Reception
A warm welcome to Reception Class
The Reception children are taught by Mrs. Bayley, the class teacher.
Our teaching assistant is Mrs. Welsh.
Mrs. Shaw and Miss Price also help us with our learning.
Dear Reception class!
Welcome back to the last summer term of Home Learning. You really do continue to amaze us with your fantastic photos and comments on Tapestry and we are so very proud of you all. I can see that you are happy, having fun and learning as well. Well done children and well done adults!!
Just remember parents try not to worry too much about school work. The home learning we post is to support you at home and please don't feel that every part has to be completed every day. The work that we post are ideas that you can do, adapt or come back to another day! Every little bit will help and when we return, we will get your child back on track. No children are ahead. No children are behind. Your children are exactly where they need to be.
So please continue with what you are doing. We understand that every family situation has its own challenges so continue to share your calm, share your strength and share your laughter with your child.
Please don't worry if you feel you are not getting all or any of the daily home learning done! - YOU REALLY ARE STILL DOING A GREAT JOB!!! 
I will be continuing to set some work as before and putting in any other suggestions for activities that you could have a go at. There are so many Home Learning schemes on the internet at the moment as well so please feel free to dip into these as and when. Twinkl actually has a timetable for the day with some nice activities so have a look https://www.twinkl.co.uk/home-learning-hub/2020-04-20
Please keep uploading any photos from home onto Tapestry showing all the good learning that you are doing and we will keep replying. If we can help in any way please get in touch through Tapestry or through our class email address - Reception@st-johns-keele.staffs.sch. uk
Mrs Bayley and Mrs Welsh 
x
P.S. Please read St John's News Bites and look on Tapestry to see who has been awarded a special good work certificate this week!
Well done to everyone who took part in the Joy of Movement festival before half term. Miss Hickman has posted some photos and videos to show how some of you took part. Just click on the Just for Fun page icon below to take a look.
Happy Birthday to these children who celebrate their 5th birthday this half term:-
Emily B, Frankie, Willow, Erdem, Harrison, Emily T, Giulio!
Even though schools are closed, our big prize draw is back for a seventh year!
We could win £5,000/€5,000 of National Book Tokens for our school’s library, ready to spend when schools reopen – and if our entry is picked, you'll also get £100/€120 of National Book Tokens to spend on yourself!
Please use the link below to nominate our school. Nominations close on July 31st.
Did you have a go at our GUESS WHO game? If you did here are the answers, how did you do?
The staff at St Johns wanted to put a smile on your face today! Click on the Just for fun link and see our funny jokes!! We hope they make you laugh!!
Early Years go 500 miles
Covid-19 superheroes
Our deputy Head Boy, George, and his brother, Ben, have set a fantastic challenge for all children in the school. For more information, have a look at the PowerPoint presentation they have made on the Head Boy and Head Girl page
https://www.st-johns-keele.staffs.sch.uk/head-girl-and-head-boy-page/
Here is a message from Emily our Head Girl! 
Hi Reception Class,
It’s Emily your head girl here. I hope you are all okay and having lots of fun at home.
Everyone in class 6 are missing you all and we have done something special for you to let you know we are thinking about you. We will all be recording a 'bedtime story' video for you so you can hear us read to you at home.
Miss Wood will email your parents by the end of the week to let you know how you can watch the videos.
We hope you like it and we hope to see you all soon.
...and look what else she has been up to! https://youtu.be/kibj8uYRYec
Here is a message from our Head Boy Charlie!
Hi everyone, I hope you are well,
I have been busy behind the scenes setting up the talent show I promised you all in my speech. Please click the link below for more information on how you can take part in St John's Talent 2020
https://www.st-johns-keele.staffs.sch.uk/head-girl-and-head-boy-page/
Bean plants - so Mr Bayley suggested that because the bean plants had grown so much they needed to be repotted into a big pot. We also put some bamboo canes in to help support them as they continue to grow. Fingers crossed for no surprise hard frosts.
The chicks have hatched! Thank you Mrs Meredith for taking the incubator and eggs and finding a broody hen with which the eggs hatched safely. Aren't they cute!
The hen and her chicks!!
...and it grew, and grew and grew! What a difference a week makes.
Mrs Bayley's home challenge! - I am going to try to look after some of your runner beans and watch them grow! I have got a long way to go because Henry's plant already is 19cms tall! Please keep us posted with photos on how your plants are doing. Perhaps you could measure and record their height twice a week.
Read! Read! Read!
Now that libraries have temporarily closed, virtual reading with ebooks and audio story are the way to go! The following links will enable you to keep the world of reading wide open!
Audible
http://stories.audible.com/
Oxford Owl ebooks
Twinkl ebooks
Espresso ebooks
https://central.espresso.co.uk/espresso/primary_uk/home/index.html
This website is a super learning resource. Your child can find the phonics program that we use in class on here.
Username: student27931
Passowrd: sjkeele
Useful websites and information for phonics and maths development
www.letterandsounds.com (useful for phonics)
www.doorwayonline.org.uk (useful for + - 10, odd/even numbers)
Twinkl phonics app (useful for phonics)
Bee Bot app - (useful for directional maths)
Heat pad app (useful for writing)
www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library (this is a very good website)
www.phonicsplay.co.uk
www.tentown.co.uk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-with-maths
Parent Information
Science Week! Telescopes, craters, constellations, frogspawn, chickens, seeds, expanding balloons, cress heads, sorting and food tasting! Reception class were also very interested in looking at the science in the other classrooms.
Ash End House Farm. Wow! what a super day we had out on the farm. When we arrived we enjoyed a bit of playtime in the playground and saw ducks on the pond. We had our lunch in the cosy barn and then we went to meet Farmer Debbie who was waiting for us to help her with some of the jobs on the farm. This involved a lot of feeding of the animals and Farmer Debbie was very impressed with what the children already knew! It was very interesting to compare the big incubators in the hatchery to the one we have back in our classroom. The farm tour was very well organised and we even sang some songs on the way round. It was a fun day out!
Local walk looking for signs of spring!
Reception class welcome letter
We are Reception Class! Watch us learn!
Surprise Snow!!
Hawkstone Follies - Santa Safari! What a super day out riding in the Land Rovers, being at the top of a mountain, exploring the caves, meeting Santa and seeing the reindeer.
Robots made from recycled materials.
Higgledy, Piggledy Nativity!
Look who visited Reception class today!
We visited the cenotaph with our buddies.
Wow! Look at our firework display!
Pumpkin soup
Henrietta the hedgehog
Autumn days when the grass is jeweled...
Harvest breadmaking
The day we met our Buddies!
We have been busy bees!
Topic information
Autumn Term - Home and School Support
Proud clouds
Please make a note on the proud cloud of any of your child's achievements at home. Date and send them into school to be displayed on our board. They are lovely to read and help to contribute to your child's assessment throughout the year.
We also use the Tapestry on-line journal to record your child's learning in school. You are encouraged to upload photos from home that show your child enjoying family activities throughout the year. Again this shows what your child is achieving at home with your support.
- The focus in mathematics is to gain a good grasp of number recognition to 20, ordering numbers and counting objects reliably. They will be learning to recognise more and less and to match numeral and quantity correctly.
- In writing, we are encouraging the children to mark make and build up their fine motor skills with lots of different activities. They will also be encouraged to hold their pencils/crayons correctly using a tri-pod grip. We will be learning to write our letters correctly using the correct formation.
- Reading progression will be developed by the children using their daily phonics lessons to 'sound out' words as they learn to read simple words. They will consolidate blending and segmenting sounds in words. Your continued support with their reading at home is very important. They will be entered into a raffle and could win a reading prize if their diary is signed five times a week!
If you have any queries about what your child is learning or about how you can help please don't hesitate to ask.
Important Class Information
Reading books are changed on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
We change for PE on a Monday.
At morning break, the children may have milk and toast. Toast costs 20p per day. Please send any monies for the week or half term into school in a named envelope.
Milk is free for Reception children until their 5th birthday.
Free fruit is offered in the afternoons.
Please ensure your child has a filled water bottle in school everyday.