Miss Dickinson and Mrs Lister
Hello
My name is Miss Dickinson and I am going to be your new class teacher when you start school in September. Our class will be called RD. The R stands for Reception and the D stands for Dickinson as I am your teacher. The other lady in the photograph is Mrs Lister. Mrs Lister is going to be in our class helping us to learn every day too.
There will be some other adults in our classroom too, Miss Stocks is the class teacher for RS. She will be teaching another Reception class. Miss Hart will be helping Miss Stocks. We also have Mrs Walker and Mrs Head helping you to learn in our classroom. All the grown ups are very kind and friendly.
I am so excited to meet you all in September and begin our adventure together. Mrs Lister and I are already planning lots of exciting activities for you to try when you begin school.
Let me tell you a little bit about me so that you know some of my secrets before we meet. I have been teaching at Blakehill Primary School for a lot of years now. I have recently been teaching the Year 1 children but I'm very excited to be coming back to Reception. Before Year 1 I taught in Reception and I loved every second. My favourite thing to do in school is painting and drawing. I do love to use lots of glitter too!
When I am not in school I spend a lot of time with my own little boy. He is just a little bit older than you and is moving to Year 1 in September. His name is William and I'll be telling you all about him when you are in school. We go on lots of adventures. I also have lots of pets to take care of, I have two very naughty cats, a fish and a rabbit. I also have a horse, his name is Bertie and he is very cheeky. I spend a lot of time looking after Bertie and William and I like going riding together. When I am at home we love to plant fruit and vegetables in our garden and I love reading stories to William. I love reading stories to the children in my class too!
When you come into school in September it will feel very big and you might feel a little bit worried. Mrs Lister and I will be there to take care of you though and if you need help with anything then we will help you. If you have any worries or you feel sad then you can come to us at any time. School is lots of fun and we are going to have so many great adventures.
Before school we meet you in our playground outside school. I will come out and collect you so you know where to go. When you come in to school in the morning we will all sit down together and I will check that you are safely in school by doing a register. That means I will call out your names and when you answer I know that you have arrived. After that we will spend our day doing some learning and lots of playing. You will be able to play inside and outside. There is lots to choose from. We have sand, water, dough, bikes, digging, building, trains, cars, a home corner and painting. We will break off at lunchtime so that you can have something to eat because after all that playing you will definitely have a hungry tummy! After lunch we will get busy with our learning and playing again. At the end of the day we will all tidy up the toys and then I will read you a story. After that it will be time to go home and Mrs Lister and I will make sure you find your grown up safely.
When I see you in September you will be wearing your Blakehill school uniform. That will show me how grown up you are and I will know that you are ready to start school.
I am very excited to meet you properly and do lots of playing together. I hope that you like having lots of fun!
See you very soon
Love from Miss Dickinson xxx
There are some things that you could be practising at home to help you to be ready to start school in September. Don't worry if some of these things are tricky because we can still help you if you get stuck but maybe if you practise at home you might be an expert when you start school?
- Can you practise getting dressed and undressed on your own? Buttons can be extra tricky but I bet you can do it if you practise hard.
- Can you practise taking your shoes off and putting them back on? I always suggest that you don't have shoe laces in Reception as they are very fiddly. Shoe laces come undone a lot too and they can make you stumble when you are playing and having fun.
- Can you practise using the toilet by yourself if you can? Our toilets are small enough for you to manage on your own but practise remembering to flush the toilet and wash your hands. You need to be able to wipe your bottom too all by yourself. If you do worry about this then a grown up will talk you through what to do or help if you get very stuck.
- Can you practise doing up your own coat? Zips can be challenging but it is important that you can have a go at doing up your own coat zip.
- Can you practise using a knife and fork when you eat? At lunchtime it might help if you can have a go at cutting up your food. I can help you if you get very stuck.
- Can you practise carrying food on a tray at home? At dinner time you carry your food on a tray and they can be a bit slippery.
- Can you practise recognising your own name? Then you will be able to find your things if they go missing.
Some extra things to practise if you want to be a superstar when you start school...
- Can you have a go at writing your own name?
- Can you recognise and count the numbers 1-10? Then can you match an amount of items to each of those numbers? That can be a bit tricky.
- Can you practise listening? When you are out and about can you stop and listen for one whole minute and then tell a grown up the sounds you can hear? For example, a bus, birds singing, people talking.
- Can you listen to rhyming stories with a grown up? Can you spot the rhyming words?
- Can you play some simple board games with a grown up? Can you share and take turns?