Reception Newsletter

For week ending 17th January 2020

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This week the children have centered their learning around the story of Jack and The Beanstalk.  This was great for the development of language, confidence and imaginative role play. We also created beanstalks – one of kindness leaves, of all the nice things the children have been doing for each other, and these have been displayed in the corridor.    The other is of words children have written independently, which are now on display in the classroom.  One very popular activity which was greatly enjoyed was forming a decision alley and encouraging the children to take one of two positions:  in Wellington the choices were a) Jack doesn’t swap the cow for beans, he sells it for money and takes the cash home to his mother; or b) Jack swaps the cow for magic beans and goes off for adventures which ultimately make them rich. Many children changed their mind during the session and decided that adventure was not as important as a full stomach, and the balance of opinion by the end of the session was in being sensible rather than taking a risk. The adults weren’t quite sure how they felt about that afterwards… We also did an absolutely lovely drama and music activity which involved interpreting the music by Edvard Grieg from the Peer Gynt Symphony, In the Hall of the Mountain King (this can be found within the website for BBC Ten Pieces - KS1 orchestral pieces).  The children thought about which part of the story the exciting music related to, acted it out, and then used paper and drawing materials to produce their impressions of the changing music.  It really was a rewarding exercise and the week generated many different avenues into interpreting the story.

During the week we watched a BBC version of the Jack and the Beanstalk story, which adds extra detail and different twists to the traditional story.  Should you wish to watch it at home please follow this weblink http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0575dc1. The children have also planted their own bean plant, talking about what seeds need to germinate (a wonderfully tricky word to say when you are only 4). Each class also set up a control experiment with one plant being denied water, but getting warmth, soil and light, and another being denied light but getting warmth, soil and water.  The children were asked to predict what would happen – most of them were happy to predict the demise of the plant without water but were unsure of the fate of the seedling that gets no light.  The plants will come home in a few weeks for you to continue to nurture – we also encourage families at that point to send in photos of the continued growth of the seedlings – you have been warned !

In maths we focussed on number 15, with various activities undertaken to help make that number stick.  Next week we move to 16 and will continue to focus on one more and one less as concepts.  In music the children played glockenspiels and practised beat, pitch and tempo in various ways.

 PE saw the children becoming more accomplished at keeping track of their possessions and changing their clothes quicker – although a depressing number of children still seem to have unnamed uniform which makes matching left over clothes with their owner difficult.  Please continue to encourage their independent skills in this area. 

Next week we are focussing on the story of The Gingerbread Man.  We will do some hotseating and also make “gingerbread” men which will not actually be gingerbread but shortbread so that all children with allergies currently in the cohort can take part.

Requests and reminders

• Let us know if your child cannot handle or eat flour, butter or sugar – we think all children will be ok with this based on the information we have at present – if this is not the case then please let your class teacher know ASAP.
• We are not automatically told if your child is attending an after school club apart from Kids Club, Finger Gym, Little Chefs or Musical Explorers.  There have been a few instances recently where children are not on the Kids Club list but also not collected yet have been in other extra-curricular clubs.  Please let your child’s class teacher know of the clubs being attended – sometimes clubs start that we do not even know exist, such as football for example.  It takes a great deal of staff time to sort this out – please do not rely on your 4 or 5 year old remembering or telling the truth.
• If your child needs to use the toilet at the end of the day and comes back into school whilst Year 1 and Year 2 are being dismissed you cannot accompany them into the toilets in case other children are in there – this is a safeguarding measure
• Remember to have reading books and reading records in bookbags every day and also library books on a Friday.  Reading book change days are Tuesday and Friday.
• February 5th Writing Workshop 6pm Studio – all welcome, adults only though.

With best wishes

The Reception Team

pgreenwood@wimbledonpark.merton.sch.uk

fdavies@wimbledonpark.merton.sch.uk

obacon@wimbledonpark.merton.sch.uk

 

Quotes of the week:

A child is showing their Knex model to the teacher which has various parts hanging from it, including a pair of eyes.  As the child explains what all the pieces are the teacher says “so that’s it’s tail?...” to which the child replies “no, it’s his booster, but it actually looks like a willy falling down…”

A child is reading their reading book to their teacher which involves the family being at the seaside.  The dad jumps into the sea and the child reading pauses and says “oh….  can you actually swim in the sea?....I didn’t know…”

Children are talking about being in their parents bed on occasions, and one child says proudly “I’ve actually wee’d in my mummy and daddy’s bed…they put a towel over it then it was alright…” Another said sweetly “I’m going to keep my bed when I’m grown up and build my own house…”