Autumn 1

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to Belleville!

We hope you have had a relaxing and restful summer and that you and your child/ren are excited for the start of school. We are always so proud of how quickly and maturely the children settle into their new classes and we are sure that this year will be no exception. We have many exciting things to look forward to in school this half term.

English and Phonics
Our topic this half term is ‘My World’ and as part of this, we will be exploring lots of wonderful books about families, friendships, and ourselves. We have a wonderful selection of picture books that represent the diversity and inclusiveness of our school, and we will be sharing these weekly as the children learn to listen to and talk about stories.

This half term we will be teaching Phase 2 phonics, which consists of most single letter sounds of the alphabet along with their name and the correct formation of these letters. We are carrying out very simple assessments over the coming weeks to ensure we know exactly what the children already know about letters and sounds as well as in their understanding and use of number. This will enable us to plan effectively to support and extend all the children in these key skills.

At Belleville, we use the Jolly Phonics actions to support our teaching of Reading and Writing. Every day we will focus on a different letter and sound. It would benefit your child if you could follow this up at home; for example, by identifying objects containing each of the sounds. You can find the sounds covered each week on the top of the overview. Each Friday we will send home a ’sound book’ for your child to keep at home so please look out for these in your child’s book bag. Your child will also be sent home with a reading record and book, with an accompanying weekly homework linked to their book. Please ensure that your child has a book bag that they bring to school every day.
 

Maths
In line with Years 1-6, we follow the ‘Maths - No Problem!' scheme of learning. In Autumn 1, we will begin our in-depth learning of numbers to 10 looking at numerical patterns, comparing quantities as well as building the children’s reasoning skills within shape, space, and measure.
 

Topic
This half-term we are learning about ‘My World’. Our accompanying overview outlines what we will cover each week. This half-term there is a big focus on children’s personal, social, and emotional development and communication skills. We will be working hard to ensure children are settled and comfortable in their new environment and forming friendships with their peers. We aim to build your child’s confidence and to develop their independence as much as possible. We will be using technology to take selfies with our friends, painting self-portraits and celebrating what makes ourselves and our families unique.

Physical Development
The focus of physical development sessions will develop the children’s gross motor, movement, and coordination skills. On the day of their lessons, children should come to school wearing their PE kits and trainers, with sufficient layers to stay warm for the full day as children will not be changing at school.

Healthy Eating at Playtime
Children are provided with milk and a healthy snack at breaktime. This will be a piece of fresh or dried fruit or vegetable. We would encourage the children to bring a small refillable bottle of plain water to drink throughout the day or as an alternative to milk if preferable.
 

Communication between home and school
Communicating with parent and carers is an important part of what we do; making sure you get the correct information about school news, activities and things that really matter is something we care about. We use ParentMail, a service used by over 6,000 schools, nurseries, and children’s clubs to communicate with you. You have been sent an invite to ParentMail with instructions on how to register. Once registered, if you have an Android or Apple smartphone, we highly recommend you download the ParentMail App for the best user experience. If you need any assistance, please visit the help site, contact the school office or email your queries to: parentmail@bellevilleschool.org

We will be using Tapestry as our learning journal system in Early Years at Belleville. This allows a greater degree of communication between home and school and enables you to share what your child is doing at home as well as accessing their in-school observations. Please let your class teacher know if you have not yet signed up for Tapestry.

We work in close partnership with families to ensure your child’s time at school is successful – if you have any queries concerning your child’s education or welfare, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher on the playground or through the office and we will be glad to discuss any queries with you.

Yours faithfully,
Lucelle Hendriks (RH and Year Leader)
Elizabeth Cadwallader (REC)
Abby Radford (RR)
Taylor Carstairs (RC)
Jack Millington (RM)

View the Phonics Parent Workshop