Welcome to Reception
Our Reception class teacher is Miss Miller
Our Early Years Educator is Miss Wheeler
Summer One in Reception
This half term our theme will be Growing.
Literacy and Communication and Language
The children will enjoy a range of fiction and nonfiction texts that explore different types of growth in the animal world and plants. These include The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and Olivers Vegetables.
They will apply their writing skills in a range of different ways including instruction writing and descriptions.
In phonics, the children will consolidate the sounds they have learnt and apply them in Phase 4 Unit 12. We will continue to use Bug Club phonics for each session. Please have a look out for additional online reading books and games which I will be allocated.
Bug club phonics - https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/login?e=-1&c=0
Maths
In Reception, we use White Rose Maths to support our planning, teaching and learning. Over the course of the half term, the children will cover the following areas of learning –
Building numbers beyond 10
Counting patterns beyond 10
Spatial reasoning
Match, rotate, and manipulate amounts
Adding more taking away
Composing and decomposing numbers
These will be taught through a range of whole-class teaching, small group sessions and challenges that the children can access independently through our provision.
White Rose Mathematics - https://whiterosemaths.com/
Personal, Social, and Emotional development
We teach PSED using Jigsaw scheme of learning. Our next focus will be Building positive, healthy relationships
The children will be learning how they can form positive friendships and will be given strategies to help them cope with a fallout. They will learn about relationships within a family.
Understanding the World
The children will be really hands-on with nature this half term. They will be planting seeds, beans and bulbs and recording what happens to them over time. They will make observations in nature and talk about how the weather changes in different seasons. They will also receive a delivery of their own eggs. They will watch them hatch and learn how to take care of baby chicks.
Physical Development
PE sessions will continue to be led by Mr Fullerton at the Scott Hall. In class, the children will continue to develop their fine motor skills through a range of activities in our provision.
Art
The focus for this half term in Art will be on drawing different animals. The children will learn different techniques to help improve the accuracy of their drawing skills. The children will also have access to a range of different mediums based on their interests and our theme for the half term.
Music
We sing all the time in Reception but Mr Jones will continue to teach the children in focused music lessons once a week.
R.E
In R.E this half term, our topic will be – Easter. This unit will teach the children all about how Christians believe Jesus rescued people. The children will gain an understanding of why Christians believe Jesus is a ‘saviour’ who rescues people. They will learn to retell simple Bible stories and explore core emotions and needs. They will also learn about people who help us in our lives.
Other events
Earth Day
Reception Class assembly
Grand Parents day
Sports day
Family Supper
Spring Two in Reception
This half term our theme will be Around the World
Literacy and Communication and Language
The children will enjoy a range of stories that take their imaginations around the world. Such as Augustus and his Smile, Nature Girls and Handa’s Surprise.
They will apply their writing skills in a range of different ways including creating their own stories, writing postcards and describing habitats and animals.
In phonics, the children will continue to learn new sounds using Bug Club Phonics.
Bug club phonics - https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/login?e=-1&c=0
Maths
In Reception, we use White Rose Maths to support our planning, teaching and learning. Over the course of the half term, the children will cover the following areas of learning –
Length, height and time
Counting to 9 and 10
Comparing numbers to 10
Bonds to 10
3D shapes spatial awareness
Patterns
These will be taught through a range of whole-class teaching, small group sessions and challenges that the children can access independently through our provision.
White Rose Mathematics - https://whiterosemaths.com/
Personal, Social, Emotional development
We teach PSED using Jigsaw scheme of learning. Our next focus will be Healthy Me. The children will be learning how they can stay physically and mentally healthy. They will learn about exercise, healthy food choices, ways to keep clean and how we get a good night’s sleep and why it is so important for our health.
Understanding the World
Through our focus texts this half term, the children will be learning about a range of different habitats around the world. They will learn about rainforests, the ocean, the desert, the arctic and woodlands.
Physical Development
PE sessions will continue to be led by Mr Fullerton at the Scott Hall. In class, the children will continue to develop their fine motor skills through a range of activities in our provision.
Art
The focus for this half term in Art will be on different settings. We will be looking at the painting by Henri Rousseau Tiger in a tropical storm as this is the first setting in the story Augustus and his Smile.
The children will also have access to a range of different mediums based on their interests and our theme for the half term – Once Upon a Time.
Music
We sing all the time in Reception but Mr Jones will continue to teach the children in focused music lessons once a week.
R.E.
In R.E. this half term, our topic will be – Easter. This unit will teach the children all about the events of Holy Week, as celebrated by Christians. That Christians believe Jesus died on the cross to show God’s love to the world, and that because of Jesus, everyone can be forgiven for their ‘sins’. They will also learn that Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead and they will begin to recognise the importance of bread and wine for Christians.
Trips
For our trip this term, we will be going to Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve where the children will explore a woodland habitat, go on a mini beast hunt and have a go at pond dipping. More details about the trip dates and times will be sent out soon.
https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/nature-reserves/gunnersbury-triangle
Other events
World Book Day
PTA Auction night
Parents Evening
Poetry recital
Arts Week
Arts Café
World Poetry day
Easter egg rolling
Spring Two Photos
Please enjoy looking through our Reception photos from Spring Two.
Reception 22-23 spring two photos
Spring One in Reception
This half term, our theme will be Once Upon a Time…
Literacy and Communication and Language
This half term, the children will be learning a range of traditional tales, including The Ginger Bread Man and Jack and the Beanstalk.
We will use Talk4Writing strategies to help the children to remember these stories and innovate their own.
The children will continue learning new sounds in phonics using Bug Club Phonics.
Bug club phonics - https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/login?e=-1&c=0
Maths
In Reception, we use White Rose Maths to support our planning, teaching and learning. Over the course of the half term, the children will cover the following areas of learning –
Introducing zero
Comparing numbers to 5
Composition of 4 and 5
Compare mass and capacity
Growing 6,7,8
Combining two amounts
Making pairs
These will be taught through a range of whole-class teaching, small group sessions and challenges that the children can access independently through our provision.
White Rose Mathematics - https://whiterosemaths.com/
Personal, Social, and Emotional development
We teach PSED using the Jigsaw scheme of learning. Our next focus will be Dreams and Goals. The children will be learning about aspirations, how to achieve goals and understanding the emotions that go with this.
Understanding the World
The children will be comparing their environment with contrasting others. They will be learning about seasonal changes and will do this through a range of observations.
Physical Development
PE sessions will continue to be led by Mr Fullerton at the Scott Hall. In class, the children will continue to develop their fine motor skills through a range of weekly activities in our provision.
Art
This half term in Art we will focus on the children’s cutting and sticking skills. The children will also have access to a range of different mediums based on their interests and our theme for the half term – Once Upon a Time.
Music
We sing all the time in Reception, but Mr Jones will continue to teach the children in focused music lessons once a week.
R.E.
In R.E. this half term, our topic will be - Why do Christians believe Jesus is special? This unit will teach the children that Christians believe Jesus: loves everyone; is God’s son; was God born as a human (Incarnation;) works miracles, including healing people and teaches people to love others.
Trips
TBC
Other events
STEM Week
Children’s Mental Health Week
Safer Internet day
DT day 2
International Women and Girls in Science day
Friday 10th February
Photos from this week's learning.
Reception Spring 1 week 6
Friday 3rd February
Check out photos from this week's learning.
Reception Spring 2 Week 5
Friday 27th January
Please see the photos from our fun STEM week.
Reception n Spring 1 Week 4 STEM
Friday 20th January
Enjoy our photos from the week.
Reception 22-23 Spring 1 Week 3
Friday 13th January
See our photos of the Gingerbread man mystery!
Reception Gingerbread man mystery
Friday 6th January
Happy New Year!
Please check out the photos of our new bakery role-play area.
Reception Bakery
Friday 16th December
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
We made it! The end of the children’s first term of school. They did so well this week in their ‘Hey Ewe!’ Nativity performance. They sang like little angels and did themselves very proud. We have had a jam-packed week aside from the Nativity. The children have been making lots of Christmas crafts to help decorate your homes over the holidays. We hope you like them! We have also continued reading the story The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson. The children enjoyed their Christmas party on Thursday with music, dancing, games, Pom Bears and a chocolate Penguin!
Thank you so much to all our reception families for all your support this term. It has been brilliant!
I hope you all have a happy and healthy Christmas break and we will see you in 2023!
Friday 9th December
This week we are in full Christmas mode! The children helped me to set up their new role-play area, which is now the Elf Workshop. The children learnt how to design, build and wrap their own toys and place them under our tree for a friend to open next week. We have also been singing our nativity songs on repeat! The children have worked so hard on them, we hope you enjoy the show next week. We also read another book by Julia Donaldson called The Christmas Pine. This taught the children about the journey that the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree takes from Norway to England. We have been learning a lot about Baby Jesus this week, so the children enjoyed looking at their own baby photos. They talked about how they have changed physically, but also thought about the things that they can do now that they couldn’t do as a baby.
Coming up next week –
On Monday, we will be having a final rehearsal for our nativity. It is also the KS2 carols by candlelight in the church after school.
On Tuesday, the children will dazzle you all in the nativity – Hey Ewe!
On Thursday, the children will enjoy a Christmas party with their friends in years 1 and 2.
On Friday, we will be attending the Christmas church service, and we finish our school term at 2 pm.
Reception Aut2 Week 6
Friday 2nd December
The children have had a fun week as we begin the run-up to Christmas. They enjoyed a lovely trip to the Lyric Theatre to see Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas and it got us in the Christmas spirit. Once we came back to school, we talked about our favourite parts of the show of which there were many.
We also learnt about how people prepare for Christmas and introduced our class advent calendar which went down very well!
On Friday the children enjoyed coming to school in their home clothes. Thank you for all your bottle donations for our Christmas Fair on Saturday.
Coming up next week -
In phonics we will be learning the sounds ch, sh, th, ng
In maths, we will be representing 5 and identifying one more and one less than a number.
Friday is a very busy day, it is Christmas jumper day, Christmas lunch and we will be having a full nativity dress rehearsal.
Friday 25th November
This week in Reception our Everywhere bear went missing again! We talked about all the places that we know in our local community and then drew a picture of where we thought he could be. We looked at maps of the local area and the children thought he could have gone to St Peters Square, the Scott hall, Ravenscourt Park, the Premier Inn or one of the shops and cafes on Chiswick High Road. In the end, he was found at St Peter's Church. We continued the theme of community and discussed all the people in our local area who help us. The children came up with some great suggestions such as vets, police officers, firefighters and many more. They then created little cards to say thank you to some people who help us in our community.
Coming up next week -
In Phonics we will be learning the sounds - y, z/zz, qu
In maths the children will be representing and composing numbers to 5.
On Thursday the children will be attending the Father Christmas performance at the Lyric in Hammersmith.
On Saturday everyone is welcome to join us at the Christmas fair.
‘Be strong and of good courage, do not fear not be afraid of them: for the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave nor forsake you’ Deuteronomy 31:6
Friday 18th November
This week has been another busy week in Reception. In maths learning, the children have become really confident at using positional language to describe where items are. They have enjoyed playing a range of games to practise. This week has been Anti-Bullying week. The children have learnt what this means and we have discussed a range of strategies to help them if they see bullying or if they feel that they are being bullied. We talked about how it is good to be different and the children loved listening to the story Barry the fish with fingers and Elmer.
Today, St Peter’s school was filled with spotty children and staff! Thank you for your dressing up in spotty clothes and for your generous donations to Children in Need. We all know that times are tough right now and for some children it’s been especially rough. Every penny will help support lots of children across the country.
Coming up next week –
In phonics we will be learning the j, v, w, x sounds.
In maths we will be comparing and representing numbers 4 and 5.
Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Friday 11th November
The children have absolutely loved learning about 2d shapes this week. They were inspired by Wassily Kandinsky’s artwork and had a go at creating some beautiful shape paintings. They also went on a shape hunt in our outdoor area and were in search of triangles, circles, squares and rectangles. The children then used their photography skills to take photos of the shapes in the environment.
We had a super day on Thursday, as it was DT day! This term’s theme was Moving Vehicles. The children used Tech Card resources to create a chassis and axle for the wheels that they attached. They added string to make it move via a pull force. The children designed what they wanted their vehicle to look like and then thought about all the resources and tools that they would need to make it. The results are super!
Coming up next week:
In Phonics the children will be learning sounds b, f/ff, l/ll, ss
In maths, our focus will be positional language
Next week is anti-bullying week so there will be a range of PSED learning linked to this theme.
On Monday, the children will come to school wearing their odd socks.
On Thursday after school, the children are invited to the Teacher Movie Night.
On Friday it is Children in Need.
Reception 22 DT Day
Friday 4th November
It has been a busy first week back after half term, with the highlight being the poetry recital. The children did such a great job at performing in front of a really big audience, I am so proud of all of you!
In our maths learning the children compared, represented and composed numbers 1, 2 and 3. They enjoyed using loose parts and counters to create different ways of making these amounts.
This week the children met an important member of the Reception team, The Everywhere Bear. We read some of the story by Julia Donaldson and then the children thought of all the places that they would like to take him. Each week he will be coming home with one of the Reception children. He’s super excited!
Coming up next week –
On Monday and Tuesday after school, we will have our Parent meetings in the Scott hall.
On Thursday, we will be having our first DT day of the year.
In our phonics sessions, we will be learning the r, h and b sounds
In our maths sessions, the children will begin learning about 2d shapes.
Thursday 20th October
The children have enjoyed their maths sessions this week as they have been learning all about pattern. They have made patterns with body percussion, musical instruments, colours and shapes. The children also corrected me when I made lots of pattern mistakes. For Black History Month this week, the children had a ‘Did you know?’ session with Amber Enzo’s mummy. She taught us some interesting facts about Uganda. I know the children loved learning about the tree-climbing lions and the most powerful waterfall in the world. We also learnt that the king was crowned when he was just 4 years old. That seemed to appeal to a number of the children! The children listened carefully and asked some thoughtful questions. Thank you Amber for coming in and teaching us so much.
The children loved coming to school wearing their red outfits in support of Show Racism the Red Card. We read the story ‘All Our Welcome Here’ and talked about why it is important to be inclusive of everyone.
This week, we began practising the poem for our poetry recital on Thursday 3rd November. You will find a copy of the poem ‘Sparrow’ posted on Tapestry. They have done really well and are already becoming more familiar with the actions.
Coming up after half term:
We will begin our new topic ‘Julia Donaldson Stories’ and will start with The Everywhere Bear.
In phonics, the children will be introduced to the ck, e, u sounds.
In maths learning next week, the children will be representing, comparing and composing numbers 1,2 and 3.
Also on Thursday, the children will be having their flu vaccines.
The children have had a wonderful first half term in school and I want to thank all our Reception families for their support. Your children have done brilliantly!
I hope you have a restful half-term break.
Miss Miller
Friday 14th October
We have had a lovely week in Reception. The children enjoy comparing size and weight this week using the scales. They independently placed items in and learnt that if the scales tip down the item is heavier. In RE this week, the children learnt about the story, The Worried Sparrow. They learnt he believed in God and that stopped him from feeling so worried. The children loved making their own sparrow puppets and acted out the story. The children also enjoyed their phonics sessions throughout the week. They learnt the sounds n, m and d and had a go at making these sounds in the sand and writing them in words. For Black History Month, the children learnt about the incredible work and life of Rosa Parks, they loved listening to her story and learning why it is so important to be brave and speak up about things that are wrong.
On Thursday, it was Celebrate Our Community Day, followed by the Family Supper Event. For the community day, we focused on Spain, Ethiopia, Greece and India. We had wonderful Ethiopian language, Indian culture and Indian Warrior movement and Greek dancing workshops. We also had a special Bollywood dance performance. Thank you to Zewdi, Vivian, Mina, Richa, Archana, Sarah, Ruth, Natasha, and other members of our family networks, for helping make the day so special.
Also, a massive thank you to the PTA for another wonderful Family Supper.
Coming up next week:
In maths, the children will be introduced to patterns. They will make patterns with instruments, colours and shapes.
In our phonics, the children will learn the g, o, c, k sounds
For Black History Month, we will be linking our learning to the book All Welcome Here. Enzo’s mummy Amber will also be leading a ‘Did you know?' session about Uganda.
Reception 22 Week 6
Matthew 13:23
‘…but he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it…’
Friday 7th October
This week the children used loose parts and natural resources to compare amounts. They used a 5s frame for the first time to place objects and count them in order. They used the language more and fewer to describe groups of objects. The children have shown great focus in their phonics sessions this week and enjoyed applying newly learnt sounds in their play. Some children created their own sound and word flash cards.
For Black History Month, the children looked at the story ‘Coming to England’ by Floella Benjamin. The children then used picture cards of the Caribbean and the UK and sorted them. They had some lovely discussions about how different the two places are and how difficult it must have been for people to leave their homes.
Coming up next week:
In phonics, we will be introducing the children to the m, d and g sounds.
In maths, the children will be comparing and ordering according to size, weight and mass.
On Monday we will be celebrating World Mental health day.
On Thursday we will be celebrating our Community Day with our Family Supper event at 5 pm - We look forward to seeing you there.
1 Timothy 6:18
…that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate…’
Friday 30th September
We began the week with our first class trip to the church. The children enjoyed taking in their items to donate for the Harvest collection. They did a super job at singing and listening to Charles as he taught the children about the meaning of harvest.
We also began our phonics learning this week, the children were introduced to the s,a,t sounds. They had a go at writing these sounds and recognising them in different words.
The children have enjoyed looking at the book You Choose. It was a great way for us to talk about the things we like and dislike. The children created their own houses and chose their favourite items to have in their dream homes. The children also talked about their favourite animals and they drew pictures of the pet they would most like to have. In our maths learning, the children continued to match objects and they began to sort different items into categories.
We visited St Peter’s square on Friday and spotted some of the wonderful features of nature. The children made lots of observations of leaves and trees and we talked about how the natural world is changing now that we are in Autumn.
Thank you to those parents who were able to attend our phonics meeting I hope you found the session helpful. Please see the link below to the presentation used.
Coming up next week:
This month we will be celebrating Black History Month with a range of activities and lessons to support the children’s understanding. In Reception, we will be focusing on the story Coming to England by Floella Benjamin for next week’s learning.
In their maths learning the children will be sorting and comparing amounts using different objects.
In phonics the children will be taught the p,i,n sounds
Reception 22 Week 4
Friday 23rd September
This week the children have been busy learning about each other’s families. They enjoyed sharing pictures with their friends and talking about members of their family. In class, we read the story Owl Babies by Martin Waddel about a family of owls. The children were encouraged to join in with parts of the story that they know.
We started our maths sessions this week and the children looked at different items that they could match up. They then went on a mini bear hunt. Each child was given a small bear and they had to find their matching bear in the outdoor area. They had to look at and compare the size, shape and colour of their bears. They used lots of language linked to this.
In our PSED this week we learnt about how everyone is unique. We shared a range of toys and talked about which was our favourite. Just like the toys, we are all different and we all like different things.
Our RE focus this half term is linked to the Creation Story. The children talked about how they thought the world began and we read the Bible story ‘In the Beginning’. The children loved creating their own pictures of the natural world.
Coming up next week:
On Monday we will be attending the Harvest service in the church. In the evening we also have a parent phonics meeting at 5 pm.
Next week we will be focusing on the book You Choose. It will provide the children with lots of opportunities to discuss their likes and dislikes with their friends.
We will also continue to learn about matching objects and numerals in our maths learning.
As part of our RE session next week, we will be taking a stroll through St Peter's Square to identify features of our natural world.
Reception22 Week 3
Friday 16th September
This week in Reception all the children had their chance to share their special boxes with their new friends. It was wonderful to learn a little bit more about the children. They also enjoyed listening to the stories The Colour Monster and The Colour Monster goes to School. The children shared their thoughts about how they felt on their first day of school and their favourite activities they have already enjoyed doing. On Thursday, the children went to the library for the first time. They enjoyed choosing their own book that they will bring home. Reception will have library time every Thursday morning.
This week, the children spent some time reflecting on the life of the Queen. We talked about how long she had been Queen for and how they felt now that she has sadly died. We watched the famous Paddington Bear clip and read the story The Queen’s Hat by Steve Antony. Some of the children decided to draw their own pictures of the Queen for our class book of condolences.
Coming up next week:
We will be reading the story Owl Babies and we will be talking about our families. Please remember to upload a family photo to Tapestry or place one in your child’s book bag for Wednesday when the children will talk about their own families.
Friday 9th September
Wow! What a great start our lovely Reception children have made this term. It has only been two sessions but already the children have begun to make new friends and discover all the different resources our Reception environment has to offer. Some of the children have enjoyed sharing their special boxes with their new friends and it has been lovely to see what treasured items they have brought in. We will continue to share special boxes each day next week.
Reminders:
Please ensure that all items of school uniform have been named, including your child’s water bottle.
The clubs we offer at St Peter’s are excellent but we advise that parents allow their child the time to settle into the school routines first. Please come and speak to me if you would like to sign your child up for a club.
Coming up next week
We will be reading the story The Colour Monster and we will be talking about how we feel. We will also read The Colour Goes to School and talk about how we have felt starting school and our likes and dislikes.
Tuesday will be the children’s first full day in Reception. Once you have dropped your child off, please make your way to the office where Ms Frazer will meet you for tea, coffee and a chat.
On Thursday, all our St Peter’s families are invited to our Open Evening. Please pop into the Reception classroom to have a chat and to grab a copy of the curriculum map and timetable.
