Welcome!

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the nursery class of September 2020! I am very excited to teach your children this year and I am looking forward to helping them in their learning and development.

This year Nursery and Reception will be following ‘Year A’ and all of the themes are found on the long term plan.

The first theme Reception and Nursery will be learning over Autumn 1 is ‘Magic Me’. This will include a lot of activities such as, self-portraits, feelings, families and using our senses. If you would like to see this in more detail please have a look at the medium term planning on the Nursery website. However, please can I explain to parents that some activities may not be done or could be changed due to the children’s interests and ideas.

I will sometimes require parents to bring in different items to help us complete these activities so please keep up to date with any letters sent home.

At Our Lady and St Gerard’s we have a lovely and relaxing nursery classroom, where all the activities are easily accessible for the children. The children are very independent and are able to choose activities and move around the classroom when they please. Adult-led activities are encouraged by the teachers, including letters and sounds sessions (mentioned later in the letter), literacy lessons and maths. The children are able to access the outdoor area at all times and I would like to mention that they can come home wet and muddy. The outdoor area offers endless possibilities and has a range of different areas of learning.

Ways to help at home

• Some children have found it difficult to help to tidy up at nursery; therefore please can parents encourage children at home to tidy up independently. Give your child some simple and short instructions.
• Please can parents allow children to try and get dressed independently (i.e. putting jumpers on and shoes) because it helps them get ready for Reception class next September. It also helps myself and Mrs Schilz throughout the day (especially when we have 26 children).
• Please can parents label every single piece of clothing, including wellies and coats. Wellies will be kept in school for those muddy and rainy days.
• Help your child to count and recognise numbers through games, walking to school and even at the supermarket.
• Help your child to begin to recognise letters (once homework is sent home).

Letters and sounds

We will be doing Letters and Sounds activities every day at nursery and it is important that parents are involved with the homework tasks sent home as your child will make fantastic progress. We will be learning a letter a week and it is encouraged that parents help your child to recognise this letter and can identify objects starting with this sound.

Alongside this, we will also be looking a particular shape, colour and number.

Week beginning: 14.09.20- we will be looking at the letter ‘s’, the shape of a circle, number 1 and focusing on the colour yellow.

Week beginning: 21.09.20- letter ‘a’, the shape of a square, number 2 and the colour red.

Week beginning: 28.09.20- letter ‘t’, the shape of a triangle, number 3 and the colour blue.

Week beginning: 05.10.20- letter ‘p’, the shape of a rectangle, number 4 and the colour brown.

Week beginning: 12.10.20- letter ‘I’, the shape of a star, number 5 and the colour black.

Week beginning: 19.10.20- letter ‘n’, the shape of a diamond, number 6 and the colour white.

Children can bring in an object starting with this sound or an object to fit in with the colour theme to keep at nursery for the week. This will be put on our letter of the week shelf.

Stay and Play

Unfortunately due to the COVID19 situation we are unable to hold any ‘Stay and Play’ sessions until further notice. 

Please remember to bring….

If parents have not brought wellies to stay at nursery, or a photograph of your child when he or she was a baby please bring as soon as possible. A picture of your child’s family would also be good. I will photocopy these pictures as soon as I receive them so please don’t worry about them getting spoiled.

Any queries or questions please don’t hesitate to contact me on:

nursery@ourlady-st-gerards.lancs.sch.uk 

Many thanks

Miss Gornall

September 2020!

The children have settled into the Nursery routine really well.

Please have a look at some of the activities we have been doing. 

Helping my child to get ready to start school

The Early Years Consultants have produced this useful guidance for parents and carers, to help prepare children for starting shcool. Please find attached above.  Even after your child has returned to school, you may find some of the strategies useful.