porters grange weekly newsletter week ending 6th DECEMBER 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 we have started our ‘Christmas activities’. We have enjoyed decorating nursery and every day we have 2 trees to decorate. We have enjoyed filling our book area with so many Christmas related stories and have enjoyed sharing these with our friends and soft toys. In the creative workshop we have used our cutting skills to collage with Christmas cards, make spiral Christmas trees and collage our own trees.

REMINDER: Please remember our Christmas activities with parents/carers in nursery is

Monday 16th December

• AM- 10.45-11.45
• PM- 2.15-3.15

Reception

This week we have had lots of fun preparing for Christmas. We have started to design and make our Christmas cards We had to follow the steps and instructions carefully. We have been learning to hold the scissors correctly and safely. We have been busy making our own decorations to hang and display in the classroom. We have also decorated the Christmas tree in the home corner and been decorating the classroom for Christmas. In Maths we have been looking at patterns and shapes. Instead of our weekly read with the teacher we practised our phonics and looked at the letters, sounds and words that we know.

REMINDER: Don’t forget your child needs to read at home, please sign the school reading record to show you have listened to them read.

Year 1

In English we have been discussing ‘common nouns’ and ‘proper nouns’. The children have had a go at creating lists of both.

During maths, the children have been working hard to describe numbers as tens and ones. We have used Number blocks to help us identify quantities that are less than, greater than and equal.

In PSHE, we have been talking about our PANTS Rules and why they are important. We have watched a video from the NSPCC that helps us to talk about why the PANTS Rules are important.

REMINDER: Reading books in school every day please. It is a year 1 expectation.

Do not let your child bring things from home, including toys and money. If they get lost, we won’t be able to find them.

Please label all extra clothing, including coats, hats and scarves.

Year 2

Year 2 have been learning mixed subtraction and addition this week. We have compared number sentences and recognised how to exchange tens and ones. In English the children have been learning to rhyme words and make up their own rhyming sentences. They have also written their own poem. The children have been preparing fruit in D&T and then wrote about whether they liked the fruit or not.

REMINDER: The children have been working hard to practise the Nativity. Please make sure the children know their lines.

Well done to those children who have been reading at home, keep up the good work!

Year 3

Year 3 have been very busy this week. We made mince pies on Tuesday, and it was lovely to see so many parents helping. On Wednesday we made Christingles and took them to the church for a service in the afternoon. We have been learning how to write reports in English and have continued our learning on multiplication and division in maths. In geography we looked at how the weather changes as you climb a mountain and what equipment we would need to take on an expedition.

REMINDER: Don’t forget to read at home and remember to practise your times tables on Times Table Rockstars.

Remember, PE kits need to be in school on Tuesday and Friday.

Year 4

This week Year 4 have been very busy! We have carried on with our normal lessons as well as having a fantastic mince pie making session with Chef David. In addition to this, we went to the local church to participate in a Christingle service.

REMINDER: Well done to all the children who are reading at home regularly, this will really help with all lessons! Remember if you are not enjoying your current read you can pick a new one.

Year 4 are gradually climbing the ladder in the TTR leaderboard, let's keep practising at home to get to number 1!

Year 5

This week, year 5 have been continuing our work on the fractions unit in maths - learning how to add fractions together, using mixed numbers and converting improper fractions. In English, we began work on our next unit, our brilliant book titled ‘FArTHER’ - we delved into the cohesive devices of this story in preparation for writing our own next week. In DT, we have finally completed our structures for our moving CAM models; now we are planning and designing the moving component ready to finish our builds in the coming weeks.

REMINDER: The Year 5 and 6 Carol Concert is at All Saints Church on the 12th of December at 2.15pm. Everyone is welcome to come and watch.

We are still finding pupils have no PE kit in school ready for Monday and Thursday. Please strive to send your child to school with the correct kit as we have very little supply within school to lend.

Year 6

This week, year 6 have been writing their own sonnets using iambic pentameter and Shakespearean language. The children enjoyed their fourth visit to IndiRock and incorporated the skills learnt so far into the session. In Science, the children explored how light travels in a straight line and have continued to learn about crime and punishment, through the ages, in history though taking part in whole-class debates.

REMINDER: The Year 5 and 6 Carol Concert is at All Saints Church on the 12th of December at 2.15pm. Everyone is welcome to come and watch.

Please ensure that your child has a PE kit in school on Tuesday and Friday. Also, the children must read daily and record in their home school diary.

French

This week, students in year one have been learning to name the colours in French; in year three we have been learning to describe and name pets; in year six we have been learning French through a story about football.

Music

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

Please contact me via the school office if your child would like to sign up to learn an instrument after Christmas. - Mrs Baines

Healthy Schools

How to find an NHS dentist

If you need to register with a dentist you can search for an NHS dentist near you on the following website

Find a dentist - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

You can find a list of dental surgeries locally and see if any are taking on new NHS patients. Whether it's near your home or work, phone them to see if there are any NHS appointments available.

Dental surgeries will not always have the capacity to take on new NHS patients. You may have to join a waiting list, look for a different dentist who is taking on new NHS patients, or be seen privately.

Once you find a dental surgery, you may have to fill in a registration form at your first visit, which is just to add you to their patient database. But that does not mean you have guaranteed access to an NHS dental appointment in the future.

Did you know? Advice on how to find an NHS dentist from the NHS advises that dentist practices do not have a catchment area and patients do not need to “register” with a dentist in the same way as with a GP (though practices may have their own registers to store personal details and waiting lists).

E Scooter Safety

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.