Autumn 2 Week 4

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This week, we have been learning about Advent. We learnt that purple is the colour of Advent, the priest wears purple at church, the first candle we light is purple and the cloth on our altar is purple. The first candle represents hope. We have been thinking of what we are hoping for. The children are hoping people have homes, food and clothes. Lots are hoping for snow at Christmas and many hoping for different presents. The children made stars to remember their hopes and wishes. Advent is a time for preparing; the children drew things we do to prepare for Christmas. The children made Advent promises to become closer to God during Advent and we added them to our class display. Each day, we will open a door and try to follow the Advent promise. The children painted Advent wreaths.

As we have finished all of the Phase 2 sounds, we have been revising them this week. Please keep practising them at home. We have also been practising reading and spelling the tricky words. Please practise I, a, go, no, to, into, the. The children have been on a hunt around the playground to find the tricky words on stars.

We have been busy practising for our Christmas Play. Thank you for your support with practising the children’s lines and thank you for sending the children’s costumes in.

In Religion, we listened to the story The Annunciation from the Bible. The children made angels and wrote what Mary and Angel Gabriel said to each other.

On Friday, we took our Advent promises to assembly and they were added to the hall display.

Reminder

Christmas Nativity – Thursday 5th December at 9.30am.

 

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mrs Carey and The Early Years Team

Autumn 2 Week 3

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This week we have been learning about the Jewish celebration called Hanukkah. The children made menorahs with their hand prints. They wrote sentences about the celebration and drew pictures of a synagogue.

We read the story Whatever Next by Jill Murphy. The children acted out the story using props. They made rockets and wrote sentences about the story. They had lots of fun role playing in the Space Station and pretending to be astronauts.

In Maths, we have been learning about patterns. The children have been making repeated patterns using a variety of resources. Can you make a pattern at home with some objects in your house?

In phonics, we have learnt the sounds l, ll, ss and ff. Our tricky word this week was into. We have finished the phase 2 phonics so please practise all the sounds in their phonics book. If you say the sound and ask the children to write the sound, also ask the children to read the sound.

We were very excited to see snow so we collected some ice in the playground and talked about why the snow turned into ice.

We have been busy practising the class nativity. Children took a letter home about their costume. Please send the costumes in by Wednesday 27th November. All clothes should have the child’s name on and the bag should be labelled too. Mary and the angels should have white leggings and a white top. All the other parts need a black top and black leggings/trousers.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Carey and the Early Years Team

Autumn 2 Week 2

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This week was anti-bullying week. We spoke about what bullying is and what we should do if we think we are being bullied. The children wrote names in a hand print of the people they could tell if they were feeling sad. We read the story The Ugly Duckling and talked about the duck being bullied because he looked different. We all look different but we should treat everyone the same. Then we did some hot seating where the children pretended they were a character and the others asked them questions. The children made beautiful swans and nests for the ducklings. We had some amazing writing about the ducklings, the children are using their phonic knowledge to write words.

 

In Maths, we have been learning about capacity. We have been comparing containers, estimating which containers would hold more or less and measuring using cups.

 

In our Phonics lessons, we have learnt the tricky word to. We have also learnt the sounds r, h, b and f. Please continue to practise at home.

On Friday, we thought about what we are good at. We made mirrors, decorated them and added them to our display about what we are good at. We then thought about the things we would like to be able to do and how we should keep trying until we can do something.

Some of the children have been given lines to learn for the Christmas Play. Please practise with your child and we will continue to practise at school. The children are enjoying learning the songs and the dances.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Carey and The Early Years Team

Autumn 2 Week 1

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Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful half term.

This week, we have been learning about Diwali. The children listened to the story of Rama and Sita and they have been making rangoli patterns, hands with patterns on them and they have been drawing the king with ten heads. The children all made a diya lamp using clay and painted it. The diya lamps reminds us that Diwali is the festival of light.

In Maths, the children have been comparing sizes using the language bigger, smaller, shorter and longer. We have been ordering sizes and measuring using lots of objects in the class. We measured using pegs, cubes, pencils and our hands.

 

We learnt about the signs of Autumn, then the children made Autumn Sensory bottles. Thank you for the water bottles, conkers and leaves that you sent in.If you have spare plastic bottles at home, please send them in.

In Phonics, we learnt the sounds ck, e and u. The children have been practising writing the letters, saying the rhyme and writing words with the sounds in. Please continue to practise at home and practise reading the tricky words the.

On Friday, we learnt about Remembrance. The children made poppies with paint and lego. We also made medals for the soldiers who fought in the war.

Next week – If you have had a family member or friend die, please send in a photograph with their name on the back. We will add these to our remembrance display.

 

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Carey and The Early Years Team

Autumn 1 Week 6

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On Monday, the police visited us to tell us what they do to help people. The children asked lots of questions, tried on their clothes and sat in the police car. The children have been role playing police in the playground.

This week, we have been learning about India. We learnt about the flag and where to find India on a map. The children made their own flags to be displayed around our world map. Our home corner has changed to a Indian restaurant where children have been wearing saris and serving food. The children made Rangoli patterns using chalk, felt tips and natural resources. We learnt about the National bird- the peacock and the children made peacocks. We also learnt about how people bath and wash clothes in the River Ganges -the children have been washing clothes in our water tray. Following our theme of the Year of the Disciples, we learnt about a charity called Caritas that supports people in India. Raylan, Aanay and Tiya from Year 6 showed us their traditional dress and some Indian dancing. Jonathan’s parents made us some traditional food from India. Freya’s parents made us some sweets and Ayden’s parents bought us some Indian snacks. Thank you for your support. We made Laddoo, the children enjoyed mixing and rolling. We also learnt some Indian dancing. Outside, we made the Taj Mahal.

On Friday, Jonathan, Freya and Raiya came to school in their traditional dress.

In Maths, we have been finding different ways to make 2 and 3 using a cherry model (part, part, whole), a tens frame and many other resources.

In Phonics, we have been revising the sounds and tricky words we have learnt this term. Please practise saying and writing all of the sounds in their phonics book. Practise reading tricky words I, no, go and the.

Thank you for all of the donations for the food bank.

On Friday, we read the story Pumpkin Soup and made some pumpkin soup in our mud kitchen.

Could you go for a walk and collect some signs of autumn? Bring in some different colour leaves, conkers and some twigs please. Please send in a plastic bottle with a lid for the Tuesday after half term.

Have a wonderful half term.

Mrs Carey and the Early Years Team

Autumn 1 Week 6

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This week we have been learning about the people who help us. We have been lucky to have many visitors. On Monday, we had Esther’s mum, who is a dentist come to tell us about her important job. We learnt about how to keep our teeth healthy and how dentists can help us. We cleaned teeth at school, sequenced pictures of how we brush our teeth and we pretended we were dentists.

On Tuesday, we had a nurse visit. She talked about what she did and showed us some of the equipment she uses in her job. Then the children painted and drew pictures of why we may need a nurse.

On Wednesday, we had the firefighters some in. They talked about what they do each day. They told us what we should do if we saw a fire. They reminded us to test our smoke alarms regularly and if we do not have one contact Potters Bar Fire Station. We sat in the fire engine and sprayed the water hose. After,we made our own fire engine with crates and used our hoses to spray pretend fires in the playground. The children dressed up as firefighters. Children also made fire engines from boxes.

Outside, the children were role playing being a vet in our outdoor vets. They were looking after different animals, pretending to be a vet or a receptionist.

 

In Maths, we have been learning to find one more and one less than a number. we have been using number fans and playing games to help us demonstrate our understanding.

Deacon Sean same to Reception Class to baptise a baby doll to continue our learning on Baptism.

Next week is One World Week. We are learning about India. If you are from India and would like to come and talk to the children about your traditions, please speak to me. If you would like to bring in some food for us to taste, please let me know. If the children have traditional dress from the country they are from, please wear on Friday.

 

I look forward to seeing you at parents evening. If you have not made an appointment, please do.

Please see the powerpoint of photos from this week. Photos

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Carey and The Early Years Team

Autumn 1 Week 5

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Our story this week was The Rainbow Fish. The story is about friendships. We talked about what makes a good friend. The children made their own fishes where they drew around their hand, cut them out and decorated them. They made friendship bracelets for their friends and they made a sea scene with different sea creatures in. Then we made a recipe for friendships, we added kindness, happiness, fun, caring, and helpfulness to our bowl and mixed it together to help us remember what a good friend is.

In Maths, we have been learning about the numbers 1, 2 and 3. The children have been playing games, threading numbers and finding objects to help them have a secure understanding of the numbers.

In Phonics, we learnt the sounds m, d and g. The children read words with those sounds in. Some of the letters can be difficult to write so please practise with the children over the weekend.

The children got their reading books this week. The library book is for you to read to your child. If you child has a reading book with no words, encourage them to talk about the pictures, ask them questions and retell what is happening.

In Religion, we have been learning about Baptism. We looked a photos of when the children were baptised. The children learnt that when we are baptised we are join Jesus’ family. They acted out baptising a doll. Please talk to your children about their baptism, show them their baptismal candle and tell them who their Godparents are.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Carey and The Early Years Team

Autumn 1 Week 4

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This week, we have been learning about feelings. We read the story The Colour Monster and discussed the different feelings that we have. The children have been drawing things that make them happy, sad and scared. They have made their own colour monsters using junk modelling and have been learning to mix colours to make other colours.

In Phonics, we have learnt the sounds t, p, i and n. Please practise writing and saying the sound. Complete the sheets in their Phonics Book. We are also learning to read the tricky word a.

We have been using the sounds that we have learnt to read words with those sounds. e.g: tip, pin, it

In Maths, we have been learning about pairs, matching, sorting and comparing. The children have been developing their vocabulary and using a variety of resources to demonstrate their understanding.

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Class Act of Worship. The children prayed and sang beautifully. It has been great to watch their confidence grow to take part in our acts of worship.

In Religion, we have been learning about the Creation story. Today we thought about what we can do to look after our world. The children made posters to encourage people to recycle and pick up litter. We thought about walking or cycling to school. The children looked in the water tray to identify dangers for the animals who live in the water. We discussed about the effect our rubbish can have on animals.

On Friday, the children went to their first whole school assembly. They were excellent! Well done Reception.

If you child does not have wellies at school, please send them in.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Carey

Autumn Week 3

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Our focus this week has been around the book Owl Babies. The children have been making their own owls, drawing a storyboard to retell the story and making nest from different resources. The children have been developing their cutting skills by cutting out pictures of owls to make puppets. This story is about a some owls missing their mums. The children can relate to this story as they have been brave starting school even though they miss their mums. The children have also been learning about owls. Our classroom looks colourful with the children’s learning n the walls.

   

In Phonics, the children have learnt the sounds s and a.  The children have learnt the sound, the rhyme and how to write the letter. We have been writing the letters in sand, glitter, foam, paint and writing them on paper. Please complete the sheets in their phonics books and continue to practise the letters at home on paper, with chalk , paint or writing the letter in the air to ensure your child can form the letters correctly.

In Religion, we learnt about the special book called the Bible where we read stories about God.  We listened to the Creation story and retold it with difference resources. The children made wonderful pictures to show what God created on each day.

Reminder – Act of Worship in Reception Class on 3rd October at 9.15pm

On the 9th October the class photo will be in the Welwyn Hatfield Times.

Children can bring fruit snacks only for break time.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Carey and The Early Years Team

Autumn 1 Week 2

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Our first full week in Reception! You will have some very tired children this weekend. The children are learning the class routines well and beginning to remember some of their friend’s names.

This week, we have been learning to sit on the carpet and show good listening by looking at the person talking and taking turns to speak.

The children have been exploring the classroom by building with different resources, creating wonderful art pieces with paints and collage and demonstrating their cutting skills. The children have been dressing up and role-playing in the home corner.

Outside they have been exploring the playground, learning to climb safely on our equipment and learning to share the toys.

We have been talking about our families and who lives with us. We made a house with lollipop sticks and drew who we lived we.

On Friday, we learnt about how we are all different and unique and God love us all. The children had a go at writing their names and decorating them.

Each day, the children have been learning to make the sign of the cross. We use our right hand – head to heart, to left shoulder,  to right shoulder. Hands together. Please practise with your child at home.

The highlight of the week was meeting our reading partners. We will add photos next week. Every Friday, the Year 6 will read to their partner.

Thank you for those who have sent in family and baptism photos. If you have not, please send them in so the children can look at them on our wall.

Next week, the children will get a phonics book. Each night, please practise saying and writing the sound. Return the book every day so we can stick in the new sound. Children should bring in a bag every day so we can put their book in. Please remember to send in a water bottle with their name on.

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mrs Carey