Friars Weekly Newsletter friday 15th march 2024

Coming up in this edition of the newsletter...

• World Book Day door winner
• Red Nose Day
• A reminder about Learning Conversation evenings
• Dog fouling outside
• National Online Safety website - please do sign up - see the Online Safety section
• Football reports

It's Friday! What a quick week it has been.

On Monday, I met the School Council to decide the winners of the World Book Day door competition. We walked the school, looking at each door before holding a democratic vote. I am pleased to share that our winners were...

Our winners have received £50 to spend on books for their classrooms.

Today it was Red Nose Day. By lunchtime, Mrs. Andrews had counted up £164.73 of donated money as well a 1/4 dollar and a plastic penny! We asked the children to bring a joke in to tell. We have had some crackers. Here are some that have filled my inbox already...

Owls: Why did the baker have brown hands? Because he kneaded a poo!

Owls: What is a witch’s favourite subject in school? Spelling !

2G: What is orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot! (Sonny)

2G: Why did the lion not eat the clown? Because it tastes funny! (Ethan)

2G: What does lightning do in the mornings? Put on his THUNDERpants! (Gracie)

2G: Why did Micky and Minnie cross the road? To get to the North Pole. (Albie)

2G: Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it’s fried chicken. (Eddie)

2G: Why was the penguin’s head so cold? Because it was wearing an ice-cap! (Sienna)

2G: Why did the banana go to the doctors? Because he wasn’t peeling very well. (Molly)

2G: What do you call a fish with no eyes? FSH

2G: Why did the banana wear pyjamas? Because it was bananas in pyjamas! (Bessie)

2G: What’s a penguin’s favourite movie? Frozen! (Albert)

2G: Why did the pig oink? Because he was a pig. (Anna)

2G: What do astronauts eat out of? A satellite dish! (Ollie)

2G: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get some eggs. (Theo)

2G: What is a camel with no humps? A horse! (Jamie)

2G: Why are chickens so funny? BeCAUUUUUSE! (The end of because said like a squawk) (Kenza)

2G: How does the octopus laugh? Ten-tickles! (Anna-Leigh)

2G How do you talk to a giant? Use big words! (Ralph)

2G: Why do monkeys cross the road? To get to Monkey Business! (Thomas)

2G: Why do cats not like trees? Because of the bark! (Lexi)

2G: What kind of monkey can fly? A hot air baboon. (Oscar)

2G: What did the sea say to the sand? Nothing, just gave a little wave! (Ozzy)

2S: What do storm clouds wear under their clothes? Thunderwear! (Zac)

3B: Why do ducks have feathers? To cover their Butt Quacks!!!!!! (Mya)

4D: What's green on the inside and yellow on the outside? A cucumber dressed as a banana. (Isabel)

4S: What did the ocean say to the sand? Nothing – it just waved (Beth)

5A: I’ve made up a song about a tortilla…it’s more of a wrap actually.

5A: Knock Knock…who’s there?....Kim….Kim who?... Kim ‘ere and give me kiss!

5A: A ghost teacher said to the students, “Copy these sentences off the board, while I go through it again”

5BW: One day I saw a penguin walking down the street. I decided to take it to the police station. At the police station, the police officer said that I should take the penguin to the zoo. The next day, I was walking down the street with the penguin when I saw the same police officer. The police officer said, 'I thought I told you to take the penguin to the zoo?' I replied, 'I did, but today he wants to go to the cinema.' (Kendrick)

Miss Goodwin: What did the police officer say to the belly button? You're under a vest!

Next week, we have our Learning Conversation Evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. Please make sure you book by the end of Monday if you haven't already, as the booking system will close.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Mr. McClay, Principal

Dog Fouling

We have had recent reports of increasing amounts of dog mess near to the school. We have made contact with the council about this and we hope that some action will be taken.

Parking

Sorry, just another reminder about responsible parking around the school. Please can we not block driveways or park in the bus stop. Thank you.

Nursery

It has been a very imaginative week in nursery. The children have shown an interest in puppets and puppet shows. A variety of puppets have been made, including princesses, dragons, cats and even a few ghosts. The children loved acting out little stories using these.

As always it was lovely seeing so many parents at the stay and plays. During our group sessions, we continue to learn a few phonemes and practise our counting. Those that are confident up to 10 are being encouraged to count beyond 10.

REMINDER: Please remember our final stay and play is Monday 25th March and will start with a maths focus.

Reception

We have had a creative week in reception. The children have enjoyed exploring our new junk modelling area and have made some impressive creations such as rockets, houses and even a Barbie! We have also continued our work on yucky worms. Some children have created their own worm posters, including diagrams and facts and we have also made our own worms. Also, thank you to all of our parents who have joined us for our stay and play sessions. The children were really excited to share their learning with you.

REMINDER: We are on the hunt for more junk modelling materials. If you have any clean boxes at home please could you bring them in. Many Thanks. (No bigger than a cereal box/no boxes from nut products please)

Year 1

This week the children have used bullet points to list the main events in our story, The Secret Sky Garden. In maths, we have been measuring length and height using cubes and rulers. Our science lesson focused on how our ears work and what sounds we can hear around the school.

Collins eBooks Logins

This week, your child will be coming home with a Collins eBook login. This is an online resource that we have purchased, where your child can access additional phonetically decodable books to read. There are a range of books allocated to your child, varying in difficulty. The purpose of these books, is to broaden your child’s reading experiences and provide them with the opportunity to choose books for themselves and enhance their reading for pleasure.

REMINDER: Miss Goodwin is holding a phonics workshop on Tuesday 26th March at 9am or 2:20pm in the KS1 hall. Please ensure that you attend one of these sessions to gather information in preparation for your child’s check which is held in June.

Year 2

Year 2 have been fascinated when learning about the Titanic this week. The children have learnt all about how this amazing ship was built and how different ‘classes’ had very different rooms and facilities to use in 1912. We all decided that we’d like to have travelled in 1st Class! Our research enabled the children to include lots of facts in their writing. In maths we have used our knowledge of number to solve length problems.

2S have enjoyed there outdoor learning and it will be 2G’s turn next week.

If your child did not pass the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1, there is an information session on Tuesday 26th March at 9.00am or 2.20pm in the Key Stage 1 hall. Please ensure that you attend one of these sessions to gather information about the resit your child will take in June.

Miss Goodwin

REMINDER: Please ensure that you book an appointment to attend one of our Parent Conversation Evenings:

Wednesday 20th March or Thursday 21st March

Year 3

In English we have continued to look at our story, ‘Escape From Pompeii.’ We created a story map and then rewrote the story in our own words, including some direct speech from the characters! During maths we looked at mass and capacity. We read scales, made equivalent mass equations, and made comparisons. In the afternoons during science, we investigated light and how it reflects off different surfaces. We started our additional PE this week and began with movement to music by looking at the soundtrack to Matilda and taking on some of the dance moves! We definitely have some budding dancers here in Year 3!

REMINDER: Parents consultations are on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st March. Please ensure you book an appointment to come and have a chat about how your child is getting on.

Year 4

In English this week, the children wrote a recount about their trip to the Imperial War Museum. It was lovely to read them as they were able to tell the reader how they felt about the trip, what they enjoyed about it, what they learnt and maybe, if they really enjoyed it to get the opportunity to go back and visit the parts that they didn’t get to see, as our trip focused on the WWII exhibits.

In maths we continued with fractions, looking at mixed number and improper fractions. This is quite a hard concept and the children have worked hard to understand it.

In geography, the children had to identify and draw on a world map, the equator, the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. They then had to work out which countries around the globe these lines went through.

It was very exciting on Friday. Not only was it Red Nose Day but we had our first Year 4 P.E. lesson. We have started learning about the game of handball, which involves a lot of throwing and catching skills and working as part of a team.

Year 5

In English this week, the students wrote to the Director of Asda to explain the need to stop selling so many products that contain ‘dirty’ palm oil. They were very clear with their intentions and shared lots of facts about the damage non-sustainable palm oil does to the environment.

In maths, we completed our block on decimals, percentages and fractions. We then began a block about perimeter and area. We shared different methods for calculating the perimeter of a rectilinear shape and the children chose to use whichever they preferred and found the most efficient.

During RE, the children developed some questions that they will pose to our visitor from the Southend Mosque next Monday. We very much look forward to welcoming him to the school.

History saw us studying the symptoms of the plague. Many of us were very grossed out!

It was great to see so many children in non-uniform on Friday in support of Red Nose Day.

Year 6

This week, Year 6 have been extremely busy with mock SATs. We are proud of how the children approached these tests and the effort and perseverance they put in. In science we continued with our work on the circulatory system and in groups we made representations of blood samples that showed red and white blood cells, platelets and plasma. The children thoroughly enjoyed this and will never look at mini marshmallows and cereal hoops in the same way again.

We have ended the week with the children learning to play table tennis, which has been very popular.

Online Safety

Please do sign up to the National Online Safety website at https://nationalcollege.com/enrol/friars-primary-school-and-nursery. So far, very few parents and carers have signed up.

Developing Healthy Sleep Patterns

For children and young people, low-quality sleep can become a serious issue. It has been theorised that poor sleep can have a significant impact on children’s brain development, affecting them for the rest of their lives. A healthy – and consistent – sleeping pattern, therefore, is incredibly important for children and young people’s wellbeing.

With the stresses and distractions that can present themselves to youngsters, it can be tricky to ensure they’re in the best mindset to wind down in the evenings for the rejuvenating rest that they need. This can be the case when they are on digital devices before they go to sleep. The right approach, however, can give them a better chance of cultivating a healthy sleeping pattern. Our guide has some practical tips on helping them to achieve exactly that.

Outdoor Learning

2S have had a wonderful week learning about animals. Mr. Brady challenged the children to find evidence left by animals that live in our garden. They also looked under logs and rocks to find minibeasts. They were surprised to find animals such as slugs, spiders and millipedes. The children discussed whether they were carnivores, herbivores or omnivores. Although it was a very rainy week, the children really enjoyed their outdoor learning. We even finished the week at the beach! Thank you Mr. Brady!

REMINDERS: Next week 2G will be having outdoor learning. Please make sure your child comes dressed appropriately. They will spending Friday’s session at the beach so please ensure wellies are in a bag and your child has a waterproof coat.

Thank you!

Singing Assemblies

KS2 with Ms Taylor-Brown

This week's focus was movies featuring Queen songs on their soundtrack!

We came into an excerpt from Sing featuring one of my favourites- “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie.

I challenged the children to name films from pictures and we looked at the song choices made by the filmakers and why they may have been picked!

We then looked at a few films that featured characters overcoming adversity and Amelia in Year 6 suggested perhaps the song connecting them was “We are the champions” We then had a go at singing this one!

Year 6 tried really hard today and after a busy week of SATs practice, they definitely were my champions so won the trophy and the benches for next week!

We walked out to a favourite of Sophia in Year 3 - it got us all tapping and also featured in Iron Man 2!