Friars Weekly Newsletter

Coming up in this edition of the newsletter...

• A round-up of an extremely busy week
• KS2 Borough Sports
• Junior Music Festival
• World Cup Sweepstake Homework

Wow... What a week we have had! There has been so much to pack into the past five days that I am not sure quite how we managed it?! We have had the Year 1 children sitting the Phonics Screening Check, the SEEMSA Junior Music Festival rehearsal and performance at the Cliffs Pavilion, and the KS2 Borough Sports. Phew! Let’s start with Borough Sports on Tuesday. We had 50 children from Years 3 through to Year 6 participating in a range of events at Garon Park; sprints, middle distance, relays, javelin, long jump, standing jump, shot putt and ball throw. The children had practice sessions in the build up and everyone’s hard work really paid off with excellent performances all round. We walked away with lots of smiles, medals and a fourth-place finish overall. Just missing the podium was a shame but there is always next year. I felt very proud of each and every competitor. I was lucky enough to be on the finish line with the job of deciding the winner of each race. It was fun but it did come with a little bit of pressure. I think I called the right decisions! If you took part this year, a big well done. If you are interested in taking part next year, why not target one of the events and do a little bit of training before next summer when we pick the teams? You can do it! Thank you to Mr. Leggett and Mr. Markham who helped prepare and organise the children for the event. On Wednesday morning we had almost 50 children head to the Cliffs Pavilion for the Junior Music Festival. You can read more in the next part of the newsletter but I must thank all of our staff members who went along to help or simply support. We had by far the largest group of staff present of all of the schools there. An extra special thank you must go to Mrs. Witt and Miss Goodwin who were ‘instrumental’ in making it all happen (get the joke…? 😊) Mrs. Witt was even on stage conducting our band. Next up could be the Royal Albert Hall! Next week, I will be in the Peak District with many of our Year 6 students. We have a very exciting week planned with hiking, cycling, a visit to Chatsworth House, caverns exploring, and a full day at Alton Towers in store. Also, next week, we have Southend Week for the Year 6 children who are staying behind, the PTA Father’s Day Sale and the Nursery and Reception sports afternoons. Have a great weekend! Mr. Chris McClay, Principal

Wow – what an evening!

Our wonderful choir and fabulous band spent Wednesday morning rehearsing at the Cliffs Pavilion in preparation for their evening performance. The choir worked through every song, while the band performed their two pieces alongside our very talented accompanist. The band then went on to practise two additional songs, accompanying the many children who would later take to the stage. After returning to school for lunch, they continued their learning throughout the afternoon. In the evening, they headed back to the Cliffs, looking smart and full of excitement. Our band took their positions, and our choir stood proudly at the front of the stage. Every member of the choir sang beautifully, confidently performing the many actions they had practised. We also had a confident announcer from within the choir introducing our band performances. The band have only been rehearsing together for a few months, yet their performance on the evening received great praise from many adults. With children playing glockenspiels and ukuleles, alongside a variety of percussion instruments, they delivered a truly impressive performance. We are incredibly proud of all the children and their efforts. It was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. We hope you enjoyed this special evening if you were lucky enough to attend. On to the next event…

Nursery

With the news that our Family Fun Sports Day is just a week away, the children have been super keen to practice their skills. This week we have introduced some new equipment to the children, and they have loved jumping over hurdles, throwing the javelin and balancing the egg on a spoon. Following on from a discussion with one of our older children about building, we gathered some loose Lego for Nursery to explore. They thoroughly enjoyed building different structures from supermarkets, houses to rocket ships.  It really inspired some of our children and got them talking about size and shape of the Lego bricks they needed.      REMINDER: Nursery Family Fun Sports Day is next Wednesday – please refer to the letter sent out for all information

Reception

We have read our new book, Katie In London and spoken about the city. Throughout the week we have been talking about famous landmarks in London. The children have had opportunities to draw, build and discuss these landmarks.    In maths, we have been making repeating patterns using cubes, bears and natural resources.    The school nurses have been in this week measuring the heights and weights of your children.

REMINDER: Mr Burnham could be absent from school for two weeks, starting on Monday June 22nd. He has been summoned for jury service. During this time, Miss Goodwin will be teaching Robins class.  

• SPORTS DAY – our sports day is happening on Thursday next week.
• HYDE HALL – our trip is taking place on Friday 26th June.

Year 1

In science this week, we started our new topic ‘All about animals.’  We looked at a variety of animal pictures and sorted them into different groups – mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and birds.   In R.E, we learned about the place of worship for Jewish people.  We learned about the different things found in a synagogue, including the eternal light and the Torah scroll.  We even looked at a replica Torah scroll and found out that they are handwritten and extremely long when unrolled – sometimes as long as 45 metres! 

In English this week, we planned and wrote a diary entry from the perspective of a character in The Storm Whale. In maths we have been looking at numbers within 100 where we have been ordering, sequencing and comparing.

REMINDER: The weather is quite temperamental at the minute, please can you ensure your child has a jacket with them at school just in case we get caught in the rain!

Year 2

This week in English, we began reading our new story ‘The Koala Who Could’. The children used lots of interesting adjectives to describe the setting of the story and then re-told the story in their own words.  In maths, we have been practising the four operations (+, -, x, ÷). We practised lots of arithmetic questions and the children did a fantastic job recording their methods and checking their answers for mistakes. The children then completed some arithmetic and problem-solving questions independently to show us how much they have learnt in in maths this year. Well done Year 2! In geography we explored Australia. The children used atlases to find the UK and Australia on the map and then compared the geographical locations of the two places. Then we used Google Earth to find Australia and find some landmarks in the country. 

Year 3

This week in English, we completed our narrative writing based on the video Bubbles. The children thoroughly enjoyed creating their own stories and worked hard to describe a variety of settings using rich and imaginative vocabulary. In maths, we began our new topic on angles. The children explored what angles are and started to identify and compare different types of angles in preparation for further learning. 3SP enjoyed their Outdoor Learning session and Geography fieldwork this week. The children demonstrated excellent teamwork and observation skills while exploring their local environment and applying their geographical knowledge in a practical context. 3SM will start their Outdoor Learning and geography fieldwork during the week beginning 22.07.2026.

REMINDER: Planned trip to East Beach on Thursday 25th June.

Year 4

We have had another busy and enjoyable week of learning in Year 4. In English, the children have focused on planning, drafting, writing and editing persuasive letters to Mrs Stephens, attempting to convince her to let us have chips for lunch every day! They worked hard to use persuasive language and present their arguments clearly and effectively. Maths lessons have explored shape, with a particular focus on identifying, comparing and ordering angles. We have also continued developing our understanding of coordinates and time, building confidence when telling the time using 'past' and 'to'. French lessons involved learning how to talk about shopping for food, while science saw the beginning of our new topic on states of matter. The children explored the three main states of matter—solids, liquids and gases—learning about their properties and identifying common examples of each. In PSHE, we discussed healthy online friendships and how to stay safe online using the SMART rules. Pupils considered who they can talk to if they ever feel unsafe and explored ways to make sensible choices when using technology. RE lessons continued our learning about Hinduism, focusing on how Hindus show their faith through their daily lives. In music, we began exploring EDM (Electronic Dance Music), learning to recognise some of its key features and characteristics. Well done to everyone for another positive week of learning and effort.

REMINDERS: Please continue to work hard on TT Rock Stars to build fluency with times tables. Also, remember that this half term's spellings can be found on Showbie and should be practised regularly at home.  

Year 5

Another fantastic week here in Year 5! In maths we have been investigating negative numbers. Thinking about different sequences and counting forwards and backwards, which has really made us think about our reasoning skills throughout the week. We also did some comparing of the negative numbers and working out the differences between them. We have written our playscripts based on A Midsummer’s Night Dream in English. As this was our second time writing a playscript we really understood d how to place in stage directions and think about how and what we wanted the characters to say. In our other curriculum, we have started a new topic in history, which incorporates geography. To start off our topic on ‘Trade’ we looked at the main trade routes that would have taken place back in Ancient Greek times and what types of items they may have traded in. The lifecycles of mammals were our science lesson this week. We looked at the various stages of a mammal's life and what they needed in order to grow and be healthy. 

Reminder: The registration period for the 11+ examination is now open. You can register online at https://csse.org.uk/examination/ Applications must be made by 5pm on 19th June. Reminder: There will be a meeting about the Y6 residential of 2027 on Tuesday 7th July. Mr. McClay will talk all about Ilam Hall and there will be some current Y6 pupils present to share their experiences. Please add to your diaries and pop along to the KS2 Hall straight away at the end of the day.

Year 6

Well, what a busy week we have had in Year 6! The children have been absolute superstars and continued with our best writes each morning. The last couple of days, have seen the children writing very entertaining narratives.  On Monday, the students had another enjoyable dance lesson. Each week, the classes expertly recall the dance moves they have learnt previously and then add on more! Tuesday, saw the children enjoying Lego programming. They were very proud of their achievements when they managed to make the Lego move. In art, the children created Hokusai inspired images.

REMINDERS: Remember, next week is the Illam residential and Southend Week.

Online Safety

Sports betting has become increasingly visible across apps, websites, social platforms and sports coverage, making it easier for young people to encounter gambling messages before they are old enough to take part legally. This guide explores how betting content can appear through adverts, influencers, tipsters, friends, gaming spaces and even adult accounts. It also highlights the risks of impulsive spending, chasing losses, ‘free bet’ offers and the way gambling can become normalised around sport. With practical advice on starting calm conversations, spotting warning signs, setting safer digital boundaries and finding support, the guide helps parents and educators approach the topic with confidence.