SEPTEMBER 2007

To the parents/guardians of children in Reception

Welcome to Reception

The purpose of this letter is to let you know the kind of things your child will be doing this year and how you can help. We hope you find it useful.

The Foundation Stage

The Reception Year at school is part of the Foundation Stage. This begins when children reach the age of three and lasts until the end of the Reception Year. We plan our activities using the six areas of learning from the foundation stage curriculum. You may be familiar with these from your child’s pre-school experiences.

The areas of learning are
* Personal, social and emotional development
* Communication, language and literacy
* Mathematical development
* Knowledge and understanding of the world
* Physical development
* Creative development


Here is an outline of the topics we intend to cover this year.

Autumn Term
Nursery Rhymes Autumn Colours Celebrations

Spring Term
Food Homes

Summer Term
Animals Holidays

We often cook and eat food as part of our topic work. Please let us know if there is anything your child is unable to eat.

Mathematics Targets

These targets are intended to give you an idea of the kind of things your child should be able to do by the end of this year. Please remember, some targets are more complex than they seem.

* Say and use the number names in order in familiar contexts
* Count reliably up to 10 everyday objects
* Recognise numerals 1 to 9
* Use language such as more or less, greater or smaller, heavier or lighter, to compare two numbers or quantities
* In practical activities and discussion, begin to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting
* Find one more or one less than a number from 1 - 10
* Begin to relate addition to combining groups of objects and subtraction to 'taking away'.
* Talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns
* Use language such as ‘circle’ and ‘bigger’ to describe the shape and size of solids and flat shapes
* use everyday words to describe position
* Use mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems
P.E.

PE lessons are timetabled for Wednesday and Friday

The children must have their kit in school.
They need a white T-shirt and navy blue shorts. They will need black plimsolls (elasticated if possible) after February half term.
All items must be clearly named, including their PE bag


Homework

The work we ask children to do at home is very closely related to the work they will be doing in school. If the work is carried out on a regular basis and supported by parents, it will help the children to make good progress.

* Flashcards of key words from the core reading scheme (Oxford Reading Tree) and High Frequency words from the National Literacy Framework
* Sound book – please help your child practise the sounds in this book. We will be adding new letters as we introduce them, followed by words for the children to practise sounding out. The children need to bring this book to school every day
* Reading book – please share the book with your child. The first books do not have words, later the books will have keywords, words the children can sound out, and repetitive texts
* Please take your child to Evesham Library on a regular basis

Reading

The children are expected to bring home their reading book each day and read with an adult. This should take about 10 minutes each evening. We ask parents to hear their child read, and comment in the reading record book. Reading in the classroom is recorded separately, but helpers may also use the reading record book. Please make sure you send both the reading book and reading record back to school every day. Your child will need a reading bag so that school books are not damaged. These can be purchased from the school Office price £3.00. They are very durable and are also useful for making sure that newsletters such as this get home safely!


If your child is not already a member of Evesham Library please take them along to join. Encourage them to choose a wide range of books which interest them. Remember that children enjoy having stories read to them at bedtime.

Baseline assessment

We use a baseline assessment when children begin in Reception. This allows us to plan our work for the year and review the progress made by the children. The assessment is informal, it is not a written test. We will be able to give you an idea of how your child responded at the October parental consultation.

Parental Consultations

During the year there will be the chance to discuss your child’s progress during a 10 minute consultation. These sessions usually take place in October and February.
Towards the end of the summer term you will receive a comprehensive written report on your child’s progress. This is based on the Foundation Stage Profile we complete throughout the year.


Worries or Problems

We hope your child does not encounter any difficulties during the year. If any problems do arise please come and talk to your child’s teacher. Often if a problem is dealt with quickly it can save a lot of worry and upset for all concerned.

Want to help in School?

We’re keen to encourage parents to help in school. This might involve hearing children read, helping a small group to play a game, helping with art, sharpening pencil crayons, etc. we can find jobs to suit all tastes!!
If you would like to help, even for just an hour, please speak to your child’s teacher. We also need helpers when we take the children out of school. We take the children on walks and visits several times during the year as part of our topic work.

All helpers need to complete a Disclosure form which has to be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau. Once we have received notification of clearance you will be able to help.


Induction

From Monday 18th September the children will attend full time and should be collected at the double doors at 3.08 p.m. Please encourage your child to come into school on their own as there is not enough space in the corridors and we aim to encourage independence.

We hope your child will have an enjoyable and successful year in Reception.

Mrs V Gent Miss L Logan