Class Newsletter, Week 1

You should have received a paper copy of the following newsletter in your child's reading folder today. Here is a digital copy for your reference:

Dear Parents/Caregivers
What a fantastic first day at school today! We had a wonderful time getting to know each other, exploring our school and classroom and getting started with our learning. Today we did phonics, reading, writing, maths and art - what a busy first day!  Please check out our class blog for some photos of our gorgeous class: stalbansschoolroom3.blogspot.co.nz

Please don’t be surprised if you have a very tired wee person by the end of the week. It takes most children a while to adjust to the demands of a full day at school. Not only will they be physically tired, they will be emotionally and mentally tired too. Regular bedtimes and perhaps a few early nights will help them to cope effectively and enjoy their time at school. Please let me know if you think your child is becoming overtired and we can discuss ways to best meet their needs.

Be sure to check your child’s Reading Folder every day for notices, home learning activities, items of completed work or special surprises! I will put a copy of the weekly class newsletter in your child’s Communication Book every Friday. Alternatively, you will also be able to access the newsletter on our class blog. When possible, I will include notifications and dates of upcoming class, team and school events. In addition, I will let you know which two sounds/letters we will be focusing on in the coming week, so that the children can find an object that starts with that sound to bring along to class for the Alphabet Table. This week’s sounds/letters are ‘s’ and ‘a’, so, for example, you could bring a sock and an apple. This is an optional activity.

In your child’s Reading Folder you will also find their Alphabet Book. Please help your child to glue in or draw pictures starting with the sound we have been working on that day. Every second day, you can practise the Jolly Phonics Song and review all previously introduced sounds. You will find a YouTube clip of the Jolly Phonics songs on our class blog. I will be introducing two new sounds per week. For further information, please see the instructions in your child’s Alphabet book.

From Tuesday onwards I will be sending home a Guided Reading text for your child to share with you. I have tucked a note with important information about reading with your child into their Reading Log. Please take time to read this.

Over the next few weeks I will be completing School Entry Assessments with each child. Once these are completed, I will contact you to make a time to meet so I can share the results with you and we can set learning goals for your child.

Thank you to those families who have returned their completed ‘Getting to Know Your Child’ forms to me. I would greatly appreciate you returning these to me as soon as possible. Should you need another copy, I have pinned a bag of spares just outside our classroom door. Please help yourself.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. There is a lot for parents of five year olds to learn, let alone the children! I look forward to getting to know you all over the coming weeks.

Kind regards

Cara Wallace