Reception 2025 - 2026

Reception Autumn term 2

We hope that you have had a good week and have had time to relax and spend time together after a fantastic first half-term in Reception! It was so lovely to meet so many of you at our first parent consultations this week. Thank you for your support. It is much appreciated! We now look forward to another wonderful half-term at this magical time of year with the run-up to Christmas!

For the first couple of weeks this half term, we will be learning about celebrations such as Bonfire Night and Poppy Day. Then, as it is definitely getting colder, we will change our focus to Winter and Christmas.

In phonics lessons this half term, we will be developing our recognition of letters and sounding and blending of simple words. So far, we have introduced:
                                                                                                   s,a,t,p,i,n,m,d,g,o,c,k,ck,e,u,r,h,b,f,l

This half-term, we will be consolidating these sounds and looking at:
                                                                                                   ff,ll,ss,j,v,w,x,y,z,zz,qu,ch,sh,th,ng,nk

In English inputs, we will continue to use “Drawing Club” to develop our mark making. We will use stories such as “Little Red Riding Hood” to retell stories through play and draw pictures.  We will build up our gross and fine motor skills and develop our pencil grip as we consolidate writing our names independently as well as labels for our drawings.

In Maths lessons, we will be counting amounts and learning to write the digits up to 10, subitising, exploring 2D shapes and continuing simple repeating patterns.

We will have PE on Fridays again this half term. Mrs Bradley and Mrs Gardner will be developing the children’s ball skills, in particular rolling, aiming, bouncing, throwing and catching.  For these games’ lessons, which will be in the hall, the children will need to wear trainers and their PE kits (red hoodie/jumper, red T-shirt, black leggings or tracksuit bottoms). Please could you ensure that all uniform is labelled (particularly hoodies) and checked regularly and be aware that for health and safety reasons, earrings must be removed or covered during PE lessons?  

We will be learning our songs for our Christmas Play “Lights, Camel, Action” which takes place on Tuesday 9th December at 2pm and 5.30pm. (Details and tickets to follow). R.E. will be taught by Mrs Walker on Monday afternoons during Mrs Bradley’s PPA time and this half term will focus on giving gifts, saying thank you and the Nativity story. 

Thank you for your support with reading at home. The children have been very excited to read their first decodable phonics books. They will have read these books three times at school before bringing them home to show you what they have learnt. As before, listening to stories and talking about them is also fantastic to develop a love of books when snuggling up together at the end of a busy day! Please could you try to read with your child each day whether it be them reading to you with their phonics book or you reading a story to them?  Please could we ask that you sign their reading diaries once you have done so and check that reading diaries are in bookbags every day as well as reading for pleasure books? We will be swapping and sharing reading for pleasure books with Year 6 reading buddies on Mondays. 

We look forward to another wonderful half-term working with you! 
 
Kind regards,
Mrs Bradley and my wonderful teaching assistant Mrs Gardner.

If you have any questions, no matter what they are, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do my best to help in any way we can. 

Key Dates:
Monday 3rd November: Back to school!
Wednesday 5th November – Wellbeing Wednesday -own clothes day
Friday 7th November – Big Read session – bring a favourite book to share with your child at 2.45pm
Monday 10th November: Start of Anti-Bullying week
Monday 24th November: FOHS Wrapping Room in school this week
Friday 28th November: Numbots/Times Table Rockstars launch – own clothes day
Tuesday 9th December: KS1 Christmas Performance of ‘Lights, Camel, Action’ 2:00pm and 5:30pm
Wednesday 10th December: KS1 Civic Panto Trip – “Santa’s Christmas Party”
Tuesday 16th December: FOHS Christmas disco -own clothes day
Friday 20th December: Last day of term ( non-uniform day)                                                                                                                                                                          Monday 5th January 2023: INSET day                                                                                                                                                                                              Tuesday 6th January 2023: Back to school!