St. Joseph’s Catholic Primay School Parent’s Meeting 15th and 16th September 2014 Mrs A Blakey and Mrs C Murray

Overview EYFS Staff Classroom routines Things your child will need Snack time and lunches Forest School Curriculum – how do we plan for your child’s learning? Assessment – how do we measure the children’s progress? Reading, writing, Letters and Sounds What can you do to help your child at home? How can you help?

EYFS Staff Mrs Robins – EYFS Coordinator Mrs Blakey – Class RB Teacher Mrs Murray – Class RM Teacher Mrs Luckett – Teaching Assistant Miss Hart – Teaching Assistant Mrs Parczewska – Teaching Assistant Mrs Oates – Teaching Assistant Mrs Maqsood – Teaching Assistant Miss Brunt – Teaching Assistant Miss Rolfe – EAL Support Mrs Wermeser – Forest School Teacher

Classroom Routines 9.00am – Children arrive at school 9.10am – Register and Morning Prayer 9.20am – Letters and Sounds 9.40am – Child-led learning 10.30am – Snack time 10.45am – Maths 10.50am – Child-Led Learning/Maths groups 11.45am – Lunch 1.00pm – Register and Rest Time 1.30pm – Reading / Child Led Learning / Literacy Groups 3.10pm – Home time!

Things your child will need: Green book bag (available from office) Wellington boots Waterproof coat with hood - if possible trousers too Hat, scarf, gloves during winter months Sun hat and sun cream in summer Forest School clothes PE kit by summer term Please make sure everything is NAMED.

Food and drink

Forest School This takes place in our copse, although EYFS children will not be going to the copse until January 2015 Children take it in turns in groups Site safe, enclosed and checked before each session Children take part in all weathers and will need warm clothes (trousers, long sleeved top and socks) Sessions are dependant on regular volunteers. Please see Mrs Wermeser if you can help!

How learning is organised In supporting your child’s progress, we focus on 7 areas of learning and development, as outlined in the EYFS Framework. Children should primarily develop the 3 prime areas: ● Communication and language ● Physical development ● Personal, social and emotional development Building on these 3 prime areas, we also help them to develop skills in the 4 specific areas: ● Literacy ● Mathematics ● Understanding the world ● Expressive arts and design

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child endeavour to make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. We support your child’s learning through a balance of adult-led activities and child-led learning, inside and out. Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking. We base many of our activities around a theme and an overview is posted each term on the website. This term the theme is He’s got the whole world in his hands. The teaching of RE is fundamental to the school. We follow the guidelines issued by the Diocese of Birmingham and allocate time in the weekly timetable for RE. We have set prayers which we say each day and children take part in assemblies and collective worship when they are ready.

Assessment We assess your child through observations and formal assessments We note their progress against the Development Matters statements in the EYFS Framework. We review assessments regularly to see if there are any gaps in your child’s progress in order to intervene quickly. At the end of the year, we assess your child against the EYFS Early Learning Goals as to whether they are ‘Emerging’, ‘Expected’ or ‘Exceeding’.

Learning Journeys We put together a ‘Learning Journey’ through the year with examples of your child’s work and learning. We would love you to contribute to this, telling us about developments you may have noted at home. Please use our ‘star moments’ sheet. You are welcome to look through your child’s Learning Journey at an appropriate time over the course of the year. Please respect the privacy of other children’s work.

Reading We aim to send the children home with reading books before October half term. Children start with ‘white’ books (no words) and progress through subsequent coloured bands as they are ready We aim to read with your child at least twice a week: once with a teacher and once with a TA. Please could you help us by listening to your child at least 2-3 times a week. Your child should bring their reading book to school every day. Books will be changed twice a week (Tues and Fri).

Letters and Sounds Phase One – Listening Skills. Training the children to tune into specific sounds and helping them to listen closely to specific sounds in words. Phase Two. We will teach the children 4 letter sounds per week, starting with s a t p i n. Each set of letters allows the children to start building words (eg with the sounds s a t p i n you can make sat, pat, mat, sit, pit.) Phase Three. Children learn further sounds, many of them made up of 2 or 3 letters (eg th, sh, ch, ng, igh, oo, ee, or, ar, air)

What can you do at home? Do not underestimate the value of spending time talking and listening with your child. Spend time playing with your children (eg puzzles, board games, cooking, stories…). Please encourage your child to use LOWER CASE LETTERS (not capitals). We will be teaching children to form cursive letters (not joined up). Maths – find practical, everyday contexts to support your child’s learning. Nursery rhymes Practise buckles, zips, buttons etc. Try to avoid shoes with laces. Children with EAL – don’t neglect your home language!

How can you help us? You must inform us if anyone other than a parent will be picking up your child. Please put regular arrangements in writing. Please talk to us! Keep us informed about any issues which may affect your child at school. Junk modelling materials. Please complete forms for signature if you have not already done so.