Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a wonderful calm week of ‘first time experiences’. It was their first full week at school and the children have been very busy and engaged in their learning.

We are very impressed with their eagerness to learn.

We started Read Write Inc this week and the children met Fred the frog. We have learnt the sounds m, a, s, d, t. The children are bringing home a booklet of sounds for them to use at home. They can practise their letter formation by using the phrase for each sound. For example when they write the sound a they say ‘round the apple down the leaf’. The phrases are written in the booklet. Please do not rush through all the sounds, focus on the sounds we have learnt that week, which will be detailed in the newsletter.

The children had their first trip to the school library this week. We will visit the library every Monday to change their books. It is a chance for the children to independently choose a book and share it at home with you. We would like to hear about all the other wonderful books you share at home by detailing them in the reading log stuck in the red home school link book.

We had our first PE session today and the children listened very well to the instructions. They were taking turns and running in and out of the cones trying to avoid one another, they had lots of fun. To support your children please encourage them to try and dress and undress themselves at home. Encourage them to button their shirt and notice that their school jumper has a school logo on the front and their trousers may have a zip which goes at the front. We are always there to help your children but it is important to encourage their independence and try things for themselves. They did very well today, we are very proud of them. 

We introduced the choosing board for the first time this week. The children have a period of time in the day called ‘Choosing My Learning’. They choose an activity and put their name by the corresponding symbol. This system promotes independence, turn taking and personal challenge, skills that they will use throughout life. We value children learning through play as it enables children to explore their thinking and curiosity.

In Maths, we have been exploring the number 5 and looking for patterns and talking about what they notice. We have been helping the children to count up to 5, assigning one number name to each object and helping them understand that the number name assigned to the final object in a group is the total number of objects. To support this at home please help your child count objects up to 5 or 10.

We will be starting the NHS Brush Bus scheme on Monday; if you have not returned your consent form please do so as soon as possible so your child does not miss out.

It has been a week of new experiences and the children have shown great determination to learn new routines and explore the environment.

Wishing you a restful weekend.

Ideas for supporting your child’s learning at home:

• Draw a picture of your family and write your name on it. Stick it in your red book for us to see.
• Try dressing and undressing independently.
• Recognising and writing our names using correct letter formation. You can use your new RWI booklet.
• Counting objects to 10 saying one number name for each object
• Think of words that start with the sound m, a, s, t, d.

Please can you send your child in with named wellies and waterproof suit. We will be using these on Monday for our first trip to the Woodland Area. Please also send in a named PE kit which will be kept on their peg.

In December, we will be visiting the theatre to see ‘The Elves and the Shoemakers’. You will soon be sent a letter with further details about this exciting opportunity.

Below are the answers to some frequently asked questions. We hope you find this useful. If in doubt, please ask the Foundation Stage Team or the Office Team.

SCHOOL NEWS and COMMUNICATION

We communicate to parents using the school app (School News) and website www.preston.torbay.sch.uk .  You can download the app from either iTunes app store, google play or windows store searching for School News. Launch this free app and click on ‘find my school’ using GPS or using our postcode TQ2 6UY. You should then be able to click on News to view the latest news items, unit letters and upcoming calendar events by clicking on events. We recommend you have this app on your phone as the fastest route to useful information.

SCHOOL PAYMENTS

With trips, swimming, residentials, and after school activities where a payment is required, we notify you this payment is available using our schoolmoney/eduspot site. You can access the parent login using this link https://login.eduspot.co.uk/public/portal/parent/?app=schoolmoney You will be asked to enter your child’s first name, your email address, mobile number and a password that is supplied to you via text. This site is also where you book and pay if you need to use our Breakfast and After School club provisions. You will just need to complete a registration form, which you can get from the office before your child attends (if you need to use this service please request a password link to be sent to you via the office).

SCHOOL DINNERS

Lunch menus can be viewed at https://www.feedinghungryminds.co.uk/edu/preston-primary-school/ You will initially need to register your child, and you can then view, order and pay online for school meals.

ABSENCE

Should your child be absent due to illness please call the absence line on 01803 607589 and leave a message with your child’s name, class, and reason for absence.  Alternatively you can text this information to 07786 208446.  If your child has sickness or diarrhoea they will need to be absent from school for 48 hours after the last episode of illness. 

For planned absences of any nature you will need to complete an absence request form, these are available on the school website or from the office.

 

We hope your child will be very happy during their time at Preston.  If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to let us know.