Welcome to Elm Class Page

Spring 2025

WELCOME BACK

The Reception staff would like to welcome all the children and their families back to school in 2025! We hope you had a lovely Christmas! It has been wonderful to see all the pupils wearing their uniform with pride and greeting friends and staff with happy smiles, kind words and good manners. We have had an excellent start to the term already.

RECEPTION STAFF

If you need any support or would like to discuss how we can best work in partnership to support your child in school, we are always here to help. Your class teacher is always the first point of contact, followed by Mr. Gilroy as EYFS Lead. For any advice on special educational needs, it may be appropriate, after speaking with the class teacher, to also contact Mrs. Whitehead, who is our school Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo).

Smaller queries can often be answered at drop off times, however, for more private conversations, or those that may take a little longer, please make an appointment by discussing this with the teacher or calling the school office instead.

Please be advised that collection time is a very busy time, and not a time when we can give you our full attention.

Mr. Gilroy: Reception Teacher (Elm) Assistant Headteacher, EYFS Lead, English Subject Lead,

Miss. Unsworth: Reception Teacher (Oak)

Miss. Hughes: Reception Teacher (ELM)

Mrs. Lamb: LSA (learning support assistant)

Miss. Jones: LSA

Mrs. Seddon: PPA cover (covers classes in reception while teachers plan and prepare for teaching)

Mrs Gillin: PPA cover

ATTENDANCE

Good attendance and punctuality are vital, not only for learning, but also to help pupils settle into their new school routine, make friends and grow in confidence.  

Each week, every class with 100% attendance is rewarded with a prize. We have our weekly extra play award for every class that hits 96% and certificates for best class and most improved. Being on time is vital to help your child settle in the morning and access lessons to the full.

Our classroom door opens at 8.45am for the start of the day and collection time is at 3.10pm.

Spring Curriculum Coverage

English	Book 1: Juniper Jupiter Writing Outcomes: To write Letter sentences. Book 2: Little Red Writing Outcomes: Retell the Traditional Tale and write sentences.
Maths	Alive in 5, Mass and Capacity, Growing 6,7,8, Length, Height and Time, Building 9 and 10, Explore 3-D shapes.
Phonics	Read individual letters by saying the sounds for them and some digraphs. Blend sounds into short words (CVC words and some CCVC, CVCC words) Read some common exception words. Read simple sentences.
RE	Celebrating, Our Church Family.
Understanding the World	Winter, Arctic Regions, Europe, Spring, Luna New Year, Past and Present, States of Matter, Materials.
Communication and Language	Listening and talking, new vocabulary, asking questions, sentence structure, listening, talking about and understanding stories.
Expressive Arts and Design	Painting skills, Roy Lichtenstein.
Personal, Social, Emotional Development	Dreams and Goals, Everybody’s Body.
Physical Development	Dance

HOMEWORK

Learning to read is one of the most important things that children will learn during their time at St Teresa of Lisieux, we will begin teaching your child to read straight away by teaching them letter sounds.

Each week, your child will bring homework home, which will vary based on their phonics groups.

Please practise these as often as possible at home, in order to give your child the best possible start. Your child will receive a blue home-school reading record. Please help us by writing in this when they have practiced their letter sounds at home. This record should be kept in your child’s bag each day so that staff can also keep a record of hearing your child read.

Books we will be exploring as part of the English curriculum this term:

READING

Developing strong readers is our priority. Soon, your child will bring home a weekly Read Write Inc Storybook in line with their reading stage. Reading each day, with your child at home, will help to accelerate learning and help your child to grow in confidence. Please help us by writing in the blue home-school reading record when you read with your child, keeping the home school partnership strong.

Here are some Reception book recommendations, which you can enjoy reading at home with your child in addition to the ones we send home weekly.

More information on reading, and the rest of the curriculum, can be

found on our school website. https://stteresaoflisieux.co.uk/

Remember to also follow our Twitter page and keep up with what

we are doing on our class pages on the school website.

Class messages…

Elm class PE is on a Tuesday. (Change of day).

Elm class PE is on a Thursday.

Children should come to school wearing their PE kit.

Book bags are the only bags allowed in school as we have no space to fit other bags such as rucksacks. Books bags should be brought to school every day.

Children should bring a water bottle to drink throughout the day, this should not contain fizzy or juice drinks.

Your child’s clothing, bags and bottles should all be labelled with their names.

We kindly ask for a £1 donation per week to help to cover the cost of snacks.