Pixie Class (Reception)

The reception team would like to welcome all parents and children to the early year’s unit.

We are excited to welcome you back to our third term in Pixie Class. We hope you had a lovely and relaxing festive Christmas Break! 

Attached is our exciting early year’s curriculum. Throughout the year the children will have the opportunity to engage and explore a variety of activities that encourage development in each of the seven areas of learning. These areas are identified in the planning document. Children need to meet the Early Learning Goal by the end of this academic year in all areas in order to achieve a ‘Good Level of Development’.

This term our topic is 'Transport' please see the topic plan attached for objectives we will be focusing on and some activities we will be doing across the term.

Here is some pictures of Pixie Class:

  

Writing Area                                               Computer /  Listening Area 

   

Construction Area                                     Role Play Area 

  

Maths Area                                              Reading Area

Outside Area 

Thank you so much for supporting us with our fundraising for the outside area. The children's Welly Walk Fundraiser in Term 2 was a great success and we want to take the time to thank all children for participating and parents for their generous donations. We have spent the money resourcing and replenishing  our outside area. Please see below for photos. 

             

Construction Area                                          Mud Kitchen 

             

Digging / Investigation  Area                          Reading Area 

Writing Area 

Reading

Please try and read with your children each evening for 10 minutes. Please record this in the purple reading log, if we can see all the pages in the book have been read we will change the book. We will ask you to read the story several times with your child, this is to encourage them to use their comprehension skills to understand the story that they are reading rather than simply decoding the words with their sounds. 

In addition to this if your child goes up a reading band look out for a sticker to congratulate them and provide you with their next steps in reading so you can fully support them at home. 

For more information on how to help your children read at home and the positive comments you can write in their reading log as their reading progress please refer to the ' 50 ways to say well done' document attached. 

In Term 2 we introduced  ‘Pixie Class Reading Challenge’ through our Love of Reading Workshop. Thank you to all family members who came along with their favourite picture books to share with the children. The Reading Challenge has already been shown to have had a huge impact on children’s reading and writing. Please support your child with this by reading the expected 5 times a week. If they complete this for nine weeks they will be rewarded with their very own picture book.  The picture books were specially picked by the parents, grandparents and children in our 'Love of Reading' Workshop with the book reviews that were created. 

If children read:

5X in one week = Gold Star

(3 X a week at least at home and 2 X a week in school to reach the expected amount)

3x Gold Star = Certificate

3x Certificate = Free Picture Book

Phonics

We do a daily phonics session using the scheme ‘letters and sounds’ supported by the 'Jolly Phonics’ program. Each child began Phase 2 in September. Many children have now moved onto Phase 3. 

Your child will be learning new sounds each week. Each child will be taught and challenged at their own ability, therefore, this term we have split into two groups. Your child will be in Boris Group or Basil Group learning a different set of sounds at a targeted pace. If you are unsure which group your child is in simply ask them, Miss Hales or Miss Brown. The set of letters your child learns will be put on the classroom door daily as well as the Pixie Class weekly newsletter. 

Basil Group - Phase 2 

In Phase 2, letters and their sounds are introduced one at a time. A set of letters is taught each week, in the following sequence:

Set 1: s, a, t, p
Set 2: i, n, m, d
Set 3: g, o, c, k
Set 4: ck, e, u, r
Set 5: h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss

As soon as each set of letters is introduced, children will be encouraged to use their knowledge of the letter sounds to blend and sound out words. For example, they will learn to blend the sounds s-a-t to make the word sat. They will also start learning to segment words. For example, they might be asked to find the letter sounds that make the word tap from a small selection of magnetic letters

For further support on how to aid your child with phonics please refer to ‘Phonics Matters’

 

 

When your child has completed the end of their phase they will be sent home with a certificate, sound mat and tricky word book mark for their new phase. 

Boris Group  - Phase 3 

Letters and their sounds are introduced one at a time. A set of letters is taught each week, in the following sequence:

Set 6: j, v, w, x

Set 7: y, z, zz, qu

Consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, ng

Vowel digraphs: ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er

As soon as each set of sounds is introduced, children will be encouraged to use their knowledge of the letter sounds to blend and sound out words. For example, they will learn to blend the sounds ch-o-p to make the word chop. They will also start learning to segment the sounds to support them phonetically write the words.

When your child has completed the end of their phase they will be sent home with a certificate and a sound mat for their new phase. I am confident you will see lots of these coming home in Term 3.

Thank you too all parents who attended the Phonics workshop and the 'Phonics in Action' sessions in Term 1. We have had really positive feedback about how this has supported you to aid your children at home with their phonics knowledge, reading and writing. 

For further information on how to support your child with their writing at home and to understand the steps of development in your child's writing over the course of the year please look at 'My child's writing document' attached. 

Maths 

This term children will focus on:

Numbers ·         Sequencing numbers to 10 (Extending to 20)    One More/less to 10    *Counting how many lorries are in the traffic jam, count and order. *Small world transport for counting and practical addition

Shapes Names of 3D shapes.    Properties of 3D shapes

Addition Counting 2 groups as a total   Recognition of + =   Modelling writing number sentences   *Bus Stop Addition Game – How many or off bus

Capacity Introduction to language ·         More/less ·         Full/empty ·         Ordering capacity

Money Recognising coins   Naming coins   Sorting coins

          

For further support on how to aid your child with maths please click here; ‘Maths Matters’ 

Thank you too all parents who attended the Mathematics workshop and the 'Maths in Action' sessions in Term 2. We have had really positive feedback about how this has supported you to aid your children at home with their number knowledge by supportive activities for home learning to consolidate and extend your child's understanding. 

Workshops

We have now provided parents with the following training;

• Tapestry Training
• Phonics Workshop
• Phonics 'in action' sessions
• Maths workshop
• Maths 'in action' sessions
• Love of Reading Workshop

We will be sending out a 'Workshops Questionnaire' this term, if you feel like you would benefit from any additional training in any area of learning. Please do not hesitate to ask and this can be arranged. We are busy planning Workshops for Term 3 to give you the opportunity to continue to come into class to support your child. Lookout for the letters in the term ahead.

Child initiated

In reception we value the impact of play and how this supports a child’s development. We have child initiated time in the afternoon for children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world, technological skills, communication and language, speaking and listening, building and developing relationships, expressive arts and imagination. This time consolidates a child’s understanding and allows them to put their skills in to practise and develop them independently.

Tapestry

Thank you so much to all who attended the Tapestry Training in Term 1. I am pleased to say all parents have now activated their Tapestry account. Please feel free to add a photo of your child for significant new learning or experiences, we would love to see what they have been doing at home. In addition to this please feel free to contribute towards the observations we make in school by commenting or pushing the ‘like’ button!

Watch out this term for ‘Tapestry Challenges’ and see if you can add evidence of your child doing challenge and upload. Children enjoy using Tapestry as a ‘show and tell’ resource in the classroom. 

Homework

Lynsted and Norton Primary School Curriculum Promise for Creative Curriculum. 

We will not begin to set homework until Term 4 when the children are fully settled into school life. However, we do expect:

• All children are expected to read 5 times a week in order to meet the Pixie Class reading challenge.
• To practise sounds using a sound book, sound mat or tricky word bookmark.
• Watch out for the Tapestry challenges!!
• Upload any significant new learning on to Tapestry you see at home. 

In Term 4 Homework will be set each Thursday and due in the following Thursday. If you ever have any questions about the homework please do not hesitate to come and speak to Miss Hales or Miss Brown. 

Thank you for all the WOW leaves we have received to celebrate your child's new learning and development at home. We have added them to our WOW tree and i am pleased to see that parents have been requesting more than one each term! Please remember these are available next to our 'parents as partners' tree in the cloakroom available for you to help yourself to at any point. 

Open Afternoon

Each term the children are very busy and produce some wonderful things both in their books and around the classroom. We would like to give you the opportunity to be shown these by your children in a parent ‘Stay and Play’ session. This will be held on the final week of each term from @ 2.30 – 3.15pm in Pixie Class. This Term it will be held on Friday 15th February. Your children will have the opportunity to show you all of their fabulous work they produce each term, read a story with you and show you around their classroom!

Thank you to all those parents who attended in Term 1 and 2. It is brilliant to have your parent voice comments attached to their books to show our growing ‘parents as partners’ motto.

PE

Our PE Day is Wednesday. Please make sure your children have their kit in school on this day so they can fully participate in all our PE activities. This is also the day that items of our school uniform go missing as the children get changed for PE independently. To avoid this please make sure all items of clothing are labelled.

For children to participate in PE they are not allowed to wear earrings. Please remove these before children come to school.

Our PE topic this term explores different ways of moving and balancing using different parts of their body.

As the whether is getting colder please make sure your child has track suit bottoms and a jumper as well as trainers in their PE bag. Children will continue to do PE outside and it is essential they have the appropriate clothing. 

Uniform

All children are to wear;

• White polo top / white shirt.
• Black Trousers / Black Skirt / Black Shorts
• Summer Dress
• Black Shoes
• School Jumper / School Cardigan / School Fleece

Please make sure all these items are labelled with the child’s name clearly visible.

Water Bottles

We provide a water bottle for each child. These are filled up and cleaned out daily. These water bottles are not to be taken home and will remain in school. Children do not need an additional water bottle bought in from home unless they are packed lunch.

Fruit and Milk                                                                                 

All children will be provided with a snack at 10.15 daily. Children will be provided with a piece of fruit and carton of milk. Free milk is available for all children under the age of five in school, funded by the UK government. Once your child turns five you will be asked to pay a subsidised rate for your child to continue to receive milk. If you would like to register your child with milk once your child turns five please visit www.coolmilk.com

Lunch Times

All children will be supervised in the dinner hall by a member of the reception team. They are there to aid the children carry their trays, support them to use a knife and fork and encourage them to try a variety of different foods offered. All children up in EYFS and KS1 are entitled to a free school meal. Menu's can be found at www.principals-catering.com and are available from the school office.

If children prefer, they can also bring in a packed lunch. We are proud to say that we are a ‘healthy school’ and therefore no crisps or chocolate are to be bought into school.

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If you have any additional questions, worries or concerns please feel free to drop in and speak to your class teacher who will be on the playground at 8.40am each morning,  at the end of the school day or by writing in your in the home contact book. Alternatively you can ring the school office and the class teacher will ring you back at a convenient time.

Thank you all for the 'Parent Communication' Questionnaires you filled out in Term 2. We was overwhelmed with your positivity and have put your recommendations into place. The Questionnaires are below the WOW tree in the 'Parents Voice' Wallet for you to look at at any time. 

 

Miss Hales