Hamstel Infant School & Nursery Weekly News 14th NOVEMber 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

A really lovely week at Hamstel infants as we held our annual anti-bullying week and worked with the children on such great values as respect, kindness and standing up for others by not being a bystander to bullying. We started the week with Odd Socks Day, recognising how we are all different, unique and special in our own ways. There was a truly amazing array of colours and patterns on display across the school! Over the week, the children have taken part in the live online World Kindness assembly and also viewed our ‘child friendly’ antibullying posters as we feel that it is important that we teach the children that bullying does not consist of one-off isolated incidents but is something that happens Several Times On Purpose (STOP). We are very lucky in our school that we have not had any true issues of bullying for many years but it is still very important for our children to know who they can talk to and what they should do should they ever encounter such problems. The week ended in style as we celebrated Children in Need Day with our dress down day, yet again the school was a wave of colour, dots and Pudsey or Blush ears! Thank you for your donations, we will share the total raised in next weeks newsletter. Elsewhere across the week, it was a pleasure to invite our reception parents into school on Wednesday to watch a live handwriting lesson. Thank you to everyone who attended and gave us such positive feedback and we hope you found the session useful. The biggest single event of the week was our special Remembrance assembly on Tuesday. I was joined this year, by some of our brilliant Year 2s, who read poems about why we wear poppies and helped us to remember those who had died in conflict around the world. Well done to our readers, Chanju, Hallie, Leo, Hollie, Luke, Joe, Ellis and Safiye and our wreath bearers, Millie and Dolleigh-Bow for doing an amazing job! Once we had completed our minute silence, we were also joined by the cadets from Westcliff High School and the children were mesmerised as they treated us to a special march past. I must also mention how fantastically respectful and quiet all of the children were during our assembly. It was a fitting tribute to those who gave their lives to build the better future that we enjoy now. Next week, our Year 2s are out and about in the local area as they visit Southchurch Library and we are also inviting our Year 2 parents in for our popular ‘Reading Rocks’ workshop with Mrs Tracy on Wednesday 19th November. Please try and come along if you can! Christmas is already beginning to arrive at Hamstel Infants, with preparations for our Christmas Fair in full swing. This takes place in just over a weeks’ time on Wednesday 26th November so it will be great to have you come and join the fun and games from 3pm until 4:30pm. Have a fantastic weekend, (even if the weather looks pretty miserable) and we will see you all again on Monday morning. Scott Roche Principal Weekly Celebrations! This week we held a double celebration assembly, so there was double the fun and double the amount of certificates, stickers and awards to give out, making for a fun filled end to our week! The two focus values were ‘caring’ and ‘aspiring’ so it was great to see so many children being recognised for demonstrating these values in class. Our ‘caring’ winners this week were Sophie & Isabella (Hedgehog), Aliya & Duggie (Otter), Millie & Layla (Fox), Goshen & Millie (Squirrel), Corey & Lyra (Duck), Leon & Thomas (Heron), Jenson & Niccolo (Newt) and Nathan & Willow P (Dragonfly). They all showed their caring natures through their work or by looking after their friends and taking care of our classrooms. This week our ‘aspiring’ children were Torikol & Ruby A (Hedgehog), Salahaladeen & Harley (Otter), Melia & Yusuf (Fox), Clarke & Zakariya (Squirrel), Ronnie B & Luca (Duck), Arthur & Lyla-Rose (Heron), Beau & Xavier (Newt) and Francesca & Ronnie (Dragonfly). There were some fabulous ‘aspirational’ reasons as children were recognised for being great role models, challenging themselves and for some amazing work of the highest standard! We had four Golden Stars to give out to the classes with the most dojos. These went to Duck & Dragonfly classes in Year 1 and Otter and Hedgehog classes in Year 2. We also had lots of children reaching the magical 20 dojos this week to earn a ‘Going for Gold’ sticker. They were Floyd, Albie, Hei Yuen and Ruby in Year 2 and Eloise, Savannah, Ezio, Violet, Willow H, Harry, Nasrya and Mason in Year 1 and Allison, Jack, Harrison Rodney, Rosie and Sehar in Reception. Special Principal awards went to Floyd, Ruby and Mason for reaching gold three times this year! Our WOW moments went to Hei Yuen (great presentation effort), Albie (football player of the week), Lenny (winning a rugby medal) and Beau (winning a trophy at judo) and we finished our assembly with a celebratory certificate for our Year 2 helpers in this week’s Remembrance assembly. Fabulous efforts by everybody this week, so well done whether you received an award or not and special congratulations to all our winners! Attendance We were hit by seasonal childhood illnesses this week as our attendance fell to 92.4%. This week our attendance awards went to… • Peacock class, who won the reception cup again with 94.3% • Heron class, who recorded a fabulous 98% in year 1, • Fox class went even better with an astonishing 99.4%, our best attendance in Year 2 and across the whole school. We hope to bounce back next week with clean bills of health – get well soon if you’ve been unwell this week.

Jump to a section...

Autumn Term Diary Dates - Nursery - Reception - Rainbow & Starlight - Year 1

Year 2 - Dinner Menu - PTA - Messages from the Office - Arbor Hints and Tips

Key Dates for Spring Term - Community

Nursery

This week we have shared the story of ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’. We have used this story to learn about size. The children have enjoyed ordering the bears and bowls in size order. We have explored porridge oats and had lots of fun filling different sized bowls. In Maths we have been learning about the properties of a circle. Maybe you could see how many circles you can find around your home or on your way to Nursery. In outdoor learning the children enjoyed collecting leaves to make leaf kebabs and adding them to water to make forest soup. In PSHE we have been learning about different emotions and having kind hands. We learnt about why we commemorate Remembrance day on Tuesday. Song of the week - Three little ducks

REMINDER: Please ensure that put your child’s name on their coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Last year we had parents who attached their child's gloves to string or ribbon and put them in their coat sleeves which saved them from getting lost.

Reception

This week we have been learning about light and reading the book ‘Goodnight Moon.’ In writing we have been learning to write words to label some of the pictures in the book, we have been using our Fred fingers to pinch the sounds in each word. In outdoor learning this week we have been learning how to keep safe outside and about fire safety. We have all really enjoyed melting marshmallows over the open fire and learning about different light sources in the Hobbit Hut. In maths we have been subitising different amounts to 4 and comparing groups of up to 3 by matching them 1:1 and then saying if there is an equal amount, more or fewer. In PE we have been learning to use our head, feet and arms correctly when we jump. In art we have been exploring making swirling and circular brushstrokes with a paintbrush. In RE we have learning to talk about the story of Rama and Sita. During story time this week we have been focusing on our oracy objective to ask a question about a story.

How to help at home

NELI special words: fingers, thumbs, throw, catch, toe, feet, fast, slow.

Handwriting:

Maths: practise subitising to 3 by playing the game below. Remember to say the number when shown and try not to count the objects: apples, conkers and dots subitising to 3 - Speaking cards Song of the week: The Grand Old Duke of York: The grand old Duke of York - BBC Teach

Letters sent home this week

• Reception - Local Visit - 11.11.2025

Rainbow & Starlight

Rainbow

It has been a busy week for the children learning about night and day, light and dark, we have continued exploring nocturnal animals and the sounds we may hear at night. The children have made some lovely pictures using different materials and media. We have been working in groups, learning to share and take turns, and considering other feelings. The children have been learning about rules and routines, about school rules and classroom rules and expectations. We have continued learning about our feelings and emotions and how we can express them, and how things make us feel. RWI: p g Letter family: one armed robots Maths: subitising up to 10/counting and recognising numbers up to 20 +, counting to and from a said number, showing fingers up to a said number, learning about sets of numbers.

REMINDER: Outdoor learning on Monday, please dress children in appropriate clothing and provide a change of clothing.

Starlight

This week in literacy, we continued reading 'The Queen’s Knickers'. The children had great fun designing their own special pair of knickers for the Queen! They then wrote persuasive letters to Her Majesty, explaining their unique designs and why she might like them as a new royal pair. In maths, we have been learning how to subtract ones from two-digit numbers without renaming. The children practised using number lines and the column method to solve subtraction problems confidently. In science, we continued exploring materials, identifying which are natural and which are man-made. The children enjoyed sorting and discussing different examples from around the classroom and outdoors. In PSHE, our focus was on choosing kindness—to others and to the environment. We also took time to reflect on Remembrance Day, painting beautiful poppy pictures to show our respect and remembrance.

REMINDER: Outdoor Learning on Monday. Please dress your child in appropriate clothing and provide a change of clothing too. Thank you.

Year 1

In literacy this week we have been reading ‘Where’s my Teddy?’. We practised writing sentences using ‘and’. We drew our own teddy bears and wrote a description about it using noun phrases. In maths we have been learning to solve addition problems presented in pictorial form. We also started to look at subtraction and solving problems by crossing out. In art we revised tone and texture and used this knowledge to support us in drawing our own teddy bears. We drew them a couple of times with the hope of improving our drawings each time we practised. In PSHE we have revising class rules. We discussed rules around different parts of the school including; outdoor learning, hall, assembly, corridors.

REMINDER: Outdoor Learning next week

Year 2

It’s been another busy and exciting week in Year 2, starting with Odd Socks Day, showing our respect on Remembrance Day, being part of a special assembly on World Kindness Day and then finishing the week by supporting Children in Need. Amongst all these important events the children have still found time to carry on with their learning. In Literacy the children used the book ‘Queen Victoria’s Knickers’ to inspire them to design their own knickers. There have been lots very creative ideas. Using their designs, the children described them and wrote simple posters to persuade people to buy them. In maths we have continued with developing our calculating skills. We have started thinking about subtracting and the methods we can use to solve problems and number sentences. We focussed on solving our problems practically and talking through the process to develop our understanding. In science the children have continued to explore materials, thinking about the materials used for different objects and why. We have also continued to think about what materials are manmade and which materials are natural.

Next Week: The children will be visiting Southchurch Library.

• Monday: Fox and Otter
• Tuesday: Hedgehog and Squirrel

Please also come along to our Year 2 Reading Rocks Workshop on Wednesday 19th November:

• 9am: - Fox and Otter
• 2.15pm - Hedgehog and Squirrel

Support Our School with Easyfundraising!

Dear Parents & Carers,

We’re excited to let you know that our PTA is now using Easyfundraising to help raise money for our school and you can help too, simply by doing your everyday shopping online!

It’s completely free to use and takes just a minute to get started.

1. 🛒 Here’s how it works: Visit our fundraising page here
2. Click “Support this cause” and create your free account.
3. Start your online shopping at your favourite retailers (like Amazon, Argos, Tesco, M&S, Just Eat and many more!).
4. The retailer sends us a free donation at no extra cost to you!

It’s an easy way to support our school while doing what you’re already doing online. Every penny raised goes directly towards enriching the learning experience for our children from new equipment and resources to fun events and activities.

Please take a moment to sign up and share the link with friends and family too!

Thank you for your continued support,

Messages from the Office

Arbor Hints and Tips

Breakfast and After School Club

To change or cancel Breakfast or After School Club you need to contact the office. Parents are unable to change/amend their own bookings. If your child is booked into After School Club or Breakfast Club, it will show on their calendar in Arbor, including the session i.e SHORT, FULL, LATE. A full week view can be seen by clicking the blue arrow in the ‘Calendar’ tab.

Making a Charity Donation

To make a donation towards a charity collection such as Children In Need open the Arbor app or portal. If you have more than one child select their name from the drop down, you will see their main overview page. Choose Quick Actions, click on School Shop, you will see the ‘products’ available. Click on the item, enter the number you wish to pay for and click Buy Product. Either choose Pay Now or Add to Basket. When you are ready make your payment.

To view your purchased items, return to your homepage, then select the child. Go to Quick Actions > Payments > Invoices from the left-hand menu, where you can see the purchases.

Community