We are so pleased with how well the children have settled into Reception over this week and look forward to the beginning of full-time school this week!  We hope the following information will be helpful…

Morning/Afternoon Arrangements

School hours are 8.55 - 3.15.  The class door will open at 8.50 and close at 8.55, then re-open at 3.10 pm. Our main priority is the safety and welfare of your child.  Please allow your child to come into school independently by saying goodbye to them before they come into the classroom.  If your child is anxious or distressed saying goodbye to you, we recommend that you don’t prolong the stress of separation longer than necessary - please trust that we will look after them and support them to feel secure in our nurturing environment and will aim to contact you to reassure you that they have settled.

Throughout the day the children are continually encouraged to line up, fasten and unfasten their coats and organise their belongings themselves to develop their independence skills. We would be really grateful if you could support this by encouraging your child to attempt to open their own snacks, fasten their coats and identify their name labels on all their belongings.

Home Time

 Our main priority is the safety and welfare of your child.  It would be really helpful if you can ‘queue up’ in our Green Base area, rather than crowd the classroom doors; this will allow us to direct each child to their carer individually.  Please be patient with us as we familiarise ourselves with the names and faces of all those involved in collecting your child from school.  We operate a password system on those occasions when your child is collected by somebody unknown to the staff or different to their regular carer. Please inform the school office in advance of any changes before home time (0151 233 1414).  If you need to talk to the staff or your child needs to come back into school for anything they have left behind, please wait until all the children have been handed over safely, then we will be able to help in any way we can.

Please be reminded that the Infant climbing frames and gym equipment are only used during the school day, under staff supervision.  We kindly request that the children do not play on the Infant grassed area or any of the play equipment before or after school.

Snack

Please provide a drink bottle of water and a snack of fruit/vegetables each day (labelled with your child’s name).  If your child brings a packed lunch bag, please keep their snack separate from their lunch so they can place this on the snack trolley, to avoid any confusion.  It would also be very helpful if grapes are pre-cut in half to avoid choking hazards.  If you have signed up for milk at www.dairylink-uk.com  the children will bring home their milk on a daily basis. 

Lunchtime

The updated school dinner menu is available to view on the school website: https://www.emmausschool.co.uk/school-dinner-menu/ If your child is packed lunch, please ensure their lunch bag is clearly labelled with their name.

 

Homework

Children will bring home reading books in their homework bags every Friday, to be returned every Wednesday.  Books will initially be wordless picture books.  Daily reading for 5-10 minutes per day has a hugely positive impact on young children's reading/language development.  In addition to reading books, every Friday our homework sheets will be attached to their Learning Log book, together with QR codes to match the phonic sounds taught that week.  This will enable you to support your child to continue learning at home and embed their understanding of the topics taught in school each week.   Please return your child’s Learning Log book in their homework bag every Wednesday.

P.E./Outdoor Kits

Please send in your child’s P.E. bag, wellies and outdoor waterproofs if you haven’t already (labelled with their name).  Please provide spare underwear, socks or tights to be kept in their PE bag, in the event your child needs to be changed in school.  Please ensure all of your child’s belongings are clearly labelled (including school shoes) and encourage your child to attempt dressing and undressing themselves at home.

We hope you find this letter useful.  We firmly believe in the importance of establishing positive home/school links and hope you will always feel able to share any worries or concerns with us.  Our Class Page on the school website https://www.emmausschool.co.uk/reception-10/ and social media will be updated regularly to keep you informed of whatever is going in over the year.  Please also check for notifications via the school app and if you need to contact us, the email address for the Reception teachers is reception@emmaus.liverpool.sch.uk

We look forward to an exciting learning journey with you and your child this year.

Many thanks for your support,

Emmaus Reception Team