5.12.25

Phonics
This week, we added the ‘x’, ‘y’, ‘z’, ‘zz’ sounds and tricky words ‘we’ and ’me’. We used our phonics ball to embed the tricky words in a playful way and then used the words to read and write short phrases. We continued to use the chime bars to sound out and blend words. Some words need splitting to help us with blending. For example, zigzag, visit, foxes, yumyum.

Literacy and PSHE

This week, we have had a variety of books in our book vote during snack time. The children use a token and place it in front of their preferred book. We read the book with the most votes. We have particularly enjoyed ‘On Sudden Hill’ and ‘Sharing a Shell’. Both books explored emotions which we all feel at times. Changes in friendships and sharing can be challenging and the children were all able to empathise with the characters in the story.

In our Might Writers session, the children helped create a fantastic story. They offered describing words (adjectives) and helped sequence the story, thinking of setting, characters and dramatic story line. Ray showed us his AI book covers that he creates based on his story ideas at bedtime. Everyone was impressed with the possibilities!

Maths

This week we have been finding ways to make 7. We used Numicon to make this visual and concrete rather than abstract. We drew round  Numicon shapes, using  + and = to show the sum. The symbols are new to most children, so please remind them if you see them around! The children then wrote the number sentence on top, using a number line to help them form the numbers. They were able to think of several ways to make 7. Perhaps you could try this at home with toys or fruit segments. Send us a photo!

1+6=7      2+5=7    3+4=7     2+2+3=7    3+2+2=7

Baking

On Wednesday, the children made latkes in small groups. They took turns to peel and grate potatoes, crack eggs, add salt and pour oil into the bowl. We added pre-grated onion and mixed it all up. They then used a serving spoon to fill up silver foil pots to cook them in the oven until golden. They illustrated and wrote their own recipes. Well done to all the budding chefs!

PE

In PE this week, Reception developed their jumping technique and power through different exercises.

Music

This week we have been practising our songs for the show next week. Please encourage your child to practise their songs before next week. The children are really looking forward to entertaining you!

Ivrit 

We have had another exciting week learning about Chanukkah in our Ivrit lessons. We continued practising Chanukkah words such as Chanukiah, Sufganiyot, Sevivon, Kad Katan (little jar), Shemen (oil), Nerot (candles), and Leviva (latke). Podi and his friend Racheli ate a Sufganiya, so we learned to say in Ivrit: פודי אוכל סופגניה – Podi is eating a Sufganiya, רחלי אוכלת סופגניה – Racheli is eating a Sufganiya

The children managed to say a full three-word sentence in Ivrit using nouns and a verb.

Kol Hakavod, Reception class!

We also had great fun practising our Chanukkah songs for the show and making our crowns.

Jewish Studies 

This week in Jewish Studies, Reception class: 

• Explored Parashat Vayishlach, learning how Yaacov wanted to make amends with his brother Eisav and sent him many gifts before they met again after so many years apart. His gifts included rams, sheep, camels, and cows — wow! Each child made a fabulous sheep craft as an aide-mémoire.
• Learned a new Alef Bet letter — Daled, which makes the sound d. Daled looks a bit like Reish, so we say to ourselves, “Is this a rainbow Reish or a doggy Daled with a tiny tail?” to help us tell them apart.
• Explored the meaning behind the sevivon in the Chanukah story. Each child created a gorgeous sevivon spin picture by dipping sevivonim in paint and spinning them on paper. These will be coming home soon as a drip mat for your Chanukiah!

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Elisha and Rebecca.

Forest School 

The Reception children had another try at saying their name with an action in the circle today as part of their welcome routine. They are becoming much more confident with this now. 

Both classes played Head Honcho for the first time. The children had to work as a team to try not to give the secret Head Honcho away and a detective had to work out who the Head Honcho was. This was quite a challenging game for this age group and they had a good try at it. Then they listened to Emma tell a story called ‘The Red Mitten’. It is a folktale from Ukraine about a group of animals including a mouse who take shelter in a lost mitten. 

For the rest of the session, lots of children chose to drill wooden discs with a hand drill and make their own creations with them using pens and pipecleaners. Some of them had a Chanukah theme. Other children used elder wood, clay and yellow Silver Birch leaves to make Chanukah candles. Emma and a group of children enjoyed creating different stick games and challenges with long pieces of willow. Other children had fun in the mud kitchen and on the slackline. 

To finish, both groups shared what their favourite thing was about Forest School this term. The most popular choices were making things and playing games.

Shabbat Shalom and wishing you a restful weekend.

The Reception Team

Reminders:

• Winter Show: Children arrive at 8:30–8:40am. Please let me know by Monday 8th December who will attend so chairs can be arranged. (Please ensure you have read the email sent out by Ms Simon.).
• Chanukah ExtravaganzaThursday 11th December: Children should wear a Chanukah jumper. Collect at 12:05pm and take them to the main school for the Chanukah lighting at 12:20pm. (Please ensure you have read the email sent out from Ms Meyer.)
• Please ensure that all boys come to school wearing a kippah fastened with four clips and wearing tzitzit. Thank you.
• Fruit Preparation Reminder: Please make sure all fruit is cut according to our guidelines: Blueberries should be halved lengthways, tomatoes and grapes should be cut lengthways. Thank you for your cooperation.

28.11.25

We are so proud of how the children performed at the chagigat siddur this morning. It was a very special and emotional milestone! The beginning of the week was also a big change when we moved to the main school for the day and the children managed very well and enjoyed the bigger playground equipment, steam lab and library. 

Phonics
This week, we added the ‘j’, ‘v’, ‘w’ sounds and tricky words ‘he’, ‘she’ and ’buses’. We have used our sound sacks to see some real objects which have the initial sound we are learning. We sounded out lots of words with robot arms. We wrote CVC words and some children are able to write short sentences or phrases using the tricky words and sounds we know. We do this as a dictation to enable the children to hold the sentence in their mind while writing. We now have chime bars to use to help us segment words, tapping the note with each sound we read. The children are all making steady progress and their enthusiasm is palpable.

Literacy and Fire safety 

This week, we have read stories about fire safety. These have been a springboard for our fire safety role play. We learnt some rules about flames being hot and sometimes dangerous (even Shabbat, birthday and Chanukah candles), electric sockets, the importance of smoke alarms and what to do in an emergency. The children have brought this learning to life in our fire station role play. They have been making phone calls, using walkie talkies, spraying hoses, using wet paint rollers, filling buckets, and writing records in the fire station!

Maths

This week we have been finding ways to make 6. We used Numicon to make this visual and concrete rather than abstract. We cut out Numicon shapes, sticking them on a paper and putting + and = to show the sum. The children then wrote the number sentence on top, using a number line to help them form the numbers. They were able to thinking of several ways to make 6. Perhaps you could try this at home with toys or fruit segments. Send us a photo!

1+5=6

2+4=6

3+3=6

2+2+2=6

3+2+1=6

PE

In PE this week, Reception worked on developing their hand-eye coordination skills through different throwing and catching activities.

Music

Well done to all the Reception children for their wonderful performance at their Chagigat Siddur today. This week, we focused on learning how to accompany a song using cups. The children sang Someone Is Knocking on My Door and played the beat with their cups at specific points in the song. We also sang our chanukah show songs.

Ivrit 

Jewish Studies 

This week in Jewish Studies, Reception class: 

• started to learn about Chanukah, the story of how the Maccabees defeated Antiochus, and the miracle of the tiny drop of oil that lasted for eight days. We discussed the difference between a Chanukiah and a Menorah, and each of the children made a beautiful modern Chanukiah picture, which is on display in the EYU.
• made gorgeous, bright tiled Chanukiot with our mummies and daddies.
• explored Parashat Vayetzei and Yaacov’s fascinating dream of angels going up and down a huge ladder spanning from the  earth right up to the heavens. We discussed how we should try to keep our feet firmly on the ground but also aim high and be our best selves. Each of the children made a collage of Yaacov with pom-pom malachim.

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Mia and Emmanuel.

Forest School 

Today we had another playful exploration into birds, their behaviour and features. We started with a game called Nest Robbers. The children worked in pairs to create their own nest and then had to try and collect as much ‘food’ as possible from the ‘bird feeder’ and not get caught by the predator birds (the teachers!) The second time we played Miss Tapper played a corvid and tried to steal food from the nests, but the children were too good at protecting them!

Back at the log circle, Carrie told the children a story called ‘Pine and the Winter Sparrow’. In this story an injured sparrow seeks shelter from the cold, and while most trees refuse to help, the kind pine tree offers protection. The great spirit of the sky punishes the unkind trees by stripping away their leaves, but the pine is allowed to keep its needles for showing compassion. The story demonstrates the sparrows’ need for shelter in winter and explains why pine trees stay green through the cold season.

For the rest of the session, lots of children were eager to help the birds at Forest School and made individual bird feeders for them. Some children used a piece of wire and threaded chunks of apple onto it and then fastened it together to make a circular shape. When  their feeders were finished they found different branches to hang them on. Other children made pine cone bird feeders with string and Emma was really impressed with everyone’s knot skills and independence with this task. Some children looked carefully at our bird ID posters and chose a bird they would like to create out of clay. They thought carefully about their bird's features and considered what position their fingers would need to be in so they could manipulate the clay into the correct features needed. A few Year 1 children were very interested in discovering fungi in the woods and found Jelly Ear, Black Witches Butter and Oysterling fungi! They were eager to show all the children. Reception began to learn the song ‘Oh Pine Tree’ at the end of their section of the session.

Shabbat Shalom and wishing you a restful weekend.

The Reception Team

Reminders:

• Please ensure that all boys come to school wearing a kippah fastened with four clips and wearing tzitzit. Thank you.
• Fruit Preparation Reminder: Please make sure all fruit is cut according to our guidelines: Blueberries should be halved lengthways,tomatoes and grapes should be cut lengthways.Thank you for your cooperation.
• Next Thursday is the last forest school before the end of term.

21.11.25
Phonics
This week, we added the ‘f’, ‘ff’, ‘l’ and ‘ll’ sounds and tricky words ‘as’ and ‘his’. We are working on fluency by repeating back the words we read to put a sentence together. This is a challenge and some of the children have surprised themselves. All the children have homework to complete for the new sounds and tricky words. Please send it back completed on Monday and to extend them, ask them to think of a sentence with the new tricky words as and his or look out for them in their books at home.

Literacy

This week, we looked at a kindness poem and discussed some of the kindness list ideas. In a book vote, the popular choice was ‘The Lion Inside’ by Rachel Bright. The mouse in the story surprised us by being much braver than the lion. They ended up being close friends despite their differences, teaching us an important lesson for life.

Kindness Superpower

We enjoyed a PSHE lesson where the children took turns to put on the superhero cape and tell the class their kindness superpower. Their confidence is growing and they used whole sentences to express themselves. They then decorated their superhero picture and some children wrote their superpower on a speech bubble. These will be put up proudly on display in the EYU.

Maths

This week we have been working on simple subtraction starting with working on one less, using dice to subitise, placing items on a ten frame and then taking one away. The children also built a small lego tower and then a tower with one less on one side of it and one more on the other. They wrote the number of bricks by each tower, using a number line to remind them of the number formation and orientation. We have been singing a variety of songs to help us with counting down for subtraction and acted them out including 10 little monkeys jumping on the bed, 5 sticky buns in a bakers shop and 5 spacemen in a flying saucer. This was lots of fun!

PE

In PE this week, Reception developed their jumping and core strength skills through exercises such as squats, burpees, push ups and the plank.

Music

In Music this week, we have been busy preparing for our upcoming Chanukkah show. The children have been practising singing a selection of songs with great enthusiasm. We also learned a fun new listening game: different tunes played on the piano, which signalled different actions, such as standing up, sitting down, turning around, or clapping. The children loved responding to the music and showed fantastic listening skills!

Ivrit 

This week we wrapped up our Autumn (סתו) theme with more fun Ivrit learning. We continued playing our favourite games—Memory and “What’s Missing?”—to review the words we’ve learned so far, such as geshem גשם (rain), ananim עננים (clouds), hatzav חצב, nachalieli נחליאלי, and ruach רוח (wind).

We played with Podi on the board and created beautiful autumn pictures, now proudly hanging in our classroom.

We also enjoyed the story “Nadav Mechapes Et HaStav” נדב מחפש את הסתיו, where Nadav searches for signs of autumn and discovers new words hidden in the illustrations.

It was a lovely end to our Autumn learning!

Jewish Studies

This week in Jewish Studies, Reception class: 

-explored the final segment of our Jewish Way of Life Curriculum focusing on Shabbat. We explored Kiddush and Hamotsi. Each of the children decorated their own challah cloths to use at home. Children, they turned out so lovely, I hope you enjoy using them!

-looked at our new alef-bet letter, which is Lamed. Lamed says 'l' and comes at the end of our new vocabulary words - ohel, degel, yisrael and gadol. We made some amazing lightning lamed chalk pictures and played lots of other lamed themed tactile games. 

-learned about Parashat Toledot, all about how Yaacov and Esav loved and honoured their Mummy and Daddy -Rivka and Yitschak, showing such great Kibbud Av v'Em. Each of the children made a fabulous hand print craft to give to their own Mummy and Daddy, 

As part of a whole EYU activity for Mitzvah Day, Nursery and Reception children created wonderfully cheerful collages of their favourite things - from robots and rainbows to baloons and bananas- to brighten up a homeless drop-in centre for  HIAS Jcore. 

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Serena and Sacha.

Forest School 

Reception did so well with their first experience of being out at Forest School in such a cold temperature! We started the session with a fun game called Catch the Tail. Each child had a long fabric tail which they could stick partway in their sleeve, coat or pocket and the adults tried to catch the tails. When their tail was caught they could go and fetch a new one. The main aim was to get everybody moving and warm and it certainly did that! 

After this, Emma explained our animal focus for today was the hedgehog. She read a lovely non-fiction book called ‘Helga the Hedgehog’. It had lots of interesting facts about hedgehogs and the children were amazed to learn how many spines a hedgehog has and how they clean their teeth!

During the independent activity time, some children chose to make their own mini hedgehogs. They looked carefully at a photograph of a hedgehog and discussed the features and any shapes they could see. They manipulated clay using rolling and pinching techniques. Then they collected different natural materials to decorate them; for example, tearing leaves for eyes and ears and snapping sticks and pressing them in the clay as spines. Other children chose to be creative with elder wood beads and pipe cleaners. Other children enjoyed being in the forest and challenging themselves on the slackline or resting in the hammock. We sang the action song ‘40 Years in an Iceberg’ to finish and Reception loved doing the actions as it was the first time they had experienced it. 

Shabbat Shalom and wishing you a restful weekend.

The Reception Team

Phonics
This week, we added the ‘ss’, ‘h’ and ‘b’ sounds and the tricky word ‘pull’. The children have done really well and are remembering the majority of the sounds. Please continue to use the bottle tops to build short words and sounding out and blending as well as enjoying the reading books (3 separate times before sending back). Thanks so much for your support.

Literacy

This week, in addition to our various daily stories during snack, we have focused on a book called Where the poppies now grow linked with our learning about remembrance. 

Maths

This week we have been adding one more, using dice to subitise and then placing items on a ten frame. Some children wrote the number sentence. E.g. 4 + 1 = 5

Remeberance 

On Monday, the children looked at photos of my Grandfather in the war and passed round his medals to look closely at the details of what was on them and feel the shapes and the metal. We talked about why we wear a poppy and watched a short, age-appropriate animation, stopping to talk about the changes in light and music and the feelings they evoke. 

Expressive art and design 

The children created their own poppies with very little help. They were encouraged to think about their design and how they would make it look realistic. They showed perseverance when cutting a poppy shape out of cardboard, wrapping red wool around it and are getting really good at cutting their own sellotape.

PSED

This week was anti bullying week and Reception had a session with Streetwise. They watched a thought provoking video and talked about what they noticed in the interactions between the birds on the wire. They were able to point out how the big bird may have felt when the other birds didn’t let him join in and pecked him and were unkind. We have read some other relevant stories and done some lovely activities to promote kindness and embed how to be a good friend as well as what you might do if it happened to you.

PE

In PE this week, Reception focused on developing their speed, balance and agility through different movement exercises.

Music

In Music this week, the children had a wonderful lesson. They sang along to music whilst waving the parachute. The children worked together to try and move it to the beat. We also practised songs for Chanukah and for our special Chagigat Siddur. 

Ivrit 

This week in Ivrit, we continued to learn and explore Autumn (סתיו – Stav) through fun games and activities. The children enjoyed playing Memory and interacting with Podi on the smart board.

We also reviewed familiar words we have learned so far: סתיו (Stav – autumn), עננים (Ananim – clouds), חצב (Hatzav – a flower that blooms in Israel during autumn), רוח (Ruach – wind), and נחליאלי (Nachlieli – a bird that visits Israel in the autumn season).

The children made their own Autumn Memory Game to take home and enjoy with their families.

Jewish Studies

This week in Jewish Studies, Reception class has:

• explored a new Alef Bet letter — Reish, which makes the sound ‘r’ and appears at the end of our new vocabulary words (or, ner, shofar, and siddur).
• learned about Shabbat candles as part of our Jewish Way of Life Curriculum. Each child decorated a glass candle holder to use at home.
• made Bessamim pouches to take home for Havdalah, filled with sweet-smelling cloves, lavender, dried tangerine peel, and sequins.
• delved into Parashat Chayei Sarah and Eliezer’s search for a suitable wife for Yitzchak. Each child made a tiny “Rivka’s Well” model to cherish and listened to this catchy song Eliezer Made a Test.

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Kayia and Ariel.

Forest School 

Our focus over the next few weeks is the animals typically found in British woodlands. The children took part in a hunt and matching game with pictures of badgers, moles, foxes, hedgehogs, deers, and bats. Then Emma read a story called ‘Badger and the Great Storm’ as today’s theme was badgers. The children shared ideas at certain points of the story and we talked about how the animals had been good friends and what actions showed this.

For the rest of the session, many children were eager to make their own badger logs! They used the bow saw with Emma to saw a piece of log. The children really enjoy using tools at Forest School and it is great for their motor skills. Everyone listened carefully to Emma’s safety instructions. Once they had their log, they studied a photo of a badger and decorated their log accordingly. Other children explored the animal footprint stones looking at each of the animal's unique prints. Some children created imprints in play dough. A lot of children enjoyed challenging themselves on the slackline. Today we brought in a strap that went over the top part so the children held onto that instead and it meant they had to control their body and muscles in a different way. Other children painted trees with the large brushes and mud. The mud kitchen was busy with chocolate cake and potions being created. In the woods, positive chatter such as “This is so fun” and “I love going to Forest School” were overheard and this is very pleasing to hear. To finish, the children learnt a new song about woodland animals.

Shabbat Shalom and we hope you have a restful weekend.

The Reception Team

Phonics
This week, we added the ‘e’, ‘u’ and ‘r’ sounds and the tricky word ‘into’. The children have done really well and are remembering the majority of the sounds. Please continue to use the bottle tops to build short words and sounding out and blending as well as enjoying the reading books (3 times before sending back). Thanks so much for your support.

Literacy

This week, in addition to our various daily stories during snack, we have focused on a poem called Zim Zam Zoom linked with our learning about fireworks night. The children helped identify the rhyming words and did really well at repeating each line with expression. The children are showing increasing confidence when participating in class discussions as well as improving their ability to listen carefully to each other and show they have something to ask or add by giving a thumbs up. They have helped predict what might happen next and shown comprehension of details of the stories. There is clearly a developing love of reading and books.

Maths

This week we did lots of subitizing, focusing on groups of 4 or 5 objects. This helps children identify a small amount of dots, birds, pencils, fruits etc, without having to count them one by one. This skill of seeing a small group will help with addition and subtraction skills. We have also linked number ordering with fireworks, ordering amounts on ten frames with the numeral and with Numicon.

Guy Fawkes/firework night 

We did some British history this week when learning about Guy Fawkes plotting to blow up the Houses of Parliament and how we celebrate each year on November 5th. We looked at a picture of the Houses of Parliament and some children recognised it from their visits to London. We talked about other places nearby like Big Ben and the River Thames and the London Eye. We also talked about it being the place that the government make the rules just like our class rules. We looked at a picture of a barrel which would have been used to store the gunpowder but nowadays we have different, more modern storage containers. We touched on safety as well.

Expressive art and design 

Some of the children made fantastic model rockets, and all the children engaged fully in a bubbly firework process art experiment.

PE

In PE this week, the children focused on building leg strength and stability through a range of jumping exercises designed to develop their explosive power and landing control.

Music

In Music this week, we learnt a song about Bonfire night and we practised some songs in preparation for Chanukah. The children particularly enjoyed using the parachute and using it to move to the music of Jelly on a plate.

Ivrit 

This week in our Ivrit lesson, we continued to enjoy learning about the Stav (autumn season). We reviewed some of the words we learned before the half term, while playing memory game and 'What is missing?',  such as:

• Hatzav חצב – a type of flower that grows in Israel       during the autumn season.

• Stav סתו – autumn

• Alim noshrim עלים נושרים – falling leaves

• Mitriya מטריה – umbrella

• Nachalieli נחליאלי – a type of bird

• Annanim עננים – clouds

We also coloured a bare tree and added small pieces of tissue paper to make it look like falling leaves around it.

Jewish Studies

This week in JS Reception class, we looked at Parashat Lech Lecha, where Avraham and Sarah were told by Hashem to leave their home and start a new life and a new nation together.The children created brilliant camel shadow pictures to go with Lech Lecha.

We explored a new Alef Bet letter Nun Soffit, which makes the “n” sound and appears at the end of our new vocabulary words: ben, sevivon, yayin, shemen, and gan. Please do look at these words at home, as the children are really enjoying learning their new sounds and vocabulary!

We also learned about Parashat Vayera, where Avraham and Sarah welcome three malachim (angels) who promise them that they will soon be blessed with a baby. Reception children made their own fabulous “Avraham serving the malachim” pictures to illustrate the story.

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Abigail and Ray.

Forest School 

Today’s session was all about light and Bonfire Night. We started by playing the running tag game Forest Fire. The children enjoyed being either a fox, squirrel or hedgehog to try and escape Emma (the fire). 

Next Carrie told the children a story called ‘Fox and Fire’. It is about a fox’s encounter with fire and how it has lots of wonderful benefits (warmth, light, heat for cooking etc), but it also has the potential to harm us and we have to be careful around it. 

For the rest of the session, all of the children were very engaged in different play activities. Some children worked with Emma to make their own rockets with elder wood and ribbons. They had to use the palm drills to create a hole at one end and they all used them safely and independently. Other children enjoyed creating a large firework painting using different natural materials to create shapes and patterns with the paint. A lot of children were very curious about the small torches we had brought today and experimented with them in a tent. They explored the different colours and made patterns on the inside of the tent. The torches also inspired some imaginative role play. Many children took the challenge to try and make their way through the giant spider web without touching any of the pieces of the web (ropes!). To finish, Reception learnt the song ‘We Are the Wild Ones’ and spoke about what they had enjoyed.

Shabbat Shalom and we hope you have a restful weekend.

The Reception Team

Phonics
This week, we added the ‘k’ sound and our first digraph, ‘ck’ which is usually at the end in short words. I explained to the children that a digraph has two letters and one sound. We read short words like tick, pick, pack, sack. We also added to our tricky words, so we have now introduced a, I, the, is, put, no, go and to. We played a game with an inflatable beach ball, rolling it to each other and reading the nearest word when it reached us. 

Maths

This week we focused on capacity and linked it with the book ‘Dear Zoo’. We used soft animals to decide which box they would fit in. We also did some number ordering to 20 with numbered stones.

Diwali 

Miss Dalwai from the main school came on Tuesday to deliver a fantastic session about Diwali. She explained the festival to the children and taught us a wonderful dance. The children were amazing at putting the various moves together to the rhythm of some Indian music. Many children shared their recent experiences of the sight and sound of fireworks. We linked our cooking with Diwali, baking traditional coconut biscuits. We compared some of the traditions with our Jewish traditions. For example, cleaning our houses, wearing nice clothes, eating special foods, bringing gifts etc.

Expressive art and design 

We learned a new skill for creating models- a concertina of card to create a springy pop up model diya lamp.

PE

In PE, Reception focused on developing their power through different plyometric jumping and core strengthening exercises.

Music

This week in Music the children enjoyed playing a parachute game with Y1 children. They enjoyed lifting it up and down whilst using their voice to go from low to high and back to low again. We also marched around as a band, singing a new song Marching Band. We ended by clapping some different rhythms which the children had to repeat after me. I was so impressed with their listening skills during this activity.

Ivrit 

This half term we are exploring Autumn – עונת הסתיו! The children are learning new Hebrew words and discovering the main signs of the season in Israel (some are just like in England!).

We’ve talked about:

🍂 Alim Noshrim עלים נושרים – falling leaves

☁️ Ananim עננים – clouds

🐌 Hilazon חילזון – snail

💨 Ruah רוח – wind

…and many more!

To watch with your child:

https://youtu.be/J0b8KLqijm4?feature=shared

The children also enjoyed playing with Misaviv La’Olam – Podi Interactive and had lots of fun sorting pictures of Autumn and Summer items in a class activity.

Jewish Studies

This week we explored Parashat Noach.

• We sang lots of Noach-themed songs, including Who Built the Ark? Noach, Noach!
• We read several Noach books, including All Afloat on Noah’s Boat by T. Mitton and G. Parker-Rees.
• We cut rainbow curves to make our own rainbows.
• We created lots of different animals for our beautiful tactile wall display.

We also learned about the Hebrew letter Mem-soffit and reviewed our other letters:

• We explored their shapes in lots of fun ways, including tracing our fingers in icing sugar on black card — it was great fun!
• (See Tapestry for pictures.)

Please do have a look at your child’s JS Zippy folder and have a go at the homework — it should be a lot of fun!

As part of our Jewish Way of Life curriculum, we began learning about Shabbat:

• We focused on Shalom Aleichem.
• Each child made a fabulous laminated Shalom Aleichem card to take home.
• We practised singing the first verse together.

What’s your favourite tune for Shalom Aleichem at home?

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Emmanuel and Rebecca.

Shabbat Shalom and we hope you have a restful weekend.

Reminders

• Fri 24th October: Finish at 2pm
• Monday 27th - Friday 31st October is half term 
• If possible, please send in empty kitchen rolls and interesting containers and bottle tops after half for us to develop our junk modelling resource area.

We hope you had a lovely Simchat Torah.

Phonics
This week, we added the ‘c’ sound. We used crayons to form the letter on large paper. We also formed the letter with our eyes closed. We have played a tricky word game where one person calls out the words from a small selection and the other swats the word card on the carpet. We went over a, I, the, put, is and will add more to continue to provide challenge. On Friday, we had a first try at reading and writing a short sentence. We did this as a class, looking for our tricky words and noticing finger spaces between the words.

Gruffalo crumble 

We linked our cooking with the Gruffalo as it is a firm favourite at the moment. The children helped work out how to share the apple slices fairly and counted all the measurements together. They absolutely loved getting stuck in, measuring, mixing and assembling their crumble. It was a really sensory experience. I hope the tasting was enjoyable too!

Expressive art and design 

There was great creativity with junk modelling used to create the characters from the Gruffalo story. This process promotes critical thinking skills, hand strength and using vocabulary from the story and knowledge of the world to help develop their models.

Drawing club 

This week we continued to draw characters from the Gruffalo story and tried out a variety of alternative endings to the story. The children used their imaginations to think of some great suggestions!

Jewish Studies

This week we visited Raanan's beautiful Sukkah for songs, games and delicious snacks! Thank you Raanan for welcoming us so nicely to your Sukkah! We made Simchat Torah Flags to wave in shul. 

This week we also looked at Parashat Bereshit, and the way that Hashem created the world in six days and had a rest on the Seventh day- which was Shabbat. We too have a rest on Shabbat. Each of the children made a fabulous Yom Chamishi pot filled with clouds and birds and water and sea creatures! Well done children!

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Sacha and Mia.

Shabbat Shalom and we hope you have a restful weekend.

• Fri 24th October: Finish at 2pm
• Monday 27th - Friday 31st October is half term 

We hope you are all having a lovely Sukkot.

Phonics
This week, we enjoyed sounding out words to do with succot using robot arms. We have been using various media to focus on letter formation on large paper to ensure everyone is doing it correctly. We also formed the letters with our eyes closed. We have been building CVC words with bricks and writing lists of the words. 
 

Drawing club 

We really loved reading the Gruffalo last week as the children were so familiar with the story. We have started drawing club which empowers the children to use their creativity to express them selves and use their mark making to take them on a journey. So far, they have drawn the Gruffalo and the big, bad mouse. They labelled them with’g’ and’m’. There was excellent focus and great enthusiasm!

Maths 

We have been focusing on the concepts of less than and more than. Morah Cassie linked this with sukkot, using pretend fruits in two sukkot, etrog cards and slices of lemon. The children used a spinner with numbers 1-6 to place fruit in one sukkah and then placed more than or less than that amount in the other sukkah.

Fine motor 

This week, we continued our finger gym activities to strengthen hand and finger muscles. The children enjoyed threading and either cutting or using small buttons along spiral and zigzag lines, all supporting their fine motor skills development.

Jewish Studies

The highlight of the week was visiting Serena Newman’s succah. The children enjoyed discussing the reasons why we sit in a sukkah, singing songs, shaking the lulav, and tasting some special treats. They also had fun eating their snacks and lunches in our very own sukkah. We made paper chain decorations for the EYU sukkah to fill it with colour. We have started to learn about Simchat Torah and have begun working on our flags to wave in shul.

Forest school 

Reception began with a name and action starter and then played the Squirrels game which they thoroughly enjoyed. All the children listened to a story called ‘The Nut Thief’. The main character is a squirrel who becomes upset when he believes another squirrel is stealing his nuts, only to discover that the 'thief' was actually acting out of kindness - teaching a lesson about gratitude, sharing, and not jumping to conclusions. At the end of the story, we discussed what the squirrel had learnt and what he could have done differently.

For the rest of the session, some children chose to experiment with seed roll painting. This involved rolling different seeds such as conkers and acorns through paint on paper to create patterns. Other children chose to be creative with clay. One idea suggested to the children was to make their own squirrel with a pine cone tail and lots chose to do this. Emma gave the children different hints and tips to guide their process and general manipulation of the clay. Some children had fun taking a dip in the ‘leaf bath’ we had set up in the woods. A group of Reception children had even more fun covering Carrie in leaves from head to toe in the ‘leaf bath’! Other children enjoyed building debris dens again. To finish, the children learnt a new song called ‘Five Shiny Conkers’.

This week’s cochavim at the Shabbat table were Ariel and Kayia.

Shabbat Shalom and we hope you have a lovely Simchat Torah! 

Reminders

• Mon 13th October: Early finish at 12:30 pm (no lunch). Please send in a larger snack — no sandwiches, please.
• Tues 14 & Wed 15th October: School closed
• Fri 17th October: Finish at 2pm

This week in phonics, we reviewed the sounds we have learned g and o. We have introduced ‘put’. The children have done some writing on whiteboards, forming short words like pot, gap, cot. Please continue to review the sounds with your children and save milk bottle tops to use for building CVC words for them to read and write. We used sound buttons and cars to help support blending. We used large paper and giant chalks for forming the letters o and g. We also did this with our eyes closed. 
 

In maths, the children sorted pasta shapes, animals and themselves, learning to use different sorting rules. We enjoyed reading The Gruffalo and learning a gruffalo song with makaton actions. 

In PE, Reception focused on developing their core strength through gymnastic and plyometric exercises such as squats, the bridge, bear walks and jumping.

This week in Ivrit we learned new words:

    •    פטיש (patish) – hammer

    •    מסמר (masmer) – nail

    •    קרשים (krashim) – wood planks

    •    קישוטים (kishutim) – decorations

Here is the link to listening with your child and sing a long: 

https://youtu.be/TODTgzdUfH0?si=296K5DiuWuA2LWUm

We read the story סוכת הילדים (The Children’s Sukkah), discovering step by step how to build and decorate a sukkah. In the end, it became a Sukat Shalom (סוכת שלום) that welcomed all the children of Israel.

The children also created beautiful rimonim (pomegranates) to hang in the sukkah or at home.

This week in Jewish Studies, we focused on the story of Yonah, which we read in shul on Yom Kippur. We learned how Yonah tried to run away from Hashem—but Hashem is everywhere! Each child had the opportunity to build their own sailing ship or Big Fish from the story, and enjoyed acting it out as well.

We all made our own moving-parts craft of Yonah and the Big Fish. We also began learning about Sukkot and explored some of the wonderful sensory elements of the chag—the sukkah that surrounds us, the different textures and spicy fragrances of the lulav and etrog. We also learnt some joyful Sukkot songs! The children created their own tactile lulav picture to take home.

We reviewed our alef-bet letters Shin and Vet, which make the sounds “Sh” and “V”.

The cochavim on the shabbat table this week were Ariel and Serena.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom.

Mrs Freedman and the Reception team

Reminders:

• Friday finish time of 2pm on 3rd and 10th October.
• School finishes at 12.30pm on Monday for Succot.
• Please ensure all fruit is cut according to the guidelines (e.g. grapes, blueberries and cherries).
• Please send in spare clothes and waterproofs for outdoor play.
• Please ensure you bring your children to the classroom door and encourage them to carry their own coat and bag from the main gate to promote independence and responsibility.
• Punctuality: It is important that children arrive at school no later than 8:40am. We will be starting the day punctually, and the children need time to settle before beginning the routine. The gate will now close promptly at 8:40, and children arriving later will be brought in by the guard. Thank you for your support with this.

It’s been a short week in Reception.

In phonics, we reviewed the sounds we have learned so far (s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d), We have introduced some tricky words which we will become more confident in spotting with practise (a, the, I, no). The children have done some writing on whiteboards, forming short words like mat, sit, tin, sad. Please continue to review the sounds with your children and save milk bottle tops to use for building CVC words for them to read and write. I have provided a homework sheet. Please encourage your child to use robot arms to sound out the short words and then try to write them under the pictures. Process is more important than product at this stage so no need to rub or cross anything out. Just enjoy and praise the effort. I have seen some really good concentration. If they only feel like doing one word, please revisit it another time rather than forcing them. We want them to feel like writers and empower them.

In PE, Reception focused on developing their balance and hand-eye coordination skills through different tennis related activities.

This week in Jewish Studies, we finished our Rosh Hashanah learning and moved on to the study of Yom Kippur. We learned that, in order to prepare for Yom Kippur, we try to say sorry to anyone we might have upset over the year. We also learned that on Yom Kippur we don’t wear leather shoes, so each of the children made their own fabulous sliders.

The cochavim on the shabbat table this week were Ray and Abigail.

In Forest School, focus for Reception was squirrels.  Emma read a story called ‘The Squirrels Who Squabbled’ by Rachel Bright. It is a story about two squirrels arguing about the same nut. It contains important messages about sharing and friendship. The children joined in with the rhyming words they spotted during the story. 
After this, the children played the game Squirrels. This was Reception’s first try at the game and they joined in well. They had to listen carefully to the different squirrel actions and copy them as quickly as possible. For the rest of the session, some children were interested in working with Emma and drilled holes through conkers and acorns which are in abundance at the moment. They used their hand-eye coordination to thread cord through the small holes and made their own necklaces. Reception children learnt how to use the small palm drills and clamps we use for projects like this. Other children were creative with the conkers and acorns in the woods and helped Carrie make a nature mandala. This inspired other children to create their names out of the conkers and acorns. A group of Year 1 children had to rebuild their debris den from last week as it had been taken apart and we were pleased to observe their resilience at just accepting that fact and starting again with the drive to make it better than the last time. We also observed an increase in co-operative behaviour and communication skills during this building activity. 

At the end of the session, Reception learnt a song about squirrels called ‘Grey Squirrel’. Then they had a chat about feelings, recapping the happy sign and learning the signs for angry and sad. 

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and Gmar chatima tova.

Mrs Freedman and the Reception team

Reminders:

• School finishes at 12.30pm on Wednesday for Yom Kippur (no lunch)
• Please ensure all fruit is cut according to the guidelines (e.g. grapes, blueberries and cherries).
• Please send in spare clothes and waterproofs for outdoor play.
• Please ensure you bring your children to the classroom door and encourage them to carry their own coat and bag from the main gate to promote independence and responsibility.
• Punctuality: It is important that children arrive at school no later than 8:40am. We will be starting the day punctually, and the children need time to settle before beginning the routine. The gate will now close promptly at 8:40, and children arriving later will be brought in by the guard. Thank you for your support with this.
   

It’s been another busy  week in Reception! 

In phonics, we learned the sounds (i, n, m, d), practised forming letters, and used “robot arms” to sound out words. Maths learning included counting with bottle tops, ordering numbers forwards and backwards, matching and some simple addition. The budding bakers followed the honey cake instructions and took turns beautifully, measuring, mixing and decanting it into the special sparkly loaf tins. 

This week in Ivrit, we had such a fun and festive time learning all about Rosh Hashana. We discovered some special new words together: Shofar, Rimon (pomegranate), D’vorah (bee), and of course Tapuach ve’Dvash (apple and honey). The children loved listening to a lively new song  about Tapuach ve’Dvash. We danced and sang along to it. We also made beautiful honey pot cards decorated with little d'vorah (bee) – the results were so sweet.
We met Podi, for the 1st time, on the Interactive board and learned how to wish our Ima (mum) and Ava (dad) Shana Tova. Please let your child listen to the song. Feel free to sing and dance with your child: 
https://youtu.be/7lOSO7VZmKA?si=95slimEuQubFjUU8

In PE, Reception focused on developing their hand-eye coordination skills through different throwing and catching exercises. music was singing hello to the bee puppet, call-and-response songs, instructions like walking and jogging and stopping when the shofar blasted and Rosh Hashanah singing; and Jewish Studies brought so much fun as we prepared for Rosh Hashanah. We explored the shofar and practiced listening to its different sounds: Tekiah, Shevarim, and Teruah. We also discovered some of the special foods we enjoy on Rosh Hashanah, such as dipping apple in honey for a sweet new year and placing a fish head on the table to remind us to be leaders rather than followers-always at the head, not the tail.

In Parashat Nitzavim, we learned how Hashem gathered all the Jewish people together, from the woodcutters to the water carriers, showing that whoever we are, we all recommit ourselves to Hashem and His Torah.
In Hebrew reading, we focused on the letter “Bet.”

The cochavim on the shabbat table this week were Rebecca and Emmanuel.

In Forest School, we recapped the rules to keep us happy and safe and then played a quick game of 1,2,3 Where Are You? Then both year groups practised their understanding of how to carry sticks carefully by going on a hunt for short and long sticks and sorting them into different piles. Next, the children worked together to find different natural materials to decorate two giant people on the ground. They thought carefully about which objects to use for the eyes, nose, mouth and the rest of the body.

For the rest of the session, children chose activities that interested them. Some children made puppets with sticks and clay. Once they had made them, the children had fun making their puppets talk to each other! Other children took part in a leaf printing activity with Emma. We finished the session by learning the makaton sign for happy and singing ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova!

Mrs Freedman and the Reception team

Reminders:

• School finishes at 12.30pm on Monday for Rosh Hashana (no lunch)
• Please ensure all fruit is cut according to the guidelines (e.g. grapes, blueberries and cherries).
• Please send in spare clothes and waterproofs for outdoor play.
• Please ensure you bring your children to the classroom door and encourage them to carry their own coat and bag from the main gate to promote independence and responsibility.
• Please save milk bottle tops for us to use for building CVC words

What a brilliant first full week in Reception! The children have settled beautifully into routines, building confidence and independence each day.

We began the week exploring autumn treasures — thank you for helping your children collect such wonderful items! The children used descriptive words to talk about them, linking to our Communication and Language focus. In phonics, they learned their first sounds (s, a, t, p), practised forming letters, and used “robot arms” to sound out words. Maths learning included counting with acorns, exploring Numicon, and comparing “more than” and “fewer than.” In art, the children painted self-portraits, carefully observing their own features in mirrors.

This week in Ivrit, we continued with greetings and learned to say:
    •    Boker Tov – בוקר טוב (Good morning)
    •    Toda – תודה (Thank you)
    •    Bevakasha – בבקשה (Please)
    •    Laila Tov – לילה טוב (Good night)

We were also very excited to meet our old friends Podi HaKipod and Racheli again. Together, we made beautiful “Shalom” hand cards, which are now proudly displayed on the board at the entrance of the building.
Forest School was an absolute highlight. The children explored the woods, played games to practise coming together as a group, hunted for colourful leaves, and enjoyed ‘Forest Fun’ — from hammocks and slacklines to clay creations and cosy reading dens. Even dragonflies joined us before a thunderstorm brought the session to a speedy close!

Specialist lessons have begun with energy and enthusiasm: PE focused on running, jumping, and balance; music was filled with call-and-response songs and Rosh Hashanah singing; and Jewish Studies brought the sounds of the shofar, the joy of making tzedakah boxes, and beautiful Shanah Tovah cards. Reception also began their journey with the alef-bet, learning the letter Shin in fun, hands-on ways.
It has been a busy, joyful week of learning and discovery, and we are so proud of the start the children have made.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom 

Mrs Freedman, Miss Le Fort and Morah Cassie

Reminders:
Please ensure all fruit is cut according to the guidelines (e.g. grapes, blueberries and cherries).

Don’t forget to send in spare clothes and waterproofs for outdoor play.

We look forward to seeing you at the Curriculum Evening on Tuesday 16th September at 7.30pm.