Welcome to Reception Class

Meet the staff

Class Teacher - Miss. G. Laidler
Teaching Assistants - Mrs. P. Appleby, Miss. R. Campbell, Mrs. C. Hart & Mrs. D. Hallam
PPA Cover Teachers - Mrs V Jobbins

Life in Reception

We have busy days filled with play, singing, laughter and discovery.

We are delighted to have you as part of our class and school family. 

Here at St Joseph's we aim to create a warm, happy and secure learning environment centred around play and discovery. We plan our curriculum and environment carefully to ensure that our children feel safe, secure and confident whilst learning skills and knowledge in a way which is meaningful to them.

During your child's time in reception, they will take part in a variety of activities and play-based experiences which aim to challenge, foster a love of learning and inspire their natural curiosity. We play outdoors in all weathers and we will regularly come home messy after a busy day in the mud kitchen, creation station and play dough area!

To find out about the Reception curriculum, please visit our Early Years page. 

If you need to speak to me or have any queries, please email: reception@stjosephscatholicprimary.org or speak to the office and book an appointment. 

I am really looking forward to working with you all this year. 

Miss Laidler 

Key Information:

• P.E. days will be on a Wednesday and Friday. Please send your child to school in their kit on these days. 
   
• Once we begin teaching phonics, reading books will be sent home on a Friday.
   
• Your child receives free milk until their 5th birthday. If your child wants milk, please register at this link: Cool Milk - the UK's leading school and nursery milk supplier
   
• Lunch Menu: please choose your child's lunch and return the form to school. Please either give it to your child's teacher or email the completed form to: reception@stjosephscatholicprimary.org 

Reception made their very first Advent Wreath. We learned all about the candles, the circular shape, evergreen leaves and red berries. Every child put a piece of greenery into our wreath, and then we learnt a special song called ‘Light the Advent Candle’.

We have been learning about Remembrance Day and have been learning about the different ways we can remember people in Heaven. We started by learning about poppies and made our own. 

We learned all about Bonfire Night. 

We learned all about the different food people eat when they visit a firework display - including chocolate apples with sprinkles! We then learned about food hygiene and how to follow simple instructions by making our own.

We also used paintbrushes and cut up kitchen roll holders to make our own firework pictures. We finished off by learning the poem 'Remember, remember the 5th of November'. 

We took Reception class on their first ever school trip. We went to Middleton Park on a minibus driven by Mr Hutchinson! We played on the swings, slide, seesaw and then found acorns and leaves. Our behaviour was excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

We read the story Pumpkin Soup and then Miss Laidler brought in some real pumpkins! We felt their weight, texture and looked at the colours. We had a really good try at drawing and colouring in our own pumpkins using real objects.

We learnt about the story of creation and talked about how God created all of us. We know that we are all made by God and are given gifts and talents.

We then went for an autumnal walk to look at God’s world. Whilst we were outside, we talked about seasonal changes and looked for leaves and twigs. We even found a large wiggly worm - one of God’s wonderful creatures!

In October, we began learning how to match different items. We found matching pairs of animals in Noah’s Ark, matching socks and then matching aliens. We enjoyed reading and learning about Noah and the ark, as well as Bob the Man on the Moon (who doesn’t believe in aliens!!).

In October, we enjoyed playing outside in our new protective outdoor play suits. We enjoyed getting wet, muddy and messy!  We developed our independence in getting dressed and waited patiently when we needed some help. 

As part of our work about seasonal changes, we used our tuff tray to investigate some autumn treasures: conkers, their shells and leaves. We practised using magnifying glasses to help us look at things in more detail. 

As part of Black History month, we have been learning about the astronaut Mae Jemison. We then made our own rockets and spaceships independently in our play. We painted pictures of Mae and read some stories about her too.

We made our own listening ears. We practised our cutting and sticking skills, then went for a walk with our teachers to listen for the different sounds in our school. We also explored our school and found out where everything is kept.

Our new reception children have settled in to school life brilliantly. We are so proud of them. They have been exploring our school and learning how to use the toys and equipment safely. They have started to make lots of new friends and are getting to know their teachers.