Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the second part of the Autumn term – I hope you had a relaxing half term break and got to enjoy some quality family time together.
This first week back has been extremely busy despite the 4-day week!
We started the week with individual photographs being taken by Tempest. The children looked so smart and proud as they lined up to have their pictures taken. We hope you are pleased with the quality of the finished photographs when they arrive but please let us know any feedback that you may have.
It was also lovely to welcome lots of new prospective Reception parents for September 2025 across the week. They were all very complimentary of our school site, staff and children as they toured the school, so we hope many will choose to join us next year.
The children had a fire safety assembly on Bonfire night itself and we rounded the week off with our dress down day today. A big thank you to everyone who donated a prize for our Christmas tombola stalls at the Christmas fair. Don’t forget that this will take place in less than 3 weeks now on Wednesday 27th November from 3pm.
This afternoon, we were also really pleased to welcome Bayo Alaba, MP for Southend East, to Hamstel Infants. He was given a tour of the school by four of our brilliant school councillors who showed off all we have to offer with pride.
Next week we have even more things to look forward to as its Anti-bullying week across the school. The children will be learning why we never tolerate bullying and what to do to help if it ever does happen. We will be sharing our child friendly anti-bullying poster with the children and also sending out our parent’s policy to keep you informed as well.
On Monday, we will be remembering those that gave their lives for us to have a better future, as we hold our remembrance assembly.
To help get Antibullying week started with a bang, we are going to be celebrating ‘Odd Socks Day’ on Tuesday 12th to help us all remember that it’s great to be different and it’s that uniqueness that makes the world such an interesting place.
Year 2 have a reading theme ahead as they will be visiting the local library across the week. There is also the chance for Year 2 parents to join us in the school hall on Wednesday 13th at 9:00am and 2:15pm for our Reading Rocks workshop. We hope you are able to come along and share some quality reading time with your children.
Finally, we will be celebrating Children in Need on Friday 15th with another dress down day. All donations will be going straight to this great charity and it is even rumoured that Pudsey Bear himself might pop into school on one day next week to meet the children.
Next week, we are also hoping to share all the important Christmas dates with you, so that you can plan accordingly for all of the festive events taking place at our school this year.
Never a dull minute at Hamstel Infants – I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Scott Roche
Principal
Diary Dates
November
- Monday 11th - Friday 15th - Anti-Bullying Week
- Monday 11th - Remembrance Event
- Tuesday 12th - Odd Sock Days
- Year 2 Library Visit
- Wednesday 13th - KS1 World Kindness
- Year 2 - Reading Rocks Day - 9am
- Year 2 - Reading Rocks Day - 2.15pm
- Friday 15th - Children In Need - non-uniform day
- Year 2 Library Visit
- Open House Session - 3.15pm
- Monday 18th - Friday 22nd - Road Safety Week
- Monday 18th - Year 2 Library visit
- Wednesday 20th - Year 1 Maths Workshop for Parents - 9am
- Year 1 Maths Workshop for Parents - 2.15pm
- Thursday 21st - Reception: Watch a Handwriting Lesson - 9am
- Friday 22nd - Jacqui Story Box Assembly
- Open House Session - 3.15pm
- Monday 25th - Reception Walk to Post Office
- Wednesday 27th - Christmas Fair 3pm
- Friday 29th - Dodgeball Event
- Open House Session - 3.15pm
December
- Friday 6th - Open House Session - 3.15pm
- Thursday 12th - Christmas Jumper Day & Christmas Dinner
- Friday 13th - Open House Session - 3.15pm
- Thursday 19th - Year 1 Christmas Crafts
- Friday 20th - Open House Session - 3.15pm
- Monday 23rd - Friday 3rd January - Christmas Break
January 2025
- Monday 6th January - Return to school
February 2025
- Monday 17th - Friday 21st - Half Term
- Monday 24th - INSET Day
April 2025
- Monday 7th - Thursday 17th - Easter break
- Friday 18th - Good Friday
- Monday 21st - Bank Holiday Monday
May 2025
- Monday 5th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Monday 26th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Tuesday 27th - Friday 30th - May Half Term
June 2025
- Friday 20th - INSET Day
July 2025
- Tuesday 22nd - Last Day of Term
- Wednesday 23rd - INSET Day
Nursery
Welcome back! Nursery have started the new term with a bang! We have been learning about why we celebrate Bonfire night and also learnt about Diwali. We listened to Handel’s Royal Firework Music and made marks in response to the music that we listened to.
In Maths we have been counting forwards and backwards to five. The children have been learning the properties of 2D shapes whilst creating shape fireworks.
Reminder
- Outdoor learning - Thursday 14th November
- Please ensure that your child has spare clothes at Nursery.
- Odd socks day - Tuesday 12th November
- Children in need (non-uniform): Friday 15th November
Letters sent home this week
Rainbow & Starlight
Rainbow
Welcome back! Hoping that everyone has had a lovely half term. It's good to see that the children settled in straight away and were ready to learn. We have been reading 'Can't you sleep little bear' and the children are enjoying the calm and warmth of the story. We have been looking at dark and light, day and night and light sources, the children have made some lovely pictures of the moon and a starry night. We have continued with pencil control, letter and number formations, name writing, and cvc words. The children are continuing with RWI, and colourful semantics resources, and matching games (word to picture).
In Maths the children are learning about building towers of 3, 5, 7 up to 10. learning to recognise groups of numbers, and we are proud to say the children have mastered this up to 5/10. We are looking at additions up to 10, and subtractions up to 6.
We are continuing with set 1 RWI sounds.
The children are practicing writing the long ladder giraffe letters, so please feel free to encourage them to do this at home.
Starlight
Welcome back! We hope you had a lovely half term. This week we have been reading ‘Room on the Broom.’ The children have learnt about the characters in the story and have been thinking about ways to describe the witch’s appearance.
In Maths we have been exploring the number 5 and the composition of these numbers up to 5. They are all getting good at subitising!
In Art we made some colourful firework pictures using paints and chalks on black paper. The children also made their own placemats to use at lunchtime, using an Autumn theme or ‘Room on the Broom’ theme.
Reception Year
Welcome back! We have started our half-term with reading the book ‘Room on the Broom’ and writing labels for the animals on the broomstick.
In PSHE we have been learning about permission, thinking about personal space and the importance of asking permission before touching someone or someone’s belongings.
In PE we have started our locomotion unit and been exploring jumping in a variety of ways.
In Maths we have been looking at the number 5, counting 5, knowing that we have 5 fingers on one hand and knowing 5 and 5 make 10.
In Science we have started to learn about light, naming 3 difference sources of light and describing how light can be changed. In RE we have been learning about Diwali, knowing that it is a Hindu festival and how it is celebrated.
In Art we have started our unit on Vincent Van Gogh by learning some facts about the artist and his painting Starry Night. In DT we have started our unit on sliders by learning about what a mechanism is and describing what a slider is.
In Music we have been learning the song 'I’m a little teapot' and finding the pulse to the song.
In all our lesson we have been working on our physical oracy skill, to maintain eye contact with a partner or a familiar adult.
How to help at home
Reading:
- Continue to listen to your child read 5 times a week, watch the QR codes and practise the speedy sound book.
Handwriting:
- Practise all the long-legged giraffe letters:
Maths:
- Count 5 different object accurately
- Subitise 5 different items
- Use your fingers to make different numbers to 5
Outdoor Learning next week
- Owl class: Monday
- Peacock class: Tuesday
- Woodpecker class: Wednesday
- Kingfisher class: Friday
- Odd socks day: Tuesday 12th November
- Children in Need (non-uniform): Friday 15th November
Letters sent home this week
Year One
Welcome back! We hope you all had a lovely half term holiday.
This week we have been reading the story ‘Pip and Egg’. We have been discussing what a setting is and have been using adjectives and noun phrases to describe some settings from the story.
In Maths we have been learning to use ordinal numbers and positional language including before, after, left and right.
In Art we have been learning about tone and shading and have been practising our skills in this area including hatching and cross-hatching.
In RE we have been learning about the word ‘belonging’. We had class discussions about all the different places, groups and clubs we belong to.
REMINDER:
- Please remember to bring in a Teddy to school by Tuesday 12th November
- Odd socks day: Tuesday 12th November
- Children in Need (non-uniform): Friday 15th November
Letters sent home this week
Year Two
A big welcome back to all our Year 2 classes, it’s been lovely seeing all your smiley faces again this week. It’s been a great start to the new half term with the launching of our new theme, ‘Rule Britannia’ where over the next few weeks we will be learning about Queen Victoria, the invention of the telephone, how Christmas has changed over time and much more!
This week though we have been thinking about how to improve simple sentences in Literacy using adjectives and expanded noun phrases. The children worked editing with their purple pens of power to improve some given sentences and re-writing sentences to make them more exciting for the reader.
In Maths we have started learning about multiplication and how it links to the representation of repeated addition and equal groups. The children have worked through this concept practically, building on pictorial representations and then beginning to think about the 2 times tables and its pattern.
This week we have also been in the Wildlife Area for our Outdoor Learning sessions. Outside we explored different materials that we could find in the natural environment e.g. the shed made from wood; benches made from plastic.
This week's spelling focus was:
The or sound spelt a before l and ll e.g. all, tall, ball, call etc.
Our Year 2 Common Exception Word Spellings: prove, improve, move.
Don’t forget to practise this spelling pattern in your home spelling books to get your stamp.
Letters sent home this week
Outdoor Learning
- Monday 11th - Owl class
- Tuesday 12th - Peacock class
- Wednesday 13th - Woodpecker class
- Thursday 14th - Nursery
- Friday 15th - Kingfisher class
PE
Reception
- Monday - Kingfisher
- Tuesday - Owl
- Wednesday - Peacock
- Thursday - Woodpecker
Year 1
- Monday - Heron
- Tuesday - Dragonfly & Newt
- Wednesday - Duck
- Thursday - Newt & Heron
- Friday - Duck & Dragonfly
Year 2
- Monday - Squirrel & Badger
- Tuesday - Dragonfly & Newt
- Wednesday - Duck
- Thursday - Newt & Heron
- Friday - Duck & Dragonfly
Online Safety
Over the years, Fortnite has become a household name in the gaming community. It was one of the first titles in the ‘battle royale’ subgenre, where players are thrown into a chaotic free-for-all on a sprawling map and fight until only one remains. Its cartoonish presentation and satisfying gameplay loop make it a potentially attractive choice for young players.
This guide, put together with expert input, tells you all you need to know about the safety concerns of this popular title and offers advice on how to protect children and young people as they enjoy the game.
Dinner menu
Week 2
Monday - Pork Sausage with Mashed Potato & Gravy - Vegan Sausage with Mashed Potato & Gravy - Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Cheese Sandwich - Ham Salad Wrap - Sweetcorn & Baked Beans - Chocolate Rice Krispie cake
Tuesday - Chicken & Sweetcorn Pasta - Vegan Tomato & Mixed bean Sauce with Fusilli - Baked Jacket Potato with Grated Cheese - Egg Mayonnaise - Cheese Salad Wrap - Carrots & Broccoli - Mandarin Jelly
Wednesday - Honey Roast Gammon with Roast Potatoes & Gravy - Sweet Chilli Stir-Fry Mushroom & Vegetable Noodles - Wholewheat Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Cheese & Tomato Bloomer - Ham Sandwich - Seasonal Greens & Peas - Vanilla Ice Cream
Thursday - Beef Keema with Turmeric Rice - Vegan Layered Vegetable & Sweet Potato Bake - Baked Jacket Potato with Baked Beans or Salmon Mayonnaise - Cheese Sandwich - Chicken Mayonnaise Baguette - Carrots & Sweetcorn - Apple Flapjack
Friday - Breaded Fish with Chips & Ketchup - Vegan Fajita Wrap with Chips & Ketchup - Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich - Ham Salad Baguette - Peas & Baked Beans - Lemon Drizzle Cake
Freshly Baked Bread: Garlic & Herb or Wholemeal Bread
Our lovely PTA have signed us up for Asda Rewards Cash Pot - if you usually shop there please consider adding Hamstel Infant School so we can have a chance at some extra funds.
How does Asda Cashpot work?
Asda's new Cashpot for Schools initiative has raised almost £1million for UK primary schools in its first 72 hours. The industry first campaign sees Asda donate 0.5% of the value of its customers shopping to a primary school of their choice – every time they shop using Asda Rewards.
For full details on how to use this Reward Scheme follow the link to Asda
Messages from the Office
School Tours for Reception September 2025
If you or anyone you know has a child who is starting school next September, please let them know we have our school tours available for bookings.
We have added an additional date as the tours have been so popular - Wednesday 20th November at 9.30am.
Hamstel Junior School Tours
If you have a child in our current Year 2 you may be interested in signing up for a tour of the Junior School. Mrs Farrell, Headteacher has arranged a number of dates. Please contact the Junior School office to book a place.
Lost Property
The lost property box can be found at the main school office and already has lots of 'lost' items in it.
To ensure that any of your child's items are returned safely to them in class please check that their name is clearly labelled on every item.
Medicines
If your child requires medication during the school day or during wrap around care please bring it to the school office, a parent or guardian will be asked to complete a permission form.
Antibiotics - in general if a child has been prescribed antibiotics to be given three times a day these can be given at home. If it has been prescribed to be given four times a day then we are happy support with this. Please bring the antibiotics in their original bottle to the school office and the parent or guardian will need to complete the permission form.
Please note that in general we will only be able to support with giving prescribed medicines. For all other medication please contact the school office to discuss your child's needs.
Community Information
Attendance
Attendance Overall
Reception Year: Peacock Class - 97.2%
Year 1: Newt Class - 98.3%
Year 2: Squirrel Class - 98.4%
Whole School: 95.1%
If your child is going to be absent from school please contact the school office by 9am and leave a message on our answerphone or via ParentPay giving your child's name, class and specific reason for their absence.
Any planned absence for example medical appointments should be advised to the school office with a copy of the confirmation letter or text being provided. For other absence i.e weddings, holidays etc then a Leave of Absence Request form should be completed in advance. Copies of this can be obtained from the school office.
Clubs
Teacher Led Clubs
Full details of our teacher led clubs has been sent out to parents/carers with children in Year 1 and Year 2.
All teacher led after school clubs finish at 4.15pm, children will be brought to the front of the school by the Club Leader for you to collect.
Premier Education
Please note: all before school clubs run by Premier Education have been cancelled for the remainder of this term. It may be that due to low numbers these will not restart. However we will keep you updated with any changes.
All after school clubs are continuing as normal, Premier Education will arrange catch up sessions and advise all those affected.
New club offers from Premier Education for after the half-term break.
For clubs after school run by Premier Education collection is from the Infant School Hall. Enter through the Poynings Avenue gate and walk across the playground. Children will have been escorted to the club by school staff for the start.
Collection time for all Premier Education after school clubs is 4.15pm. Premier Education staff will telephone parents/carers of any uncollected children after 5 minutes. Any child not collected after 10 minutes will be escorted to Hamstel Infant School & Nursery After School Club and a fee of £7.00 will be charged.
If you are unavoidably delayed please telephone the school emergency telephone number on 07526 079300 to speak with a staff member of our After School Club.
Bricks4Kidz Club
New club offers for after the half-term break.
Bricks4Kidz Club is held in our Welcome classroom. Collection for this club is from the Reception Learning Garden (No mow) outside Woodpecker Class.
Collection time for the club is 4.15pm. Any child not collected after 10 minutes will be escorted to Hamstel Infant School & Nursery After School Club and a fee of £7.00 will be charged.
If you are unavoidably delayed please telephone the school emergency telephone number on 07526 079300 to speak with a staff member of our After School Club.
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