Panda Class

Welcome to Panda Class  

Nursery and Reception

Our Early Years Foundation Stage children in Nursery and Reception work as a team together.

Welcome to Team Panda’s!

Welcome to Team Pandas. We are really looking forward to the year ahead. I am Mrs Loose, the class teacher. We also have Mrs Higginson and Miss Cawthorn who work in the classroom.

Every morning starts with self-register and some time in the Areas of Provision, choosing our own learning. We then come together as a class and do the days of the week song, the weather and our very important check-in.

After we have completed our morning tasks we have a Phonics session every day. Each day, we also have Maths and Literacy sessions. As reading is so fun, we also enjoy lots of stories.  We are very lucky to have our own ‘wild area’ at school so we have a Forest Schools session every week too. These will be on Thursday afternoon this half term. Mrs Oldfield visits us every Wednesday morning for a music lesson. For the next seven weeks we will all be taking part in some special PE activities on a Monday afternoon with SuperStar sports. Only Reception children need PE kits for this but please can Nursery make sure they have suitable footwear on this day.

Our classroom has lots of provision to support learning. These are areas set up in the classroom to focus on the prime and specific areas of learning, such as the small world, block, sand and creative areas. It is very important that children get to explore our classroom and have time to learn through play.  The adults in the class ask lots of questions to move learning forward and focus on each child’s specific next steps. They look out for particular interests and then enhance the provision in the classroom to help children discover more about the world around them and challenge their thinking.

We have a great space outdoors too and we explore this area throughout the day, so don’t forget wellies and waterproof coast! There is always lots to do outside from digging, building, exploring water and enjoying learning about our natural world. Whatever the weather, we will have lots of adventures outside.

Sharing your children’s learning

See-Saw

We will be sharing photos of your child’s ‘Wow’ moments on an app called See-Saw. You had a letter with log in instructions in the pack with admissions forms. Please let me know if you have any problems with this or would like another letter.

Twitter

We also share photos on the school’s Twitter account (@CamblesSchool) for those children who have given photo permission.

What your child should bring

• A coat that is suitable for outdoor play in all weathers. We have waterproof trousers available for the children to use or they are welcome to bring their own puddle suits.
• Wellies- these can be left in school, or please let me know if you would prefer them sending home for weekends or holidays.
• Water bottle which the children have access to throughout the day. We can refill this as many times as the children like.
• At least one full change of clothes- we have lots of fun with water!

Other useful information

• Children can choose to bring a packed lunch or have a school dinner. Mrs Higginson looks after the Nursery children during lunchtime and they play in our outdoor area after they finish in the hall. Reception children will also be with Mrs Higginson until they feel ready to go into the bigger playground. Mrs Higginson is fantastic at encouraging the children to eat. She also lets me know if there are any problems with the children’s eating and I will pass this on to you at hometime.
• We open the door at 8:50am and you are welcome to come into the classroom or drop off your child at the door, whichever is best to help your child to settle.
• Every morning the children are offered a snack of milk and some fruit. I also usually add some bread sticks or plain biscuits.
• All children will be given a library book to share at home. These will be changed on Mondays or the first day of the week that your child attends if they are Nursery. Please feel free to keep the book for a few weeks if your child is really enjoying it.
• Please could you put names in all the children’s clothing and shoes. They can easily become muddled and it really helps to know who they belong to. Sometimes we have three or four children with exactly the same shoes!

Reading books for Reception

On Friday Reception will bring home their first reading book. This will not have words initially. Please look at the book with your child and encourage them to tell you about each page. You could also ask them questions about what is happening. Please write in their reading record when you have read together. Books with words will be introduced once children are confident with their blending skills. Please don’t worry if this is not for a while. The aim of our phonics scheme is that every child can blend confidently by Christmas. I will also send home the graphemes that the children learn each week. It would be really helpful if you could practise these with your child. You can cut them out and play games with them or have them in their book and ask them to tell you what they are.

As always, thank you for your continued support in your child’s journey through school and please do ask any questions you may have, no matter how big or small!

Mrs Loose