Foundation
Visit to Cannon Hall Farm
On Tuesday we visited Cannon Hall Farm. We had an amazing day and the children were exceptional.
We met different animals from the farm including, horses, cows, pigs, and sheep. The children learned all about baby animals and how the farm looks after the animals.
We watched the really exciting sheep race and also visited the mini beast house which had some interesting frogs and leaf-cutting ants. We had a wonderful time and I am sure it will be a day we will remember for a long time.
Lent in Reception
World Book Day 2024
World Book Day went off with a bang! The children read the story of Peter Pan and then joined in all of the activities including colouring and a present from Peter Pan a new pirate ship.
The children then took part in a treasure hunt where they had to carry out different tasks to win coins. The children listened to different parts of the story throughout the treasure hunt. The coins that were earned gave each child a space at the Captain Hook party table.
Mother's Day Celebration 5/3/24
On Tuesday we had a special celebration of all our amazing mother's of the Reception children.
The mum's came into class and worked with their children making special Mother's day flowers. It was such a special morning and we would like to say a great big thank you to all who attended, but also thank you to those who could not.
The children wanted to say thank you and they wanted to say they appreciate everything you do for them from the small things to the big things!
Wishing you all an amazing Mother's day.
Ofsted 2024 (Outstanding)
It is with great delight that we are now able to share the news that our recent visits from OFSTED have resulted in St. Anthony's receiving an OUTSTANDING judgement. All the children have received a paper copy of the report and it can now be found on the website. Some of our favourite phrases from include...
Pupils love coming to St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School. They feel safe and happy here.
Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Pupils demonstrate high levels of respect for each other. They help one another in lessons. Pupils are very keen to learn.
Leaders have implemented a strong curriculum which is broad and ambitious. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn well in this inclusive school.
Parents, pupils and staff are particularly positive about the school. They feel an integral part of a school family which sits at the heart of their local community.
We could go on so please read the final report! We all wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all the support you give to your children and for helping to make Reception class so very special. We are lucky to have a class full of wonderful children. Many thanks once again!!
Arctic Learning 28.02.24
Reception have been learning all about the Arctic for the past two weeks. We have researched the Inuit people who live in the Arctic and their way of life. The children have been working as a team to make a Igloo's, they used large blocks and lego. The children had to listen to each other and also give their ideas. The large blocks took longer than expected as it was very wobbly. However we used our persevering skills and made an amazing igloo that we even stood when the wind became stronger overnight!
Some children used marshmallows to make igloo's they used their listening and fine motor skills to out the marshmallow igloo together.
Well done Reception!
African Drumming 18.01.2024
On Thursday 18th January 2024, our Reception pupils took part in learning based on African drumming. A visiting teacher came to teach the children about the "Djembe Drum". They found out what it is made from, and how it makes a sound. Using inspiration from the children's prior knowledge of animals found in Africa, the children created whole class compositions using 30 djembe drums in unison. What a brilliant performance it was! Reception are continuing to develop their skills in our areas of provision. Well done Reception! We are so proud of your super listening, composing and performing skills shown today.
We love exploring Handa's Surprise! (January 2024)
This term Reception have continued to learn about our focus virtue of Faith. They are continuing to explore their own faith through our RE curriculum each day, as well as explore world faiths and festivals. Reception have explored the feast of Diwali.
Elf Day
The children used their counting, fine motor, and teamwork skills today. The children had several tasks to complete these tasks including looking for elves around the school and making reindeer food, and hot chocolate. The children completed the tasks independently and some children overcame challenges. Well done Reception!
Christmas Art
The Reception class has been using their cutting and creative skills to make Christmas decorations. The children have used different media to explore Christmas decorations, including glitter, paint, and chalk.
While making their creations of Christmas trees, the children were encouraged to discuss the properties of shape for triangles and squares.
While making their creations of Christmas trees, the children were encouraged to discuss the properties of shape for triangles and squares.
RE: Advent (Making Advent Wreaths)
Reception Seasons Learning at Skelton Grange 30.11.2023
On Thursday 30th November 2023, our Reception class went to Skelton Grange for a day of learning around Seasons. The children learnt about the season of Winter, and were even blessed with the first fall of snow of the season. We hope you enjoy our photos!
Our Gingerbread Man Family Learning 22.10.2023
Understanding of the World -The Gingerbread Man 20.10.23
The Gingerbread Man has outsmarted Reception class by running past our traps and he has headed for London, our capital. He had boarded a plane and we received a postcard from his first destination, Italy. The children led their learning by wanting to know how the Gingerbread Man had travelled after a photo we had received of him in an airport. As a class, we explored maps and Google Earth. We began by looking at where our school was in Beeston Leeds, the we searched for Italy and the Tower of Pisa which was on the postcard he sent! This then led through the week to using further maps and looking at globes, making passports and role-playing aeroplanes and journeys we had made. The Gingerbread Man then sent a message that he had chosen a new country to visit; however, he had to go by boat as he did not want to get eaten by the fox! As a class, we chose to make boats for the Gingerbread Man, using vocabulary related to sinking, floating, travel, destination, materials, melting, and dissolving. The children used their problem-solving and previous knowledge from what we had been playing with in the water tray to make boats for the Gingerbread Man.
Understanding of the World is about how our Reception children get to know about other people, the place where they live and about all aspects of the environment around the world. We can't wait to explore further as The Gingerbread Man continues his journey.
Understanding of the World is about how our Reception children get to know about other people, the place where they live and about all aspects of the environment around the world. We can't wait to explore further as The Gingerbread Man continues his journey.
The Gingerbread Man
Our First Campfire
Reception were such incredibly sensible superstars when we had our first campfire. They all followed our safety rules, explained why they were important things to do and even toasted their own marshmallows on our campfire. We sang songs around our campfire and made observations of the flames, the smoke, and how they changed over time.
Literacy - The Gingerbread Man 05.10.23
Our story of the week is The Gingerbread Man. The children were shown a video of the Gingerbread Man running around our school. The children made wanted posters and put them around the school.
The children then used their child-led learning skills to make traps for the Gingerbread Man. The children used different skills, including cutting and sticking two pieces of materials together. They used their PSED and Communication and Language skills.
As part of the adult-led learning, the children were exposed to new vocabulary, which they then used in their learning. The vocabulary included entrance, exit, contain and, plan and escape.
Maths Mastery
The children have been learning all about the number one. They have shown in these photographs the different ways we have explored number one. These included one on a dice, a one-sided shape, one on a ten frame, and one on a clock. This learning is built on every day and revisited to ensure that the children learn more and remember more. This week, the children will produce their concept map around the number one, showing their knowledge through the mastery approach.
Maths Mastery -Number One 04.10.23
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
We have been exploring the story of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' during our forest school lessons. To help us to practise using describing words such as smooth, bumpy, cold and prickly, we went on a barefoot walk through the story. The language used was fantastic and the children thoroughly enjoyed becoming immersed in our story in a completely different way!
Mathematical Development: Investigating Pattern (21.09.2023)
Reception have been using a range of manipulatives to create and continue patterns. I am so impressed with their understanding of repeating patterns. They have been making patterns everywhere!
Our First Forest School Session
We had our first Forest Schools sessions this week. Mrs Capaldi was so impressed with how we all learnt and followed our two golden forest school rules. We read the story of 'Eliza and the Moonchild' and explored the colours we could see in the nature around us. We even found a snail and a slug! Then we enjoyed playing in our outdoor provision, building, making potions and playing in our mud kitchen. What little superstars!
Reading for pleasure in Reception at St Anthony's (September 15th 2023)
As a priority, the staff within Reception are developing children’s communication and language through singing songs, nursery rhymes and playing games. Our aim at St Anthony's is to develop children’s love of reading through reading aloud and telling stories and rhymes. Reading is truly at the heart of all we do. This week, we have begun our Little Wandle practice reading and phonic lessons. We are so excited to be grown up Reception children learning so rapidly.
Visit from Mr Easton The Chair of Governors
Mr Easton, our Chair of Governors, came to visit Reception on 15th September 2023 to introduce himself to the our new entrants into school. Mr Easton stated he was very impressed by how sensible and polite the Reception class were on his visit and how well they had settled into life at St Anthony's. He reported how all the children showed care towards each other and all the adults in the setting and were engrossed in their learning. The children showed Mr Easton their mathematical skills. They were learning about patterns and presented their skills about the AB pattern using a range of maniplulatives in both adult directed and free play within the indoor and outdoor setting. Well done Reception!
Our busy first week in Reception (September 2023)
Our First Week in Reception at St Anthony's (5.9.23 - 8.9.23)
We are delighted to welcome our 30 new pupils into school. As we don't have a nursery, our first week is specifically planned around PSED, and making the children settle in and feel secure, stimulated and happy. I would say we were 100% successful in our goal as our photos and video from week 1 exemplify. What a brilliant start to our journey at St Anthony's!
The Reception Team
Welcome to the Reception Class!
We welcome you into our exciting, caring, and learning environment.
This year is really important for our youngest children, and even though the first day is hard for our lovely parents, please feel assured that every child is precious, important and cared for by our amazing Reception Team.
Attendance is important as every day we are learning something new and our lessons are sequenced in a way that builds on each learning opportunity and lesson.
Reading every night is important for your child to progress. We will run sessions to support your child at home in reading and phonic learning.
Please remember to read our newsletter on the website, and it will also be in the children’s bag on their first day.
We will also be posting your child’s learning on Tapestry on a regular basis, so please check this. You can also contact me through the Tapestry system.
I will be at the entrance to our classroom every single morning and afternoon. My door is always open for questions and queries.
We look forward to welcoming you this week,
Miss Duffy and the Reception Team
Our Visit To Beeston Library - Thursday 22nd June 2023
Ready To Read Weekly Parent Sessions In Reception (June 2023)
Visit to Asda
The Reception class walked to Asda to buy fruit for our healthy smoothies and juices. The children discussed being safe on the way to Asda and how we needed to hold hands and listen carefully to instructions. The children were amazing, and they looked after their friends.
When we arrived, the children took turns in groups to explore the fruit section and buy some fruit for our juices and smoothies.
All the children were brave in trying out different flavours of juice. This was an excellent learning opportunity for all of the children. The winning smoothie was strawberry and banana.
Well done Reception!
When we arrived, the children took turns in groups to explore the fruit section and buy some fruit for our juices and smoothies.
All the children were brave in trying out different flavours of juice. This was an excellent learning opportunity for all of the children. The winning smoothie was strawberry and banana.
Well done Reception!
Exploring 2D and 3D shapes May 2023
Our Reception children have been exploring 2D and 3D shapes this week. Each child made a picture using 2D shapes and they were able to name each of the shapes.
The children also explored 3D shapes making castles, farms and towers. The children showed their understanding of their new vocabulary, including Sphere, Cylinder, Cone and Pyramid. The children could also name some everyday items that we see in the shops of these shapes. An ice cream cone. A ball is a Sphere and other examples.
Well done Reception!
The children also explored 3D shapes making castles, farms and towers. The children showed their understanding of their new vocabulary, including Sphere, Cylinder, Cone and Pyramid. The children could also name some everyday items that we see in the shops of these shapes. An ice cream cone. A ball is a Sphere and other examples.
Well done Reception!
Sam's Safari - Learning about Minibeasts 12th May 2023
Sam Safari's came into school on Friday 12th May to help Reception to learning more and remember more about amazing minibeasts. The children were very excited and brave to hold stick insects, a lizard, a millipede and hissing cockroaches. We will be discussing next week what our favourite minibeast was, and producing quality writing and drawings to help us to remember this amazing experience!
Reception's Learning Environment - May 2023
Exploring Weight
The children have been exploring using scales weighing different items. We have been using vocabulary including heavy, light and the same. The children learnt through provision some concepts such as even though it looks heavy it may be light. Having more does not always mean heavy.
Coronation Celebrations - May 2023
Coronation Celebrations in Reception (May)
The children had a lovely day celebrating King Charles III Coronation. The children learnt about who the King was and how he is very important to our country. The children made pictures and crowns. Some children made castles for the King to live in and they were very grand.
In the afternoon we had a street party with food, dancing and lots of flag-waving. A great day was had by all!
Long live the King!
In the afternoon we had a street party with food, dancing and lots of flag-waving. A great day was had by all!
Long live the King!
Indian food tasting (May 2023)
As part of our new story of the week, ' A Gift for Amma'. The children were given the opportunity to try Indian food. All of the children tried naan bread, korma sauce, jasmine rice, poppadoms and mango chutney. The children discussed the taste and the smells of the different foods. We really enjoyed the experience and we are really excited to learn more about India and its traditions through our story.
Reception are very proud of their Little Wandle Reading and Phonics. Each week, their parents are invited to attend a "Ready To Read Session" with their parents. Lots of our parents attend and they have been blown away by our children's rapidly progressing reading. This is having a huge impact on our children's progress from entry. Miss Duffy welcomes all our parents to come along. These take place during Summer 1 2023 on Fridays after Good Work Assembly (9.30am-9.45am). Everyone is welcome. Keep reading every single day Reception and keep up the great work! We are all very proud of you all.
Learning Outdoors!
Easter In Reception 2023
The children had a lovely day using our maths and Science skills. The children learnt about the solid chocolate turning into a liquid to be able to pour onto the cornflakes. Then the chocolate had to be left to cool to become a solid again, which they could then eat!
They also used their mathematical language to discuss if their cakes were heavier or lighter than their friend's cakes.
The children used their creative skills to add and use different materials. As you can see the children had a lovely time and their sharing skills are amazing. Well done Reception!
They also used their mathematical language to discuss if their cakes were heavier or lighter than their friend's cakes.
The children used their creative skills to add and use different materials. As you can see the children had a lovely time and their sharing skills are amazing. Well done Reception!
Music in Reception 18.03.23
The children have begun to learn the song Row, Row,Row, your boat on the chime bars. They did an amazing job at following instructions and following the music.
Music in Reception
Experiencing snow using our senses! 17.03.2023
On Friday 10th March 2023, we woke up to a very heavy fall of snow in Beeston. St Anthony's continued to open and we were so glad as we got to enjoy a day of learning in the snow. We all got into our outdoor wet gear of wellies and waterproofs so we could enjoy our outdoor learning in our new outdoor zone in the snow. We used our senses, experienced snow falling and even made snowmen! We learnt lots of new vocabulary too. What an exciting day we had.
RE: Lent
Reception are growing together as they journey through Lent towards Easter. They have all made their own Lenten promises and have prepared a display to show their footsteps as they journey in faith. Well done Reception!
Our New Outdoor Learning Environment for Reception 20.02.2023
Reception are very excited as over the half term holidays the builders have created our superbly improved outside area for them to play in. This has been resurfaced following our indoor building works and new access to the outdoors. Miss Duffy will be setting it all up for us as soon as it is dry!!! We can't wait to begin learning outside in our new improved learning environment. Watch this space to see more learning when we get back to school next week.
Mastering Number: Number Six!
Our Reception class are continuing to be masters in mathematics. They are learning lots of different ways to represent the number six in concrete, pictoral and abstract ways! We are so proud of you Reception. They have created their own ways of showing their understanding of number six, including by making concept maps.
Understanding of The World - People and Communities (Foundations for Geography)
Our Reception class are using books, resources and their own experiences within the setting to show their understanding of people and communities in Beeston. The children worked together to make a simple map of where the school is in the community of Beeston. We discussed all of the places that we may pass in the morning to get to school from our houses. We learnt that these are the features of Beeston. Reception recognised St Anthony's Church, the supermarket (ASDA), Monster Kids and The Garage. We discussed and explored each of the places and why they are important to where we live and how we use them. We discussed the importance of our church for us to pray to God and Jesus. We discussed the supermarket is for food, and we need food to keep our bodies healthy. Together, we created maps and plans of our routes to school, showing the features we pass on the way. We used the Bee-Bots to navigate around our maps. What a super start to learning about our world and our locality. Well done Reception!
Reception Story Telling and Writing - January 2023
During Spring 1 2023, our Reception class have been continuing to develop their oracy and writing skill using a range of core texts on our curriculum for EYFS. The children are beginning to write simple sentences using their amazing handwriting. Look at all their wonderful learning!
Skelton Grange Trip 2023
The children went on an amazing first hand visit to explore The Forest! When the children came back they were able to write about their experiences and tell stories. The children's behaviour was exceptional, as was their progress and learning during the day. We are so proud of you all Reception.
Our Wonderful Reception Class 2022-2023
Our amazing learning!
Reception Nativity Friday 9th December 2023
On Friday 9th December 2023, our Reception class shared their stunning Nativity with our whole school community. We were so proud of their confidence, acting skills and their ability to learn so many lines with accuracy. What little stars. Our Reception class were able to retell this most important story of the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. God bless you all Reception class.
Stickman Afternoon
On the 8th of December 2022. We invited parents to join our class to learn about the story of the week, Stick Man. The children and parents shared learning around the story. Children listened to the story and answered questions about what might happen next, the story's sequencing, and who their favourite characters were in the story and why.
Families explored learning around the story, including making decorations for Stick Man's Christmas tree and sharing a mince pie with our lovely families and teachers.
Families explored learning around the story, including making decorations for Stick Man's Christmas tree and sharing a mince pie with our lovely families and teachers.
Number Three
This week, Reception class are learning all about the number three. We can't wait to show your our concept maps and all we have learnt.
Advent: Making our very first Advent Wreath
November 2022 Road Safety Lessons: Road Safety and learning it is important to wear our seatbelts and sit in our booster seats to keep safe.
On Tuesday 15th November 2022, Leeds City Council Road Safety Team visited Reception class. We listened carefully how to keep safe on the roads, for example by finding safe places to cross and holding an adults hand on the pavement. We also heard about how to keep safe in a car by wearing our seatbelts and using a booster seat or child seat. We are going to keep very safe and use all our new learning from today!
Remembrance Day 2022
The children listened to the story about Poppy Day. We talked about our soldiers who defend our country. The children each made a poppy and we made a large poppy wreath. The children also shared their own thoughts in collective worship. We all took part in a school 2-minute silence.
Reception love reading!
Reading in Reception
In Reception our curriculum is focussed around books and language. We have been reading lots of new story books and non-fiction texts to support our learning. Our children have loved exploring books in the indoor and the outdoor settings in our new classroom area. We read every single day and love to read to our parents every night too. We even choose exciting story books and puppets to take home from our lovely library. Keep reading Reception! Thank you for supporting us all mummies and daddies! We have now all started to read from our Core Scheme, Little Wandle!
Pattern
The children have enjoyed exploring patterns this week. We have looked at patterns as a class and pattern independently in provision. This is in preparation for our first number after half term.
Our First Week in Reception (September 2022)
Our Reception children have made such a brilliant start to life at St Anthony's as they grow together on their journey with Jesus. They have all now settled into full time schooling and Miss Duffy is so proud of them all. Watch their first week and all the experiences they have had. We are very lucky to be in our brand new Reception classroom which has just been finished. What an exceptional learning environment we have for our youngest pupils to being their special journey with us. God bless you all Reception.
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WELCOME
A big warm welcome to our new Reception class of 2022. We are looking forward to seeing you all and now we have moved into our brand-new classroom, we have lots of space and areas that you can explore and enjoy and lots of learning opportunities to make this an amazing year. The only thing missing is you!
We will see you soon!
Miss Duffy, Mrs Shelton, Mrs Clark, Mrs Normington and Mrs Doherty.
Ace Club Sports Gala
Many thanks to Ace Club who provided a wonderful day of sport for the whole school on Friday. It was amazing to see the children enjoying such a wide range of sports led brilliantly by the Ace Club Leaders.
St Benedict's Buddies - Friendship at St. Anthony's
This half term, Year 6's RE topic is Faith in Action. One way they are doing this is by supporting our Key Stage 1 children during lunch time play. As part of our St. Anthony's Day celebrations they teamed up with Reception to help to nurture and support them on their first visit to Church. Both Year 6 and Reception were amazing and it was wonderful to see friendship blossom! Watch our photo story to see the smiles! Well done everyone.
Technology in Early Years 2022 - During the Early Years Foundation Stage children will utilise a range of technology to support their learning in other areas of the curriculum. This will include the use of interactive games, iPads, cameras, Bee-Bots and remote-controlled vehicles. Whilst exploring the world around them, children will explore wider uses of everyday technology.
Exploring Faith through liturgical dance
We hope you enjoy looking at the pictures from our fabulous More than Dance workshop. Each child took part wholeheartedly and really enjoyed exploring their Faith in God through the medium of dance. Well done to our super Reception class!
Reception Outdoor Area transformed by Year 6 and our wonderful staff on "Kindness Day"! Reception are loving learning outdoors!
Reception Visit the Prayer Garden
Yesterday, we had a wonderful surprise on our signs of spring and new life walk - we found a very special prayer garden! We sat in the garden and thought about how happy we are on Easter Sunday because Jesus is risen and thanked God for all the wonderful sings of new life that we can see in the world all around us. We made a Resurrection Cross and said special prayers.
Holy Week
We have been thinking about the events of Holy Week. We started by making our own palm leaves to help us to re-enact the events of Palm Sunday. Then we thought carefully about Maundy Thursday. We pretended to be Jesus and washed our friends' feet just like he did. Then we all gathered like Jesus and the disciples to share bread and wine at The Last Supper before going into the Garden of Gethsemane to say our prayers. We finished our learning about Holy Week by thinking about the events of Good Friday in a very special collective worship. We all made our own hearts to show how much we love Jesus. Then we worked together to make a beautiful focal point for our worship featuring a wooden cross, candles and the hearts we had made. It was a wonderful way to reflect upon the events of Holy Week.
Our Trip to Harlow Carr Gardens
We went on our very first school trip to Harlow Carr Gardens! Our good looking eyes were put to the test as we searched for signs of Spring in the glorious sunshine. The children made bark rubbings, listened to bird song, collected signs of Spring and even planted some seeds to bring back to school! Every single child was so well behaved and enthusiastic as we explored the gardens.
Easter Fundraising
Well done to everyone who entered our Easter Competitions this year. Watch our photo story to see the amazing bonnets, decorated eggs and Easter gardens - we were amazed by all your entries.
Our Story Projects
We have thoroughly enjoyed our learning project all about the story 'There is No Big Bad Wolf in this Story!' After investigating the text and exploring the traditional tales featured in the story, we all chose which of the traditional tales was our favourite. We then worked as a team to complete a story project about our favourite traditional tale. This included making a model of the story setting, making puppets, creating a story map, using our puppets to act out the story, creating hats of key characters and putting on a show to share our story with others. Have a look at some of our wonderful work!
Holi Wonder Day
We had a very special wonder day learning about the Hindu festival of Holi. This included experimenting with different painting techniques, dancing and celebrating the traditional elements of the festival. We learnt all about a Hindu child's visit to the Temple and drew comparisons with our own experiences of visiting church. We were fascinated by the children taking their shoes off at the temple and how they joined their hands to pray just like we do.
Popcorn and Pyjama Day
Inspired by the Popcorn poem we have been learning, we had a brilliant Popcorn and Pyjama day. We cuddled up and read lots of amazing Christmas stories, performed our Popcorn poem and thoroughly enjoyed making our own popcorn treats to celebrate our learning. What a fantastic way to celebrate our love of reading!
Elf Day!
We had an amazing day being little elves! We worked as hard as the elves in Santa's workshop making lots of different Christmas things to take home before enjoying a delicious Christmas dinner. What a special day!
Christmas Party Day
We had so much fun celebrating on our Christmas party day. Our amazing dance moves brightened everyone's day and we thoroughly enjoyed taking part in lots of festive games and activities.
Our Very Special Nativity Play
We have been little superstars preparing and performing our own Nativity play. I am so proud of every single child in Reception for singing, acting and dancing so beautifully. They all did an amazing job acting out the story of the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas has Come!
Christmas has officially started in Reception! We have had so much fun getting into the Christmas spirit, decorating our classroom and making some beautiful decorations.
Outdoor Learning
We have been thoroughly enjoying our outdoor learning sessions on the school field every week. The children have all become so good at using the different resources safely and making observations of the world around them. It is lovely to see them so enthusiastic to find different minibeasts, making mud pies and taking turns to post balls down the hill. As we are so good at using the resources safely, we have started to add a campfire to the end of our sessions. We gather around the fire, toast marshmallows and discuss our experiences together. What little superstars!
Our Café
As part of our learning about 'The Runaway Pea' we decided to create our own café to practise naming different foods. We worked so hard to make sandwiches, pizzas, fruit salad and cakes, thinking about the different ingredients we could use to design super dishes and developing our cutting skills. At the end of the morning when the food was ready, we sat with our friends inside our very special café to enjoy eating what we had produced. What super little chefs we have in Reception!
Remembrance
To mark Remembrance Day we had a very reflective day learning all about who we remember on this special day. We developed our cutting skills by making poppies, painted poppies to display on our window and pretended to be soldiers crossing the battlefield. This culminated in a very special collective worship where we gathered around the focal point we had created to help us to reflect and remember.
Bonfire Night
We have all been sharing our experiences of Bonfire Night. It was lovely to hear everyone's experiences of all of the fun they have had over this weekend. We used our scientific skills to make observations of lots of different experiments, developed our team work skills, and worked hard to practise our scissor skills. What a super day!
Diwali
We had a fantastic day learning all about how some children celebrate the festival of Diwali. We drew comparisons between the celebrations that take place at Diwali and celebrations we have experienced such as Christmas, Bonfire Night and our birthdays. Have a look at this video to see some of the fun activities we took part in to further our learning about this very special festival.
Autumn Days!
We have been working really hard exploring the season of Autumn. Our autumn walk around our school grounds was fantastic and we collected some absolutely beautiful leaves. We made close observations of the leaves we found and used them to make autumn crowns and autumn leaf stick puppets. Some of us were very interested in what hedgehogs and squirrels are doing during autumn time. We researched this using non-fiction texts and made our own hedgehog bread rolls inspired by what we had found out. Our scientific observation skills were amazing as we transformed our ingredients into dough and then shaped them into bread rolls. We were amazed when our bread dough rose!
We're Going on a Pumpkin Hunt!
We had a fantastic time exploring the story 'We're Going on a Pumpkin Hunt'. One of our highlights has to be our outdoor story trail. We had so much fun acting out the story and joining in with the repeating refrains. Alongside this we have also been doing lots of other activities surrounding our interest in pumpkins and Halloween. Have a look at this video to see what we have been up to.
Number Fun Workshop
We had an amazing time practising our maths skills by taking part in a Number Fun workshop. Look at our smiling faces and fantastic joining in!
Balanceability
Reception had an amazing time taking part in Balanceability lessons. It was wonderful to see the children grow in confidence, try something new and develop their balancing skills using the balance bikes.
The Smartest Giant in Town Drama Workshop
We had a very special visitor this week who helped us to launch our learning about 'The Smartest Giant in Town' by Julia Donaldson. All of the children were so sensible, following our listening rules and taking on the roles of different characters. They were super actors and actresses! Have a look at some of the exciting learning we did around this story.
Welcome to Reception!
We can't wait to welcome you all into our St Anthony's family. Days in Reception are very busy and filled with so much play, learning and laughter so there is lots to be excited about!
It would be brilliant if you could make time to watch the classroom video which is on Tapestry with your child before their first day. This will give you both the opportunity to see our wonderful learning environment and all of the fun things we have to play with. There are also the videos on the Reception 2021-22 page which would be good to re-watch too.
https://www.stanthonysleeds.co.uk/reception-class-september-2021/
I have been so impressed with how many of you have been involved with our Summer of Stories home learning over the summer holidays. Thank you so much for sending photographs of what you have been doing at home to us on Tapestry.
PE will take place on Mondays and Thursdays. To begin with children will need to come into school wearing their full school uniform to enable them to settle into school life. We will let you know when children need to begin wearing their PE kit on these days.
Tapestry will be such an important source of information for you over the coming year so please make sure you check this regularly. You will be able to see photographs, videos and observations of your child on here in addition to any important messages or home learning activities. Please do speak to us in September if you are having any technical problems with this.
There will be a curriculum information workshop for all Reception parents on Zoom at 4pm on Monday 20th September. I really hope you will be able to join us to learn more about our plans for the upcoming year and how you can support your child's learning at home.
Enjoy your final few days of the summer holidays and I hope you are really excited to start 'big school' very, very soon!
Mrs Capaldi
Our Very First Sports Day 2021
We were all so very proud of Reception this week when they took part in sports day for the very first time. The enthusiasm, determination and perseverance that our youngest children demonstrated was inspirational and a pleasure to witness. Thank you to all the parents who attended their very first event in a socially distanced manner, it was wonderful to be able to welcome you this morning and we hope you enjoyed it as much as the children. Well done Reception - YOU ARE ALL STARS!!
Come on England!!
The children have been very interested in England's progress in the Euros. We have been very busy watching the highlights from matches, learning football music, comparing scores, locating the different countries, learning to recognise the England flag and even playing our own team games inspired by football. Have a look at some of the things we have been doing to get yourselves in the mood for the big game on Sunday night!
Animals from Around the World
We had a fantastic workshop from Askham Bryan Wildlife Park. They brought lots of different animals that live in different parts of the world for us to meet. We were very brave and handled lots of unusual animals, making close observations of the different colours, textures and sizes. We also had the opportunity to ask lots of questions to find out more information about each animal with our excellent questioning skills. What super science learning!
Peter Rabbit
In response to our interest in Peter Rabbit we planned, wrote and shared our own Peter Rabbit stories. Have a look at our incredible learning journey with our special visitors!
Pets
We have had lots of exciting animal visitors to help us to learn about animals you can keep as pets. Thank you so much to all of our animal owners for helping us to provide these amazing hands-on experiences. The children have really enjoyed meeting the animals, learning about how to look after them, making observations and generating questions to ask the owners. We have learnt so much about being a pet owner and I know many of the children have been inspired to become a pet owner themselves!
The Bog Baby
We spent a fantastic afternoon outdoors exploring the story of 'The Bog Baby' by Jeanne Willis and Gwen Millward. After listening to the story, we explored the character of the Bog Baby and discovered some little Bog Babies of our own. We thought about how we could look after them and decided to build them some homes and prepare them some food. Our team-work skills were fantastic as we worked collaboratively to make sure our Bog Baby was well looked after. We also thought about how the Bog Baby might be feeling at different points of the story and made Bog Baby faces using clay and natural materials. Look at our amazing creations!
Our Local Area
We have been learning all about our local area. Look at all of our fantastic work! We have done lots of research about features of Beeston by going on local walks and conducting field sketches from our school grounds. Our reading skills helped us to play a sorting game to identify things that we could find in Beeston and things we couldn't. Then we used all of our knowledge to create our own model Beeston which filled our whole classroom! We had so much fun driving the remote control cars around our amazing creation, whilst identifying lots of features of our local area.
Samba Band
We had a fantastic afternoon becoming a class samba band! We learnt all about the names of the different samba instruments and how to play them. It was really important to use our good looking eyes to watch the conductor so we knew when to play and when to stop. Look at our fantastic performance! We even took turns to be the conductor, telling our friends when to play and when to stop. We had so much fun exploring these instruments and making lots of noise!
Superhero Comic Strips
We have been working so hard over the last two weeks creating our own comic books. Our first job was to devise a fantastic superhero story. We dressed up in the superhero costumes we had designed ourselves and acted out our stories. Once the photographs had been created we used caption boxes and speech bubbles to turn them into a comic strips. Our writing was absolutely amazing! We are getting so good at using our phonics skills to write different words. Once our comic strip was finished Mrs Capaldi made it into a book so we can share our fantastic work. What fantastic little superheroes!
Mental Health Awareness Week
We have been learning all about how we can look after our mental health. To start our day in a calming way we participated in a mindfulness session. We used breathing buddies and tissue paper butterflies to help us to focus on our breathing and taking long slow breaths. Then we focused our minds by completing finger labyrinths. Some of us even worked together outside to create a giant outdoor labyrinth that we could walk around taking calming breaths. We talked about how we were feeling today using our mood stars to help our discussion. Then we made our own mood star badges to demonstrate our emotions. We listened to the story of 'Silly Billy' by Anthony Browne and talked about what we can do if we are ever worried about something, before making our own worry dolls to take home. What a busy day we have had learning lots of very important techniques to keep our minds healthy!
Superhero Hideouts!
This half term we are investigating different methods of joining. We were introduced to cable ties and learnt all about how to use them. Then we were set a special challenge to create a superhero hideout. We worked together so beautifully with our friends and investigated how we could use the cable ties and pegs to help us to construct our hideouts. I was so impressed with the amazing displays of co-operation, negotiation and perseverance on display from all of Reception. What incredible superheroes you are becoming!
Superhero Training Academy
We developed our agility, balance and co-ordination by completing our superhero training! This helped us to be the fastest and strongest superheroes. We completed an obstacle course, practised our aim using spinning targets and used our water sprayers to defeat the hidden villains. What a fun afternoon!
Superhero Costumes
We have been working so hard to design and make our own superhero costumes. We designed and made our own masks, chose the colour we wanted our cape and our t-shirt to be and even sewed our own superhero badges for the front of our t-shirts. This was the first time many of our class had experienced sewing. They were absolutely brilliant and showed excellent perseverance! The children were all so proud of their finished costumes and have had lots of fun wearing them and doing lots of fun activities. I know many of Reception have enjoyed being little superheroes at home too!
Supertato
We have really enjoyed exploring the story 'Supertato' by Sue Hendra. It has been wonderful to see the children so engaged, acting out the story with their friends and exploring the different characters. When we came into school we discovered that we had some vegetables in distress in our classroom, just like what happens in the story. We worked together to investigate the crime scene and make wanted posters to try and find the evil pea. Thankfully, at the end of the day we discovered that Supertato had managed to capture the evil pea in some jelly. We had so much fun and produced some wonderful writing too! Well done Reception!
Our Visit from the Owls
To further our learning all about birds we were so lucky to have a visit from some very beautiful birds. Three magnificent owls came to our school. We had the opportunity to meet them, make our own observations of them and learn lots of interesting facts. All of the children behaved so beautifully and enjoyed asking and answering lots of different questions. Following the visit the children were so keen to talk about what they had learnt.
"Molly is my favourite. She can run and she has yellow eyes. She is so cute!"
"I liked the biggest one. It has blue eyes and really big wings"
"You can't see their ears because they are under the feathers"
"Molly is my favourite. She can run and she has yellow eyes. She is so cute!"
"I liked the biggest one. It has blue eyes and really big wings"
"You can't see their ears because they are under the feathers"
PE in Reception
During our PE lessons we learn to move our bodies with control and co-ordination. We play lots of fun games to develop our gross motor skills and thoroughly enjoy playing with our friends.
Using Technology - Painting on the iPads
I am so proud that our Reception class were able to take part in their very first whole school themed week: Science week! I know how much they enjoyed all the wonderful experiences of the week, especially their focus on birds! I am sure they will all remember their very first experience of holding the new born chicks! Well done Reception! We are so proud of you, Miss Leonard and the Reception Team.
Science Week - Investigating Chicks
During science week we had some very special visitors! We looked closely at the eggs and made a prediction of how many we thought would hatch. Then we watched closely and made some fantastic observations as 9 chicks hatched from their eggs. We thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow and observing them closely.
Science Week - Investigating Birds
During our science week we have been learning all about birds. We have even become birds ourselves and re-enacted the life cycle of a bird outdoors. Our giant nest on the field was amazing! We hope you enjoy watching this video of some of our highlights.
Science Week
We had an amazing time developing our skills during science week. We have conducted experiments, used our good looking eyes and listening ears to investigate, and even made our own predictions. What super little scientists we have in Reception!
Easter Fun!
Reception had such a busy day enjoying so many fun Easter activities. We made chocolate crispy nest cakes, met the Easter bunny, played Easter maths games and made some amazing Easter crafts. I hope you enjoy watching our video to see all of the fun we have had celebrating Easter together.
During Holy Week in 2021, we have been reflecting on the key events of this most important week. Each of our classes have re-enacted important events, shared liturgical dances, songs and prayers. This truly reflective video shows Holy Week at St Anthony's at its most holy. We hope you can share our learning, prayer and humble praise in your homes with us this year. God bless you all this Holy Week.
Easter Competitions
Well done to all of the children who have entered our Easter competitions this year. I have been so impressed with all of your Easter gardens, Easter bonnets and decorated eggs. They are absolutely incredible!
We're Going on an Egg Hunt
We have been learning all about the story 'We're Going on an Egg Hunt' by Laura Hughes. We acted out the story outdoors and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the character of the wolf from the story - he was very friendly really! Once we had become familiar with the text we practised sequencing the events and joining in with the repeating phrases in the text. We even used our phonics skills to go on our own egg hunt around the school, reading the clues and following the instructions, before writing some clues of our own.
Holi Wonder Morning
We all thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the Hindu festival of Holi. Before we went outside, we learnt lots of different facts about the festival and how some children might celebrate it. We used our geographical skills to find India on the map and talked about similarities and differences between Holi and some of the celebrations we have experienced such as Christmas or Bonfire Night.
"We learnt about Holi. We were playing with the paint. They go to their church. They take off their shoes at their church, we don't do that" said Jamelia.
"We fight with paint, it's Holi! They eat special food. I have food at Christmas" said Harrison.
"We learnt about Holi. We were playing with the paint. They go to their church. They take off their shoes at their church, we don't do that" said Jamelia.
"We fight with paint, it's Holi! They eat special food. I have food at Christmas" said Harrison.
Phonics Olympics
We had a fantastic time at our phonics olympics! We played honeypot relay, parachute pop and even went on a treasure hunt to practise reading the phonics sounds we have learnt this term. The children did a fantastic job of spotting different digraphs and trigraphs.
Finding the Dragon's Egg
Reception met Dodo the Dragon when he got lost in the school grounds. He went home to his owner Sam but visited us again last week. Dodo had lost his dragon egg and needed our help to find it! We carefully read Dodo's letter, then we searched for the egg. Luckily it had a soft landing in our flower bed. We observed the egg and decided we needed to know how to care for it. We brought the egg inside to keep it warm and wrote some amazing letters to a Vinnie the Vet. Vinnie kindly sent a reply telling us how to care for the egg. I wonder if will hatch before Easter? A huge well done to all of Reception. You wrote some amazing letters and we are very proud of you all!
Hello Reception,
Happy World Book Day. The theme of our World Book Day this year is "share a story". All our staff in school have made two very special stories for you to share together with your families. We are watching them both today at school, but you might want to share this with your families too.
Keep sharing your love for reading as this is one of the most important gifts we can give our children.
God bless and enjoy,
Miss Leonard
I wish to thank Mr and Mrs Easton for their kind assistance making this reading compilation in partnership with us.
Captain Tom Wonder Day
We had an amazing wonder day learning all about the inspirational figure Captain Tom. Have a look at some of the fantastic activities we took part in both at home and at school.
Chinese New Year
We learnt all about the festival of Chinese New Year. We did our research, made some amazing things and some of us even ate some Chinese food. We talked about the similarities and differences between Chinese New Year and festivals that we celebrate.
Rockpools
We learnt all about the features of a rockpool environment and compared this to puddles we might find in Beeston. Then we learnt about the different animals that live in a rockpool. We made some absolutely beautiful rockpools - have a look at some of our creations!
Pizza for Pirates
We listened to the story of Pizza for Pirates. Then we created our own sea monsters that could be friends with the sea monster in the story. We then turned into little chefs and designed and made our own meals for the sea monster to save the pirates, mirroring the plot in the story.
Our Reception class wish you all a Happy Christmas as they sing their reindeer dance for you all. God bless them on their very first St Anthony's Christmas.
Party Day
What an amazing day we had on our party day!
Reindeer Visit
On our elf day we were so lucky to have a visit from some very beautiful reindeer. We really enjoyed learning all about them.
Elf Day!
We all came to school dressed up in our elf costumes! We all looked amazing and had a fantastic time taking part in lots of activities like busy little elves.
Nativity Wonder Day
We had an amazing day celebrating Jesus' birthday on our special nativity wonder day. We all came to school dressed as characters from the nativity story and did some fantastic artwork and drama to help us to develop our understanding of the story.
The Gruffalo Live on Stage
We had the fantastic opportunity to watch 'The Gruffalo Live on Stage' streamed live into our classroom from the Lowry Theatre. It was an absolutely amazing production with fantastic acting, singing and plenty of opportunities for the children to participate. Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler even sent a video message before the production started. We had an amazing morning!
Advent Wonder Day
On our Advent wonder day we learnt a very special candle dance. Here is a video of one of our dances for you to enjoy.
Advent Arts and Crafts
On our Advent wonder day we all came dressed in purple to mark the beginning of Advent. After we had begun our day in a reflective manner by participating in collective worship we took part in lots of arts and craft activities to further our understanding of Advent. We made our own Nativity scene which we will be using to help us learn the Christmas story and lots of beautiful Advent candles to decorate our windows.
Woodland Wonder Day
We had an amazing woodland wonder day to develop our imaginative skills. We went on an magical adventure and we even got to meet a 'real' Gruffalo who was sleeping on our school field! We ended our adventures sharing delicious treats around the campfire. What a super day!
The Gruffalo's Birthday
As part of our mathematical learning all about the number 4 we thoroughly enjoyed celebrating the Gruffalo's 4th Birthday! We learnt all about different number bonds to 4 by helping the grown ups prepare for the very special birthday party.
We're Going on a Pumpkin Hunt
In response to the children's interest in pumpkins we have been learning all about the story 'We're Going on a Pumpkin Hunt'. I have been so impressed with how Reception have retold the story using the repeating refrains and applied their phonics skills in their writing. What little superstars!
Diwali
We had a very exciting theme day learning all about the festival of Diwali. The children learnt so much about this interesting festival and compared this to other celebrations they have experienced.
Remembrance Day
We really enjoyed learning all about Remembrance Day. The children were so reflective and said prayers so beautifully around the war memorial we had made.
Autumn
We developed our understanding of the world by learning all about autumn. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in lots of different autumnal activities!
Our Rainbow Room brings its magic to our Reception class!
All our children in Reception class visit our Rainbow Room with Mrs Doherty and Mrs Normington. They are really enjoying learning friendly phrases and playing together with such care and love. They are nurtured through a weekly session, which enhances their curriculum learning in the Reception setting. We are very proud of the start they have all made into Reception this term.
Home Learning
I am so incredibly proud of all of the children in Reception for their incredible learning at home. They have watched video lessons created by Mrs Shelton, Bertie the Bird and myself, and done all sorts of challenges. Thank you so much to all of the parents and carers who have supported the children so well. I hope you enjoy watching all of your friends on the video and I'm really looking forward to seeing you all again when return back to school after half term.
Mrs Capaldi
Mrs Capaldi
Transport Topic
We have had such a wonderful time exploring the topic of transport during our first half term at school. Please watch this video to see some of our highlights.
Bowland Farm
Farmer David came to visit today from Bowland Farm! He brought lots of animals to visit us today. We had lots of fun learning about how to care for all the different animals on Bowland Farm. We were able to use our senses to explore the farm and name the animals we could see. We even got to take some of the animals for a walk around our school grounds. What an amazing first visit for our new Reception class. Mrs Shelton was very impressed with us!
Fantastic Home Learning!
Come and look at all the fantastic work the children have been doing at home.
Technology in our Foundation Stage
Look at all the amazing ways we learn about and use Technology in our Foundation Stage!
Alien Writing Project
In Reception we aim to inspire the children to gain a love of writing through creative projects. The children really enjoyed creating their own alien models to use in their writing and writing to Beeg, our friendly letter writing alien!
Our RE Learning
We use lots of creative activities to learn all about different Bible stories in our RE lessons.
The History of Ourselves!
We have been exploring our own histories by looking at photographs of ourselves when we were younger. We used these to talk about how we had changed over time and events from our past. I wonder if you can work out who is in these photographs?
"I've got taller and my hair is longer" said Daisy.
"I couldn't walk or talk but now I never stop talking" said Dolly.
"I've got taller and my hair is longer" said Daisy.
"I couldn't walk or talk but now I never stop talking" said Dolly.
Marvellous Maths!
Take a look at all our marvellous maths work!
The Festival of Holi
We had an amazing time learning all about the Hindu festival of Holi.
Book Week
Look at all the fantastic activities we have been doing during book week to ignite our passion for reading.
Phonics Family Learning
We had a fantastic time teaching our grown ups all about how we learn phonics. Thank you to everyone who came. We hope you found this helpful to support your child's reading and writing development at home.
Rockpool Visit
After learning lots about animals that live under the sea we had a visit from a travelling rockpool. This gave us the opportunity to learn lots of facts about animals that live in a rockpool, handle these amazing creatures and make our own first hand observations. The children would like to tell you some of the things they have learnt about starfish:
"If one of the starfish's arms comes off they grow a new one. It's like a super power" said Dolly.
"This is a sun starfish. It has 14 eyes and 14 arms. In the middle is his mouth and his bottom. It felt squishy on the bottom and spiky on the top. In the corners of his arms, that's where water comes from" said Dominik.
"If one of the starfish's arms comes off they grow a new one. It's like a super power" said Dolly.
"This is a sun starfish. It has 14 eyes and 14 arms. In the middle is his mouth and his bottom. It felt squishy on the bottom and spiky on the top. In the corners of his arms, that's where water comes from" said Dominik.
Our Class Wedding
As part of our learning in RE we have been learning about 'The Wedding at Cana'. To support our understanding of this story we had our own Reception wedding. We learnt lots of new vocabulary e.g. 'bride' and 'groom' and talked about our own experiences of weddings.
Pirate Day!
We had an amazing time on our pirate day! This really ignited the children's interest in our topic and gave us lots of opportunities to further our learning across the curriculum.
Chinese New Year
We had a fantastic theme day learning all about the celebration of Chinese New Year. We learnt all about how children celebrate this special day and compared this with our own experiences of celebrations.
A Little Bird Told Me
We all took part in our nativity play 'A Little Bird Told Me'. Our costumes looked fantastic and we sang and danced so beautifully. This was a lovely way to mark the true meaning of Christmas.
Wild Literacy at Skelton Grange
We had an amazing time exploring the woodland environment at Skelton Grange to enhance our learning about 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson.
The Gruffalo
The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the story of 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson. Have a look at some of our amazing work.
Sensational Stories Family Learning
We had a fantastic session in the hall thinking about how we can inspire a love of reading. Thank you so much to everyone who attended.
Science Theme Week
What an incredible week! We have had so many opportunities to develop our scientific skills during our first theme week at St Anthony's.
Funky Fingers Party
We had a funky fingers party with our families. Mrs Capaldi talked to the grown ups about fine motor skills. We then had the opportunity to work with our grown ups to practise these skills in lots of exciting ways. Thank you so much to everyone who came to this event. We hope you found it useful to help you to support your child's learning at home.
Autumn Explorers!
We have had so much fun exploring different signs of autumn this half term.
Road Safety
We learnt all about how to keep safe around the roads. We had a visit from the road safety team and took part in lots of activities to develop our road safety knowledge.
Kitchen Disco!
This week we have been exploring the story 'Kitchen Disco' by Clare Foges. We have really enjoyed developing our vocabulary and other skills from across the curriculum by immersing ourselves in this fantastic text.