Early Years Welcome Newsletter
Dear Parents,
I would like to welcome you to Havannah Primary School
As part of our efforts to work together with you in the best interests of your children, you will receive weekly newsletters informing you of the things which we will be concentrating on in class and some suggestions of ways in which you can help reinforce concepts and skills at home. Also, don’t forget to make use of the ‘Proud Clouds’ by posting in details of your child’s achievements. The clouds can be picked up from the main office where all the letters are or by printing them off the website. Please come and see me if you have any questions regarding this information.
Literacy (Wizzy Word Work)
We shall be following the Read, Write Inc. schemefor phonics. The children start off by learning initial letter sounds (e.g. mmm) and this develops by practising putting sounds together to create simple words. Your child should soon receive a RWI Speed Sound book which is to stay at home. This is for you and your child to go over sounds learnt in school. If you need any help with how to pronounce the pure sounds of letters please come and see me, Mrs Holmes or Mrs Beard. The RWI website is very informative and has a section for parents which includes videos and lots of information on how to help your child to read and write.
An Enrichment book is sent home with your child on a Friday. These books are for you to read to your child so they can see your love of reading. This is very important. We would be very grateful if you can return these books once you have read them with your child a few times. Once your child is ready, we will be sending home RWI Ditty books. Your child has already read these ditty books in school and should feel confident reading them to you at home. The idea behind this is that they are taking home books that they are successful in reading. They will have worked on these books all week in school and should be excited to share them with you. Please don’t keep or write on these books as once your child has finished with it, they will be passed on to another group. Please can you write in your child’s planner when yourchild has shared their reading book and how they child got on.Thank you.
We shall also be encouraging the children to practise the recognition of capital letters sounds and names and to read a variety of print from within their environment e.g. signs, labels and captions.
Your support with home reading and RWI would be much appreciated. Studies show that children who receive support at home do much better at school. This only needs to be a quick 5/10 minutes daily.
Mathematics (Number Crunching)
We shall be focusing on counting skills and the recognition/ names of numbers up to 10/20 and beyond, shapes and the language of measures. Also the skill of counting forwards and backwards to 20.
If your child is able to recognise all numbers to 20 and count sets of objects confidently, then it would be very helpful if you could practise the concepts of one/two more and one/two less.
The formation of numerals will be taught regularly when the child has good pencil control.
Counting skills are very important so, if necessary, please help your child to count correctly and in order up to 20 and to recognise these numbers and know the names.
Finger gym/ Dough Disco
Every day we encourage the children to have a go at our Finger Gym activity which concentrates on fine motor skills. This is an essential part of the Early Years to help prepare your child with good control and co-ordination. We shall also start our Dough Disco which is a fun way of encouraging fine motor skills. We have a dance to an upbeat song whilst manipulating play dough… it’s very amusing to watch! If you can also help with finger gym work at home, cutting, sticking, playing with play dough or using tweezers etc. that would be helpful. Please keep encouraging your child to hold a pencil correctly.
Discovery Work/ Topic work
Our topic work will have a different focus either every half term or term. To begin with we will be finding out about ourselves, our families and sharing the All About Me books and then we shall move onto a topic called Let’s Explore the Community whereby we shall be inviting lots of visitors from the community to come and talk to the children about what they do to help us. Being ‘Autumn Detectives’ will feature once we come back from half term too. This will then lead us into the throes of Christmas when the EYFS children and staff will once again be busy with Nativity productions to entertain you all with! Our performances shall be on Monday 4th December in the afternoon and Tuesday 5th December in the evening.
Mystery Reader
We are inviting parents/ grandparents/ any family members that would like to come into school at 2.45pm to tell/ read stories to the Early Years class. If you are interested please go to the office where you will find a Mystery Reader sign up form. And remember, it’s a secret so don’t even tell your own child/grandchild that you shall be coming. The only afternoon that you cannot sign up for is a Friday due to a whole school assembly. You will need to bring a book to read to the children.
Tapestry
Tapestry is your child’s online learning journey which you can access at any point. When we take an observation of your child you will be notified by email that there is a new observation for you to view. This could be in the form of a photo, video or audio observation. You can also comment on the observations. Tapestry is a secure online learning journey and you can only view your child. You should soon receive an email with your own login details. I will send a text out when you should have received an email in case it goes to your junk folder. It is very easy to use and can also be accessed on tablets and phones.
Spencer the Bear
On a Monday your child might come home with Spencer the Bear! Your child gets to keep Spencer until the following Monday and we encourage you and your child to fill in the diary that comes home with him, with photos/ drawings/ notes and captions regarding his adventures. We ask that you please remember to bring Spencer back a week on Monday so that he can be given out again on Monday afternoon ready for circle time to be given out to somebody else. We hope you look forward to meeting Spencer very soon!
Parents Evening Sessions
Individual parent/ teacher meetings are planned for Tuesday 17th October/ Wednesday 18th October and Thursday 19th October. You should be able to choose a day and time convenient for you on the website. A text will go out when this service is available.
Just a few reminders for you!
Please ensure your child brings a warm waterproof coat to school every day as much of the early years curriculum is delivered outside. A labelled pair of wellington boots that can be left in school is also an essential.
Please make sure your child’s clothes, including PE kit, are clearly labelled with their names clearly visible. The children are responsible for their own clothes!!! As you can imagine, trying to look after 30 jumpers/ cardigans/ caps/socks/ shorts all the time is not humanly possible for just me!
Daily fruit is provided free of charge for the children in Early Years as well as water and milk.
Umbrellas are not allowed in school please because of health and safety. Please provide your child with a coat that has a hood instead, thanks,
Please please please can I ask that you check your child’s book bag on a daily basis! We often put important letters in that you may need to read and sign. Thank you!
Please ensure that your child DOES NOT bring toys into school.
Due to our cloakroom space being limited, apart from P.E bags (that we place in a box) and book bags (that live in drawers) please don’t bring any other bags into school. The children don’t need their own pencil cases etc. Any spare pants/ underwear that you bring in lives in your child’s drawer.
I hope you have found this information useful. Please don’t hesitate to come and speak to me if you have any concerns. I’m always happy to help. Thank you!
Miss Slater