1. Welcome to Reception Mrs Harrison.. Early Years Co-ordinator & Reception Teacher Miss Doughty.. Teaching Assistant Mrs Trayford..Teaching Assistant

2. A year in Reception Doors open at 8.55am School finishes at 3.10pm Well done assembly every Friday morning, where parents/relatives are very welcome to join us, main school hall 9.10am Should your child get a Star Award for the week, you will be notified via text. Any child who has a certificate of achievement from anywhere outside school is encouraged to bring it in to celebrate in assembly e.g. swimming, dancing, football etc Newsletters sent home every term Parents evening in October and March Infant Christmas concert Parents invited into school to spend a session with us (summer term) Snack money £1 per week (payable Monday morning) or half termly if you prefer.

3. What we’ll be doing this term Welcoming children and settling them into Reception! Helping children learn their new routine Making new friends Assessing children against the Foundation Stage Profile Topics: What do I know about me? Who has a home like mine? Why are there so many leaves on the ground? (Autumn) What do people celebrate? Diwali / Bonfire night Christmas / Hanukkah These may change according to children’s own interests

4. Phonics teaching in Reception : At Christ Church Ainsworth we teach phonics, in small group sessions, on a daily basis. During the first half term your child will be assessed and placed into a phonics group. Phonics: is taught in six phases, we cover some of these phases in reception. Phase one involves listening to different sounds, recognising rhyme and rhythm and beginning to hear sounds in words e.g. using musical instruments, hearing and saying sounds(phonemes) in C A T object. Phase two moves from hearing and saying sounds (phonemes) to recognising the letters (graphemes) that show these sounds. CAT word. We use Jolly phonics to help the children to say and recognise the sounds (phonemes) and letters. We introduce the letters S A T P I N as blending these sounds can make a range of words e.g. at, in, sat, nip etc. Phase three develops children's knowledge of the remaining letters of the alphabet and graphemes to cover most of the phonemes represented by more than one letter. Teaches and practises the skills of blending and segmenting sounds represented by single letters and graphemes of more than one letter. Phase four develops children's knowledge and skills of blending and segmenting words with adjacent consonants.

5. Getting started with reading We are sending home with each child a picture lotto game which you can play with your child. It is to get them to know the characters which will appear in the reading books once they get to this level. Step 1 Show your child each character and tell them the name which they can match to the picture board. Get them to say the characters name as they place it on the board, Step 2 Once you think they know the characters, remove the pictures and give your child only the words which they should match under each picture on the lotto board. Do this several times until you feel they are competent. Step 3 Remove the picture board completely and use the words Mum, Dad, Biff, Chip & Floppy as flash cards for your child to recognise by sight. Once I feel that your child is able to do this, I will send a ‘keyword book’ home. Initially this will have the characters they have already learnt. Consequently your child will be given more keywords to learn ( by sight or by blending sounds depending on where they are).

6. Reading Reading days: In Reception children are not given specific reading days, however we endeavour that all children will be heard to read twice per week. Please ensure that your child’s book bag, containing their reading record and school book or picture lotto initially are sent into school everyday. Books will only be changed if the reading record book has been signed. Alongside your child’s reading book, words will also be sent home that need to be recognised by sight, (not by sounding out individual phonemes). Please support your child here, by practising these words with them every night. (10 minutes per night is all that is needed!) Please do not tick these off in word books as we will keep a record of what your child can do. Please note : The reading book that your child brings home is for practise and enjoyment purposes only. It is not the intention that this book should be challenging for your child. Rather this book is used to instil reading for pleasure. In class your child’s teacher will spend a weekly session of guided reading with your child, in a small group environment. Here your child will be asked to read a more challenging text and reading strategies alongside comprehension skills will be taught. If you would like to further support your child’s reading at home we recommend looking at non-fiction books, comics, magazines etc. with your child.

7. Please note and date every time you do ‘reading’ with your child & comment on how they have coped in their reading record. Please do not recommend that they should be moved on....That's my job! 10 mins each night is enough for a child of this age! If they do not want to do it PLEASE do not force the issue. Each child will do it when they are ready. Encourage YES, but force, NO!! Remember reading is NOT a race. All children develop at different stages. In our Reception Class there is a large gap in ages, so because one child is on one reading book or even not on a reading book please do not be concerned. Every child does matter to us and your child will progress and learn according to their ability. Should you have any worries, questions or concerns at any time. Never hesitate to make an appointment with me, Tuesday – Friday after school.

8. Here are some examples of the kinds of questions you could ask your child: (It is important they understand what they are reading, rather than just saying the words!) Did you enjoy the story? What was the best part of the story? Did you like the pictures in the book? Did they help you with the story? Do you have a favourite picture or part of the story? Tell me about it. Has anything that happened in this book ever happened to you? In this story, are there any words used over and over again? Which ones (repetitive phrases, rhyming words etc). Who is in this book? Use the word characters Who did you like best? Why? Would you like to visit this place? (farm, seaside etc). Does this story remind you of any other story that you have read? Talk about the front / back cover, author, illustrator, blurb Talk about words that rhyme and any alliterations

9. Practising formation of letters This is something which we will do continually in school. You can help at home by practicing formation of letters with your child. Lower case letters only please, not capital letters at this point. Practice saying each sound as they write it. Children need to know all sounds to be able to blend and segment for reading and writing. The more time given to practicing, the more confident & independent writers the children will become. A small exercise book will be sent home for you to help your child practice saying sounds and writing them. Please take time to sit with your child whilst they are practising forming letters.

10. Maths I would just like to point out that Maths learning in Reception has changed. To help your child in any way you can at home, this is what we will be covering Recognition & naming numbers up to 20 Understanding of 10’s i.e. 13, 14, 15 = ten+3, ten+4 etc. We will do this in lots of ways in class. Numbers more than / less than e.g. 1 more than 10 is ? 1 more than 5 is ? 1 less than 6 is ? 1 less than 12 is ? Count upwards with children at home, but also backwards! This is important.

11. Proud Clouds I will be sending home paper in the shape of a cloud! If your child does something at home that they are proud of please write what it is on the cloud, with a photograph if applicable and send it into school. We will display all proud clouds in our classroom. Examples of things children may be proud of, Fastening up own coat Getting dressed / undressed by themselves. Sleeping all night in their own bed Trying something new to eat i.e. vegetables. Riding a bike without stabilisers. Tidying their room Absolutely anything!

12. Your Support Ensure book bags are sent to school every day and checked every night Reading and learning of sight vocabulary All items clearly labelled P.E. Kit in a a suitable bag, to be left in school. P.E kits will be sent home each half term. Update personal details for the office and return to school ASAP. A warm coat, a hat and mittens all clearly marked for outdoor play purposes. ( Mittens please as opposed to gloves with fingers, unless children can manage gloves with fingers PLEASE do not send! ) Practise holding a pencil at home to form letters and numbers correctly. If your child is writing in capital letters, please refer to the guidance sheet in your welcome pack to show formation of small case letters Support your child with any homework that may be given If you have any worries, questions, concerns, no matter how small, PLEASE do not hesitate to get in touch.