Welcome to Class 1 (Reception) and I hope that you all had a lovely summer.
It goes without saying that this year is going to be a very important time in your child’s educational development; in fact, it is going to be the foundation of their future learning. That is why it is known as the Foundation Stage. For this reason, it is up to us as a partnership to make it as smooth, happy and constructive as possible.
As you may already know, even the smallest of things can have a dramatic effect on your child at this age, from an hour less sleep, to a fall on the way to school and I would like to know about these things as they do have an impact on the day’s events. If there is anything you would like to know or are unsure about throughout the year, please come and see me so that we can give your child the best start to their educational life.
In Class 1 we work within the Early Years Foundation Stage and to deliver this we use topics. Throughout the year these topics will be highlighted on the ‘What are we doing this half term?’ page. In order to give you even more detail on what is being covered you can have a look at the ‘This week’ page. If you have any other questions about what we are covering please ask.
Your child will get the best education if we work as a partnership. On the ‘Supporting your child in Class 1’ page you will find lots of ideas on support and I will continue to add more information as the year passes. If you would like more information ask. The most important thing you can do is to spend quality time with your child, talking, sharing books, counting and cuddling them every day. There is a lot of evidence to show that the children who share books regularly at home make the most progress across school.
Morning procedure - from the 6th September:
Children are dropped off at breakfast club or at the school gate (Village hall entrance) between 8:40 am and 8:55 am. The children will walk straight into school and be met by Mr Bundy, Mrs Lavelle or Miss Evans. If for any reason your child is upset, please do not worry, leave them with us and I guarantee that they will be fine!
Collecting your child:
We will walk the class out of the classroom side door and towards the class 1 area side gate (opposite the wooden shelter). Please could you be at the wooden shelter for 3:15pm, this is the wooden structure on the left as you come through the village hall car park gate. Please do not be late, it is very upsetting for the children if they cannot see someone they know. At the wooden gate I will ask each child in turn to show me who their parent/carer is and they can walk to you. It would help if you could move closer to the gate as your child reaches the front, so as to make it obvious to them that you are there.
Special Lessons:
The week is made up of many activities/lessons. The three that need mentioning are PE, Forest School and Allotment.
PE is carried out every week and, therefore, your child will need to keep their labelled PE kits in school throughout each half term. We will send the PE kit home at the end of each half term or when it is dirty.
Forest School and allotment are excellent additions to the school week and are about learning in the outdoors. For these activities, your child will need a pair of wellington boots in school every week and also, depending on the weather, a warm coat, hat and gloves. Having wellington boots in school also means that along with the school waterproofs the children get to access our great outdoor area whatever the weather.
Snack time:
Every morning the children take part in snack time. This is a short break from their activities to enjoy a snack and a drink. It is very useful if your child could have a (labelled) bottle of water in school every day, they can then help themselves to it whenever they are thirsty. You can order milk for them to drink and the school provides fruit and vegetables that we encourage them to eat.
Reading:
Reading books - always an important issue in school! They will come home as soon as we have covered a few of the letters or I feel the child is ready for them. There is nothing worse for parent and child than trying to share a book that is full of symbols that are not recognisable. Put yourself in your child's shoes and imagine trying to read a book full of 'Chinese writing' - it is extremely frustrating and difficult. In the meantime take the opportunity to read an extra story to your child to help build up their language, vocabulary and story skills. It is also useful to play with the sounds that we have covered in class. The sounds that we cover in class are not in alphabetical order so please take note of the website and the sheets your child will bring home each week. For more information on reading and writing at home and to offer a little support, I will hold a parent's information session in the coming weeks, so watch this space.
Teachers:
Class 1 is taught by myself (Mr Bundy), Mrs Lavelle and our Teaching Assistant Miss Evans. We are a very close team and communicate daily about the class. If I am not around and you have an urgent question please feel free to talk to any of the team, and if they cannot answer your question they will pass it straight on to me.
Lunchtime:
Please remember to order your child’s lunch online at ‘Black Pepper’ or bring in a packed lunch. I have my lunch with them and will monitor their eating habits and if there are any issues surrounding food, I will let you know ASAP.
Communication:
There are a number of ways to communicate with us. From September, your child will bring home a 'Home-liaison book', in this book you can write any messages that we need to know about - we go through these books daily.
Emails can be sent to office@hanleyswanps.org.uk or class1@hanleyswanps.org.uk.
If you would like to speak to us directly, you can phone the school (01684 310364) or come and chat at the school gate before or after school.
If you would like to know more or have any questions regarding absolutely anything then please keep up-to-date with the website and the class 1 pages, talk to me through email, phone or over the fence (I do love talking about your children) and remember the important thing about school life is NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!