Welcome to Reception
We are very excited to welcome you all to the start of your school life at St Augustine’s! This year is going to be filled with fun, lots of learning and new experiences.
The Reception Teachers are Mrs Towle and Mrs Jordan; and they are supported by our highly experienced Teaching Assistants, Mrs Beaven and Mrs Shorbagy.
Here you will find all the information you need about what we will be doing in Reception this term and throughout the academic year.
Remember, it is really important to be at school every day, on time and ready to learn.
PE/Forest School:
Our PE/Forest School day is on Friday. Children should come to school dressed in their PE kit on this day.
Reading at home:
Please read with your child each evening. This could be supporting them to read their Rhino Readers reading book; or sharing with them their school library book or a chosen book from home.
Week Commencing 10th November
RE:
We’ve begun a new unit focused on People Who Care for Us. This week, we’re learning about Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus loved his Father deeply, and his Father loved him in return.
We’ll be exploring the words of the Our Father prayer and using actions to help us learn and remember it. We’ll also discover more about Jesus’ special friends, known as his disciples.
Maths:
We’re starting a new unit: “Circles and Triangles”. We will be identifying and naming Circles and Triangles and going on a shape hunt to find circles and triangles in our environment.
Phonics:
We will continue to review and revisit the phase 2 sounds we have learnt this term. We will play a range of phonics games to practise our blending and segmenting. Please note there will not be any sound sheets sent home but please continue to use the phonics keyrings to practise all phase 2 sounds.
English:
We have begun a new text – ‘The Gigantic Turnip’ by Alexsei Tolstoy. This is based on the traditional tale, The Enormous Turnip. We will think about other vegetables to invent our own new versions of the story. We will create a book cover for our own version and use storytelling to tell our own stories.
Special Reminders:
Week Commencing 20th October
RE: This week, we continue exploring the story of Creation. Children will take turns in the ‘hotseat’ to retell parts of the story, using pictures to support their storytelling. We’ll reflect on the vibrant colours found in God’s wonderful creation, create colour ladders, and go on a scavenger hunt to find objects in our environment that match those colours.
Maths: We’re starting a new unit: “It’s Me 1, 2, 3”. Our focus will be on identifying different representations of the numbers 1, 2, and 3. Rather than creating representations, children will be encouraged to find them in various contexts. They will match verbal number names to numerals and quantities, and practise counting to three using objects arranged in different ways—touching each item as they count. We’ll also explore stories and images that highlight groups of 1, 2, and 3 to deepen their understanding.
Phonics: This week’s new sounds are: ff, ll, ss, and s (as in z). We’ll explore these phonemes through engaging, hands-on activities that help children hear the sounds and recognise the graphemes.
English: In English, we’ll be learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali. We’ll listen to the story of Rama and Sita, choose our favourite part, and draw our favourite character. Children will use their phonics knowledge to attempt writing the character’s name.
Special Reminders:
At Saint Augustine’s Primary School, our school rules are simple yet powerful: Be Ready, Be Respectful, Be Safe, and Be the Best You Can Be.
These school rules guide us in everything we do, helping us create a positive, caring, and inspiring learning environment.
Being ready means coming prepared to learn and try our best every day.
Being respectful reminds us to treat others with kindness and value everyone's contributions.
Being safe ensures that we look after ourselves and others, both inside and outside the classroom.
And striving to be the best we can be encourages us to aim high, work hard, and take pride in our achievements.
Together, these rules help us to grow into confident, compassionate, and capable individuals.