Dear Parents and Carers,
It’s been a very quiet week without Year 6 in school, but very much enjoyed by the younger children. It’s been a chance to make the most of the playground space and more importantly an opportunity for Year 5 to try duties and responsibilities which will be theirs in a few short weeks.
We know that Year 6 have really enjoyed their adventures in Derbyshire or in the local area, but we look forward to welcoming them back on Monday.
It has been lovely to have had Mr Aggus with us for his first complete week at West Leigh and he has so quickly made himself at home - it seems as if he’s always been here.
We look forward to seeing you at the fayre on Saturday,
Best wishes,
Mrs Woolf
Diary Dates
New dates in italics
Advance Notice: End of year school reports will be sent home on Friday 12th July to your personal email address held in the school office.
June 2024
- Saturday 29th - Summer Fayre (12pm - 3pm)
July 2024
- Tuesday 2nd - King John Transition morning
- Adalah Care Home visit from 1pm
- Year 6 - Fields
- Football trials 5R & 4B 3.30pm - 5pm
- Wednesday 3rd - 3T & 3M Field Study
- Musicians @ West Leigh Baptist Church
- Mock Election
- Friday 5th - Year 6 Transition Day (Southend Schools)
- Year 3N & 3L Geography Field Study
- Monday 8th - Fun Swim Week
- Year 5 Geography Field Trip
- SHSG Performance to Year 3
- Tuesday 9th - Music Man project
- Football Trials 4E, 4S & 5J
- Wednesday 10th - Meet your new teacher day
- 6W & 6A Geography Field Trip
- Thursday 11th - Open Evening (5pm - 7pm)
- Friday 12th - 6D & 6P Geography Field Trip
- End of Year School Reports
- Saturday 13th - Sunday 14th Leigh Art Trail Exhibition - Selected children exhibiting @ St Pierre School
- Monday 15th - Year 6 House Team Swimming Gala
- Tuesday 16th - Sports Morning 9am - 12pm @ Belfairs
- Thursday 18th - Year 6 Leavers' Assembly 2pm - 3pm
- Friday 19th - Last Day of Term
- No After School Club
- Monday 22nd - INSET DAY
Year 3
Our science lesson this week coincided perfectly with the beautiful weather we are currently experiencing; the children learnt about effects of the sun and applied their scientific learning when designing a pair of effective sunglasses. Our Connected Curriculum lessons have been focused on pneumatics so on Wednesday, the whole year group were very excited to take part in a design and technology carousel of activities which allowed them to experiment with different pneumatic systems. Armed with this knowledge, the children then designed their own pneumatic toy which could be sold at the River Thames gift shop. To end the week, the children worked collaboratively to bring their moving sea creature to life. They look fantastic!
As writers, the children have worked extremely hard this week to publish their Lighthouse stories and create an eye-catching front cover. The children should be very proud of their hard work. Throughout the week, the children have also completed different mathematical investigations where they had to code-break, calculate and solve some mysteries! They also presented data relating to Euros 2024.
A reminder that Year 3 are visiting Old Leigh next week as part of a geographical field trip. Thank you to all those parents who have offered to help so far. If you are able to help, please let your child’s class teacher know as soon as possible. 3T and 3M are visiting on Wednesday 03/07/24 and 3N and 3L will be visiting on Friday 05/07/24.
Year 4
Summer is finally here and Year 4 have taken full advantage of the lovely weather and had so much fun with their learning this week.
On Wednesday, 4G had their final visit to Coastal Schools and despite the heat, had a wonderful time. They started their adventures by combing the beach, locating treasures that were later turned into currency. In teams, they designed their own beach games which they played, using their ‘beach currency’ to pay for the privilege. A wonderful time was had by all and as always, behaviour was exemplary. Many thanks to our wonderful parents for braving the heat to help us.
On Thursday, the girls of Year 4 enjoyed their visit to Westcliff High School for Girls where they enjoyed a tour of the school and watched a drama performance by some of the students. We would like to thank the staff and pupils of Westcliff High School for Girls for their hospitality and the welcome they extended to our girls who behaved impeccably. The boys had an equally enjoyable morning back at school where they took part in a variety of fun P.E. and code-breaking activities.
Linking to our topic All The Fun Of The Fair, the children have designed and built moving models of fairground rides. Using their knowledge from last half term's science lessons all about electricity, they attached these to a motor. It was wonderful to see the children stretching their creative muscles, working collaboratively and solving problems as they progressed to a completed and decorated model.
Year 5
The Year 5 corridor has been a buzz of activity this week - all focused on the Olympics. Monday afternoon saw the entire year group head to the fields to try out various Olympic sports. Boccia, archery and golf were among their favourites. Thanks to the wonderful group of parents who joined us, each taking a different sport to oversee. We could not have done it without our 'games makers'.
In maths, we have been helping the IOC with various problems they have been experiencing. We acted as diving judges, using our knowledge of ordering, addition and multiplication, to choose an overall winner between Tom Daley and Chen Aisen from China. We helped reorganise the Olympic records that had been muddled using our estimation skills. We even had a go at planning an Olympic village. Using our knowledge of area and perimeter we had to think about the amount of space certain venues would need and how we would fit all the accommodation into a small space. New flags were also created using our knowledge of symmetry.
Every four years, in the Olympics, new sports are added and we learnt about breakdancing joining the Olympics in Paris 2024. In groups the children then had to choose a new sport (an actual sport or an invented one) that they would campaign to have added for Los Angeles 2028. Persuasive writing skills were revisited from earlier in the year and presentations and information booklets were made. Each class chose their favourite and then these groups presented to Mr Aggus, who chose an overall winner.
Year 6
Year 6 have enjoyed a wonderful week in either Derbyshire or in and around Southend. We look forward to sharing all the details in next week's newsletter.
Year 4 Music Workshop
Last week, the children in Year 4 took part in a music workshop hosted by All in Music - funded by the YMCA and Music on Sea. Each class worked with Tom and Davey to devise a set of chords and lyrics for their own songs. Following the planning session, Tom demonstrated his ability to take the chords so that a style of music could be decided upon. The lyrics were then laid over the top in order to finish the songs.
The end of the process required the children to record the song using some professional grade equipment. We look forward to receiving the final edits of each song, some of which will be available to listen to during the open evening in July.
Super Sports
Some of our incredible athletes competed in Super Sports this week. This competition involved children who finished in the top 2 or 3 of their track or field events at Borough Sports. It was fantastic to celebrate their success and see them compete against the best athletes in Southend! West Leigh medaled in a range of track and field events, including 2nd place in the Year 3 girls' relay and a borough record is now held by West Leigh in the Year 3 boys' sprint! All of the children should be so proud of themselves to reach this competition. We look forward to another year of hard work and sporting success next year!
School Council meet with Labour Candidate
This week, our School Council deputies met with the local Labour candidate, David Burton-Sampson. Yet again, they impressed with their interview technique and knowledge of the party manifestos. The whole school have been sent a video showing their interview.
The children have also learned about the history of the vote and have been introduced to the party manifestos that they will be voting for next week. Perhaps you might like to discuss the pros and cons of each party at home in readiness for their important vote in our mock election. We are looking forward to finding out the result!
Girls' Choir Performance
On Sunday 23rd June, the Girls' Choir made their debut with ladies' choir, Alumnae. Following a rehearsal during the afternoon, the girls took to the stage in the evening and it couldn't have gone better. They sang songs from the shows and movies, including Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Touch the Sky and Go the Distance. Singing to a packed auditorium of over 300 people, the choir was not fazed by the audience and thrived in the spotlight.
I was so very proud of the girls, not only for their performance but also for their impeccable behaviour and professionalism. Well done! We can't wait for our next opportunity to shine.
Collaborative Art Project
This week, eight pupils from Year 5 visited the Infants to complete an ongoing collaborative art project. Earlier in the year, the children from Year 5 and Year 2 created clay pots together and this week, they reunited to add painted details.
Their designs took inspiration from Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and blossom trees where the children mixed colours brilliantly to create colours which mirrored his work. They collaborated wonderfully - taking turns and listening to each other’s ideas and opinions - as reflected in the fantastic results. When they are fully dry, they will be glazed and placed near plants around the shared areas of the school to show that we grow together so please keep a look out!
Girls' Football
To finish a wonderful year of sport, two girls' football teams made up of children from across the school competed in friendly fixtures against Chalkwell. Our Year 3 and 4 team was made up of children who have been participating in our Friday morning football club; they have improved so much and were incredibly enthusiastic to compete against another school. The Year 3 and 4 girls' team drew 0-0 in a thrilling end-to-end game with both goalkeepers remaining determined not to concede. The Year 5 and 6 team, who had three Year 4s join them for this fixture, lost 1-0 in the last seconds of the game. They have improved so much as a team over the year and showed tremendous team spirit at the end of the game. Well done girls. Next up... Sports Day!
Online Safety
We are providing this guide to inform you about a gaming scene. Whilst this is inappropriate for any pupil at our school, we feel that you need to be aware of what the game involves and why it is inappropriate for primary aged pupils. This guide dives into the risks of Palworld, offering expert tips on how to safeguard children.
Released in January 2024, Palworld took the gaming scene by storm, selling over five million copies in just three days. A new take on the survival genre – blending mechanics similar to games like Minecraft with the ability to catch and fight alongside creatures reminiscent of Pokémon – it saw plenty of coverage from games journalists and influencers alike.
However, despite its lower age rating and popularity with young gamers, Palworld has been criticised for its reliance on shock humour – touching on topics including animal abuse and sweatshop labour – and as a game featuring online multiplayer, one can expect certain safety concerns to arise.
The National College and Online Safety
If you still need to sign up to the Online Safety portal, please follow the link https://nationalcollege.com/enrol/west-leigh-junior-school and add yourself as a parent.
Key Notices this Week
Sports Day Lunch: Please remember to pay for your child's sports day lunch which is listed as a payment item on ParentPay. Please do not order in the usual way. Any meals already booked on 16th July will be cancelled. The children will be asked what they want in class and all allergies will be accounted for.
After School Club: Please don't forget that there will be no After School Club on the last day of term.
Inspirational Person
Our final inspirational person for this year is Favio Chavez. He is known for his work with the Cateura Orchestra of Recycled Instruments - an orchestra formed of young people living in Cateura, whose parents spend their days working on a rubbish dump, locating materials they can sell. In this town, a real musical instrument would be worth more than a house, so it would be dangerous for children to own one. Instead, Favio worked with the children to create instruments using recycled materials and taught them to play at a very high standard. He is an inspiration as he took something that others would consider worthless and used it to change the lives of children.
A huge well done to all those who completed last half term's Showbie challenge - make sure that you see Mrs London for your prize. For the final Showbie challenge of the year, you need to design something from rubbish! You could design a musical instrument like Favio, or it could be something else completely – but whatever it is, it must be something useful. You could draw and label your design, or even make it if you are feeling really creative! Drawings or photos of your creations can be uploaded to Showbie.
Dinner Menu
Week 2
Monday - Homemade Creamy Cheese and Vegetable Pasta Bake with Garlic Bread - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayo - Wholemeal Wrap with Ham and Tortilla Chips - Sweetcorn, Coleslaw and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Raspberry Mousse
Tuesday - Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple - Sweet and Sour Quorn with Pineapple - Granary Baguette with Cheese - Steamed Rice, Sweetcorn and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Fruit Jelly
Wednesday - Pork Sausage Toad in the Hole with Gravy - Vegan Sausage Toad in the Hole with Gravy - Granary Baguette with Tuna Mayonnaise - Mashed Potato, Carrots/ Green Beans and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Cherry Chocolate Cake
Thursday - Mild Chilli Con Carne - Vegetable and Bean Chilli Con Carne - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayo - Steamed Rice and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Cornflake Crunch
Friday - Margherita Pizza with Tortilla Chips - Vegan Pizza with Tortilla Chips - Wholemeal Wrap with Salmon and Sweetcorn Tortilla Chips - Salad Bar, Homemade Coleslaw and Garden Salad - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurts or Fruit Jelly
Don't forget to check out our new online bookshop here.
Swimming
Please ensure that your child has their full kit with them on swimming days as we will no longer be phoning home for forgotten kits.
Monday
- 3M - Mrs Millham
- 4B - Mr Boylan
- 3N - Mrs Nash & Mrs Mitchinson
Tuesday
- 3L - Miss Playfair
- 4G - Mrs Garrett & Mrs Nash
- 4S - Miss Street
Wednesday
- 3T - Mrs Thompson
- 5K - Miss Chapman
- 5R - Mrs Lewis
Thursday
- 6D - Miss Fletcher
- 5J - Mrs Wilson
- 5F - Mrs Flower
Friday
- 6W - Mr Dunn
- 4E - Mrs Rodger
- 6P - Miss Poysden
- 6A - Mrs Mears
PE Lessons
Please ensure that your child is wearing their full kit on PE days as we will no longer be phoning home for forgotten kits.
Second Half Term:
3L
- Indoor PE - Wednesday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
3M
- Indoor PE - Wednesday
- Outdoor PE - Friday
3N
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Friday
3T
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
4B
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Wednesday
4E
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Thursdasy
4G
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
4S
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Wednesday
5F
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Monday
5J
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Tuesday
5K
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Monday
5R
- Indoor PE - Thursday
- Outdoor PE - Tuesday
6A
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Tuesday
6D
- Indoor - Wednesday
- Outdoor - Monday
6P
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Monday
6W
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Tuesday
Attendance
Well done to 3N who achieved an impressive 100% attendance this week!