Welcome

1. Ravensmead Primary School Welcome

2. Reception Teachers • Mrs Goodall • Miss Morgan • Miss Bourne Reception Teaching Assistants • Mrs Griffiths • Miss Bould

3. First Day of School • Some children will start on Wednesday 7th September. • Some children will start on Thursday 8th September • Some children will start on Friday 9th September

4. Promoting Independence You are welcome to come into class with your child during the initial settling in period. It is our aim that by October half term at the latest, all children enter school on their own.

5. After the first day, please arrive promptly at 8.50am to be ready to start activities by 8.55amPlease enter Reception using the Reception double doors at all times and not the KS 1 door.

6. Home time School finishes at 3.15pm. The Reception teachers will dismiss all of the children at the Reception doors; the single door for Miss Morgan’s class and the double doors for Mrs Goodall’s class. Please wait a short distance away from the doors, so that we can see you clearly. Children will not be allowed to leave until you have been spotted by the adults. Children will only be allowed home with a person who has been formally introduced to the Reception Staff.

7. Dinner time • Dinner time is between 11.55am-1.10pm. • From September 2014 the government fully funded meals for all Reception and Key Stage 1 pupils. • However, if your child wishes, they can have a packed lunch (please ensure that their lunch boxes or lunch bags are clearly labelled).No fizzy drinks or glass bottles.

8. Free School Meals If you feel that your child may be entitled to “Free School Meals”, please fill in the form inside your pack and send it back into school as soon as possible or you can give your details to us this evening. This is important as it provides extra funding for the school. If you are successful at applying for “Free School Meal” entitlement you will be given a £100 voucher for Smart uniform.

9. During the first few weeks, all Practitioners in the Foundation Stage go down to the dinner hall with the children to help them make food choices, and to know where to sit etc. • Reception children begin dinner 10 minutes earlier to ensure that the hall is quiet when they first enter. • The children should be able to use a knife and fork.

10. Adopted & Looked after children. • We need to see all birth certificates of children who have not attended our Nursery. This is a statutory requirement. • If your child is adopted or has ever been placed on a special guardianship or residence order, it is up to your discretion to inform school. This will be kept as confidential information.

11. Water Bottles/ Snack time • Children are encouraged to bring into school a School team coloured water bottle each day, only water please, not juice. • Water bottles with the school logo can be purchased from the school office for £1.75 • All children in Reception are provided with a cup of milk and a piece of fruit each morning. • No other snack provided by you is necessary.

12. School Uniform / P.E kit • Details of the school uniform are in your pack. All the uniform can be purchased from SMART uniform in Newcastle. • It is essential to label all clothing that belongs to your child. • Please begin to encourage your child to get dressed and undressed independently, as this forms part of our assessment of your child.

13. Jewellery • Jewellery, including earrings, MUST be removed when children take part in physical activities. They are not permitted for safety reasons. • Teachers are not responsible for the removal of earrings or other jewellery. They should be removed by the children or by the parents before school. • If your child cannot take out their own earrings they will not be able to participate in P.E activities. • If your child is planning to have their ears pierced, please try to do this during the summer holidays.

14. Wellington boots/Spare Clothing • Wellington boots are needed in September and are left in school throughout the year. Both boots need to be clearly labelled and pegged together. • We would ask that you provide a spare set of clothing, that can be kept in school on their peg in the event of any accidents.

15. Telephone Numbers/Illness • Please make sure that the office staff have up to date telephone numbers (especially mobile numbers) at all times in case your child becomes ill during the school day and needs to go home. • If your child becomes ill in the night, please ring school on the first morning of their absence-by 9.15am • When your child returns to school, please bring a letter into school explaining why your child has had time off school.

16. Inhalers • If your child needs to use an inhaler, please ensure that he/she has a spare one to leave in school (with his/her name written clearly on both the inhaler and the spacer) • You will be given an Asthma Care plan to complete for your child.

17. Medicines • The Reception staff will administer medicines but only if the medicine has been prescribed by the doctor and has your child’s name clearly visible on the bottle/packaging. • We must have written permission by the parents explaining what you would like us to do, how much and when. • Forms are available from the main office. • No un-prescribed medication will be given (e.g. pain and fever relief/hay fever tablets) unless a specific request from the doctor.

18. Special Needs • Mrs Goodall is the school’s Special Needs Co-ordinator. • Please do not hesitate to contact her if you have any concerns or questions about your child’s learning development.

19. Term time Family Holidays • If you plan to go on holiday during term time, you must complete a school holiday form available from the Main Office. • This must then be passed on to the office staff or your child’s class teacher. • The Headteacher, on behalf of the Governors will inform you that holidays should not be taken in term time, unless there are “exceptional circumstances”. It will not be possible to categorise any holiday as “authorised leave”. The local authority has the capacity to fine families; fining each adult of the child £60 each for taking term time holidays.

20. Learning • Reception children learn through topic related activities like Nursery but at a higher level. • Topics may include “Once upon a time”, “Minibeasts” and “All around the world”. • At the start of each term, an information booklet outlining the ‘Topics’ is sent home with your child to inform you of those being covered. This is also available on the website. • You are welcome to send into school any relevant materials, books, artefacts etc that will enhance the children’s knowledge and understanding.

21. The New Foundation Stage Curriculum: Organised into 7 Areas of Learning 3 Prime Areas • Personal, Social and Emotional Development, • Communication, and Language, • Physical Development 4 Specific areas • Literacy • Mathematics, • Understanding of the World, • Expressive Arts and Design.

22. Assessment: Foundation Stage Profile • The children’s achievements are collected throughout the year through photographs, observations, discussions with parents and small group work. • These are then placed into a Learning log for each child to show what they can achieve.

23. We would really like you to feel part of the assessment process by talking to us about your child’s achievements out of school in their Home Learning Logs e.g. • ‘Magic Moments’ when your child could do something that they couldn’t do before • Sharing swimming certificates and other physical achievements • 1st time your child rode his/her bike • 1st time your child could count/recognise numbers. • Progress towards their individual targets. • The Home learning logs are collected in on a Wednesday and given out on a Friday.

24. Homework • Every Friday your child will bring home an information sheet outlining the work being covered during the following week. These sheets will give you some ideas how you can support and reinforce the learning at home. • Initially children will receive colouring in sheets or tracking sheets to be completed at home. • Following this, the children will then receive phonics work, writing work or number work. • Handed out on Friday. Due in by Tuesday. • Team points are rewarded to children who return their homework on time. • All children in school are strongly encouraged to share their reading books at home at least 4 times a week.

25. Donations Like Nursery, Reception provide very practical activities which often require additional resources. Therefore, we would be very, very grateful if you could continue giving a donation to help towards buying extra materials to make these activities possible. 50p per week

26. Getting Ready for School Can your child: • Fasten their coat? • Get dressed and undressed? • Take off and put on shoes and socks? • Use the toilet independently? • Use a knife and fork correctly? • Hold scissors or a pencil correctly?

27. Reading/Phonics Meeting • During the first few weeks of the Autumn term you will be informed of a meeting with regards to reading and our phonics scheme. • We would encourage all parents to attend one of the meetings. • We will be having workshops during the year, that we would encourage you to attend so that you can work with your child.

28. Safeguarding and Pupil Safety • The whole school places safeguarding and pupil safety in general as our top priority. • We have more complaints about parents turning in the school entrance than anything else and of course during the day there is no parking whatsoever in the school car park. We would ask that you don’t stop or turn around at the front of the school.

29. What does the pack contain? • Reception “Starting school” booklet • Writing Booklet • Reading Booklet • Jolly phonics Parent information • Jolly phonics sound sheet • Number formation handout • Letter formation handout • Free School Meal application form • “Just Playing” poem • “My Family” Book

30. Thank you for attending