Reception Donaldson

Welcome to Donaldson Class!

Where we learn and explore! Our goal is to make learning fun while helping children build the essential skills and knowledge they need during these important early years. This is the place where our little learners begin their educational journey through curiosity, playful discovery, and meaningful experiences.

Our class teacher is Miss Nisbett working alongside Mrs Rus and Mrs Akbari. As a dedicated team, we combine our efforts to foster a nurturing, safe, supportive and calm atmosphere where every child feels valued, appreciated. We are excited to work in partnership with you throughout the academic year to celebrate your childrens progress, development, and successes as they grow, discover, and flourish. 

If you have any queries or concerns, please feel free to catch us at the door before or after the school day, or alternatively email: Donniece.nisbett@oxheywood.agoralp.co.uk

How to help at home:

One of the biggest areas of development for your child at this stage is communication. Your child will experiment with communicating in a variety of ways at school – for example, through stories, in conversations with adults and their friends, and through facial expression, movement and dance.

> Talk to them lots. Try to make the conversations as two-way as possible – children learn much more if they are in a dialogue, not just being spoken to.

>Read to your child and encourage them to read to you. Read anything and everything, not just the reading scheme books. Try to encourage your child to talk about the pictures, or to make predictions about what will happen next. Above all, it’s important for your child to enjoy reading, so try to relax, and stop when either of you begins to feel pressured or anxious.

>You can help your child build up hand strength and fine motor skills by playing with playdough. threading, paints and colouring in. This will really help when they come to learn to write.

>Support your child with writing their name, forming each letter correctly.

Numbers are all around us, from calendars to door numbers, street signs to car registration plates. Pointing them out and talking about them with your child can show that they have a real life context.

>Have a go at forming numbers in sand with a stick, on the pavement with chalk or on sheets of paper with finger paints. Make numbers out of modelling clay, or try holding your child's finger and forming the number in the air.

>Try to involve your child in using numbers at home by singing number rhymes and songs or by encouraging them to recognise and read numbers.