Swing Gate Infant School and Nursery

         Welcome to our Reception Classes

Teaching Team

Miss Oliver

Mrs Fitzgerald

Mrs Paynter

 

Support Staff

Miss Hardwick

Miss Shaw

Mrs Gardener

Mrs Edwards

Miss Draper

Week beginning: 30th June 2025

Squirrels Class weekly theme

Maps and countries 

Free River Map illustration and picture

 

Owls Class weekly theme

Around the world - different homes, different counties

 

 

 

Hot weather this week - no cardigans or jumpers to be sent into school this week please. Please ensure suncream is applied before coming to school, we will also offer opportunities to reapply throughout the day. Sun hats are essential, along with water bottles. We will top these up throughout the day and encourage children to drink plenty. On Monday the forecast is very hot, to reassure you we will be taking precautions to keep the children cool and out of direct heat during the day. Outdoor activity will be kept to the absolute minimum. 

Key dates for the week:

Tuesday 1st July - Sports Day at TC, starting at 09:30. We are looking forward to this annual event and we hope to see you there cheering us on. Please ensure your child wears their coloured team t shirt, along with PE shorts and trainers on this day. Sun hats and water bottles are essential too. Please apply suncream before coming to school and we will get the children to reapply as needed. After sports day we hold our family picnic on the field at Swing Gate, all are welcome. After this the children will go back to their classroom to register, and then you may take your child home from 13:00 if you wish. 

Monday 30th June - We will be watching the Y2 performance of Snow White in the morning, we can't wait to see our older friends and siblings perform. In the afternoon the current YR children will be visiting some KS1 classes (Y1&Y2) for an hour, whilst the children new to Reception for the 2025-26 academic year, explore their new classroom. 

 

 

Our Learning this week includes:

Literacy - The children are all making progress on their own writing journeys and this week we are giving the children a complete choice about what they want to write about. We will be supporting this process by recapping on ‘using our imaginations’ and creating story ideas - making up a funny/silly story together using props. We will also recap on non fiction writing and the children will have a go at saying oral sentences about their own experiences of sports day.

Maths - This week we will focus on developing the children’s automatic recall of number facts. We will be revisiting these key skills:

  • knowing that whole amounts can be split into parts
  • knowing that parts can be combined to make whole amounts, and that the whole is larger than each of its parts
  • knowing the different ‘numbers within’ 4 and 5, and naming the parts that make the whole number (e.g. that 5 is composed of 4 and 1, and 3 and 2)
  • when shown a quantity to 5, saying how many are subsequently hidden under a cloth or bowl
  • knowing the different ‘numbers within’ 10, and naming the parts that make the whole number, e.g. that 10 is composed of 5 and 5, or 6 and 4
  • knowing doubles facts up to ‘5 and 5 make 10’

 

 

Phonics focus of the week Song of the week Words of the week

Poem of the week

Short vowels CVCC The doubles rap  map, town, city, countryside, same, different

Dance

 

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:

  • Wednesday (am)
  • Friday (am) 

 

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