Welcome to Reception

Miss Ashington and Mrs Dinnis 

We look forward to welcoming you back for our Summer term 2.

Topic - 'Space'

Welcome to the Reception Summer Term 2!

We are excited to announce that our Early Years pupils will be embarking on an exciting journey through space in the coming weeks! Our curriculum will be filled with engaging activities and learning experiences that will ignite your child's curiosity and imagination.

Throughout this space-themed unit, our young learners will explore various aspects of the solar system, including planets, stars, and space travel. They will participate in hands-on activities, such as creating their own planets using papier-mâché, designing and building rocket ships and role-playing as astronauts.

We will also incorporate space-related themes into our literacy and numeracy lessons. Children will learn space vocabulary, engage in storytelling sessions about space adventures, and solve space-themed math problems. Through these activities, we aim to develop their language skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.

To enhance their understanding of space, we have planned a special visit from a local astronomer who will share their knowledge and experiences with our students. They will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the wonders of the universe.

We encourage you to get involved in your child's learning experience by discussing space-related topics at home, reading space-themed books together, and exploring the night sky. This will reinforce the concepts taught in class and foster a love for learning about space.

As part of our space unit, we will be holding a "Space Exploration Day" where children can come dressed as astronauts, aliens, or in space-themed costumes. They will participate in various space-related activities and games, making it a memorable and fun-filled day.

We look forward to seeing our young learners grow and develop their knowledge and understanding of space. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for our space-themed activities, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. 

Prior knowledge and key vocabulary:

Alien

Astronaut

Space

Planets

Rockets

Stars

Spacesuit Gravity

Earth

I can name the planet I live on. –

I can talk about aliens. –

I know that people have gone into space. –

I can talk about the sun and moon – day/night –

I can name some things you see in space -

I know that astronauts wear special suits

I know about where I live in the world.

Key texts –

Alien's love underpants

Lights on cotton rock

To the moon and back

Spaceman

Our planet

Key questions –

 1 Are there aliens in space?

 2 What is an astronaut?

3 What does an astronaut do?

4 How do people get into space?

5 Why is the sun important ?

6. What are the planet names?

Reminders:

Show & Tell

Show and tell will be on a Wednesday (Squirrels, Foxes and Owls) and Thursday (Rabbits, Badgers and Hedgehogs). We encourage children to bring in either something that links to our topic, 'wow' work or images can be emailed for children to talk about.

Homework

Homework will be assigned on a weekly basis and will primarily focus on developing writing independence. These tasks will be light and manageable, designed to prepare the children for the challenges of the upcoming year.

Important dates this term: 

Monday & Friday - Changing reading book

Friday - Homework sent out and to be returned the following week

PE - First two weeks will be on a Friday and then it will be switched to every Monday until the end of term. 

Tuesday 17th June - School photographs

Wednesday 18th June - New Reception children induction

Friday 4th July - Space exploration dress up day

Friday 18th July - Trophy assembly

Thank you for your continued support in making this term a successful and enriching experience for our children! Together, we can inspire a love of learning and exploration.

This half term our focus for PSHE is 'Changing me'

During the year Jigsaw Jenie helps us with our personal, social and emotional understanding. This term in our PSHE lessons, we will focus on how and why we change. Children are encouraged to think about how they have changed from being a baby and what may change for them in the future. They consolidate the names and functions of some of the main parts of the body and discuss how these have changed. They learn that our bodies change as we get older in lots of different ways. Children understand that change can bring about positive and negative feelings, and that sharing these can help. They also consider the role that memories can have in managing change.

There is a wonderful website below that is useful for your child and for you as a parent. It has games and information about feelings, health, illnesses and sections on body image, mental health and much more. There is also a section for you, the parent, to refer to for information on the school nurse and it shows local Solihull support services. 

                    Press here to access the website - health for kids.

The EYFS framework includes Seven Areas of Learning that are equally important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly important for sparking enthusiasm for learning and forming relationships.

The Prime Areas of Learning:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

The prime areas are strengthened and applied through four Specific Areas of Learning:

• Literacy
• Maths
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning
In addition to addressing all seven Areas of Learning, our curriculum is designed to promote the Characteristics of Effective Learning. These characteristics describe how the children will learn. These learning behaviours are particularly important in the EYFS because they build the foundations for children to be lifelong learners. The characteristics are:
     

• Playing and Exploring - Engagement
• Active Learning - Motivation
• Creating and Thinking Critically - Thinking

Planning and assessment

We offer the children in Reception a ‘hands-on’ play-based curriculum, both indoors and outdoors, throughout the day. Planning can be intentional, responsive, or anticipatory. It is flexible and can change in response to children’s ideas and interests. Planning may also be linked to events in the community or around the world.

“Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.” 

                                 Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

In addition to the activities planned by the adults, the children are offered plenty of opportunities to direct their own learning.

All children starting Reception will take part in the Reception Baseline Assessment.  Please see the information for parents document produced by the DfE below to explain the process.

At the end of the Reception Year children will be assessed for the EYFS Profile. Each of the seven areas will be further broken down into the following categories.

To practise phonics, the children can access Mr Thorne’s Phonics on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MrTsPhonics/playlists This is free of charge and the 5 minute videos will give the children a reminder of the sounds they have already learnt but would also enable them to start learning about sounds that are to come in Year 1 if they wanted to. Games can be accessed on https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ and https://www.phonicsbloom.com/ Additional resources are also available below, covering all of the phonics taught so far.

Maths games can be accessed free of charge via Top Marks: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/ The children could also continue to practise number formation, ensuring numbers are correctly orientated, and do practical addition and subtraction, for example using Cheerios for counting. There are also resources below revisiting learning the children have covered this year.

If you need to support your child with toilet training, below are some useful links to get them started. Current advice is to teach your child the skill of using a potty and not waiting for the child to be ready.

https://www.facebook.com/SolihullHVs

https://eric.org.uk/potty-training/

https://www.solgrid.org.uk/eyc/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/04/037-NW-Toilettraining-December23.pdf

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/babys-development/potty-training-and-bedwetting/how-to-potty-train/#close

Dental Hygiene:

In EYFS, we teach about dental hygiene. The children learn the value of good brushing and how to use toothpaste to fight tooth decay. The Colgate Tooth Defenders help us to learn how to keep ourselves healthy and even give us our own toothbrush and toothpaste to take home!

The Tooth Defenders would like us to complete our brushing chart to make sure that we keep our teeth and gums healthy.

If you need any support for your child or any tips on keeping teeth clean, please see our documents below to help you. Also start taking your child to the dentist….it is never too early to start!

Baseline:

Please use the link below to find out about the statutory Reception Baseline assessment that we will be completing with all children.

Parent Information