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.