Welcome to Inkpen Class – Foundation
Class Teacher: Mrs Wilkinson
TA: Mrs Smith
Here you will be able to find out what is happening in our class as the year progresses, I hope you find this useful.
We generally work on a topic based curriculum linked to our literacy theme which is chosen by the children’s interests.
STAR OF THE WEEK
Our Star of the Week is chosen each week for demonstrating that month’s school value. We also choose a Gold Book child who has the opportunity to have hot chocolate and biscuits with the headteacher for always being ready to learn or for making fantastic progress in key areas of learning. The stars receive a certificate and golden sticker in Whole School Celebration assembly.
- Daily routines
- Forest School
What is forest school?
Summer and Winter kit list
- Up and coming events – please look at the calendar on this page to see what is happening in Inkpen class.
Autumn Term 1, 2019:
First please can I extend a warm welcome to all our new families at St James, we are looking forward to the year ahead. If you would like to learn more about what we will be doing this term please check out our topic webs below:
Me and my Family topic web Autumn Leaves topic web Sharing the Harvest topic web
ClassdojoThis first term is very busy. We will be setting you up on the class messaging service, ClassDojo. You will be able to contact me (class teacher) directly, through this service and I will reply as soon as I am free. Please realise that any messages sent during school hours will not be replied to until the end of the day, we’ll be a bit busy. On ClassDojo you will also see you child earning merits for the class to be rewarded by class treats throughout the year. The treats will be chosen by the children by a vote, the only stipulation is that there is no cost or very minimal.
You will also be linked into your child’s Tapestry Account where you will find observations of your child in class. This forms part of our assessment evidence but we also use our own knowledge of the child and written work to assess where your child is at and their next steps. Please feel free to add observations of your own which we will add to your child’s portfolio and they will be used to support your child at school.
This term we will be observing and assessing all children to see where they are in their development as they come into school, this will be their baseline assessment and is statutory in Reception. This will involve Development Matters, Leuven Scales of Wellbeing and we also reflect on the 3 characteristics of learning; Playing and Exploring, Active Learning, Creative and Critical Thinking. We will continue to monitor your child’s development throughout the year, making official assessments in December, April and June, these all help us to know where we we need to go next with your child’s education.
Focus Child
Each term your child will be chosen to be a ‘Focus Child’ for observations along with 2 others. The following week you will be invited in to chat about your child’s progress and to be given some handy hints and activities to do with your child at home. Please be aware that these activities will not be compulsory and should be taken as a ‘drip feed’ process, only when your child is willing. Remember, you will have a whole term to complete them.
Personal, Social and Health Education
We will be spending lots of time with the children helping them to settle into school and to help them learn the classroom rules. This will be consolidated with our weekly PSED sessions which this term will be about ‘me in my world’.
Literacy and Communication
The children have daily circle time learning good behaviours for learning such as good listening, good looking, good thinking. Focus children are also enjoying their time at the front of the class telling us all about something they are interested in or about somewhere they have been.
This year, for the first time, we will be trying out the ‘Helipcopter Stories’ approach. This involves adults scribing stories told by the children and then them being acted out towards the end of the day.
Reading Books
Your child will receive reading books and Journals. We will try to read with all children in the class once a week and welcome any volunteers as this is a time consuming task. Please fill in the journal when you read with your child at home. This gives us an idea of how well you are getting on with it. We will also fill in the journal when we read with your child.
You will receive a story sack each week until christmas. these contain a story book and toy for you and you child to enjoy together in the home environment. The children generally love to tell the story using the toy provided. If you would like your book changed please return on a Friday. If it has been lost then please let us know. Please take this opportunity to develop your own and your child’s interest in stories and reading, we continue to endeavour to instil a lifelong love of books and stories with all our families.
Phonics
The children receive a directed phonics session everyday at school to enable them to begin to read for themselves and begin their own love of stories. We begin with single letter sounds blending these to read simple words (CVC words). At St James we follow the Letters and Sounds Program using the Jolly Phonics images to help consolidate the sounds.
Maths
We use a Maths Mastery approach to Maths and will begin with children’s recognition, quantifying and counting of the numbers 1-10. We will also look at patterns, 2D and 3D shape.
Family Toolkit
This is a series of optional fun activities which you can do with your child at home to help develop maths. Please look out for the books. The books should be brought in on a Friday.
Understanding the World
This is linked to literacy and this term we will be looking at ourselves, Autumn and Harvest.
We also hope to tap into the children’s natural curiosity for the world around them and develop the children’s natural curiosities. Forest School will be looking the changing season in the woodland.
Our weekly RE sessions get going this term with the question ‘What makes people special?’.
We follow the Discovery RE Scheme which helps to develop the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural well-being and allows the children to develop an understanding of the 5 British Values (democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs) .
As always, if you have any questions or would like to talk about your child with one of our team then please let us know.
Mrs Sharon Wilkinson
Mrs Sharon Smith
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