Cygnus - Reflect and Review

Dear Reception families

Advent starts here!

In Drawing Club this week we read Stickman. The children had to imagine what present Father Christmas might have given Stickman. Vocabulary this week included: jog, freeze, family, fetch, fling, lost, rescue and return. 

We made stickmen out of real sticks and then made a stick snowman out of pretzels and icing. The children had great fun making both and used their fine motor skills into the bargain. 

Mathematics classes focused on counting and cardinality again this week. We used the rhyme ‘1,2,3,4,5 once I caught a fish alive’ to prompt us to think again about what makes 5. 

On Thursday we had our class visit to St Lawrence’s church. Cygnus class remembered all about the Christmas story and could tell Reverend Claire that Amen means I agree.

In the afternoon we explored where some of our food comes from and tried some breads from different places in the world. The children have been learning the poem ‘Wheat’ this week so enjoyed the bread tasting. Thank you to Maya and her family for the amazing Romanian sweet pastries. They were fantastic!

A reminder of the link to saying the pure sounds for set 1:Read Write Inc.: How to say the set one, set two and set three sounds

We continue to work on achieving confidence with word blending before we start reading. 

We are looking forward to performing the Nativity for you next week. Please continue to practise the songs at home this weekend so the children are feeling confident next week. 

Next week we will be performing the Nativity on Monday for the school and on Tuesday for parents. 

Next week at a glance

Coming soon: 

19th December - End of Term, 1pm finish time

15th – 19th December - Christmas Spirit Week 

Notices:  

As per the message on MCAS this week, there will be no more forest school sessions this year. These sessions will resume after Christmas. The first Forest school session in January will be on the 16th. 

Spirit Week

We are excited to announce that our Christmas Spirit Week is coming up from 15th – 19th December. Throughout the week, students are invited to join in the festive fun by dressing up according to each day’s theme and helping us celebrate the holiday season. Participation is completely optional. If your child chooses not to take part in the themed dress-up days, they should come to school in their regular uniform as usual. We look forward to a joyful and spirited week together!

Monday – All Aboard the Polar Express!

Start the week by jumping on the festive train! Come dressed for a magical ride: PJs, conductor vibes, or any look that screams “hot chocolate at 3 AM.”

Tuesday – Sparkle and shine

Time to sleigh the runway! Wear your most shimmering, glimmering, twinkling outfits.

Wednesday – Head-to-Toe Christmas

Bring out your merry headgear and Christmas shoes and socks. If your toes are dashing and your head is dancing… you’re on the right track.

Thursday – Christmas Jumper Day 2.0

You snow the drill: pull out those festive jumpers for round two! The bolder, the brighter, the better.

Friday – Freestyle Christmas

It’s time to express your elf! Anything Christmasy goes: reindeer glam, gingerbread chic, full Santa realness...

Best wishes

The Reception Team