Home learning for half-term week...

Hello everyone! 

Reception have completed their first half-term in school and have really settled in to the routine of the day and the expectations that we have in school. Big well done! Please take the time to recharge the batteries over the week ready for the busy Christmas half-term. However, if you get a chance to do any home learning that would be great! Any practise with the group reading books/sound pots would be fantastic but there is also a list of possible ideas below. As always, these are not compulsory and are optional activities. We're always interested to see any work that is done at home so please continue to bring it in. Thank you to all parents/grandparents for the first half-term too - you have been very supportive. 

• Create a firework picture using crayons or paint. Using straws to blow paint around the page is fun. Alternatively, use painted hands. 
• Talk about keeping safe with fire and make a poster - we will be covering this in school when we return. 
• Make leaf faces (see picture above).
• See if you can find all the things on this Autumn checklist out and about:

1. Conker
2. Yellow leaf, 
3. Brown leaf
4. Red leaf
5. Pine cone
6. Berry
7. Squirrel
8. Bare tree

• Find out about Guy Fawkes.
• See how many 2D shapes you can see in your home; square, triangles etc.
• Talk about the picture below - we will be using this picture and others in school when we come back in inspire us in a 'Big Write'! 

Have a great half-term!

Reception team

Award assembly today. 22.10.15

Today we had our first of the year ‘Award assembly’. This is the assembly when we ask teachers and their teams to select children who they think have worked particularly hard during this first part of the year in subject areas; writing, reading, maths, ICT, Creative arts, PE and displaying our Citizenship qualities.  Some awards have a certificate and a trophy to keep for half a term! You may have found one of these when you got home!

For our Reception parents; the awards can stay at home with your child until we send a letter inviting it back in for our next ‘Award assembly’.

Happy half term everyone, we will see you all back on Tuesday 3^rd November!

Learning Journeys

Hi all,

This Thursday we will be sending children home with their old learning journeys - from Pre-school. These are for you to keep and share with children how you see fit. The learning journeys that we are currently using will be sent home at the beginning of next year (year 1). However, you are more than welcome to see your child's learning journey at any time - just come and ask and we'll get it out for you. We do have some mornings where we have them out on the tables instead of doing teddy jobs. 

Reception team

A visit from DMS year 5's

Hello everyone,

We were lucky enough to be visited by some DMS year 5 students today! They came down to read the reception children the stories that they had been working on in school. They were centered around extraordinary reasons why you haven't got your homework. Super listening and concentration all round from reception. It was a great opportunity for them to see the direction they are heading in! 

In other news, this week we will be looking at The Gruffalo's Child story and thinking about making up our own alternative ending! In maths we are learning about patterns; seeing them as well as creating them. 

I will put up a blog with some home learning ideas for the half-term week based on what we will be covering when we come back! 

Just a quick reminder that this is the last week in school before half-term and children are not required in school on Friday (23rd)! 

Reception team

Book Fair

The Prince of Wales Book Fair started today. Every year we have a selection of books delivered to the school for you to have a look at potentially buy! Please go along to the hall after school to have a look at the books for sale, there are some exciting reads to be had and maybe even some ideas for Christmas!  The more books sold, the more we raise for POWSA! The class will make a visit to the Book Fair in school time so they can have a look at what is available! 

Reception team

Sounds, glorious sounds...

Hi all,

I apologise for not placing the sounds that we covered last week on to a blog so I've listed the last two weeks of sounds below. We will be consolidating all the learnt sounds next week before beginning the next phase after half-term.

'f' - as in flat - Let hands gently come together as if a tyre was deflating and say f f f f f f.

'l' - as in late - Pretend to lick a lollipop and say l l l l l l.

'b' - as in bat - Pretend to hit a ball with a bat and say b, b, b.

'h' - as in hat - Hold hand in front of mouth panting as if you are out of breath and say h, h, h

Reception team

Our trip to Thorncombe woods...

Hi all,

Reception had their second trip in a week today with their visit to Thorncombe woods. Good news! We found the Gruffalo! All the children had 3 activities to join in with including a seek and find activity, a collecting activity and a den making activity. We then had to follow some clues to find the Gruffalo - very enthusiastically done. Finally, we had a hot chocolate and a biscuit to finish off the trip. The children were well behaved and were certainly quite tired this afternoon. Big Thank you to all the adults that came and helped today, always lovely to have extra pairs of hands available.

For the rest of the week we will be making symmetrical butterflies using a paint and print technique. In maths we'll be looking at 2D shapes; more specifically - square, circle, triangle, rectangle. If you see any of these shapes out and about that children recognise we would love to hear about it! We've also introduced children to the vocabulary of side and corner for shapes! 

We have almost finished all the phase 2 sounds in phonics and sound pots will be updated to reflect this soon. Great to see so many children coming in and telling us about how they are reading their group reading book at home. We are still trying to find the correct level of book for each child so the books may change in content as the weeks go on. 

Reception team

Thorncombe woods tomorrow

Hi all,

Just a quick message to remind you all that tomorrow is our trip to Thorncombe Woods. Children will need to wear play trousers and their school top (just like the farm) and bring a coat as it can be quite chilly being outside all morning. 

Another quick note to say that the appointments list for parents evening is up outside the classroom door. These are for the 3rd/4th November. If any of these times are unachievable for you then please come and chat with us and we will arrange another time. 

Reception team

Bake off winners!

Hello everyone,

Firstly, I apologise for not putting the photos from our trip to the farm up on the board this morning! I'll remember to do it on Monday (hopefully). 

A massive well done to all the reception children for a very successful Harvest assembly this morning! They did their own song very well and were brilliant in the joint song too. Thank you to everyone that came along this morning. After break we also had the judging for our 'Masterpiece' piece of baking that was done in school. We were lucky enough to be visited by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood - sort of! After much deliberation, the reception entry won! We were rewarded with a gold star that we have displayed in the classroom. There is a picture of our entry below. Lastly, thank you for all the lovely bread that has been brought in this week - lovely to try all the different styles! We will give out all the tubs/trays on Monday.

Have a lovely weekend,

Reception team

Maiden Castle Farm!

Hi all,

Reception went on their first trip to Maiden Castle Farm today. Thank you all for sending children in with their wellies - it was quite muddy. They did very well to walk up there and back. We found out how a farm works at Harvest time; gathering crops and preparing for the winter months. See if your child can remember the two types of seed we were shown! Hint: one is used to make cereal and the other a juice drink! We got to see sheep being herded in as well as the cows in their sheds. We will put some pictures up on the whiteboard tomorrow for you to see. 

Final reminder that tomorrow morning is the Harvest assembly. You are more than welcome to head straight through in to the hall after drop to grab a seat. Then, in the afternoon, there will be the Harvest cafe from 2.30-3.30pm. You are invited to come in to school from 2.30pm to collect your child and head in to the hall to buy cake and tea/coffee. 

Reception team

Group reading books

Hello everyone,

Please don't forget that we have our farm trip this Thursday. Children will need to come in to school wearing play trousers and their school top. You can arrive wearing wellies or shoes but please make sure you place the one that you are not wearing into a bag and place it on your peg. We will let you know as early as possible if the trip will be cancelled due to weather.

This week we have begun our group reading sessions! By the end of the week all the children will have their first book. Some children will have books that reinforce learnt sounds, others will have short stories and some will contain no text but will be useful for having a discussion. Everyone will have 2 group reading sessions a week at school but any extra practise at home will be fantastic. Please can you put your group reading book into your book bag and pop it into your tray - thank you.

Reception team 

This Friday - Harvest

Hi all,

Thank you for the lovely bread we have had in today! We had a try with some of the soup that we made last week - it went down very well. 

This Friday will be the reception children's first Harvest experience at school. For the last week we have been busy making things ready for the special assembly and Harvest Cafe that will take place. At 9.20am on Friday Reception, year 1 and year 2 will be putting on a special assembly that you are invited to come to. We will be singing our own song as well as a collective one with years 1 & 2. 

From 2.30pm onwards there will be a Harvest Cafe taking place in the hall. You are invited to come in early that day and collect your children to take them to the cafe. There will be the food available that has been created by children throughout the school. There is also teas and coffees available. The cafe does continue after half 3 so please do not worry if you cannot make it to school any earlier than usual. 

Reception team

Sound pots

Hi all,

Today all the children will have come home with their sound pots. These are named but are to be used at home. Initially we have put in the first set of sounds that we have covered - s, a, t, p, i, n. We will be adding more sounds as we press on with them and the children become familiar with them. We will not send sounds home that have not been covered in school. Below I've put some potential uses for them - but please feel free to use them how you see fit. 

• Practise individual sounds by showing them one at a time or asking children to pass you certain sounds.
• Begin to make words with the sounds that you have got - sit, sat, pin, pat etc. 
• Hide the sounds around the house and see how quickly children can find them. 
• Practice writing them at home - we have looked at the cursive style of writing for all the sounds we have sent home. If you have any questions about cursive writing please come and ask. 
• See if you can spot certain sounds elsewhere around the house - newspapers, food labels etc. 

Please let us know if you've done some work with the sounds by sending in a Wow! Moment or other home learning. Finally, we will begin sending home group reading books next week. These are kept by your children for a week and are changed in school. For this reason please could we ask that all children come to school with a book bag and place it in their tray. This helps maintain the books as well as give children ownership over the book. Have a lovely weekend! 

Reception team