Reception Class News

Let’s talk numbers!

It’s been great to talk to some of you about your child’s progress during parents’ evening. A few parents have been asking about how to support their child at home with numbers.

In Foundation 2, we focus on numbers to twenty throughout the year to get a depth of understanding of what the numbers really mean. For example:

During the past couple of weeks we have been focusing on the number 3.

Finding 3

The children have been finding 3 by looking at their environment and at pictures. For example: 3 pigs, 3 houses, 3 noses, 3 hats…

Number stories

Once the children had looked for three around them, they have begun to tell number stories. We use the language first, then and now to tell the stories and have developed some actions to support us.

First there was one flower in the garden. Then two more flowers grew in the garden. Now there are three flowers altogether.

First there were three ice-creams. Then I ate one. Now there are two ice-creams left.

These number stories support your child’s understanding of number in real-life experiences. Looking at numbers in the environment and number stories support your child in developing a deep understanding of what ‘3’ really means.

Can your child tell you a number story that makes 3? Can your child find 3 in the environment? Please let us know what your child has done using a wow sheet – we can then celebrate their learning at school.

Swimming dates (November – December 2018)

Please see the table below for the dates your child will be swimming after half term.

Parental partnership meeting

Thank you to those who came to the parental partnership evening. We hope you found the evening informative and have lots of ideas on how to be involved in your child’s learning journey at school.

We value the importance of working together with you to gain a holistic view of your child’s learning. You can share your child’s learning moments with us by email (scholesf2@spherefederation.org), wow documents and time to talk sheets. These sheets can also be found on the parental partnership board in your child’s classroom for you to take. In rainbow class, the parental partnership board is on the right as you enter the classroom. In sunshine class, the board is next to your child’s learning journey profiles as you enter the classroom. Please feel free to look at your child’s profiles – you will find observations and pictures of your child learning at school. This might prompt discussions about things your child is doing at home and allow us to gain a bigger picture of your child’s learning and development. We often find play is linked to things that have happened at home – it would be great to hear about these moments!

Harvest Festival – a big thank you!

Thank you for all the kind donations to our Harvest Festival today. Henry, from the Salvation Army, was overwhelmed by the generosity of the families at Scholes. Thank you for each and every donation.

Owlet visit

On Friday, two owlets visited the F2 children. Before the owlets arrived we read a non-fiction book about barn owls. The children learnt about their sight, hearing, food, owl pellets and owlets. We also spoke about the word nocturnal.

After the owlets had visited we asked the children what they had learnt:

• “They don’t hoot, they hiss.”
• “They eat mice and bats.”
• “Claws…picking up everything.”
• “Claws get bigger so they can hold on to things.”
• “Don’t come out in the light.”
• “They are nocturnal.”

Letter formation guide

When teaching the children a new sound, we sing a ditty to support their letter formation. You can use the Letter Formation guide for support when writing with your child at home. This guide is also useful for supporting your child to write their name.

For example:

• s – slither down the snake.
• a – around the apple and down the leaf.
• t – down the tower, across the tower.

Scholes Library Visit

Yesterday, we visited Scholes library. The children chose a book each which is due back after half term. Look out for a message from us to remind you.

We would like to say a tremendous (our word of the week) thank you to the parents and grandparents that helped us walk to the library.

Reading meeting

Thank you to those who came to the reading meeting yesterday. We hope you found the evening informative and have lots of ideas on how to be involved in your child’s reading journey. When teaching phonics we teach the children the pure sounds e.g. ‘sss’ not ‘suh’.

If you didn’t attend the meeting, your child will be bringing their reading book home tonight. It’s in a reading wallet which your child needs to bring to school every day. Please keep your child’s reading wallet separate to your child’s book bag. Your child will be expected to put the reading wallet in a box (just like their book bags) every morning. The contents expected to be bought into school everyday are labelled on the wallet.

Most importantly – have fun reading!

What are these bricks my child keeps talking about?

This week, we’ve introduced your child to challenges. Challenging activities are around the classroom for your child to complete to earn a brick. The aim is to get a tower of bricks taller than five. Challenges include the learning we’re focusing on throughout the week – for example, writing our name. Ask your child what challenges they’ve done this week.

We talked about who had more and who had fewer bricks. If your child’s tower was more than five, your child will come home with a certificate!

Exploring Autumn

Last week, the children began to collect conkers and we have been using them in the classroom to support our learning.

This inspired us to go on an Autumn walk around school looking for signs of Autumn. The children noticed the leaves on the trees were beginning to change colour and some have already started to fall from the trees. We have apple, pear and horse chestnut trees in our foundation garden where we have observed the apples, pears and conkers growing and falling from the trees. We also found blackberries growing on a bush. We talked about the weather and how it is starting to change for Autumn.

• “It’s really windy and cold.”
• “When it’s winter, flowers die because it’s really cold and there’s no sun. Then when it’s summer they come back to life.”

The children learnt a song about Autumn (sung to the tune of ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’)

Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down. Autumn leaves are falling down, see them falling.

Yellow, orange, red and brown, red and brown, red and brown. Yellow, orange, red and brown, see them falling.

Home – link:

Please fill a bag with Autumn treasures that you and your child can collect together. This could be from your local park or woods and can include colourful leaves, conkers, pine cones or anything else relating to Autumn. Please bring your Autumn treasure into school to share with us.