Welcome back!
We hope that the children had a fantastic summer and that they are rested and ready for a busy year. The sun has been kind to us and has helped to create a warm and happy atmosphere for the start of the new school year. The children have lots of learning ahead of them and we thank you in advance for the fantastic support you give them, especially with their reading. With hard work from our children, staff and parents, we are sure it is going to be another great year at Porters.
Year 1
The children have had a great start to Year 1. We are establishing our expectations with regards to behaviour and learning choices.
In English we have been focusing on letter formation and identifying the difference between capital letters and lower-case letters.
In maths we have been sorting objects based on characteristics such as size and colour. Also, we have been counting objects, remembering that in order to count correctly, we must give each object we are counting one number and count it only once.
REMINDER: Reading books will be given out in due course. Please be patient with us as we assess their reading levels.
PE kits must be in school by Thursday 14th September.
No water bottles please. The children have cups to use in class and are readily available for them to use when they need them.
Keep an eye on the weather. If it continues to be hot, please provide your child with a hat to wear, that has their name on it.
Year 2
The children have had a great start to Year 2. We have been learning lots of new routines.
In English, we have been writing sentences about ourselves. We have been focussing on presentation and forming interesting sentences.
In maths we have begun our topic on place value. We can recognise tens and ones in numbers and beginning to use a place value chart.
REMINDER: Every child has a new reading book. Please share this book every night and sign reading records.
Please make sure that your child has a PE kit in school.
No water bottles in school please. Children have their own cup and fresh water is available throughout the day.
Year 3
The children have had a great start to Year 3. We have been working on presentation skills and establishing expectations for learning and behaviour choices.
In English we have been practising key skills for presentation, such as handwriting and underlining a date and title with a ruler. They have written noun phrases to describe objects within a picture, creating descriptive sentences. In maths we have started our work on Place Value, building an understanding of hundreds, tens and ones. They have taken an interest on the history topic for this half term, The Stone Age, and have looked at different types of artefacts to create questions so they can research what the artefacts would have been used for.
REMINDER: PE is on a Tuesday and Thursday, so please make sure your child has their PE kit in school.
The children will be receiving reading books this week; they should be brought into school every day and the children should be reading at home regularly. They should keep their books and diaries in their bags when not in use to keep them safe.
No water bottles please. The children have cups to use in class and are readily available for them to use when they need them.
Year 4
This week in Year 4 we have started to recap handwriting and place value in maths. The children have been using their learning powers already and are enjoying the challenges set. We have enjoyed using the Ipads for TTR and some research too.
REMINDER: The children will be receiving reading books this week; they should be brought into school every day and the children should be reading at home regularly. They should keep their books and diaries in their bags when not in use to keep them safe.
PE kits will be needed from Monday.
Year 5
It has been a fantastic and busy first week in Year 5. The children have settled in and worked extremely hard. We have been very impressed with their concentration and hard work.
In maths the children have started work on place value. They have revised how to partition numbers. The children have also revised their times tables.
REMINDER: Our PE days are Monday and Friday. Please ensure your child has the correct kit and it is kept in school.
On Monday, the children will be given spellings to learn. Please practise them at home. They will be tested every Friday.
Year 6
The children have had a great first week in Year 6 and have settled in really well to their final year of juniors! We have been focusing on the quality of handwriting and presentation needed this year and choosing books that we love. We have enjoyed being learning some of the skills to help us play netball and dodgeball successfully and examined some interesting self portraits in art.
REMINDER: The children have each chosen a reading book that they can enjoy reading and discussing with you at home each night. Please record any completed reading and sign your signature in their home school diaries.
PE kits (including trainers or plimsolls) must be in school as both classes have PE every Wednesday and Friday.
Music
Instrumental Lessons – commencing week beginning 11th September
We do have a few vacancies, please contact Mrs Baines if your child would like to learn an instrument.
- Tuesday am; Drums
- Wednesday am: Keyboard and Flute
- Wednesday am: Guitar
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Our Uniform shop is located within the front reception area of the school and is open Monday-Friday 8.15am - 4.00pm. All items are 50p each. We always have a good selection of skirts, trousers, jumpers, tops, dresses and P.E items. Please ask at the office to point you in the right direction.
School Uniform Donations
We welcome school uniform donations for us to sell at our school uniform shop. Could we please ask that the clothes are in good, clean condition. All items can be dropped off at the school office between 8.15am - 4.00pm. Thank you so much for doing this for the school as it helps our parents out tremendously.
*** White Polo Shirts needed ***
If you have any white polo shirts or short sleeved white shirts in good clean condition that your children have grown out of could you consider donating them to the school.
Thank you
Attendance
Welcome Back Everyone
We have welcomed back the children this week after a well deserved summer break and what an amazing week they have had. Having five days to get the ball rolling on their learning, all across the school we have seen that the children have adapted well to their new year groups, class locations, teaching teams and timetables. Many children have made a great start to the term being in school every day since Monday.
Our celebration assemblies have moved to a Monday afternoon, so we will be proudly reintroducing ‘Classopoly’ as an attendance celebration, with weekly rewards for classes who have meet our attendance target of 96%. Look out at the end of this newsletter for this week attendance figures.
New Attendance Administrator
We would like to introduce the newest member of our school attendance team, Mrs Sue Wyer who was appointed during the summer break to the role of attendance administrator. She will be working with me, Mrs Debbie Morris – Assistant Principal, to raise aware about attendance expectations and support families as we raise the standard of attendance across the school.
Reporting Absence
The way to report your child’s absence remains the same. If your child is not going to be in school for any reason, you should let us know by telephoning on the morning of their absence, using the school phone contact 01702 468 047, then from the option choices, select option 1, which is our attendance line. In the message your relay please provide your child's name, class and reason for absence. If your child is going to be off school for more than one day, please also keep us updated and give us an idea of when you expect to be able to bring your child back to school.
If you would like any support or advice on attendance or punctuality, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Mrs S. Wyer, Attendance Administrator or Mrs D Morris using the email attendance@pgps.porticoacademytrust.co.uk
Dinner Menu
Week 3
Monday - Cumberland Sausages with Mashed Potato & Gravy - Vegan Sausages with Mashed Potato & Gravy - Pasta with Cheese Sauce - Peas - Apple & Carrot Flapjack
Tuesday - Beef Chilli with Steamed Rice - Vegetable Chilli with Steamed Rice - Jacket Potato with Cheese - Steamed Carrots - Jam Sponge
Wednesday - Sticky Glazed Chicken - Margherita Pizza - Pasta with Tomato & Basil Sauce - Spicy Potato Wedges & Sweetcorn - Cherry Cornflake Cake
Thursday - Creamy Pesto Chicken with Fusilli Pasta - Vegetable Pasta Bake - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans - Pan Fried Leeks - Vanilla Ice Cream
Friday - Breaded Fish Fingers - Vegetable & Bean Stuffed Pitta Pocket - Pasta with Tomato & Lentil Sauce - Chips & Baked Beans - Chocolate Shortbread Biscuit
Diary Dates
September
- Wednesday 20th - Year 2-6 Harvest Assembly
- Wednesday 27th - Yom Kippur visitor Assembly
October
- Friday 13th - Individual photos
- Monday 16th - Friday 20th - Book Fair
- Tuesday 17th - Parents Evening
- Wednesday 18th - Parents Evening
- Monday 23rd - Friday 27th - October Half Term
- Monday 30th - INSET Day