We have had a fantastic week in Reception, filled with excitement and learning!

A special thank you to Scarlett's nanny for being our secret reader today. The children absolutely loved listening to your story. If you haven’t had the chance yet, I encourage you to sign up as a secret reader at the office. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share your favourite stories with the class and foster a love for reading in our little ones.

Today also marked our first badge day, and I want to extend a massive congratulations to all the children who have earned their first Chilton badge! We are so proud of their achievements and can see how motivated they are to learn and grow.

Children have continued spending time in the forest school, where they immersed themselves in the fascinating world of bird watching.

This week, our little explorers ventured into the beautiful surroundings of the forest, keenly observing a variety of local birds. Equipped with bird finders and binoculars, they learned to identify different species and took great joy in spotting them in their natural habitats. It was truly a sight to behold as their faces lit up with excitement every time they spotted a fluttering wing or heard a cheerful chirp!

To further enhance their learning, the children engaged in some creative activities, drawing the birds they had seen. This hands-on experience not only nurtured their artistic skills but also helped reinforce their understanding of the diverse bird species around us.

RWI

It has been wonderful to see how engaged and enthusiastic the children are about their learning! The end goal for our Reception class is to help them become speedy readers, and we are making fantastic progress. A key aspect of this journey involves the strategy of ‘Fred Talking’. This technique allows children to sound out unfamiliar words, breaking them down into smaller, manageable parts.

As children become more confident and start recognising words, we encourage them to transition to 'Fred in your head', which is a silent way of using Fred Talking in their minds. This stage acts as a bridge to achieving fluent reading, enabling them to read more swiftly and with greater comprehension.

We kindly ask for your continued support at home by encouraging your child to read daily. Sharing stories or playing with words at home not only reinforces what they learn in school but also fosters a love of reading that will benefit them throughout their education.

Maths

This week, we have been focusing on recalling our number bonds within 5, which is a fundamental concept that lays the foundation for all future mathematical understanding.

The children have been working hard to remember these essential number pairs, such as 1 and 4 makes 5, 2 and 2 makes 4, and 2 and 1 makes 3. Through engaging games and interactive activities, we have encouraged them to verbalise these bonds, and I am pleased to say that many are becoming quite confident in recalling them!

To further enhance their learning, we've introduced a written component where the children can express these number bonds as calculations, such as 2 + 3 = 5. This step not only reinforces their understanding of addition but also seamlessly leads into our exploration of subtraction. We’ve shown them that if they know 2 and 3 make 5, they can also easily determine that 5 - 3 equals 2. This connection is vital and forms an important part of their mathematical journey.

To support their learning, we’ve been using Numicon, a fantastic resource that helps children visualise number bonds and understand how numbers relate to each other. Numicon's shapes provide a tactile experience, making learning fun and engaging!

Next week we will be learning about shapes.

Thematic

This week, we dove into the enchanting story of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'.

This delightful tale not only entertains but also serves as a fantastic gateway to discussing the lifecycle of a butterfly. During our sessions, the children enthusiastically learned new vocabulary such as eggs, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. We explored each stage of this transformation, discussing the remarkable changes that occur as the caterpillar matures into a beautiful butterfly. This is being reinforced by our class caterpillars which are currently in their chrysalis phase.

In addition to the lifecycle, we also had a wonderful time exploring healthy and unhealthy foods featured in the story. The children were eager to share their thoughts about the different foods, and it was a delight to see their willingness to try some of these foods themselves. This hands-on experience helped reinforce our discussions about healthy eating, inspiring them to think about their own food choices.

PSHE

This week we have continued to explore our similarities and differences, as well as what makes each of us unique. This theme has encouraged our children to be more understanding and appreciative of one another, reinforcing the idea that if we were all the same, life would indeed be rather dull!

We have been embracing our differences with enthusiasm, and I’m thrilled to share with you our mantra: "Be here, be you, belong." This philosophy has been at the heart of our discussions and activities, allowing each child to feel valued and included in our classroom community.

As part of this exploration, the children had the wonderful opportunity to decorate their very own puzzle piece. Each unique piece not only reflects their individual personalities but also represents how we all come together to create a beautiful and diverse community. Once completed, these pieces will be assembled into a large artwork that symbolises our unity in diversity. We believe that this visual representation will serve as a lovely reminder of our journey together.

Important messages

- Please ensure your child comes to school ready for the weather. As it has been hot, we will need sunhats and suncream (named and in bags).

-Please ensure your child comes to school with a water bottle.

-All clothing should have your child's name.

- Reading record books are changed every Tuesday and Friday, please sign the record and put them in the basket to be changed. 

Important dates

12th-15th May – Year 6 SATs week

15th May – Year 1 class assembly 2.50-3.05

16th May – Year 6 trip to London

19th May – Year 5 CAT tests this week

19th May – Year 6 to Elev8

20th May – Year 6 to Boonies

21st May – Year 6 to Ramsgate Tunnels

21st May – Reception Viking Games at RAPS

21st May – Year 4 class assembly 2.50-3.05

22nd May – Key Stage One Viking Games at Chilton

23rd May – Be here, Be you, Belong celebration. Children can come to school wearing anything they feel represents them as part of our ‘Dress to Express’ day. We will have a parade at 2pm on the field to celebrate this, to which our families are all invited.

Many thanks for your continued support.

From the reception team