porters grange weekly newsletter week ending 15th November 2024

Winter Coat Drive

With the nights drawing in and the Winter fast approaching could we please ask, if you have a coat that your child has grown out of could you possibly donate it to our 'Coat Drive' here at Porters Grange Primary School so another child could benefit from using it. Could coats please be of good, clean condition and if you could please bring them to the School office it will be very much appreciated.

Thank you

Nursery

This week has been an extremely busy week at nursery. We started the week learning about ‘Poppy Day’, joining in the 2-minute silence, created some poppy art, poppy biscuits and made some poppies with playdough. On Tuesday we learnt about ‘Anti -bullying week, by talking about how we are all different but how we all work together. We wore odd socks to nursery and made our own odd sock pictures. On Friday we joined in the fund raising for ‘Children in need’, we joined in lots of Pudsey bear activities and made our own Pudsey biscuit.

REMINDER:Please remember as the days are turning colder to make sure your child has the appropriate coat and hat. With Thanks for your help.

Reception

This week we have been very busy with lots of different theme's celebrations and events! We have been learning about Remembrance Day and the significance of the poppy flower. We took part in a two-minute silence on Monday and throughout the week have been busy creating Poppy artwork. We have been learning about anti-bullying week and what makes a good friend. We enjoyed taking part in odd sock day and we celebrated our differences. We also learned about ‘Children in need’ and some of us chose to create Pudsey pictures and crafts.

REMINDER: We have our reading workshop on Wednesday 27th November focusing on Phase 2 and the ‘pink level’ books. Please check that your child's name is in their hat, gloves, scarf and coat. Thank you

Year 1

Year 1 have finished off their work around rhyming words and have used rhyming words in sentences. In maths, the focus has been naming 3D and 2D shapes and talking about their properties. In history, we have discussed Remembrance Day and why some children and adults wore poppies and what they symbolise. PSHE this week has been used to talk about Anti-bullying week and what kind and unkind behaviour looks like in school. We have had conversations about what we do to if we see bullying.

REMINDER: Reading books and reading records must be in school every day. It is a year 1 expectation.

PE is on Thursday. Ensure all PE kits are in school.

Year 2

This week in English we are learning to use expanded noun phrases to persuade a reader to visit Southend. The children have been using a wide variety of words like ‘vibrant’ to describe the city. For maths, we have been learning to subtract in many ways like partitioning and using a rekenrek. In science we reflected on what a habitat is then went outside to identify microhabitats withing our playground. We recorded what we saw/ might live in the micro habitats. We have been learning to use an iPad to take photos in a specific way for example holding the device in landscape or portrait to suit the image.

REMINDER:Please remember to read with your child on a regular basis and make a note of how they read.

Year 3

This week we have been writing our own stories set in The Stone Age. In maths we are coming to the end of our unit on addition and subtraction. In geography we have been learning about the mountain ranges of Europe and comparing the North European plain with the Alps. In ICT we have started to use a stop motion animation programme to create our own films. We also had great fun in science sorting and classifying animals and researching their habitats and characteristics.

REMINDER: Please remember to read with your child on a regular basis and to note this in the reading record.

Please make sure all PE kits are in school on Tuesday and Friday.

Year 4

This week we have been working on playscripts in English and area in maths. The children have been enjoying dancing and handball in P.E. In science we have been learning about food chains.

REMINDER: Please remember to read with your child on a regular basis and to note this in the reading record.

Year 5

This week year 5 have been working on fractions in maths, learning how to find equivalent fractions. In English, we wrote our own explanation text looking at the different phases of the moon. In science, we conducted an investigation into gravity, looking deeper at how the mass of an object affects its velocity towards the ground. In DT, we measured accurately with rulers; used saws to cut the wood, so we are able to create a moving CAMS design.

REMINDER: Some children do not have a PE kit in school still.

Please ensure your child has a full PE kit for Monday and Thursday PE days.

Please strive to read for 20 minutes each night at home and record in reading records.

Year 6

This week, in English, year 6 have written and performed monologues from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The children enjoyed role-playing the characters before using appropriate vocabulary to convey meaning. On Tuesday, year 6 went to Indirock in Southend to learn the techniques for bouldering. The children had a fantastic time challenging themselves to climb a range of trails which helped develop their self-confidence.

REMINDER: Please ensure that PE kit is in school on Tuesday and Friday.

The children are allowed to bring a healthy snack and drink on Tuesday for after their session at Indirock.

Please read daily and record in home school diaries.

French

This week year one continued their learning about a variety of basic French expressions; year six consolidated their learning about the Tour de France; year three continued their work on describing themselves.

Music

Drum Lessons

We have a new drum tutor starting in the next few weeks.

If your child was previously having lessons, you should have received information regarding this.

There are a few spaces available for new pupils. Please contact the school office if you are interested.

Music Clubs

• Tuesday - Music Making - 3.30pm - 4.15pm
• Friday - KS2 Choir - 3.30pm - 4.15pm

Instrumental Tuition

• Tuesday Guitar - Mr Brown
• Wednesday Guitar – Mr Elliott
• Wednesday Keyboard – Mr Hockey

Community

Southend Foodbank - Click here

Cost of Living Advice

Click here to access cost of living advice from Southend City Council. It contains information on housing support, energy cost advice and benefits and support for those with children.