Reception Class News 6/12/24

This week has been a happy but busy one in Reception Class, even though we missed many of our friends who were off poorly. We hope they are feeling much better soon! Despite the smaller numbers, the children in class have continued to shine in their learning and make fantastic progress together.

Literacy Development
In Literacy, we used our jars of treasure to inspire us to create "found" posters. We began by discussing the purpose of posters and how they give important information to readers. Using descriptive words, we carefully described the objects we selected from our jars. We then wrote sentences about what our item was, where it was found, and finally posed the question, "Whose could it be?" The children produced fantastic sentence work, showing how much their writing skills are progressing. Well done, Reception Class!

Language and Communication
As this week marks the beginning of Advent, we have introduced a special Book Advent: The Twelve Books of Christmas. Each day, we've loved the excitement of unwrapping a new festive story and sharing in the magical tales of Christmas together, making this a truly wonderful way to celebrate the season

Expressive Arts and Design
In Music, we had so much fun singing action songs this week! We began the session by standing up, moving our bodies, and joining in with lively dance actions. Nursery rhymes were next, with Polly Put the Kettle On and Row, Row, Row Your Boat being firm favorites. Finally, we worked on keeping the beat by clapping rhythm patterns. Each child took turns creating their own beat for the class to copy, showing off their fantastic sense of rhythm.

Understanding the World
This week, we continued to explore the question, "How do Christians celebrate Christmas?" We began by watching the story of Anna and Simeon from Luke 2:21-40. We discussed how it feels to wait a long time for something special to happen, with words like "joyful" and "excited" being popular responses. We thought about why Jesus was so special, with some children recognising that he was seen as God's baby and the long-awaited Messiah. We also explored how some churches celebrate Christmas, watching a snippet of a Christingle service, which is one of the first Advent celebrations leading up to Christmas.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Our well-being focus this week was all about our favourite times of the year or seasons. We began by identifying the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and talked about what makes each one unique. From celebrating Easter and enjoying spring flowers to the excitement of snow and Christmas in winter, the children shared their seasonal favourites. Many loved winter because of Christmas, while others chose spring for the colourful flowers, autumn for the beautiful leaves, and Easter for the chocolate! For our well-being activity, we enjoyed mindfulness colouring, focusing on Christmas-themed designs.

This week in Heartsmart, we explored the idea that we all have unique talents and skills. To celebrate this, we held a talent show where everyone had the opportunity to demonstrate something special they could do. Talents ranged from singing nursery rhymes and giving hugs to impressively reciting the two times table. Well done, Archie! After each performance, we clapped and shared kind words about each other's talents.
Boris reminded us, "Whatever you do, do it all for God's glory" (1 Corinthians 10:31), showing us the importance of using our gifts to help and inspire others.

Mathematical Development
This week, we were introduced to the part-whole model to help us explore number bonds to 5. Using a variety of objects to represent a "whole" number, we practiced splitting it into two distinct parts. The children discovered that numbers can be broken down in many different ways, for example: 4 can become 2 and 2, 3 and 1, or even 4 and 0. We then practiced reversing the parts to show that 0 and 4 or 1 and 3 are also correct. The children did brilliantly as they began to understand this foundational mathematical concept.

Physical Development
In PE this week, we continued working with Coach Gabriel to develop our passing, kicking, rolling, and catching skills. We also played some fun invasion games that tested our ability to work together as a team. It's wonderful to see the children's physical skills and confidence growing week by week!

This week, the children have truly shone brightly in their learning, showing resilience and creativity at every opportunity. We are so proud of the effort and joy they bring to the classroom each day.

Keep shining your lights, Reception Class, you're amazing!
Mrs Ward