Foundation Stage Curriculum Letter

Headteacher: MissV.M. Hunt Tel: 01442 389040 Fax: 01442 390589

Email:

April 2016

Foundation Stage Curriculum Letter

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to the beginning of the summer term, we hope you enjoyed the Easter break.

Our whole school theme this half term is ‘Into the Wild.’

General Information

Moving forward, we recommend Reception parents say their goodbyes at the garden gate so the children can develop independence in readiness for Year One. Thanks to all parents who currently do this.

We would like to thank parents for ensuring that clothes and footwear are clearly named and supplying

boots for the digging area/rainy days. Please continue to supply a change of clothes in a bag that can be kept on your child’s peg. This is in case they get wet, muddy or have an accident. As always, please ensure water bottles go home for a daily wash/refill. This term Reception PE will be outside when possible, so please provide named trainers. Sun cream, if needed, will need to be applied before school (there are creams available that last all day). Also, a named sunhat is essential for the warmer weather.

Supporting Your Child’s Learning at Home

Phonics

Remember to say the sound that each letter makes in a word and try not to add an ‘uh’ sound at the end. Also, if you are helping your child to write please remind them where they need to start the letters, this is an important skill and will enable them to join their writing effectively when they are ready. An effective pencil grip is also important. Reception will be focussing on high frequency words which will be sent home for you to practise with them. Nursery will continue to learn letter sounds and segmenting/blending skills.

Sharing Books and Reading

Nursery children will continue to change their choice books weekly.

Reception – as we approach year one it is imperative that children read every night and that this is recorded in their reading records. Own books read at home can also be recorded in this way.

Mathematics

Playing maths’ games and ensuring your child is counting accurately. By helping them to recognise numbers, shapes and patterns in the environment. The children are always keen to help ‘solve a problem,’ you can encourage their developing skills and thinking by posing problems for them to help find a solution to.

Reception Homework

There is a blue box on the gate in the morning for you to return the homework once it has been completed. New homework will be set each week. As we approach Year One, homework should be completed.

Wow sheets are provided for you to record moments of learning at home and are added to learning journals

Many thanks for your support, please don’t hesitate to contact any member of the Foundation Stage Team if you have any worries or concerns,

Yours sincerely,

The Foundation Stage team

An overview of learning for this half term in Foundation Stage

Communication and Language and Literacy. / Mathematics / Personal, Social and Emotional Development / SEAL
-The Role Play will be set up depending upon the children’s interest.
-Reception children will continue with a daily Phonics session reinforcing and building on their phonic knowledge. We shall be focussing on writing sentences, using capital letters and full stops.
-Nursery children will continue to follow the Letters & Sounds activities and learning one letter sound per week.
-We will share a wide range of books with the children both fiction and non-fiction following our theme, including Handa’s surprise, Bog Baby and The Jungle and The Leopard’s Drum.
- We will introduce and teach new vocabulary linked to the theme / - In Reception we shall explore the concept of money and shall learn about the different coins.
The concepts of addition, subtraction and dividing will continue to be developed.
We will expand our knowledge of 2d and 3d shapes and their properties further.
-Nursery will experience plenty of opportunities to count, order and recognise numbers including simple addition and subtraction concepts.
-Activities provided during ChIL are planned to encourage children to put concepts taught into practise when trying to work out the solution to a problem. / -Our school value is Love
- Our SEAL theme is Relationships
-We will continue our work on how to be a good friend and what this means. We shall be learning the type of language friends use and the correct vocabulary to help make relationships more harmonious.
- As we are now into our final term we shall begin thinking about the transition into year one, encouraging independence and the ability to be responsible for our own actions and behaviour. Parents can assist in this with limited assistance when dressing and enabling the children to come into class by themselves without you carrying their bags or equipment.
- We shall continue to ensure that everyone takes care of the class resources and has responsibility for tidying them away. Even if we haven’t used them ourselves. We shall take pride in our environment.
Understanding the World. / Physical Development / Expressive Arts and Design
-Laptops will be available on a regular basis as well as access to cameras and CD players.
- As the weather improves, opportunities to plant and grow things in the garden will be offered. Any donations of compost, seeds or young plants, especially vegetables would be most welcome
-We will be looking closely at differences and similarities, patterns and change within living things and our environment.
-All children will benefit from visits to the forest school classroom where mini-beast hunts will be a feature
-We will be talking about different habitats and which animals could be found there. We will investigate animal patterns / -We will continue to learn about the effects of exercise on our bodies and the importance of healthy practises.
- Both Nursery and Reception have opportunities to use the hall for whole class PE sessions but will use the big playground and field outside whenever possible
- The importance of safety measures when using tools and equipment in the classroom will continue to be a priority.
NB It would be hugely appreciated if parents notice their children practicing safety measures without supervision at home, and record this on a WOW sheet or with a photo.
Wow sheets are available in the blue tray by the gate each morning. / -All children will have opportunities to explore different percussion instruments and listening to music on a CD player.
- We will learn songs, rhymes and dances related to our theme.
- We shall develop the ability to plan our work, assess it and judge where and how we can improve it.
- Children will be encouraged to develop their imaginative play during CHIL and the role-play areas, both inside and out
-Nursery children will be using paper mache to create an animal mask.
Religious Education
-The focus of RE teaching this term in Nursery and Reception will be on relationships and what makes a place special.
-Prayer will continue to be part of the daily routine and we will be sharing Bible stories as well as joining the rest of the school for Assembly on Thursdays.

An overview of learning for this half term in Foundation Stage

Communication and Language and Literacy. / Mathematics / Personal, Social and Emotional Development / SEAL
-The Role Play will be set up depending upon the children’s interest.
-Reception children will continue with a daily Phonics session reinforcing and building on their phonic knowledge. We shall be focussing on writing sentences, using capital letters and full stops.
-Nursery children will continue to follow the Letters & Sounds activities and learning one letter sound per week.
-We will share a wide range of books with the children both fiction and non-fiction following our theme, including Handa’s surprise, Bog Baby and The Jungle and The Leopard’s Drum.
- We will introduce and teach new vocabulary linked to the theme / - In Reception we shall explore the concept of money and shall learn about the different coins.
The concepts of addition, subtraction and dividing will continue to be developed.
We will expand our knowledge of 2d and 3d shapes and their properties further.
-Nursery will experience plenty of opportunities to count, order and recognise numbers including simple addition and subtraction concepts.
-Activities provided during ChIL are planned to encourage children to put concepts taught into practise when trying to work out the solution to a problem. / -Our school value is Love
- Our SEAL theme is Relationships
-We will continue our work on how to be a good friend and what this means. We shall be learning the type of language friends use and the correct vocabulary to help make relationships more harmonious.
- As we are now into our final term we shall begin thinking about the transition into year one, encouraging independence and the ability to be responsible for our own actions and behaviour. Parents can assist in this with limited assistance when dressing and enabling the children to come into class by themselves without you carrying their bags or equipment.
- We shall continue to ensure that everyone takes care of the class resources and has responsibility for tidying them away. Even if we haven’t used them ourselves. We shall take pride in our environment.
Understanding the World. / Physical Development / Expressive Arts and Design
-Laptops will be available on a regular basis as well as access to cameras and CD players.
- As the weather improves, opportunities to plant and grow things in the garden will be offered. Any donations of compost, seeds or young plants, especially vegetables would be most welcome
-We will be looking closely at differences and similarities, patterns and change within living things and our environment.
-All children will benefit from visits to the forest school classroom where mini-beast hunts will be a feature
-We will be talking about different habitats and which animals could be found there. We will investigate animal patterns / -We will continue to learn about the effects of exercise on our bodies and the importance of healthy practises.
- Both Nursery and Reception have opportunities to use the hall for whole class PE sessions but will use the big playground and field outside whenever possible
- The importance of safety measures when using tools and equipment in the classroom will continue to be a priority.
NB It would be hugely appreciated if parents notice their children practicing safety measures without supervision at home, and record this on a WOW sheet or with a photo.
Wow sheets are available in the blue tray by the gate each morning. / -All children will have opportunities to explore different percussion instruments and listening to music on a CD player.
- We will learn songs, rhymes and dances related to our theme.
- We shall develop the ability to plan our work, assess it and judge where and how we can improve it.
- Children will be encouraged to develop their imaginative play during CHIL and the role-play areas, both inside and out
-Nursery children will be using paper mache to create an animal mask.
Religious Education
-The focus of RE teaching this term in Nursery and Reception will be on relationships and what makes a place special.
-Prayer will continue to be part of the daily routine and we will be sharing Bible stories as well as joining the rest of the school for Assembly on Thursdays.

Do unto others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31)