WOW! Thank you so much for coming to see our Christmas performance, and the children’s fantastic outfits! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

RWI

This week we have continued to focus on helping our children learn sounds, practice writing, and develop their reading skills. It’s wonderful to see the progress they are making, and we would like to highlight the importance of your involvement at home.

As part of our RWI sessions, we are concentrating on learning specific sounds and practicing writing and reading with those sounds. We also focus on letter formation using the patters, which helps the children develop their handwriting skills. Additionally, we are introducing “red words,” which are high-frequency words that do not follow standard phonetic rules. Reading at home plays a crucial role in reinforcing these skills, and we encourage you to read with your child regularly. Re-reading familiar texts is particularly beneficial, as it builds recognition and fluency, which are essential for their reading development.

Thank you for your continued support.

Maths

This we have been learning about repeating patterns. We have been recapping AB patterns and are now moving on to ABC patterns. The children have shown great enthusiasm in learning about the rules that govern these patterns.

During our lessons, we have discovered that there are three key components to the rules we need to follow when creating ABC patterns. The children have successfully identified these rules, continued existing patterns, and even created their own unique patterns. It has been wonderful to see some of the children spot mistakes in patterns and correct them, demonstrating their understanding and critical thinking skills.

Next week we will be completing some Christmas maths challenges.

Thematic

This week we have been learning about winter. We have been exploring various aspects of this fascinating season, including its characteristics, such as being the coldest season of the year, the hibernation habits of some animals, and the differences between evergreen and deciduous trees.

As part of our learning journey, the children created beautiful winter scenes featuring silhouettes of deciduous trees against moody backgrounds. We used blue paint to depict the skies, and the children experimented with adding white to create lighter tints, which brightened the blue. They also used black paint to add shades, enhancing the depth of their artwork. The creativity and enthusiasm displayed by the children during this project have been truly wonderful to witness.

Next week we will be learning about Christmas around the world.

Important information

Christmas Party

Starting in term 3, we will begin read at 3 on a Friday. This is where we invite you in to read with your child. We will be opening our doors at 3pm every Friday.

Important dates

15th December – No PE this week

16th December -Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Christmas Parties – children to wear Party Clothes to school

17th December – Christmas Dinner Day

18th December – Christmas Jumper Day

18th December – Final day at school; school finishes at 2pm and there will be no after school club

It is great that we are able to talk to families at the start and end of the day. If there is anything else you would like to share with us, please email:

nicki.cotton@chiltonprimary.co.uk

kirby.walker@chiltonprimary.co.uk

We hope you have a great week!

Reception Team