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Parking Reminder - Spring 1 Diary Dates - Year 3 - Year 4 - Year 5 - Year 6
Online Safety - Playground Plea - Dinner Menu - Book Shop
Attendance - Team Points - Sports Awards - Golden Leaf Awards
Parking Reminder
We have recently received concerns from local residents regarding parking around the school during drop-off and pick-up times. We kindly ask all parents and carers to be mindful of where they park, avoiding driveways, crossings, and restricted areas, and to take extra care around pedestrians. Working together to park safely and considerately helps maintain positive relationships with our neighbours and keeps everyone in our community safe. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Spring 1 Term Diary Dates
January
- Monday 12th - Newsies rehearsal
- Tuesday 13th - Year 3 and 4 RSE Meeting (via Teams)
- Year 3/4 Boys' Football Trials (4E, 4SW & 3L)
- Wednesday 14th - Girls' Football Friendly vs Fairways
- Thursday 15th - Year 5 RSE Meeting (via Teams)
- Friday 16th - Year 5/6 Football vs Bournes Green
- Tuesday 20th - Year 6 RSE Meeting (via Teams)
- Southend Bowling Competition
- Wednesday 21st - Year 6 Book Look
- Young Voices at the O2
- Rescheduled Sportshall Athletics Year 5/6
- Friday 23rd - Year 3/4 Boys' Football Competition
- Monday 26th - Newsies rehearsal
- Wednesday 28th - Year 5 Book Look
- Year 6 Netball vs Hockley Primary
- Sitting Volleyball Competition
- Visit to South Essex Gymnastics Club
- Thursday 29th - Year 5/6 Boys' Football Fixture OLOL
- Friday 30th - Year 6 Hockey Competition
- Year 3 Disco
February
- Monday 2nd - Children from Year 5/6 visit to English National Opera
- Wednesday 4th - Year 4 Book Look
- Essex Tag Rugby Finals
- Year 4 Girls Football Festival
- Thursday 5th - Year 5/6 Football Friendly vs Chalkwell
- Friday 6th - Team Challenge
- Monday 9th - School Council visit to House of Parliament
- Maths Quiz Club Area Heat
- Year 6 Netball A team fixture
- Tuesday 10th - Safer Internet Day
- Wednesday 11th - Year 3 Book Look
- Thursday 12th - Year 6 Netball B team fixture
- Year 5/6 Boys Football vs Chalkwell
- Monday 16th - Friday 20th - Half Term
- Monday 23rd - INSET Day
Year 3
It has been a rather chilly but very productive first week of term, starting off the week with our hook day which allowed the children to immerse themselves into their new learning about ancient Greece. The children were able to take part in a variety of activities to build the excitement of this new topic. The day started with tasting some traditional Greek cuisine including olives, dates and pitta bread dipped in Tzatziki. They went onto learn about Greek theatre before moving onto the origins of Greek theatre and some of the themes within early comedy and tragedy performances. They even created some traditional theatre masks. The next activity required some precise cutting in order to craft olive leaf crowns and learn about how the ancient Olympians would have been awarded these when winning their events. To round off the day, the children became Olympians, taking part in our own mini Olympics. They competed as house teams, completing events such as thumb wrestling, sprints, javelin and bean bag throw. The winners took part in a victory lap donning their olive crowns. The day’s events have certainly given the children a great flavour of this new area of the curriculum. In maths, we have been learning about lines and angles as part of our unit on shape. The children identified pairs of parallel and perpendicular lines and hunted for right angles using angle eaters. In our English lessons, the children have been introduced to Beast Keeper - this term's layered reading book, written by Lucy Coates. They have used clues from the text to create mind maps about Demon - the main character. They have also looked at his family tree and his relationship to the gods on Mount Olympus. It wouldn’t be learning about ancient Greece without reading some Greek mythology so the children also read a selection of myths, identifying common themes. They looked in more detail at Pandora’s Box and discussed her dilemma with the temptation of wanting to open the box. The children wrote in character as Pandora.
PE Days Spring 1
3T
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Friday
3H
- Indoor PE - Wednesday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
3L
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Friday
3M
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
Swimming
- 3H - Monday
- 3L – Tuesday
- 3T – Wednesday
- 3M – Wednesday
Year 4
It has been a pleasure to welcome the children back after their well-earned Christmas break, and they have settled back into school life with enthusiasm. In English, we have been using one of our Brilliant Books, The Day the Crayons Quit, as a stimulus for learning. The children explored the complaints raised by the characters and considered how the other characters might respond appropriately. Building on their prior knowledge of personification, they wrote an informal letter of complaint from the perspective of a chosen toy, followed by a formal letter of complaint written in the role of one of the crayons, ensuring they used the correct structure and tone for each. We have also begun reading our new Layered Reading text, The Roman Quests – Escape from Rome, where the children have been introduced to key characters and events in the opening chapters of the story. In maths, the focus has been on Roman numerals. The children demonstrated their understanding of place value by converting between Roman numerals and standard numbers. They have also been learning about metric units of length, with some groups beginning to convert between different units. As scientists, the children have started a new topic based on States of Matter. This week’s focus was on solids, with the children examining a range of examples and describing their key characteristics. In Connected Curriculum, our new topic for the term, Don’t Forget Your Passport, began with an exciting Hook Day on Wednesday. The children immersed themselves in all things Italian. Using atlases, they explored where Italy is located in Europe and used maps and globes to identify and locate key Italian landmarks. They took a virtual tour of Rome and created snapshot pictures against key landmarks. They learned some Italian vocabulary and phrases, and explored a variety of Italian traditions, discovering how the geography of Italy influences these.
PE Days Spring 1
4B
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Tuesday
4E
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
4SW
- Indoor PE - Wednesday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
4C
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Tuesday
Swimming
- 4B - Monday
- 4SW - Monday
- 4C - Wednesday
- 4E - Friday
Year 5
Welcome back and Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a restful Christmas break. The children have returned refreshed, enthusiastic, and ready to learn. It’s been a busy, productive first week and we’re delighted with their positive attitude and focus across all subjects. In maths, the children have strengthened their understanding of place value, learned to read and write Roman numerals and explored negative numbers by counting through zero. They’ve practised counting in powers of ten and rounding to the nearest 10, 100, and 1,000 - including decimals - with some extending to 1,000,000. They also revised multiplying by 10 and 100, including decimals. The children showed great confidence and resilience tackling increasingly challenging tasks.
In layered reading lessons, the children explored a new factual text on natural disasters, linking to our Connected Curriculum topic, Fragile Earth. They practised retrieving key information and discussing ideas collaboratively. In English, lessons were inspired by the film, The Ridge, which follows Danny MacAskill’s ascent of the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Isle of Skye. Using this as a stimulus, the children built a bank of effective noun phrases, examined emotional language and analysed how authors influence readers through word choice. The week ended with vivid setting descriptions using metaphors, similes, and sensory detail. The quality of writing was outstanding, with many showing great creativity and ambition. In science, we began our topic on sexual reproduction in plants. The children learned the parts of a flower and carried out dissections to identify them, demonstrating curiosity and care throughout the practical work.
We have also launched our new Connected Curriculum topic, Fragile Earth. The children began by revisiting prior learning on continents, countries and major lines of longitude and latitude. Using atlases and Google Maps, they located and plotted active and dormant volcanoes, discovering where most are found globally. This led to learning about the Earth’s structure, where they explored its layers and learned how tectonic plates cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It’s been an excellent start to the term, and we’re excited for the learning ahead. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
PE Days Spring 1
5G
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Wednesday
5A
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Monday
5N
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Monday
5F
- Indoor PE - Thursday
- Outdoor PE - Wednesday
Swimming
- 5N – Tuesday
- 5F – Tuesday
- 5G – Thursday
- 5A – Thursday
Year 6
Year 6 have enjoyed a rich and engaging period of learning across the curriculum, demonstrating curiosity, resilience and thoughtful engagement. In English, pupils explored The Giant’s Necklace, a powerful short story which prompted deep discussion around characters and clues hidden within a narrative text. This provided an excellent foundation for developing inference skills and thoughtful written responses. Building on this, pupils were also introduced to The Explorer by Katherine Rundell. They were immediately captivated by the opening pages and began exploring the characters and, in particular, the geographical setting of the story in the Amazon Rainforest. In science, pupils were introduced to the classification system, learning how scientists group living things based on shared characteristics. They explored the purpose of classification and began to understand how increasingly specific groups are formed, developing both scientific vocabulary and analytical thinking. Connected Curriculum learning began with an engaging hook focused on geography, with an artistic twist. Pupils explored climate zones across the world and applied their knowledge of latitude and longitude, using these coordinates to locate places accurately. This early geographical work has helped to build a strong sense of place and global awareness. In maths, pupils developed their understanding of graphs, learning how to interpret and present data clearly. They worked with a range of graph types, using them to answer questions and draw conclusions, reinforcing the importance of data handling in real-life contexts.
PE Days Spring 1
6D
- Indoor - Wednesday
- Outdoor - Tuesday
6K
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Monday
6W
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Monday
6S
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Tuesday
Swimming
- 6D - Thursday
- 6S - Friday
- 6K - Friday
- 6W - Friday
Online Safety
This online safety guide offers clear, supportive guidance to help parents feel more confident in navigating the online world with children. It looks at how everyday conversations, simple boundaries and a bit of digital awareness can make a real difference to their online experiences. This guide also explores how parents can create an environment where children feel comfortable asking for help when something online unsettles them. By highlighting the importance of safe and healthy internet usage, these tips provide a grounded starting point for anyone supporting children's digital lives.
Plea from Playground Squad
We’re looking to refresh some of our playground toy boxes and need your help! If you have any unwanted toys or play equipment at home that are still in good condition, please consider donating them to school. We’re especially on the lookout for:
- Magnetic tile sets
- Plastic toy food or kitchen items for our playground kitchen
- Doll styling heads for practicing fabulous hairdos!
Your donations will make playtimes even more fun and creative. Please send any items into the school office for the attention of Mrs London. Thank you so much for your support!
Dinner Menu
Week 2
Monday - Homemade Marconi Cheese with Garlic Bread - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonnaise - Granary Baguette with Cheese - Sweetcorn and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Raspberry Mousse Tuesday - Pork Sausage - Vegan Sausage - Granary Baguette with Egg Mayonnaise - Yorkshire Pudding, Mashed Potatoes, Garden Peas and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Fruit Jelly Wednesday - Pork Meatballs in Tomato Gravy - Vegan Meatballs in Tomato Gravy - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonnaise - Wholemeal Pasta, Sweetcorn and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Cherry Flapjack Thursday - Chicken Curry - Cauliflower and Vegetable Curry - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonnaise - Rice, Nan Bread and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Chocolate Prune Cake with Chocolate Custard Friday - Battered Chicken Steaks - Vegan no Chicken Steak - Granary Baguette with Salmon and Sweetcorn - Diced Potatoes, Spaghetti Hoops and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Ice Cream
Golden Leaf awards
At the end of last term, we proudly presented the first of our new Golden Leaf awards. These special awards are given to just four children each term, nominated by staff for their consistent demonstration of our Golden Values of empathy, integrity and responsibility. Their leaves will be placed on our Golden Values Tree and will remain there throughout their time at West Leigh. Congratulations to our first four recipients — we are incredibly proud of you and look forward to seeing who will be awarded a Golden Leaf next term! Last term's awards were given to: Iver for her thoughtful and compassionate approach to school life. She consistently shows empathy and kindness, making considerate choices that reflect her strong values and integrity. By willingly supporting both adults and her peers, she demonstrates maturity and contributes positively to the school community through her reliability, understanding and respectful actions. Clara for her kindness, compassion, and willingness to help others without being asked. She consistently supports classmates who find organisation difficult and always does so with patience and care. Clara shows excellent commitment to attending clubs and is a thoughtful, caring member of our school community. Cristian because he consistently supports his partner in maths, demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility and empathy. He takes ownership of his learning while also contributing positively to others by offering help, encouragement and patience. His thoughtful support shows an understanding of his partner’s needs and feelings, creating a positive and inclusive learning environment where teamwork and shared success are valued. Sienna for consistently demonstrating polite, caring, and friendly behaviour towards others. She shows kindness and respect in her daily interactions, making everyone feel valued and included. Through her positive attitude and thoughtful actions, she sets an excellent example of empathy and good manners for others to follow.
Community News
We've created a dedicated space on our website to share flyers for local events and community support. Click the link below to explore what's happening in our area.
Spring 2 Term Diary Dates
February
- Monday 23rd - INSET Day
- Tuesday 24th - Friday 27th - Yer 6 Test Week
- Tuesday 24th - Year 3 Inspire DentalWorkshops
- Newsies Jr run through
- Theraphy Dog visit
- Wednesday 25th - Year 6 Netball Competition
- Thursday 26th - Newsie Jr run through
- Year 6 Netball Festival
- Friday 27th - Year 3/4 Girls' Football Competition
March
- Monday 2nd - Newsies Jr Dress Rehearsal
- Parent Council Meeting
- Tuesday 3rd - Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 4th - Newsies Jr Dress Rehearsal
- Thursday 5th - Year 3 and 4 Let's Improvise
- Friday 6th - Year 5/6 Dragonball Competition & Festival
- Monday 9th - Newsies rehearsal
- Tuesday 10th - Science Quiz Club Area Heat
- Therapy Dog visit
- Wednesday 11th - Year 4 Tag Rugby Competition
- Thursday 12th - Newsies Jr Production - Belfairs Academy
- Essex Cross Country Squad Training
- Year 3 and 4 Let's Improvise Music
- Friday 13th - Newsies Jr Production - Belfairs Academy
- Saturday 14th - Newsies Jr Production - Belfairs Academy
- Monday 16th - Year 5 classes to The Globe
- Public Speaking Competition
- Tuesday 17th - Centicore Assembly
- Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 18th - Wyvern Assembly
- Thursday 19th - Year 5 classes to The Globe
- Essex Cross Country Squad Training
- Year 4 Breakdancing Enrichment Day
- Monday 23rd - Portico Football Festival
- Tuesday 24th - Learning Conferences
- Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 25th - Essex Cross Country Final
- Father David Upper School Assembly
- Thursday 26th - Father David Lower School Assembly
- Friday 27th - Yer 5/6 Aquathlon
- Last Day of Term
Credits:
Created with images by Corner Photography - "Yellow Zig Zag lines indicating to motorists to keep clear no parking taken outside school entrance UK" • mnirat - "Closeup Colorful drawing pins on Calendar page with date." • tatomm - "close up of calendar on the orange table background, planning for business meeting or travel planning concept" • ImageFlow - "Kid boy with phone, cybersecurity hologram and padlock circuit" • Pantherius - "Budapest, Hungary - 07/30/2018: Girl's plastic kitchen for playing with various colors in the room." • ercan senkaya - "full lunch service station" • Dusan Petkovic - "Adorable curious caucasian little girl with eyeglasses standing in bookstore and reading interesting book. All around are books on shelves." • New Africa - "Trophy and confetti on light background, top view with space for text.,Victory concept" • Transparent PNG - "gold leaf png" • mnirat - "Closeup Colorful drawing pins on Calendar page with date."