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 10/07/2026
This week we have continued our final topic of Summer and Seasides. We have focussed on comparing seaside holidays in the past and present. We talked about swim wear and beach/water activities.
We were also treated by our Year 6 Buddies to a performance of some songs from their upcoming Year 6 production.
The children have done fantastically in their new classes over the last two days. They coped brilliantly accessing new playgrounds and following new lunchtime routines. We don’t think they will be please to come back to Reception next week!
Beach Trip:
We will be going to the beach on Wednesday 15th July.
Please make sure you have responded on the gateway app with the following information:
We now have enough volunteers for the trip – thank you very much. You should have received an itinerary via email.
Year 3 are going to Summerleaze beach on the same day. If you also have a child in Year 3, please collect them first from Summerleaze carpark at 2:45pm. Mrs Horton will wait with your Year R child at Crooklets carpark to be collected afterwards.
Headlice:
We are aware of some cases of headlice withing the cohort. Please check your child’s hair and treat if necessary. Thank you!
On Thursday, we will clear the cloakroom of spare clothes and wellies. If possible, please send your child in with a carrier bag so that they can manage their own belongings more easily. If you think your child may have outgrown their wellies and you would like to donate them as spares, please email your class teacher to let them know.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs Horton and Miss Parker
Dates for the diary:
Wednesday 15th July – Beach Trip
Friday 17th July – Last Day of the School Year
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