Mrs Smedley, Miss Moody
Welcome to Foundation 2 at The St Augustine’s Academy!
We hope that your child’s FS2 year in school will be a wonderful part of the next step in your child’s learning journey.
Our day is FS2 is very busy! Every day we ensure the children receive sessions in Maths, English, Topic, reading and phonics. The children also have plenty of time to choose their own learning in our continuous provision activities both inside and outside. Children are dropped off between 8:40 and 8:50 and can be picked up at 3:20.
Topics Throughout the Year
Over the year we will be teaching a different topic each half term so there will be plenty of exciting opportunities for your child to learn new things and also share existing knowledge. Topics we will be covering are:
Within these topics we will be theming our learning around a different book each week – a mixture of fiction, non-fiction and poetry each half term so the children will cover a wide range of different texts, some new, some they may already be familiar with.
We know that you, as a parent, along with all of us at The St Augustine’s Academy, will celebrate and enjoy all your child’s achievements. Parents have a vitally important role to play and we value greatly the support from and the partnership with, all our parents.
There will be many opportunities for us to keep you informed about your child’s progress across the year such as:
WOW moments! We would love to hear about those special moments your child experiences out of school such as riding a bike, independently getting dressed or learning to swim. We would like to celebrate these so please feel free to send up pictures, certificates or just a note telling us about your child achievements.
Settling In
For many children, the point when their parent leaves is the most traumatic – sometimes for the parent too! No one wishes to see a child upset but a quick exit is often the best option. Most children settle down once their parent is out of view and they have had some special time with a member of staff and their favourite story or game. Once the children become familiar with the setting, this should begin to happen less frequently. REMEMBER: if your child does not settle after you’ve gone, we WILL ring you! (They generally do though.)
A good way to check your child is ready for school is to ensure that they are well-rested at home. An early night is a good way to make sure that your child is ready to face the day ahead.
It is also a good idea to practise toilet time at home before your child starts school (wiping own bottoms etc).
In addition, helping your child to become more independent with dressing themselves is essential. Whilst we know that buttons and socks still cause issues, your child should be able to put their t-shirt and trousers/skirts on independently. Why not take the time in the holidays to practise? It would be useful to consider your child’s needs when purchasing shoes: if they can’t tie laces, choose Velcro-fastening shoes.
Food and Drink
The St Augustine’s Academy is a ‘Healthy School’ and the children are allowed to bring in healthy snacks to eat at the appropriate time – either fruit or cheese. Please do not send cake or cereal bars as they children will not be allowed to eat these. They can have water in a named or easily recognisable water bottle for consumption throughout learning time. Every child will also be offered a free piece of fruit for morning playtime. Every child (until the age of 5) also receives free milk every day. After this time you will be given the opportunity to purchase it.
At playtime we offer the children a slice of toast for 10p per day. Money can be brought in a clearly labelled bag and handed to any of the teachers. It makes it easier for us to keep track when money is sent weekly. We keep a record of how much each child has and will let you know when you need to send more.
At lunch time the children go into the dining room with the midday supervisors. They can have a hot lunch, meat/vegetarian choice (free of charge if you want them) or sandwiches from home. Please be careful with your choice of contents in a packed lunch from home, particularly in hot weather. Ice packs are useful during these times. If you do choose to send a packed lunch from home please ensure your child has a sandwich or alternative NOT just crisps, cake and chocolate. Can we also ask that, due to allergies, no products containing nuts are included in their lunch box.
Helping at Home
To help your child with their reading we ask you to support them learning the 5 keys words we will be sending home each week. We also ask that you read with your child as often as possible. As an incentive we offer the children who do 5 reads at home a chance to spend some of their choosing time on the MUGA. The children love this area so please try to read at least 5 times per week. On days when the MUGA cannot be accessed we will offer ‘Juice and Biscuit Club’ for the children who have completed 5+ reads. Your child will also have a ‘home learning’ book which we will send home every Friday with a task for you to enjoy together. We do ask that this book is returned each week so new learning can be added. For each completed task your child will receive a dojo point.
And finally…..
We warmly welcome you and your child into our learning community and we endeavour to ensure that your child feels happy, safe and secure whilst here. Please work with us and come to us if you feel you have any concerns. Please see your child’s class teacher if there are other questions you have about starting school.
Thank you
The Foundation Stage Team
