A fantastic first half term

 Hi Reception Families,

Well, the children have all completed their first half term at The Prince of Wales School,  they are settling in wonderfully and I've been impressed how well the children have made friends and connections with each other and the 'grown ups'.

It was lovely to meet with you all this week for parent consultations and share the children's accomplishments. As discussed our first Parent Session will take place on the 10th November at 2:30 in the hall. We will be exploring the celebration of Diwali all together. This gives us a fantastic opportunity to all learn together. I do hope you will be able to join us!

We continued with our space learning this week, we learnt all about the moon landing, Neil Armstrong and Tim Peake. During our play project this week we 'made a rocket, built a rocket and drew a rocket.' it was lovely to see the children begin to work together to achieve common goals. 

On Monday we worked together to create a verbal story of travelling to space. The children worked together to create the story and then they drew pictures to compliment the story. Over half term can you make a verbal story with the children?

On Friday we had a very special visitor! I'm sure the children told you Stitch delivered the children's POW Passports. POW Passports are an important part of our home-school connection, please look through the passport with your child and perhaps you could decide on something for your child to achieve. Mr Spracklen reviews the passports throughout the year and they follow children throughout the school. Please keep it in a safe space!

Congratulations to our half termly award winners, it was extremely difficult to choose children this half term, throughout the year I am looking forward to celebrating all the children's achievements!

After half term, children will be moving into the Read Write Inc group for their individual stage, the groups are decided after careful assessment of children's phonentical knowledge. Children are assessed every half term. By in large children will continue to have a member of the Reception Team teach them RWI.

Our strand of learning after half term is Cultures and Celebrations, we will be learning about Bonfire Night, Diwali, Seasonal Changes and Bears! Please do refer back to the knowledge organiser sent home on the 17th October.

PE will continue to be on a Friday, children should attend school in their PE kit.

Children will begin to bring home some home learning after half term, we would love to see the completed home learning returned on a Friday with children's signed reading records.

I hope you all have a wonderful and playful half term and we will see you soon!

Ms Evans, Mrs Rogers, Mrs Hibberd and Miss Street.

Planets, stars and solar systems

 Hi Reception Families,

We had a really lovely week.

Our learning in Understanding the World is focussing on Space, this week we have been learning about the planets in our solar system. 

We had such fun chalking planets on the playground, making planets from clay and practising our fine motor skills painting with cotton buds.

We've also had fantastic fun building a spaceship outside, it has been wonderful to see the children working so closely together collaborating with their play.

In maths we have been focussing on numbers to four, making sure we count amounts carefully.

It's been such a busy half term, I am looking forward to discussing the children's progress with you this week in our Parent Consultations.

Turning our attention to this week:

Drawing Club: The Clangers

Maths: Amounts to five

Understanding the World: Astronauts and Space Travel

A note about Reading Records: Reading is not only an essential part of school it is also an essential part of childhood. We wholeheartedly recommend reading to your child every day. As children progress through Reception they will begin to bring home reading activities related to their learning in Read Write Inc, it is our school expectation that children will read at home every day.  Whilst children are in the initial stages of learning to read, please record the books you are reading at home with your child in their reading record. Reading records are expected to be returned to school every Friday these will be reviewed by staff and returned home.

Please ensure that all grapes, large blueberries are chopped longways in half. Grapes pose a significant choking risk for children under the age of  five and beyond.

As ever if you have anything you would like to discuss please do get in touch.

Ms Evans and the Reception Team.