Foundation 2

This year is a very exciting and busy year for the children in Foundation 2. 

Over the year we cover the following topics:

• Incredible Me & Above and Beyond
• Winter Celebrations
• Once Upon a Story
• Ready, Steady, Grow
• Curious Creatures
• Splish, Splash, Splosh

We also have lots of exciting and fun filled trips and event days throughout Foundation 2.

Reading is something we love to do and we really hope you can share this experience with your child. We ask you to listen to your child read daily and write a note in their diary to let the teacher know how they got on. When reading with your child at home, you will have a range of books to chose from. Each child will take home a decodable phonics book, a guided reading book and a reading for pleasure book every week. At Parkgate, gaining enjoyment from reading is really important to us, therefore each week the children choose a book from the reading area that particularly interests them. 

As a school, we use the Letters and Sounds scheme to teach reading and phonics. Letters and Sounds provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching phonics. In using this approach, our aim is to promote fluency in speaking, reading and writing. The children are exposed to different phases that consist of different phonemes that the children learn. The children are also exposed to a range of vocabulary such as digraphs, trigraphs, phonemes, and pseudos. The aim of phonics is to improve children’s ability to blend sounds together to read a word and segment sounds in order to spell a word. Although the children have a daily 30-40 minute phonics lesson, the subject is something that is stretched across the curriculum, but in particular guided reading and English.

Home School Diaries

These are used to communicate between parents and teachers. The teachers will check the children’s diary once per week. Please write a note when your child has read and comment on their understanding of the text. We really appreciate as much reading as you are able to do with your child. When they have read, please ask them questions about what they have read to make sure they understand the text.

Homework

We ask that the children focus on reading as their home learning. However, soon after your child starts in Foundation 2 you will receive access to your child’s Tapestry account. Using the app, you will be able to see what they have been learning at school. We encourage you to practise the activities, where possible, at home in order to reinforce the learning demonstrated at school.  We will also include a small list of words in your child’s home school diary, each week, which will be matched with the words your child has been practising in phonics.

Uniform

We pride ourselves on our uniform. Children should all come to school wearing full school uniform: black, white or grey socks, flat, black shoes with a strap or laces, black or grey trousers/skirt and a white t-shirt. Children should have a white P.E. top, shorts and trainers or plimsolls. It is very important that each child brings their own named P.E kit, to be kept in school, each half term. In Foundation 2, we have P.E every Monday.

Class Dojo

We use Class Dojo as a communication app. Please see your child’s class teacher for your child’s details for you to access this.

The Foundation 2 team are always available and happy to discuss any queries you may have.