Click below to read the latest whole school newsletter.

Reception News

This part of the web page is where information will be posted about what the children will be doing the following week.  It will also provide any information that you may need to know about upcoming events relevant to Reception.  Please also be aware that information will be posted using the Class Dojo system.  

Child Health

Details of two new initiatives relating to child health have been added to the Early Years webpage.  Check out the links to find out more information. 

Week Beginning 22nd November 2021

Thank you very much for your generous contributions towards Children in Need last week.  The children enjoyed wearing their own clothes and making/eating the cakes.  

The children are making excellent progress with their name writing skills.  Several parents have said that their children are now starting to write their names at home which is really great to hear.  We will be continuing to work on name writing skills this week.

Sadly we will be unable to stage a Nativity performance this year due to Covid restrictions, but we will be making a Nativity video which will be shared with parents in the last week of term.  This week we will begin working on the video and I will be sharing the Christmas story with the children. 

In maths last week the children started to learn their number bonds to 5.  We will continue with this learning this week as well as focusing on positional language.

Forest school sessions will continue this week.  The weather is due to get colder.  If children wish to bring extra clothing to school to wear in the woods then that is fine, but please ensure it has your child's name on it and be aware that clothing is likely to get dirty so old clothing is best. 

PE will take place on Tuesday afternoon.  Please send children to school wearing PE kit on Tuesday.  

Week Beginning 15th November 2021

Here is an overview of what the children will be learning this week.

Monday is 'Odd Socks Day' as part of 'Anti-bullying week.'  The focus in Reception will be about kindness this day.  We often explore what it means to be kind to each other and discuss this in class.  We will focus on this on Monday in particular.  Children are encouraged to come to school wearing odd socks on this day.  There is a song about kindness that we will be singing.  You can see the video clip below.

It is also 'Road Safety Week' this week.  With the evenings getting darker it is particularly important to have a focus on road safety and we will be teaching the children how to stay safe when near roads.  

Literacy - Children will continue to work in their RWI groups to learn and blend sounds.  The children are making good progress in their ability to read.

Maths - The focus this week will be on finding different ways to make 5.    0+5=5, 1+4=5, 2+3=5, 3+2=5, 4+1=5, 5+0=5.  By the end of the Reception year children are expected to be able to recall these facts.

Forest Schools - Will continue on Monday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday mornings and Friday afternoon.  Each child takes part in two sessions in the woods per week.

PE - This takes place on Tuesday afternoon.  Please can children come to school wearing PE kit on Tuesday.

Week Beginning 1st November 2021

Welcome back everyone.  I hope you had an enjoyable holiday.  It was great to see the photographs of all the 'mini adventures' and fun activities that you got up to in the holiday sent via the Dojo system. I will be posting these on the site for others in the class to see.

This week Mrs Partridge will be joining the Reception team.  Mrs Partridge is new to Moorcroft Wood and we extend  a warm welcome to her.  We are very please to have you working along side us Mrs Partridge.  

This week the children will be learning about Bonfire Night and on Friday (weather permitting) we will be having our very own firework display on the school field. The display will take place during normal school hours.  Throughout the week the children will learn about the Gun Powder Plot, the significance of November 5th and how bonfire night is celebrated.  The children will produce a range of bonfire night inspired artwork and craft and will learn different techniques to achieve artistic effects. 

In Literacy the children will continue to follow the school phonics scheme (RWI) which is differentiated and taught at an appropriate level for the individual children.  

In Maths the children will begin studying unit 4 of the Power Maths Scheme.  This unit focuses on finding one more and one less than a number within 5. It lays the foundation for addition and subtraction although, at this stage, children should not be expected to use the addition or subtraction signs.

Forest Schools will continue this week.  As the weather turns colder, please could children bring an extra pair of warm socks and a spare jumper to wear. 

PE will be taught on Tuesday afternoon - please can children come to school wearing PE kits on Tuesdays.  

Week Beginning 18th October 2021

We have made it to the final week of the first half term and the children have settled into Reception extremely well.   I am very proud of how well they are doing.  Here is an overview of what the children will be learning this week.

Literacy - Children will continue to learn their sounds and learn to blend these sounds together to read words.  Following the latest government guidelines regarding Covid, adjustments will be made to groups to ensure that children are taught by staff within the Reception 'bubble'.

Maths - The children will learn to identify 2d (flat) shapes and identify how many sides and corners they have.  The children will also be printing with 3d shapes.

Topic - It is Halloween during the half term holiday.  Children will be carving pumpkins this week.  We will also be looking at the story of 'Funnybones'  by Allan Ahlberg and be linking this to learning about the skeleton.  

Forest School - Will continue as normal.

PE - Tuesday afternoon.  Please can children come to school wearing PE kit on Tuesday.

General - Last week I sent a message regarding a parent workshop on 8th November.  Since then, there has been a change to Covid guidelines so it is likely that the meeting will have to be cancelled and the information shared online.  Further information will be provided about this.

Week Beginning 11th October 2021

It was great to talk to you last week during the parents' evening consultation phone call. It was especially nice to hear that so many children are showing what they have learned at school to you at home. Several parents commented that they enjoyed hearing the story of 'Mr Wiggle and Mr Waggle'.  This week the children will be learning a new story 'Stuck in the Mud' - hopefully they will be able to share the story with you too. 

I spoke to you about the speech and language assessments that we have completed and said that children will bring home suggestions for activities that can be done at home to build upon speaking and language skills.  These suggestions will be sent home in the yellow reading bags on Tuesday.

Learning this week -

Literacy - Children will continue working in their RWI groups.  As a whole class the children will be learning to retell the story of 'Stuck in the Mud'  A copy of this can be found by following the link below. 

Maths - The children will be learning the names of 3d shapes and learning to describe their properties.

Topic - The children will be learning about healthy eating and attempting to make faces using fruit and vegetables.  The children will be able to eat their creations once they have been photographed. 

PE- Tuesday afternoon.  Please can children come to school wearing PE kits. Thank you. 

Forest Schools - This will continue this week.  Children visit the woods twice per week.  

Week Beginning 4th October 2021

Literacy - In order to ensure that we are doing the best we can for each and every child, the children have been assessed and allocated to a group so that we can tailor our phonics teaching to meet their needs.  The children will begin working in these groups this week.  The children will bring home sounds cards as they are introduced to each sound so that they can continue their learning at home.  The sound cards are for you to keep at home and do not need to be returned to school.  If you are unsure how to pronounce some of the sounds, the video below may help or feel free to ask in school.  

Maths - The children will be comparing two groups of non-identical objects saying which group of objects has more, fewer or the same.  Children will build on learning from last week, matching objects to compare quantities, but focusing on matching non-identical objects to draw out the misconception that objects must be the same to compare them. 

The children will also continue to put numbers in order on a number line. 

Topic - The children will be learning about being healthy. We will look at how diet, good hygiene and having enough sleep are important to being healthy.  

PE - This will be on Tuesday afternoon.  Please can children come to school wearing PE kits on Tuesday.

Parents' Evening -  These will be telephone conversations.  I will be making calls (as arranged) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.  If you need to book/change an appointment, please contact the school office.  

Week Beginning 27th September 2021

Literacy - The children will be learning to read and write the sounds 'c', 'k', 'u', 'b', 'f'.  The children will also be revising all of the sounds they have learned so far and use these sounds to blend together to read short words.

Also, as part of the 'Talk for Writing' scheme that we follow in school, the children will be learning the story of 'Mr Wiggle and Mr Waggle'(see the link below for the story).  Over the week the children will hear this story several times and will be encouraged to tell the story themselves to a partner.  The aim of Talk for Writing in Reception is to provide children with a rich bank of ideas and language that can then be used to aid their written work in the future.  

Maths - This week, the children will compare groups of identical objects using the language 'more', 'fewer' and 'less'.  They will also compare groups of objects that have equal quantities using the language 'equal' and 'same'. 

Children will also be learning the formation of numbers 0-5 and write these as well as learning to put number cards in the correct order.  The number cards that were provided in the home reading folders could be used to reinforce this skill at home.

Topic - The children really enjoyed discussing their strengths last week and we have made a fantastic superhero display in the school hall (see the photograph on Dojo).  This week the children will be talking about their families and who they live with.   They will attempt to draw their family.  We will be celebrating the wide variety of family types and households.

PE will be on Tuesday - please can children come to school wearing their PE kits.

Forest Schools will continue this week - the children are really enjoying their time in the woods.

Remember to check out Class Dojo for photographs of what we have been up to.  

Assessment - Since the beginning of the year, the children have been assessed in maths, speech and language, phonics and literacy.  The assessment outcomes will be used to ensure children received tailored learning that meets their needs and enables them to progress.  Outcomes of the assessments will be shared with parents in time for parents' telephone consultations.  

Week Beginning 20th September 2021

Here is an update about what the children will be doing this week.

Literacy - Children will learn to read and write the sounds 'n', 'p', 'g', 'o', 'c' (lower case only).  The children will also learn to blend some of these sounds together to say/read words.  

Maths - This week, children will learn to count to 5 using the counting principles they developed in Week 1 and Week 2. Children will represent numbers up to 5 in concrete and pictorial ways as well as linking an amount to the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Topic - Relating to our topic 'Marvellous Me', the children will be learning about being kind, what it means to be kind and ways in which they can be kind to others.

Forest Schools - Forest schools will continue this week.  The children did really well last week and loved going into the woods.  Children will go to the woods twice per week in the afternoons.  

PE - PE will be on Tuesday afternoon.  Remember that children need to come to school wearing their PE kit.  We find that children have a much longer PE lesson if they are already wearing their kit because time is not lost getting changed.  

Yellow Book Bags - Children will be given access to the EYFS library and will be able to choose a book to take home to share with parents / adults at home.  The children will be choosing their books on a Tuesday afternoon and reading bags will be sent home on Tuesday.  Please can they be returned to school on the following Monday so that we can change books for Tuesday.  You will also find in the bags a yellow card with prompts / tips about sharing stories with your child. 

We are proud to be part of the 1000 stories initiative.  You will find a 1000 stories card in the yellow book bag.  Children will collect a stamp each time they change their book.  After collecting 5 stamps, the children can take a prize from the box before starting to collect the next set of 5 stamps.  

A set of number cards to 20 will also be included in the bag.  These cards can be used to help your child recognise their numbers.  Start by revising numbers to 5 with your child and if they are able to do this, then increase the numbers up to a level that is provided some (but not too much) challenge for them.  

Also included is a card containing the letter sounds - how many can your child say correctly?

Week Beginning 13th September 2021

Monday is Roald Dahl Day.  The children will be learning about this well-known author and enjoying some of his short stories.

This week in phonics lessons the children will be revising the sounds 'm', 'a', 's', 'd' and 't' and learning how to recognise them at speed and write them.  The children will also learn to read the sounds 'i', 'n', 'p', 'g', 'o' and how they are written.  The children will also learn how to read words made up of these sounds such as 'mad',  'pat', 'pig'.

In maths the children will build on their knowledge of counting to 5 by linking the pictorial representation of 5 to the abstract numeral 5.  We will also be focusing on rote counting and number recognition.

As part of our topic 'Marvellous Me', the children will be focusing on the superhero within and talking about things that they feel they are good at, or would like to be good at.  

The class has been introduced to story of 'The Little Red Hen' and will continue to learn this story this week.  It is my intention that the children will be able to retell the story from memory.  We will be learning several stories in this way throughout the year which really should help the children with their writing when they move further up the school.  

Forest school sessions start this week.  Each child will take part in two sessions throughout the week.  Sessions take place on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons.  All kit and clothing needed for Forest School sessions is supplied by and kept in school.

PE lessons start this week and will be on Tuesday afternoon.  Please can children come to school wearing kit suitable for PE.  School uniform states black tracksuit bottoms and a white top but I understand if you have not got this and wearing any suitable kit will be acceptable.  Please also remember that children will need suitable footwear.  Please could all kit have names in. I apologise that this information is different to that printed in the 'Welcome to Reception' booklet that was handed out in July, but at the time of printing the booklet the decision had not been made about PE kits.