Elf Owls Reception

W.b. Monday 22nd May 

Dear Elf Owl Families,

We hope you all had a lovely weekend. Time has flown and we break for half term on Friday at 3.30p.m. Please note there will be no forest school this week, but the children will still enjoy their P.E session with Mr Sykes on Tuesday morning.

In phonics this week, we will practise reading and writing CCVCC (consonant, consonant, vowel, consonants, consonant) words such as ‘stamp’ and ‘blink’. This will be whilst revising phonemes and common sight words.

In maths we will work on comparing numbers. We will continue to learn about ‘minibeasts’ in our ‘understanding of the world’ strand. We are excited to see if our Painted Lady Butterflies emerge over the next few days… watch this space! 
 

Have a great week ahead!

The Elf Owl Team 🦉 

W.b. Monday 15th May 

Dear Elf Owl Families,

We hope you had a lovely weekend! It was great to see some of you at the school fair on Saturday!

This week we will be investigating minibeasts; asking what is an insect? We will continue to observe the changes our caterpillars go through as they move through the butterfly lifecycle and, likewise with our tadpoles. It's exciting to experience nature first hand! 

We are very excited to inform you that we have booked an educational visit on Friday 14th July to Science Oxford. https://scienceoxford.com/ There will be more details to follow soon.

This week we will continue to revisit all phonemes taught and write CVCC and CCVC words. In maths we will compare numbers, using the language or 'more than', 'less than' and 'equal to.'

Have a great week everyone!

The Elf Owl Team

W.b. Tuesday 9th May (Bank holiday Monday for coronation of King Charles III

Dear Elf Owls families,

We hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! Thank you to those of you who were able to join us on Friday for the coronation celebrations! We enjoyed learning about our new King 👑 last week.

This week in phonics, we will continue to practise reading and writing CCVC words, as well as recalling previously taught letter sounds, digraphs and trigraphs.

We will have a shape focus in maths this week, with the main emphasis bring to recognise and name basic 2D shapes. We will also be creating shape models and pictures, as well as identifying shapes in the environment around us.

The children should come to school today (Tuesday) wearing suitable PE kit for an outdoor session. (It’s easy to get the days muddled when we’ve had a bank holiday!) 
 

Have a great week ahead everybody!

The Elf Owl Team 🦉

w.b. Tuesday 2nd May (Monday 1st- bank hol)

Dear Elf Owl families 

We hope you all had a wonderful bank holiday weekend! This week we will be learning about the Royal family and the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. 👑 We will also continue to think about animal lifecycles and will carefully observe the caterpillars and tadpoles that we are looking after in our classroom. 🐛🦋 🐸 

In phonics we will continue to read and write CVCC words and high frequency words which appear a lot in text. We will revisit comparing numbers in maths. 
 

Wishing you all a great week ahead,

Best wishes 

The Elf Owl Team 🦉 
 

Week beginning: Monday 24th April
Dear Elf Owl families,

We hope you’ve had a lovely weekend! This week we will continue to investigate animal lifecycles; focussing on the lifecycle of a frog in particular. The children enjoyed finding out about the lifecycle of a butterfly last week and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of some caterpillars (through the post!) so that we can witness the process first hand! 
 

In phonics we will be practising segmenting and blending CCVC words (consonant consonant vowel consonant words), such as ‘step’ or ‘frog’. In maths we will work on counting, ordering and patterns in numbers. 
 

Have a great week ahead!

The Elf Owl Team 🐸 

W.b. Monday 17th April 

Welcome back Elf Owl families! 
We hope you all had a wonderful Easter break. We are excited to be back in school this week and start our topic on Minibeasts! In the week ahead we will be learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly and our focus text will be ‘The very hungry caterpillar’.
 

P.E this term will be with Mr Sykes on a Tuesday morning. The children should come to school dressed in their full P.E kit and trainers. Forest school will continue on Friday afternoons, but the children should wear uniform to school and change in the afternoon on this day. 
 

In phonics this week we will practise reading and writing cvcc words (consonant, vowel, consonant, consonant; words such as tent, land, mend). We will also support the children to work on any sounds they need to target. In maths we will work on comparing numbers. 

Please come and chat to us if you have any questions or concerns. 
With best wishes,

The Elf Owl Team 🦉

W.b. Monday 27th March ‘23
Dear Elf Owl families,

As we approach the end of term, we would like to say a huge thank you for your continued support. The children are all doing so well and we couldn’t be prouder of them! 
 

This week there are a few changes to our usual timetable… We will be going to forest school on Monday afternoon instead of Friday, so please make sure the children have their forest school clothes, waterproofs and wellies ready to change into. Tuesday’s P.E lesson will be outside as the hall is in use (Y3/4 Easter performance practice); please ensure your child comes to school dressed appropriately for the weather that day. P.E on Thursday should be in the hall as planned. School will finish at 1.30pm on Friday.

Hopefully everyone has signed up for a parent’s event slot for Tuesday/ Thursday. If you have any problems signing up online, then please chat to one of us and we’ll help you find a time. 
 

This week we will focus on Easter. The children will learn about the Easter story and Easter traditions as well as having fun making chocolate Easter nests, arts and crafts! 

In phonics we will introduce ‘ear’ (as in hear) and ‘ure’ (as in cure). These will be the last of the sounds we will introduce in the Reception year; next term we will focus on segmenting and blending words whilst revisiting all phonemes. 
 

In maths we will be comparing quantities and using the language of ‘more than,’ ‘fewer than’ and ‘equal to’. 
 

Have a wonderful week ahead and we look forward to seeing many of you at parent’s evening. 
Best wishes 

The Elf Owl Team 🐣 🌷 🐰 🌸 🐥 
 

w.b. Monday 20th March 

Dear Elf Owl families,

We hope you all enjoyed a lovely weekend! This week we will continue to think about Spring- time. Fingers crossed, the weather will begin to reflect the season this week! 
 

In phonics, we will introduce the /air/ trigraph as in ‘hair’. We will also revisit all previous phonemes and practise reading and writing them within words.

In maths, we will focus on composition of number; or numbers within numbers. The children will also practise using different resources to represent totals.

Have a great week!

The Elf Owls Team 🦉 

w.b.: Monday 13th March 

Dear Elf Owl families,

In the coming week we will continue to think about seasonal changes as we spot signs of Spring around us. 
 

In phonics we will introduce the /igh/ trigraph (3 letter sound) as well as going back over all sounds previously taught to practise reading and writing words. 
 

In maths, we will look at composition of number; in particular looking at pairs of numbers which add to make 5, 6 and 7. We will also continue to play track games which have been great for the turn-taking aspect too. 
 

Have a great week ahead!

The Elf Owls Team 🦉 

W.b. Monday 6th March

Hello Elf Owl families!

This week we will start to look at Spring and seasonal changes. This is a little ironic as we are due a cold spell this week! 
 

In phonics we will introduce ‘er’ as in ‘term’ and in maths we will continue with counting, ordering, reading and writing numbers. 
 

Wishing everyone a lovely week ahead,

The Elf Owl Team 🦉

W.b. Monday 27th February 

Hello Elf Owl Families!

We've almost made it to March! This week we have World Book Day (Thursday 2nd March), but dress up day will be Friday (No forest school this week). From designing book covers to enjoying a book character hunt, we will be having fun discovering the joy of books! Remember the travelling book fair is in school all week, so please do pop into the hall after school to browse. We will also take the children to visit the fair in small groups throughout the week so you are welcome to send in money (in a named envelope with amount inside).

We have our 'Bedtime Stories' event on Tuesday evening from 5.45-6.45 in Barn Owls. Let us know if you child is planning to come along. Adults need to stay on site throughout the event and there will be drinks and nibbles in the hall for you.

In phonics this week, we will introduce the /oa/ sound as in 'boat'. In maths we will be subitising (saying the amount without having to count), including subitising sets within a number (e.g. seeing a set of 3 and a set of 4 within 7). We will also be practising recognising numerals and playing simple track games. We recommend playing some games, such a 'Snakes and ladders' at home as it really helps with counting along a numberline later on.

Lastly, we have been amazed at the number of fantastic Elf Owl awards! We are beyond proud of the children's efforts! We always read them out in class and the children stand at the front, choose which clap they'd like (rainbow, fairy or marshmallow... ask your child!) and then we display the awards on the door for everyone to admire! We will now continue to celebrate the awards in class and keep in-school achievements for assembly, to make them extra special! 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Best wishes,

The Elf Owl Team

W.B. Monday 20th February 2023

Welcome back to Term 4 Elf Owl Families!

We hope everyone had a great half term and is raring to go! We have an exciting few weeks ahead! This week we are going to focus on Pancake Day; considering how and why we celebrate Shrove Tuesday and of course, making and eating pancakes! This will lead us into thinking about Lent in the lead up to Easter.

This term Mr Sykes will take our class for P.E on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings. On these days, the children should wear full P.E kit to and from school (a dark track suit or joggers/ leggings and a sweater with a white t-shirt and trainers). We have requested the hall at these times, but as the weather gets milder, the children will most likely start to go outside.

The children will continue to enjoy forest school on Friday afternoons. Please ensure your child has old clothes and a waterproof suit or jacket/ trousers on their peg. The children get changed before/ after forest school so they should come to school in uniform on Fridays. Wellies should be kept in school at all times as these are used whenever the children go outside. Please label everything!

In phonics this week, we will introduce the /or/ digraph as in 'corn,' as well as continuing to revisit all the sounds we have learnt so far. Please do keep up with the daily reading at home- 10 minutes is perfect and helps to consolidate the learning in school. We change the children's Monster Phonics books on a Monday and a Thursday and the reading for pleasure books daily or as needed. Please chat to us if you have any questions.

In maths this week we will be practising counting, ordering and saying the total number of objects in a set; we will particularly emphasise that the total is the final number we count. The children will practise reading numerals and we will be encouraging them to find their own ways to record their mathematical thinking.

We are excited to see our little Elf Owls in the week ahead!

Best wishes

The Elf Owl Team

What a fantastic ending to Term 3! 

At Forest School we made our own s'mores, they were absolutely delicious! The children followed all of Mrs Howlett's clear fire safety rules. 

We are so proud of each and every Elf Owl, they are all so engaged in their learning and making super progress. 

Have a wonderful half-term break. 

Best wishes from the Elf Owls team 

W.B: Monday 6th February 

Dear Elf Owl Families,

We hope you all had a lovely weekend!

This week we will learn about the story of St Valentine and think about love in relation to our family and friends.

In phonics we will introduce the /ai/ digraph, as well as revisiting all previously taught sounds. In maths we will focus on composition of numbers (how we can make a whole number with 2 smaller numbers).

School will break for half term this Friday at 3.30pm.

Have a super week!

The Elf Owl Team 🦉 

Week beginning: Monday 30th January 2023

Dear Elf Owl families,

In the week ahead we will be reading ‘Supertato’ stories and exploring the themes of healthy eating and superheroes. 
 

In phonics we will introduce the digraph (2 letters making one sound) ur as in ‘turn’. We will continue to revisit all previously taught sounds and practise reading and spelling short words. 
 

In maths we will start to look at ‘whole’ and ‘parts’ which will lead into looking at the whole number and the parts that add to make it (for example, 5 would be the whole and 3 & 2 would be parts of the whole). 

Have a great week!

The Elf Owl Team 🦉 

Week beginning: Monday 23rd January 2023
Dear Elf Owl families,

We hope you had a lovely weekend! 
 

This week we will be learning about and celebrating The Lunar New Year. This year is the year of the Rabbit. The rabbit symbolises relaxation, quietness and contemplation. 
 

In phonics we will be introducing the /ee/ sound as in ‘green froggy’ (another of the monster phonics characters!) In maths we will continue to work on subitising and comparing numbers. We will also continue to use the language of more than, fewer than and equal to. 
 

Have a great week ahead and wrap up warm!

The Elf Owl Team 🦉

w.b. Monday 16th January

Dear Elf Owl families,

This week we will continue to think about the weather and Winter. In phonics we will introduce /ow/ as in ‘Brown Owl’. In maths we will focus on the number 5; how it can be represented, the different combinations we can add to make 5 and knowing that 5 and 5 more makes 10. 
 

The children will have P.E Thursday afternoon and forest school Friday afternoon as usual this week. 
 

Stay warm and enjoy the week ahead!

Best wishes 

The Elf Owl Team 🦉

w.b. Monday 9th January 2023

Dear Elf Owl families 

We are excited to get back to our more regular timetable this week, with a few tweaks for progression. Our ‘mini-theme’ will be winter and the weather.
 

We are very pleased to welcome Miss Wilkinson as a regular staff member in Elf Owls this term! She has previously worked with us ad- hoc, but will now be with us daily! Mrs Howlett, Miss Belcher, Mrs Fairfax and Shukria will continue with their fantastic work. Mrs Sansom will be doing a fabulous job teaching interventions with our class this term. Our volunteer Mrs Stevens, will also continue to support us one day a week. Such a lot of people, we know! We’re not all in at once though- it’s a finely tuned operation! 
 

In Phonics we will introduce the sound /oo/ as in ‘book’ as well as recapping previously taught sounds. The Ebook ‘In the Woods’, book 3 under Reception phase 3.1 links directly to our teaching this week. However, we recommend continuing to read any of the ebooks in stage 1, 2 and 3 as the children need continuous practice with segmenting and blending words. Re-reading books will help them to consolidate what they have previously learnt and lead towards fluency.
 

In maths we will be using the language of comparison (more than/ fewer than) to describe sets of objects. Now that we are in term 3, we will be taking children in groups, pairs and as individuals to complete short, focused maths tasks and games throughout the week. 
 

Please note, we will not have Forest School on Friday as Mrs Howlett is accompanying Y3 and Y4 to the Peers Centre. 
 

There is a curriculum evening in school from 6pm this Wednesday 11th January which we hope many of you will be able to pop along to. The idea is to drop in between 6pm and 8pm in the school hall if you can. Mrs Ray (phonics) and Miss Taylor (pshce)/ kiva) will both be there. 
 

Have a lovely week ahead!

The Elf Owl Team 🦉

Thursday 5th January 2023

🦉Happy new year Elf Owl families! 🦉

We hope you had a lovely break over the festive period. Thank you so much for the lovely cards, gifts and wishes we received before the break. We are very excited to hear what the children have been up to during the holidays!

This term we will start by thinking about what it means to celebrate the new year. We will then turn towards thinking about the weather and seasons; including trees, animals in the winter, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. 
 

The children will have a weekly music lesson with Miss Woods on Wednesday mornings. They will have P.E with Mr Sykes on Thursday afternoons. Please send your child to school wearing their full P.E kit on Thursdays (joggers/ leggings, warm top/ hoodie, t shirt and trainers).
 

Mrs Howlett and Miss Taylor will continue with forest school on Friday afternoons. For this session, the children will need an old set of clothes, waterproofs and wellies. The forest school kit should be kept in school on the children’s pegs and they will change in the classroom. This is great for developing their independence and means they can get wet and muddy but then go to family assembly/ home clean and dry! The kits will be sent home for a wash as needed. (Wellies and waterproofs will also be needed throughout the week for outdoor play. Hats, scarves and gloves are encouraged in the cold weather too).
 

Please try to read with your child daily or as often as possible. Giving the children the opportunity to read their ‘Monster Phonics’ book to you will help them to practise what we learn in our phonics and reading lessons in school. If your child is tired, then just try a couple of pages or read to them. Listening to, and enjoying stories is a big part of becoming a reader.
 

For the next couple of days, we will settle the children back in and revisit previous learning in phonics and maths. Next week we will start on new learning in both areas. 
 

We are really looking forward to a fun term ahead! Christmas may be over, but now we can explore the winter wonderland all around us! Please do come and chat to us if you have any questions, queries or concerns; our door is always open.

With warm winter wishes, 

Mrs Ray, Miss Taylor, Mrs Howlett and the Elf Owl Team🦉

Dear Elf Owl families,

In the next couple of days we will be rounding off an amazing term with some Christmas fun and crafts! On Monday afternoon we will be having a little class party with some games and snacks (which we will provide). If your child would like to wear a Christmas jumper, hat or headband along with their school uniform on Monday, they would be most welcome (we have spare hats etc in school).

There has been a lot of illness in school, so please do encourage your child to wrap up warm and keep up with thorough hand washing. We will do the same over the next couple of days.

School finishes at 1.30pm on Tuesday. We would like to thank you all for your ongoing support this term. We are extremely proud of our lovely children.

With warm wishes, 

The Elf Owl Team 🎅🏻⛄️🌲

Week beginning: Monday 12th December 

Dear Elf Owl families,

Here we are in the last full week of term. This week we will be full of all things Christmassy; our main focus being our ‘Starlight’ performances on Tuesday and Wednesday at 9.30am. Please come along on whichever day suits your family best. 
 

Can you please ensure your child has a pair of black leggings/ joggers/ tights in school ready for the dress rehearsal on Monday. We will provide the t shirts and headbands. 
 

With the weather being so cold at the moment, please make sure your child comes to school wearing a warm coat and a hat, scarf and gloves. You may also wish to layer them up with additional vests or base layers under their uniform.

Many thanks 

The Elf Owl Team

W.b. Monday 5th December

Dear Elf Owl families,

We hope you've all enjoyed a great weekend!

It was lovely to meet with those of you who came to Parents evening last Thursday. We look forward to meeting with many of you this coming Tuesday.

This week we will be enjoying lots of festive activities as well as practising our 'Starlight' nativity songs ready for next week. We will focus, in particular on 'The Jolly Christmas Postman' story and open a class post office.

In the week ahead, we will continue to explore number in maths. In phonics we will introduce the ar digraph (as in car and farm).  This is the last of the new sounds for this term; in the remaining time we will revise all phonemes and high frequency words taught.

Have a lovely week ahead,

The Elf Owls Team

W.b. Monday 28.11.22

Hello Elf Owl Families,

It was lovely to see some of you at the school Christmas fair on Friday- We are moving rapidly towards Christmas now! Our Christmas performance which is based on the nativity, will be 'Starlight'.  Elf Owls will all be dressed as stars! We are hoping to provide everything else, but if you could provide your child with a pair of black leggings/ tights or joggers that would be great (any problems let us know).

In phonics this week, we will revisit all phonemes so far and introduce the long oo sound (as in zoom) and the Monster 'Cool Blue!' In maths, we will look at the numbers 3 and 4 as well as counting, ordering, reading and writing numbers. Our mini- theme this week is based around the story 'The Tiger who came to Tea' by Judith Kerr.

Have a great week ahead,

The Elf Owl Team

Week beginning Monday 21.11.22

Dear Elf Owl families,

This week we will read and enjoy Aliens love underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, as well as some of the other 'underpants' books in the series! The books will inspire some of the activities in our learning environment. We will also have a 'sprinkle' of Christmas as we have begun singing songs for the Christmas performance!

In phonics, we will introduce ch, sh, th and ng. These are known as digraphs; 2 letters which make one sound. We will continue to revisit all alphabet sounds daily. Please continue to read the Monster Phonics books we send home twice weekly and access the Ebooks if possible. You can read any of the books in Reception sets 1-3 with your child (also don't worry about re-reading the same ones as the children need to keep practising segmenting and blending).

Im maths, we will continue with number; looking at how different numbers are made up. We will also think about matching and ordering.

Last week Miss Taylor introduced The Colour Monster story and has been busy making the Colour Monster tins pictured above! The story will help the children with identifying and separating out their emotions. This week we will teach the children to 'check in' with how they feel and then put their named lolly stick into the corresponding tin. This will be helpful in supporting them with how they can manage and express their emotions.

Have a great week!

The Elf Owl Team

Week beginning Monday 14th November 

Dear Elf Owl Families,

We hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

This week we are  taking part in World Nursery Rhyme Week whereby we will sing a different nursery rhyme each day and then have linked activities for the children to explore in the environment. Here are the 5 main focus rhymes this year:

Monday: The big ship sails

Tuesday: 1 2 3 4 5 (once I caught a fish alive)

Wednesday: Five little speckled frogs

Thursday: B.I.N.G.O

Friday: Twinkle Twinkle

In phonics, we will introduce y, z, zz and qu, as well as recapping all previously taught phonemes. Thank you for continuing to hear your child read at home as this supports their ongoing progress.

In maths, we will be continue to focus on counting accurately and matchimg the correct numeral with the quantity. We will also be exploring matching and sorting in the environment.

Have a great week!

The Elf Owl Team

Week beginning: Monday 7th November

Dear Elf Owl Families,

The children really enjoyed exploring the theme of Bonfire Night last week; we hope you enjoyed the festivities over the weekend! 

This week we will have a Remembrance Day focus, as well as introducing the phonemes j, v, w and x in phonics. In maths, we will continue with matching, sorting and subitising (instantly recognising small numbers).

Have a great week ahead.

The Elf Owl Team

W.b. Monday 31st October '22

Dear Elf Owl Families,

We hope you all had a lovely half term break! We are really looking forward to the learning and fun that this term brings. We will start this week with exploring pumpkins and potions and then move on to looking at Bonfire Night. In the coming weeks we will focus on Remembrance Day, Nursery Rhyme Week and Children in Need, before learning about and celebrating Christmas!

This term the children will enjoy a music session every Wednesday afternoon with our music specialist Miss Woods. They will have P.E on Thursday mornings with Mr Sykes and Forest school will continue on a Friday afternoon.  Please can children come to school in a warm P.E kit on Thursdays and leave a change of Forest school clothes in school ready for Friday sessions.

We will continue with 'Toast Cafe' on Wednesdays, substituting toast here and there with some alternative cooking/ food preparation. In the week before half term, we made 'mango lassis' linked with our learning about Diwali which the children all enjoyed greatly! This week we are going to make breadstick sparklers!

In phonics this week, we will introduce the letter sounds f, ff, l, ll, ss. We will also continue to revisit all previously learnt sounds. Please continue to listen to your child read at home to support their learning in phonics. We will continue to send home practise reading books daily as before and in addition to this, we will send a Monster Phonics book home on a Monday and Thursday. Please make sure the books are returned on these days as we have a limited supply and will be circulating them around the class (therefore the children will not read the books in order, but this will not matter as they need to revisit all sounds taught so far). You can also continue to access the Monster Phonics ebooks (reading any in stage 1 and up to book 7 in stage 2).

As well as continuing with lots of maths in the environment, we will start teaching short maths lessons this term. Our focus for the next few weeks will be matching and sorting, as well as subitising small numbers (the ability to recognise the number of objects in a small group without the need to count them).

Wow! Lots to look forward to! Above all, we really value the children learning through play. We are so excited to see them making progress in all areas and developing relationships with others in school.

As always, please do chat to one of us is you have any concerns or questions- we are here to help!

Best wishes

The Elf Owl Team 

W.b. Monday 17th October '22

Hello Elf Owl Families! 🦉

Here we are in the last week before the half term holiday! It has certainly flown by, but looking back over the last 6 weeks, the children have all come so far! They have all settled into their new school routines beautifully, they are making new friends and experiencing new learning daily. We couldn't be prouder- well done to all of you!

This week in phonics, we will be introducing r, h and b, as well as practising blending our words for reading. We recommend reading stage 2 Monster Phonics E books 1-4 to link with these phonemes (as well as revisiting any of the stage 1 books this week/ over half term).

As Diwali falls on 24th October this year, we will celebrate in school this week. The children will learn all about the Hindu festival of light and experience some of the  traditions and customs.

Wishing everyone a great week ahead,

🦉 The Elf Owl Team 🦉

Elf Owls will be going to their very first assembly on Friday afternoon.

It is our whole school

Harvest Celebration,

Join us if you can at 2.30! (14.10.22)

Monday 10th October 2022

Dear Elf Owl families,

We hope you have all had a lovely weekend after the water issues last week. The Elf Owl Team all live locally and we were affected in our homes too. It has definitely given us a sense of gratitude for the water we have so readily available everyday. Fingers crossed we can get back to 'normal' now though!

This week in phonics, we will introduce k, ck, e and u, as well as practising reading and writing cvc words. If you would like to look at the ebooks to practise reading cvc words online, then any of the set 1 books from 1-10 are now relevant. In maths, we will focus on simple addition and subtraction, but this will be in small groups or with individuals, rather than whole class at present.

There are 2 opportunities to visit The ELF Owls' classroom this week:

Tuesday 11th October 3.30-4.30pm

Thursday 13th October 3.30-4.30pm

We will send the children out to you as normal (so that everyone goes home safely or is with their grown up) and then invite you to come into the classroom. Your child will be able to share their 'Learning Journey' book with you and you can get a feel for the classroom and displays, as well as chat to staff and other parents. It's always nice to get a sense of where you child is spending much of their school day and what they're getting up to!

We look forward to seeing you all in the week ahead.

Best wishes

The Elf Owl Team

Friday 7th October 2022

Another day of learning at home! We really didn't think this would happen. The classroom is all set up with exciting activities! 

What a strange week. We do hope you are all ok. 

Phonics: log in to the Monster Phonics ebooks site and read/ re-read any of the books 1-8 under Set 1 in the Reception section. (Link to register below if you haven’t already). Alternatively, practise reading and writing the letter sounds/ words in your child’s grey sounds book). https://monsterphonics.com/register/ebooks-whole-scheme/?ca=6a82c7bd72475cfe0773d132b43bca33

If we were in school today, we would be thinking about the letter 'K'. Maybe you could look for things in your house that begin with 'K'.

You might like to do these activities...

Reading: Take some time to share a book. Maybe you could draw a new front cover for your favourite storybook?

This afternoon is Forest School.

Ask your child to teach you the rules of Forest School.

Maybe make a mobile! Bring it in on Monday and we can add it to our Autumn display. 

Thursday 6th October 2022

Good Morning!

We hope you are all ok. It's so strange not having any water, isn't it? We will have to carry on learning at home again today. We will miss seeing your smiley faces! Hopefully, we will all be back together tomorrow.

Phonics: log in to the Monster Phonics ebooks site and read/ re-read any of the books 1-8 under Set 1 in the Reception section. (Link to register below if you haven’t already). Alternatively, practise reading and writing the letter sounds/ words in your child’s grey sounds book). https://monsterphonics.com/register/ebooks-whole-scheme/?ca=6a82c7bd72475cfe0773d132b43bca33

Reading: Take some time to share a book. Maybe you have an Autumn story in your collection? Try spotting some of the following words as you read together... in, it, is, I, and an.

Maths: Continue with the activities we set yesterday, or you might like to do some Autumn counting? 

Counting to 10

Counting to 20

Dance!

Sing!

Do some Cosmic Yoga! 

Listen!

If you need anything else, please email us, we are here. 

Happy Thursday!

The Elf Owls Team 

Dear Elf Owl families,

As you probably know by now, school will be closed today due to the health and safety issues associated with having no water. We’ll miss our class today, but below are a few ideas for home learning (if you can manage it- there’s no pressure as we know lots of you will be also juggling work/ home life today too)…

Phonics: log in to the Monster Phonics ebooks site and read/ re-read any of the books 1-8 under Set 1 in the Reception section. (Link to register below if you haven’t already). Alternatively, practise reading and writing the letter sounds/ words in your child’s grey sounds book). https://monsterphonics.com/register/ebooks-whole-scheme/?ca=6a82c7bd72475cfe0773d132b43bca33
 

Reading/ sharing stories: Any sort of reading is great! It can be your child’s book in their book bag, a book at home or the ebooks. Maybe try spotting some of the following letters as you read together… s a t p i n m d g o c.

Maths: This week we have been focussing on days of the week, months of the year and the seasons. Enjoy watching/ singing along to the video clips below and then practise chanting the days of the week in order. You could make a picture timetable of the days of the week and activities your child does regularly on those days- E.g. Monday- school/ swimming, Tuesday- school/visit park…

Mini Topic: Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been thinking about Autumn and the seasons. Could you make a face/ person using Autumn treasures? (leaves, conkers, sticks, acorns…) Perhaps you could send us a picture and we’ll add it to our page for all to enjoy?! (Please send to office@gmilton.org for the attention of Mrs Ray and Miss Taylor and Mrs Biel will forward them to us). There are a few pictures above for inspiration!

We hope you all have a great day.

Best wishes

The Elf Owl Team 🦉

w.b. 3.10.22

Dear Elf Owl families

We hope everyone has had a lovely weekend! 

In the week ahead we will be introducing the following sounds: o, c, c and ck. The linked Monster Phonics Ebooks are 7,8 and 9. It probably seems like we are going at quite a pace in phonics, but  please don't panic if your child does not remember all sounds taught straightaway; we are continually recapping on all the sounds and also practising reading/ writing small 3 letter cvc (consonant, vowel, consonant) words, such as sat, pin, man. 

We sent home details of a Monster Phonics Webinar via Parentmail last week. Here are the details again if you haven't managed to sign up for a 30 minute session yet.( If these times don't suit, we will aim to provide more information on Monster Phonics over the coming weeks).

Phonics Explained: How to help your child with phonics

October 6th at 8pm

October 20th at 8pm

Follow the link below to book: 

 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/monster-phonics-19791043283

Have a great week!

The Elf Owl Team

The children absolutely love forest school, they are already gaining confidence and developing new skills. We have been so impressed with how they have all embraced new challenges.

For your child to fully embrace the session, they need wellington boots, waterproof trousers and a waterproof coat. All-in-one suits are a perfect choice. Please let us know if you have any problems obtaining any of these things, as we have access to a few second-hand items.  

Have a wonderful weekend

The Elf Owls Team 

Monday 26th September 2022

Hello Tawny families!

We are so pleased with how well our lovely class has settled so far! Already, Elf Owls have experienced Forest school, P.E lessons, Toast Cafe and Buddy Time! Elf Owls, you have shown us you can: share, build, run, fix, snip, problem-solve, observe, show courage, dance, sing, listen, learn new routines, make new friends and so much more! We are loving teaching you all!

Last week we started to think about Harvest in school and this week we will continue with the theme of Autumn. We will start the week with a walk around the school grounds looking for signs of Autumn by enjoying an 'Autumn Treasure Hunt.' Let's see what treasures we find!

Parents and carers, you may have noticed a little grey book in your child's book bag in the last few days. Over the coming weeks, we will write the phonemes (sounds) we are learning at the front of the book and the 'High Frequency words' (words which appear lots in text) in the back. Please support your child with consolidating their learning at home by practising reading/ writing the sounds/ words. Your child can write directly into the book to practise or they could choose another way to learn them; here are a few ideas:

- Make letters/ words using play dough or plasticine

- Write on post-it notes and stick in key places around your home (fridge, bathroom mirror..!)

- Write in rainbow colours

- Paint letters and sounds on the ground or walls outside with water

- Pour some table salt into a shallow tray and use a finger to write in it

- Use different writing materials such as chalk, crayons, highlighter pens, felt tipped pens...

This week the new letter sounds we will learn are m, d and g. We will also continue to revisit s, a, t, p, i and n. The linked Monster Phonics Ebooks this week are books 4, 5 and 6 under the Reception tab. However we recommend that you revisit earlier books frequently to support your child's progress. If you haven't already created an Ebook account (linked to our school subscription), then please follow this link to do so: https://monsterphonics.com/register/ebooks-whole-scheme/?ca=6a82c7bd72475cfe0773d132b43bca33

(Note that only the School Information should be inserted where the form asks for a postal address- The Green, Great Milton, Oxfordshire OX44 7NT).

Finally, just to say that please do write in the yellow reading diaries each time you read with your child at home (their book bag book or Monster Phonics Ebook). You can also use the diary as a way of getting a quick note to us as a member of staff will check them daily. 

Have a great week and please do chat to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Best wishes

The Elf Owl Team

W.B. Monday 19th September 2022

We hope everyone has had a restful long weekend.

This week we will be looking at the phonemes i and n in phonics as well as revisiting our sounds from last week; s a t p and looking at the high frequency words in, it, is, I, an.  It sounds like we are moving fast, but please don't worry as we will continue to revisit the sounds taught and the great thing is that the children can now start to build/ read words as they know an increasing number of phonemes (letter sounds).

We're pleased to see that many of you have signed up and are already looking at the online Monster Phonics ebooks with your children. If you haven't already done so, scroll down and you will find the link below. This week the relevant books will be Book 2 and 3 in the Reception section (though it is still very worthwhile revisiting Book 1).

Many thanks for all your support so far. The children are being little superstars!

Best wishes

The Elf Owl Team 

W.B. Monday 12^th September 2022

Dear Elf Owl Families,

Another HUGE WELL DONE for everything our wonderful Elf Owls achieved last week!

Here are a couple of things we will be focusing on in the week ahead…

Monster Phonics

This week we will start teaching phonics using our new Monster Phonics programme! (See video link above). The first 4 phonemes (letter sounds) we will focus on will be s a t p. The children will read individually with adults in school using the linked books. To consolidate your child’s learning in class, we encourage you to also read the online eBooks linked to the letter sounds they are learning in class. For this week, the children will need to read book 1. (The ebooks will are in addition to those sent home in book bags).

In order to access the Monster Phonics eBooks, you will need to set up a personal account linked to the school subscription. Please follow the link below and complete the form. Only the school information should be inserted where the form asks for an address (Great Milton C.E Primary School, The Green, Great Milton, Oxfordshire OX44 7NT). Please let us know if you have any difficulties with this and we will be happy to help.

https://monsterphonics.com/register/ebooks-whole- scheme/?ca=6a82c7bd72475cfe0773d132b43bca33

Outdoor Clothing and wellies

The children are entitled to play and learn outside all year round and in any weather. From the start, we encourage them to put on their wellies and waterproofs to go outside. This means they can get fully absorbed in their play and get as wet and muddy as they like! Please ensure your child keeps a pair of wellies and waterproof jacket/ trousers or a waterproof suit in school at all times. Clean Forest School clothes may also stay in school on the children’s pegs ready for their Friday session.

Buddies!

The Year 6 Hawk Owls are beyond excited to be paired with their Elf Owl buddies! From Monday the Elf Owls will be given a Year 6 ‘buddy’ and they will spend lunch time playtimes getting to know each other. For the next couple of weeks, the buddies will be together in the Elf Owl garden from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays the older and younger children will be together on the main playground (with the landscaped grass that we call the 'snake') for 'Bumpy Snake Friday!' We hope being with their older buddies will help them to feel relaxed and secure about exploring the wider school environment. From experience we know that having a buddy is so special and really helps our little ones with settling into school.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

The Elf Owl Team

We all listened carefully to Mrs Howlett as she explained the most important Forest School rules.

We had the most wonderful afternoon exploring, jumping, laughing and making mud pies!

Mrs Howlett showed us how to safely play with sticks.

A perfect end to a perfect first week. Well done Elf Owls, we are all so proud of every one of you. Sleep well! 

A BIG well done on your first morning Elf Owls! 

We were so proud of you all coming in so confidently today and enjoying your new classroom. You all listened really well, shared with your new friends and you even tidied up nicely! We can already see you are going to be fantastic independent learners. Tomorrow we have three more of our friends joining us and we will all enjoy having lunch together! Fantastic work Elf Owls!

Welcome to Elf Owls- Reception Class

Class Teachers: Laura Ray (Mon-Wed) & Sarah Taylor (Thurs & Fri)

Class Teaching Assistants: Nikki Howlett (Daily)/ Elle Fairfax (Thurs)/ Helen Belcher (afternoons)

Additional support: Ella Sansom & Evie Wilkinson

A very warm welcome to all our new Elf Owl families!

Dear Elf Owl families,

A very warm welcome to all of you! We are so excited to continue getting to know you all throughout the year ahead! Please visit this page regularly as we will update key information here, as well as posting news and photos of our learning in school.

The First Week back/ Drop off and pick up times

Elf Owls’ first day at school will be Tuesday 6th September from 9.00am until 11.30am. Please drop your child off at the blue gates with an Elf Owl teacher. A member of staff will then return to open the gates at 11.30am and invite you into the school grounds to collect your child from outside the Elf Owls’ classroom. On Wednesday 7th September school for Elf Owls will be 9.00am to 1.10pm and the children will be staying at school for lunch.  A member of staff will open the gates at 1.10pm and again we invite you to come into the school grounds to collect your child from outside the classroom.  Full time school begins on Thursday 8th September. You can drop your child at school from 8.45am-9.00am and then pick up as usual at 3.30p.m. At Great Milton we have a slightly staggered start to our school day and you have a 15-minute window to drop your child at school in the morning.  The school gate will close at 9.00am. If you are late for any reason, please take your child through the main entrance and sign them in at the office with Mrs Biel.

In the coming week and throughout this term, we will work on helping the children to feel comfortable and at ease in their new environment. We will support them in getting to know their new peers and staff and teach them the routines of the school day. Above all, we want the children to be happy, safe and to have fun!

Lunch

Your child is welcome to have a free school lunch daily, bring in a packed lunch from home or enjoy a combination of the two. We do not need to know in advance if they are having a school meal; the children can come in on the day and we will ask them what they are having that day. (We will also check that we have the correct number of lunch boxes!) Zoe, our school caterer will then offer a meat and a vegetarian option, as well as a pudding. Please send your child to school with a named water bottle as they will drink this throughout the day and at lunch time. 

Snack Time

We will provide free fruit every morning during snack time and a drink of milk, should the children wish to have it, later in the day. We will have drinking water readily available at all times should they forget their bottle. In the coming weeks, we will introduce 'Toast Cafe' once a week. The children will learn to spread their own piece of toast and cut it into pieces. We find Toast Cafe helps to strengthen the children's hands ready for writing. We have also found both snack time and Toast cafe provide a brilliant opportunity for social interaction and we often make links to other curriculum areas.

P.E Lessons

Our P.E Days this term will be Tuesdays and Thursdays led by Mr Tom Sykes, our sports coach, and supported by our class teaching assistants. The class will have their first P.E lesson on Thursday 8^th September. Children should come to school in full kit on P.E days, rather than school uniform. This includes a white t shirt, dark shorts/joggers/ leggings, a dark sweater or hoodie, socks and trainers. Whilst the weather is still mild, they should wear a sunhat and sunscreen, though as the weeks progress, this may be exchanged for a bobble hat!

Forest School

In addition to their P.E lessons, Elf Owls will have a weekly forest school session on a Friday afternoon led by Mrs Howlett and Miss Taylor. Please could the children come to school in uniform on this day and we will support them getting changed into their forest school kit which can be left in school on their peg (until it needs a wash; which could be weekly!) Forest school clothes should include a long-sleeved top, long trousers or leggings, socks, wellies and waterproofs (please send old clothes as they will get dirty. The clothes do not have to be uniform colours). As the weather turns colder, additional layers and hats would be a great idea too. We are big forest school advocates at Great Milton Primary and we are so lucky to have Mrs Howlett, our resident forest school teacher in our class! We know from our transition meetings, that many of the children love to be outside, so we know they will be excited to become resilient, creative, independent learners out in nature!

Reading and Phonics

We are very excited to start our new multi-sensory phonics scheme; Monster Phonics! We will start daily phonics sessions on Monday 12^th September and the children will read Monster Phonics books regularly in school with an adult (their reading will link to the phonemes/ sounds they are learning in class). You will also be able to support this learning at home by reading the same Monster Phonics eBooks online with your child. (We will send more information about this in the next couple of weeks). In addition to the eBooks, your child will come home with a ‘practise reading book’ and a ‘free choice book’ in their book bags. We will change books daily and we encourage you to read with your child daily for ten minutes. If they are too tired to read to you, then reading to them is great!

That’s probably enough information for now, but we will write further updates in the coming weeks. We are all really looking forward to a very exciting year ahead!

With warmest wishes

The Elf Owl Team…

Mrs Ray, Miss Taylor, Mrs Howlett, Mrs Fairfax, Miss Belcher, Mrs Sansom, Miss Wilkinson