Reception Class - Toothbrushing
Hello Reception parents! ???? We're so excited to announce that we've started our toothbrushing initiative in class! This is a fantastic step in helping your little ones develop great oral hygiene habits right from the start. Our Brushing Routine ???? The children have been doing an amazing job learning their new routine. Each child has been allocated their own special toothbrush and they're learning to: Find their own brush: This helps them build independence and responsibility. Add their own toothpaste: We're teaching them how to use just a small, pea-sized amount. Brush their teeth: We're practicing the correct way to brush, covering all surfaces of their teeth. Put their brushes away: This is the final step in the routine, ensuring everything is clean and tidy for next time. This is more than just brushing; it's about developing independence and building a healthy habit that will last a lifetime. A massive thank you to AP Smilecare for generously providing all of our brushes and toothpaste! Their support has made this wonderful initiative possible. We're incredibly proud of how well the children are doing and look forward to seeing their confidence grow with each brushing session. Keep up the great work, everyone! ✨
Reception Class - Phonics - Guided Reading
The Great Phonics Adventure Has Begun! ???? We're so excited to share that our Reception children have officially started their phonics journey, and they're already doing an incredible job! We're building the foundation for reading and writing, and the children have embraced every step with enthusiasm. This week, we've been exploring the story 'A Wet Walk'. The children have absolutely loved: Looking at the pictures and talking about what they can see. Discussing the characters and the journey they take. Practising their oral blending skills, which is a crucial first step in reading. It's wonderful to see them building confidence as they sound out words and put them together. The focus has been on listening to the sounds and blending them to hear the whole word. This skill is a super important building block for their future reading success. We're so proud of their hard work and can't wait to see their reading skills blossom! Keep up the amazing work, Reception! ✨
Reception - Maths- Matching
The children had a wonderful time in maths today, going outdoors to find different natural objects in the gardens. The children selected leaves and sticks of all different shapes and sizes. When we got back to Reception, we looked through what we had found and started to put some order to them. We were looking for objects that looked the same. Did it have the same colour? Was it the same size? Did they look the same? The children pointed out that the leaves looked the same colour but they were a different size. Sticks matched in length and colour. Working together we matched a lot of the objects up and made groups.
Reception - PE - Finding a Safe Space
Reception had their very first PE lesson today and absolutely loved it! They learned about the importance of keeping a safe space and how to move around the hall carefully. Hoops were used to help them picture their own space, and then they explored moving in different ways – jumping, jogging, hopping and walking – before returning to their safe spot.
Reception -Write Dance
Our Reception children have been enjoying Write Dance this week as part of developing their pre-writing skills. We’ve been focusing on big up-and-down movements to the song “The Grand Old Duke of York”, using our whole arms to make marks together on large paper. These activities help to strengthen gross motor skills, coordination, and control, all of which lay the foundations for confident writing later on. The children loved moving, singing, and creating marks as a group – lots of energy and enthusiasm!
Reception - Class Worship - Meeting Jack
This week Reception took part in their very first class worship. We were introduced to Jack through Roots and Fruits and met Hack the puppet, who will be helping us on our journey. We learned about creation and talked about the many wonderful things in our world. The children thought about how we can show thankfulness for these gifts and how we worship together in school. This was also a chance to begin exploring spirituality – noticing the beauty around us, feeling a sense of awe and wonder, and learning that worship is about more than words; it’s about how we connect with God and each other.
This week in Reception – Phonics
This week in Reception – Phonics This week your little one will be starting their phonics journey. Phonics is the way we teach children to read and write by helping them recognise the sounds that letters make. We begin with the very basics and build up step by step so children can blend sounds together to read words and segment words to spell. Some key things to know: • Sounds, not letter names – At this stage, we focus on the sounds letters make (e.g. s = “sss”) rather than their names (“ess”). • Blending – Children learn to push sounds together to read simple words (for example, s-a-t becomes sat). • Segmenting – The opposite skill: breaking words into sounds to help with spelling (dog = d-o-g). • Daily practice – We revisit sounds regularly, and lots of repetition helps them stick. You can support at home by listening for sounds in words when you’re out and about, pointing out letters in books or signs, and encouraging your child to enjoy sharing stories with you. Please do let me know if you have any questions about phonics—I’m always happy to chat about how best to support your child.
Mental Health and Wellbeing - Recognising and Managing Stress
Stress is something we all experience – but for children and young people, it can feel especially overwhelming. This guide presents 10 simple, actionable strategies to help young people manage stress in a healthy and balanced manner. Whether it’s noticing early signs, encouraging open conversations, or modelling calm responses, there are plenty of ideas here to support positive change. Perfect for both school and home settings, the guide equips adults to identify subtle signals of stress and create safe spaces for pupils to open up. It also suggests mindful habits and healthy routines that can become part of daily life, promoting long-term emotional strength and mental wellbeing.
Staying Safe Around Water
Whether it’s sunny days at the beach or fun in the paddling pool, children are naturally drawn to water. But with excitement comes risk. This guide brings together 10 clear, practical tips to help parents and educators protect children around water – whether that’s at home, on school trips or on holiday. Backed by the Royal Life Saving Society UK, the advice includes knowing what beach flags mean, avoiding inflatables in open water, and learning to ‘float and call’ in an emergency. With a focus on prevention and supervision, this guide is a must-read for summer safety and beyond.
Beached Themed Reading Cafe
Wow, what an incredible day we had at our beach-themed reading café! A massive thank you to everyone who joined us and made it such a fantastic success. It was truly wonderful to see so much fun, laughter, and, most importantly, a clear passion for books filling the room!
Reception - Art and Design - Creating Bikes!
This week, Reception have been using their artist’s eyes to create something extra special! Inspired by Mrs Armitage on Wheels by Quentin Blake, we designed and made our own spectacular bikes – each one bursting with colour, creativity and imagination. We paid close attention to shape, texture and detail, using a wide range of materials like buttons, sequins, fabric and pipe cleaners. It was all about looking carefully, making thoughtful choices and expressing our own ideas – just like real artists do. Developing our observational skills helps us in so many areas of learning, from early writing and drawing to science and maths. It’s amazing what you notice when you really stop and look! And just like Mrs Armitage, we’re always thinking about how we can add that little bit extra.
Let’s Talk Dummies – Helping Your Pre-Schooler Get Ready to Talk and Learn
Dummies can be really helpful when children are little, especially for comfort and sleep. But as they grow and get ready for nursery or school, dummies and bottles can start to get in the way of their talking. Using a dummy too much can make it harder for children to: • Babble and practise new sounds • Move their tongue properly for clear speech • Develop teeth and mouths in a way that supports speaking All of these things are really important as children build their confidence with talking, listening and joining in – key parts of being ready for school. How can you help? • Try to keep dummy use just for sleep times • Take the dummy out when your child is playing, exploring or talking • Start to reduce dummy use gradually – and aim to stop altogether before they turn 2 If you’re not sure where to start or would like some ideas, just ask a member of staff – we’re always happy to help. Together, we can support every child to find their voice and feel confident for their next steps. ????????
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