Term 4 in Reception

Dear Parents,

We hope you enjoyed the half term break!

Last term was a whistle stop tour through history and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. This term promises to be just as manic! The whole school theme is ‘What a mess!’ In reception we will be looking at the ‘mess’ made in traditional fairy tales. We will then think about the ‘mess’ being made to our world as part of the school’s climate week.

As a school our religious theme for this term is the stewardship of our society. 

Literacy

As we are looking at fairy tales we will be acting out traditional stories, looking at alternative versions and making up our own stories. 

Please continue to hear your child read daily. This term we will continue to change their books on a Tuesday and Friday as long as their yellow book has been signed. 

The children are learning their words from their word books brilliantly. Many of them are now recognising these words within their reading books. Please continue to support the children with these books and challenge them to write the words without looking in the book. 

Our aim for this term:

For the children to write sentences independently.

You can help your child when they write at home by reminding them about finger spaces between words, capital letters at the start of sentences and for names and full stops at the end of sentences.

Maths

This term we are going to look at place value to help the children understand what a two digit number is made up of. Our focus will be on the teen numbers so that they can partition them into tens and units i.e. 13 is 10 (1 ten) and 3 (3 units), 18 is 10 (1 ten) and 8 (8 units). We will also continue our work on addition and subtraction and learn our number bonds to ten. These are the numbers which add together to make ten (ie. 5+5, 7+3). 

Our aim for this term:

For the children to be able to subtract one number from another.

Please support us by challenging your child to take away numbers in real life situations so that they can see that subtraction makes the starting number smaller. 

Dates to remember:

• Staff development day – The school we be closed on Friday 24th February

• Stay and play sessions – These sessions will continue to be on a Monday this term. Each session starts at 2.00pm and finishes at the end of the day. Please sign up on the posters on the classroom doors. 

• Book fair – Mon 5th to Thurs 8th March from 3.00pm – 3.45pm. We will have the scholastic book fair in the school hall for you to visit and buy books from. They have a variety of books for all ages and all purchases raise money for the school to replenish books in the home reading scheme. We look forward to seeing you there.

• West End in Schools – during book week (5th March) we are very fortunate to have a group of actors from London’s West End coming in to work with each class in the school to make their own mini musical.

• Climate week – Monday 12th March to Friday 16th March. The children will be learning about how to look after our world and will be challenged to walk to school during this week. On 16th March there will be a recycling fair in which the children will be selling items that they have made from rubbish!

• Night Owls – On Wednesday 14th March some night owls will be visiting us in school. We will learn about the owls and will have the opportunity to have our photo taken with one!

• Mothers Day – Please keep the afternoon of 15th March free. You will find out why later on this term!!

• Open afternoon – On Friday 30th March you will have the opportunity to come into school and look at all the hard work your child has been done since September. Children can go home from 1:30pm.

The King and Queen of the Ocean

This prestigious title will be awarded to one girl and boy each week. This will be in recognition of super effort and behaviour. The King and Queen are also are celebrated on our school website.

Things to remember 

• Tilly’s Tales – Tilly the fish has just returned from Tenerife and is looking forward to her next holiday. If you are planning a weekend break away or a short holiday and would like to take our travelling fish, Tilly, please let one of the reception team know.

• Please keep school reading books in book bags everyday.

• Library - Please make sure your child’s library book is in their book bag on a Friday morning. If your child does not return their book on this day they will not be able to choose a new one. 

• Children should not be wearing nail varnish or any jewellery to school. Earrings should be removed for PE (Fridays). Any earrings worn should be small studs.

• Water bottles should be brought into school each day. These bottles should be separate from their lunch box drinks and should only contain water.

• If your child is off school as they are ill please phone or email the school to let us know.

From the Reception Team