Teacher Contact Information
Your teachers are: Mrs Horton and Miss Parker
You can email them at:
Mrs Horton (Horse Chestnut)
sophiehorton@stratton.cornwall.sch.uk
Miss Parker (Sweet Chestnut)
cherylparker@stratton.cornwall.sch.uk
Weekly Update 15/05/2026
This week we have begun our Farm topic. We have read stories about Farming and have focussed on the different jobs that happen on a farm, such as; feeding the animals, collecting eggs, milking cows, mucking out pigsties, sheering sheep and planting, watering and harvesting crops.
We will continue our Farm topic next week.
Sports Day:
The EYFS and KS1 Sports Day is on Monday 18th May. The children will complete a circuit of different activities, followed by a series of races.
On Sports Day, the children need to come to school wearing a t-shirt of their House Team Colour. This is the same colour as their colour teams in class (where they put their book bags and water bottles). It is also the same colour as their older siblings in school if they have any. Your child should be able to tell you which colour team they are in. You are welcome to clarify this with us if necessary.
Once you have dropped your child off, please make your way around to the school field to watch.
Library Visit:
On Monday 1st June, we will be going on a trip to the library. Please make sure you consent on the Gateway app and write if you can help us on the trip.
We currently still need 5 more volunteers to help us walk to the library. Grandparents are welcome to help. Please let us know if you can help, it is greatly appreciated.
Please bring in your child’s named library card, library joiner form if they are not already a member and their £1.50 in a named envelope next week.
Reception Late Night:
On Friday 5th June, we will be putting on our Reception Late Night, where the children stay at school until 5:30pm. We will complete a circuit of activities using areas of the school that the children do not usually use. We will then have a picnic tea with food provided from home. A letter with more information has been sent to you.
Currently only half of the cohort have signed up. Your child will not be able to attend if consent has not been provided on the School Gateway app.
Multi-Skills Club:
Next half term, a sports coach will be running a multi-skills afterschool club for Reception children. This will run on some Fridays after school. We can only offer 20 spaces. A letter with more information will be sent to you via email.
Phonics:
The children have completed their latest phonics assessments to determine groupings for the next half term. It is so wonderful to see their progress.
Please remember to listen to your child read 5 times and week, and record this in their reading record. Thank you.
Maths:
This week, we have been focusing on the composition of 10. Firstly, we revisited our learning of ‘5 and a bit’ structures of 6, 7, 8 and 9. We then explored showing different ways to make 10, such as 9+1 and 8+2 using different coloured counters on double dice frames and tens frames.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs Horton and Miss Parker
Dates for the diary:
Monday 18th May – EYFS/KS1 Sports Day (AM)
Friday 22nd May – Last day before half term
25th-29th May – Half Term
Monday 1st June – First day back after half term
Monday 1st June – Library Visit
Friday 5th June – Reception Late Night
Weekly Reading Homework
With your child, please carry out a variety of the following tasks at least 5 times a week, recording in their reading log each time.
Practise recognising letter sounds using flashcards daily – this is essential practise to get your child reading.
Engage in 'Fred Talk Games'. These are games that support your child to orally blend sounds into words. For example, "Fred says, tap your h-ea-d... your head!" Please see the PDF document in the 'Read Write Inc. Phonics' section below for further 'Fred Talk Games' that you can play at home.
If your child is consistently recognising most of the single letter sounds from their flashcards, make simple words out of the flashcards for them to practise reading. For example, sat, tap, dog, bed. Encourage your child to point to each letter as they say the sounds. Once they have said each sound, they need to blend them together to say the whole word. For example, s – a –t, sat. They may need you to demonstrate this initially before they have a try.
Share your child’s lilac book. This book has no words. Your child needs to look closely at the picture and talk about what they think is happening to tell a story. This develops their oracy comprehension and inference skills.
Based on your child’s most recent phonics assessment, the may also bring home a 'blending book' or a 'ditty sheet' to read at home.
Please keep all of the above in your child’s book bag. They need to bring their book bag to school every day.
Homework tasks need to be recorded in your child's reading log at least 5 times a week so that we know that your child is practising their reading at home. Reading logs are checked every Friday to see how your child is getting on at home. Please make sure that you date and initial each time you record in your child's reading log to show that your child has read their lilac book/blending book/flash cards.
Please speak to any member of the Reception team if you have any questions.
Thank you for your continued support in helping your child learn to read.
The YR Team