Dear Parents and Carers,
Happy New Year!
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a restful break. It’s been great to see the children return to school this week with such positivity and enthusiasm.
We’ve had a quiet but productive first week back, with the children settling back quickly into their routines and ready for the term ahead. We have lots of lovely spring events planned for this term which we really hope the children will enjoy, these include; The Big Bird Watch and the Happy Chicks, who will be arriving in school shortly.
Next week, it’s the first parent event of 2025, as we invite Reception parents to our Maths workshops with Miss Goodman on Tuesday 14th January. The Kingfisher and Owl sessions starts at 9:00am and the Woodpecker and Peacock session begins at 2:30pm. Both sessions take place in the Infant hall. We really hope you are able to attend and get a lot out of this very practical and informative session.
You may have seen our letter before the end of term highlighting key dates of our upcoming events but here are a few dates for your diaries that are most relevant to parents and carers….
On Friday 24th January, we would like to invite Year 1 parents in, to come and see our number in mastery lessons, a great chance to see a live lesson happening and some of the strategies we use to support children’s early Maths development in our school. Year 2 parents will have the same opportunity on Tuesday 11th February.
Another date is the Reception Relative’s afternoon tea from 2:30pm on Thursday 13th February, along with the all-important, Thursday 6th March which is our dressing up day for World Book Day.
Finally, I am sure you are already aware that half term falls between 17th and 21st February this year but just a reminder that the first Monday back after half term, Monday 24th February, is an INSET day for staff training, so school will be closed to the children.
Lots to look forward to and never a dull moment at Hamstel Infants!
Stay warm and have a great weekend.
Scott Roche
Principal
Diary Dates
January 2025
- Tuesday 14th - Reception Maths Workshop
- Friday 24th - Year 1 Maths Workshop
- Monday 27th - Chicks arrive at school
- Wednesday 29th - Reception Phonics Workshop
February 2025
- Tuesday 4th - Year 1 Southchurch Library Visit
- Friday 7th - Year 1 Southchurch Library Visit
- Tuesday 11th - Year 2 Maths Workshop
- Thursday 13th - Reception Relatives Afternoon Tea
- Monday 17th - Friday 21st - Half Term
- Monday 24th - INSET Day
- Wednesday 26th - Year 1 Reading Rocks
March
- Monday 3rd - Jacqui Story Box Assembly
- Tuesday 4th - Year 1 Library Visit
- Wednesday 5th - KS1 Tag Rugby
- School Nurse Drop in
- Thursday 6th - World Book Day
- Friday 7th - Year 1 Library Visit
- Storyteller Visit
- Monday 10th - Music Festival
- Tuesday 11th - Science Day
- Friday 21st - Jacqui Poetry Assembly
- Wednesday 26th - Parent Council Meeting
April 2025
- Tuesday 1st - Year 1 Spring Show Performance (Dragonfly and Heron)
- Wednesday 2nd - Class Photos
- Year 1 Spring Show Performance (Duck and Newt)
- Thursday 3rd - Nursery Easter Crafts
- Friday 4th - Year 2 Banquet
- Monday 7th - Thursday 17th - Easter break
- Friday 18th - Good Friday
- Monday 21st - Bank Holiday Monday
May 2025
- Thursday 1st - Dance Festival
- Monday 5th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Wednesday 7th - Reception Reading Rocks Workshop
- Tuesday 13th - Water Safety Assembly
- Friday 16th - Quad Kids
- Wednesday 21st - Parent Council Meeting
- Monday 26th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Tuesday 27th - Friday 30th - May Half Term
June 2025
- Monday 2nd - Jacqui Story Box Assembly
- Wednesday 18th - Summer Safety Assembly
- Friday 20th - INSET Day
July 2025
- Wednesday 9th - Parent Council Meeting
- Friday 11th - Mini Games
- Tuesday 22nd - Last Day of Term
- Wednesday 23rd - INSET Day
Nursery
Happy New Year and welcome back to Nursery.
A big welcome to our new starters who have settled into Nursery Life well.
This week we have introduced our new theme ‘Once Upon a Time’. This week we have been learning the Nursery Rhyme ‘Humpty Dumpty’. The children have enjoyed making their own Humpty Dumpty and ordering the pictures.
We have been looking at everyday objects and talking about what they are used for.
In Maths we have been sorting 2D shapes.
REMINDER: Please ensure that your child has a complete set of spare clothes at Nursery.
If your child has borrowed Nursery clothes could you please return them as our supplies are getting very low thank you.
Letters sent home this week
Rainbow & Starlight
Rainbow
Welcome back, and Happy New Year!
The children came back into Rainbow Room with enthusiasm and a thirst for learning. The children enjoyed listening to the story 'Jack and the Beanstalk' in this term's theme 'Once Upon a Time'. They enjoyed learning about the characters, Jack and his mother, and the Giant at the top of the Beanstalk, we have been looking at prepositions, properties of objects and items in and around our homes and in Jacks' house, learning to map out the position of items and their uses. While listening to the story we have used a range of props and sounds to capture the children's imagination and interest to increase focus and attention.
The children have continued their learning with RWI, one more, one less, more or less, cvc words and sentence building alongside the weekly phonics lessons.
One-Armed Robot Letters:
REMINDER: Monday Outdoor Learning. Please provide gloves and hats and if necessary, a change of clothes.
Starlight
Happy New Year and welcome back!
This week we have started our theme ‘Once Upon a Time.’ We have been learning the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs.’ The children have enjoyed joining in with the repeated story book language. We have been thinking about how to describe the pigs and written captions/sentences to match the pictures.
In Maths, we have been learning about 2D and 3D shapes, naming and recognising the shapes in the environment. We have used rectangles to print houses made from bricks.
REMINDER: Monday Outdoor Learning. Please provide gloves and hats and if necessary, a change of clothes.
Reception Year
Happy New Year! It has been wonderful to see all the smiley faces eagerly bouncing into class this week.
This week we have started our new theme ‘Once Upon a Time.’ Over the next two weeks we will be reading 'The Three Little Pigs'. In Science we have started learning about materials, learning the names of different materials as well as their properties. Throughout our theme we will be using our learning to design and build houses for The Three Little Pigs. In DT we have explored different joining techniques, such as using glue, a stapler, sellotape, split pins and paper clips which will help when we build our houses.
In PSHE we have been revisiting our classroom expectations so we can all learn and play happily in school. In PE we have started our gymnastics unit and learnt to move in a high way and explored making high shapes.
In Handwriting we have been revisiting all the long-legged giraffe letters and one-armed robot letters. In writing we have been learning to write our names accurately using the correct letter formation.
In Maths we have been learning to subitise, visualise and recreate arrangements of 3, 4 and 5 dots both in linear and paired arrangements.
How to help at home
Reading: Continue to listen to your child read their books at least 5 times and week and watch the QR codes.
Handwriting: Long legged giraffe letters and one-armed robot letters
Maths:
- Can you recognise numbers 0 – 5?
- Can you show numbers 0-5 quickly on your fingers?
- Can you make different arrangements of 3, 4 and 5?
Maths Workshops Tuesday 14th January
- 9am: Kingfisher and Owl
- 2.30pm: Woodpecker and Peacock
Letters sent home this week
Year One
Happy New Year, Welcome Back!
In Literacy we have been reading the story ‘The Something’. We discussed that a story needs to have a beginning, middle and an end for it to make sense. We sequenced pictures and started to use time conjunctions to show the different parts of the story.
In Maths we have been learning about 2D and 3D shapes. We learned the names of some shapes and identified them in the environment. We looked at what a pattern is and continued a repeating pattern.
Our new topic this term is ‘Wonderful Weather’ which is Geography based. We started this week by looking at the four seasons, what they are and how we can identify them from signs outside.
REMINDER: Outdoor Learning next week.
Letters sent home this week
Year Two
Welcome back Year 2 and a very Happy New Year to you all! The Year 2 children have come back to school bursting with energy and enthusiasm ready to start the new year, which has been lovely to see.
We have started the new term with our theme ‘Let’s Explore’ which has a Geography focus on the colder climates of our world, Antarctica and The Arctic. The children have begun by using maps and atlases to find out where Antarctica is in the world and learnt some facts about this very different cold place. They have learnt that Antarctica is one of our seven continents.
In Literacy the children have been enjoying the book, ‘Ocean Meets Sky’ by The Fan Brothers. This book contains beautiful illustrations of different settings a small boy visits whilst on a boat journey. Using these images the children have been developing their descriptive language and then using this to create their own settings to write about.
In Maths, the Year 2 children have been learning about mass, knowing that we can use scales to weigh different objects. The children have also been comparing weight and using vocabulary such as ‘heavier’, ‘lighter’ and ‘equal to’ to describe and compare. The children have also been learning how to read simple scales and the symbols ‘g’ (grams), ‘kg’ (kilograms).
This week's spelling focus was:
Adding the suffix –ing (doubling the consonant before adding –ing) e.g. tripping, putting
Don’t forget to practise this spelling pattern in your home spelling book to get your stamp at the end of next week.
Letters sent home this week
Celebration Assembly - Caring.
This weeks value has been 'Caring', below are highlights from around the classes.
Outdoor Learning
- Monday 13th January - Rainbow & Starlight
- Tuesday 14th January - Duck
- Wednesday 15th January - Newt
- Thursday 16th January - Dragonfly
- Friday 17th January - Heron
PE
Reception
- Monday - Kingfisher
- Tuesday - Owl
- Wednesday - Peacock
- Thursday - Woodpecker
Year 1
- Monday - Heron
- Tuesday - Dragonfly & Newt
- Wednesday - Duck
- Thursday - Newt & Heron
- Friday - Duck & Dragonfly
Year 2
- Monday - Badger & Squirrel
- Tuesday - Hedgehog & Otter
- Wednesday - Badger, Fox & Otter
- Thursday - Squirrel
- Friday - Fox & Hedgehog
Online Safety
JusTalk Kids is an alternative version of the JusTalk app, aimed at an audience aged 13 and under. As that upper age limit suggests, this social networking platform is intended to be suitable for youngsters, providing them with a space of their own to interact with a community their own age.
Unfortunately, there are still risks associated with JusTalk Kids, so it’s vitally important for parents and educators to understand the potential dangers for those who use the app. Our free guide delves into the most prominent online safety concerns of JusTalk Kids, while also letting you know how to ensure that children can be protected, should they wish to create an account.
Dinner menu
Week 2
Monday - Beef Bolognaise & Penne Pasta Bake - Vegan Bolognaise with Spaghetti - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans - Cheese Sandwich - Ham Salad Wrap - Cauliflower & Green Beans - Maryland Cookie
Tuesday - Caribbean Chicken & Sweet Potato Curry with Steamed Rice - Vegan Aubergine & Courgette Tagine with Cous Cous - Pasta with Squash & Tomato Sauce - Egg Mayonnaise - Cheese Salad Wrap - Carrots & Peas - Apple Flapjack
Wednesday - Honey Roast Gammon with Gravy - Vegan Bombay Chickpea Burrito - Pasta with Squash & Tomato Sauce - Cheese & Tomato Bloomer - Ham Sandwich - Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Greens & Carrots - Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Greens & Carrots
Thursday - Spiced Tex Mex Chicken with Wraps - Vegan Vegetable & Chickpea Ragu with Penne Pasta - Jacket Potato with Cheddar Cheese - Cheese Sandwich - Chicken Mayonnaise Baguette - Broccoli & Sweetcorn - Cherry Shortbread
Friday - Fish Fingers, Chips & Ketchup - Vegan Boston BBQ 3 Bean Stew with Baked Jackets - Pasta with Squash & Tomato Sauce - Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich - Ham Salad Baguette - Baked Beans and Peas - Vanilla Ice Cream
Messages from the Office
Lost Property
The lost property box can be found at the main school office and is full to bursting with 'lost' items! If you are missing any of your child's clothes please come and have a look.
To ensure that any of your child's items are returned safely to them in class please check that their name is clearly labelled on every item.
Medicines
If your child requires medication during the school day or during wrap around care please bring it to the school office, a parent or guardian will be asked to complete a permission form.
Antibiotics - in general if a child has been prescribed antibiotics to be given three times a day these can be given at home. If it has been prescribed to be given four times a day then we are happy support with this. Please bring the antibiotics in their original bottle to the school office and the parent or guardian will need to complete the permission form.
Please note that in general we will only be able to support with giving prescribed medicines. For all other medication please contact the school office to discuss your child's needs.
Community Information
Reporting a Parking Issue
Following on from Mr Roche's message regarding parking issues all Southend City residents can report parking problems to the council using the website - link provided below. Please note you will need a MySouthend account to use this.
Attendance
Attendance Overall
Reception Year: Owl Class - 98.3%
Year 1: Heron Class - 95.8%
Year 2: Hedgehog & Squirrel Classes - 100% Fantastic start to the term
Whole School: 95.5%
If your child is going to be absent from school please contact the school office by 9am and leave a message on our answerphone or via ParentPay giving your child's name, class and specific reason for their absence.
Any planned absence for example medical appointments should be advised to the school office with a copy of the confirmation letter or text being provided. For other absence i.e weddings, holidays etc then a Leave of Absence Request form should be completed in advance. Copies of this can be obtained from the school office.
Clubs
Teacher Led Clubs
All places on the teacher led clubs for the Spring Term have now been filled, emails have been sent to parents/carers with confirmation details if a child has been offered a place.
All teacher led after school clubs finish at 4.15pm, children will be brought to the front of the school by the Club Leader for you to collect.
Premier Education
New club offers from Premier Education are filling up fast - follow the link below if you are interested in booking on.
For clubs after school run by Premier Education collection is from the Infant School Hall. Enter through the Poynings Avenue gate and walk across the playground. Children will have been escorted to the club by school staff for the start.
Collection time for all Premier Education after school clubs is 4.15pm. Premier Education staff will telephone parents/carers of any uncollected children after 5 minutes. Any child not collected after 10 minutes will be escorted to Hamstel Infant School & Nursery After School Club and a fee of £7.00 will be charged.
If you are unavoidably delayed please telephone the school emergency telephone number on 07526 079300 to speak with a staff member of our After School Club.
Bricks4Kidz Club
The new club offers is filling up fast with the first session due to start on Friday 17th January.
Bricks4Kidz Club is held in our Welcome classroom. Collection for this club is from the front of the school by the main office reception.
Collection time for the club is 4.15pm. Any child not collected after 10 minutes will be escorted to Hamstel Infant School & Nursery After School Club and a fee of £7.00 will be charged.
If you are unavoidably delayed please telephone the school emergency telephone number on 07526 079300 to speak with a staff member of our After School Club.