Dragonflies

Welcome to Dragonflies Class Page

What you need to know about dragonflies...

“We can do anything if we believe we can!”

We are a hardworking, polite, friendly class who are ready to learn.

At Willowcroft Community School Foundation Stage we are proud of our caring, creative and happy environment where all individuals are valued equally and encouraged to achieve their full potential. We are a kind, friendly, hardworking and generally an amazing class.

Our lovely Teacher is called Miss Day and our wonderful Teaching Assistants called Miss Franklin and Miss Green.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we plan our teaching alongside the children’s interests, this is known as in the moment planning. If the class is really interested and engaged in a particular topic or an activity spurs them on to want to find out more, we adapt our teaching and what we are doing to match their enthusiasm!

Understanding in the moment planning allows no forward planning, you are planning in the moment experiences which are an extension of a child’s interest observed (known as child led) by Miss Day, Miss Franklin or Miss Green.

We also have adult led moments (adult led teaching) that we want the children to know such as events throughout the year, mathematics and phonics. This then creates a balance of adult led and child led activities. With children having both of these experiences it will help them to develop in their learning.

You are always more than welcome to come and speak to Miss Day or Miss Franklin in the mornings as you bring your child to school. However, if you would like a longer time to speak to us then please ask us so we can rearrange a time to speak to you after school.

Our Learning Journey this term…

In Dragonflies we have been really busy learning!

In Maths, we have been looking at Money - in particular, recognising our British coins and their values. We are experts on 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and £1 and would love to show you at home what coins you have in your purses and wallets!

On our first week back we spoke about bonfire night and decided to have our own bonfire at forest school. Before we went we decided to write down all the things we need to keep warm outside when we sit around the bonfire. We then had hot chocolate and watched some fireworks to celebrate.

We also have been really fascinated by boxes. We have coloured them in, wrote on them, turned them into houses, into boats and everything else you could think of!

We have also been practising our fine motor skills every morning by doing disco dough.

The Early Years Curriculum (EYFS)

The Reception class provides a broad and balanced curriculum which embraces the seven areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. In Reception we focus on the development of the individual child and, during your child’s time in Dragonflies class, he or she will experience a great variety of activities based on these seven areas of learning through structured activities and carefully planned play:

Prime Areas:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Physical Development

Communication and Language

Specific Areas:

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

Our Indoor Environment

The indoor curriculum provides a stimulating learning environment and opportunities for the children to experience a quiet reading corner, interactive whiteboard, role play area, writing area, construction area, creative area, maths area and an understanding the world area. There is a wide range of resources available to the children.

Our Outdoor Environment

The outdoor environment mirrors the indoor learning environment within Reception and it is used daily within the daily routine. Children will be able to access resources to develop the seven areas of learning. Outdoor learning is key to developing children’s independence, physical development and to offer exploration and investigation opportunities.

How can I check my child’s progress?

Miss Day will assess your child regularly using the Foundation Stage Profile which enables us to track your child’s development. Continual assessment is carried out on every pupil through observations, annotating their work, questioning and monitoring reading. Every week Miss Day and Miss Franklin will have 3 children as there key children. During this week they will write observations and take photos of your child progress which goes into their learning journeys. After this week Miss Day and Miss Franklin will invite you in to talk about your child progress (like a parents evening). This will happen 3 times throughout the year.

Even if your child is not a focus child during that week and they say/do something wonderful Miss Day and Miss Franklin will still add it to their learning journey.

Our Ethos

A Safe and Secure Place to Learn: Clear boundaries and rules are explored with the children so they understand why they are in place promoting confidence and security. ‘If a child feels security and love they can be happy. If a child is happy they can learn’. Willowcroft EYFS staff 2015.

The Adults: The staff are facilitators for learning, where adults and children learn alongside each other. Adults listen to children and work together. We do this through Sustained Shared Thinking.

Parents as Partners: We understand the importance of parents in their role as prime educators and work with parents to build on home experiences to help facilitate learning. We hold information/teaching session so that parents can understand our strategies and policies.

Forest School: A wealth of outdoor learning opportunities. A choice for every child to play, explore and make sense of the world around them.