Reception Newsletter 23.5.16

Term:  Summer 1                          Date 23.5.16

This week our story is 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson. On Wednesday the Freshwater theatre company are visiting for a workshop based around 'The Gruffalo'.

We will be encouraging the children to walk down to the Reception classes by themselves this term and ask for their own choice of dinner. This is to increase their independence and give them the responsibility of looking after their belongings in the mornings in preparation for Year 1.

Your child will be taking part in the following activities within the seven areas of development (activities are subject to change, depending on the children’s interests; however, the skills remain the same):

Personal, Social and Emotional:

• Encouraging children to negotiate and solve problems without aggression e.g. when someone has taken their toy.
• Talking about friendship and how to be a good friend. 

Communication and Language:

• Extending vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming, exploring the meaning and sounds of new words.
• Re-telling the story of 'Lost and Found' using props in the small world area. 

Physical Development

• Children show good control and co-ordination in large and small movements.
• Playing a range of running and chasing games. 
• Fine manipulative skills set up daily to improve children’s pencil control.

Literacy

• We will be continuing with our daily Read, Write Inc. groups.
• The children need to be bringing in their reading books on their reading day. Books can also be changed on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  We praise the children who regularly read at home to an adult and have a reward system in place.
• Descriptions of the Gruffalo.
• Letters to the Gruffalo

Mathematics

• Revising the formation of 11-20,
• Subtracting two one digit numbers using either objects or number lines. 

Understanding of the World

• Talking about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another.

Expressive Arts and Design

• Children safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function. 
• Sea themed pictures in the art area using salt and paint.
• Creating clay Gruffalo figures in the malleable area.

Due to of the volume of drink money being collected, distributed and organising the change for drinks is beginning to take away valuable teaching time.  We kindly request that if you would like your child to purchase a drink (30p each) that they bring in the correct money daily in a labelled purse, envelope or wallet, which can be kept in your child's tray.

Learning Challenge
Each half term we will be setting our pupils a challenge related to their learning. We believe that it is important for us to provide guidance for parents on how their children's learning can be extended at home.

The learning challenge will include either a nursery rhyme, illustration or a piece of music. Please talk to your child about the challenge and help them to engage in their learning. The children can choose how they present their learning challenge outcomes to their teacher or class.

Poem/Song to learn: Teddy bear, Teddy bear

Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Turn around!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch the ground!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Jump up high!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch the sky!

Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Bend down low!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch you toes!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Turn out the light!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Say good night!

Painting: Illustrations Axel Scheffler (illustrator)

Person: Famous Disney character

	Nursery Rhyme	Painting	Person
Basic	Learn it off by heart	To find out 3 facts about the illustrator	Draw a portrait of the Disney character.
Advanced	Draw a picture to illustrate the rhyme	To draw a picture in a similar style	Accompany your portrait with a caption about the Disney character.
Deep		Produce a collage of other pictures by the illustrator	Put your Disney character in a short story.