Dear Parents and Carers,
After the quiet first week back, things certainly got a lot busier this week as we had to plan, and then re-plan, our normal everyday procedures due to the fire in our school kitchen on Saturday.
Thank you to everybody who offered support, sent in packed lunches and generally kept us all going by taking the time to stop and ask how we were all doing, over what has been a bit of a crazy week!
I must give a few shout outs;
Firstly, to our site team who spent a lot of the weekend at school and were first on the scene to assist the fire crews and emergency services.
Secondly, to Keith Prince, our chef and his team of staff in our kitchen, who have adapted menus, made lunches with limited resources and have amazingly managed to get us back providing full school meals in less than a week. It is no mean feat that in just four days, we no longer need you to provide packed lunches and the children can go back to receiving the high quality, nutritious free school meals that they are entitled to courtesy of the government offer. Our lunchtime in the junior canteen today was largely very successful and the children managed the changes so well. A big thank you to Hamstel Juniors for having us!
Thirdly, to our fantastic team of Midday Assistants who have kept our lunchtime disruption to a minimum and who have managed serving, cleaning and tidying across the classrooms so smoothly and to our brilliant office staff, who have managed the increased workload caused by the weekend’s events so brilliantly.
And finally, to our wider staff and children, it is never easy when something like this happens in a school but I must say as always, that everybody has responded in typical unwavering Hamstel Infants style and that we have managed to carry on pretty much as normal this week… with just a few tweaks here and there. Thank you all!
Sadly, we had to postpone the Reception parents Maths workshops this week, but please rest assured that these will be rearranged as soon as possible.
Next week, it’s the Big Bird Watch across the whole school where we will ask the children to keep their eyes open for the various birdlife that visit our site. On Friday 24th January, we are still going ahead with Year 1 parents visiting our number in mastery lessons, so we look forward to welcoming you into school. Year 2’s are out and about as they begin the first of their visits to our local churches.
Business as usual at Hamstel Infants!
Have a good weekend and we will see you bright and early on Monday morning.
Scott Roche
Principal
Diary Dates
January 2025
- Friday 24th - Year 1 Maths Workshop
- Monday 27th - Chicks arrive at school
- Wednesday 29th - Reception Phonics Workshop
February 2025
- Tuesday 4th - Year 1 Southchurch Library Visit
- Friday 7th - Year 1 Southchurch Library Visit
- Tuesday 11th - Year 2 Maths Workshop
- Thursday 13th - Reception Relatives Afternoon Tea
- Monday 17th - Friday 21st - Half Term
- Monday 24th - INSET Day
- Wednesday 26th - Year 1 Reading Rocks
March
- Monday 3rd - Jacqui Story Box Assembly
- Tuesday 4th - Year 1 Library Visit
- Wednesday 5th - KS1 Tag Rugby
- School Nurse Drop in
- Thursday 6th - World Book Day
- Friday 7th - Year 1 Library Visit
- Storyteller Visit
- Monday 10th - Music Festival
- Tuesday 11th - Science Day
- Friday 21st - Jacqui Poetry Assembly
- Wednesday 26th - Parent Council Meeting
April 2025
- Tuesday 1st - Year 1 Spring Show Performance (Dragonfly and Heron)
- Wednesday 2nd - Class Photos
- Year 1 Spring Show Performance (Duck and Newt)
- Thursday 3rd - Nursery Easter Crafts
- Friday 4th - Year 2 Banquet
- Monday 7th - Thursday 17th - Easter break
- Friday 18th - Good Friday
- Monday 21st - Bank Holiday Monday
May 2025
- Thursday 1st - Dance Festival
- Monday 5th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Wednesday 7th - Reception Reading Rocks Workshop
- Tuesday 13th - Water Safety Assembly
- Friday 16th - Quad Kids
- Wednesday 21st - Parent Council Meeting
- Monday 26th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Tuesday 27th - Friday 30th - May Half Term
June 2025
- Monday 2nd - Jacqui Story Box Assembly
- Wednesday 18th - Summer Safety Assembly
- Friday 20th - INSET Day
July 2025
- Wednesday 9th - Parent Council Meeting
- Friday 11th - Mini Games
- Tuesday 22nd - Last Day of Term
- Wednesday 23rd - INSET Day
Nursery
This week we have enjoyed sharing the story ‘Once Upon a Time’, we have been answering questions about the story.
We have been learning to say the initial sounds in words and finding other objects with the same sound.
In Maths we have been learning to name and order numerals to five.
In Geography we have been learning about where we and the City Southend, we enjoyed looking at photos of familiar places around Southend.
In PSHE we have learnt about different rules and why rules might be important.
REMINDER: Please ensure that your child has a complete change of clothes at Nursery.
Could you please return any clothes that have been borrowed as our stocks are getting very low thank you.
Letters sent home this week
Rainbow & Starlight
Rainbow
This week the children have been learning more around 'Jack and The Beanstalk' story line and characters, we have been looking at materials used in the story and their properties, and what and why they are used in everyday life. The children have drawn some lovely maps of Jacks' farm and have been looking at different positional concepts. We have looked at the life cycle of a bean, this was interesting as the children enjoyed watching how the bean grew roots and shoots out of the earth. Each child has planted a bean, and we will be watching them closely to see what happens. The children have made some lovely craft and art items relevance to the story, a beanstalk, jack and the cow etc.
We have continued our learning with:
Letters this week: l i j t u y (saying letter sound and name, learning to write)
RWi: i n p g o (saying sound and letter name, writing rhyme)
Maths: more or less/counting fingers/additions up to 10/20 etc/number writing/long and short/big and small/heavy and light/composing and decomposing up to 6/find the missing number/continuing a pattern/counting to a given number etc.
REMINDER: Please can you remember to bring reading books in so that we may change them for different ones. It's very important that children are read to or read at least 3 times a week if not every day. Thank you for your understanding.
Starlight
This week we have continued with the story ‘The Three Little Pigs.’ We have been using adjectives to add more detail to describe the characters and the setting. At the end of the week, the children wrote a character description of the Big Bad Wolf.
In Science we have been looking at different animals and learning about mammals. The children used features of mammals to sort play animals into two groups: mammals and not mammals.
We have been looking at different types of weather, looking at video clips to show us what the different types of weather look like. We have looked at weather symbols to match these different weather conditions.
In Outdoor Learing, the children had the opportunity to make nests using sticks and cones. We practised our gross motor skills when using the play apparatus. It is lovely to see the children's confidence growing and the progress they are making using the equipment.
This week in cooking, we practised our mixing, spreading and slicing skills to make pig face biscuits.
Reception Year
This week we have continued our learning about 'The Three Little Pigs'. In writing we wrote a description of the setting in the book, remembering to use our Fred fingers and spaces between words. In science we continued our learning about materials, this week thinking about the purpose for different materials. In DT we designed our house for The Three Little Pigs.
In PSHE we learnt about rules in different situations and why rules might be different in different places.
In PE we were learning to move in a low way and explored making low shapes.
In Maths we ordered numbers to 5, matched numerals to quantities, built towers to 5, noticing when we have one more or one less. In shape, space and measure we were learning about shapes with 4 sides.
In Geography we learnt the names of places we live in, such as Southend-on-Sea and England. We started learning about maps, knowing that map shows the location of places.
How to help at home
Reading:
- Practise the sound in the Speed Sound Book and watch the QR codes.
Maths:
- Count groups of objects. How many are there? Can you find the numeral?
- Can you build a tower for the numbers 1-5? Can you put them in order?
Letters sent home this week
Year One
This week we have continued with the story ‘The Something’. We looked at how the little boy was feeling at different parts of the story. We learned about the personal pronoun ‘I’ and started to use this in a sentence. Our big write this week was writing a diary entry from the perspective of the little boy.
In Maths we have been learning about height and length. We looked at vocabulary such as taller, longer and shorter. We compared different animals and different objects around the classroom. We used paper squares as a non-standard method to begin to measure different items, after that we looked at how to use a ruler accurately. We measured different sized circles using the ruler correctly.
In Geography we have been looking at the weather, we made predictions about what we thought the weather was going to be and checked to see if we were correct.
In Outdoor Learning we were looking at seasonal changes. We chose a tree and drew what it looked like. At the beginning of each new season we will come back to the same tree and draw it again, showing the changes over time.
This week’s spelling focus: air sound: fair, lair, chair, pair, fairy
Our Common Exception Words:
Don’t forget to practise this spelling pattern in your home spelling book to get your stamp at the end of next week.
Letters sent home this week
Year Two
Year 2 have continued to work hard to kick start the new year, learning lots of new knowledge and skills.
‘Lost and Found’ by Oliver Jeffers is our new book in Literacy and we have really enjoyed getting to know the book and discussing it. We have learnt what an exclamation sentence is and have been practising writing them. We have also been describing the characters in the book, thinking about the characters appearance and feelings. Using our new skill of writing exclamation sentences and the descriptive language to describe the characters we wrote some brilliant ‘Found’ posters, as the boy found the penguin.
In Maths we have been learning about temperature. We have been learning to read the temperature in degrees Celsius and beginning to recognise the symbol for this. We have also been estimating the temperature looking at the scales and deciding the temperature we think it is.
In Geography we have continued to look at the Polar regions, Antarctica and The Arctic and have been comparing these two places, looking closely at some of the differences and similarities.
In PSHE, the children have been exploring and learning about communities this half term. This week we discussed more about what a community is and looked at the roles within our school community. The children thought about some of the different roles such as caretaker, Principal, Mid-Day Assistants and what these people’s job involves in the school community.
Don’t forget next week it is Year 2’s Outdoor Learning session, please make correct clothing and shoes are worn.
This week's spelling pattern: Adding the suffix –ing
Don’t forget to practise this spelling pattern in your home spelling book to get your stamp at the end of next week.
Next week it is Outdoor Learning:
- Monday: Fox
- Tuesday: Badger
- Wednesday: Hedgehog
- Thursday: Squirrel
- Friday: Otter
Letters sent home this week
Celebration Assembly - Aspire.
This weeks value has been 'Aspire', below are highlights from around the classes.
Outdoor Learning
- Monday 20th January - Fox
- Tuesday 21st January - Badger
- Wednesday 22nd January - Hedgehog
- Thursday 23rd January - Squirrel
- Friday 24th January - Otter
PE
Reception
- Monday - Kingfisher
- Tuesday - Owl
- Wednesday - Peacock
- Thursday - Woodpecker
Year 1
- Monday - Heron
- Tuesday - Dragonfly & Newt
- Wednesday - Duck
- Thursday - Newt & Heron
- Friday - Duck & Dragonfly
Year 2
- Monday - Badger & Squirrel
- Tuesday - Hedgehog & Otter
- Wednesday - Badger, Fox & Otter
- Thursday - Squirrel
- Friday - Fox & Hedgehog
Online Safety
Among children – and especially teenagers – TikTok boasts approximately 220 million users, providing a near-endless reel of short clips intended to entertain, educate and more. However, along with its enormous userbase comes a significant number of possible risks: Ofcom have dubbed it the most likely app on which teen users would potentially suffer harm.
With the platform reaching astronomical levels of success among the younger generation, it’s vitally important for parents and educators to understand the risks it poses. This free guide lets you know about the most prominent potential dangers associated with TikTok and offers expert advice on how to safeguard youngsters who are navigating the site.
Dinner menu
Temporary Menu
Monday - Beef Bolognaise with pasta - Vegan bolognaise with Pasta - Jacket potato with Baked beans - Sliced green beans - Ham salad wrap - Cheese Sandwich - Flapjack or Fresh fruit platter
- AAM - As above but with Gluten free pasta
Tuesday - Pepperoni Pizza - Cheese and Tomato Pizza - Penne pasta with Tomato & Basil sauce - Potato wedges and Sweetcorn - Tuna Mayonnaise sandwich - Ham Sandwich - Chocolate sponge cake or Fresh fruit platter
- AAM - Grilled Chicken with Potato wedges and Sweetcorn
- AAM - Penne pasta with Tomato & Basil sauce
Wednesday - Roast Chicken with Roast Potatoes - Vegan Bombay Chick Pea Burrito - Jacket Potato and Cheese - Broccoli & Carrots - Ham Salad Wrap - Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich - Shortbread Cookie / Fruit Platter
- AAM - Roast Chicken with Roast Potatoes
- AAM – Bombay Chick Pea in Gluten Free Wrap
- AAM – Jacket potato & Baked Beans
Thursday - Traditional Beef Lasagne - Vegan Cauliflower and sweet potato coconut curry with Rice - Penne pasta with Tomato & Basil sauce - Sweetcorn or Coleslaw - Chicken Salad sandwich - Cheese sandwich - Strawberry Jelly or Fresh fruit platter
- AAM - Beef & vegetable ragu with Gluten free pasta
- AAM - Vegan Cauliflower and sweet potato coconut curry with Rice
- AAM - Gluten free Penne with Tomato & Basil sauce
Friday - Fish fingers with Chips - Vegan vegetable fingers with Chips - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans - Baked beans or Peas - Tuna & Sweetcorn sandwich - Cheese salad wrap - Iced Vanilla sponge
- AAM - Gluten free fish fingers with Chips
- AAM - Vegan vegetable fingers with Chips
- AAM - Jacket Potato with Baked beans
Messages from the Office
Lost Property
The lost property box can be found at the main school office and is full to bursting with 'lost' items! If you are missing any of your child's clothes please come and have a look.
To ensure that any of your child's items are returned safely to them in class please check that their name is clearly labelled on every item.
Medicines
If your child requires medication during the school day or during wrap around care please bring it to the school office, a parent or guardian will be asked to complete a permission form.
Antibiotics - in general if a child has been prescribed antibiotics to be given three times a day these can be given at home. If it has been prescribed to be given four times a day then we are happy support with this. Please bring the antibiotics in their original bottle to the school office and the parent or guardian will need to complete the permission form.
Please note that in general we will only be able to support with giving prescribed medicines. For all other medication please contact the school office to discuss your child's needs.
Community Information
Reporting a Parking Issue
Following on from Mr Roche's message regarding parking issues all Southend City residents can report parking problems to the council using the website - link provided below. Please note you will need a MySouthend account to use this.
Attendance
Attendance Overall
Reception Year: Owl Class - 98%
Year 1: Heron Class - 98%
Year 2: Squirrel Class - 98.7%
Whole School: 94.3%
If your child is going to be absent from school please contact the school office by 9am and leave a message on our answerphone or via ParentPay giving your child's name, class and specific reason for their absence.
Any planned absence for example medical appointments should be advised to the school office with a copy of the confirmation letter or text being provided. For other absence i.e weddings, holidays etc then a Leave of Absence Request form should be completed in advance. Copies of this can be obtained from the school office.
Clubs
Teacher Led Clubs
All places on the teacher led clubs for the Spring Term have now been filled, emails have been sent to parents/carers with confirmation details if a child has been offered a place.
All teacher led after school clubs finish at 4.15pm, children will be brought to the front of the school by the Club Leader for you to collect.
Premier Education
New club offers from Premier Education are filling up fast - follow the link below if you are interested in booking on.
For clubs after school run by Premier Education collection is from the Infant School Hall. Enter through the Poynings Avenue gate and walk across the playground. Children will have been escorted to the club by school staff for the start.
Collection time for all Premier Education after school clubs is 4.15pm. Premier Education staff will telephone parents/carers of any uncollected children after 5 minutes. Any child not collected after 10 minutes will be escorted to Hamstel Infant School & Nursery After School Club and a fee of £7.00 will be charged.
If you are unavoidably delayed please telephone the school emergency telephone number on 07526 079300 to speak with a staff member of our After School Club.
Bricks4Kidz Club
The new club offers is filling up fast with the first session due to start on Friday 17th January.
Bricks4Kidz Club is held in our Welcome classroom. Collection for this club is from the front of the school by the main office reception.
Collection time for the club is 4.15pm. Any child not collected after 10 minutes will be escorted to Hamstel Infant School & Nursery After School Club and a fee of £7.00 will be charged.
If you are unavoidably delayed please telephone the school emergency telephone number on 07526 079300 to speak with a staff member of our After School Club.