Message from Miss Steele
As we reach the end of a truly fabulous term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the achievements and joy we've shared together. This term has been filled with hard work, enthusiasm, and celebration. We were pleased to receive a visit from Ofsted, who were highly impressed by the quality of learning and the incredible opportunities our children have to flourish. The dedication of our staff has been exceptional, especially in preparing for our Christmas events. The KS1 performance, 'Simply the Nativity', was nothing short of fabulous and the children were just wonderful! The beautiful singing from Year 4 and KS2 at the church carol concert was genuinely heart warming.
Staffing news
As this term has drawn to a close, we are saying goodbye to Mrs Tierney who is moving to another IPAT school to teach from January. Thank you Mrs Tierney for your hard work at St Margaret's.
We are also saying good bye to Mrs Payton, who has been with us at St Margaret's initially as a parent, but for the last 9 years working tirelessly with our children as an ELSA and a valued member of the school team. Thank you Mrs Payton!
As we start the new year in January, we welcome Mrs Merriman (please see the picture below) to teaching Year 3 on a Monday and Tuesday (but will also be in school on Wednesday too) and we welcome back Mrs Huxley from her maternity leave - and she will be teaching on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
You will have also noticed that we have a new member of staff in the office, Mrs Bennett (see picture below), and we will be welcoming her on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to support Mrs Robertshaw.
As we now pause for a well-deserved rest, we wish you all a peaceful and joyful Christmas. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, 6th January.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Governor News
As Local Governors we have seen several changes this term and I would like to thank Vic Lewis & Gill Lamb for their service to the school over the last few years as their terms of office have come to an end. We have welcomed Andy Smith as a Foundation Governor and Tess Hunt has taken up the position of Vice Chair of the Governors taking over from Sheila Grice.
As Governors we meet with the schools leadership teams on a quarterly basis and conduct regular monitoring visits to help support and challenge the schools leaders to ensure they are delivering on their strategic priorities and addressing areas for future development.
We are so proud of the schools achievements over this term and want to thank the staff team for their continued hardwork. With the successful completion of an Ofsted visit and new teaching staff joining the St Margarets team, it has been a busy but exciting start to the 24/25 Year.
Earlier this week the Governors had the pleasure of joining the children for their KS2 Carol Service and spent time with all age groups during their Christmas Lunch. We were amazed at the behaviour of the children and thank them for putting us in the Christmas Spirit.
David Porter, Chair of Governors
Reception
What a busy first term the EYFS children have had! In addition to working hard on our phonics, literacy and Maths, we have been spending time making new friends, adjusting to the expectations of being in school as part of a bigger group of children and developing our emotional literacy and social communication skills. No wonder we are ready for a short recharge! A highlight for the children so far this year have been our weekly Wellie Wednesday sessions, where the children really demonstrate their interest in finding out about their world and work hard at negotiation and collaboration, as well as developing gross motor skills. We have also loved our science activities - making porridge for the 3 Bears, looking at the effect soap has on 'germs', watching the seasons change from summer to autumn and now to winter, thinking about what we can see, smell, hear and feel. Finally of course, the children's first Nativity at St Margaret's. We are so proud of them for trying hard with their super singing and dance routines and we hope you enjoyed watching their performance. Thank you as always for your continued support.
Year 1
Year 1 has settled into the Autumn term with enthusiasm and are eagerly anticipating the festive activities ahead. Throughout the term, the children have engaged in exploring drama and poetry in celebration of Poetry Day, while also creating thought-provoking anti-bullying posters for Anti-Bullying Week. In remembrance of Armistice Day, the children made their own poppies, honouring this significant occasion. Our PSHE lessons have fostered meaningful discussions on the Zones of Regulation, promoting emotional awareness, as well as exploring the values of friendship. In English, the children have been reading and writing about a range of texts, including Elmer, Beegu, poetry, and Owl Babies, and are currently doing their English topic of Monty the Penguin. In mathematics, we have developed our understanding of place value, addition and subtraction, and shapes.
Year 2
What a wonderful start to this academic year we have had in Year 2! In English we have been exploring some interesting books - Amara and the bats, Toby and the Great Fire of London and Grandad's Secret Giant. These have helped to develop our literacy skills and produce some excellent writing.
We participated in two live online webinars. One hosted by Jen, a marine biologist who works for the Manta Trust. She guided us through the fascinating world of manta rays and shared lots of incredible information. We also joined Kate, a civil engineer, for a story time to do with her favourite engineering thing - bridges. Everyone (including adults) enjoyed the stories and the link with STEM skills.
In R.E, we have been learning about Jewish people and how they live. We all made our own mezuzahs. A mezuzah is a small box that is placed on the right doorpost of Jewish homes. Inside the box is a parchment scroll with verses from the Torah inscribed on it. We wrote our own important belief on a scroll and placed this inside.
In our D&T lessons we have been busy developing our paper quilting and sewing skills. After making our own templates, we got creative with colourful paper samples, cutting and assembling squares into stunning patchwork designs. This led to using templates to cut out fabric shapes which we sewed together (using an overstitch) and produced these amazing houses. These lessons promoted resilience and perseverance by learning and practising a new skill.
School Council
Our St Margaret's school council meetings are now in full swing. The councillors from each class have made suggestion boxes for their classrooms so that if pupils have ideas or concerns they can be shared with us.
We have had discussions on many topics so far such as: school dinners, behaviour, break and lunchtimes and how to improve the biodiversity of our school site.
We applied to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council for some trees and we were donated 30 crab apple trees to plant in our grounds. Mrs Shepherd, Mr Newark and the forest play children spent a busy afternoon a couple of weeks ago putting them in.
If your child has any concerns or any ideas, encourage them to pop a suggestion into their classroom box. Remember, the school council is the voice of our pupils!
Year 3
As we come to the end of the Autumn term, we are excited to share some of the fantastic things Year 3 have been learning and achieving. This term, the children have journeyed back in time to explore the Bronze, Stone, and Iron Ages, discovering how people lived and thrived in these fascinating periods. In Maths, they have been busy mastering their 3, 4, and 8 times tables and using the column method for addition and subtraction. Science has been hands-on and engaging, with lessons on rocks, soil, fossils, bones, muscles, and healthy eating. Geography lessons introduced the use of compasses and map skills, and in English, the children have written brilliant stories, including instructions like “How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth,” which were both creative and hilarious!
Art has been a highlight for quite a few of the children, learning about Neil Bousfield and Vincent Van Gogh, creating beautiful pieces inspired by these artists. In food tech, they enjoyed making chips and desserts, putting their cooking skills to the test. Singing songs, acting out poems and stories, and participating in Book Talk sessions have brought joy and creativity to the classroom. In PE, the focus has been on teamwork and ball skills, with the children showing great enthusiasm. In RE, they’ve deep-dived into Christianity and Hinduism, gaining a deeper understanding of these religions.
The term has also been full of festive cheer, with Annie the Elf visiting in December and Year 3 taking part in the KS2 Carols by Candlelight. It has been a vibrant and enriching term, and I are so proud of the children’s hard work and enthusiasm.
On a personal note from Mrs Tierney, "I have very much loved my time at St. Margaret's and will miss the Year 3s dearly."
Year 4
Year 4 have had a fun filled term! We have enjoyed learning all about the Anglo-Saxons and writing non-chronological reports and we have enjoyed our poetry unit, writing and performing poems to the class. We have also been enjoying our class book this term, and it was very exciting to get the opportunity to visit Cineworld Hinckley to see our text on the big screen! We loved watching the Wild Robot at the cinema and we had a great day out with swimming, then lunch in the mead before the movie!
Year 5
Year 5 have settled into their routines and responsibilities with great enthusiasm and positivity. This term in Art, the children have explored the exciting world of printmaking, taking inspiration from the works of Andy Warhol and John Brunsdon. They have developed their creative skills and produced some fantastic pieces.
In English, the focus has been on the gripping novel Holes by Louis Sachar, which has sparked engaging discussions and thoughtful written work. The children have also delved into narrative poetry, showcasing their creativity through imaginative and expressive writing.
In History, we have been learning about the fascinating Ancient Greeks, exploring Greek mythology and landmarks such as the Pantheon and the Acropolis of Athens. Meanwhile, in Geography, the children have been investigating different types of biomes and their locations around the world.
In DT, the children focused on cooking, where they learned how to make their own flatbread and garlic butter—a delicious and practical skill that everyone enjoyed.
In Music, the children have been working with instruments as part of their topics on untuned percussion and introducing structure, developing their rhythm and musicality.
We’ve also enjoyed enriching experience days this term, including an exciting trip to the Space Center and a fun-filled Sports Day, which provided wonderful opportunities for learning and teamwork.
It’s been a fantastic term full of hard work, creativity, and fun—what a great way to start Year 5!
Year 6
We’ve had a fabulous term in Year 6; everyone’s been cracking on well with their learning and levels of independence are really beginning to pick up. We all thoroughly enjoyed learning about The Battle of Bosworth earlier on in the term and relished in the opportunity to visit the heritage centre; we explored the exhibit, walked around some key areas and, best of all, became soldiers for a short while!
As part of our PSHE, we have also visited ‘The Warning Zone’ in Leicester, a charity dedicated to teaching life-skills and safeguarding children. We had a lot of different scenarios which taught us all about different ‘real-life’ situations and how we could keep safe. The most common phrase we heard afterwards was, ‘I thought I already knew how to keep safe…. now I really know I didn’t ~ but I do now!’
Whilst we’ve been working hard at everything so far this year, we’ve really developed our knowledge in science, especially when learning about circulation and the heart. Thanks to a school family who donated a pig’s heart to us, we were able to get really hands on and dissected it! Although some of us were a little squirmy at first, it was fascinating and we really enjoyed cutting it open and seeing the structure.
We’re now looking forward to the lead up to Christmas: making Christmas cards, watching KS1’s nativity, delivering a little Christmas cheer to the village and even watching panto – thanks to the PTA! We hope you all have an enjoyable Christmas, from everyone in Year 6!
Sports News
We’ve had a super term for sports at St Margaret’s: cross country, Let’s Get Moving Festival, basketball tournaments, Boccia ~ and more to come!
Our cross country team has had a super boost from the new Year 3s who have moved up into KS2. An extra 10 children have joined the team and their results have been brilliant! Not to mention the already keen KS2 children who turn up whatever the weather. Dora (Y3) appears to have got the knack and has already earned her first medal and it’s good to see the others not far behind: super job team St Margaret’s!
Our Boccia team competed superbly at Green Towers at the beginning of November. KS2 finished in 2nd place whilst KS1 brought home the trophy! Well done to all 6 of these children for excellent playing!
We had two teams, one from KS1 and one from KS2, attend the ‘Let’s Get Moving Festivals’ at Green Towers. They participated in a whole range of sports activities, working on aim, strength, stamina and direction. They thoroughly enjoyed their events – as did the adults!
A team of Year 6 boys attended the Hinckley Basketball Tournament; they put in a super performance, winning some of their games and coming out in a very respectable 3rd place. Fabulous sportsmanship from these boys and an excellent result!
Well done to all our sports teams so far this term; we’re looking forward to what’s coming up next!
Credits:
Created with images by Thanakorn - "Silver texture christmas abstract background" • PORNCHAI SODA - "Christmas present and pine tree with xmas decoration on blue background" • ActionGP - "Top view photo of gold and silver christmas tree balls toys cones snowflakes and serpentine on pine branches on isolated green background with copyspace"