the world, Harvest and of course Jesus’ birth at Christmas.

Literacy: We are already making good progress with learning the sounds that letters make in words. I hope that you are enjoying using the Sound Book and the Pairs Game with your child; please keep the Sound Book in the book bag when not being used, but the Pairs Game is for you to use and keep at home (there will eventually be 7 games altogether). We have started practising blending the sounds for reading and will soon be learning how to segment words into separate sounds for spelling. The children are learning how to hold a pencil effectively and will learn how to form letters correctly. They are choosing and bringing home a book each day that is marked with a J; these are for you to read to your child; the leaflet we have already distributed, ‘Reading is Fun,’ will give you suggestions as to when and how to use these books successfully. Later in the term the children will start to bring home a second book each day that they can read to you and will be matched to their reading ability. I’m enjoying reading your comments in the red Home Communication books. Thank you for taking the time to fill these in as the information it can provide is very valuable. I would also please encourage you to let me know about achievements your child makes out of school (in a similar way to the WOW vouchers used at playgroup e.g. if they do well at swimming lessons or learn how to do something new at home). Thank you also for the beautiful green Starting School Scrapbooks. I’ve really enjoyed sharing them with the children.

Maths: This term the children will be learning to say and use the number names in order, to count reliably, to compare groups of items so that they can say which has ‘more’ or ‘less’, to sort items into sets, and know some language of shape, size and length. After half term I will be introducing a ‘lending library’ of maths games; the children will each be able to choose a game to play at home. Games are chosen on Friday each week and should be returned to school on the following Wednesday. Please feel free to use the Communication Book to comment on your child’s level of enjoyment and success with the games as well as their reading experiences.

P.E: Our scheduled days for PE are a Monday and a Friday but it is useful to have the kits every day. I’ll send them home each half term for a wash and freshen up. You can also check sizing then too.

Just a few more messages:

Children have an opportunity if they wish, to share things during (‘Show and Tell’) on a Monday afternoon. Children are able to share things they have achieved out of school (e.g. pictures they have drawn, certificates they’ve received etc.) or topic/work related items. No toys please. You can imagine how long it would take to look at a classful of Paw Patrol puppies, Ninja Turtles or dinosaurs!

Please hand letters straight to the office. We don’t check book-bags every day and it ensures information reaches the right place far faster.

Please make sure your child has a water bottle in school each day. We’d be grateful if water bottles weren’t put in book-bags. They have a bad habit of leaking and we have already had to throw away reading books due to water damage this term.

A reminder that once your child turns five, milk is no longer provided free of charge. If you would like your child to continue receiving milk each day, you’ll need to pay via the website you first registered with.

I look forward to seeing you at a Parents’ Information Evening on Tuesday 9^th October at 6pm where I can explain more about your child’s day and how you can help them with their learning at home. I’ll also let you be a fly on the wall by showing you photos of your child and what they get up to.  Parents’ Evenings are a week later on Tuesday 16^th and Thursday 18^th October. Please don’t feel you have to wait til then if you have any concerns or questions. I’m available each morning and afternoon on the playground.

Thank you so much for your support,

Mrs Liz Bradley