Hamstel Infant School & Nursery Weekly News week ending 18TH october 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

It was great to welcome several different visitors to Hamstel Infants this week,

On Tuesday, we had Year 1 parents in for our Phonics workshop and the chance to see a live lesson. We really appreciate your positive feedback around this event and we hope you found it useful.

We also had a visit from an ex-pupil of Hamstel Infants, Betty, a 96-year-old lady who came to Hamstel between 1932 and 1937. It was great to show her around and hear stories of the school before the war. Betty was still able to pick out parts of the original building that she recognised and also shared her old school report card with me. True Hamstel history!

As I am sure you are aware, this week we also had a visit from Ofsted.

While we can’t share any information until the official report is published, I just wanted to thank those of you who took the time to leave feedback on the parent survey. It was also lovely that so many parents stopped to wish us good luck or just ask how we were doing at morning drop off on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Thank you, your thoughts and well wishes were very much appreciated!

A big shout out goes to our staff and children who were absolutely fantastic over the two days and we will of course share the official report when it comes through in about a months’ time.

Last week we reported how well our children had performed at the KS1 Cross Country and we were really thrilled to hear the news that we finished third overall. The team were all awarded bronze medals in our celebration assembly today. Well done Team Hamstel!

On Tuesday and Wednesday next week, we are looking forward to welcoming you into school for our Parent’s meetings. If you haven’t managed to book a time slot yet, it’s not too late as the booking system will be open until the end of the school day on Monday. However, if you can’t make one of the dates available, please speak to your child’s class teacher who will be happy to arrange an alternative time to speak with you.

I can’t believe that we are already approaching half term – just a reminder that school is closed on Monday 4th November for an INSET day.

Have a fantastic weekend and we look forward to seeing you all again on Monday!

Scott Roche

Principal

Nursery

This week the children have enjoyed listening to the story ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’. The children were introduced to a story map and were able to retell the story using the story map. In Outdoor learning we went on a bear hunt which they enjoyed.

In Maths we have been learning about 3 and counting out 3 objects.

We have been looking at seasonal changes and looking at signs of Autumn.

Letters sent home this week

• Whole School - Ofsted Inspection letter from Ofsted - 14.10.2024
• Whole School - Ofsted Guide for Parents - 14.10.2024

Rainbow & Starlight

Rainbow

This week the children have listened to the story 'The Gingerbread Man' they have enjoyed singing along to the song and repeating “run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man” It has been fun to see the children role play the characters in the story, and creating their own stories. They have been learning about the different animals in the story, the scenery, and what the fox did with the gingerbread man at the end of the story.

The children have continued with their numbers and letters, pencil control, name writing and sentence building. We are practicing cvc words, picture matching, subitising and simple additions. The children are enjoying making lots of artwork using different materials and media to create lovely art. The children have really enjoyed the group phonics activity where everyone is involved saying, writing and showing each letter. We have been working vigorously to learn about sinking and floating, heavy and light, rough and smooth, long and short etc. It has been a lot of fun using different items to show this and the children have been very creative.

Letters: m a s d t , cvc words (dog, cat, map, man, dig, hat, hen, vet ...) (matching picture to words

Numbers: subitising up to 10 and simple additions up to 10/ number ordering and pattern sequencing

Starlight

This week we read the story ‘The Gingerbread Man.’ The children have enjoyed joining in with the repeated language. We have looked at the fox and Gingerbread Man characters, thinking about how we would describe their appearance and their character/personality.

In Maths we have been learning about subtraction, using practical objects, crossing out and counting backwards on a number line.

The children were challenged to make a bridge for the Gingerbread Man to cross the river, using construction toys, rather than climbing onto the fox’s back. We saw some super creations and were impressed with their problem-solving skills!

Reminder: Outdoor Learning on Monday. Please dress your child in old clothes, suitable for the weather that day, and provide a change of clothing too.

Reception Year

This week we have been reading ‘Who sank the boat’ and learning to describe how boats have changed over time. In outdoor learning we have been carrying out an experiment to find out if the boats we made in DT would float. We also continued our learning about maps outside by following a simple map of the school. In writing we have been writing labels to name the animals in the boat.

In PSHE we have been learning to name parts of my body and in PE we have been continuing to improve our gross motor muscle by completing different exercises and activities.

In Maths we have been learning about 3 and 4, subitising different arrangements, making those numbers and identifying when a collection is rearranged or changed.

In RE we have been learning about what happens when a baby is welcomed into the Muslim religion.

How to help at home

Handwriting: Practise writing the long-legged giraffe letters u and t, remembering to start at the top.

Reading: Listen to your child read their book, encourage your child to join in with the virtual classroom videos.

Maths: make different groups of 3 and 4

Reminder: Handwriting Workshop: Thursday 24th October

• 9am: Woodpecker and Peacock
• 2.30pm: Kingfisher and Owl

Letters sent home this week

• Reception - Handwriting Workshop - 14.10.2024
• Whole School - Ofsted Inspection letter from Ofsted - 14.10.2024
• Whole School - Ofsted Guide for Parents - 14.10.2024

Year One

In Literacy this week we have been reading ‘The Gingerbread Man’. We have been discussing what the term ‘character’ means and have been acting out how some of them behave in the story. We looked at the old lady and the Gingerbread Man in more detail and used our understanding of adjectives to write some character descriptions.

In Maths we have moved onto subtraction. We have been looking at number stories and have tried answering them by crossing out, counting backwards on a number line and using our knowledge of number bonds to support us.

In DT we have started our block on food technology. We learned about where fruits and vegetables come from and enjoyed some tasting sessions. We also got the opportunity to chop and handle fruits and vegetables in different ways.

Reminder: Outdoor Learning next week

Letters sent home this week

• Year 1 - Phonics Workshop Powerpoint - 16.10.2024
• Year 1 - RWI Booklet - 16.10.2024
• Whole School - Ofsted Inspection letter from Ofsted - 14.10.2024
• Whole School - Ofsted Guide for Parents - 14.10.2024

Year Two

The Year 2 week begun with a flying visit from Nite Owl’s on Monday. The children were very excited by our visitors and enjoyed learning lots of interesting facts about the owls and watching the display they put on for us in the hall. This wonderful experience helped hook the children into more learning about owls in the classroom. The children developed more knowledge about the owls, their habitats and the life cycle and used this information to write some simple reports. The children are very proud of their writing.

In Maths the children were introduced to re-grouping, this is where the children ‘exchange’ ten ones for a ten when bridging the tens e.g. 47+26=. This is a challenging concept, but the children have tackled this new learning with resilience and enthusiasm. The children explored this concept practically first to ensure they had plenty of time to practise and understand the new learning.

In RE the children have continued to explore parables and discuss the similarities and differences between some of the parables Christians believe. The children have been thinking about The Lost Son and The Good Samaritan and have enjoyed discussing the messages the stories have.

In PSHE we have been thinking about our behaviours towards each other, how to recognise hurtful behaviour, how this makes us feel and how we can help each other.

Reminder: Next Week:

Hyde Hall Trips:

Monday 21st October – Hedgehog and Otter Classes

Tuesday 22nd October – Badger, Squirrel and Fox Classes

Letters sent home this week

• Year 2 - Southend City Council Admissions Letter - 17.10.2024
• Whole School - Ofsted Inspection letter from Ofsted - 14.10.2024
• Whole School - Ofsted Guide for Parents - 14.10.2024

Celebration Assembly - Effort & Resilience

This weeks value has been 'Effort & Resilience', below are highlights from around the classes.

Fire Safety

Whether it’s during a major event like bonfire night or simply while using a heater on a chilly day, fire safety is a vitally important topic on which to educate children and young people. One mistake with fireworks, electronics or open flames can have catastrophic consequences: damage to property, serious injury or even worse.

As parents and educators, it's vital that we teach the children in our care how to protect themselves around fire and flammable materials in a mature and responsible manner. This guide offers expert advice on how to educate children and young people on fire safety, detailing what precautions can be taken to keep them as safe as possible when exposed to fire-related dangers.

Online Safety

Many children and young people enjoy exploring new and exciting genres and themes in the films and TV they consume – and as they grow, the maturity of this content will likely increase with them. However, without proper supervision and safeguarding, youngsters looking for a new title to enjoy – especially in the horror genre – might get a little more than they're ready for.

The emotional and psychological impacts of viewing age-inappropriate content can be severe. It's vital for parents and educators to know how to keep the children in their care as safe as possible while young people explore new, potentially grittier or darker, pieces of media. This guide breaks down the risks of viewing age-inappropriate content, with a particular focus on horror, and offers expert advice on how to limit youngsters’ exposure to material that might upset or disturb them.

Extra Second-Hand Uniform Sales added due to popular demand.

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

Parent Meetings - Now Live for Bookings

A letter with full details came out last week about booking to see your child's class teacher. Please check your email or the Communication section on your ParentPay account.

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.