WELCOME TO RECEPTION

Class Teacher: Miss Normanton
Teaching Assistant: Clare Duck

Here is some useful information about this half term and an overview of what we will be learning about! Please see the documents at the bottom of this page to see our Long Term Plan and a timetable of a typical week in Reception.

Transport

Our topic is ‘Transport’ and we will be looking at different kinds of transport from the past and present. Later this half term, our topic will change more towards Christmas! PE continues on a Thursday, please make sure children have a NAMED kit in school and also come to school in trainers.

Maths:

This half term, we will be learning about:

• The numbers 4, 5 and 6
• Measures – estimate, order, compare and discuss length
• Shape – describe and sort 2D shapes

Literacy:

Our focus books this half term are going to be Room on the Broom, Bonfire Night Poem, Whatever Next, The Jolly Christmas Postman and The Christmas Story.

We will be learning the following phonics sounds:

• ‘ck’ as in duck
• ‘e’ as in egg
• ‘u’ as in umbrella
• ‘r’ as in rabbit
• ‘h’ as in hat
• ‘b’ as in bone
• ‘f’ as in fish
• ‘ff’ as in cuff
• ‘l’ as in lion
• ‘ll’ as in hill
• ‘le’ as in bottle
• ‘ss’ as in dress

Understanding the World:

Festivals and Celebrations

• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in the country drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class (Diwali, Christmas, Bonfire Night).

Transport

• Discuss how they have travelled to school and what mode of transport they used.
• Introduce children to different transport.
• Use bee-bots and simple maps.
• Encourage navigational language.
• Introduce children to significant figures who have been to space and begin to understand that these events happened before they were born.
• Look at modes of transport from the past and compare with how they look different today.
• Use the Jolly Postman to draw information from a map and understand how maps are important to those delivering post.

Circle time:

We will be looking at how to be a good friend, share and take turns. We will talk about how to deal with anger, develop self-confidence and build respectful relationships. Children will also celebrate the differences between them.

Parental involvement:

• Bradley Bear and the Snuggle Pack will continue to be sent home every Friday (to be returned on Mondays).
• We will start a fortnightly Show and Share session, where you can send in a photo and some information, and children can tell their friends about it. We will have a focus for this and it will be set on Dojo as a task on your child’s portfolio.
• In this half term, children will start receiving reading books along with their reading record. Please try and read as much as possible at home, then sign your child's reading record with a comment afterwards. It is really useful to know if your child has struggled ith certain sounds in their book at home. We will change the reading books when they have been finished.
• In the last week of this half term, you will be invited to come and watch our Nativity performance!

Important dates:

Here are your ‘dates for the diary’ this half term. If there is anything added, I will let you know. I will also start to put more things on Dojo once we have the majority of parents signed up.

• Monday 4^th November – Training day for staff, school closed to children
• Tuesday 5^th November – School back open to children
• Tuesday 12^th November – Individual school photos
• Thursday 14th November - Phonics Parents' Evening
• Friday 6^th December – Flu vaccinations
• Thursday 12^th December – Children height/weight check
• Friday 13^th December – Jolly Christmas Postman zoom call
• Saturday 14^th December – School Christmas Fair
• Wednesday 18^th December – Reception Christmas Performance
• Friday 20^th December – Last day of this half term

Useful links to help learning:

• Oxford Owl - This is a fantastic website to support your child's reading and phonics! I will send children home with a login for this on the first week back after half term. Oxford Owl - Student Log in
• Dojo/Tapestry - Regularly log into these apps to see updates on your child's learning in school and things they have been getting up to. You can also upload things to your child's portfolio area on Dojo if there's anything special they would like to share!