Mrs Millichap's Class 2024 - 2025

Welcome to the Summer Term!

Summer Term Update

We hope you had a restful and enjoyable Easter break and that the children return refreshed and ready for an engaging final term in Reception. We look forward to hearing about their experiences over the holidays and seeing how they continue to develop and thrive in the weeks ahead.

This term marks an important stage in the children's early education journey, as they consolidate their learning and prepare for the transition into Year One. We will continue to nurture each child’s development across all areas of learning, with a particular focus on developing independence, resilience, and confidence.

Our overarching theme for this term is "Isn't it Amazing?" – a broad and enriching topic that encourages curiosity, scientific thinking, and a sense of wonder about the world. Children will explore the natural environment, beginning with a close look at plants and flowers, learning about what they need to grow and observing the changes over time. This will extend into an exploration of life cycles, including frogs and caterpillars, providing valuable insight into biological processes such as metamorphosis. This area of study supports observation skills and early scientific enquiry.

Children will also learn about health and well-being, including the importance of exercise, healthy eating, and good hygiene routines. This supports their understanding of personal care and healthy lifestyle choices, aligning with our wider commitment to supporting physical and emotional development.

Later in the term, we will explore the theme of travel and holidays, giving children the opportunity to learn about different cultures, modes of transport, and the geography of different environments – including underwater habitats. This will promote early geographical awareness and discussion around diversity and global communities.

As part of our continued work on seasonal change, we will revisit our school grounds for a seasonal walk, observing the natural transition from spring to summer. This provides real-world context for science and supports children's understanding of time and change in the environment.

Learning will continue to be structured around a selection of engaging and carefully chosen key texts, which include:

• Jack and the Beanstalk
• Supertato
• Oliver's Vegetables
• Handa’s Surprise
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• Anna Hibiscus' Song
• George Saves the World by Lunchtime
• Monkey Puzzle
• The Fish Who Could Wish

These stories support not only literacy development but also personal, social, and emotional understanding, encouraging empathy, reflection, and imagination.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) remains a key focus, as children continue to build positive relationships, understand and manage their emotions, and follow class routines with increasing independence. The use of our Good to be Green behaviour system reinforces these expectations and helps promote a supportive and respectful learning environment.

In Literacy, children will continue their progress through the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme. They will revisit known sounds, learn new phonemes, and apply their phonetic knowledge to read and write words, captions, and simple sentences. Assessments every six weeks will help ensure that children are grouped appropriately and continue to make steady progress. In writing, we will focus on correct letter formation, pencil grip, and spelling of high-frequency and ‘tricky’ words.

Children will also have many opportunities to develop their communication and language skills, with an emphasis on sustained listening, expressive language, and back-and-forth conversations with both adults and peers.

As we move towards the end of the school year, we will begin to prepare the children for their transition to Year One. Planned transition activities will help familiarise children with new routines and environments, making the change a positive and manageable experience.

A highlight of the term will be our annual Sports Day, promoting physical activity, teamwork, and a spirit of friendly competition. Further details will be shared nearer the time.

We look forward to a purposeful and enjoyable summer term with your children, full of learning, exploration, and meaningful growth.

Mrs Millichap

Week beginning 28.4.25

Literacy

In literacy this week children will be listening to the story of the hungry caterpillar. They will be making lists of the food the hungry caterpillar ate.

Maths

In maths this week children will counting forwards and backwards and finding one more than and one less than.

Understanding of the world 

Children will begin to learn about the caterpillar life cycle.

Children will begin to learn about the importance of exercise and the effect it has on the body.

Expressive art and design

Children will be making some hungry caterpillar artwork using large ink dabbers and pastels.

PE

Children will be develop their fundamental movement skills through the topic of places and spaces. Children will develop skills of running, hopping, travelling, balancing and changing direction.

Music

Children will be learning to sing along to action rhymes, listening and responding to different styles of music.

Helpful information:

Green Book Bags 

Book bags will be provided by school and should be brought in every day. These are for any letters, reading books, sounds and reading records. Until children can read simple words they will be bringing home a quality picture book. This is for you to read to your child at home encouraging listening and responding and building up that important routine of a quiet 10 minutes reading time daily.

Mornings 
The wooden gate and playground door will be open each morning at 8.45am ready for lessons to begin at 8.50am. Please ensure your child is brought to school promtly and line up around the wall of the building. This is so teachers can meet and greet each child and deal with any parent enquiries. School finshes at 3.10pm and children will need to be collected by an adult known to staff. If you need to make a change to who is collecting your children please contact school prior to collection to let us know.

Water bottles

Children have been provided with a water bottle on their transition days which is to be brought to school each day, taken home, cleaned and refiled with water only. Children are encouraged to access these independently throughout the day and are also sat down at set times to ensure they stay hydrated. Children are also offered milk and fruit throughout the morning and therefore no other snacks are needed to be brought in from home.

 
Seesaw/Class Webpage 
Please check the class webpage regularly. Information will be added as we progress through the year and I will provide more details of our class learning. Please accept the invitation sent to you to connect to seesaw. During the day we may send you photos of your child at school so you can see what they have been learning. There is also a message feature where you can message us and through which, we will be sending videos and tips on how to support your child's learning in class.
 

Spare clothes
If your child  has regular accidents please send spare clothes in their book bag. 
 
Coats and Hats 
Please ensure your child has their coat in school every day. Depending on the weather, the children may also need sun hats or woolly hats. Please remember to label everything (even shoes!). If your do not want school shoes coming home muddy (we have a mud kitchen, sand and water play) please provide a pair of names wellies that can be kept in school for them to change into.

PE

PE days for this term will be Mondays and Thursdays. On these days children will need to come to school dressed in their outdoor PE kits and wearing trainers.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

Mrs Millichap