West Leigh Juniors Weekly News 8th November 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been another great week, despite the weather having taken a wintery turn. Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic trip to The Imperial War Museum Duxford as well as other year groups attending coastal and forest schools. There is always so much happening at West Leigh!

Thank you to the parents who attended our year group curriculum meetings this week. We hope that you were able to gain a useful insight into the topics your children will be covering over the course of the year.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mr Aggus

Principal

Diary Dates

Please note that there will be no After School Club on the last day of each term.

November

Monday 11th - Year 6 Test Week
Parent Council meeting @ 4.30pm
Tuesday 12th - Year 5 Performance to Parents @ 2pm (5K and 5F)
Year 5 Book Look
Year 6 hockey fixture @ Alleyn Court
Thursday 14th - Year 5 Performance to Parents @ 2pm (5G and 5L)
Friday 15th - Year 5/6 Southend Football Competition
Non-uniform day for Children in Need
Monday 18th - Coastal Schools 4E
Tuesday 19th - Year 6 Book Look 3.30pm - 3.45pm
Coastal Schools - 4SW
Year 6 netball @ Our Lady of Lourdes
Wednesday 20th - Assessments until Friday 29th
Flu Immunisations
Year 4 Dodgeball Competition @ Garons
Thursday 21st - Year 3 trip to Barleylands
Friday 22nd - Girls' football @ Alleyn Court
Monday 25th - Friday 29th: Book Fair
Test Week in Years 3 - 5
Monday 25th - Girls' Essex Cup Final
Year 5 & 6 Boys' football
Tuesday 26th - Year 4 Book Look 3.30pm - 3.45pm
Wednesday 27th - Year 5/6 Dodgeball A Team 9am - 12pm
Year 5/6 Dodgeball B Team 12.15pm - 3.30pm
Friday 29th - Non-uniform day - bring a prize for the fayre
Football Trials - 3T and 4SW
Saturday 30th - FOWLS Christmas fayre

December

Monday 2nd - Year 6 Christmas decoration morning
Tuesday 3rd - Year 3 Book Look 3.30pm - 3.45pm
Year 4 Christmas decoration morning
Singing at the Community Centre
Wednesday 4th - Year 5 Christmas decoration morning
Coastal Schools 4B
Thursday 5th - Year 3 Christmas decoration morning
Santa Dash
Year 6 Santa Netball @ Alleyn Court
Friday 6th - Christmas Food Collection @ St. Vincent's
Monday 9th - Carol Concert rehearsal @ St. Margaret's
Tuesday 10th - Carol Concert @ St. Margaret's 7pm
Wednesday 11th - Christmas dinner and Christmas jumper day
Year 6 Handball competition
Thursday 12th - Late Book Look 6pm - 7pm
Friday 13th - FOWLS Christmas Gift Sale
Thursday 19th - last day of term - no After School Club
Friday 20th - INSET
Monday 22nd - 3rd January - Christmas Holidays

January

Monday 6th - Spring Term begins
Thursday 9th - Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics
Friday 10th - Year 5/6 Sportshall Athletics
Monday 13th - Individual and sibling photographs
Late Book Look 6pm - 7pm
Tuesday 14th - Year 3/4 RSE Talk for parents @ 2.30pm
Thursday 16th - Year 5RSE Talk for parents @ 2.30pm
Friday 17th - Year 3 disco
Tuesday 21st - Year 6 RSE talk for parents @ 2.30pm
Thursday 23rd - Young Shakespeare Company Year 6
Friday 24th - Year 3/4 Boys' Football Competition
Friday 31st - Year 5/6 Hockey Festival

February

Monday 3rd - Young Voices at the O2
Tuesday 11th - Safer Internet Day
Year 6 Girls' Netball League
Wednesday 12th - Year 6 Cyber Security Workshop
Thursday 13th - Late Book Look 6pm - 7pm
Monday 17th - Friday 21st - Half Term
Monday 24th - INSET Day
Wednesday 26th - Year 6 Netball Competition
Thursday 27th - Year 6 Netball Festival
Friday 28th - Year 3/4 Girls' Football Competition

March

Tuesday 4th - Southend Makes Music
Wednesday 5th - General Knowledge Quiz Club Area Heat
Friday 7th - Year 6 Dragonball Competition
Wednesday 12th - Years 3-5 assessments until Friday 21st
Year 4 Tag Rugby Competition
Friday 21st - Comic Relief
Monday 24th - Year 6 Mock Week
Tuesday 25th - Year 6 Girls' Netball League
Year 4 presentation @ 2pm (4B & 4C)
Thursday 27th - Year 4 presentation @ 2pm (4E & 4SW)
Friday 28th - Year 5/6 Aquathlon

April

Tuesday 1st - Learning Conferences
Wednesday 2nd - Cross Country Essex Finals
Thursday 3rd - Learning Conferences
Monday 7th - Monday 21st - Easter Holidays
Thursday 24th - Year 5 Transition and Selection meeting
Friday 25th - Year 3/4 Tennis Competition @ 9am
Year 5/6 Tennis Competition @ 12.15pm
Monday 28th - Year 5 Geography Field Trip
Wednesday 30th - Year 3/4 Quad Kids

May

Thursday 1st - Dance Festival @ Alleyn Court
Wednesday 7th - Year 5/6 Quad Kids
Monday 12th - Year 6 SATs Week
Tuesday 20th - Year 3 Presentation @ 2pm (3M & 3S)
Wednesday 21st - Maths Quiz Club Area Heat
Swimming Gala @ Garon Park
Thursday 22nd - Year 3 Presentation @ 2pm (3T & 3H)
Friday 23rd - Year 6 Rounders Festival
Monday 26th - Friday 30th - Half Term

June

Monday 2nd - INSET Day
Wednesday 4th - Year 6 Cricket Competition (boys)
Thursday 5th - Year 6 Cricket Competition (girls)
Monday 9th - Wednesday 18th - Assessments in Years 3 - 5
Monday 9th - Thursday 19th - Year 6 Bikeability
Wednesday 11th - Borough Sports
Monday 23rd - Friday 27th - Ilam Hall Residential and Southend Activity Week

July

Tuesday 15th - Open Evening 5pm - 7pm
Friday 18th - Annual School Reports
Wednesday 23rd - Last day of term

Year 3

It has been a very successful first week back after the half term break. The children came back rested and ready to learn. Please can we take this opportunity to remind you that the children must come to school dressed appropriately now that it is getting colder. We aim to still go out at break and lunch times even in the rain, so waterproof coats are an essential at this time of year.

Our English lessons have seen the introduction of our new layered reading text, Ug - Boy Genius Of The Stone Age, by Raymond Briggs. The children enjoyed the illustrations and comic style layout of this book. They have begun to plan a diary entry in character as Dugs, Ug’s mother. The children will be exploring her feelings next week.

Maths has seen a focus on times tables this week with the children learning lots of methods and games to help them to learn their multiplication facts. Ask your children to teach you some of these games, such as Fizzbuzz, so you can practise at home.

Connected Curriculum learning has been focused on researching and comparing Palaeolithic and Neolithic diets. The children created menu’s whilst trying to make the dishes sound appetising (although, we won’t be sampling raw sardines wrapped in leaves anytime soon!). The children applied their knowledge from science to explain which of the two diets was more balanced according to the Eatwell plate. The children have also begun to analyse a design brief, identifying the essential criteria for a Stone Age shelter. They justified their findings and proposed possible materials they could use.

Thank you to all those parents who have confirmed their availability in the communication books for our upcoming trip to Barleylands. We still need a couple more volunteers so if you find you are now able to accompany us, please let us know through the communication book. We will confirm all helpers next week.

We wish you all a very relaxing weekend and if you are enjoying any of the many fireworks displays, please take care and ensure the children enjoy them from a safe distance.

Letters sent home this week

Year 4

It has been lovely to welcome the children back after their well-earned break. We look forward to what we are sure will be a very hard-working half term.

In English, we have continued with our unit on poetry where we have studied the structure and layout of cinquains. Using their prior knowledge of word classes and syllables, the children have written a range of cinquains based on a range of subjects such as animals, fireworks and Ancient Egypt.

As mathematicians, they have focused on multiplication and division. They have created fact families to show multiplication and division as inverses. Using their times tables knowledge, they were able to derive factors from given products. They also practised formal methods of division. Some groups applied this skill to solve a range of division problems.

In science lessons, the children have been excited to begin our new topic on sound. They have used a range of sources to find out what sound is and how it travels to the ear. They also used their observational skills to explain how sound is created in a variety of situations, including the use of tuning forks, drums and stringed instruments.

We have linked our history lessons to maths this week by calculating the perimeters of pyramids and tombs. We have used various sources to research facts about pyramids and have created our own 3D versions. As artists, the children have continued to show off their creative skills and have begun to paint their canopic jars, paying attention to detail where required.

4C enjoyed a chilly visit to the beach on Thursday as part of their Coastal Schools session. They created mosaics from a variety of beach materials and had a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Letters sent home this week

Year 5

It was wonderful to welcome the Year 5 children back to school looking keen and rested after their well-deserved half-term break.

5G had a super start to the week with their first Forest Schools visit. After giving themselves a forest name, they learned how to identify the British oak by listening to the story of the Oak and Holly Kings. This inspired the children to create clay faces on the trees, using natural resources from the forest floor. Many thanks to all the parents/carers who gave up their time to assist.

After carefully learning their lines over the half-term break, the children have been developing their understanding of their poems during our English lessons this week. They have considered how to best create a performance by adapting their use of pitch, tone, dynamics, expression and movement.

In maths lessons, we have reviewed previous learning on Roman Numerals and continued to focus on fractions. The children have compared and ordered decimals with up to three decimal places whilst also learning how to convert between fractions and decimals.

The children have been excited to begin their first Year 5 art project this week which will certainly keep them occupied for the rest of the half term, if not longer. Making links to their historical learning regarding the roles and responsibilities in Anglo-Saxon villages, the children have taken on the role of weavers. Using a simple card loom, they will weave a flat piece cloth or a pouch considering texture and colour. We very much look forward to seeing how creative and accurate they can be.

We look forward to welcoming you to our poetry performances next week (Tuesday 12th 5K/5F and Thursday 14th 5G/5L).

Letters sent home this week

Year 6

In English, Year 6 have constructed, refined and produced a non-chronological report relating to the animals during World War II and how they contributed to the war effort. They have worked hard to ensure that the structure, formality and content were well suited to the purpose of the task.

As a part of Connected Curriculum, they have begun learning more about puppets, and taking the initial steps on the journey to manufacturing their very own puppet; this is often a major highlight for many pupils during their time in Year 6. They have generated initial designs with many creative ideas having been produced.

As scientists, they have furthered their understanding of light and considered how it reflects off of a range of surfaces, and even solved a range of challenges involving mirrors.

Unsurprisingly, however, the highlight of the week was the year group's trip to the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. The sheer magnitude of the location provided so many opportunities to understand much of their prior learning more fully and also appreciate the remarkable history that Duxford holds.

Letters sent home this week

Girls' Football

On Tuesday 22nd October, the girls’ football team travelled to Benhurst Primary School in Hornchurch to play the first round in the Essex Cup. The team were very excited and eager to play following their achievements at the Southend football tournament from the week before.

The team demonstrated superb skill and team work from the start, with fantastic passes and tackles made to make the attack and get a number of rushed shots at goal, with some shots going wide and others being saved by the keeper. After a bit of time the team settled and composed themselves to take the score to 3-0 lead at half time.

After a quick drink and a bit of a snack to keep their energy going the second half got underway, with the team continuing to demonstrate great attacking skills along with strong defending skills once again. With the final whistle blown the girls won 11-0, taking them through to the next round. The team should be incredibly proud of their efforts and I already know they are looking forward to the next match where we will be playing Bancroft’s School in November.

Online Safety

Over the years, Fortnite has become a household name in the gaming community. It was one of the first titles in the Battle Royale sub-genre, where players are thrown into a chaotic free-for-all on a sprawling map and fight until only one remains. Its cartoonish presentation and satisfying gameplay loop make it a potentially attractive choice for young players.

In the guide, put together with expert input, it tells you all you need to know about the safety concerns of this popular title and offers advice on how to protect children and young people as they enjoy the game.

Even among adults, it can be all too common to see disputes and differing opinions grow extremely heated, which is rarely helpful to anyone. When emotions run high, it can be easy to forget yourself and perhaps even say something you didn’t mean, hurting feelings or escalating the situation further.

For children, it’s just as important to avoid this kind of behaviour whenever possible; without the necessary guidance, however, they could struggle to identify any disrespectful behaviour, let alone recognise what they can do differently. This guide offers you expert advice on teaching children and young people to choose respect when interacting with their peers, helping to create an environment based on empathy and tolerance.

Writing Competition

The children learnt about this year’s story writing competition in the week before half term. We run this competition alongside the BBC's 500 words competition which means, if your child is able to write a story of 500 words, they can also submit it to this national competition here. Please note the BBC deadline is November 8th, whereas our deadline at West Leigh is the 18th November.

Happy writing!

Winter Wonderland Art Competition

We are inviting all of our junior artists to design an original and creative piece of artwork using the theme, Winter Wonderland. The winning design will be included in the St. Margaret’s Christmas carol order of service. For this reason:

Complete your design on A4 paper (or smaller).
Words are not necessary, however, if you decide to include text, please ensure spelling is accurate.
You may want to outline shapes and illustrations so that they are clear and bold.

Please ensure your full name and class is written on the back of your artwork in pencil.

Entries to be handed into your class teacher or directly to Mrs. Wilson by Friday 22nd November. If you have any questions or require plain A4 paper, please see Mrs. Wilson.

This competition will be judged by The School Council, under the guidance of Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Carr.

Key Notices this Week

End of Day Arrangements: If your end of day arrangements change, please contact the office before 3.00pm to let us know so we can ensure that all important messages are shared.

Admission Consultations

Dinner Menu

Week 3

Monday - Homemade Macaroni Cheese with Garlic Bread - Jacket Potato with a Choice of Baked Beans, Cheese, Tuna Mayonnaise - Wholemeal Wrap with Tuna Mayonnaise - Coleslaw and Salad bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Raspberry Mousse

Tuesday - Pork Meatballs in Tomato Gravy - Vegan Meatballs in Tomato Gravy - Jacket Potatoes with a Choice of Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonniase - Vegetable Rice, Green Beans and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Chocolate Cherry Cake

Wednesday - Chicken Nuggets - Vegetable Nuggets - Granary Baguette with Cheese - Curly Fries, Spaghetti Hoops and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Cornflake Cake

Thursday - Homemade Beef and Spaghetti Bolognaise - Vegetable and Quorn Bolognaise - Jacket Potato with a Cjoice of Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonnaise - Coleslaw and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Fruit Biscuit

Friday - Cheese and Tomato Pizza with Tortilla Chips - Vegan Pizza with Tortilla Chips - Wholemeal Wrap with Salmon and Sweetcorn - Homemade Coleslaw and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Fruity 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

3H
4B
4SW

Tuesday

3M
5L
5K

Wednesday

3S
4C
3T

Thursday

5G
5F

Friday

6D
6A
4E
6P
6W

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:

3M

Indoor PE: Wednesday
Outdoor PE: Friday

3S

Indoor PE: Tuesday
Outdoor PE: Thursday

3H

Indoor PE: Tuesday
Outdoor PE: Friday

3T

Indoor PE: Monday
Outdoor PE: Thursday

4B

Indoor PE: Wednesday
Outdoor PE: Thursday

4E

Indoor PE: Monday
Outdoor PE: Tuesday

4SW

Indoor PE: Friday
Outdoor PE: Tuesday

4C

Indoor PE: Monday
Outdoor PE: Thursday

5K

Indoor PE: Friday
Outdoor PE: Wednesday

5F

Indoor PE: Friday
Outdoor PE: Wednesday

5L

Indoor PE: Thursday
Outdoor PE: Monday

5G

Indoor PE: Tuesday
Outdoor PE: Monday

6D

Indoor PE: Wednesday
Outdoor PE: Monday

6A

Indoor PE: Thursday
Outdoor PE: Tuesday

6P

Indoor PE: Thursday
Outdoor PE: Monday

6W

Indoor PE: Thursday
Outdoor PE: Tuesday

Attendance

Well done to 3M who achieved the best attendance this week with 99.24%.

Golden Thank Yous

This week, we awarded a golden thank-you to 2 children who demonstrated empathy.

Messages from FOWLS

URGENT PLEA FOR HELP RE CHRISTMAS FAYRE

As you know, the Christmas Fayre is scheduled for Saturday 30th November (12-4pm), but we currently do not have enough volunteers to proceed with it. We are now at the crux point where we need to start ordering food, drink and supplies but if we haven’t got enough volunteers then we will have no choice but to cancel the Fayre!!!!!!!!!

This will obviously be an absolute last resort so we are now desperately appealing for volunteers. We just need 2 hours of your time on the day, you will still have another 2 hours to enjoy the Fayre with your family and we can give you something really easy to do!! PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN !! JUST CLICK ON THE QR CODE BELOW AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OR USE THIS LINK: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczApbYEDdZWDVn5Z1lpMdXVpdtOdZMgmt0E_NDSJAYb4z2gg/viewform

ALSO PLEASE SEE THE WEST LEIGH FACEBOOK PAGE FOR DETAILS

FRIENDS OF WEST LEIGH SCHOOLS GROTTO

🎅Father Christmas has agreed to come to West Leigh Schools to visit our children.

Bookings are now OPEN. Book now to avoid disappointment. Once it’s booked, it’s booked!

Bookings are now open for our Mother Christmas experience at the Christmas Fayre.

Drop the children to Mother Christmas and her Elf for 15 minutes of storytime, games and a song. The children will receive a cookie and small gift.

🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻

Lastly, the Christmas Art project designs will be coming home over half term. We hope you enjoy looking at the children's festive pictures. The order form is on the back and must be returned to school on the first day back.

Please do not bend, fold or cut the design and speak to your class rep regarding payment.

Do you know about Friends of West Leigh Lotto? The draw takes place every month with CASH prizes whilst also raising funds for the schools. It’s super easy to sign up so if you fancy a chance to win a cash prize or would like to find out more contact Oanh Ly who runs our Lotto: fowlslott@gmail.com

ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE ABOVE, PLEASE EMAIL simontaylor7472@gmail.com

Our Parent Council has been extremely successful over the past years and has been instrumental in driving forward positive change within our school. The council meet once every term at 4.30pm to discuss views on a range of important issues and councillors will be able to use our After-School Club on this evening (free of charge) if required to help with childcare. Our first meeting this academic year will take place on Monday 11th November at 4.30pm.

At present, we have vacancies in 4E, 4C, 4SW and 6P. It would be a shame if the views of the parents in these classes were not able to be considered at our meetings - if you feel you could spare three evenings a year to represent your child's class, it would be much appreciated. The role could even be shared between more than one parent if needed.

If this is something you are able to offer, please get in touch with Mrs London via the school office.

We very much hope that we will be able to find parents in these classes to represent the majority views amongst our parent community.

Community News

SEND Community Engagement – November 2024

If you are a young person with special educational needs and/ or a disability (SEND) or the parent carer of a child or young person with SEND and live in Southend, we want to hear from you.

Southend SEND Independent Forum, the parent carer forum for Southend and the SEND Local Offer team invite you to tell us about your lived experience and hear about local SEND system developments.

tell us about your lived experience to feed into the SEND Specific Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
learn about progress against the SEND Strategic Action Plan
have your say on the Southend-on-Sea City Vision

Ways to get involved:

18 November: in-person event - Jubilee Room, Southend Civic Centre. Drop-in between 9.30am to 11.30am
21 November: online event on MS Teams - 7pm to 8pm. Booking required.
Complete a survey