Welcome to the send half of the Autumn term, which is going to be a long one! We hope you all had a restful half term and that you're children are fit and raring to go for their second term in Reception. 

​This week we have been learning about Diwali. We have shared the story of Rama and Sita and learnt how Hindus celebrate Diwali and why. We have also made Diva lamps, Diwali lanterns, Diwali cards and used Rangoli patterns in our maths. 

In the Secret Garden this week, the children have been exploring all of the different colours of Autumn. They have been learning about how the leaves change colour and how Autumn changes the plant life. They scavenged, collected and matched their findings against different autumnal colours.

We didn't manage to have a celebration assembly this week as the morning was interrupted with flu vaccinations! Those children that had these were incredibly well behaved and didn't make any fuss - we were most proud of them.

Next week the children will be formally starting their Read, Write, Inc lessons in their new groups. They met with their R.W.I. teachers today and found out where their lessons will be taking place.  To help you better understand how we teach phonics in EYFS, we will run a ‘LIVE’ lesson that will take place on the stage in the South Hall. The 'live' lesson demonstration has proven very popular in the past and most enlightening for parents. I hope to see many of you there.

LIVE LESSON 1 – Monday 11th November 9:15 – 10am with Mrs Dunne  

You have already been advised that the way reading books are to be distributed to the children is changing. In order to explain the introduction of these new reading books and for the school to provide guidance on how best to support children at home with reading and how the reading programmes work, the school will be arranging a series of workshops for parents to attend. Key information will be recorded and shared online.

WORKSHOP 1 – Wednesday 6th November 9am – 10am  
WORKSHOP 2 - Wednesday 6th November 5pm – 6pm 

These sessions will be very valuable and informative and I would strongly recommend that you attend if you are able. 

Next week for Show and Tell, we would like the children to bring in something sparkly, which links to our firework theme.

If you're a rugby fan (like me!) fingers crossed for a successful match on Saturday! 

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

It's hard to believe that it is the last week of term; the time has flown past! The children have worked hard and I am sure they will be grateful for the rest.

This week, we have been reading the book Stick Man. The children have produced some beautiful artwork in the Secret Garden where they have used natural materials to make a collage of Stick Man, they have used sticks to print pictures, in Literacy they have written labels explaining who lives in their house with them and in Numeracy they have been ordering sticks according to their size. It has certainly been an action packed week!

Thursday was also Display Day, so the children have been involved with producing new displays for the corridor. R1 (Koalas) have displayed some of the artwork they have produced from the books we have been reading this half term, R2 (Pandas) have produced an Owl Babies display linked to nocturnal and diurnal animals plus a display inspired by Andy Goldsworthy, who is the artist detailed in the Reception Toolkit, and R3 (Penguins) have produced a PSHE display about friendship. 

It's lovely to see that homework is starting to be brought in. Supporting your child with this is much appreciated and the children really enjoy sharing it with their class.

This week we have been reading the story Owl Babies.

In the Secret Garden, we talked with the children about Autumn leaves and their different colours. The children then used the leaves that they found to make feathers to produce beautiful individual or class owl pictures. We also talked about owls in general, which linked to the Owl Babies story and learnt that owls are ‘nocturnal’ and baby owls are called ‘owlets.’ The children then spent time gathering materials to make nests for the Owl Babies. 

We had our first celebration assembly for a couple of weeks, during which the children recounted 'We're going on a bear hunt' beautifully and with actions. A special thank you to Kiera and Jordan from Koala class who stood at the front to share their moves. Sadly, we couldn't celebrate any birthdays, as the children in question were absent from school, but if you have had a birthday in the past couple of weeks, we hope it was great!

Thank you to everyone that provided a shoe box for their child. We have been busy transforming them into our treasure boxes. These will be continually used in our RE lessons for the next half term as a way of helping the children to engage with the idea of names and what is important to people. This will link with why the word 'God' is so important to Christians. You are still welcome to send in a shoe box if you haven't yet done so. 

For show and Tell next week, we are asking the children to bring in something that is wooden, which will link to next week's story The Stickman.

Next week is our last week of term, but it is also Parents' Evening. We hope to see you all there. If you have had any difficulties making an appointment, please contact our school office who will be happy to help you.

Have a lovely weekend; let's hope it isn't too soggy!

The book that we've all been using for our learning this week is the wonderful 'We're going on a bear hunt'. The children have been bear hunting around school and in the Secret Garden. The different items that the children brought in from home for Show and Tell this week certainly proved most useful!

Next Tuesday, we will be  taking a photo of the children which we will be sending to the Ipswich star for them to print in their First Class Supplement. This won't include any children who have not been given permission to appear in such publications.

For Show and Tell next week, we are asking the children to bring in a nocturnal animal. Please don't go to any special trouble, a picture or a toy animal will be sufficient, but it would be good if the children could talk briefly about the creature they have chosen. ​

We would also be grateful if you could send in any empty shoe boxes, as we will be needing these for our R.E. lesson.

Many thanks.