This week
It has been another good week. We have started more formal phonics whole class sessions each morning, concentrating on rhyming and alliteration this week, and I have begun teaching small maths groups every day. We find that the maths teaching works better in smaller groups at this stage rather than in whole class sessions, as children can access the practical resources more readily. We use the White Rose mastery approach to maths in Reception (and throughout the school). You can find information here if you want to see how the maths teaching is structured:
https://whiterosemaths.com/reception-sol/
This week we have been thinking about matching objects, patterns and numbers.
Next week
We will be thinking about Autumn with art and outside activities. Could the children please have welly boots in school on FRIDAY. If you want to send waterproof trousers too you can, or send a spare pair of tracksuit trousers if it looks like the field will be muddy. We do have lots of spare wellies at school. Just let me know if your child needs a pair.
Workbooks
Next week the children will bring home a handwriting and a phonics workbook to keep at home. I will let you know which pages I would like the children to complete each week that will support their learning. Please do not just make your way through the book, as we would like the learning to carefully match what the children have been learning at school. This is a new idea for Reception and we are trialling the books this year. Each class has ordered some workbooks so that if the school did need to close due to a local lockdown, or if any child or their family had to isolate due to contact with Covid 19, each child would have some written resources to use when learning remotely.
Part time hours
At this stage, the afternoon sessions are for child guided learning, with the adults using the time for observations and individual learning tasks. All the structured phonics, reading and maths activities are planned for the morning sessions, so any part-time children are not missing any formal learning. We always take into account those that go home and ensure we pick up any afternoon tasks in the mornings for those children, so please be reassured that your child is not missing out if going home in the afternoon is the best thing for them at this point.
Many thanks for your continuing support,
Have a lovely weekend with your families,
Alice Greening ag@stjohnsprimary.org
