Reception - Taff Fawr



Mrs Underhill-Jones
Class Teacher

Miss lloyd
Class LSA

Miss Evans
Class LSA
Schoop: The school ID is 17699
Twitter: @StDavidsCiWPrm
Email: reception@stdavidsprm.cardiff.sch.uk
Google Classroom code: qn4bo6j
8.45: Children arrive and settle down to complete their Morning Activity / Register
9.15 – 9.30: Collective Worship
9.30 – 10.15: Numeracy
10.15 – 10.30: Snack
10.30 - 10.45: Break Time
10:30 – 12.00: Literacy
12.00 – 1.00: Lunch
1.00 – 1.30: Phonics
1.30 – 2.45: Topic
2.45: Welsh / Italian
3.15: Home Time
Christian Value - Courage
5th January – INSET Day - school closed for all pupils.
6th January - Children return to school
Epiphany
16th January - Chinese New Year Celebration PS1&2
25th January - St Dwynwen’s Day
26th January - Whole School Islam Celebration Day
2nd - 6th February - National Storytelling Week
6th February - Mid Term Reports sent out to parents
9th February - Welsh Language Music Day
10th February – Valentine Disco PS1 & 2- 3.30-4.30pm,
9th-15th February - Children’s Mental Health Awareness week
10th February - Safer Internet Day
13th February – Last day of term
16th – 20th February 2026 – Half Term
Christian Value – Forgiveness
23rd February - Return to school
5th March - World Book Day
6th March - Eisteddfod
9th March - International Women's Day
13th March - World Maths Day
17th March - Sikhism Day
20th March - Rags to Riches Collection
23rd and 24th March – Parents Evening 3.30-5:30pm
23rd March – Easter Celebration Week
24th March - Easter Eucharist
25th March - Messy Easter
27th March - Easter Bonnet Parade and Egg Hunt
Last day of term

Please bring your book bag to school every day, containing your reading book, sound sheets or key words.
Snack
Please bring a bottle of water to school daily, clearly labelled with your child's name. Healthy snacks can be purchased from the snack trolley or brought in from home. Please only bring one piece of snack such as an apple, breadsticks or yoghurt pouch.
PE
Please wear PE kit to school on Monday's. Children should wear black shorts, house colour or white t-shirt and trainers, labelled clearly with their name. They may also wear black jogging bottoms when completing activities outdoors.
Outdoor learning - Welly Wednesday
Please provide your child with wellies so that we can explore our outdoor area. We will be working together in the garden and outdoor areas of the school in order for the children to connect with their environment while building confidence, creativity, and teamwork
Uniform
We encourage the children to become more independent in Reception and take care of their own belongings. Please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled with your child's name. Please ensure children wear their uniform everyday, apart from PE day.
Spare clothes
Please ensure that your child has a spare set of clothes every day in their bag that includes a top, skirt or trousers, pants and socks or tights. Please can you also include wet wipes.
Cold Weather
Please ensure that your child has a warm and waterproof coat during the Autumn and Spring terms. We will be using the outside area everyday. Hat, scarves and gloves can be brought to school - please ensure everything is clearly labelled with your child's name.
Hot weather
Please apply sun cream before school and provide your child with a hat and a bottle of water labelled with their name

This term we will be learning all about the special people in our community who help us every day, such as doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers, teachers, shopkeepers, and family members. Through stories, role play, songs, and discussions, children will explore the different jobs these helpers do and why they are important. This topic will encourage children to recognise familiar faces in their community, develop empathy and respect, and begin to understand how everyone has a role in keeping us safe, healthy, and happy. By focusing on “People Who Help Us,” we will also help children see themselves as part of a wider community where kindness and cooperation make a big difference.
LLC - RWI letter sounds and formation, building cvc words. Books - Super Millie and the super school day.
Humanities - Our community and people who help us, maps of our locality.
STEM - Forces, Building our own model homes
Expressive - Welsh artist -
RVE - Why is the world special? Journey of Life, Search for Meaning and Purpose
Maths and Numeracy -Direction, time, combining groups of objects together
Welsh - Sut wyt ti heddiw? Beth sy’n bod Sam?
ICT - Digi Den - Good to Talk & Put On Your Thinking Cap
MFL - La mia famiglia
Pupil Voice -
- How do doctors check our bodies? (KF)
- What do fire officers wear? (XH)
- How do police save us from bad guys? (LL)
- How do police officers keep us safe? (FR)
- Why do police drive fast cars? (NR)
- How do teachers help us and are kind to us? (NF)
- How do doctors and ambulances help us? (LM-G)
- How do doctors help us feel better (HL)
- How do doctors make us better when we are sick? (XS)
How does a fire engine work? (MH) - How does God help people who lives near us? (IH)
At St David's we encourage the children to engage in their own learning. If your child would like to learn about something linked to our topic, or if you have a lovely suggestion for an activity that could support this topic, please email: Reception@stdavidsprm.cardiff.sch.uk
Homework will be set every Friday on Google Classroom and will alternate every week between literacy and numeracy.
Please read with your child daily and return books in book bags to school every day.
The homework grid below offers some suggestions for practical activities that your child may like to complete independently. These are linked to our current topic and your child may like to show the class what they have completed at the end of the half term.

In Taff Fawr, we will begin to support ourselves and each other in becoming:
- Ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives.
- Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work.
- Ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world.
- Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

Our Christian Value for this term is: Compassion

“Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid. God is with you wherever you go.”
– based on Joshua 1:9

We use a scheme called Read Write Inc to teach your children to read and write. Below are the letter sounds and a short rhyme which help the children to remember the correct letter formation to use. It is extremely important that the children form letters correctly from the start as habits are very difficult to change. Learning the correct letter formation is imperative for 'joining' writing in later years. Please remember to use letter sounds when reading, rather than their names. This will help the children to blend sounds when reading words such as cat, dog etc. For example, say 'c', 'a', 't'- cat. You may wish to encourage your child to learn their sounds through play.


https://www.teachyourmonster.org/
This is an online resource where you child can learn new sounds, words and practise the skill of reading through storytelling and games

This is an online resource where your child can read online books, play phonics and CVC word games as well as activity inspiration for practical activities inside and outside the house. The resource is free to use and has lots of advice for parents.
Username: mrsunderhilljones
Password: nursery

Phonics Play is an interactive game that we use in the classroom daily. There are lots of activities for CVC words- our favourite is Obb and Bob. When selecting activities please select Phase 2.
Username: march20

As with writing, forming numbers correctly is extremely important. Above are some short rhymes which will help your child remember the correct number formation in a fun way! You can help your child at home by getting them to recognise and form numbers up to 10 and by asking them to sort and count groups of objects up to 10. Look for numbers in your environment, on doors, car reg etc. Have fun!

We often use the 'Topmarks' website to reinforce learning in school. There are lots of fun and interactive resources for the children to explore easily.

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/maths/
Oxford Owl has some lovely mathematics games, including shape, addition, subtraction and even time. They also have downloadable resources including worksheets and wonderful advice for parents.

The children will have opportunities to speak Welsh daily in school. We encourage the children to ask and answer questions using our 'Helper Heddiw'. We will begin by learning about our feelings and asking 'Sut wyt ti?'
We also have a weekly Welsh phrase of the week. Please see these below to support your child further at home:


Here is a link to a video which will help your child learn:
We will also learn about parts of the body and role play 'Beth sy'n bod?' in our role play hospital.

As part of International Languages, Taff Fawr will be learning Italian. We will learn colours, numbers and animals.
Impara i colori con gli amici pesciolini @Mela_Educational

www.languagenut.com
Languagenut is a wonderful online tool where children can access resources to support the development of their new language (Italian). Each child will have their own log in details where they can gain points for activities completed. Languagenut will also give you the correct pronunciation of words and phrases. You can learn alongside your child! These points will show a class ranking, school ranking, and even our school ranking compared to all schools around the world. Taff Fawr will have access to Italian and Welsh! At St David's we love being multilingual. Have fun!!
We will be learning our different colours in Italian:

Other Activities:
Snap Game: This could be used with colours.
Feely Bag: Put different colours in a bag and pull different things out to name them. (Can you beat your last score?)
For information about supporting your child with using the internet safely, please click on the following link:
https://hwb.gov.wales/zones/online-safety/key-information/primary-learners/

Jigsaw and PSHE / RSE

What is Jigsaw, the mindful approach to Health and Well-being, and how does it work?
Jigsaw is a whole-school approach and embodies a positive philosophy and creative teaching and learning activities to nurture children’s development as compassionate and well-rounded human beings as well as building their capacity to learn. Jigsaw is a comprehensive and completely original PSE programme for the whole primary school from ages 3-11. The Jigsaw Programme also delivers Relationships and Sexuality Education. Ensuring it meets the requirements set out in the RSE Code for Phases 1 and 2. Life cycles and human reproduction will be taught in a sensitive manner, age related in all schools in Wales. This means that all learners must receive this education. There is no right to withdraw from RSE in the new curriculum.
Jigsaw has two main aims for all children:
- To build their capacity for learning
- To equip them for life
Jigsaw brings together PSE, Relationships and Sexuality Education, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development. It is designed to support a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time at their own stage of learning. There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) and each year group is taught one lesson per week. All lessons are delivered in an age- and stage-appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs.



The Curriculum for Wales is now statutory requirement since September 2022 for all schools in Wales. It has a key role to play in helping children and young people navigate the world safely. Welsh Government wants education to help our children to develop as healthy, confident individuals, ready for the next chapter in their life after school. Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) encompasses the knowledge, skills, dispositions and values that will empower learners to:
- support their health and well-being
- develop healthy, safe and fulfilling relationships of all kinds, including those with family and friends, and in time, romantic and sexual relationships
- navigate and make sense of how relationships, sex, gender and sexuality shape their own and other people’s identities and lives
- understand and support their rights and those of others to enjoy equitable, safe, healthy and fulfilling relationships throughout their lives.

St David's is a healthy school and we encourage all children to eat healthy food in their lunchboxes and at snack time.
Children will earn a point for their class for bringing in a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable for snack. These points will be added up each week and the class with the most points will be rewarded with extra playtime at the end of the week. Children can also earn an extra 5 points by bringing in a healthy lunchbox or eating all of their healthy school lunch, and stickers will be given out by Year 6 monitors. Please help to support us in our campaign to encourage children to eat healthily in school.
We also provide healthy snacks for your children in school daily at a cost of £2 per week / £14 per term. Please pay via parent pay. You are able to bring your own healthy snacks to school. However using the snack trolley encourages the children to try new, healthy foods and they will often choose to try new things, when seeing their friends doing the same.
Please ensure that your child has a labelled bottle in school daily, containing water only. We have fresh drinking water fountains, where the children can refill their bottles.
Please - NO sweets, chocolate and sugary drinks in lunchboxes and nothing that contains NUTS due to some children having severe allergic reactions. Thank you.

We would like you to take part in our 101 Experiences challenge - 101 things for your child to experience during their time at St David’s C.I.W. Primary School. We would be delighted to see our children doing these activities outside of school, so please send in any evidence of each experience to reception@stdavidsciwprm.cardiff.sch.uk
Each time a child achieves 5 experiences from the same category, they will get a sticker which shows the religious character which symbolises the associated purpose from the Four Purposes of the new curriculum.


WOW is a pupil led initiative where children self-report how they get to school every day using our interactive WOW tracker. If pupils travel sustainably (walk, cycle or scoot) once a week for a month, they are rewarded with a WOW badge at the end of the month.
Please support our mission by encouraging your child to travel sustainably to school or use our Park & Stride arrangement and park at Pentwyn Leisure Centre.


St David's CIW Primary School is proud to be a Rights Respecting School, which means we are a community where children's rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.
This term we will be focusing on Articles 16, 17, 29 and 31 from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.



During our worship time on Mondays, we have been learning about current news, topics and events. Then we have been exploring the key questions linked to these further in class. Here are some of the questions we have been discussing.

When discussing the Picture News, we have been challenging ourselves to use new, ambitious vocabulary to describe our feelings and opinions.

After school clubs run on a Tuesday afternoon 3:15-4:15.
Our current club for Taff Fawr is Art and craft club with Mrs krizman
All clubs will run for a term and will change every term. If your child would like to take part in our after school club or be added to the waiting list please send an e-mail to clubs@stdavidsprm.cardiff.sch.uk




















