JS Reception Curriculum Letter

September 2010

 

TO PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN RECEPTION

 

 

Dear Parents,

 

Welcome to Reception! I am looking forward to a wonderful year teaching your delightful children.

Below is a brief outline of what we will be learning during the year ahead.

 

TEFILLAH

Tefillah takes place at the beginning of each morning and we build on the Tefillah learnt in Nursery.

 

READING

A large proportion of our time is spent learning the Alef-Bet. We are introducing letters with vowels working towards building words. We will learn the name and sound of each letter through stories, songs and games. We will also learn how to form the letters independently through modelling clay and writing. We aim to cover the majority of the Alef-Bet by the end of the Spring Term. Each week, your child will be given optional reading homework to reinforce the letters we have learnt. This will be attached to the weekly parashah sheet. A sound book will be sent home after each new letter has been taught. Please reinforce these sounds with your child.

 

PARASHAT HASHAVUA

Each week we discuss the Parashah which is read in synagogue on Shabbat. We explain the Parashah through story telling, role-play and puppets. Each week we will focus on a particular section of the story and highlight a Mitzvah or Middah that we can learn from the Parashah. For instance in Parashat Bereishit we learn about Hashem creating the world and we will focus on “Everything comes from Hashem”. Your child will bring home a Parashah sheet each week that contains a brief outline of that which was said in class, the lesson we can learn and some questions to ask your child.

 

JEWISH LIVING

We anticipate each Chag and prepare for it in different ways. For instance this term for Rosh Hashanah we learn about its importance in our calendar, the blowing of the Shofar, Teshuva (repentance) and the special sweet food we eat. We prepare for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, by learning about saying sorry and forgiveness, the prohibitions of the day and the story of Jonah. We learn about the Mitzvot of Succot and shaking the Lulav and Etrog.

For Chanukah, we learn the story of the miraculous victory of the small Jewish army over the Greeks, and the miracle of the oil. We practise lighting a ‘Chanukiah’ and learn about the customary foods made with oil, and play a sevivon game. We sing songs related to each chag, and complete an appropriate craft activity to take home. Other topics we cover are Calendar and Berachot. Calendar involves learning the months of the Jewish Year, and about Rosh Chodesh – the first day of a new month. We learn the correct Berachot (blessings) for bread, cake, fruit and drinks and our gratitude to Hashem for all this. We learn about Shabbat and Kashrut in this subject too.

 

‘READ WITH ME’ LIBRARY

Once every half-term, each child will be able to borrow a book from our “Read with Me” Library. These are Jewish books on assorted topics, and are intended for shared reading with the family.

 

Please encourage your child to talk about the Parasha sheet or Chagim craftwork, and to read the Alef-Bet optional reading (attached to the Parasha Sheet) as this will provide a helpful revision of the work we have covered in school.

 

I hope this letter has given you some idea of our proposed programme of work in Reception. If there is anything that you are concerned about or would like to clarify, please come and speak to me at a mutually convenient time.

 

I am looking forward to teaching your children about their precious and beloved heritage.

 

 

  

Mrs Daniella Broder

(Jewish Studies Teacher)