Cygnus Newsletter

Dear Cygnus Families

This week we have started exploring our emotions with the Colour monster. The children have thought about how we experience some of the feelings in our bodies. 

We had our first Drawing Club session. Drawing Club is a creative exploration of story using drawing and the addition of magic ‘codes’. The code is a shape, number or letters written under the picture and we say that the code changes the picture. With each drawing club we introduce some challenging vocabulary linked to the story. The children are encouraged to be creative with their ideas. This week our vocabulary included: discombobulated, ineffectual, assist, shimmering, sobbing, enraged, evaporate, timid and tranquillity.

Our lunchtime poem tied in with our thinking about emotions this week by describing the feeling of anger. The children had a great time stomping their feet!

The children have been doing well with our Squiggle, Wiggle sessions. We added dough disco to our repertoire this week, moulding and shaping play dough to strengthen the children's fingers. We repeated the movements in our shaker music session. 

Maths has been linked to story. We explored the concept of one more with Ted who fell out of bed (Julia Donaldson) and again with the Hungry caterpillar.

The children learned their first 5 sounds and have already been blending some words with our helpful frog puppet, Fred.

This week we learned the sounds: m, a s, d, t

Please practice the sounds with the children at home. 

Here is the link to the video showing how we say each sound to the children. The pronunciation is important because it helps them blend the sounds together easily when it comes to forming words.

Read Write Inc.: How to say the set one, set two and set three sounds

Thank you so much for supporting the children with their learning.

On Friday we experimented with wax crayon to create pictures and joined our first gathering (assembly)! The children have been placed in their school houses and are excited to be able to start earning house points from next week. 

What a busy week and their first full week too. We had some tired children on Friday!

Next week at a glance

Coming up: Thursday 18th September - Flu vaccines

Friday 19th September - Coffee van at school 

Notices:  Forest school is starting next week.

Please make sure all children have book bags. The children need to bring book bags in daily. No water bottles in the book bags please!

We will be closing the gate at 8.40 as the bell rings. This is to ensure the children are all safely supervised. If you are running a little late and the gate has closed please go to the school office and they will make sure the children are brought safely over to the Classroom.

Please make sure the children have a coat every day, a pair of indoor shoes/plimsoles to change into to come into the classroom and a spare set for clothes, including pants and socks, for any accidents.

Please make sure everything (including shoes, coats, water bottles and lunchboxes) they bring to school is clearly labelled with the children’s name. You can use a sticky label, black permanent marker or sewn in name tape, whichever you prefer. 

Wishing you all a great weekend.

Best wishes

The Reception Team