Welcome back to Autumn Term 2!

 

Hello Reception Families and Friends!

Welcome back to Autumn Term 2! 

I hope you all had a restful and relaxing half-term break with your little ones.

First of all, I want to send a huge, heartfelt apology for the delay in getting this blog out to you all. Between my absences last half-term and our recent changes to the school blog guidelines (meaning we can no longer share photos of the children’s faces online) things have taken a little longer getting to you! Rest assured, even without face photos, we will still be sharing plenty of wonderful updates about all the exciting things happening in Reception.

A Look Back: Maiden Castle Farm!

Before the break, we had the absolute best time on our trip to Maiden Castle Farm! The children were brilliant representers of our school and had a fantastic day exploring the countryside. Highlights of the trip include exploring farm machinery, meeting the cows and discovering crops (We learned all about how crops are grown and spent time seeing real barley up close).

The children loved jumping in muddy puddles and I was so impressed with their resilience to enjoy the day despite the wet and windy weather!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped make the trip such a memorable, fun-filled day out!

What’s Coming Up in Autumn Term 2

We have an action-packed half term ahead! This term, we're diving into seasonal celebrations, winter themes, and all things transport through a super hands-on curriculum that blends early reading, science, and creative art.

In literacy and phonics, the children will be busy writing CVC words, unleashing their imaginations in Drawing Club with Penguin's Egg, and working hard on those all-important letters to Santa!

Our scientific investigations will be learning all about motion with our Ogden Box (The Wheels on the Bus), and experimenting with floating, sinking, and waterproof materials.

Over in art and DT, we’ll be getting creative by making papier-mâché hot air balloons, building working boats, and crafting beautiful festive woven wreaths. Plus, we'll be stepping out into the local community with wonderful visits planned to St Mary’s Church and Dorchester Library (more details yet to come!). 

It's going to be an unforgettable few weeks!

Forest Schools (Wednesday Afternoons)

Starting this week, Wednesdays are turning into outdoor adventures! The children will be taking part in Forest Schools every Wednesday afternoon. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to build self-confidence, develop risk management and problem-solving skills, explore nature, and practice team-building through hands-on outdoor learning.

What to Wear: Please send your child to school with a warm coat and clothing (Still in uniform please). We strongly recommend wearing trousers to protect little legs from stinging nettles and scratches!

Footwear: All children must have wellies in school for Forest School sessions so they can splash and explore safely. 

We would also appreciate children having a full spare set of clothes in their bags (including socks!) use in case we do get a little too mucky during these sessions. P.S. Label socks too!

Family Reading Afternoons (Fridays, 3:00–3:30pm)

We are delighted to invite parents, grandparents, and family members into the Reception classroom every Friday afternoon from 3:00pm to 3:30pm to share stories with the children! You can cozy up with a book at the tables, in our reading corner, or in the school library. You can bring your own books from home or come and find one of the lovely books we have in school. 

Dates: 

• 6th November

• 13th November

• 20th November

• 27th November

• 4th December

• 11th December

• (Note: Arrangements may change slightly closer to Christmas)

Sharing the Love of Reading: 

We completely understand that not every family can make every session. If you are able to attend, please feel free to invite other children to join in with your story time so everyone gets to share a book!

Library Borrowing: 

At 3:30pm, you are welcome to take your child to the school library to borrow a book to return the following week before picking them up from the Reception classroom as usual.

PE Days (Friday Afternoons)

In addition to our reading afternoons, Fridays will also feature our PE sessions!

What to Wear: To make things easier for everyone, children can come to school dressed in their PE kits every Friday.

I have attached below this weeks weekly timetable (our topic this week is all about fireworks and bonfire night!)

Do feel free to share this with your child, as I am sure they are all very excite to return but will also be feeling a mix of emotions and knowing what's coming up next can support them in feeling confident when coming in tomorrow morning. 

Thank you as always for your continued support. It is going to be a fantastic, busy half-term! If you have any questions, please feel free to send an email.

Best,

Miss Godden and the Reception Team