Reception / Year 1
Green Apples Class Parental Information
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the Green Apples Class. We would like to inform you of some useful information about our class.
Staffing:
The Class Teacher: Miss Lilley
Higher Level Teaching Assistant: Miss Jones
Teaching Assistant: Mrs Francis
Teaching Assistant: Miss Slater
Midday Supervisor: Mrs Butt
Learning in Reception:
Throughout the year our reception classes embrace their learning through a variety of topics which are spread over the six half terms.
The topics have a specific theme and then a “big question” for the children to think about, discuss and then answer at the end of the topic.
Each term we will send you a termly overview of that topic, detailing what the children will be learning.
At the end of each topic the children will have a “celebration of their learning” where they will bring together all of their thoughts and ideas about the big question.
From time to time we may request photos or information linked to our topic and this will be communicated through Dojos.
Topics:
Autumn Term 1 – All About Me! – Am I the same as everyone else?
Autumn Term 2 – Festivals & Celebrations! – Are all festivals & celebrations the same?
Spring Term 1 – Amazing Animals! – Can a polar bear live in Africa?
Spring Term 2 – Come Outside! – What plants and animals live outside?
Summer Term 1 – Ticket To Ride! – Can I travel everywhere in the world by car?
Summer Term 2 – Superheroes! – Do All Superheroes wear capes?
Celebration moments at home:
The children will shortly be receiving a set of stars made out of card, which you can use to write on detailing any “wow” moments that your child has had at home. E.g., ‘Sarah put her socks on all by herself.’/ ‘Mark helped Nana and Grandad set the table.’ / ‘Claire independently wrote her name.’ Please date the stars so we know when the special moment happened and return them to school. We will then share the “wow” moment with the rest of the class and place it in our class window as part of our class celebration of learning at home. (Just return the stars individually and when you have run out just let us know and we can send out more.)
Family Reading Time at School:
To promote St Hugh’s school’s love of reading, at the end of each half term, we will be inviting parents or family members to come into school and share a story with their little ones. This has been a big success in the past and has really got the children excited about loved ones coming into their school setting and sharing a story. We will send out further details via class Dojos.
Reading At Home:
Your child is learning to read at school. We follow the Read Write Inc. Phonics (WRInc), a very popular and successful literacy programme. Every Friday your child will receive their red reading homework folder.
Your child’s homework will contain items:
- A book bag book which is matched to the level they are working at in class.
- A copy of the book or ditty studied in class.
Please note that for the first half term it will contain a wordless book which is a story to read through the pictures.
Please ensure your child’s reading folder is returned to school every Thursday so staff can change the books ready to be sent out on Friday.
Please note a signature is required.
The class lending library is available for you to borrow books all year around. We do not expect your child to read these themselves. These are stories for your child to enjoy and discuss with an adult. This is vital for the acquisition of vocabulary and reading comprehension.
In Reception we would encourage you to read with your child for around 5- 10 minutes each night, even a couple of pages each day will be useful in building your child’s confidence and fluency. If your child has a book without words, encourage them to tell the story through looking at the pictures. Please ask your child questions about what they have read as reading for understanding is also important. E.g. ‘What did Ben have to buy from the shop?’, or, ‘What do you think will happen next?’
We also suggest that the RWinc books are re-read 3 times so that your child tackles any unfamiliar words with increased confidence. Please remind your child to use their pure sounds and encourage them to ‘Fred talk’ words as and when they are able e.g. s-t-o-p ‘stop’.
Please encourage your child to say the sound, not the letter name. This should only take a minute, the children find this enjoyable and you will be able to see if there are any particular letters that they struggle to recognise and may need extra help with.
Writing Homework:
Please send in your child’s blue homework folder each morning.
Starting in September your child will have letter formation homework most nights. The writing sheet will consolidate a letter formation of a sound taught in the class that day. Your child will also receive a Read Write Inc. letter formation poster, which details how each sound is formed and the little rhyme the children say when forming the sound. This letter formation poster should be used each time your child completes their homework, again it just consolidates work completed in class. This work is placed in the blue folder, when your child has completed their work please upload it onto your child’s portfolio page on Class Dojo’s please keep the original work at home.
Lending Library:
Please remember that your child always has the opportunity to change their Lending Library story book each day. Just return your book to swap it for a new one.
Maths Homework:
In school we follow the White Rose Maths Scheme. Maths homework – app to download to support learning at home – 1-Minute Maths (WhiteRose).
P.E Days:
Green Apples PE Day’s are Wednesday and Thursday.
We ask that every Wednesday and Thursday the children come to school dressed in their P.E. kit. This means that children can wear trainers/plimsolls to school. P.E top and shorts or navy jogging bottoms and their school cardigan/jumper. Please can all items, particularly jumpers be clearly labelled.
Safety Notice:
Children with earrings must have them removed on PE days (or covered in medical tape.) Children should only have trainers with velcro this is to prevent trips and falls. Earring studs can be worn on non PE days, but no other jewellery should be worn.
Clothing:
Please ensure your child’s clothes are labelled, even when they are wearing their own clothes on a non-uniform day.
Water Bottles:
The children are provided with their own water bottle at school and have access to this throughout the day. Thus there is now no need to send your child in with further drinks bottles. Water is also provided at lunch times on the dining tables.
Morning and afternoon collection routines:
In the morning please can we ask that you wait with your child in the infant playground. We will then come and bring you over to the Green Apples gate, where you can say goodbye to your little one at the door.
At the end of the day if parents wait outside the Green Apples door and the teacher/TA will hand the children over to parents.
We have included in your information pack lots of useful things that will help you to support what we are doing in class. Please look carefully at the correct pencil hold sheet as this will be very important this first term at school.
Thank you so much for your support in getting the children “reception ready”. I just know the children are going to have a fantastic year of learning.
If you do have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me, by Dojo message, or just speak to me at drop off or pick up. Once again thank you for your continued support.
Miss Lilley (Class teacher)
Dear Parents
We would ask that you sign the reading record booklet every time you hear your child read. The ‘comments’ section is a perfect place to celebrate their hard work and record any ‘tricky words’ that they struggled to read. Sometimes you may receive flash cards instead of books. Please note a signature is required before we send out a new book otherwise we will assume that it hasn’t been read.
In year one we would encourage you to read with your child for around 10 minutes each night, even a couple of pages each day will be useful in building your child’s confidence and fluency.
We have included a laminated ‘speed sound’ sheet to complete at start of every home reading session. Please encourage your child to say the sound, not the letter name. This should only take a minute, the children find this enjoyable and you will be able to see if there are any particular letters that they struggle to recognise and may need extra help with.
We also suggest that books are re-read so that your child tackles any unfamiliar words with increased confidence the second time around. Please remind your child to use their pure sounds and encourage them to ‘Fred talk’ words eg. s-t-o-p ‘stop’.
Please ask your child questions about what they have read as reading for understanding is also important. Eg ‘What did Ben have to buy from the shop?’, or, ‘What do you think will happen next?’
Please note that we change home school reading books on Tuesdays and Thursdays, therefore if your child has finished a particular book you many still want to keep it to re-read until these specific book change days.
Many thanks for your support
Miss Lilley (Class teacher)
