Welcome!

Week 1

We have had a very busy week, settling in all our new Reception children in the Hedgehogs class. They have really impressed us so far. They are learning to come in through the red gate, many of them are already doing so independently....WOW!!! This is a great sign. They are trying hard to carry their book bags, water bottles, coats and back packs.... so many things! They are saying goodbye at the door, so, so sensibly. They are finding their welly boots when we go outside and trying to put their school shoes neatly, on the shelf, under their peg. They are eating snack in the classroom and lunch in the hall. They are finding their faces and putting them on our self-registration board. They are learning about our routines, rules and expectations. 

They are making friends, taking turns, sharing, and waiting for what they need. They all love sharing a story before they go home and cannot wait to see their special grown-ups again. 

The whole staff team are so happy to be working with these new Hedgehogs. It is going to be a FANTASTIC year!

Thanks so much for all your hard work, in getting them so well-prepared to start school.

Look in book bags for their first school book. Please share this, looking at the pictures and talking about what you can see happening. They will get a new book next week.

Please see newsletter for more information.

Week 2

Lots of making friends and getting to know everyone going on this week!

Thank you to the families that have read the reading books we have sent home; it is lovely to see the children enjoying their new books.

ELS - phonics has begun. This week's digraphs are: s / a / t / p. The children have been trying to read and write these letters. See yellow reading diary for ELS login, to access Oxford Owl books online. New books have been added.

Maths is focusing on early number sense and counting this week.

Lunches - please can you check with your child that they are happy with their lunch order for next week? We have had a few teary-eyed children who don't like what has been ordered. We are all for offering a range of foods for your child to try, but it might be worth considering some safer bets, such as baguettes, while they adjust to eating from the school menu. Not all pasta is the same, is our takeaway from the week :) Young children are very sensory little people, so if the pasta feels or tastes a bit different it can throw them! Please cancel school lunches if your child has changed to packed lunches, we are not able to do this on our system. Contact the school office for support.

Photos - please can everyone check their preferences for photo permissions for their child, so we can be certain we know how we can use photos in school, and more widely? We have had a lot of conflicting information in regard to the permissions for the Henley Standard 'First Day at School' photo. If you are not able to make changes on MCAS please contact the school office, who will be able to help you.

Week 3

Unfortunately we are unable to upload photos today of our lovely activities, there is a technical issue. we will try next week!

The children loved our French Cafe, where we learnt to say hello and thank you, in French. Everyone liked the croissants instead of toast; what a treat! The flags they made to decorate the cafe looked great.

The children made porridge this week, using oats, just like the three bears. They learnt to follow a sequence of instructions to make the porridge and had a go at tasting some. They came up with some wonderful vocabulary for describing the taste and texture.

Maths is focused on sorting and counting groups, this week. 

Phonics this week has taught us the graphemes: i / n / m /d. We are learning to read and write these sounds and make words with them.

Week 4

We had a lovely time exploring forest school this week - there were a few dens, a swing, trees to climb and quite a few rules to learn. We also found out we need waterproof trousers for forest school and that it can be tricky to get them on, so if this sounds like it could be something your child would need help with, please can they practise at home? Can they get dressed at the weekend or for bed? Do they put on their school uniform themselves, or do you do that for them?  This is the time to build those independent self-help skills. 

Phonics this week has taught us the graphemes: g/ o / c / k . We are learning to read and write these sounds and make words with them. Please remind your child to start these letters from the top, not the bottom. We are all trying out a 'pincer / tripod' grip for our pens and pencils.

Maths continues to focus on secure counting skills. We have explored small amounts (up to 4) and have matched amounts with these numbers. We are practising counting on our fingers. 

Week 5

We have been making new friends this week and checking we all know everyone's names. We have tried to help children to use polite manners, by saying 'please' and 'thank you', in line with the whole school focus on our value of respect. In Jigsaw (our PSHE programme) we have talked about 'kind hands' and what this means, day to day. Are we being respectful and caring for our books and toys? Are we being productive and busy with our hands? Are we keeping our hands to ourselves in group times, whole class teaching and when we line up? Are we lending a hand to our friends and teachers?

Have a look at the class gallery for the power of a new book..... the book being shared is called: 'We Catch the Bus' and it is a present to the class from the teachers to our new class. It replaces a very old and tatty copy which was loved and read a lot last year! The book invites oracy and book-talk through discussion, questions, choices, thinking, turn taking and sharing. The children listened to Mrs Tanner reading it to the whole class and then we put it on our 'story shelf'. The children can then pick it up and read it together or independently. 

Phonics this week has been focused on the sounds: ck e u r. Please help your child to look for these in their reading books. 

Maths this week has taught children about number sequences, through counting up to 10, showing 1,2,3 and 4, on fingers, matching up to 4 items with the numeral 4. We can subitise up to 4 items. We can count carefully, knowing the last number we say is the total. 

Surprise of the week..... finding a dead mouse in the garden! The children looked at it, discussed it, then decided to bury it. Mrs Tanner dug a hole in the woodland area of the garden and we explored the following language: alive, dead, buried, grave, body, bones, skeleton, skull, gravestone, disease, Red Kite, cat, fox, sleep and forever. It was quite a deep and meaningful ad-hoc oracy lesson for the children involved! See gallery for photos.

Please also take a look at our Curriculum Powerpoint Presentation plus a parent's guide to how we teach Phonics saved in our Newsletters section on the right hand side!

Week 6

The Hedgehogs have been enjoying role play opportunities this week - there have been lots of police people patrolling outside and The Three Bears have made an appearance on several occasions! We've kept an eye out for Goldilocks!

Phonics this week has been focused on the sound: ss and recapping all the previous sounds we have learnt this term which they have done so well with. Please help your child to look for these in their reading books.  

In Maths we have been learning about the features of different shapes: circles, triangles, squares and rectangles. Ask your child whether they can spot any of these shapes outside on your way home from school. What can they tell you about the shapes they see? Do the have straight or curved edges, how many points do they have? Encourage your child to be the teacher and teach you!

We also joined in an online meeting as part of the Henley Literacy Festival where we met an author/illustrator called Sophy Henn who showed us how she draws a ghost with different expressions - similar to the one in her book 'I Want Everything!'. We practised afterwards making our ghosts look happy, sad, worried and angry. On the same note, we have read 'The Colour Monster' by Anna Llenas. The Hedgehogs know that the different colour monsters represent different feelings we have at times. Please ask your child about them and what they mean. How do our feelings make us look and behave?