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Teaching Team Miss Oliver Mrs Fitzgerald Mrs Paynter
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Support Staff Miss Hardwick Miss Shaw |
Week beginning: 20th October 2025
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Squirrels Class weekly theme Colours of Diwali
Last week the children were interested in colour mixing, with Thea, Sophia and Xander all working together to mix different colours using paint. Arthur M talked about how to make colours, and shared ideas about which two to mix together. We shared the story The Smeds and the Smoos and talked about why the baby was purple. This week we will share the story Mixed which is also about colour mixing. We will think about the colours of Diwali, using paint, chalk and coloured sand.
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Owls Class weekly theme Storytellers
The children have enjoyed being their very own authors last week and thinking of their own characters for books. We particularly enjoyed creating a very silly story with a wolf that had everything on his head from a kitten, to a balloon, to a dinosaur! We have created our own story telling imagination spot in our small world area of the classroom. The children will continue to develop this as the week progresses. At home, please discuss favourite stories and characters with your child and we welcome children bringing in a favourite book to share with the class. |
Our Learning this week includes:
Literacy - We are all authors in reception! This week we think about what happens next.. We will have a go at connecting the phonemes we know to writing CVC words. The children will have an opportunity to talk, draw, make marks and write their own ideas. We will spend time in our outdoor environment thinking about what we can see and identifying initial sounds. The children will have a go at writing these with chalks on the floor. At the end of the week we will discuss endings of stories and create our own endings for our books. We will share more information about how to support writing at home during our parent consultations next week. Key vocabulary: Endings, word, tricky words.
Maths - We will be using the language of comparison to describe sets of objects. Our maths learning puppets have been arguing with their friends about who has more things, and we’ll be helping them sort it out!
To begin, we will compare sets of identical objects. Then we will move on to comparing sets of objects that vary in attributes, for example, comparing 5 small boats to 3 big boats.
Adults will model the use of comparative language, such as “more than” and “fewer than”, to describe the quantity of objects in each set. We will use “fewer than” (instead of “less than”) when comparing countable objects, to support accurate mathematical language development.
Understanding of the World - This week we think about the celebration of Diwali, and how this is celebrated by families. We will learn some Diwali traditions and talk about how they are similar to our own family traditions. In continuous provision the children will have the opportunity to make a diva lamp from clay, by moulding and shaping it with their hands.
Expressive Arts and Design - This week we are lucky to have Perform the drama company come in to share a drama session with us.
Phonic assessments
This week we will be carrying out our half term phonic assessment. Each child will have a go at reading the phoneme sounds taught so far, the tricky words and have a go at blending CVC words. You can continue to support your child by making time to look through the homework book sheets together, which include all the sounds taught so far and words to practise blending to read.
| Phonics focus of the week | Song of the week | Words of the week |
Poem of the week |
| Recap of all sounds taught so far | Diwali song | story ending, word, tricky words |
Leaves are falling |
Our termly Class letter is viewable here
What the children say...
In our EYFS unit we plan according to the children's interests. We spend time talking to the children, asking them what they already know and what they would like to find out.
Our weekly themes are led by the children. Each week we share ideas and then pick a theme for the coming week.
Our PE days for both classes are:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
RE learning
In Religious Education, we will be learning about different celebrations and festivals which link to the heritage of some of the children.
Swing Gate Lane, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 2LJ
01442 863913
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