Welcome to Reception Class!

We are really looking forward to the second half of the Spring Term in Reception Class and can't wait to enjoy lots of exciting activities together. Our children have had a fantastic first term at school and we are really proud of how well they have settled into our St Stephen's family.  As always, please let one of the Reception Team know if you have any questions at all- we are here to help.

Our new theme is 'Before Our Time' and we are really looking forward to exploring life in the past. We will use the story of Cinderella as a basis for our discussions and learning. This is because the original versions of the story originate all the way back to the 17th century when life would have been very different to how it is now. We will consider why the jobs that Cinderella needed to do were so tiring and hard. We will look at why a text message wasn't sent out to invite everyone to the ball! We will consider why Cinderella didn't travel to the ball by car! Finally, we will look at the clothes that everyone wore to the ball and how they have changed. 

Our Class Gallery is also lovely to browse through and will be added to over the coming weeks. It provides a wonderful opportunity for you to discover what your child has been learning in Reception.

We hope that you enjoy browsing through our page and that it provides you with an insight into how each day is a wonderful journey of learning, exploration and fun!

The Reception Team- Mrs Powell, Ms Rennolds and Miss Finch

Optional Home Learning for Friday 10th March 2023

Hello Reception,

With today's school closure due to snow, I'm sure that lots of you might want to be outside exploring and having fun. If you build a snowman or have other fun outside, please feel free to share some of your snowy photographs on Seesaw. We can then look at these as a class when we are back in school. This will be a fantastic speaking and listening activity.

You might want to challenge yourselves to build some snow animals too or perhaps have fun making snowy faces outside with natural materials. This will be a fabulous way of developing creativity and problem solving.

When it snowed last time at school, we took outside pots, pans, spoons etc and simply had fun filling and emptying different containers. This was very exciting and a fantastic way to informally discuss the language of capacity such as full, empty, nearly full, nearly empty etc.

You might want to enjoy some pretend play too and have fun making imaginative snow cakes with containers and natural decorations. Again, this is a lovely way to develop and use lots of language as your child discusses what they have made and how.

Mathematics

Again this is an optional activity for you to complete if you wish. If you are playing outside in the snow, could you make footprints and count each one as you take steps forward? How far can you count? We have been learning to count beyond twenty at school so this activity will help to reinforce this important skill.

It would also be good if you could practise writing some of your numerals when you are back inside- we have been focusing on the formation of 6,7,8 and 9 over the past few weeks. You could even try to write some of your numerals in the snow with sticks. Have fun!

Writing

Here is an optional activity for you to enjoy together. Your child may wish to draw a picture of themselves in the snow and write a simple 'I can...' sentence to say what they are doing. Example- 'I can build a snowman'. They can use their phonics to help them to sound out the words that they need. We have been encouraging use of finger spaces, a capital letter and full stop when writing. If your child does complete this activity, feel free to post a photograph on Seesaw or send into school on Monday for me to look at.

Phonics

An electronic copy of the weekly Phonics and Maths homework sheet along with voice instructions will be posted onto Seesaw for you. A paper copy will be sent home with your child as usual next week. 

Thankyou- Mrs Powell