Weekly News! 23.10.26
We have come to the end of our very first term in Reception and what a term it has been! We cannot believe how beautifully the children have settled into school life and how they are flourishing more and more each day. We are so proud of everything they have achieved so far, from making new friends and growing in confidence to embracing all the exciting challenges that Reception brings. What a super first term!
RWI
Our sounds of the week have been w, sh, z, th and x. The children have been working incredibly hard to recognise these sounds and practise saying them clearly. We have also continued to develop our oral blending skills, using Fred Talk to help us hear individual sounds and blend them together to make words. For example, when Fred says c-a-t, we listen carefully to each sound before blending them together to say cat. The children are becoming much more confident at listening carefully and jumping in with the word!
We have continued Word Time, where the children are beginning to use their growing phonics knowledge to build and read simple words. It has been lovely watching them recognise sounds they already know and begin putting them together to read words independently. These little steps are so important as the children begin their reading journey, and we are incredibly proud of the effort they are putting into their learning.
You can continue supporting your child at home by practising Fred Talk with simple words such as p-i-n, l-e-g and d-o-g. Try saying the sounds slowly and encouraging your child to blend them together to work out the word. You could even have a little game while getting dressed, eating breakfast or walking to school. Can they work out what Fred is trying to say? Remember, little and often is a great way to build confidence!
Our yellow sound books will be coming home on Friday, so please enjoy practising our sounds together over the weekend. Thank you for your continued support with phonics at home.
Let's Get Reading!
Today, your child will be coming home with their very own reading record and reading book. There is a leaflet inside to explain everything you need to know, including how you can support your child with their reading at home. If you have any further questions, please refer to the website or email your child's class teacher.
Reading books will be changed on Tuesdays and Fridays. This routine gives the children opportunities to reread familiar books, helping them to develop fluency, confidence and a deeper understanding of what they are reading. Pop your child's reading book and reading record in the designated basket outside the classroom when they are ready to be changed. This helps us to identify which books need changing.
Maths
In maths this week, we have continued to develop our counting skills but we have introduced a little extra challenge! The children have been exploring how we can count things that we cannot physically touch. This has encouraged us to think carefully about what we can see and hear, rather than relying on moving objects or touching each one as we count.
We have been counting moving objects by carefully tracking them with our eyes, making sure that we keep track of each object and do not count anything twice. We have also been counting sounds, listening carefully and remembering to count each sound one at a time. This is a super way to develop the children's concentration, attention and understanding that counting can happen in lots of different ways.
The children have been learning that careful listening and looking are just as important as saying our number names in the correct order. We have been encouraging everyone to take their time, focus carefully and think about how they know how many objects or sounds they have counted.
Thematic Learning – Recycling Superheroes!
A huge thank you for all the lovely pictures you sent in of the children recycling at home. It has been wonderful to see the different ways our families are helping to look after our planet, and the children have loved sharing their experiences with their friends!
This week, we have been exploring the story 'Michael Recycle' and discovering how we can all make a difference by looking after our environment. Inspired by our story, we transformed ourselves into recycling superheroes! We have been learning all about different materials and practising sorting them into the correct recycling bins. The children have been fantastic at looking carefully at the items in front of them, thinking about what they are made from and deciding where they belong.
We have also taken our learning beyond the classroom by going litter picking and helping to clean up our environment. The children were brilliant at spotting litter and thinking about why it is important to put rubbish in the bin rather than leaving it on the ground. We talked about how litter can affect the places where we live and play, as well as the animals that share our world.
It has been lovely to see the children beginning to understand that we can all play a part in protecting our planet. Whether it is recycling at home, putting rubbish in the bin or looking after the spaces around us, even the smallest actions can make a big difference. We are so proud of our little recycling superheroes and the care they have shown towards our world!
Dates to Remember
2nd November – Staff Development day, children not in school
2nd November – Secondary School Application Deadline
3rd November – School begins for children at usual time
3rd – 11th November – Poppies on sale in school
3rd, 4th, 5th November – Parent teacher consultations
4th November – Year 6 swimming begins (every Wednesday up to and including 9th December)
11th November – Children can wear service uniform to school
13th November – Reception Come Dine with me
13th November – World Kindness Day and Children in Need day. Wear something yellow and/or spotty to school
16th November – Individual and sibling school photos
18th November – Reception and year 6 height and weight check
20th November – Year 1 and 6 Come Dine with me
25th November – Year 4 to Maidstone Museum
27th November – Year 2 and 5 Come Dine with me
30th November – Book fair in school this week
4th December – Year 3 and 4 Come Dine with me
4th December – Year 5 Pantomime (year 5 to be collected at 4.20pm)
9th December – Christmas Fair from 3.15pm-4.15pm
11th December – Reception Nativity at 9am in school hall
14th December – Year 1 Nativity at 9am in school hall
15th December – Year R, 1 and 2 Party Day. Non-school uniform for these children
15th December – Year 3 and 4 Christmas Church performance at 10am and year 5 and 6 Christmas Church performance at 2pm
16th December – Year 2 Nativity at 9am in school hall
16th December – Party day for year 3, 4, 5 and 6. Non-school uniform for these children.
17th December – School Christmas Dinner and all children to wear Christmas jumpers to school (please note children to wear usual school uniform, but a Christmas jumper, rather than a school jumper/cardigan)
18th December – Last day of school. School to finish at 2pm. No after school club on this day.
Love to Learn
Our Love to Learn books will be coming home today. These are a lovely opportunity for the children to share their learning with you and continue developing their skills at home. Please make sure that Love to Learn books are returned to school by 18th November so that we can continue with our next activities.
We hope you all have a wonderful, restful half term and enjoy some special time together. Make the most of the little moments, have lots of fun and we hope the children come back ready for another exciting term full of learning, laughter and new adventures!
