Cygnus - Reflect and Review

Dear Reception families

Our caterpillars have grown a lot over the last week. The children have been fascinated by how fast the caterpillars are getting bigger. We have started our butterfly diary to document our caterpillars journey. 

We learned more this week about the animals that live in the rainforest. We had a special focus on Capybaras and learned that they are so relaxed they have been dubbed ‘natures chairs’! The children made some paper plate jungle animals this week. They had a choice of tiger, lion, elephant or snake. We had a class full of jungle animals when they were finished!

In Maths we have been subitising and looking again at repeating patterns, this time using the book Pattern fish by Trudy Harris. The children made their own pattern fish in the Friday session and had great fun spotting the next part of the pattern. 

The Drawing Club book this week was ‘There’s a tiger in the garden’ by Lizzie Stewart.

We wondered what other animals Nora might find in the garden. A stand out idea was a mythical mixture of bird and cheetah!

Vocabulary this week:  boring, silly, gruff, grizzly, ridiculous, real and hug.

Big 3 and Me this week focused on thinking big. The children learned the British sign language signs for uneasy, excited and sleepy. The Big 3 and Me challenge this week was to think big when you are playing or making. 

We certainly had to think big on Wednesday as it was Earth day. The children reflected on small ideas and actions making a big difference to help protect the planet. As a class we thought about the importance of trees and how we could all try to help to plant more. 

Next week at a glance

We will be learning about which plants grow in the rainforest.

Our personal, social and emotional health focus will be ‘Healthy choices’

Dates for your diary: 

In May we will be logging active miles/km in the HSA’s ‘Strideathon’. Look out for information from the HSA and your record sheets which we will send out with the children when they are available. 

Outdoor learning dates this term: 17th April, 1st May, 15th May

14th May Cygnus class visit to St Lawrence church, Parents Welcome, starts at 10.15am

14th May Zoolab visit to the school (please see separate email from the school)

25th-29th May Half term

Notices:

The children are now all reading books in phonics and will be bringing new books home every few days. Please make sure they always have their reading books in their books bags and bring the bags to school every day. The day we change books will change depending on the timetable. 

Children need a pair of indoor shoes/plimsoles to change into to come into the classroom and a spare set of clothes, including pants and socks, for any accidents. These should be brought to school every day please. 

Please make sure the children have a waterproof coat every day. We have outdoor play as often as possible and we need to be ready for changes in the weather. Please make sure the children have a sunhat/cap at school to wear if it is a sunny day. 

If your child is going home with someone else, please make sure you email the school office to advise us of the change: office@nhps.org.uk 

Best wishes

The Reception Team