Porters Grange Weekly Newsletter 13th february 2026

Nursery

This week we have been enjoying lots of different sensory activities. We had so much fun using the shaving foam, pretending to make our own ice-creams. We have also talked about all the different people we love, thinking about Valentine’s Day on Saturday. We also read a story about Chinese New year and talked about the celebration. 

REMINDER: Have a fantastic half term break. Stay safe and healthy. We return to Nursery on Tuesday 24th.  

Letter sent home this week

• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Reception

This week we have been learning about Chinese New Year. We listened to the story and acted it out. The children loved making spring rolls and enjoyed tasting them! Last week the children made banana bread which was a great success and the recipe is included here should you wish to make with your child at home. In maths we have been learning about one more and one less. In phonics we have been revisiting all the sounds learnt so far and applying them to reading and writing.

Banana Bread Recipe

• 3 ripe bananas (mashed) • ½ cup sugar (white, brown, or coconut) • ¼ cup oil (vegetable, canola, or melted coconut oil) • ¼ cup milk (dairy or plant milk) • 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional) • 1½ cups all-purpose flour • 1 tsp baking soda • ½ tsp salt • ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, mash bananas well. Whisk in sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet until just combined (don’t overmix).
5. Stir in any add-ins if using.
6. Pour into loaf pan and bake 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a rack.

We are running short of spare clothes so if you have any old uniform or other clothes that your children have

Letters sent home this week

• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Year 1

Year 1 have been very busy this week. Pebble class went to the beach on Tuesday and had a fantastic time. Shell class will have their turn after the half term, check your emails and messages as Mrs Britton will let you know. In English this week, we have revised our use of adjectives, verbs and proper nouns to ensure the children know how to use them in their sentence writing. In maths, the children have worked hard on creating number sentences, with the focus on subtraction. Remembering that the whole number starts first. In PE, we did dodgeball. The children had a blast playing this game with their peers and showed excellent listening skills when following the rules of the game.

REMINDER:   Please check all items of your child’s PE kit and make sure items are labelled and still fit. Some of our children have had growth spurts this half term!  

Letters sent home this week

• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Year 2

We have been learning to write short captions about the story of the Enormous Turnip in Mrs Britton and Mrs Van Den Berg’s English group. Please support your child at home with recognising where full stops and capital letters go. Mrs Head’s group have written a diary about Samuel Pepys. In maths we have continued to work on multiplication and division. Science has been fun, carrying out an investigation about our bodies and the effect that exercise has on them! The children enjoyed a reenactment of The Great Fire of London in the playground. They watched from a safe distance, as the fire spread across the houses they had created last week. 

REMINDER: Please remember to make a note of how your child reads at home. 

Letters home this week

• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Year 3

This week, the children have been writing reports about Henri Rousseau. They watched a video about him, took notes and then used these notes to write their reports. At the end of the week, they top copied their reports and focused on handwriting and presentation.  In maths the children worked on measuring and calculating the perimeter of squares and rectangles. 

REMINDER: Please continue to hear your child read during the half term holiday. PE kits need to be back in school on the first day back. Have a lovely half term!

Letters sent home this week

• Year 3,4 & 5 - IndiRock Letter - 11.02.2026
• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Year 4

This week the children have been focussing on writing more persuasive language in their reports about Chile. We have learnt how to count the area of different shapes and have been using our addition and multiplication skills. In DT we have thought back to our cooking lessons and evaluated and drawn diagrams of our products. 

REMINDER: PE kits have been sent home and will need to be in on the very first day back, Tuesday 24th February.    Over the half term children should continue reading very day, working on TTR and practising their spellings from the reading record. 

Letters sent home this week

• Year 3,4 & 5 - IndiRock Letter - 11.02.2026
• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Year 5

In English this week, Year 5 have completed some independent writing and have written some instructions on how to play handball. We focused on ensuring that we used formal language and have used adverbials to ensure that our writing is cohesive.  In Maths we have finished our fractions unit and have been looking at calculating a fraction of an amount. Alongside this, we have explored how we can use a given fraction of an amount to find a whole. There were some quite tricky lessons towards the end of the unit but well done to everyone for overcoming those barriers and having a go! In PE we have finished our gymnastics and fitness units and look forward to taking our newly perfected skills into our next PE units, athletics and football. 

REMINDER: PE kits have been sent home and will need to be back in on the first Wednesday back, the 25th of February. Please ensure your child has a suitable kit with them for these days, we are running out of spare PE kits to give children who do not have their PE kits.   Please strive to read with your child over the half term and record this in their home school diaries.   

Letters sent home this week

• Year 3,4 & 5 - IndiRock Letter - 11.02.2026
• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Year 6

We have had an interesting week writing balanced arguments about whether social media should be banned in the UK for under 16 year olds. As you can imagine, it has inspired some fantastic debates and thoughts about the safety of children accessing social media.  In maths, we have been continuing to focus on arithmetic and using clues in word questions to work out what we need to do eg more than means that the answer will be bigger than the first number.  We have finished our gymnastics and badminton units in PE and are looking forward to starting athletics next half term. In computing, we focused on safer internet day – online safety and the use of AI. We discussed that AI is a tool to support thinking but not a replacement for thinking and it is not always correct. Top tips for using AI for schoolwork: use it to get ideas, use it for practice questions, use it to help you understand. Don’t use it: to copy answers, to pretend work is yours or to us it instead of actually learning it yourself. 

REMINDER: Homework club is available for any children that would like support on Tuesday lunchtime after half term, and homework is due on Thursday. This means your child can enjoy their half term break and complete their homework before or after the holiday.   PE is on still on Tuesdays and Fridays next half term.

Letters sent home this week

• Whole School - World Book Day - 09.02.2026

Music

Southend Makes Music – Palace Theatre 10th February – KS2 Choir

After school on Tuesday, 19 members of the choir left school with great excitement, accompanied by Mrs Dyos-Smith, Mrs Carter and Mrs Baines. We travelled by train to Westcliff station and then walked to the Palace Theatre, arriving in time for our rehearsal on stage. Following the rehearsal, we were shown to our dressing room where we enjoyed our packed tea and changed into the Porters Grange choir uniform, ready for the performance. The choir performed three songs: Believe, Rule the World, and a Gospel Medley, with the final piece sung beautifully in three parts. The performance was amazing. Everyone sang with confidence and great musicality, and there was rapturous applause at the end. I think the choir would all agree that it was an incredible experience to sing in front of a live audience, and the adults were extremely proud of them.

Diary Dates:

• Infant Music Festival – 12th March – Selected children from Year 2
• Junior Music Festival – Cliffs Pavilion - 8th June – KS2 Choir

Instrumental Lessons Tuesday Guitar - Mr Brown  Wednesday Guitar – Mr Elliott  Wednesday Keyboard – Mr Hockey Wednesday Drums – Mr Peters  

French

This week, year six have been reading and responding to a text about Antoine’s first day at secondary school; year two have created some wonderful Spring art in French; year five have performed a variety of role plays about jobs that interest them. 

Online Safety

Creating a strong sense of belonging is essential for children's emotional wellbeing and academic success. This guide explores ten simple and effective strategies, such as encouraging participation, celebrating diversity, and addressing bullying, that help schools build inclusive environments where every child feels valued and connected.  We’ve created this guide offering parents and educators effective solutions to build inclusive, nurturing environments that help children and young people feel a strong sense of belonging.

Community

Cost of Living

Click here to access cost of living advice from Southend City Council. It contains information on housing support, energy cost advice and benefits and support for those with children.