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Dear Parents,
Firstly, we would like to say how impressed we have been with the children since they have started with us. They have all settled into school life amazingly!
Our topic for this first term is ‘Once Upon a Time’. We will be spending time exploring some familiar stories such as ‘The 3 Little Pigs’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Alongside this, we will be working on number recognition and formation. We will also be developing our foundation understanding of letters and sounds.
Our key stories this term are ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’
The boxes below explain briefly the areas we will be looking at and some of the work we will be doing which will be incorporated through play and teacher focused activities.
Home Learning
We encourage children to continue their learning at home which will enhance their progress at school. There will be a meeting on Wednesday 19th September 2.45pm in the learning zone, to discuss home learning, reading and phonics. We will then send home phonic reading books following the meeting.
Phonics – If you are supporting you child with their phonics at home please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ksblMiliA8 to ensure you are teaching the pronunciation of the sounds in the same way. There is also a link to the jolly phonic songs below.
As the year progresses and children’s understanding develops, home learning tasks will adapt and increase appropriately.
| Reading | Please read with your child regularly. At this stage it is really helpful to encourage the children to use the pictures to tell stories.
We change the children’s Home Reading books regularly. Their books and book bags will however be needed in school every day for 1:1 reading. Each child has their own reading record book, where there is a page in the reading record for each week, we ask that you initial whenever you read with your child at home or make notes as appropriate. In school, we have our own record keeping systems and teachers/TAs will not write in these home records. It is expected in our school reading policy that the children should read at home at least three times a week. If the children achieve their ‘three reads’ they will receive a raffle ticket. The reading records will be checked and raffle tickets given on a Friday and entered into a draw which will be held in the following week’s celebration assembly. More information about our reading strategies will be given at the reading and phonics meeting on Wednesday 19th September. |
| Letters & Sounds | Every week the children will bring home the sounds they have been working on in the week. In their home learning book, the children can practice these sounds by writing them, finding words that start with them and cutting pictures out of catalogues.
It would be really useful to support the children in identifying these sounds when reading with them.
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Quick Notes
- Please can you make sure your child brings in a water bottle and their book bag each day.
- Can the children please always bring a coat particularly as the British weather is unpredictable.
- Our regular PE day is Wednesday but PE kits should be in all week as we fit in other sessions where possible.
Useful websites
- www.phonicsplay.co.uk – Phase 2 – phonics games and activities.
- www.topmarks.co.uk – Early Years maths and phonics games.
- www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/eyfs – Games and activities for all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
We hope you all have a lovely first term supporting the children in their learning and please do not hesitate to come and speak to us if you have any questions.
Thank you for your support.
Miss Denney and Mrs Smith