Monks Orchard Reception Welcome Pack by Smarter Reach

Monks Orchard Primary and Nursery School Growing and learning together

RECEPTION WELCOME PACK

Address: The Glade Shirley Croydon CR0 7UF Headteacher: Mr Guy Fairbairn Assistant Headteacher: Miss E Crowfoot

Tel: 020 8654 2570 Fax: 020 8662 0423

Email: office@monksorchard.croydon.sch.uk

Website: www.monksorchard.co.uk

Welcome to Monks Orchard Primary School We are excited to be part of your child’s first learning experience of school. We aim to make it a memorable and happy occasion. Inside this pack is all the information that we think you need to ensure that your child has a smooth transition into our school. We believe that communication between home and school is key to helping us get to know your child as quickly as possible. We operate an “open door” policy so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask anyone on our team. Our strength, as a school, lies in our ethos, which is based on the school’s golden rule, “Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.” We aim for all of our children to be citizens when they leave our school, understanding their place in the wider community. We hope that your child has a wonderful time at our school and that we are able to provide you and your family with not only happy memories that will last forever, but also academic success for your child where they achieve their full potential in everything that they do.

Ellen Crowfoot

Assistant Headteacher EYFS and KS1

The Early Years Foundation Stage In our school, we believe that play is paramount in order to access the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Through play, your child will be encouraged to learn new skills and practice skills they have already acquired. Play is important for children’s entire all-round physical, emotional, intellectual and social development. The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is divided into seven areas of learning and development. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage states that “All areas of learning are important and interconnected. These areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.” The three prime areas are: Communication and language Physical development Personal, social and emotional development

The four specific areas are: Literacy Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design

During the school day the children will take part in activities covering all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, sometimes individually, in small groups or as a whole class. The curriculum will be taught both indoors and outdoors. We believe in the children learning in a child centred way, where experiences are as much a part of the curriculum as learning the key skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum. We have the most magnificent outdoor areas and use these to further enhance the learning of all of our children. In addition to our focus on academic standards, there are opportunities for all children to show off and develop their individual talents in the various after-school clubs on offer. These may include Junior and Infant choirs, dance clubs, various sports clubs, musical theatre, ICT and art clubs, Taekwondo, the opportunity to learn a different musical instrument in every KS2 year group and many more.

The School Day The school day begins at 8:50am with a filtering in period until 9:00am. Morning session: 9:00am until 11:45am Afternoon session: 1:00pm until 3:05pm

Bringing and Collecting Your Child In Reception, we use the outdoor area as an outdoor classroom, which is set up before school. To ensure this is not disturbed by children playing with it before school, we ask parents to wait at the Reception gate under the canopy until a member of Reception staff opens the gate at 8:50am. Likewise, at the end of the day, please wait for a member of staff to open the Reception gate at 3:05pm. As there are large windows at the front of the building, it can be distracting for the children watching parents and carers arrive to collect.

School Uniform School uniform is available from the School Office. Items with the school logo are only available from the school shop (but uniform with the logo is not compulsory). Most other items can be bought from any of the major High Street stores.

Uniform List

PE & Games Kit

Navy sweatshirt or cardigan Light blue polo shirt Grey trousers, or shorts (seasonal) Navy skirt / pinafore dress Summer blue candy stripe or small check dress (seasonal, optional) Black / grey or white socks or plain black tights Sensible black shoes that support the feet Book bag

Plimsolls and/or trainers Plain white PE top (polo or T-shirt) Navy shorts Plain navy / black jogging bottoms Plain navy / black fleece / hoodie / warm top for winter

* All uniform must be named. * Jewellery of any sort is discouraged in school. Only small stud earrings are acceptable. On their designated PE day, the children come to school in their PE kits. Both PE and Games are part of our curriculum and are therefore compulsory for everyone. Please ensure that your child has the correct kit for lessons and that plimsolls are kept in school from Monday to Friday, in a bag. We are very pleased that parents show their support of the school by maintaining a â&#x20AC;&#x153;one hundred per cent uniform appearanceâ&#x20AC;?. We appreciate this provision on your part and feel that Monks Orchard uniform gives your child an extra sense of belonging to the school. This contributes greatly to the positive ethos of the school.

Precious Box Please help your child put together a small, named, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Precious Boxâ&#x20AC;? to bring with them on their first day at school. This could be any small box, such as a shoe box, into which you place two or three small items which are special to your child. The items can be anything you choose, but some suggestions are photos of family, a friend or a pet; a holiday souvenir; a favourite toy; a book. Please do not include any valuable items or electronic devices. The purpose of the Precious Box is to make a link between home and school. Your child will have the opportunity to talk about the box with their new teacher and classmates, and this helps them to get to know each other and to create a sense of belonging.

Water Bottles All the children now have access to fresh, filtered water. Water coolers have been installed around the school and many classes have their own unit. To save time and water spillage, it would be beneficial for your child to have a refillable plastic bottle with drinking spout, which will fit under the water cooler outlet. We have a supply of plastic bottles with drinking spouts for sale in the school office. The bottles, for hygiene safety, are dishwasher proof.