Reception Class Brochure 2006 - 2007
Reception Class Children
September 2006
I’m really, really happy – can you see it in my face?
Today I’ve spent my first day in a new, exciting place.
At four, too old for nursery, I would feel uncool
When all my friends have gone on to the adventure called “big school”
Information to help you and your child with the transition between Nursery and Reception.
FIRST VISIT
Your child’s first visit to reception class will take place on the following date.
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Thursday 8th June
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Thursday 8th June
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9:30 – 10:30
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1:30 – 2:30
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Please take your child to nursery as normal on the day of their first visit. Mrs. Crainey or Mrs. Jones will take them through the Quiet Room to the Reception classroom at 9:30 or 1:30. If you do not attend the school nursery please come to the school for 1:30.
Please collect your child from the Nursery at the normal time.
SECOND VISIT (Move Up Day)
The second visit will be on TUESDAY JULY 11th.
Please bring your child directly to the
The Red and Green Group children will come from 9:00 to 11.30 a.m.
RECEPTION CLASS CHILDREN 2006
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Red Group
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Green Group
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SEPTEMBER STARTING DATES AND TIMES
WEEK ONE Tuesday 5th September
Red Group children to come in 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Green Group children to come in 1:00 to 3:20 p.m.
WEEK TWO Monday 11th September
Green Group children to come in 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Red Group children to come in 1:00 to 3:20 p.m.
WEEK THREE Monday 18th September
Red and Green group children to come in 9:00 to 1:30 p.m.
All children to stay for lunch
WEEK FOUR Monday 25th September
Red and Green group children to come in 9:00 to 2:30 p.m.
All children to stay for lunch
WEEK FIVE Monday, 2nd October
Red and Green group children to come in 9:00 to 3:20 p.m.
All children to stay for lunch
A USUAL RECEPTION DAY (Monday – Thursday)
8:57 a.m. School bell rings and children line up
9:00 a.m. Registration
9:05 a.m. Literacy / Numeracy
10:05 a.m. Assembly
10:20 a.m. Break time
10:30 a.m. Milk/Water
10:40 a.m. Numeracy / Literacy
11.30 a.m. Big toys
11:50 a.m. Lunchtime
1:00 p.m. Topic work or Physical Education
1:55 p.m. Fruit time
2:00 p.m. Break time
2:15 p.m. Topic work or Story
3:20 p.m. Home time
RECEPTION TOPICS
Autumn term: Myself, Colours and Christmas
Spring term: Homes and Buildings, Animals and farms, maps
Summer term: Teddy bears, Cookery, People who help us
RECEPTION TRIPS (in previous years)
Autumn term: Northern Stage Christmas Production
Spring term: Whitehouse Farm
Summer term: A teddy bear picnic
We also encourage in-school activities with outside agencies including Science Storytime (
EARLY SCHOOL DAYS
To encourage your child’s independence we ask that you and your child say goodbye in the school yard (when the school bell rings and the children line up). Please wave at the window from the yard once your child is in the classroom.
· The school bell first rings at 8:57 – this is when your child lines up and comes into the classroom.
· The school bell rings for a second time at 9:00 – at this time the classroom door is closed. If the classroom door has closed please take your child to the main office where the secretary will sign them in as late, then bring them to the classroom when you have said goodbye at the office.
When the children have settled into the routine of school, we will be holding an ‘OPEN AFTERNOON’ (in October) for you to visit the classroom and experience being 5 again.
SNACKS
At first playtime your child may have a healthy snack brought from home. This is a good idea because we find many children are “starving” by lunchtime. Healthy snacks include pieces of fruit, cheese and cereal bars. We ask that you do not send in sweets, chocolate, crisps or biscuits.
Before the afternoon break, your child has a piece of fruit provided by the National School Fruit Scheme.
PHONICS
During the first term, your child will be introduced to letter sounds during Literacy. The sounds will be introduced in a random order using the Jolly Phonics scheme that introduces an action with the sound and through Progression in Phonics. When we say our sounds, they will be a plain sound “sssss” rather than “suh” – this helps when we try blending sounds and building up words. In September, all children will receive a “sound book” which will reinforce their prior knowledge of letter sounds and introduce new sounds and blends. There will also be a sheet with a short story and picture related to the sound for you to complete and keep at home. We also ask that your child completes one line of letters each day in their sound books. The sounds will be introduced and checked in class on a daily basis.
A parent/teacher guide is included in this information pack – this has a handy page with a description of the action associated with each sound.
HANDWRITING
In Reception, we follow the Nelson handwriting scheme, which begins with handwriting patterns, hand-eye co-ordination and progresses to lower case letter formation. In Reception, we write mainly in lower case letters except for the beginning of our names and the start of a sentence. When your child is writing at home, please encourage them to hold the pencil correctly (3 fingers in a pincer grip) and form their letters following the enclosed handwriting sheets. It is important to remember that all letters, with the exception of d and e, are started at the top. The sound books also offer further opportunity to practice writing the letters at home.
Reception class practice writing on whiteboards using the following characters:
Curly caterpillar (a c d e f g o q s);
One-armed robot (b h k m n p r);
Long ladders (i j l t u y) and Zig zags (v w x z).
For further information please read the poems and the handwriting sheets towards the back of this booklet.
NUMERACY
Reception follows the National Numeracy Strategy, linked to the Early Learning Goals. In the Autumn term the emphasis is on reciting numbers through rhyme, 1:1 correspondence, how many are there and ordering numbers/ objects – many of these activities will be familiar to your child as they have been introduced in Nursery. During the Spring and Summer terms, addition and subtraction will be introduced to all at a practical level and for those who are ready, formal recording. The topics shape and space, measuring, time and positions are also covered. By the end of the summer term your child will have been, among other things, introduced to recognition of numbers up to and over 100, counting in 2’s and 10’s, and adding/subtracting 2 or more numbers. The main emphasis is on playing with numbers and introducing concepts practically.
PARENT HELPERS
Parents are very welcome to help in the Reception class. There is always plenty to do. Parent helpers will experience a wide range of activities from working with a small group in class to mounting work for displays. In Reception class, parents are very welcome to help after the October half term, until then the children are settling in and becoming familiar with the classroom. Please inform the class teacher if you have a morning or afternoon in which you can assist in class / school – this does not have to be a regular commitment, all help is greatly appreciated.
All parents who help in school must have an Enhanced CRB disclosure. This is also required to help on school trips. SO, please complete and return an Identity Verification Form to the school office as soon as possible so that the disclosure process can be started (this can be a lengthy process!).
An Enhanced CRB may seem time consuming to apply for (Identity Verification Form) but it is essential for you to do so that you can help your child within the school environment – the children really do like having someone to help in class and on trips. Then there are the Christmas Craft Days, Assemblies, Swimming, Science Storytimes, Theatre visits and so on which also require Enhanced CRB disclosure.
DON’T HESITATE APPLY TODAY
Forms returned before the summer are processed much faster than those left until September
BASELINE
During the first weeks in Reception, your child will work on the computer with the teacher, to complete the PIPS Baseline Assessment, aspects of literacy, phonics, numeracy, memory skills and social/emotional development will be assessed. The informal results of this assessment will be fed back to you during the Autumn term parents evening (the official results will be back in school by December). In June, the final assessment will be carried out and feedback will be at the end of the summer term or early in the autumn term.
FOUNDATION STAGE PROFILE
This initiative was introduced towards the end of the Summer Term 2003. The aim of the profile is to record the individual achievement of each child. Much of the profile is met by in school assessments, which are reported to you at the parents’ evenings in October and February, and in the end of year report.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION (P.E.)
Your child will need a ‘NAMED’ pair of navy blue shorts and a white t-shirt (with large school logo) in a named bag that will be left in the classroom in his/her box. This will be taken home at the end of each ½ term for washing.
Black gym shoes will not be required until the summer term.
P.E. CLOTHES
Autumn term: navy blue shorts, white t-shirt (with logo)
Spring term: navy blue shorts, white t-shirt (with logo)
Summer term: navy blue shorts, white t-shirt, black gym shoes
SWIMMING
During the summer term, Reception Class children will be receiving swimming lessons at Whitley Bay Leisure Pool. There is a voluntary contribution requested for this activity as it is not part of the statutory education for children in the Foundation Stage/Key Stage One. We will require several parent helpers to join us in assisting the children in the pool!! This is in addition to two parents to help with drying. Yellow swimming bags (with the school logo) are available to purchase throughout the year from the school office.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
All clothing must be named – the name tags available to order are excellent as we find that pen rubs off and clothes go missing!
We ask that all children wear school uniform. Examples of uniform will be available to try on in the Nursery entrance (before the open evening) and at the open evening. We find that if the uniform is slightly bigger it is easier for the child to take off independently – which is a great help when changing for P.E.!
*Sizes 5 – 6 / 7 – 8 are recommended for t-shirts and jumpers.
Shoes with Velcro fastenings or buckles are essential unless your child can fasten their own shoe laces – laces never stay fastened and this can hinder the children with their developing independence!
The school rucksack is an essential item and fits very well into the classroom trays.
Order forms for uniform are included in the envelope and we ask that you bring your uniform order and payment to the open evening.
MILK
School milk is available for your child currently at a cost of £3.00 per term (though this may increase by the Autumn term). A letter is sent out at the start of each term.
WATER
At the start of the School Year (September) your child will come home with a water bottle provided by school. We ask that you fill and return the water bottle (no juice) every day to school so that your child can have a drink at anytime during the school day. Should you wish to replace your water bottle they are available from the school office at the cost of £1.00.
LUNCHTIME
There is a choice of packed lunch or school dinners. The cost of school dinners is currently £7.50 per week, which is paid on a Monday. It can be paid either by cash or by cheque payable to Scolarest, in the envelope provided by Scolarest. Even if your child is having packed lunch the envelope needs to be returned. Your child will bring the envelope into the classroom and post it into the school lunch box. For those children who opt for packed lunch their boxes are stored in a refrigerator until lunch time.
Free school meals are available to children whose parents are eligible. Please contact the school secretary for further information.
TOILETS
As in Nursery, the toilets in Reception are in the classroom. Your child will be allowed to go to the toilet whenever they need but we will encourage the children to use the toilet before each session. There is also an outside toilet in the yard for use before school and at playtimes. Should an ‘accident’ occur then your child will be changed – all that we ask is that spare school clothes especially underwear is returned as soon as possible.
MEDICINES
If your child has medicine prescribed by a doctor, please try to arrange to give them medicine before and after school and not send medicine to school. If this is not possible then you (or your child’s minder) must bring the medicine in to the school and give it to the Reception class auxiliary and sign a consent form. Only medicine prescribed by the doctor can be given. Inhalers are considered the same as medicine and a form must be completed. A consent form for medicine is enclosed.
Please complete the Additional Information and ‘All about me’ sheet and return it to Nursery/School on or before:
Thursday, 8th June (Open Evening)
Name of Child
Address
Mums name CBR clearance YES / NO
Telephone number Mobile
Mums e-mail
Mums address
Dads name CBR clearance YES / NO
Telephone number Mobile
Dads e-mail
Dads address
In an emergency or illness please contact the following people (Name, Address and Telephone/Mobile Number)
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