What a wonderful way to end an amazing year in Reception! We have had a busy, fun-filled week packed with lots of learning and special memories. We are so proud of everything the children have achieved this year, and they should all be incredibly proud of themselves.

Phonics

This week we completed our learning of the Level 4 tricky words. The children learnt the tricky words 'one', 'what', 'when', 'were' and 'there'. They did a fantastic job recognising and reading these words. Together, we looked at pictures and created sentences before reading different sentences to work out which picture they matched. The children then used their own ideas to write sentences about a picture of their choice, showing just how much their confidence and writing skills have grown.

Maths

In Maths, we explored sharing and grouping. We began by learning what it means to share equally and why equal sharing is fair. We also looked at what unequal sharing looks like. We then moved on to grouping objects and discussing how many were in each group and whether the groups were equal or not.

Later in the week, we learnt about odd and even numbers. The children chose numeral cards and used counters to discover whether their number was odd or even by trying to share them equally. They quickly noticed that even numbers can be shared equally, whereas odd numbers cannot. The children continued to explore these ideas independently during continuous provision.

Understanding the World

This week, our focus was on computers and internet safety. We discussed what the internet is and talked about how to stay safe online. The children learnt the importance of always asking a trusted adult before using the internet, knowing what not to click on, and understanding that personal information should never be shared online.

The children then enjoyed using painting software on the computer to create their own pictures before practising typing their names. To finish the activity, they coloured in the letters of their names on a printed keyboard.

RE

In RE, we discussed how people have different beliefs and that everyone is free to believe in different things. We talked about what some people believe, where they worship, and why it is important to respect and celebrate our differences.

Art

In Art, the children followed step-by-step instructions to draw a beautiful seahorse. They showed fantastic listening skills and perseverance, and we were so impressed with their finished drawings.

PE

This week, we enjoyed our very own mini Sports Day! The children took part in running races, hurdles, relay races and howlers, demonstrating excellent teamwork, determination and enthusiasm. On Friday, they also enjoyed playing a variety of games while practising their listening and instruction-following skills.

Our Special Week

We also enjoyed lots of exciting end-of-year activities. On Monday, we watched the fantastic Year 6 performance. They all did an amazing job, and we loved watching the show.

On Wednesday morning, we visited the garden to learn about the Vietnamese drinks that the Year 2 children had kindly made for us. In the afternoon, we attended the Year 6 Leavers' Mass at church. The Reception children represented our class beautifully and sat so sensibly throughout the service.

For our final day together, the children enjoyed some choosing time with their friends before relaxing with a film and some tasty snacks—a lovely way to celebrate a fantastic year together.

Star of the week: Congratulations to Zumra and Melody, who are our Stars of the Week for being such superstars all year round. The whole class also received Star of the Week for being such an amazing class and making such fantastic progress this year. Zumra and Melody will be taking home their certificates this week. 

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. If you have any concerns or issue to discuss before year 1 please email: willow@st-barnabas.kent.sch.uk

Thank you!

As we come to the end of our Reception journey, we would like to say a huge thank you to all of our wonderful children and families for your support throughout the year. It has been a privilege to watch the children grow in confidence, independence and kindness, and we are so proud of every single one of them.

We will miss you all very much and wish you the very best of luck as you begin your exciting adventure in Year 1.

Have a wonderful summer holiday!