Welcome to Reception

1. Welcome to Reception Parents Meeting: 21st June 2012 K.Corbett 2012

2. Tonight’s Meeting • To meet the teaching team and find out about St. Catherine’s. • To help you to understand the curriculum that your child will be covering in their reception year. • To identify the key ways in which you can help your child at home and in school. • To ask any questions you may have. K.Corbett 2012

3. The Environment • The children will be registered in a single group. • The Year 1 class will be next door to our classroom. • Reception and Year 1 will work closely together, sharing the outside area, especially in the afternoon. K.Corbett 2012

4. The Team • Teachers – Mrs Corbett (Year R), Mrs Rankin and Mrs Herbert (Year 1) • Miss Reed (Year 2) • Support Staff – Mrs Thomas, Mrs Toohill, Miss Challis. K.Corbett 2012

5. What is the Early Years Foundation Stage? • The Early Years Foundation Stage (E.Y.F.S.) is the stage of education for children from birth to the end of the Reception year. • It is based on the recognition that children learn best through play and active learning. K.Corbett 2012

6. Where do we start? • We will pinpoint your child’s development on entry by observing them during play-based and child-initiated activities, seeing how they interact with others. • We will talk to them, finding out their interests. • We will have the transfer information from their pre-school. K.Corbett 2012

7. Within the theme of Learning and Development there are seven areas. All areas are connected but the first 3 areas are prime areas which dovetail into the 4 other areas. • Communication and language; • Physical development; • Personal, social and emotional development ; • Literacy; • Mathematics; • Understanding the world; • Expressive arts and design. K.Corbett 2012

8. Personal, Social and Emotional Development The children will be learning to: • Become self-confident; • Take an interest in things; • Know what their own needs are; • Dress and undress independently; • Become independent; • Tell the difference between right and wrong. • We also use our adopted scheme of work for RE, called ‘God Matters’. K.Corbett 2012

9. Communication, Language and Literacy The children will be learning to: • Talk confidently and clearly • Enjoy listening to stories, songs and poems • Hear and say sounds, and link them to the alphabet • Read and write familiar words • Learn to use a pencil effectively K.Corbett 2012

10. Mathematics The children will be learning to: • Develop an understanding of maths through stories, songs, games and imaginative play • Learn to read, write and work with numbers. • Become comfortable with ideas such as 'heavier than' or 'bigger’ • Be aware of shapes and space. • Understand what is meant by addition and subtraction. • Learn to count confidently and consistently with 1:1 correspondence K.Corbett 2012

11. Understanding of the World The children will explore: • Find out about the world around them, asking questions about it • Build with different materials, know about everyday technology and learn what it is used for • Find out about past events in their lives and their families' lives • Find out about different cultures and beliefs. • We also have welly walks, either around the school environment or further afield. • Visitors come in to speak to the children. K.Corbett 2012

12. Expressive Arts and Design The children will explore: • Colours and shapes • Making things • Role play • Making music • Small world play • Selecting and using own equipment • Learning through singing K.Corbett 2012

13. Physical Development The children will be learning to: • Move confidently • Experiment with what they can safely achieve • Control their body • Understand what happens to their body when they exercise. • Move to music or ideas • Put sequences of movement together. • Become aware of space • Handle equipment safely. K.Corbett 2012

14. A typical Morning • 8.35 – Doors open/hang coats up/book bag in tray/independent table activities. • 8.45 – Bell for school rings/Register • 8.50 – Letters and Sounds (WALT – We Are Learning To…) • 9.10– Wake and Shake • 9.20 – Literacy and independent literacy activities • 10.15 –Assembly • 10.30 - Playtime 10.45 – Story and fruit • 11.00 – Maths and independent maths activities • 11.45 – Wash hands and toilet before lunch/Bible story • 12.00 – Lunch • 1.00 – Get ready for home time and TILY (Today I Learnt..) • 1.15 – Collection for home time. K.Corbett 2012

15. The First Few Weeks Each child has their own book “My Learning Journey” where we keep evidence of their learning and samples of work or photographs of what they have been doing. You can look at these whenever you like. After Half Term Children will also have WOW! Cheque books. These are little cheques for you to write anything your child has done which has made you proud, or you didn’t know that they could do. This can be anything from tidying their room to writing their name! You will be invited to discuss how your child has settled in and their progress so far at the parents evening in October K.Corbett 2012

16. Head Teacher Awards and Little Lost Bear • Head Teacher awards are given to children as an incentive for doing their best. • Children will receive a tick on the classroom chart. If they achieve 15 in a week they get a head teacher award, and go to see Mrs Guppy on Friday afternoon. • Once children have visited Mrs Guppy 5 times, they get a special certificate on Friday’s Celebration Assembly, which you will have an invite to. • Little Lost Bear is a reward ted that goes home with a different child within the class for 1 night only. He has a photo album if you want to add any photos. K.Corbett 2012

17. House Keeping • Any sickness, diarrhoea, must be followed by 48hrs absence. • Children all need to be able to use the toilet independently. • Any absence requires a note or telephone call explaining why. • Head lice are common! Please check regularly and treat as recommended. • Any medicines can only be administered by prior arrangement.Please get a form from the office. K.Corbett 2012

18. House Keeping Uniform – Please name it! Grey skirt or trousers/summer dress or grey shorts. White or blue polo shirt or shirt. School jumper or cardigan. White socks Black shoes Children will also all need wellies and waterproof trousers and jackets or suits. PE Kit Blue shorts and jogging bottoms White t-shirt Black plimsolls K.Corbett 2012

19. House Keeping There will be regular class Liturgies and Assemblies, which we hope you will be able to attend. A list of these dates will be sent out at the beginning of term. The children will be taking part in the Nativity this year, date to be arranged. K.Corbett 2012

20. And Finally… • If you would like to come in to school to help out in any way we are always grateful for volunteers!!! • You will need to have a CRB clearance to do this. Forms are available from the office. • Any questions? • Thank you for coming! K.Corbett 2012