Curriculum Evening

1. Curriculum Evening Wednesday 11th September 2019

2. Vision In our school, we celebrate being part of God’s family where all respect themselves, others and the world around them. Our vision is to develop a safe, caring community of inspired, resilient lifelong learners with a spirit of curiosity, enabling them to flourish in an ever changing world.

3. Jeremiah • The Lord says for I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.

5. Characteristics of Effective Learning RESILIENCE The ability to respond to challenges and tasks that stretch your ability. MOTIVATION The desire to achieve your personal potential and take pride in your work.

6. Characteristics of Effective Learning CREATIVITY The ability to apply a creative approach to tasks in all areas of learning. TEAMWORK The ability to adopt different roles when working as a pair, or a team such as taking the lead, listening to others and appreciating their viewpoints.

7. Characteristics of Effective Learning INDEPENDENCE To attempt set tasks without reassurance and support. • BEHAVIOUR • The ability to behave in an appropriate manner during opportunities such as playtime and drama activities.

8. Developing personal independence • Encourage your child to be responsible for their own belongings (homework, PE kit, coats, bags, changing books, letters home and slips etc). • Give your child responsibility to ensure that they have they have the correct equipment with them each day (PE kits/ swimming kits etc). • Work with your child to ensure that they can tie their laces, zip up their coats and dress themselves. • Please ensure that all uniform and PE kits are named then they can be returned if they are misplaced.

9. PE Times for Reception Mrs McCaul – Tuesday AM Miss Quinlan – Tuesday AM

10. Growth Mindset – How can you help? Use positive language and examples with your children – instead of saying: “I wasn’t good at maths at school,” say: “I had to work really hard in maths.” “I can’t do it… yet!” Praising effort more powerful than praising outcome. Celebrate success Encourage independence – we know this is difficult! Talk about mistakes being ok as long as we are learning from them – don’t let a fear of failure stop you from trying.

11. Classroom Practice to support learning • Fluid seating (children move and work with • different children depending on oracy, subject • knowledge and even different topics within a • subject). • Exposing all children to high level vocabulary • whilst ensuring they understand it and in what • context to use it across all subjects. • Working Walls reflect the class’s journey from • learning the skill, application and reasoning in Maths • and through the four phases in English: • 1 Reading • 2 Grammar and Spelling • 3 Writing • 4 Editing and Improving

12. Classroom Practice to support learning • Challenge- Plan for the top and add the support, • scaffolding and equipment required to ensure • all children can access the lesson. • Practical Equipment- All children, regardless • of their ability, should have access practical equipment • such as base ten, counters. • - The importance of spiralling to keep the • learning hot and developing understanding • and not learning random facts- Link to • homework • Pre-teaching • Reading to the children and with children

13. Book bag • To come on a Friday and in for the next Tuesday will be; • Library book (Library visit on Thursday’s) • Small yellow home school diary • Phonics and Maths homework linked to the weeks teaching which will be in a yellow folder. • X2 Reading books when your child is ready; for example when they are able to blend the sounds together. This will include picture books which encourage the children to talk about a story.

14. How else can you help? Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said, “It is vital that all children can grasp and master arithmetic while they are still at primary school. If we fail children at this early stage, the risk is they will never catch up. Learn through rote and songs Stress the importance of questioning children out of order. Constantly revisiting what has been previously learnt (Spiralling – ‘keeping it hot’) Maths Evening date 2.15pm -16thJanuary

15. How can you help your child read? • Reading wide and varied- fiction/non-fiction • Question children to elicit their understanding even if • they are fluent readers • Encourage children to summarise a paragraph or chapter • Encourage children to predict what they think may • happen next • Encourage children to give their opinions about what • they have read • Ask children to explain and define words they encounter. • In Reception we aim to give the children a life long love for reading. • Children read out loud throughout primary school to develop their intonation, fluency and confidence • Raving Reader • Extreme Reader

16. How else can you help? • We encourage the children to use their phonics knowledge to spell words. • However, the curriculum does require the children to spell ‘tricky words’ correctly. Date for Reading evening: 2.15pm 23rd October

17. Mystery Reader We would really like parents and family members to sign up to be a mystery reader in Reception. If you know you are free one day, write down your name, email address and your child’s name.