Welcome to Foundation Stage Emma Stinton Claire Hawkins Hazel Fisher Lorraine Last Roz Markham Mat Mitchell-King

Good Morning and Good Afternoon Arrangements for Autumn Term: Entry: After the bell at 8.50 all children should come in through class doors and put away their own book bags, water bottles and coats. The children will then go straight to their group for Fidgety Fingers activities. During this term you are very welcome to come in with them too! Please do not bring pushchairs into the classroom entrances if at all possible. On Friday we open the doors at 8.40 to allow everyone to get to church on time. Gates are locked shortly after 9am so please bring your child to the school office if you are late. Going home: children will come out through the class door one at a time. Please stand away from the canopy as this allows us to see you more clearly. If your child is going home with someone else, please let us know that morning or telephone the office.

Fidgety Fingers Fidgety Fingers activities are designed to develop your children’s fine motor skills. This helps to build up and strengthen muscles as the children become ready for writing. The activities are independent and linked to other areas of the curriculum. Your child’s group will always be in the same place in the classroom but the activities will change Monday- Thursday

Feeling Poorly Please phone or the office if your child is unwell or for advice about exclusion times. Please let the office know of any changes to contact details. Asthma inhalers need to be brought into school. Please visit the office to complete consent forms.

Once a week take a peek!

Things to remember everyday Please, please, please name everything! Book Bag, including books and reading record. Water Bottle (no squash or juice) Coat Things to leave at school Full PE kit Wellies

A Busy Day Fidgety Fingers (Monday – Thursday) Registration Teacher Time Activities Break and Snack Teacher Time Activities Lunchtime Teacher Time Golden Break Assembly (Monday-Thursday) Story and Home PE is on Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons.

Helping your child at home Reading: Books and sounds will be coming home soon! It should be enjoyable. Ideally choose somewhere quiet and relaxed. We do understand that your children are very tired by the end of the day. It is better to read a couple of times and enjoy it. We will send home words and letters (phoneme and graphemes) packs as appropriate for your child too. Please look in your child’s reading record for any tips or things to focus on as well as the Reading booklet. Learning challenges Each week we will be giving the children optional learning challenges to do at home. These will be up on the notice board outside and on the website. They will be fun and entirely optional.

Ph is for Phonics! The children will learn all about letter shapes (graphemes) and letter sounds (phonemes) We teach and practise phonics everyday in school. We will send home phonics flash cards for the children to practise at home. The children will learn each letter by its sound and not by name in the first instance. This will enable them to use the sounds to blend together when they start reading CVC words s a t = sat

Readin’, ‘riting and… We will change your child’s books each week and read with them at least once. We will not check book bags every day, so please pass us any important messages or reply slips in person that morning. Every day, your child will be part of class shared reading and we will teach reading skills. We also teach your child reading and writing skills everyday through literacy and phonics. Writing skills stem from lots of shared reading, talk and discussion, recall and memory games this term.

…rithmetic Every day your child will take part in hands on, practical maths activities including number work (mental maths, counting, ordering, writing numbers, calculation) and shape, space and measure work, (time, 2 and 3d shapes and comparing measurements).

Helping out We always need helpers Reading with individuals Working with small groups under the supervision of a teacher Laminating, cutting out, sticking, filing Helping out with special event days, walks around the village and educational visits. Look out for Helping Hands Saturdays.

Staying in touch Check Home-School Reading records for information about your child’s reading and tips to help at home Check the school website Termly letters from the Foundation Team and monthly letters from the head teacher. If you would like to make a time to talk with us, please ask for a time after school, if at all possible. Parents evenings are scheduled for Weds/Thurs 19 th and 20th November If we need to come and catch you at the end of the day, DON’T PANIC! We might be trying to tell you something good!!!

Looking to the future Autumn Term: Through the Keyhole Spring Term: Radio Gaga Summer Term: My World, Minions and Me! Have you got a talent or a skill to help us with these?

At the end of your child’s first year with us we will assess their individual development against the appropriate age and stage. This is a continuous assessment throughout the year and where possible carries on from your child’s pre school records. Your input helps us get a full picture of your child’s learning and development. We will look at 17 different goals and your child’s learning style. Early Learning Goals