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2026-27

Croeso i'r Derbyn/ Blwyddyn Un! Welcome to Reception! 

Staff in Reception

Mrs A Davies (Mon, Tues, Wed) & Mrs R Smith (Thurs, Fri)

Miss Kate, Miss Michelle, Miss Chloe (pm), Mrs S Hawkins (Mon am, Tues am, Wed am)

Mrs T Leahy (PPA cover some Wed pm and Fri pm)

We would like to extend to you and your child, our warmest welcome into our Reception classroom.  We have a wide variety of topics this year, and have a range of experiences planned for the children with lots of fun and laughter.

The Flow of the Year

In Reception, our learning follows the natural flow of the calendar year, helping children make meaningful connections between their experiences, the seasons, celebrations and the world around them. We also follow the children's interests, allowing learning opportunities to develop from what excites and motivates them. 

During the Autumn Term, children will spend time settling into school, getting to know their new friends and learning about themselves and their families. Topics may include celebrating what makes us unique, homes and where we live, pumpkins, potions, Diwali and Christmas. 

Our curriculum is brought to life through a wide range of experiences. Children learn through:

• A carefully planned classroom environment that encourages exploration, creativity and enquiry.
• Our outdoor learning area, where children can investigate, play and develop their independence.
• Regular sessions in our nature reserve, helping children to observe seasonal changes, develop a love of the natural world and learn through first-hand experiences outdoors.
• Storytelling, Drawing Club, non-fiction learning opportunities and language-rich activities that support communication and literacy development.

As the year progresses, children will observe changes in the seasons, explore celebrations and special events, and develop their knowledge and skills through hands-on, engaging experiences. We aim to create a nurturing environment where every child can learn, grow and develop confidence while enjoying a rich and memorable Reception year.

PE Day: Wednesday

Children will need to wear a PE kit into school on the relevant day – shorts/tracksuit bottoms/leggings and a t-shirt.  Sometimes we will have P.E outside, so it would be advisable for children to wear trainers too.

Muddy Monday & Forest Friday

Children will take part in a whole range of lessons every Monday and Friday afternoon in our amazing nature reserve within the school grounds.  We ask that pupils wear appropriate, comfortable clothing suitable for weather conditions. 

If you wish to leave your child's wellies and waterproofs on their peg, please can you make sure they are in a clearly labelled bag.  Pupils will also need a waterproof coat, and in the colder months we would advise you to put in some extra layers, and send in a warm hat.

We will aim to be out every session, rain or shine!

Reading & Homework in Reception

At Casllwchwr, we do many forms of reading:

• Guided reading in groups 
• Shared (paired ,group and whole class)
• Individual (Reading with the class teacher/teaching assistant)

During the Autumn term, we will be assessing the children's phonic knowledge and working through the RWI Set 1 and 2 sounds.  When the children are confident with their sounds, we will begin to issue reading books.  Children will develop at different stages, so please don't worry if your child is not ready for a book at the same time as some of the other children.  We will only send a book home when we feel the children are confident with their sounds and blending of words. 

We will also use our online reading scheme called 'Reading Eggs'.  This is an exciting and valuable tool to help raise children's confidence in reading.  Once set up, children will be allocated an individual log in and they can start using it at home. These will sent home during the first few weeks of term.  

(PLEASE FIND A PDF DOCUMENT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO 'READING EGGS' AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE)

We also subscribe to a fab Maths resource called Maths Seeds and this along with Reading Eggs will form the part of the Homework. 

Fruit and Drinks

As a healthy school, we are encouraging children to eat a healthy snack (such as fruit, crackers, cheese, rice cakes etc) which they can bring into school for their break time.  Children have their own school water bottles which they have access to during the school day and will need to be taken home and brought back each day.

Labelling

Please can we ask that you label all jumpers, cardigans, clothes and bags as this helps us get all belongings back to the right children.  We have a jumper box in class that we use to try and contain stray jumpers and cardigans, but inevitably, as they are only little, things do get left in the hall and on the yard.  Labelling saves us a lot of hunting!  We also advise that you label lunch box containers and water bottles.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate in asking by either ringing the office, by emailing the school or using the contact page on our class page on the school website.

Kindest regards,

Kind regards.

Mrs A Davies & Mrs R Smith