porters grange weekly newsletter week ending 28th february 2025

Celebrate World Book Day with Us – Thursday, March 6th!

We are excited to celebrate World Book Day on Thursday, March 6th! On this special day, children are invited to come to school dressed in their PJs and bring their favorite book from home. Slippers and nightgowns are welcome, but please ensure children arrive in their school shoes and coat.

From 2:30 – 3:30 pm, families are invited to join us for a reading celebration at Porters. We have a variety of activities planned:

Jacqson Diego Story Emporium will be hosting a pop-up shop with World Book Day books and a selection of other exciting titles. Bring your free World Book Day token to swap for one of the special books or receive £1 off other titles (both cash and card accepted).

Classrooms will offer story time sessions and reading-themed crafts.

The South Hall will be set up as a "Read and Relax" zone, perfect for unwinding with a good book.

Our Library will be open, and families can explore it by completing a fun book bingo game.

We want to highlight the joy of reading and the importance of making time for it. Feel free to explore the activities at your own pace and enjoy a relaxed, fun afternoon with your children!

We look forward to celebrating reading with you all!

Portico Photography Competition

Nursery

This week we have been very excited coming back to nursery after the half term. We have enjoyed playing outside in the mud kitchen... especially after it has rained!!!! We have also enjoyed lots of group play where we are learning to share and take turns..

REMINDER: Please continue to provide your child while the weather is extremely cold with hats and gloves.

Reception

We held a democratic vote to choose a book to celebrate book week. We will be reading it and completing activities linked to the book. In maths we have been looking at how we measure. We found out the tallest and shortest person in the class. We have also enjoyed measuring and comparing the lengths of different objects.

REMINDER: Please try and read with your child each day and talk about the story with them.

Year 1

The children have loved their science unit of growing sunflower seeds. They have started to germinate and have been sent home. Enjoy the next steps. Keep us updated as to how they grow.

In English, we have practised ‘hot seating’ and role played being Beegu to support the children with their vocabulary. We have used conjunctions in our writing too. The children have worked hard.

In maths the children have used tens and ones to describe numbers. E.g. 17 is one lot of ten and seven ones. We had a look at hundreds as well to challenge the children.

REMINDER: Year 1 will will continue outdoor learning with Mrs Britton next weeks. It is being done in small groups of 10. When it is your child’s turn, we will inform you. Any questions ask your class teacher.

Reading books need to be in school every day.

PE kits need to be in school for Thursdays please. Make sure clothing and bags are named.

Year 2

This week the children have been embedding punctuation rules like full stops, capital letters, exclamation and question marks. These rules help the children’s writing make sense and the writing becomes more fluid when re-reading it. Maths has had a focus of multiplication and division. In art the children have been looking at ammonite fossils, describing patterns and noticing the curves, textures and colours.

REMINDER: Please hear your child read at least three times and week and make a note of how they have read in their reading records.

Year 3

This week in English, we have been completing different grammar activities to improve our writing. In maths we have been learning about perimeter and have measured the perimeter of different shapes. In Geography we researched the major rivers of Europe. We identified the source, length, the countries they flow through and where the river meets the sea.

REMINDER: Please make sure to practise Times Table Rockstars at home as often as you can.

Please ensure PE kits are back in school for Tuesday and Friday’s PE lessons.

Please read with your child at home and complete their reading journal.

Year 4

This week we have been using our old layered reading book to inspire us when planning a new version of the story. We have started to learn about money and careers in PSHE which was very interesting! We learnt why people have different salaries based on their training.

REMINDER: PE kits should be back in school by now and reading should be recorded in diary.

Year 5

This week we have been continuing our journey into fractions, decimals and percentages in maths lessons. Learning the key skills of how to order decimals and round them to three decimal places. In English, we have begun a new unit looking at narrative, with a focus on science fiction stories. We have planned our own version using an exciting story, about time travel, ready to write independently next week. In history, we started our new unit looking at the world of the Ancient Egyptians, their way of life and societal systems.

REMINDER: Please also strive to read for 20 minutes a night, log into Times Table Rock Stars regularly, and record any input into reading records.

PE lessons are on Monday and Thursdays, please ensure your child has their PE kit ready for those days within school.

Year 6

In English, we have read the story ‘The Long Walk’ and considered how the author developed the characters and atmosphere. The story will form the basis of our writing for the next few weeks. In DT, we learnt how to peel and cut a carrot using a variety of techniques in preparation for cooking in future lessons.

REMINDER: Over the next few weeks, we will be cooking a budget-friendly meal. The children will be buying the ingredients and shopping to a budget. If your child has any allergies, please ensure the school has up to date information to enable all children to take part.

French

This week we welcomed back years 1, 3 and 6 to French. Year 1 have been learning the French for some everyday objects; year 3 have been learning about feelings and sensations (hunger, thirst etc); year 6 have been increasing their knowledge of vocabulary and structures to do with the future.

Music

Future Events

• Southend Makes Music – 6th March (Choir)
• Infant Music Festival – 12th March (Music Making Club)
• Cliffs Pavilion Music festival – 13th June

Music Clubs

• Band – Tuesday 12.00-12.30
• Music Making – Tuesday 3.30-4.15
• Choir – Thursday 3.30-4.15

Instrumental Tuition

• Tuesday am Guitar – Mr Brown
• Wednesday am Guitar – Mr Elliot
• Wednesday am Keyboard – Mr Hockey
• Wednesday am Drums – Mr Peters

Healthy Schools

Community

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.