porters grange weekly newsletter week ending 14th february 2025

Nursery

This week at Nursery we have continued our work on the story ‘Supertato’ We have been making up our own stories and our teachers have been scribing them for us. We have also been looking closely at our potatoes and carrots we made models from last week, to see how they are decomposing some science investigation and questioning has happened from this.

We have also enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s day with all our friends.

REMINDER: Have an amazing half term holiday.

Stay safe and have fun.

We return to Nursery on Tuesday 25th February.

Reception

This week we have been learning about Chinese New Year. We have made our own lanterns and decorated the classroom. In maths we have been learning about composition of numbers and ways to make 6, 7 and 8. we have started to look at pairs and the odd one out.

We had a visit from a local dentist and have been learning how to keep our teeth and mouths healthy through a healthy diet and brushing regularly.

We have now completed our Phonic assessments. The children are making lots of progress, please continue to support them at home by reading regularly.

REMINDER: Our toothbrushing programme is going well. If your child has not signed up to do it in school, please let us know.

Please continue to read over the half term break.

See you on Tuesday 25th February.

Year 1

Pebble class have been very excited to see their sunflowers starting to germinate! We will continue to record them as part of our science lessons. In English, we have created descriptive pieces of writing describing 'Beegu' the alien. She is missing! In maths, the children have been working hard on their number bonds to 10 and to 20, as well as creating number bond sentences e.g. 5 + 5 = 6 + 2.

REMINDER: Our toothbrushing programme is going well. If your child has not signed up to do it in school, please let us know.

Don’t forget, next week if half term; No school. We return on Tuesday 25th February.

PE kits will be coming home. Please wash them and return them to school when we return on the 25th.

Year 2

Year 2 have been mind mapping information to recall facts about The Great Fire of London. The children have then been able to use this information to ask questions and pretend to be Samuel Pepys in the hot seat for English! Maths has been fun looking at adding equal groups. The children are learning about what the new word ‘commutative’ means. In Science the children have been making predictions, drawing a plan to investigate materials that are waterproof or absorbent. They will test the properties of the materials after half term!

REMINDER: Please read frequently at home with your child. Whether it be books from home, school, the library, signs, instructions to cook or directions to get somewhere!

PE kits have been taken home, they need to be washed and returned on the first day back, 25th February.

Have a great break.

Year 3

This week we have been writing reports about the artist Henri Rousseau. In science we have been looking at the careers available in the different areas of science. In geography we made a model of a river and learned the names for different features. In maths we have been converting measurements of length.

REMINDER: The children have been sent home with lyrics for the songs and poem we need to learn for our performance at the end of April.

Remember to read and practise your times tables as well.

PE kits have been sent home and need to be washed and returned on the 25th February

Year 4

This week in English we have moved on to writing our own persuasive text but this time about South America. The children have been trying to include lots of detail and adjectives. They have also included persuasive language to encourage their teachers to go on the trip. In maths we have completed our topic of multiplication and will soon be learning about length and perimeter. You can practise this at home using BBC bitesize, top marks or by measuring the outside of things with a ruler. The children were also very lucky to be able to make enchiladas in our DT time, how delicious!

REMINDER: PE have been taken home, they need to be washed and returned on the first day back, 25th February.

The children are set spellings, times tables and reading homework every week but if you wish for your child to do extra they can use Top marks, Education City and BBC bitesize to revise previous learning.

Year 5

This week in English, the children have been writing instructions on how to play handball. We played handball and then the children had to write clear instructions for someone else to follow. In computing, the children planned and produced their own videos. Some children demonstrated how to draw something while others showed how to play a game. They focused on different camera angles they had learnt this half term.

REMINDER: We hope that you have a lovely half term. Please ensure that you keep reading and logging on to TTRS. There is a competition on there!

Year 6

In Year 6, we produce lots of independent writing as part of the assessment process and we have done our first piece this week. We wrote balanced arguments about whether social media should be banned for children. As you can imagine, everyone had strong opinions about this! In maths, we have started learning about the place value of decimals up to 3 places eg 1.368 = 1 one + 3 tenths + 6 hundredths + 8 thousandths. In PSHE, our lesson was about how we belong and how to make people feel welcome if they are new. In art, we have finished our human stop animation videos. They were great fun and the children really used their imaginations when they planned their films. In history, we have continued to learn about the Ancient Greeks and their alphabet.

REMINDER: Everyone has been given a QR code in their Reading Diary. It has a link to lots of online maths games.

Homework is given out on Thursdays and due the following Wednesday. Please encourage your children to ask for help if they need it.

French

This week, all classes in French had fun consolidating their learning and producing some high-quality top copy style assignments of their work from this half-term. We look forward to recommencing lessons with year 1, 3 and 6 after the half-term holiday.

Music

Future Events

• Southend Makes Music – 6th March (Choir) * Please look out for the letters coming home tonight with your child for the Southend Makes Music event - could you please sign and return the slip to the school by Wednesday 26th February * Thank you.
• Infant Music Festival – 12th March (Music Making Club)
• Cliffs Pavilion Music festival – 13th June

Music Clubs

• Band – Tuesday 12.00-12.30
• Music Making – Tuesday 3.30-4.15
• Choir – Thursday 3.30-4.15

Instrumental Tuition

• Tuesday am Guitar – Mr Brown
• Wednesday am Guitar – Mr Elliot
• Wednesday am Keyboard – Mr Hockey
• Wednesday am Drums – Mr Peters

Healthy Schools

Community

NHS - Together with Baby (Essex Parent Infant Mental Health Service)

Together with Baby (Essex Parent Infant Mental Health Service) is a specialist parent and infant mental health service. We help parents better understand their baby’s emotional responses and communications, and strengthen the relationship between them.

Many parents find that they have not bonded with their baby in the way that they had hoped. Some may also have difficult feelings about being a parent. Which can be confusing and uncomfortable. We work with parents and their infants in the first 1001 days of their life, from conception to age two.

Please click on the link below for more information.

NHS - Together with Baby

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.