EYFS – Newsletter – 20.09.2024

Keep an eye on the newsletter for key dates you will need to be aware of. They will always appear here at the bottom of the page.

Our second full week in Reception has flown by! The children have settled into school-life so well, it feels like we’ve been together for longer. 

This week we have gotten into a regular weekly routine, with us taking part in regular sessions in small groups for Phonics and Maths work. These subjects are key and underpin all learning as the children go through school, so it’s a first step on a long road of great learning at Cookridge. The children have been put into their new ‘family’ groups for future learning sessions and this week the children themselves were charged with deciding on a name for their groups. By some amazing co-incidence (the three groups were secluded from each other when making these decisions) the groups have all taken on a precious gemstone moniker. Each child will now belong to one of the following three groups: the Sparkling Sapphires, the Red Rubies or the Dazzling Diamonds! 

Our Phonics sessions this week have concentrated on the key skill of listening. Being able to hear and discern different sounds is very important when learning to read and write so we have all engaged in some listening games and activities. Everyone took part in listening games, attempting to identify hidden sounds from a box of assorted noise-makers. There was also a proper introduction to our reading area, with the children shown how we listen to stories carefully to enable us to respond to them appropriately. We had a great time reading The Three Little Pigs, with help from some volunteers acting out the parts with character masks.

In Maths sessions this week, we have been practising how to carefully look at objects to spot similarities and differences. The children have sorted socks into pairs from a mixed selection; they have carefully spotted the odd-one-out in a group of pictures; and they have studied a tower of blocks in order to build one that matches it exactly.

Our topic of ‘All About Me’ has continued to inspire lots of conversations and inspiration for activities throughout Reception. We spent time talking about emotions and how children can recognise their feelings and those of others. Some children have chosen to practise their careful painting skills by adding colour to posters featuring different emotions and we have come together to discuss how we may respond emotionally to different situations and how we can help and support our friends. We have also enjoyed sharing in hearing about each other’s families as the children continued to share their photos sent from home. Thank you everyone for sharing your photos, the children are loving having their families on display in school and being able to talk about the people close to them with their friends. 

On Tuesday this week, the children were lucky to work with our specialist Art, D.T. and Music teachers Mrs Ledda, Mr Joy and Mrs Durrant. The children got to join in with some fun songs and experiment with the musical instruments; to visit the polytunnel to practise safely using the D.T. tools; and to visit the new art studio to get creative with bubbles! 

Home reading books have come home with children this weekend. All children have started with ‘purple’ level books – these are picture-only story books with no words to read. Please discuss the books and encourage the children to talk about what is happening in the illustrations to develop awareness of narratives. These home-reading books can be changed any day of the week if your child is ready to try a new book – there will be a red box at door each morning. A reading record book accompanies the home-reading books for parents to note when a child has read at home and any notes you’d like to add. We appreciate your help with reading at home – it all makes a difference as we learn to read together!

Next week is week 1 (P.E. kit on Monday and Forest Schools clothes required on Thursday).

Have a great weekend!

The Reception Team 

Dates for the Diary:

From Monday 23rd – Friday 27th September: Book Fair in school all week. Reception will visit with staff to choose a ‘wish list’ (see website post for more details).

Thursday 10th October:  Hello Yellow Day – dress in yellow (or bright colours) for World Mental Health Day (see website post for more details).

Keep an eye on the newsletter for key dates you will need to be aware of. They will always appear here at the bottom of the page.