Reception T

Welcome to Foundation Two - Reception T

Hello and welcome to your child’s Reception class. I’m Mrs Thompson and I am the Early Years Leader and one of the Reception teachers at Chapelfield Primary School. Outside of school I can often be found at the side of a football pitch with one of my boys. To recover from the amount of wind and rain I encounter on a weekly basis I love nothing more than curling up with a cup of tea and a good book!

Starting Reception is an extremely exciting and important time in your child’s life. We hope to make this transition smooth and instil a love of learning in your child which will set them up to be passionate learners. We hope to work together to always achieve the best outcomes for your child. Your support is key. We have lots of exciting experiences planned for the upcoming year and we can’t wait to see where the year takes us!

Meet the Team

• Class Teacher: Mrs Thompson

• Teaching Assistant(s): Mrs Beckett (Full time) Mrs Beckett also works in Breakfast Club and After School club.

• 1:1 Support: Mrs Singh (Every afternoon) Mrs Singh is also a Lunch Time Supervisor for the class.

Brief Curriculum Overview

This year staff have worked together to create a new Foundation Stage Curriculum for the children of Chapelfield. Our new approach is skills based and we aim to teach these skills thorough high quality texts, experiences and topics that engage and inspire the children to achieve their potential and leave our unit at the desired level set out by the government. Alongside our Curriculum we plan early reading and writing skills using our phonics scheme Read Write Inc (RWI). We teach mathematics using materials from the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCTEM). We use My Happy Mind to promote emotional well-being and Write Dance and Dough Disco to improve physical development.

What We're Learning This Year

Our Topics for Cycle A include:

Autumn 1- Terrific Tales

A topic based on a selection of traditional tales. Children will focus on re-telling well known stories. Discussions about families and familiar routines as they begin their Chapelfield journey.

Autumn 2 - What changes around us?

A topic based on Seasons. We will focus seasonal changes in our local environment and discussing how things will change as the year progresses. Christmas and our Foundation Stage Nativity.  

Spring 1 - Out of this World!

A topic based on space. The children will find out about a famous astronaut from history and the planets that make up our solar system. Also expect some alien fun!

Spring 2 - Into the Wild!

A topic based on Wild Animals here in the UK and further a field in Africa. Children will compare native species and environments.

 Summer 1 - Off to the Farm

Children will learn about where our food comes from and life cycles of animals and plants. We will watch with wonder as we witness first-hand the life-cycle of a chicken!

 Summer 2 - Once upon a time…

A topic based upon fairy tales and medieval England. Think castles and dragons and a medieval banquet to finish our school year.

Class Timetable

In Foundation Stage we plan and teach through a mixture of small group, whole class, guided and independent teaching sessions. Some of our learning is taught through our continuous provision both inside and outside the classroom. For example, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Communication and Language are taught each and every day, through our guided and independent learning sessions.

Our Weekly Timetable

Home Learning

• We recommend reading daily with your child, with a minimum expectation of reading at home 3x a week, for them to receive a sticker on their reading chart and win a book from our book vending machine! Please use your child’s reading record to record each time they’ve read at home. Reading records will be checked every Friday.
• Children will take home 2 story books weekly to share with you at home. We currently change books on a Tuesday and Friday.
• We send home RWI Phonics sheets supporting your child’s letter formation in their reading packs.
• For online learning, see Parent Hub messages as we send out weekly links to videos that support your child’s Read Write Inc learning.

Useful Information

Equipment

• Bookbag and water bottle.
• Wellies, named, in a bag. Our children will be outside in all weathers. Please ensure they have a warm, waterproof coat with them, along with their wellies which are to be kept in school to ensure they can access this outdoor learning.
• Children will be provided with reading packs in September, please ensure these are brought in every day.
• Your child will need a PE kit in the Spring term (after Christmas), we will send out a letter detailing exact equipment needed.

Class routines

• We provide a snack every morning, please do not send food from home with your child as we do have children in school with allergies.

Supporting learning

• Read, read, read! We can not emphasise the importance of sharing stories and asking questions about them at home. Please record the stories your child has read in their reding record books.
• Please complete all phonics work sent home and share the RWI videos we send via parent hub.
• Drawing, painting, colouring and cutting really help develop pencil control and early writing skills. Any opportunities to do these things at home will greatly help your child to develop their writing fluency.
• Singing nursery rhymes and number rhymes helps to develop children’s awareness of language pattern and rhyme as well as early number skills.

How To Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Thompson  via the school office – chapelfield@bury.gov.uk – or speak to a member of staff at pick-up time.

• Parents Evening - Thursday 23rd October
• EYFS Open Evening – Thursday 6th November 4pm - 5:30pm
• EYFS Nativity – Monday 8th December 10:30am