We’ve had another fun-filled and busy week in Reception as we continue our learning journey through Term 6!

Phonics:
This week in phonics, we’ve been learning two new Level 4 tricky words: “have” and “like.” The children have also worked really hard on their phonics writing assessment, where they practised writing sounds from Level 3. We’ve continued to recap all of our Level 2 and 3 sounds and words, and it’s been fantastic to see the children growing in confidence in both reading and writing.

Maths:
In maths, we’ve been revisiting numbers greater than 10 and exploring the order of 10. The children have been practising subitising numbers to 5 and using rekenreks to make equivalent amounts. They’ve been learning to count out groups of 6 or 8 objects from a larger set and arrange them in ways that make subitising easier. We’ve also continued counting in sequence to 10 and then 20, and we’ve focused on recognising and representing numbers from 5 to 10 using “ten and a bit.” We’ve also had some great fun exploring odd and even numbers!

PSHE (Zones of Regulation & Transitions):
This week we introduced the Zones of Regulation. The children learnt about the different zones (blue, green, yellow, and red), how we feel when we’re in each zone, and how to manage our emotions. We also looked at different scenarios and discussed which zone we might be in and how we can respond.
Additionally, we’ve started talking about Year 1—what it might be like and how it will feel. The children had an exciting afternoon visiting the Year 1 classroom while the new Acorns had their first visit to school. They met the adults, explored the classroom, and had a brilliant time getting a feel for their next big step!

PE:
In preparation for Sports Day, the children have been practising running around the field with Mr Luckhurst. Everyone is really looking forward to showing off their skills next week!

Understanding the World:
Our under-the-sea topic took us deeper into the ocean this week as we explored the layers of the ocean. We learnt the names of the different layers, how deep they are, and which sea creatures live in each one. The children helped build a fantastic learning wall by adding labels, names, and sea creatures to represent each ocean layer.

Star of the week: Congratulations to Masie, who is our star of the week, for doing so well with her level 2 and 3 sounds and tricky words. Maisie will be taking home her certificate and Wilfred the Elephant to write in the book all about her time spent with Wilfred over the next week and will bring him back next Thursday.

Please remember to read with your child, even for just 5 minutes! Please also remember to record it in the reading record. We will only change your child's book if you have read with them 2 or more times in that week! Reading books are changed on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Please remember to also have the library book in your children's book bag on Thursday to be changed. 

Any issues or concerns we need to know about, please speak to the Acorn team before and after school or email at: acorn@st-barnabas.kent.sch.uk

And most excitingly… our butterflies hatched this week! The children were fascinated to observe them up close. We gave them fruit and sugar water to enjoy before we said a fond farewell and released them into nature on Friday – a truly magical moment!

It’s been a wonderful week of learning, and curiosity. Well done, Reception!