Dear Parents/Carers,
We have reached half term, and what a busy few weeks it has been. Well done to Year 3 who performed brilliantly in their performances this week. It was lovely to see the children perform confidently to their parents on Tuesday and Thursday and then again to the school today. They did themselves proud.
There has been so much happening this half term, and next half term will be no different. I look forward to seeing you all at our Summer Fayre on Saturday 14th June and at our Open Evening on Tuesday 15th July. Until then, I hope you all have a fantastic half term and fingers crossed for some sunshine!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,
Best wishes,
Mr Aggus
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Summer 2 Diary Dates - Year 3 - Year 4 - Year 5 - Year 6 - Online Safety
General News - Sports News - Competition - Summer Term Inspirational Person
Dinner Menu - Attendance - Golden Thank Yous - Sports Awards - House Points
Achievements - PTA - Parent Council - Community - Autumn 1 Diary Dates
Summer 2 Diary Dates
June
- Monday 2nd - INSET Day
- Wednesday 4th - Year 6 Cricket Competition (boys)
- Thursday 5th - School Council Visit to Houses of Parliament
- Year 6 Cricket Competition (girls)
- Danbury Meeting for Year 3 Parents @ 2.30pm
- Meeting for Year 4 parents re: transition and Mersea residential
- Friday 6th - Careers Day
- Monday 9th - Wednesday 18th - Assessments in Years 3 - 5
- Monday 9th - Seesma rehearsal from 11.30am
- Seesma Concert - 7pm - 9.30pm
- Monday 9th - Thursday 19th - Year 6 Bikeability
- Assessment Week for Years 3 - 5
- Tuesday 10th - Coastal Schools - 4C
- Wednesday 11th - Borough Sports
- Thursday 12th - Coastal Schools - 4SW
- Year 3 water safety assembly
- Significant Male Sale
- Friday 13th - non-uniform day for summer fayre
- Saturday 14th - Summer Fayre
- Monday 16th - Thursday 19th - Bikeability - Year 6
- Assessment week for Years 3 - 5
- WHSG Taster Day for Year 4 girls
- Parent Council Meeting @ 4.30pm
- Friday 20th - Sponsor Day for Havens Hospices
- Monday 23rd - Friday 27th - Ilam Hall Residential and Southend Activity Week (Year 6)
- No swimming all week
- Tuesday 24th - Super Sports - Track
- Year 6 Induction King John and The Deanes Schools
- Wednesday 25th - Super Sports - Field
- Year 6 Induction King John and The Deanes Schools
- Thursday 26th - Year 3 Field Study @ Leigh Beach
- Year 4 Quidditch Event
July
Please note that there will be no After School Club on Tuesday 15th July due to Open Evening . There will also be no After School Club on the last day of term (Wednesday 23rd July).
- Tuesday 1st - King John induction morning - Year 6
- Wednesday 2nd - Year 5 IndiRock visit
- Thursday 3rd - Friday 4th - Year 3 Residential to Danbury
- Friday 4th - Year 6-7 Transition Day
- General Knowledge Quiz Club Finals @ Oxford University
- Boys' Choir singing with Music Man Project
- Monday 7th - Sports Day - no swimming
- Tuesday 8th - Sports Stacks Event - Year 3
- Thursday 10th - Meet the Teacher morning (Years 3 - 5)
- Monday 14th - Friday 18th - Fun Swim Week
- Tuesday 15th - Open Evening 5pm - 7pm - no After School Club
- Friday 18th - Annual School Reports
- Monday 21st - Year 6 Swimming Gala
- Tuesday 22nd - Year 6 Leavers' performance to parents
- Wednesday 23rd - Last day of term - no After School Club
Year 3
It's hard to believe how quickly this half term has flown by as we head into the half term break! This week has been packed with fantastic learning opportunities, with a particular highlight being the Year 3 presentations. It was wonderful to see so many parents and carers in attendance, and we’re sure you were just as proud of the children as we were. Their performances were a real testament to their hard work—especially their efforts to project their voices on stage!
In maths, the children have been taking on a variety of challenges designed to stretch and consolidate their addition and subtraction skills.
As writers, the children have now completed their legends, of The Fisherman’s Catch. We are incredibly impressed by the children’s ability to apply the skills they’ve learned to craft such engaging and imaginative stories.
In our Connected Curriculum lessons, the children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the vital role rivers play in supporting ecosystems and habitats. They created a beautiful cross-section drawing of a river, featuring their favourite animals found in, on and by the River Thames. Ask them to share some of the fascinating facts they’ve learned!
We wish you all a happy and restful half-term break. Thank you in advance for continuing to support your children by reading with them and encouraging them to practise on Times Tables Rock Stars during their half-term.
Reminders:
- PE days will change next half-term, as detailed below.
Letters sent home this week
Swimming
- 3M - Tuesday
- 3S - Wednesday
- 3H - Monday
- 3T - Wednesday
PE
- 3M - Wednesday - Indoor PE - Friday - Outdoor PE
- 3S - Tuesday - Indoor PE - Thursday - Outdoor PE
- 3H - Tuesday - Indoor PE - Friday - Outdoor PE
- 3T - Monday - Indoor PE - Thursday - Outdoor PE
Year 4
As we reach the end of a busy half term, the children have, once again, celebrated many learning successes.
In English, the children were introduced to the poem The Jabberwocky and have studied the language within it. Using their knowledge of word classes, they categorised the nonsense words and also created their own, applying their learning of portmanteaus. They used their ideas to describe a new character from the poem with some impressive results.
As mathematicians, we have been consolidating formal methods of multiplication and division. Some groups have multiplied three numbers in a calculation and have also practised long multiplication. Other children have revised the skills needed to multiply and divide numbers, including decimals, by 10, 100 and 1000. Other groups also solved multiplication and division problems.
As scientists, the children have investigated the effect of having various components in a circuit, such as multiple batteries, bulbs or wires, to create series and parallel circuits. They made careful observations, represented their results in the form of a table and concluded what they had found out.
The children thoroughly enjoyed looking at maps within our Connected Curriculum lessons. We used atlases and other map apps to locate theme parks within the UK and labelled a map accordingly. From this, the children discussed the reasons why the theme parks are located where they are. In preparation for our trip to Southend after half term, the children discussed what geographers need to do in order to carry out a field study, based on the question: ‘Is Southend-on–Sea a suitable location for a theme park?’ Their ideas included taking photos, completing field sketches and completing questionnaires.
It was 4E’s turn for Coastal Schools this week. The children designed, created and played their own fairground-style games using supplied equipment. Once again, they enjoyed this wonderful experience in our local area.
Reminders:
- PE days will change next half-term, as detailed below.
- 4E swimming will be on Wednesday 4th June (not Friday) and 4C swimming will be on Friday 6th June (not Wednesday) next week.
Swimming
- 4B - Monday
- 4E - Friday
- 4SW - Monday
- 4C - Wednesday
PE
- 4B - Wednesday - Indoor PE - Thursday - Outdoor PE
- 4E - Monday - Indoor PE - Tuesday - Outdoor PE
- 4SW - Friday - Indoor PE - Tuesday - Outdoor PE
- 4C - Monday - Indoor PE - Thursday - Outdoor PE
Letters sent home this week
Year 5
It only seems five minutes ago that we started this half term and already we are looking forward to a well-deserved break.
The children have thoroughly enjoyed writing and completing their explanation texts themed around space. Considering different ways of ensuring cohesion, both within and between paragraphs has been discussed and practised. They have also had a valuable opportunity to review and edit their own work and the work of others with a focus on improving sentence structure and vocabulary.
In maths lessons, we have been reviewing angles including recognising acute, obtuse and reflex angles and finding and measuring accurately with a protractor. Data handling has also been a focus. The children have looked at a variety of different ways that data can be presented and solved problems using information presented in a table. In some classes, finding the average in a set of numbers has also been discussed.
Discussions about the importance of keeping our bodies hygienically clean, particularly regarding changes that occur during puberty, have been discussed. This included looking at a range of different products that can be used. We have also covered the potential damage to young skin from using products that are designed for more mature skin and advocated the use of sun-cream.
Finally, the children have been introduced to the work of the artist Gustav Klimt as part of our ‘Awesome Art’ learning. They were invited to study a range of his paintings, enabling them to analyse his use of colour (particularly gold), line and pattern. We also discussed his use of symbolism, making links back to our study of the work of Salvador Dali in Year 4. The children enthusiastically created their own images using circular and rectangular patterns and swirling gold lines to emulate the artist. We are sure you will be impressed by their creativity when we showcase their finished masterpieces during our open evening later this term.
Reminders:
- PE days will change next half-term, as detailed below.
Swimming
- 5K - Tuesday
- 5F - Thursday
- 5L - Tuesday
- 5G - Thursday
PE
- 5K - Friday - Indoor PE - Wednesday - Outdoor PE
- 5F- Friday - Indoor PE - Wednesday - Outdoor PE
- 5L - Thursday - Indoor PE - Monday - Outdoor PE
- 5G - Tuesday - Indoor PE - Monday- Outdoor PE
Letters sent home this week
Year 6
It has been another busy and enriching week for Year 6, filled with memorable experiences and engaging learning across the curriculum. One of the standout moments was our field study trip to Southend. The pupils conducted themselves with exemplary behaviour and displayed an excellent attitude to learning throughout the day. A particular highlight was our visit to the Council Chambers, where we had the privilege of hearing a presentation from the leader of the council. This sparked some fantastic conversations and reflection, which we later built upon in geography lessons.
Back in the classroom, pupils used their fieldwork experiences to help answer the question: How can residents of Southend be proud of their city? Their responses demonstrated both pride and thoughtful suggestions for further improvement. They also continued developing their map-reading skills by applying their understanding of four-figure grid references.
In science, the children were fascinated by a practical investigation into blood splatter analysis. This gave them the opportunity to interpret data in a real-world context while deepening their understanding of how scientists draw conclusions from experimental observations.
As writers, Year 6 have been crafting new narrative chapters inspired by The Explorer by Catherine Rundell. They worked hard to replicate the author’s characterisation techniques, drawing on their knowledge of the original text to create writing that was both authentic and imaginative.
Reminders:
- PE days will change next half-term, as detailed below.
Swimming
- All Classes - Friday
PE
- 6D - Wednesday - Indoor PE - Monday - Outdoor PE
- 6A - Thursday - Indoor PE - Tuesday - Outdoor PE
- 6P - Thursday - Indoor PE - Monday - Outdoor PE
- 6W - Thursday - Indoor PE - Tuesday- Outdoor PE
Online Safety
With around 70% of teens reporting they've seen violent real-life content on social media in the past year, this guide shines a light on a disturbing – and increasingly common – aspect of young people’s digital lives. From shocking videos to hate speech, many children don’t go looking for this material - it finds them via algorithms or peer sharing.
This guide outlines key concerns, including the mental toll of repeated exposure, shifts in behaviour, and the worrying normalisation of harmful ideologies. It also explains how such content can escalate from screen to street, and why some young people may feel pressured to share or even create violent media themselves.
General News
Eco Warriors make bug hotels
For the second time this year, on Friday May 16th, the infant and junior Eco Warriors worked together on a joint project. To improve the biodiversity in the Junior playground, the Warriors built an insect hotel. Both the infant and junior Warriors, including Mrs. Chappell and Mrs. Garrett, had been out foraging in gardens and local areas for suitable natural materials to make our insect friends feel secure and welcome. Using salvaged pallets, the children carefully packed the spaces with leaves, twigs and branches, hollow stems, pine cones, bark, and all manner of insect-friendly materials. It was wonderful to see the children planning, talking and working together, with the older Warriors supporting and helping the younger members and collectively taking responsibility for our natural world. A roof to protect the hotel from rain has still to be added and a sign to celebrate this achievement has been ordered. We very much hope to see evidence of new tenants very soon.
Sports News
Year 6 Rounders Competition
Well done to our Year 6 rounders team who competed in the Southend competition on today. The team improved throughout the day and remained positive despite losing their opening three matches. The standard was incredibly high and the team worked well to win their final game against Thorpe Hall. There was a great combination of powerful batting, accurate throws and impressive backstop skills.
Summer Term Inspirational Person
This half term's inspirational person is Katie Stagliano, who founded the charity Katie's Krops at a young age. Her work all started with a school project - growing a cabbage! She managed to grow an enormous cabbage which she donated to feed the homeless. When she realised that her cabbage had helped provide meals to 275 people, she started to wonder what a whole garden might do. After setting up a garden in her school, Katie's project grew until she had young people across America creating their own gardens and donating the produce. Her empathy, compassion and selflessness have inspired us all!
The challenge for this half term can be found on Showbie - don't forget that there are prizes available! Children should design a garden or allotment that could be used to grow crops to feed people who do not have enough money to buy food. They can upload their design to Showbie or hand it in to Mrs London.
Dinner Menu
Week 3
Monday - Inset Day
Tuesday - Sausage in a Roll - Quorn Sausage in a Roll - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonnaise - Vegetable Rice, Carrots and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Jelly
Wednesday - Roast Gammon with Gravy - Roast Quorn with Gravy - Granary Baguette with Tuna Mayonnaise - Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, Mixed Vegetable and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Fruity Shortbread
Thursday - Homemade Beef Spaghetti Bolognaise - Homemade Quorn Spaghetti Bolognaise - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonnaise - Broccoli and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt and Sprinkle Cake
Friday - Chicken Burger in a Bun with optional Salad and Mayonnaise - Vegetable Burger in a Bun with optional Salad and Mayonnaise - Wholemeal Wrap with Salmon and Sweetcorn - Potato Wedges, Sweetcorn, Homemade Coleslaw and Salad Bar - Fresh fruit, Yoghurt or Ice Cream
Don't forget to check out our new online bookshop here.
Sports Awards
The award for Most Improved goes to Adhish Saravanan in 5F for demonstrating great progress in finding space on the opponent's side of the volleyball court in PE lessons.
The Sports Performer award goes to Everly Pocknell in 5L for demonstrating an excellent technique for an overarm bowl in cricket.
House Points
Achievements
A group of West Leigh Juniors took to the pitch at Southend United’s stadium last week, performing during halftime at the Play on the Pitch charity football match. The girls, who dance with Expressions Theatre Arts in Leigh, delivered a fantastic routine in front of a lively crowd.
The event raised funds for Havens Hospices and brought the community together for a great cause. Well done to our students for representing the school with such energy and pride!
Parent Council
The full list of councillors, along with their email addresses if you wish to contact them, can be found on our school website. The minutes from our meetings are also published on this page, which can be found using the following link: https://www.westleighjunior.co.uk/parent-council
A reminder that answers to many of the previously discussed items at parent council can be found on the 'hot topics' section of our website: https://www.westleighjunior.co.uk/hot-topics
This includes subjects such as lost property, lunchtime arrangements, clubs and much more.
We still have vacancies in 4C and 6P - if you are able to spare an evening each term to represent your class, it would be of great benefit to the school. Our meetings are held at 4.30pm and councillors are able to use our After School Club, free of charge to assist with child care during the meeting. Please contact Mrs London if you are able to volunteer.
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.
Autumn 1 Term Diary Dates
September
- Monday 1st - INSET Day
- Monday 8th - Swimming restarts
- Wednesday 17th - Friday 19th - Year 5 Residential
October
- Monday 27th - Friday 31st - Half Term
November
- Tuesday 11th - Flu Immunisations
- Wednesday 19th - Year 6 - Young Shakespeare Macbeth
- Monday 24th - Friday 28th - Book Fair
December
- Friday 19th - INSET DAY
- Monday 22nd - Friday 2nd January - Christmas Break
Credits:
Created with images by Christy Thompson - "make a date" • Pixel-Shot - "Female hands with newspapers on color background" • Kaspars Grinvalds - "Tablet with sports news website on stack of newspapers. All contents are made up." • Creative Stocker - "Golden trophy held by a hand isolated on transparent background, 3D metallic award PNG download for sports, competition, success, achievement, victory, pride, leadership, championship, and celebration" • Brian Jackson - "Calendar appointment"