Welcome to the Foundation Stage! A really warm welcome to you and the children.  

For the first three weeks the children will be settling into the routine of school. Starting school is a really big change for the children, so please expect them to be tired during this time. The children will be gradually learning the new routines and expectations, so that we do not overwhelm them too soon. We begin by teaching the children to use the indoor and outdoor environments to enable them to access everything they need independently. We have a rolling snack which they can access themselves. We are working on building good relationships with the children and helping them to make friends and try new activities. The children will learn the routine for lunch which will again, help them to become more independent. PE will begin on the first full week and will be on a Monday afternoon and a Wednesday afternoon. The children will be shown and taught step by step how to get ready. We would ask that you help prepare your children for this, by practising getting changed at home independently and learning handy tricks like how to turn a jumper back, so that it is not inside out. We have an hour for PE, but initially spend lots of that time practising getting changed into our PE clothes and then putting our school uniform back on. Your help with this would be appreciated. Please name all items of clothing, bookbags, hats and water bottles as it becomes very difficult for us and the children if they cannot identify their own belongings.  We also ask that wellies and a mud suit be provided to allow us to get out in all weather and to use the areas such as the mud kitchen.  

The children have been organised into Owl Groups- Snowy Owls, Eagle Owls, Tawny Owls and Barn Owls. This is purely for making transition times quicker. E,g, Tawny Owls, please line up. 

The children will be issued a wordless book at the end of the second week- there will be an information sheet in the reading diary about how to use these books with your children. Please write a comment, so we know your child has read. The children will also choose a library book to bring home. Please enjoy sharing these with your children. Book change will be on a Friday- please ensure books and reading diaries are in the book bags. We cannot issue new books until the old book has been returned. 

Our topic for this half term is ‘Magical Me’ which focuses on how special we all are, who is in our family, where we live and the local environment. We will spend time learning about our bodies and using our senses to find out about the world around us.