Teacher Contact Information
Your teachers are: Miss Parker, Mrs Reay and Mrs Harris
You can email them at:
Miss Parker (Sweet Chestnut)
cherylparker@stratton.cornwall.sch.uk
Mrs Reay (Horse Chestnut)
naomireay@stratton.cornwall.sch.uk
Mrs Harris (Horse Chestnut)
merrynharris@stratton.cornwall.sch.uk
Weekly Update 06/11/2026
Welcome back to Autumn 2! This week we have been learning about Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night. Next week our topic work will focus on Diwali.
We have started our new English learning time which we call ‘Drawing Club’. Each week we have a focus story and then each day we draw a picture linked to the story and the children write a word code and a number code which makes something magic happen to their picture. This week our story has been Room on the Broom. Next week we will be reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
Parent Meetings
Thank you for coming to visit us for a parent/teacher meeting this meeting. We have enjoyed seeing you all. Please remember that you can email us or catch us for a chat at the gate if ever you have any questions.
Phonics/Reading:
This week, the children have begun their new phonics groups, based on their assessments from before half term.
We will re-assess them in a few weeks to see if they are ready to move to the next group. We really appreciate your support with practising phonics at home, it has a big impact on the children’s progress.
Please remember to keep your child’s reading record and books in their book bags everyday. This helps us the change them regularly and check that they are practising their reading at home. Thank you for your continued support with this.
Maths:
This week in Maths, we have been learning about the number 5. We have learned the rhyme ‘5 little peas’ and other songs with the number 5 in them. Try saying the rhyme at home and asking your child to show you the actions. You can search it on google to watch a video.
Five little peas in a peapod pressed
One grew, two grew, then so did all the rest
They grew and they grew and they did not stop
Until one day the pod went POP!
Church Trip:
Our trip to the Church for our Countdown to Christmas event is on Tuesday 8th December, during the morning. We always need lots of parent volunteers to help walk the children to and from the church. Adults that volunteer to help cannot bring younger children with them on the trip due to child to adult ratios.
Thank you to the few parents that have volunteered already. Without sufficient volunteer support, we will be unable to take the children to the church. Please email your child’s teacher if any adult family member is able to volunteer to join us in walking the children to and from the church on the morning of Tuesday 8th December. Thank you so much in advance.
People Who Help Us:
Later this half term, one of our topics will be ‘People Who Help Us’. If you work in any of the following areas and would be happy to come and speak to the children about your job or have any resources/artefacts that we could look at, please email your child’s class teacher. Thank you so much in advance!
School Photos
The children will have their individual and sibling school photos taken in school next Thursday. You will receive information on how to order these, along with the sample of their photo on the day.
Balance-ability
If you signed your child up to take part in the balance-ability sessions, these will be happening next week on Thursday and Friday. Children will use school balance bikes and helmets for this and do not need to bring anything from home. If we don’t manage to fit everyone in next week then they will complete their session the week after.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Parker, Mrs Harris and Mrs Reay
Dates for the diary
Thursday 12th November – Individual School Photos
Tuesday 8th December – Countdown to Christmas at Stratton Church
Wednesday 16th December – Christmas Dinner
Friday 18th December – Last Day of Term
21st December – 1st January – Christmas Holidays
Monday 4th January – INSET Day
Tuesday 5th January – Back at school
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