Author: Lauren Muir

Robins Class Newsletter
Autumn Term 1 2021

Dear Parents, Guardians and Children,
We would like to wish you all a very warm welcome to Moggerhanger Primary School, and would especially like to welcome to our new children to Robins Class! We are all so glad that you are joining us! We have a wonderful year full of learning, laughter, and fun ahead of us and I am very excited to meet you all.
My name is Miss Cunningham and I will be the new Reception teacher for Robins, starting in September. I am a newly qualified teacher and this will be my first class, but I have been at Moggerhanger Primary School since the end of June, getting to know the school, children and staff. I have had a wonderful time meeting everyone so far and I am so excited to see the children grow, progress and develop in September.
Our class will have seven children who are moving up from Chicks Pre-School and three new children joining. I was so pleased that our three new children were able to attend for a settling-in session, where they made some new friends and met their teachers. It is important to make sure everyone feels comfortable and welcome, so when they first start we will focus on getting to know one another, our class rules and establishing our daily routines.
Our topic for September is ‘All About Me’ and is full of exciting activities designed for the children to really get to know each other, developing an understanding about themselves, their senses and keeping healthy.
Please do not hesitate to come and talk to me or any of the team if you have any questions.
An overview of the objectives we will be covering from the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum in each area of learning, is provided in this newsletter.
Best wishes
Miss Cunningham

Robins Class—Reception
Moggerhanger Primary School

Forest School

Forest School
Robins Class will be having Forest School every Thursday. We would ask that you provide a waterproof outer layer and a pair of wellies to go over your child’s uniform. These can be left in school on your child’s peg, or brought in to school every Thursday.
Forest School Kit
During your child’s allocated Forest School session, they will need a suitable Forest School kit. Although this is dependent on the season and the activity, we would generally recommend the following items:
Wellies / outdoor walking boots or shoes
Waterproof splash-suit / waterproof trousers and jacket
Warm layers when required
Please note that these items are likely to get dusty, dirty and sometimes wet, so please ensure they are practical and durable, but not expensive items.

Robins Class—Reception
Moggerhanger Primary School

Robin’s Newsletter

Show & Tell
Starting in September, we will be doing Show & Tell every Friday afternoon. Children are encouraged to bring in an item, story, toy or something they made that is special to them. It is a lovely way to celebrate anything the children have achieved at home, or find interesting or important to them. Show & Tell helps children to learn how to speak in front of a crowd, build their confidence, develop listening skills and practice using descriptive language. It is also a lot of fun and allows me to get to know your children better!
Please help your child select something that is not fragile, that is meaningful to them, not a weapon and not a live animal. Show & Tell is voluntary and children don’t have to participate every week, but I would encourage it.

Special books
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
The Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman
Super Duper You by Sophy Henn
FunnyBones Janet and Allen Ahlberg
My Amazing Body by Pat Thomas

Could all parents/guardians make sure that they send in a spare change of clothes daily (needed for water play or toileting purposes).
We do provide fruit at snack time, however, you are more than welcome to provide your child their own healthy snack. Can we ask that grapes, tomatoes and any other smaller-sized food is cut lengthways, to avoid choking.
Please remember NO NUTS due to children with severe allergies. Thank you!

Forest School
Forest School will be taking place every Thursday afternoon. A slight change from last year, Robins Class will still wear their uniform on a Thursday, so they will wear outside waterproof clothing over the top of their uniform. We do have some spare waterproofs if needed.

Robins Class—Reception
Moggerhanger Primary School

Uniform

Uniform
School uniform:
White or navy polo-shirt (school logo available)
Dark grey school trousers with grey/black socks
Dark grey school skirt or pinafore with white socks or navy tights
Black school shoes
Navy V-neck or round neck jumper (school logo available)
Navy cardigan (school logo available)
Additions for the Summer Term:
Blue checked summer dress with white socks
Dark grey school shorts
Sun hat every day
Children need a hooded coat every day to ensure that they can play outside. We will also send prompts throughout the year about more seasonal clothing such as hats, gloves, scarves and sun hats.

Robins Class—Reception
Moggerhanger Primary School

Early Years Curriculum Overview

Communication and Language
Listening and Attention 40-60 ‘maintains attention, concentrates and sits quietly during appropriate activity.’ ‘ Two-channelled attention – can listen and do for a short span’
Understanding 40-60 ‘Responds to instructions involving a two-part sequence.’ ‘Listens and responds to ideas expressed by others in conversation or discussion.’
Speaking 40-60 ‘Uses talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events.’

Physical Development
Moving and handling 40-60 ‘negotiates space successfully...’ ‘shows a preference for a dominant hand’ ‘begins to form recognisable letters.’
Health and self-care 40-60 – ‘shows some understanding that good practices, with regard to exercise, eating, sleeping and hygiene, can contribute to good health.’, ‘shows understanding of the need for safety…’

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Self-confidence and self awareness 40-60 ‘confident to speak to others about own needs, wants, interests and opinions’
Managing feelings and behaviour 40-60 ‘Aware of the boundaries set, and of behaviour expectations in the setting’
Making relationships 40-60 ‘Initiates conversations, attends to and takes account of what others say.’
lationships 40-60 Initiates conversations, attends to and takes account of what others say.’

Literacy
Reading 40-60 ‘Hears and says the initial sounds in words’’ ‘links sounds to letters’ ‘uses vocabulary and forms of speech that are increasingly influenced by their experience of books’,‘ enjoys an increasing range of books’
Writing 40-60 ‘gives meaning to marks they make as they draw, write and paint’ ‘begins to break the flow of speech into words’ hears and says initial sounds in words’ ‘uses some …identifiable letters to communicate meaning’ ‘links sounds to letters’ ‘ writes own name …’

Mathematics
Numbers 40-60 ‘recognises numerals 1 to 5’,’counts, saying one number name for each item.’ ‘counts actions or objects to 10.’
Shape, space and Measure 40-60 ‘beginning to use mathematical names for …. Shapes’, ‘selects a particular named shape’, ‘can describe their relative position such as ‘behind’ or ‘next to’.
Shape, space and Measure 40-60 ‘beginning to use mathematical names for …. Shapes’, ‘selects a particular named shape’, ‘can describe their relative position such as ‘behind’ or ‘next to’.

Understanding the World
People and communities 40-60 ‘enjoys joining in with family customs and routines’.
The world 40-60 ‘looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change’.
Technology 40-60 ‘uses ICT hardware to interact with age appropriate computer software’.

Expressive Arts and Design
Exploring and using media and materials 40-60 ‘begins to build a repertoire of songs and dances’ ‘ experiments with different textures’ ‘constructs with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources.’, ‘manipulates materials to achieve a planned effect’.
Being imaginative 40-60 ‘create simple representations……’, ‘plays alongside other children who are engaged in the same theme’

Robins Class—Reception
Moggerhanger Primary School

Other Information

Things to Remember:
Please ensure that your child’s reading books and reading record are in their bags every day. We ask that you read with your child for 5 minutes, at least three times each week, and sign your child’s reading record.
Please could all items of clothing (including coats) and belongings be named. That way we can return any items that may have been misplaced.
Please ensure your child brings in a water bottle every day. The children will have access to their bottles throughout the day, and they can be refilled when needed.
Please ensure that your child wears appropriate clothing for the season, including a hooded waterproof jacket, sunhat, sun glasses and sun cream; a hat, scarf and a pair of gloves may be necessary, as the weather starts to change.
Please send in spare clothing in your child’s bag every day, in case of accidents, or getting wet outside, etc.
If you have any queries, please do get in touch by emailing office@moggerhangerprimary.co.uk and our office team will be more than happy to pass on your question to the relevant staff member.

Robins Class—Reception
Moggerhanger Primary School