• Nature Explorers

Welcome to Reception's class page!

READY, RESPECTFUL, SAFE

Love Learning, Love Life

Always Aiming High

Staff

Mrs McCarroll  Mrs Jones  

To contact Mrs McCarroll email cmccarroll@elton.cheshire.sch.uk

Hello and welcome to our Reception Stage website.

We hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year and are excited to be back with us. It is fantastic to see how much our little learners have grown in confidence and how inquisitive they are to learn and explore. This term, our first topic is “Exploring Our World.” We'll use a range of texts to explore the world, including “Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain,” where we’ll visit Africa with a focus on Kenya. Then, we’ll journey to China to celebrate the Chinese New Year using “The Magic Paintbrush,” and finally, we’ll look at “The Marvellous Moon Map” as we jet off to space.

In Spring Two, our topic is “Let’s Grow,” where we will use texts such as “The Journey Home,” “The Tiny Seed,” and “The Extraordinary Garden” to explore how the world around us is growing and changing.

These stories provide starting points for a wealth of exciting learning opportunities, and we aim to make these activities as practical as possible—creating maps, making masks, role-playing, planting seeds and investigating how they grow, and constructing a bus out of boxes, etc.

If you ever have any questions about what we do here at school, please feel free to ask. We believe that when home and school work closely together, great things can be achieved.

Our Reception Class of four and five-year-olds
The class teacher is Mrs McCarroll, who is supported by a fantastic team dedicated to ensuring that your children become confident and independent learners.

Everything we do to help the children learn and develop is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This is divided into three prime areas and four specific areas.

Prime Areas of Learning and Development:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific Areas of Learning and Development:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

We plan activities and topics based on the children's interests, as we believe that children learn best when they are motivated and fully engaged. It is imperative to empower the children by asking them what they would like to learn and how they would like to approach it. We work hard to ensure that the children are confident, independent learners who take an active role in their own education.

We also value the partnership between school and home. Throughout the year, parents and carers will be invited to stay-and-play sessions, key worker catch-ups, parent evenings, and parent panels.

Please remember this important message: If you are ever unsure or concerned about something—no matter how small or big you think it is—please come and chat with us. If you believe your child may be unhappy or worried about something, please let us know. Your child's happiness, safety, learning, and development are our priority. Let's work together to ensure they have the best start in life.

Some Information:

Uniform: We expect all children to wear school uniform. Please ensure that all items are labelled, including coats, shoes, PE pumps, book bags, etc.

PE: Please provide a labelled drawstring pump bag, pull-on or Velcro black pumps, navy, white, or black shorts, and a white T-shirt. PE will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays. The PE kit can be taken home for washing every half term. Please send in a water bottle that your child can identify, filled with fresh water each day.

Children in Reception also participate in weekly Nature Explorers sessions, which take place in the nature area within the school grounds. Children will change into their Nature Explorer outfits after lunch and come home wearing these. As we will be spending the whole afternoon outside in all weathers, please ensure your child has the following items, labelled with their name:

• A waterproof coat
• Trousers
• Long-sleeve top
• Wellies or shoes that you are happy to get muddy
• A hat

During these sessions, clothing may get dirty and wet. Even during the summer months, please ensure your child wears trousers to protect them from scratches and insect bites.

Homework: Homework will be sent home on Fridays and should be returned by Wednesday. Please read with your child as often as possible; they should be reading at home daily when possible, but a minimum of three times a week is encouraged. Reading diaries will be checked twice a week. Please write a comment in the yellow diary, for example: Did they enjoy it? How well are they blending? Could they retell the story? Could they discuss the characters' behaviour? The more practice your child gets, the quicker they will become fluent. We will change your child’s reading book once a week and will read with them at least once a week. Please keep the reading book and yellow reading diary in their book bag and ensure it is sent in every day.

Late Arrivals: Children who arrive after 8:45 am are considered late for school. All late arrivals should use the main entrance and will be required to sign the late book. Parents of children who are frequently late will be asked to meet with the Headteacher to discuss the issue. The number of late arrivals will be monitored and noted in the child’s school report at the end of the academic year.

Absence: Parents are asked to phone the school office if their child is absent, stating the reason for the absence. If parents do not inform the school of the reason on the first day, the secretary will phone to ensure there are no problems.

Medicines: Requests for medicine to be administered in school must be made to the school office. This relates ONLY to prescribed medicines. They should be handed in at the school office with clear written instructions on administration. Antibiotics will be stored in the fridge until the end of the day. The fact that the medicine has been administered will be recorded in the medicine log book. Asthma inhalers are kept in the classroom where children can easily access them.

Ways to Help at Home:

• Read as Much as You Can: Encourage your child to engage with various texts, from stories and magazines to restaurant menus. Make reading a nightly activity, allowing them to use pictures as prompts. Ask ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions to extend their thinking, and seek out letters they recognise while encouraging them to practise ‘Fred Talk’. Don’t forget to sign and write a short comment in their reading diary so that we know they have read.

• Talk Frequently: Engage your child in conversations about all things big and small—ask questions like ‘What do you fancy for tea?’ or ‘Why do you think fish can’t live on land?’ Share your feelings, thoughts, and opinions, and encourage them to do the same.

• Provide Number Opportunities: Look for informal opportunities to work on numbers. For example, count as you walk up the stairs or while counting fruit in a bowl. Pose practical problems such as, “How many plates do we need for dinner?” or “Can you share those sweets equally between you and your brother?”

• Encourage Independence: As you guide your child, remember that fostering their independence is essential. Encourage them to take on tasks they are capable of, such as getting dressed in the morning, putting on their shoes, or helping with household chores and meal preparation.

• Send a Water Bottle: Please ensure your child brings a water bottle that can be topped up throughout the week, as we place great importance on providing children with continual access to drinking water.

If you ever have any questions about what we do here at school, please feel free to ask. We believe that when home and school work closely together, great things can be achieved.

Lastly, What to Expect When...
An amazing booklet for parents that outlines what children should be able to do at various ages, along with tips to support their learning.

Download it here:  http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/03/4Children_ParentsGuide_2015_WEB.pdf

The Early Years Foundation team x