We can’t quite believe we’ve reached the end of our first term in Reception! The children have worked so hard and have settled beautifully into school life.

In phonics, we learnt two new sounds this week — p and i! The children have been practising how to say each sound, learning the matching action, and having a go at writing them on whiteboards. We’ve also been blending words containing these sounds and spotting objects that begin with p and i. We have also been looking at inital sounds 

In maths, we’ve been working on subitising arrangements of 2 and 3 and showing small quantities on our fingers. We explored auditory patterns of up to 3 and used positional language to describe patterns of 4. The children also practised comparing mass and enjoyed explaining which one was lighter and which one was heavier using scales.

In PE, we had a fantastic time using the parachute! The children became superheroes and practised waving the parachute like their capes, moving it up and down, around in a circle, and even running underneath it. We finished with some fun parachute games that encouraged teamwork and coordination — lots of smiles all around!

In PSHE, we explored our feelings and introduced the Zones of Regulation, which help us talk about how we’re feeling:

• 💙 Blue Zone – tired, sad or unwell

• 💚 Green Zone – calm and happy

• 💛 Yellow Zone – worried, frustrated or excited

• ❤️ Red Zone – angry or overwhelmed

The children created faces for each zone and acted out different scenarios, such as when someone takes a toy from us. We practised how to respond calmly — first by putting our hand out and saying “Stop,” then asking for it back (using please), and if that doesn’t work, telling an adult. We also discussed ways to calm down, such as taking deep breaths, counting, or hugging a soft toy.

In Understanding the World, we continued our All About Me topic by learning about healthy eating. The children discussed what happens when we eat food, why it’s important to eat breakfast, and how different food groups help our bodies. We linked this to exercise — for example, after doing press-ups, we talked about needing protein (like meat or beans) to rebuild muscles, and after star jumps, needing carbohydrates for energy. The children then created their own balanced meal plates using pictures of different foods.

We also continued learning about our five senses, focusing this week on smell and taste! The children discussed whether we can always trust our senses — if something smells nice, does it always taste good? They then had a go at some blindfolded taste tests, trying peach slices and free-from chocolate chunks, and smell tests using vinegar and cocoa powder. There were some very funny facial expressions and great discussions about what they liked and didn’t like!

Finally, we practised writing our numbers from 1–5, focusing on correct number formation.

A big thank you to all parents who were able to attend parents’ evening — it was lovely to talk to you about how well your children are doing. We are so proud of everything the children have achieved this term and how much they’ve already grown in confidence.

Star of the week: Congratulations to Zumra, who is our star of the week, for being a great role model to her peers and always listening to the adults. Zumra will be taking home her certificate and Wilfred the Elephant to write in the book all about her time spent with Wilfred over the next week and will bring him back the Thursday after half term.

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 Thursday's. Please remember to 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

Have a wonderful and well-deserved half term!