Mrs Eaglen – Early Years Lead Mrs Ainley – Literacy Lead Welcome to the Early Years parents meeting. Class Teachers Mrs Eaglen – Early Years Lead Mrs Ainley – Literacy Lead

Overview Communication with school and parents Transition Early Numeracy Early Literacy Assessment and monitoring Behaviour Home activities Uniform and PE kits Parent volunteers End of the day pick up.

Communication School Blog- Access from the Gurnard Primary website to keep you up to date with what is going on. - Click on the classes page, then Reception School website – lots of information, letters – emailed, notice board outside each classroom. Facebook page updates Your child’s photo will not appear on the blog or facebook if you have selected for them not to be on there. Email the school for general questions: parents@gunrardprimaryschool.co.uk We are always happy to answer any questions and you are welcome to make an appointment to see us after school at any time.

Transition from Pre-School Last year the parent feedback was that the transition time at the start of the year was too long (previously 3 weeks). This year we made it shorter with just one week of half days. This was to enable the children to get used to the school environment and their new teachers in smaller groups. Although some children are used to full days, the whole school environment can be quite different and daunting for some children.

Transition from Pre-School During our previous parent meeting in May, we discussed the different areas of learning in Early Years. Today we will look further into how and when we teach early literacy and numeracy.

Early Years Numeracy

Early Numeracy We have a short maths lesson each day which is extended as the year progresses The lessons are usually very practical We use number fans, flashcards, number lines We sing number songs and have number stories. ICT programmes are used on the class computers as well as the main interactive board The classroom and outside environment also has many numeracy activities which the children can access all the time.

Numeracy at Home Identify numbers when out and about Paying for things at the shops Board games Magnetic numbers Sponge numbers Dominoes Identifying different shapes around the home Counting movable and non-movable objects Number books and songs, Internet www.ictgames.com (some websites on the class blog). Telling the time on the hour.

Early Years Literacy

Early Literacy Like maths we have a short phonics lesson each day which is extended as the year progresses. We teach four new sounds each week then we have a final day to recap. The sounds are sent home in phonic books each week which will start after half term. Please practise sounds every day. They need to learn the sounds rather than the letter names to be able to read. If you are not sure on how to pronounce the sounds, please check with the class teacher.

Early Literacy Like maths we have a short phonics lesson each day which is extended as the year progresses. We teach four new sounds each week then we have a final day to recap. The sounds are sent home in phonic books each week which will start after half term. Please practise sounds every day. They need to learn the sounds rather than the letter names to be able to read. If you are not sure on how to pronounce the sounds, please check with the class teacher.

Blending To build and decode words c - a - t = cat h – a - t = hat Parents can : Play “I spy” with initial, final and then short vowel sounds Have magnetic letters in kitchen, foam letters in bath, water pens in bath, Help children blend sounds when they are reading

Key Words Taught by character sheets e.g. Winnie the Pooh. These are sight words. Important to practise and look for these words all the time – they are ‘key’ words. We will teach a few key words each week and constantly re- inforce them. Ideas for parents at home to support learning: Snap, pairs and matching games Guess the missing word in a sentence Highlight key words Magnetic letters on the fridge Make up your own!

Reading After half term, each child will be given a reading book along with a reading plastic and reading record. Each day they should bring this into the classroom with them. Some books will be pictures books with no words to begin with and some will have short sentences. These books will be changed twice a week on a Tuesday and Friday. If your child has finished the book in between, please encourage them to read the book again.

Assessment & Monitoring Observations and discussions with children (Tapestry). Maths and literacy folders – these contain any independent learning and some adult led activities as well. There will be an individual parents meeting in October.

Behaviour In class we reward children with stickers or ‘Dojo points’. For example, these will be given for being kind, sharing, listening well, fantastic tidying up. On the other hand, unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with using a 5 step system which is used in the whole school. If your child reaches step 5 (a red card), a ‘red text alert’ will be sent home. Consequence will be dealt with on the same day.

Homework Homework will be: Reading (daily) Practicing phonic sounds from phonic books. If we feel your child will benefit from any other activities at home, we will let you know.

Uniform Please make sure all uniform is labelled. Wellies and waterproof coats in Reception for outside play. Wellies are usually left at school so they can access them when they need them. If possible, waterproof trousers are also useful but we do have some in school. Plain hair accessories, green, black, white or yellow. PE In the summer term we will start PE lessons. Please make sure they have NAMED black shorts, a school PE T-shirt and plimsolls/black trainers. Earrings need to be removed by yourself or the child. To aid your child please encourage them to undo their own buttons and get changed independently. The PE kit is also the same if your child joins in with afterschool clubs.

Parents Volunteers We would love your help! We welcome parents to hear readers in the mornings from 8.30 – 9.00pm. A sign up sheet will go up on class notice boards after half term. Trips – We will be planning some exciting trips this year so we always need parents help on these days too. Once a letter has been sent home about a trip, please let the class teacher know if you can help.

End of the Day Arrangements You should collect your child from the classroom door at 32.55pm. If you are running late, please let the school office know and we will take your child to the office ready for your collection. If your child attends an afterschool club, we will take your child to the club and you can collect them at 4pm from the studio.

Finally… Before you leave, please sign the register and use the post-it notes to leave any feedback about this meeting. If you have any questions, we will stay here so please feel free to come and ask us. Thank you for coming along! We hope you have found it useful!