Reception

Welcome to Reception!

In Reception, we are very lucky to have two classes. We have individual classrooms, but the children are free to move between both classrooms and our fantastic outdoor area during their continuous provision.  

We have:  

Miss Gains (Class Teacher for RG) 

Mrs Ratour (Class Teacher for RR)  

Miss Shell (Teaching Assistant)  

Miss Hesson (Teaching Assistant)  

Mrs Lopez (Teaching Assistant)  

Miss Strafford (Teaching Assistant) 

Miss Ab Strafford (Teaching Assistant) 

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We have PE on a Monday afternoon. Please send your child to school wearing their PE kit (white t shirt and black bottoms).  

Please send your child with a named water bottle each day.

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We are looking forward to welcoming all of the children into Reception, and you may have some questions about your child starting school. Here are some we have answered:

Autumn 1

This half term we are looking at the book ‘Dear Zoo’. We will be learning the story and about all the different animals in the book. The children will be making their own puppets and masks to help them retell the story as well as drawing story maps to help us remember all of the words. We are going to be looking carefully at the different patterns on the animal’s skin and making our own animal patterns. We will be using the instruments to make music to match the different animals.   

We use Maths No Problem and Mastery of Number to support children’s mathematical learning. To begin with, the children are learning lots of counting songs including 5 Little Monkeys, 5 Little Speckled Frogs and 5 Little Elephants. As well as practising our counting through playing lots of games and learning about sorting and patterns.  

You can support your child at home by talking to them about the story ‘Dear Zoo’ and asking them about the different animals- you can access the story on YouTube. Additionally, looking at numbers in the environment and counting with your child will support their learning. Please see Schoop for the weekly newsletter to see what the children have been learning each week and ideas of what to do at home.   

Spring 1

What a fantastic first term the children have had at Castleton! It has been wonderful to watch the children showcase their individuality and personality as we have got to know them. We are proud to say that they have shown confidence in and around their school environment.

In this half term, we will be focusing our story re-telling on the ‘Owl babies’ where we will use actions, story maps and props to support the children’s retention of the story language and sequence. In addition, we are aiming for the children to retell other stories. These could be familiar stories that the children already know, for example ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’, or imaginative stories of their own using the provision resources. The children will continue their daily phonics learning and although they are not quite ready to take reading books home, you could spend 10 minutes reading to your child everyday as this will help to promote their love for reading and spark their imagination.

In maths, we will be extending our number learning on from 0-5 to counting forwards and backwards from 0-10. We will then explore position names, such as first, second, third, etc, number representations on five and ten frames, the 'counting all' addition strategy and finding 1 more and 1 fewer. You could support your child at home to count numbers in the right order by playing counting songs on the ‘BBC counting songs’ website and giving them counting tasks for example setting the table with the right number of plates and cutlery.

Alongside this, we will be exploring another seasonal change where we will be thinking about the weather in Winter and the appropriate clothing choices, and how this relates to environments that are cold all year round such as the ‘Antarctica’. You can support your child at home by going on nature walks and looking for signs of Winter that they could bring into school and either add to our ‘wow wall’ or ‘show and tell’.

Please continue to check Schoop for any updates and PE continues to be a Monday. Coats must be worn daily especially with the forthcoming cold weather.

Thank you for the continued support.

Spring 2

At this time of the year, it is lovely that the children have captured school life and become familiar with their expectations and daily routine.

During this half term, we will be focusing our story re-telling on the ‘The Little Red Hen’ where we will use actions, story maps and props to support the children’s retention of the story language and sequence. In addition, we are aiming for the children to independently retell other stories. These could be familiar stories that the children already know or imaginative stories of their own using the 5 sentence stems: 

Once upon a time..., 

Early one morning/late one night..., 

Unfortunately..., 

Luckily... 

Finally.... 

The children will continue their daily phonics learning with a huge focus on oral blending, something we do using FRED TALK, as this is essentially needed for the children to begin reading. However, you could spend 10 minutes reading to your child everyday as this will help to promote their love for reading and spark their imagination.

In maths, we will be extending our number learning on from to counting forwards and backwards from 0-20. We will then explore number bonds to 10, measure lengths, explore capacity, create AAB, ABC and AABC patterns and look at 2D and 3D shapes. You could support your child at home to count backwards from 20 and look for shapes in their home environment.

Alongside this, we will be exploring another seasonal change where we will be thinking about the weather in Spring where will be exploring plants. We will also be learning about animals and how to care for pets and chicks. You can support your child at home by going on nature walks and looking for signs of Spring that they could bring into school and either add to our ‘wow wall’ or ‘show and tell’.

Please continue to check Schoop for any updates and PE continues to be a Monday. Coats must be worn daily since the weather can be unpredictable and homework will be sent out on a Friday and is to be returned on a Monday.

Thank you for the continued support.

Summer 1

What a fantastic second term the children have had at Castleton! We are proud of the effort they have shown and are excited to see them continue to grow.

In this half term, we will be focussing our story re-telling on 'How to catch a star’ where we will use actions, story maps, props and role play to support the children’s retention of the story language and sequence. We will continue to provide opportunities for the children to retell other stories, whether these are familiar tales or independently invented, because we want the children to be imaginative and creative.  Phonics continues to be taught daily and learning is assessed regularly to ensure the children are being supported with their needs. If you could encourage your child to continue practising their phonics homework it would be greatly appreciated, as any extra practise is worthwhile. Also spending 10 minutes reading to your child everyday will help to promote their love for reading and spark their imagination.

In maths this half term, we will be extending our number learning on from 0-20 counting forwards and backwards, exploring addition using the counting on strategy and thinking about doubles, halves and sharing. You could support your child at home to count numbers in the right order to 20, for example playing hide and seek or pretending to be a rocket with a countdown from 20. Also, completing maths homework with your child will give them an extra opportunity to p[practise what they have been learning.

Alongside this, we will be exploring different roles in society and linking this to people that help us. We will be looking at animals and plants and thinking about different habitats. We will also discuss past and present changes such as what we could do as a baby and how that is different to what we can do now. You can support your child at home by going on nature walks and looking at different plants and exploring the immediate environment.

Please continue to check Schoop for any updates and PE continues to be a Monday. Coats must be worn daily as the weather can be unpredictable. Homework will be sent out on a Friday and we ask that it is returned on a Monday.

Thank you for the continued support.

Summer 2

We can not believe how quick this year has gone so far. Only seven weeks left of time in Reception to enjoy. We are so proud of how far you have all come this year. 

This term, our story telling focus is all about 'The Hungry Caterpillar'. We will be reading the story and then changing certain parts of it to make the story our own. Our phonics runs alongside this and as we begin to become more year one ready, we will start writing longer sentences and captions. Please continue to read every day with your child. If you would like to borrow a book from the classroom, then please ask. 

In maths, we are focusing on measurement and money. We are going to be exploring the topics of mass, volume and capacity and money. We encourage all children to be able to recognise 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p coins and be able play paying for items using a combination of these coins. 

In our understanding the world, expressive arts and design and people and communities time, we are going to be learning all about the life cycle of caterpillars and how they become butterflies. We will have our own caterpillars in the classroom so we can observe the changes. 

Thank you to all for all of your support.