Contents
- Parent Survey
- Coffee Morning
- Summer Reading Challenge
- Please be on time!
- Labubo Toys
- Money Snake Challenge
- Multiplication Check Results
- Year 4 Swimming Success
- Year 1 need your help!
- IMPORTANT Transition arrangements for next week
- OPAL and Outdoor Learning at Grange
- Dates for your diary
Parent Survey
We’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete our Parent/Carer Survey. Your feedback is so important to us; it helps us understand what we’re doing well and how we can make Grange even better for our children and families. So far, we’ve received responses from just 26 families: 10 from EYFS, 12 from KS1 and 7 from KS2
If you haven’t had a chance to complete it yet, the link is attached again below. The survey will be open until Friday 4th July
Coffee Morning
The coffee morning last week was a huge success. If you were unable to attend and have a question, please contact Mrs Gregory. In the Parent/Carer Survey, we have had a request for a coffee afternoon instead of a coffee morning on some occasions. This is a good idea and one we have tried before but no one attended. However, we will try to accommodate this request next academic year.
Summer Reading Challenge
On Tuesday, Mrs Stubbs arranged an assembly all about the Summer Reading Challenge . The aim is to encourage children to continue to read throughout the summer holidays and to foster a love of reading. Your children can read books, take part in Newcastle Libraries free activities and collect stickers. If they earn 5 stickers, they receive a certificate and if they earn 7, they are entered into an exciting prize draw.
You can drop in for fun, free nature themed craft and activities at Gosforth Library on Tuesdays 2-3pm, Kenton Library Thursdays 11am- 12 noon and City library Fridays 11am- 12 noon.
There are also lots of exciting activities which you can book on Eventbrite: Author workshops with Thomas Rogers Learn to draw with Liz Milllion (I’ve worked with her before and she’s amazing!) Bugs and Stuff- get up close with minibeasts and other creatures We Love Disney Party Minibeast Art Workshop Coding with Lego Education Plant and Grow- learn how to grow your own plants And much more….
Please be on time!
Please make every effort to arrive at school on time. Classroom doors are open from 8:45 to 8:50am. If you arrive after this time, please enter through the main school office and sign in at the screen. Our learning begins promptly each morning with key writing or maths activities, so arriving late means missing important learning time.
Currently, we have around 15–20 children arriving late each day, which is impacting their start to the day. We do understand that occasional lateness can’t be helped, and there’s no need to worry if it happens from time to time. Thank you for your support in helping your child get the best start to their day.
Labubo Toys
We've noticed that more and more Labubu toys are making their way into school. While the children really enjoy them and love attaching them to their clothes or book bags, they often get lost during the day. This leads to upset children and a lot of time spent searching for them. To avoid this, please keep these cuddly creatures safe at home rather than bringing them into school. Thank you for your understanding!
Money Snake Challenge!
The PTFA have one more fundraiser planned before the summer holidays. The Money Snake Challenge will take place in school on Thursday 10th July so please send your spare change (20p coins and below, no 50p or £1/£2 coins) into school with your child on that day. There will be a prize for the longest snake made by each class! Please start saving and watch out for more information in next week’s newsletter!
Multiplication Check Results
Our Year 4 children recently took part in the Multiplication Tables Check. This is a statutory assessment for all pupils at the end of Year 4.
Children begin learning their times tables in Year 2 (×2, ×5, ×10), continue building on this in Year 3 (×3, ×4, ×8), and complete the full set in Year 4 (×6, ×7, ×9, ×11, ×12).
We practise these regularly in school, but children make the best progress when they also practise at home. Times Table Rock Stars is a great tool to support this extra practice
We are absolutely delighted with the progress our Year 4 children have made in their Multiplication Tables Check. The check consists of 25 questions, with up to 6 seconds to answer each one. We’re thrilled to share that our average score was an impressive 20.6. Even more impressively, 38% of our children scored full marks. We are so proud of their hard work and determination. Well done, Year 4 and thank you to our parents and carers who supported their children at home to learn their tables.
Year 4 Swimming Success – Maple and Cherry Class
Year 4 have thoroughly enjoyed their daily swimming lessons. These sessions have given the children the opportunity to build their water confidence and develop their swimming skills as part of the PE curriculum.
Some of our children swim regularly and even take part in competitions, while for others, this was their very first time in a swimming pool. Whatever their starting point, every single child has made superb progress.
It has been truly wonderful to witness the delight on their faces as they achieve things they once thought impossible: jumping into the big pool for the first time, swimming a length, or bravely jumping in at the deep end to touch the bottom of the pool. We are so proud of them all.
Year 1 are searching for a suspicious bunny!
This week, Year 1 began reading their new book in English 'I want my hat back' by Jon Klassen.
They had a letter from bear telling them he last saw his hat in the forest area, so they went to investigate - lots of clues were found but no luck finding his hat. When they started to read the book, they discovered there was a suspicious looking bunny that was wearing his hat! The children made wanted posters using brilliant adjectives to alert others in Grange to keep their eyes peeled for him!
Transition Arrangements for current Reception to Year 4 children
There are two transition days in school next week- Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd July. This is a great opportunity for your child to meet their new teacher and learning support assistants and to become familiar with the routines and expectations for the year ahead. These days help to make the move into the next year group exciting and positive and support a smooth and confident start in September.
We will tell the children on Tuesday which class they will be moving to and I will also send an email home to all parents and carers. We will also put a social story for each class onto the school website so that you can look at this with your child next week and throughout the summer holidays to prepare and hopefully reassure them about their new class.
Year 4: You have been provided with information from the middle schools. If your child is going to GCMS, your child should come to Grange First School as usual at 8.45am on Wednesday and Thursday and collected from Grange at 3.15pm. Staff from Grange walk your children to GCMS and collect them again in the afternoon. On Wednesday, your child will enter and leave Grange from their usual classroom door, but on Thursday they will enter and leave school via the main school office.
Reception, Year 1, 2 and 3: On Wednesday, your child should line up as usual outside their current classroom door and be collected from the same place. On Thursday, your child should line up and be collected from their NEW classroom door. This is an opportunity for parents, carers and children to see the new staff who will be working with your child and to know where to go on the first day of term in September.
OPAL and Outdoor Learning at Grange
This week has been another fun week with lots of lovely play in the Opal yards. The loose parts has been very popular with some amazing dens being built; the children continually amaze us with their creativity using anything and everything and working together as a team.
This week in outdoor learning Reception classes have had so much fun going on a bear hunt. We made our own story bears and made our own set of binoculars to help us find any bears. Finally, we created a large story map with lots of loose parts resources, the children recreated the story stomping through the mud, digging in the sand, climbing through tunnels until they finally found the bear hidden in a cave.
Year 4 had a tremendous time making swings and dens this week. They had to work collaboratively as a team to solve lots of problems they encountered along the way.
Summer Term Dates
NEW DATES AND TIMES HAVE BEEN ADDED- PLEASE READ!
June
Friday 27th June - Bikeability Cherry Class
Monday 30th June - Year 4 to Housesteads Roman Fort
July
Tuesday 1st July - Year 1 trip to Newcastle Keep
Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd July - Transition Days
Wednesday 9th July- Year 2 visit to the beach
Thursday 10th July- Money Snake Challenge
Friday 11th July reports go home via email for all children from Nursery-Year 4
Monday 14th July - Year 4 Leavers’ Disco 3.15-4.30pm
Tuesday 15th July 2pm - Reception Picnic – all parents invited
Wednesday 16th July - Nursery Graduation- Nursery parents invited 2.15pm
Thursday 17th July - Year 4 Leavers’ Assembly- Year 4 parents invited 2.15pm
Friday 18th July - Last Day of Term
September
Tuesday 2nd September - Back to school!
Credits:
© Grange First School