Dear Parents, Welcome to what deems to be a very exciting year in Reception here at The British College of Brazil.

The children have settled well and are enjoying making friends with new students as well as catching up with old friends. We have already begun all the specialist lessons in PE, Music and Portuguese, and the children have enjoyed meeting their new teachers. These include: Miss Sampaio for PE; Miss. Coltri for Music; and Miss. Aruth and Miss. Attie for Portuguese.

The children will be exploring lots of fun activities this year, and many of these activities will be based around different topics. This term, the children will be introduced to the following areas; People who help us; Gardens; Space; and Festivals and celebrations.

Every Friday the children have an allocated library session and will be able to choose a new book to take so we can be exchanged for new ones.

home each week. Please could you ensure books are returned from the previous week every Friday morning

We carefully plan many activities that help the children to learn in six areas of development. The experiencing: Personal, Social & emotional Development Developing independence and confidence upon entering Reception each day. of activity. Making decisions in selecting their own choices Responding well to adult requests. Learning to play alongside other children and moving towards turn taking and sharing. Taking part in circle time activities that invite the children to talk about their different experiences. Communication, Language & Literacy Share and listen to stories and picture books, talking about the events and characters. groups. Develop confidence to speak in small and large Learning how to become good listeners during carpet time. Learning new songs and rhymes, and listening to the different sounds in words. Taking opportunities to draw and play-write for different situations. For example, the children write their names to label their pictures.

following table shows you some examples of the types of skills and activities that the children will be

may make little mini books about their families or

Physical Development Developing skills to control small equipment such as threading beads, joining chains or completing puzzles. Holding a pencil and crayons. Developing scissor control. independently. Getting dressed and putting on shoes and socks

Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy Counting objects, actions and sounds in the classroom. Completing puzzles to develop their awareness of shape and size. comparisons. Exploring size through building towers and making Singing number songs and rhymes. colours.

Making models and pictures exploring shapes and

Creative Development Exploring role-play areas such as The Home Corner, Shops and Dressing up. Learning new songs and dances. Playing percussion instruments. and pastels. Making pictures with paint, crayons, chalks Making models with play dough, boxes and chosen items.

Knowledge and understanding of the world Exploring construction kits to build models. Learning how to use some programs on the computer and the interactive whiteboard. friends. Talking about themselves, their family and Exploring new equipment and working out how things work. Understanding how to be safe in the school environment.

Music The children will be learning about beat and tempo. They will start to handle different percussion instruments. They will also be learning the difference of high and low sounds and different musical structures. They will be learning how to sing individually and in groups as well. Portuguese

During term one, Reception children will be involved in three different topics for language work: Colours and Numbers, Fruit Salad and Farm Animals. The main objective throughout these topics is to develop speak Portuguese are challenged to expand their vocabulary and engage in more complex activities, and music. PE Our aim is for the children to explore the space and equipment linked to throwing and catching (small and large balls and bean bags for example), trying out possibilities and improving their control. Children will also be developing their ability to follow simple rules in group games and at the same time improve and consolidate basic skills previously covered. childrens vocabulary, listening and speaking skills using interactive, fun activities. Children who already language-wise. They will also have the chance to get in-touch with Brazilian Culture through stories

You can follow what your child is learning at school by looking at our class webpage. The link to access contain photos and videos as well as important upcoming information and dates, which is only accessible to Reception parents.

this page will be e-mailed to you every Friday, directing you to the most recent updates. The website will

If you have any questions, or need to pass on important information regarding your child, please write to I will respond as soon as possible. If it is something urgent, please call our Receptionist, Bianca. We would like to thank you in advance for your support. Should you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely, Mrs. Tracey Thomas Reception Teacher and Head of Early Years tracey.thomas@britishcollegebrazil.org

me via the e-mail address below. E-mails are checked regularly throughout the day and, where necessary,

Miss. Marcela Pasquini Reception Teaching Assistant