This week in Reception has been another exciting one, full of new learning and experiences!

In phonics, we introduced our very first sound: ‘s’. The children learnt how to say the sound, practised the action to go alongside it, and thought of words that contain the ‘s’ sound. We also began to look at how to write the letter ‘s’, making sure we practised forming it correctly.

In maths, our focus has been on counting. The children learnt the techniques of accurate counting, including touching each object as they count, moving objects to a new space once they have been counted, and remembering that the final number they say is the total. We practised with small objects on the carpet, before moving on to larger items and discussing how we can still point or touch them to show that they have been counted. The children also explored counting sounds, such as drumbeats, claps, and other body percussion, which was lots of fun! To build on this, we also practised sorting objects into groups, thinking about how they are the same or different.

In Understanding the World, we continued our topic All About Me. The children, with the support of the adults, filled in their “All About Me” flowers, sharing their likes, dislikes, and favourite things. We also talked about our families, drew pictures of who we live with, and practised writing our names using name cards.

In PE, the children developed their communication skills when playing games and practised listening carefully to instructions. We became pirates, playing “Catch the Captain,” and worked on different jumping skills – forwards, backwards, sideways, and over cones (our “treasure”). The children also continued with BEAM activities to support their balance and coordination.

In RE, we began our first topic by learning about Harvest. The children explored the significance of Harvest in the church calendar and talked about why it is an important time of year. We discussed how it is a time to give thanks, thought about the different ways we can say thank you in our own lives, and how Christians give thanks to God during Harvest.

Star of the week: Congratulations to Mark, who is our star of the week, for setting a great example to his peers and offering great answers at carpet time. Mark will be taking home his certificate and Wilfred the Elephant to write in the book all about his time spent with Wilfred over the next week and will bring him back next Thursday.

Please remember to read with your child, even for just 5 minutes! Please also remember to record it in the reading record. We will only change your child's book if you have read with them 2 or more times in that week! Reading books are changed on Tuesday's and Friday's. Please remember to also have the library book in your children's book bag on Thursday to be changed. 

Any issues or concerns we need to know about, please speak to the Acorn team before and after school or email at: acorn@st-barnabas.kent.sch.uk

It’s been a busy week of learning and we are very proud of how hard the children are working and how well they are settling into their routines. We’re looking forward to more exciting learning next week, especially our Harvest Festival!