Nursery Teacher: Mrs Debbie Derby
Nursery Teaching Assistant: Mrs Alison Sault
Reception Teacher: Mrs Lizzie Bailey
Reception Teaching Assistant: Mrs Emma Hardware
We have a newly refurbished Early Years unit which provides a secure, stimulating and educational setting.
The Foundation Stage:
In our school we have a 39 place Nursery and a 30 place Reception class. Children join our Nursery after their third birthday and attend either a morning or afternoon session. All children join us full time at the beginning of the school year in which they are five. The team work closely together to provide exciting learning opportunities, indoors and outdoors, to develop each child to their full potential in a caring, safe and structured environment. We recognise the role that families play in educating their children and encourage close parent partnerships.
The Foundation Stage Curriculum guidance is based on seven areas of learning:
These include 3 Prime Areas:
and, 4 Specific Areas:
Although Nursery and Reception have separate classrooms, they are situated side by side allowing opportunities for the children to work together to ease transitions between year groups and develop learning.
Literacy
In Autumn term, children in Early Years will be developing their speaking and listening skills by listening to a wide range of stories and being introduced to new vocabulary. Storytelling, roleplay and hands on experiences will support confidence and language development. They will also start to learn their initial sounds. Children will be working on perfecting their letter formations as well as writing their whole name.
Here is a list of the letter sounds and their mnemonics to help the children with writing letters at school:
a - Round the apple down the leaf (apple)
b - Down the laces to the heel, round the toe (Boot)
c - Curl around the caterpillar (caterpillar)
d - Round his bottom up his tall neck and down to his feet (dinosaur)
e - Lift off the top and scoop out the egg (egg)
f - Down the stem, and draw the leaves (flower)
g - Round her face down her hair and give her a curl (girl)
h - Down the head to the hooves and over his back (horse)
i - Down his body, and dot for his head (insect)
j - Down his body curl and dot (jack-in-the box)
k - Down the kangaroo’s body, tail and leg (kangaroo)
l - Down the long leg (leg)
m - Down Maisie, over the mountain over the mountain (Maisie and mountains)
n - Down Nobby, over his net (football net)
o - All around the orange (orange)
p - Down his plait and around his head (pirate)
q - Round her head, up past her earrings and down her hair (queen)
r - Down his back, then curl over his arm (robot)
s - Slither down the snake (snake)
t - Down the tower across the tower (castle tower)
u - Down and under, up to the top and draw the puddle (umbrella)
v - Down a wing, up a wing (vulture)
w - Down up down up (worm)
x - Down the arm and leg and repeat the other side (Exercise)
y - Down a horn up a horn and under his head (yak)
z - Zig, Zag, Zig (zip)
In the Nursery Autumn term, the children take part in daily letters and sounds sessions. These session develop listening skills, sound discrimination, fine motor skills, rhyming skills and early blending.
Every day, the Reception children have a Phonics session, Read Write Inc, and a writing session. In reading sessions, the children will be working towards:
In writing sessions, the children will be working towards:
Maths
Nursery children are learning to recite number names in sequence through songs and games, make comparisons between quantities using a range of resources and notice simple shapes and patterns in pictures.
Each day the Reception children take part in 15 minute maths and a daily maths session.
In Autumn the Reception children will be working towards:
• Recognise some numerals of personal significance.
• Recognises numerals 1 to 10.
• Counts up to three or four objects by saying one number name for each item.
• Counts actions or objects which cannot be moved.
• Counts objects to 10, and beginning to count beyond 10.
• Counts out up to six objects from a larger group.
• Selects the correct numeral to represent 1 to 5, then 1 to 10 objects.
• Counts an irregular arrangement of up to ten objects.
• Estimates how many objects they can see and checks by counting them.
• Uses the language of ‘more’ and ‘fewer’ to compare two sets of objects.
• Finds the total number of items in two groups by counting all of them.
• Says the number that is one more than a given number.
• Finds one more or one less from a group of up to five objects, then ten objects.
• In practical activities and discussion, beginning to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting.
• Records, using marks that they can interpret and explain.
• Begins to identify own mathematical problems based on own interests and fascinations.
You can support your child by sing simple number songs at home or visiting http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/index.shtml
.
Here are some mnemonics to help your child with number formations:
0- Number Zero. Around the world like a superhero.
1 - Number One. A line down and it's done.
2- Number Two. A Kangaroo.
3- Number Three. The wings of a bee.
4- Number Four- Chair on the floor.
5- Number Five- Learn to drive.
6- Number Six- Stir and Mix.
7- Number Seven. An angel from heaven.
8- Number Eight- Snakes not straight.
9- number Nine- Around the track and down to the finish line.
Cornerstones Topic Spring
Next half term our cornerstones topic will be ‘ Are Eggs Alive?’ This theme helps stimulates children’s curiosity, understanding, knowledge and imagination about growing and living things.
Week 1:The Reception children will find an egg in our classroom that they have to look after. We will be exploring life cycles and looking at different animals that live in eggs. EXCITING NEWS– children will be looking after some real life eggs in the classroom and following the whole process from incubator to hatching!!
Week 2– A young boy called Jack has stolen a giant’s golden hen. The giant is not happy that he hasn’t got any golden eggs! Can we find the hen and return the golden eggs?!?! Books to support– Jack and the Beanstalk.
Week 3-Mummy duck has sent us a message– her little ducklings have swam off. This week we will help mummy duck find her ducklings and look at other spring animals and baby animals. EXCITING NEWS– Visit to the pond at Shire Oak– letter to follow.
Week 4– SCIENCE WEEK– Humpty dumpty is sick of falling off his wall and cracking! This week the children will be designing some clothes to help humpty. The children will be testing materials, discussing fair testing and problem solving.
Week 5– Easter Fun! The Easter bunny has asked the Reception children help him with all the orders for Easter eggs. The children will be making chocolate eggs, designing Easter cards and going on their own egg hunt. We will also be looking at the Easter story from the bible and how Christians celebrate Easter. Children will also get the chance to showcase their fantastic Easter bonnets made at home in an Easter bonnet parade for all the families on Wednesday 10th April at 9:15am at school.
We look forward to another eggciting half term!
Autumn 1- Nursery- Why do you love me so much
Reception- Can we eat chocolate for breakfast?
Autumn 2- Why do leaves go crispy?
Celebrations
Dates for your diary- Reception Safety walk workshop- letter to follow
International Week- 22nd October- 25th October.
Reception trip- 26th November.
Christmas Play- dates to be added.
Spring 1- Did dragon's exist?
Spring 2- Are eggs Alive?
Summer 1- Why is water wet?
Summer 2- Can we explore it?