First week back

Thankfully most of the illnesses seem to have stopped although please keep an eye open for chicken pox. Many children seem quite tired but hopefully they will get back into the routines. Now we have entered term 3, our expectations of what children are doing have increased and there are greater opportunities for adult led learning. By now children should be more independent in having a go at what has been asked of them and we are continuing to celebrate the having a go approach.

We have started on our Jack and the Beanstalk learning and children are enthusiastic to try the new role play area. This week it has been back to basics with listening to each other, following class routines, revisiting our numbers and thinking about sounds in words. Most children by now should be using recognisable sounds in words and writing should be easy to read by the adult. We have revisited curly caterpillar letters and next week we will be getting children to correct these in their writing if they aren't correctly formed. For a few children we are still having sticks added on to o to make it into a . We are developing positive learning habits. Home learning is a short diary entry for each day using sounds and words they know.

I have moved most children onto a phonic scheme of reading books. This is to encourage them to look carefully at words and break words down into smaller sounds then blend sounds back together again. It truly is important that you hear children read 4 or 5 times every week. Children who read regularly tend to be more confident in having a go. I will be listening to the more confident readers as a group in Guided reading and this will allow me to focus on specific teaching points. Throughout the next three terms most children will be put into a Guided group.

 Many children have now completed the reception 45 tricky words. I will send home a list of the year 1 tricky words but these won't be on card to cut up. For now I have included in the home learning some words to learn as spellings. I will give a few words every week to build up a bank of words to make writing easier.

Don't forget you are welcome to stay on Tuesday to initially read with your child and then look at learning. Please make goodbyes as short as possible to minimise tears when you leave at 9.15.

Thank you to everyone who has filled in speech wow bubbles. I loved the picture and bubble celebration from Ethan. The wow moments are for adults to fill in celebrating something that has happened such as xxx so loves reading that they choose to do it at home. xxx swam 10 mtrs for the first time without arm bands. xxx lost their first tooth and were excited when the tooth fairy came.  These wow moments go in the learning journal and help us to fill in the missing gaps. Please continue to send them in.