Important
Please do not pull up on the zigzag lines outside the gates on Lancaster Gardens or on the road outside the Bridge playground. These zigzags are for all the children’s safety and should not be stopped on at any time for any reason before or after school.
Diary Dates
September
- Thursday 26th - Flu Immunisation
October
- Tuesday 8th - Portico Sports Afternoon
- Friday 11th - Individual School Photos
- Friday 25th - INSET Day
- Monday 28th - Friday 1st November - Half Term
November
- Monday 4th - Return to school
December
- Friday 20th - INSET Day
- Monday 23rd - Friday 3rd January - Christmas Break
February
- Monday 17th - Friday 21st - Half Term
- Monday 24th - INSET Day
April
- Monday 7th - Thursday 17th - Easter Break
- Friday 18th - Good Friday
- Monday 21st - Bank Holiday Monday
May
- Monday 5th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Monday 26th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Tuesday 27th - Friday 30th - Half Term
June
- Monday 2nd - INSET Day
July
Wednesday 23rd - Last day of term
Nursery
This week at nursery we have been working so well together. We have been joining in with lots of games and activities to help us with sharing and turn taking. We have also enjoyed using the exploring and using the garden, trying very hard to follow the rules outside.
REMINDER: We are very lucky to be taking part in a project using the Talking time programme. This includes lots of activities and games designed to develop children’s speaking and listening skills. Please remember to return your consent form for your child. Thank you
RECEPTION
This week we had great fun and enjoyed sharing our first lunchtime with our Parents and Carers. We have been learning the rules of the playground and the rules and routines for lunchtimes. We have been learning to sit quietly on the carpet and wait out turn to talk. We have been working together to tidy up. It has been lots of fun playing with our friends.
REMINDER:The children are now altogether. You will find out what class your child is in next week. They will be either Sea Otter Class or Sea Lion Class.
Year 1
The children have continued to work extremely hard in their lessons this week. We have been practicing the visual alphabet in art, naming the oceans on planet Earth and having discussions about keeping our teeth healthy in PSHE.
Don’t forget to use Seesaw. We have activities on there for the children to do which supports them with the work they do in class.
REMINDER: Ensure reading books/reading records are in school every day. This is a year 1 expectation.
PE is on Thursday. Ensure PE kits are in school, and children are not wearing earrings or other types of jewellery.
Year 2
The children have been learning to identify statements, commands and questions this week. They have been practising giving commands to their friends and writing them down. In maths, the children have been learning about place value. They have been counting in tens, partitioning numbers to 100 and writing numbers down as words. Science has been fun as the children found out about the life cycle of a frog and drew their own representation of the life cycle.
REMINDER: Please read with your child at least 3 times a week and make a note of how they read in their reading journals.
We have PE on a Tuesday so please make sure your child has the correct kit in school and that earrings have been removed.
Year 3
This week we have been writing a poem about our senses using lots of descriptive vocabulary. In maths we have been learning about place value and partitioning numbers up to 1000. In history we have been discovering the lives of Stone Age people and understanding the terms nomad and hunter/gatherer. In science we have been sorting food into groups and learning the correct terms ie carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
REMINDER: Please remember to have the children's PE kits in school on Tuesday and Friday and don’t forget to take out any earrings they may wear.
Please sign their reading journal when you have heard them read at home. Thank you.
Year 4
This week we have been learning even more about digestion and the associated scientific vocabulary. In English we have written our own poem about ourselves, these have been super successful. In maths we have continued our learning on place value and can count in thousands numbers.
REMINDER: PE is on Monday and Wednesday (there may have been a typing error on this last week, sorry). Please ensure all earrings have been removed or that your child is able to remove their own.
Reading books in everyday please!
Year 5
This week, we have created our own planets and written a poem about them. It was fantastic to hear everyone’s poems and they really used their imagination!
In maths, we looked at rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. We concentrated on remembering the rule for rounding and applied this to working out the answers.
REMINDER: PE kits need to be in school please.
There is an exciting trip coming up in November! Please keep an eye out for a letter that will be sent out soon.
Year 6
This week, we have watched some videos touring St Paul’s Cathedral in London and have written some excellent poems full of fantastic descriptions. In maths, we have finished learning about place value and have moved on to addition. We are continuing to focus on improving our times tables so we are ready for multiplication, division and fractions.
In PE, we are continuing to improve our ball skills by playing netball and dodgeball. We are focusing on throwing with increasing accuracy. In art, we have had great fun cutting up photos of ourselves and creating self-portraits in the style of Picasso.
REMINDER: Please help your child to learn their spellings every week. They are a mixture of words from previous years that are tricky, new words and topic words.
A great way to learn spellings is to write each word out 4 times with joined up handwriting. 1) write it with the hand you write with, 2) write it with the other hand, 3) write it with the hand you write with and your eyes closed, 4) write it the other hand and your eyes closed. This helps your child focus on the letters in the word.
PE
The first letters are going out to children selected to represent the school. Please look out for them and make sure you sign and return them at your earliest convenience.
French
This week year two have revised the body and moved to our next topic, Autumn. Year four have revised how you feel and moved to our next topic, weekend activities. Year five have revised the topic of myself and moved on to our next topic, the Olympic Games.
Music
Individual music lessons will begin next week. If your child is interested in learning a musical instrument, please contact Mrs Baines for more information.
- Tuesday Guitar - Mr Brown
- Wednesday Guitar – Mr Elliott
- Wednesday Keyboard – Mr Hockey
Online Safety
With most children today having access to their own tablets, phones, computers and other devices, it’s vitally important that parents and educators know how to keep young people protected while using them. Between targeted adverts, age-inappropriate content, and other online safety concerns, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to keep on top of.
Parental controls, present on most devices and several apps, can make this job significantly easier – but a certain amount of knowledge is required to use them effectively. This free online safety guide will provide you with the information you need to activate and maintain parental controls on children and young people’s devices.
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Our Uniform shop is located within the front reception area of the school and is open Monday-Friday 8.30am - 4.00pm. All items are 50p each. We always have a good selection of skirts, trousers, jumpers, tops, dresses and P.E items. Please ask at the office to point you in the right direction.
We always welcome school uniform donations for us to sell at our school uniform shop. Could we please ask that the clothes are in good, clean condition. All items can be dropped off at the school office between 8.30am - 4.00pm. Thank you so much for doing this for the school as it helps our parents out tremendously.
Thank you
Attendance
Celebration Assembly Attendance Awards
Congratulations to Pebble, Seahorse and Lobster classes for achieving a certificate this week. Oyster receives an extra special congratulations for being the first class of the school year to achieve 100% for a week.
Being ready every day and getting in on time is the challenge you set yourself to achieve greatness!
This week, we celebrated 359 children who achieved 100% attendance. Well done to all those children who were in every day and on time, helping to better their learning and make more progress.
Being here is half the battle won!
Attendance meeting Thursdays
Advice and support for families who are experiencing difficulties around attendance is always available on request, please call the attendance line or email the attendance email and Mrs Wyer our attendance administrator will follow up any questions or queries.
Our weekly attendance support meetings with Mrs D Morris are scheduled to resume next week, so if you are invited to an attendance meeting on a Thursday morning and you unable to make it, please do get in contact to rearrange for a day and time that suits you. We understand everyone leads a busy life, Mrs Morris often has availability at the start of the day just after you drop off in the morning or just before you collect your child at the end of the day, to have that short catch up about attendance for your child.
Reminder! – Contact the school with a reason for your child’s absences
We are still having a number of pupil absences when families have not let the school know what the reason for the absence is. It very important that all pupil absences from school are recorded with a reason, we can then potentially authorise the absence. Absences with no reason are always unauthorised. You can leave us a message in a number of ways
- From 8am call the school on the morning of your child’s absence, to speak to Ms Wyer.
- Email the school to report the absence using the attendance email – this can be done during or out of school hours
- Leave a voice message on our attendance line (this will happen if the line is engaged or if you call out of hours)
- Answer or respond to any calls or messages from the school if we contact you on the day of your child’s absence.
Aim to attend school 100% Of every week.
Contact Us
If you would like to talk to someone for support or advice on attendance or punctuality at any time, please do not hesitate to contact the Attendance Team: Mrs. S. Wyer, Attendance Administrator, or Mrs. D. Morris, Assistant Principal and Senior Leader for Attendance. You can pop into the school office to speak face to face, if we are available. Alternatively, you can call the school or drop us an email at attendance@pgps.porticoacademytrust.co.uk We are here and always happy to help!
From the first day of term to the last, the small moments in a school day make a real difference to your child.
Weekly Attendance Report
Dinner Menu
Week 1
Monday - Beef Bolognaise with Spaghetti - Vegan Bolognaise with Spaghetti - Baked Jacket Potato with Grated Cheese - Peas & Broccoli - Maryland Cookie
Tuesday - Ham & Cheese Pizza with Baked Wedges - Margherita Pizza with Baked Wedges - Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Carrots & Sweetcorn - Apple Crumble with Custard
Wednesday - Roast Chicken with Roast Potatoes & Gravy - Vegan Vegetable Biryani - Baked Jackets with Baked Beans - Seasonal Greens & Cauliflower - Cherry Cornflake Cake
Thursday - Chilli Con Carne with Steamed Rice - Vegan Beans Chilli with Steamed Rice - Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Broccoli & Carrots - Chocolate & Pear Sponge
Friday - Breaded Fish Fingers with Chips & Ketchup - Vegan Goujons with Chips & Ketchup - Baked Jackets with Grated Cheese - Peas & Baked Beans - Banana Flapjack
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.