Reception Class News: 05/12/25

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!

Literacy Development: In literacy, we have been working on our next steps as writers. We focused especially on forming our curly letters : c, o, a, d and g , making sure they face the right way and sit neatly on the line. We then put this careful practice into action by making labels, writing cards, and creating our own little zig-zag books in provision.

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 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.

We also explored why St. Andrew's Day is celebrated in Scotland on the 30th November this week. We listened to the story of how Jesus invited Andrew to join his group of disciples and spread the good news about God. We looked into some of the activities people may do to celebrated this day.

Today we took take part in a live broadcast from Antarctica! We listened to stories from the ice and learnt about the importance of protecting our planet’s frozen continent. We were truly inspired to share the important messages about how we can help protect our world.

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.

Mathematical Development: This week, we explored 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 Mr J 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