September 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are on to an incredible start to the school year - it has been wonderful watching the children settle into school life with confidence and enthusiasm. Friendships are also beginning to blossom. Exploring our new school and classroom has been an adventure in itself. We have spent lots of time getting to know each other and settling into our daily routines. The start of a school year is always busy, so I would like to make you aware of the following: 

• Please ensure that your child comes to school with their book bag and a named water bottle everyday. It is essential that every child has a book bag as this is where school communications, if any, will be placed each day along with your child’s Reading Record and reading books and Speed Sound Book. 

• Your child will need a complete change of spare clothes (t-shirt, pants, trousers and socks) in school at all times. This is just in case of any accidents or messy play! Please ensure everything is named. Spare clothes do not need to be a set of school uniform. 

• PE will be on a Thursday, beginning 18th September. Please could children wear the correct kit (Longvernal P.E. t-shirt, black shorts or sports trousers and daps or trainers) to school on a Thursday each week.

• Forest School is on a Tuesday morning, beginning 16th September. Forest school will take place regardless of the weather (unless extreme) so please make sure your child comes to school on Tuesday’s, wearing the appropriate attire (long sleeved top and trousers/leggings). With this in mind, please send your child into school with extra layers of clothing during the late Autumn and Winter months, it can get very cold out in the forest, therefore the more layers the better! 

• Your child will need to have a pair of wellies, waterproof trousers and a waterproof coat in school at all times. Although our forest sessions are on a Tuesday this term, this doesn’t mean your child’s waterproofs and wellies won’t be used on other days throughout the week - especially as the weather begins to turn. Again, please make sure everything is named.

• As it starts to get colder, please provide your child with warmer items, including hats and gloves. Again, please name these. Your child has their own drawer, which they can keep these in, if preferred. 

• Every child will be given a reading book to take home, along with a Reading Record. The books that have been sent home do not contain words but children should use them to create their own stories and talk about the illustrations (there are questions within the books to support discussions). Furthermore, please use this as an opportunity to support your child in how to hold a reading book, and turn the pages left to right etc.

• Children are expected to read at home at least 3 times a week. Books and Reading Records need to be brought to school daily. This way we can monitor progress and change books when necessary. Reading regularly has such a positive impact on every area of a child’s learning, so your support with this would be much appreciated. All children will be required to read Read, Write, Inc (R.W.I). scheme books at least twice to aid their fluency of sight word recognition. 

• Once the children have learnt the first ten sounds, they will start to take home a R.W.I sound blending book. Please aim to go through the sounds with your child at home. Practice makes perfect! 

• When we begin Phonics lessons, the children will be sent home with their sound books to practice letter formation and pronunciation. By week 3, the children will begin to learn a new sound every day, therefore it is important that they complete a page in their sound book every evening for consolidation. 

• Children will also pick and take home a ‘book to share’ every week. This is a book of a higher reading level that can be read to and shared aloud with your child. 

• As mentioned in the Home Visit packs given out to you in June or July, it is important that we recognise when your child does something to be celebrated at home. Please continue to complete a ‘Proud Cloud’ and send them into school via your child’s book bag so we can celebrate and display all their achievements during our Circle Times. 

• You should’ve already provided the office with an ‘approved pick up list’ and password, which I will use to ensure your child is collected by an approved adult each day. If you have not yet done this, please urgently do so. For safety reasons, I will not let your child go home with anyone who is not on the list or has been discussed with either myself or the office prior to pick up, regardless of whether the child knows the person or not. If there is a change of plan with regards to pick up, please communicate this via phone or email with myself or the office. 

As always, I am more than happy to answer any questions or queries you may have before or after school, so please do not hesitate to come and see me at any point throughout the year. 

I am looking forward to an exciting year and working in partnership with you to best support your child. 

Kind regards

Jess Collins

Holly Class Teacher

EYFS Lead

Holly Class Summary