Reception

It’s hard to believe that we have already reached the end of our second half term. It has been a busy but exciting few weeks, filled with lots of engaging learning opportunities. One of the highlights of the term was our Nativity. For those who were able to attend, I’m sure you’ll agree that the children gave a fantastic performance. They worked exceptionally hard to learn their words, songs, and actions, and their efforts truly paid off. 

We have also been busy developing our phonics skills. The children are now using the sounds they have learned to segment and blend words. After Christmas, we will be moving on to Phase 3 sounds and tricky words. In Drawing Club, we explored a range of wonderful texts, including The Dark, where we drew Laszlo and his basement. We also explored darkness within our classroom and enjoyed investigating shadows and torches. This led to discussions about the day and night sky, thinking about what we might see in the sky at different times of the day.

We also enjoyed reading The Squirrels Who Squabbled. The children drew their own squirrels before creating magical machines to collect and store food for the winter. This learning continued outdoors as we explored the seasons, thinking about the weather at different times of the year and dressing appropriately for each season.

In Maths, we focused on numbers up to 5 and explored simple 2D shapes. We looked at the composition of numbers, practised subitising, and found one more and one less. We ended the half term by using our Maths skills to solve some festive challenges for Santa—his numbered gifts had become mixed up, but the children saved the day! 

Another highlight was our parent stay-and-play session. Thank you to those who were able to attend—it was lovely to see the children sharing their learning with you and proudly showing you around our learning environment. We also welcomed a visit from the school nursing team, who delivered an engaging workshop on hand washing. The children learned about germs and the importance of washing their hands, using “magic germs” and a special torch to see how easily germs can spread. 

We ended the half term with plenty of festive fun, enjoying Christmas Jumper Day, a special Christmas lunch, lively Christmas parties, and lots of Christmas-themed crafts.