Welcome to our Reception Classes
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Teaching Team Miss Oliver Mrs Fitzgerald Mrs Paynter
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Support Staff Miss Hardwick Miss Shaw |
Week beginning: 8th December 2025
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Squirrels Class weekly theme Christmas
This week we start our Christmas theme by performing our nativity to you all. We have been busy rehearsing in school and hope that we can make you proud. The children have learnt the traditional nativity story, and then to make up our performance they rewrote it themselves - sharing ideas, talking about their understanding and using their imaginations. Our performance and lines come directly from the children! |
Owls Class weekly theme Christmas This week we start our Christmas theme by performing our nativity to you all. We have been busy rehearsing in school and hope that we can make you proud. The children have learnt the traditional nativity story, and then to make up our performance they rewrote it themselves - sharing ideas, talking about their understanding and using their imaginations. Our performance and lines come directly from the children! |
Reminders for the week:
Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th December - Nativity performances
Monday 8th - Squirrels 'bring a toy to school day' - Pasta Point reward
Thursday 11th - Christmas jumper day
Our Learning this week includes:
Literacy - This week we will be writing a special letter to a special someone. We will talk about what a letter is, and where it might travel to. The children will spend time thinking about what they'd like to say to a special person, and then have a go at writing it down. Some may write labels for things they want for Christmas, some may write initial sounds. And some will have a go at writing a sentence. We continue to practise our pencil grip using pinch and flick. The children have access to sound mats and tricky word spellings in class for support.
Maths - This week, the children will be developing their awareness of the properties of shapes. The children already demonstrate an understanding of shapes by selecting specific items for models—for example, choosing a cylinder shaped block to build a tower.
We will build on this by drawing the children’s attention to the specific properties of shapes using precise language. This includes:
- 2D shapes: discussing the number of sides and corners, identifying equal sides, and naming shapes.
- 3D shapes: Discussing the number of edges and identifying the 2D shapes that make up their faces.
- Using descriptive language such as curved, flat, or straight to help children articulate their observations.
The children will also begin to explore the relationships between shapes by folding and cutting paper shapes to create simple decorations. The children will discover that just like numbers, shapes can be composed of other smaller shapes.
Expressive Arts and Design - This week we will be getting extra creative and making our Christmas cards. The children have decided the theme that they want for their card, and they will be responsible for gathering the resources needed from within the classroom. We know that each card will be unique and special. When the cards are dry we will be writing a message inside for our family.
| Phonics focus of the week | Song of the week | Words of the week |
Poem of the week |
| Phonics Assessment week | Nativity Songs |
letter, stamp, envelope |
Counting Christmas |
Our termly Class letter is viewable here
What the children say...
In our EYFS unit we plan according to the children's interests. We spend time talking to the children, asking them what they already know and what they would like to find out.
Our weekly themes are led by the children. Each week we share ideas and then pick a theme for the coming week.
Our PE days for both classes are:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
RE learning
In Religious Education, we will be learning about different celebrations and festivals which link to the heritage of some of the children.
Swing Gate Lane, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 2LJ
01442 863913
admin@swinggate.herts.sch.uk

