Reception - Ladybirds
Croeso i’r Dosbarth Derbyn 
Welcome to a new and exciting term in Reception!
We have already been very busy settling into our daily routines and enjoying our new classroom environment. The children have made a fantastic start, and we are looking forward to getting to know one another while learning and playing together both indoors and outdoors. We have already introduced our new topic, and the children have been eager to share their ideas and experiences.
Our topic this half term is:
‘All About Us’
Throughout the first half of the Autumn Term, we will be learning all about ourselves and each other. The children will develop their confidence in asking questions, finding answers and sharing their thoughts through a range of pair, group and whole-class activities. We will explore our likes and dislikes, our families and the wider community, while celebrating the similarities and differences that make us unique.
As part of our learning, we will be creating pebble art family portraits to help us learn more about our families and the people who are special to us. We will also take part in a variety of oracy activities, giving the children opportunities to share their experiences, listen to others and help us learn more about each child as an individual. We will talk about ourselves, our families, our friends and the groups we belong to, as well as learning about the important people who help us in our community and considering what makes someone a real-life hero.
Our learning will be supported by a range of lovely stories, including The Colour Monster, Percy the Park Keeper and We're Going on a Bear Hunt.
In Literacy, we will begin our new Monster Phonics programme, enjoy reading Oxford Reading Tree books and start learning how to write simple words and short sentences.
In Mathematics, we will be focusing on patterns, sorting, matching, comparing and counting to 20, building strong foundations for future learning.
We are looking forward to an exciting half term of learning, discovery and making new friendships.
Helping your child:
Take an active role in your child’s education. (Please see the website links and documents at the end of this page to support you at home).
Share important information about your child with school e.g. medication, any changes that may affect their well-being.
We actively encourage positive communication between home and school and are always available to support you with any questions or concerns. To allow us to devote our attention fully to your query, we kindly ask that discussions take place at the end of the school day whenever possible. By working together as a team, we can ensure that your child has a wonderful, enjoyable and successful year in Reception.
Monster Phonics
Monster Phonics is a DFE validated Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme. It is both fun and engaging, perfect for helping children learn phonics skills as well as supporting parents at this time.
What is Monster Phonics?
Monster Phonics makes learning to read and spell through phonics easier, by categorising the 44 sounds into 10 categories and each of these 10 categories are represented by a Monster. Each Monster is a different colour, and this colour represents that way of spelling the sound. This makes learning to read and spell much easier and more fun. The child learns through the assignment of colour and the linkage of the sound, as well as seeing the colour, creating more ways of remembering the spelling. Your teacher will be using games, songs and activities that continuously reflect this way of learning, so that structure is constantly seen, heard and experienced by your child. This consistency is critical in ensuring that a complicated language is learnt in the most simplistic way. Here is a brief introduction to Monster Phonics and an opportunity to meet the monsters!
| Ladybirds Weekly Timetable Autumn Term |
Day | What is required? |
| Monday | ‘Muddy Mondays’ Outdoor Learning – please send wellies into school in a clearly named carrier bag. |
| Tuesday | |
| Wednesday |
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| Thursday | Mrs McEvoy afternoon PPA - Miss May covering |
| Friday | PE – wear comfortable clothing to school and trainers (preferably with Velcro fastenings) that your child can take off and put on themselves. |
Important reminders
- We would be grateful if reading books could be returned in the wallet provided on your child's allocated book-changing day, as indicated on the front of the wallet. Diolch.
- Regularly checking Seesaw will help you stay up to date with messages, important information and snapshots of your child's learning and experiences in school.
- We kindly ask that all of your child's belongings are clearly labelled with their name to help us keep track of their items.