Wellephant

Next week we will be introducing the children to Wellephant, who will explain to the children all about staying safe on Bonfire night. Thanks to Mrs Foster for bringing Wellephant into my life as I had a little squirrel called Tufty as a child (now I am showing my age).


Welephant is here with his own fire safety education web site for you to enjoy. Find out more about fire safety and other related topics or just have fun - play Welephant's special 'stay safe' games and discover more about fire safety inyour home. You can visit the wellephant website http://www.welephant.co.uk/
which contains Welephant's Special Bonfire Night Story, that we shall be sharing with the children next week; which is all about how Welephant and Spikey enjoyed a safe bonfire night with a special feature story "Safe Firework Fun". It also provides the Firework Code for you to print out and much more it is well worth exploring. I think the children will enjoy meeting Wellephant.

Dinner 22nd October

Todays meal was:

Fish fingers, chips, peas and beans. The children had some bread and a generous helping of chocolate cake along with custard... very warming for our kite flying afternoon.

Phonics INFO!

I have just found this website www.phonicsontheweb.com which is great for any of you that would like to know more about phonics and it's technical terms!! :0)

Learning Logs in Reception

Your child will be bring home their learning log tomorrow for them to complete over half term. We would like them to think about what they have learned during this half term about our topic 'Me and My Marvellous Journey'. The front page of their log sets out the 'MUST SHOULD AND COULD' criteria, but these are just there as a guide and to give you some ideas of what they could include. On the first double page spread, there is a brief overview of the topic - with some question prompts for you. You don't have to do all of them (although you can if you wish!)just pick one or two. It is up to you and your child how creative they want to be - but remember they are only allowed to use 1 double page spread. This will make more sense tomorrow when you see the Learning Logs, we hope you have fun with them and can't wait to see them after half term!!

Dinner Today 21st October

Dinner today was:

Spaghetti with meatballs, sweetcorn and cauliflower

Pudding was a biscuit and yogurt!!

LET IT SHINE!!

Well, our first half term is nearly over and where has the time gone? I know the children have all had a fabulous journey this half term. They are very tired and are now in need of a well earned rest (as are we - ha ha) So what's in store for our next half term? Well here we go.... a little taster for you all!!

Topic

Next half term we will be embarking on a new learning journey with our brand new topic 'Let it shine'. We will be looking at celebrations and all the different way's we celebrate. The children will be exploring the traditions associated with certain celebrations such as Bonfire Night and Christmas; which of course will involve learning about the Gun powder Plot and Re-enacting the Christmas story.

Numeracy

We will continue with ordering, forming and recognising numbers but our main focus will be on the 'teen' numbers. We will be touching on capacity through baking activities nearer christmas and looking at different quantities of objects, adding 1 more and taking away 1 less from groups of smaller and larger amounts. The children will be estimating quantities and practising their basic counting skills.

Phonics
We will be completing our final set of sounds in Phase two this half term and looking at double consonant clusters, which are two letters that are the same, BUT only make one sound. These sounds have 1 sound button, so when we press them (ll,ff,ss,zz) they make the ONE sound not two and these sounds can be found in words like fuss, hiss, miss, full, pull, puff, cuff, buzz etc..We will be consolidating the sounds we have already learned and segmenting and blending words and captions.

This is just some of what we have planned, there is a lot more besides including some special events in store so watch this SPACE.... its going to be an explosive half term......

We hope you have a super half term and are already looking forward to our new topic 'let it shine'......

Dinner 20th October

Today the children tucked into a delicious traditional roast dinner, with roast potatoes, chicken, cabbage, green vegetables and gravy. The children's plates were clean very fast today and then they had a delicious warm apple pie and custard a super winter warmer!!

Dinner Today 19th October

Dinner today was as follows:

Beef Lasagne with cabbage and mixed veg.

Pudding was Bakewell Tart and custard!!

Learning Logs

The below is a whole school approach which we will be adapting for Reception - more information will follow.....

We are trying a new approach to homework, which aims to make it more personalised and fun! Each child will be given a ‘Learning Log’ to complete a special homework task in. The first piece will be set by their class teacher this week and is to be completed over half term.



It will be up to each child how to present their own work, to show what they know and understand about a topic or objective. The only stipulation is that the children must fit all the information they would like to present on a double page of the journal. They can of course creatively extend the page by attaching flaps and folded sections.



What is a learning log?

• Learning logs should be a personal reflective journal for the child to record their knowledge and understanding in whichever way they feel is most helpful. Children can use pictures, writing, diagrams, labels, bullet points, mind maps or whatever style they wish to choose to present their work.

• They are an opportunity for children to extend and consolidate their learning in the classroom.

• They encourage children to be actively engaged in their own learning and take a pride in their work.

• As learning logs are personalised, there is no right or wrong way to approach a task.

• Learning logs are ‘inclusive’ and cater for all abilities and learning styles.

• They are child-directed, rather than teacher-directed and so give children ‘ownership’.

• Children can be as creative and imaginative as they like.

• Learning logs can be a useful revision tool.

• Learning logs are an assessment tool for teachers



There will be time during school for children to review and discuss their work. Although they will not be formally marked, learning logs will be given a high profile in school and we will regularly celebrate children’s good work and effort. Learning logs are in the early stages in our school and we expect them to evolve over time. If you wish to see for yourself how other schools use them successfully, please take a look at the following website:www.learninglogs.co.uk

DINNER 18th October

Well, today the children were tucking into a creamy pasta bake with ham accompanied with a side order of green beans, sweetcorn and new potatoes. They had a choice of yoghurt, piece of fruit or Cornflakes cake. The children have done well to get their own plates and cutlery today so well done Reception!!

Nina and the Neurons

As Mrs Foster has already explained we will be looking at our senses next week so if you have not already looked on the Nina and The Neurons website then here is the link for you http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/nina/ .

Its a fabulous website with lots of scientific facts and video links to experiments Nina has carried out along with her five neurons Belle, Bud, Felix, Luke and Ollie along with colour and make activities. We will be watching some episodes next week..... so heres to our final explosive week see you in the morning!!

Week Beginning 18th October 2010

Well here we are - last week of the half term already - I can't believe how fast it has gone!!! As usual it's an action packed week so here goes....

Our topic Me and my Marvellous Journey comes to an end this week and we will finish the topic by learning about our 5 senses! We will be doing lots of investigation activities around hearing, tasting, smelling, touching and seeing. I'm sure we will post some photo's of the activities so watch this space...

PHONICS: This week we will be introducing h-b-l-f letters and continuing to practice all the letter taught so far. We will also be learning to Tricky Words 'go' and 'no' and practicing to read simple captions containing these words.

NUMERACY: Our focus this week will be on sorting and ordering. We will be sorting lots of different objects into groups as well as ordering objects according to length and height. We will of course be continuing to practice our number formation and well as counting activities.

On Friday this week the whole school is taking part in a Kite making day - We will be making kites in the morning and then flying them in the afternoon - so lets hope for some wind!! Again I'm sure we will post a few photo's of the event!!

See you all tomorrow morning bright and early!!!

Thank you
The Reception Team

STUDENT TEACHER

Just to let you all know we have a student teacher starting her 3rd year placement tomorrow in Reception. Her name is Miss Hyde and she is currently training at Trinty and All Saints in Horsforth. She will be based in Athens class, although she will meet all of the children at some point. Miss Hyde will be with us until the 10th of December and I hope that you will join us in making her feel really welcome!!

Thank you
The Reception Team :)

NEW POLL!!

Thank you to everybody who voted in the last poll - 36 of you!! Let's see if we can beat that score with the poll about our Open Day on the 12th November??

BUSY BUSY WEEK..... Shape hunt

We used binoculars outside to locate shapes in the environment the children did exceptionally well... they all worked hard to look for a selection of 2D and even 3D shapes - well done Reception!!

BUSY BUSY WEEK..... NEW YORK CLASS BAKING!!

As promised, here are some photos of our fantasic baking session in New York class which we did as our class reward for achieving the target 'To sit smartly on the carpet'. The children all really worked hard on following the instructions that fabulous Mrs Rymer was giving them, who spent all day in the community room baking away... so a Huge thankyou to Mrs Rymer for doing the baking and to all the children for being so well behaved!!

BUSY BUSY WEEK..... Large Rollers

We have been playing with some large rollers which create super patterns, outside on large sheets of paper the children have had an ace time... and a few messy clothes sent home in the process (oops!!) I am sure you will see how much fun we've had!!

Dinner 15th October 2010

Today we all enjoyed fish fingers with peas, beans and chips, not forgetting some fresh bread and yummy chocolate pudding and custard. I think this was everyone's favourite meal of the week as lots of plates were cleaned very quickly. Our manners are fantastic - keep it up Reception!!

Athens Class Tomorrow!!!

Just wanted to let you all know that I will not be in tomorrow as I am on a course all day. Miss Gott will be taking my class and she has been down at lunchtime today to meet the children so they know who she is!! They are in very capable hands - Miss Gott has taught in Reception before and Miss Fotopoulou will be there as normal!! Hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will see you on Monday!!

Mrs Foster

PS - Don't forget to bring back your 'Healthy Passports' - Miss Gott will be looking at them in the morning!! :)

Dinner Today 14th October

Dinner today was:

Burger, Wegdes, Mixed Veg and Sweetcorn

Pudding was:

Strawberry sponge and......yes you guessed it - CUSTARD!!!

Ball Skills

The children did well balancing the balls on their bats a very hard skill to master... well done Reception!!

Team games

The children practiced their relay skills and demonstrated fabulous teamwork... and the weather was glorious!!

Hurdles

The children displayed lots of skill and determination today on the field.......

Fantastic Outdoor P.E

Here are some pictures of our energetic first outdoor P.E session both New York and Athens Class had an amazing time and lots of fun!!

OUTDOOR PE!

We did our first Outdoor PE lesson today - Miss Russell said it was a big success!! Please make sure your child has got both indoor and outdoor kits (including a pair of trainers) with them everyday. We had to swap PE today, as Year 4 need our hall slot tomorrow to practice their concert for next week - we don't always know when things will swap about because we have to be flexible with the rest of school, so it is always best if you send you child's PE kit in on a Monday and take it home on Friday. Please also ensure that both kits are fully labelled! Thank You :)

Dinner Today 13th oct

Dinner today was as follows:

Roast Pork, Roast Potatoes with Cabbage and Carrots - Gravy too!!

Pudding was Lemon Sponge and Custard!

Dinner today 12th oct

Dinner today was as follows:

Chicken Curry and Rice with cabbage and cauliflower

Pudding was sponge and custard

Baking in New York Class

Well today, New York Class also made their class target which was to sit smartly on the carpet. The children placed the last charcater on the bouncy castle when they were chosen, in our whole school assembly to go first, as we were sitting and listening so well this morning... so congratulations New York Class you deserve a treat. Today the children decided they would like to make some Rice krispie Cakes so hopefully they will be able to bring one home to show you... the fabulous pictures to follow!! Our new class target is to tidy up as a team and look after our classroom ( in light of exhibit A). Go fot ir New York Class.

Singing with New York Class

Today we were warming up our vocal cords learning some new 'halloween' songs ready for next week. This was us singing away to the Monster Mash!!

Next week will be creating a halloween feel in class, the children will make halloween playdough and decorations for the classroom, learn songs and in particular the traditions of halloween in

Amercia (New York) compared to the UK and where these traditions originated. We are in for some spooky treats indeed!!

Dinner today 11th Oct

Dinner today was as follows:

Pizza, wedges, peas and cauliflower

Pudding was a fruit corner yogurt!

School Photo's

Just a quick reminder that the school photographer will be in school on Wednesday 13th October. You will be able to have family photo's taken from around 8:15am (I will confirm this time!!)The children will then have individual photo's taken throughout the day. Thankfully Reception children normally go first - so there will be less time to get ourselves mucky!!!

READING BOOKS!!

Don't forget your book bags tomorrow - we can't wait to read their diaries and find out how they have been getting on. Please put your child's book bag in the box provided - it will be where the whiteboards are in the morning!!

ATHENS CLASS

Well Done Athens class who reached their class target last week. They have been working hard to always use their manners and have collected all 10 biscuits in the biscuit tin!!!!! As a reward for passing their target the class have chosen to bake biscuits. So tomorrow each group will go and bake some yummy biscuits. The plan is that they will have one to eat in school and hopefully one to take home (or more depending how thin they roll the dough!!) I will take some photos to share with you on here!!

Mrs Foster :)

Week Beg 11th October 2010

This week in Reception in Reception we will be continuing our work on 'Me and My Marvellous Journey!! by looking at how we keep ourselves healthy. On Tuesday the school nurse will be coming to visit us and talking to us about 'The Clean Gang'. She will talk about the importance of keeping clean as a way of keeping ourselves healthy. We will then continue this by thinking about other ways we can keep healthy, such as exercise and eating healthy food. At the end of the week we will be beginning to look at the 5 senses in preparation for next week.

PHONICS: We will continue to practice the sounds we have already learned and introducing e-u-r as well as recapping the'ck' digraph. We will also teach the new Tricky Word 'to' and practice reading and spelling simple captions using the letters we have learned so far.

NUMBER: This week we will be looking at 2d shape - we will be making pictures and patterns as well as going on a shape hunt outside. We will of course still be doing lots of counting and continuing to practice our letter formation.

SEAL: We moved into our new SEAL theme last week 'Getting On and Falling Out. We will continue with this, this week working on the statement 'I am able to be a good friend'.
Letters will be going out this week inviting you to take part in the 'Family SEAL' Project - this will give you an opportunity to work alongside other parents and undertake SEAL linked activities with your child.....more information will follow!!!

We hope you have had a great weekend and look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!!

The Reception Team

P.S. One last thing....it's Miss Fotopoulou's birthday on Wednesday..I think she is going to be 25 (ridiculously young!) I'm sure you will all join me in wishing her a happy birthday and lets hope cake will be involved!! ;0)

EXHIBIT A!!!!

One of the children must have been a little hungry this afternoon!!!! Could you help us find out who took the bite out of one of our brand new bricks!!!?????? ;0)

Dinner Photo's

We are really loving our new dinner time routine - the children are eating well and using their manners - have a look at how smart we look.....

Dinner today 8th Oct

Dinner today was as follows

Breaded Fish, Chips, Beans and Peas

Pudding was a homemade chocolate biscuit!!

Curriculum Evening!!

Would just like to say a big thank you to all parents who came this evening - it was great to see so many of you there!! I hope you found the information useful and will look forward to our next evening in November! :)

Dinner today 7th Oct

Dinner today was as follows:

Chicken Pie, New potatoes, Sweetcorn and Green Beans - With Gravy

Pudding was Jelly - I took some photos today will upload later!!

Building Houses......

The kids had great fun today building walls and houses using our NEW bricks - we also made some pretty cool houses in the work shop!! H and L really impressed me with their house!! Well done T and G on their great 'House' models!! :)

Dinner Today 6th October

Dinner today was as follows:

Roast Beef, Roast potatoes, Cabbage and swede - with Gravy

follwed by Ice-Cream!!

I keep meaning to take some pictures of us having dinner to post on here - I will try and remember tomorrow!! :)

OUR FAMILY

This week we have been discussing who we live with and looking closely at the members of our family. We have talked about where we live and are now going to start looking at the types of homes we live in. The children have been drawing pictures of their family for their profiles. The children have been very creative with their drawings using vivid colours and detail.

Dinner 5th October 2010

Dinner today was as follows:

Pasta bolognaise with cheese, vegetables (sweetcorn broccolli and cauliflower), new potatoes and finished off with a delicious rice pudding and jam.

The children have been continuing to work on their table manners and have been waiting until everyone on their table has finished before leaving to clear their plates - well done Reception.

Thanks
Miss Skidmore

Dinner today 4th October

Dinner today was as follows:

Sausage and Mash - with mixed veg and carrots - gravy too!!

Pudding was Apple Crumble and custard!!

My House

This is where I live - my house is similar to Miss Skidmore's. I totally agree that the stairs can be a bit of pain - especially went your painting - lots of spindles!!
I live at number 11....it would be really good if you can talk to your child about what number they live at, as we could link this nicely to our number work!!

See you all in the morning!

Our Houses

Well Guys we will be starting a new topic called 'our homes' so here is a picture of my home. It is a three storey town house with lots of stairs which is not so great when you have forgotten your bags and have left them on the first floor in the kitchen. Unlike most houses my living room is on the second floor, which does have a lovely view but is not next to my kitchen which means I have to exercise my legs a lot. What type of home do you live in?

If you have any pictures we would love to see them.

Thanks Miss Skidmore.

Weekly Overview week beginning 3rd October

Wow!! What an amazing week we have just experienced, the children have settled into our classroom routines well and have been getting plenty of stars. We have an action packed week a head of us and we hope you are all well rested and are looking forward to another fabulous week in Reception!!

1. Numeracy
We will be continuing to work on our number formation 1-10 and placing numbers in the correct order. We will be counting out objects, sorting and playing games.

2. Literacy
We will be retelling familiar stories and rhymes, reading books about our family, practising writing our names and familiar letters and words. We will be reading the Three Little Pigs linked to our materials and houses topic over the next few weeks so if you have this book, it would be great if you could read it with your child so they become familiar with it as they may be role-playing the story outside in our outdoor area this week.

3. Topic
Moving on from looking at ourselves and our baby pictures we will be discussing our families, who we live with and where we live. We will be looking at 'our homes' and the different types of houses we live in, what rooms we have in a house including the types of furntiture we may find. Then over the next few weeks we will explore materials used to make a strong house and the children will create their own box model houses in the DT area. If you have any spare boxes at home we will be needing an endless supply over the next few weeks, and would appreciate any donations!"!

We will also be looking at what keeps us healthy and doing lots of physical exercise to raise our heart rates and explore things we can do to keep in shape.

4. Seal
We will be discussing how important it is to get on with our friends and not to hurt each other. We will be looking at how we can work as a team in class to get things done.

We look forward to seeing you all on Monday morning.... Miss Skidmore and Mrs Foster

Dinner today 1st October

Dinner today was a follows:

Pepperoni Pizza and Chips with Mixed Veg and Peas - some children had Vegatable Nuggets instead of Pizza.

Pudding was Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Custard - that went down very well!!!

Have a good weekend!