Thank you so much for your efforts with our Dress to Express day. The children were so excited to share what they had chosen to wear, confidently speaking in front of the class. We have reached the mid-point in the term, and wish you a restful weekend. 

RWI

This week, we have been continuing our journey with the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme, focusing on our Set 1 sounds.

In our sessions, we have particularly emphasised the importance of oral blending. This activity helps the children become more aware of the sounds in words, allowing them to hear and say them more clearly. It is a vital skill that lays the foundation for their reading and writing development. You could try this at home for example asking your child to put on their c-oa-t. Do they hear that you are asking them to put on their coat?

Additionally, we have started ‘Word Time,’ where children are beginning to build simple words using the sounds we have learnt. This stage is crucial as it enables the children to understand how sounds can be combined to form words. If you would like to support your child’s progress at home, you could practice building words with them using the sounds we have covered. For example, ask them to create words like 'cat' using the sounds c, a, and t.

Yellow sound books will be coming home every Friday, please use these to practice our sounds this week.

Maths

This week we have continued to develop children’s understanding of subitising and have been focusing particularly on comparing groups.

The children have been using the words more, fewer and equal to compare different groups of objects. We have also been exploring groups arranged in different ways from the familiar patterns on a dice. Some arrangements can make numbers more challenging to subitise, so we have been encouraging the children to look carefully and recognise the total number of objects.

Next week, we will begin our learning about comparison

Thematic

We have recently concluded our fantastic 'Marvellous Me' topic, and what a wonderful week it has been.

Throughout our sessions, the children have embarked on a creative journey where we explored self-portraits, delved into the world of colours, and learned how to mix primary to make secondary colours. It was delightful to see the budding artists experiment with their palettes, bringing their own interpretations to life.

As part of our exploration, we learned about the inspiring artist Yayoi Kusama, who is renowned for her vibrant use of colour and distinctive patterns. The children truly enjoyed discussing her work and drawing inspiration from her bright, optimistic style.

To wrap up our theme, we celebrated our 'Dress to Express' day, where the children had the opportunity to showcase their individual styles. It was heartening to see them speak confidently about their outfit choices, expressing their personalities and creativity.

Next week we will begin our Superheroes topic. 

Important Messages:

• We are in need of some items for junk modelling in reception. If you have any recycling which is suitable to bring in eg carboard boxes, plastic bottles, clean yoghurt pots, please could you bring them in to school.

• Forest school sessions have started. Please could all children have a pair of named wellies in school for these sessions.

• PE will start next week and will be on a Thursday, please can your child come in to school wearing their PE kit on this day.

• Please could all children have a named water bottle in school everyday.

• Please ensure that all clothes are named.

Key Dates for Term 1:

6th October – Harvest Festival for Reception at 9am and year 3 at 2.45pm

7th October - Harvest Festival for Year 2 at 9am and year 1 at 2.45pm

8th October - Harvest Festival for Year 4 at 9am and year 5 and 6 at 2.45pm

15th October – Kent Test Results out to parents

23rd October – Halloween Disco – All children come to school in fancy dress. Year 1, 2 and 3 Disco from 2pm-3pm and year 4, 5 and 6 disco from 3.15-4.15

23rd October – Final day of term

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:

kirby.walker@chiltonprimary.co.uk

maddy.kennedy@chiltonprimary.co.uk

kirsty.rockenbauer@chiltonprimary.co.uk

We hope you have a great weekend!

Reception Team