Diary Dates
October
- Thursday 3rd - Year 2 History Walk
- Tuesday 8th - Portico Sports Afternoon
- Wednesday 9th - Reception Reading Workshop
- Friday 11th - Individual School Photos
- Monday 21st - Thursday 24th - Book Fair
- Friday 25th - INSET Day
- Monday 28th - Friday 1st November - Half Term
November
- Monday 4th - Return to school
- Friday 22nd - Year 5 & 6 Cinema trip
- Wednesday 27th - Reception Reading Workshop
December
- Friday 20th - INSET Day
- Monday 23rd - Friday 3rd January - Christmas Break
January
- Wednesday 15th - Year 6 Height & Weight check
- Wednesday 22nd - Reception Reading Workshop
February
- Monday 17th - Friday 21st - Half Term
- Monday 24th - INSET Day
April
- Monday 7th - Thursday 17th - Easter Break
- Friday 18th - Good Friday
- Monday 21st - Bank Holiday Monday
May
- Monday 5th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Monday 12th - Thursday 15th - KS2 SATS Week
- Wednesday 21st - Reception Height & Weight, vision & hearing checks
- Monday 26th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Tuesday 27th - Friday 30th - Half Term
June
- Monday 2nd - INSET Day
- Monday 9th - Friday 13th - Phonics Screening Check
- Monday 16th - Wednesday 18th - Year 6 Residential
July
Wednesday 23rd - Last day of term
Nursery
This week at nursery we have had lots of busy days. We have welcomed some more new friends, tried out lots of new activities in the creative area. We have also introduced our story for this half term.
‘ The Whales on the bus’ , which we are enjoying.
REMINDER: Please remember to name all your child’s uniform and coat. Thank you
RECEPTION
This week we have been playing a range of ‘sound games’, we have been learning to use our concentration and listening skills to work out what sound we can hear. In Maths we have started to watch ‘Numberblocks’ and we have been learning about numbers 1-5. We have continued to learn the classroom rules and routines and we have been working hard to tidy up correctly.
This week the children have found out what class they are in. This is either Sea Otters or Sea lions. Please now use the correct doors to enter the classroom and to collect your child.
REMINDER: Please ensure your child has a spare set of clothes in school. This will stay on their peg.
We would like you to join us for a reading workshop on Wednesday 9th October. This will be with your child. More information will follow.
Year 1
The children have been working very hard to practise their ‘ladder letters’ this week. We have been challenging them to write sentences using our writing rules. Year 1 have been using mathematical symbols <, > and = to compare numbers. Also, the children have been using the visual alphabet to create portraits of their friends in art.
During our PSHE lesson this week, we discussed the importance of a healthy diet and what foods are healthy and unhealthy. Children used their provision time to create their own menus, diagrams and signs to encourage healthy eating.
REMINDER: Reading books and records must be in school every day. This is a year 1 expectation.
PE kits must be in school. PE is on Thursday.
Please access Seesaw. There are activities for your child to do that will support their learning in school. Ask your child’s class teacher if you need a new code.
Year 2
This week we have been learning about the book ‘Whatever Next’. The children have written a list of what Baby Bear needs to take to the moon. They then used the list to write sentences in their English books. In maths, the children have written numbers to 100, partitioning and counting in 10s.
The children have been learning about growing and the changes that happen to us as we get older. In PE the children are learning to sprint, land on the balls of their feet and complete and obstacle course. It was so much fun!
REMINDER: Please practise counting in 10s at home with your child. This builds part of the foundation for your child’s maths skills.
Please remember a PE kit for Tuesday afternoons. You can leave it in school.
At the end of the day your child will exit the correct door. Pease do not encourage your child out of the door until a teacher has let them out and seen them leave.
Year 3
This week we have been looking at narrative in English and learning the correct place to put inverted commas. In science we have been planning delicious menus that contain all the food groups we need to have a healthy balanced diet. We have continued to learn about the Stone Age and have conducted research on a village called Skara Brae.
REMINDER: Please ensure that all PE kits are in school on Tuesdays and Fridays. Please make sure that ALL earrings are removed on these days otherwise they will not be allowed to do PE.
Please hear your child/ren read at home at least 4 times a week.
Year 4
This week we have been immersing ourselves into explanation texts and discovering what they are, how they look and what features they have. In maths we have continued to learn about place value, with ordering and comparing large numbers.
REMINDER: The children have spellings to practise at home, these are given out on Monday. They have been taught these spellings so should be able to share the tricky parts of the words or links made with you.
Nearly all of our PE kits are in school, well done Year 4!
Year 5
This week in English, we have been looking at flashback stories and starting to write one together. We used our imagination and had to decide where a mysterious box came from and what it did.
In Science, we looked at the eight phases of the moon. We had a go at showing the different phases using a torch!
REMINDER: Please ensure that spellings and times tables are being learnt at home. They have new spellings on a Monday and are tested on them on a Friday.
Year 6
In English, we have started reading and writing about Sherlock Holmes. We have been linking our ideas with semi-colons and using speech to move a story on quickly. In maths, we are focusing on using our times tables knowledge to work out multiples and factors. In science, we planned our own investigations about electricity. Everyone thought of great ideas, including, investigating whether the length or width of the wire will affect the brightness of a bulb. Weel done everyone!
REMINDER: Please can we have cardboard boxes for art. Ideally, thin cardboard like cereal boxes (but no nuts). Thank you!
If your child does not know their times tables, 10 minutes a day on TT Rockstars will help.
Next week, we are hoping to walk around our local area for our geography lesson. This will hopefully be on Monday afternoon but depends on the weather.
PE
Please look out for letters regarding the Portico Sports Afternoon on the 8th October. If your child brings one home please sign and return the permission slip as quickly as you can.
French
This week year two have been learning about Autumn in French; year four have been talking in French about how they spend the weekend; year five have been talking about which Olympic sports they find interesting.
Music
Music Making Club and KS2 Choir have met for the first time this week. It is always lovely to provide the children with further music opportunities and we hope they enjoy coming along. Please make sure they attend every week as we try and work towards special occasions and prepare items for performance.
- Tuesday Guitar - Mr Brown
- Wednesday Guitar – Mr Elliott
- Wednesday Keyboard – Mr Hockey
Online Safety
Instagram is one of the most well-known social media platforms around, frequented by users of all ages all over the world, and allowing them to share photos and videos with friends, family and the wider public if they wish. The site has many younger users, allowing people as young as 13 to create an account and engage with its community.
As a popular choice of platform for teenagers, it's vital that parents and educators understand the risks associated with the site and what can be done to mitigate them and how it might influence and appeal to children younger than 13. This free guide lets you know about the most prominent safety concerns on Instagram, offering expert advice on how to make young people’s experiences on the app as secure as possible.
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Our Uniform shop is located within the front reception area of the school and is open Monday-Friday 8.30am - 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.
We always 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 8.30am - 4.00pm. Thank you so much for doing this for the school as it helps our parents out tremendously.
Thank you
Attendance
Congratulations Attendance Awards
Congratulations to Pebble, Oyster, Seahorse and Orca classes for achieving a certificate this week.
Being ready every day and getting in on time is the challenge you set yourself to achieve greatness!
This week, we celebrated 333 children who achieved 100% attendance, slight drop on last week. Well done to all those attendance hero's, children who were Here, Every day, Ready and On time.
Aim to attend school 100% Of every week.
Government guidance for schools on Penalty notices for absences
There is a single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered by all schools in England, the threshold for number of missed sessions is 10 (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period.
These missed sessions do not have to be on consecutive days and can be made up of a combination of any type of unauthorised absence. The 10-school week period can span different terms or school years. We monitor pupil attendance on a daily basis and will let you know when your child or children’s unauthorised absences are moving towards this threshold. Please ensure you inform the school or respond to communications from the school regarding unaccounted reasons for pupil absences.
Attendance meetings Thursdays
Advice and support for families who are experiencing difficulties around attendance is always available on request, please call the attendance line or email the attendance email and Mrs Wyer our attendance administrator will follow up any questions or queries.
Our weekly attendance support meetings with Mrs D Morris are scheduled to resume in October, so if you are invited to an attendance meeting on a Thursday morning and you unable to make it, please do get in contact to rearrange for a day and time that suits you. We understand everyone leads a busy life, Mrs Morris often has availability at the start of the day just after you drop off in the morning or just before you collect your child at the end of the day, to have that short catch up about attendance for your child.
Reminder! – Contact the school with a reason for your child’s absences
Unexplained pupil absence will trigger intervention from the school attendance team, this may also include involvement from our Local authority attendance officer.
Each day we are still having pupil absences where families have not let the school know what the reason for the child’s absence.
It is very important that all pupil absences from school are recorded with a reason, we can then potentially authorise the absence. Absences with no reason are always unauthorised. There are several ways families can contact us
- Call the school before 9am on the morning of your child’s absence, to speak to Ms Wyer.
- Email the school to report the absence using the attendance email – this can be done during or out of school hours
- Leave a voice message on our attendance line (this will happen if the line is engaged or if you call out of hours)
- Answer or respond to any calls or messages from the school if we contact you on the day of your child’s absence.
The school will be contacting parents directly if there are absences that have no reasons.
Being here is half the battle won!
Contact Us
If you would like to talk to someone for support or advice on attendance or punctuality at any time, please do not hesitate to contact the Attendance Team: Mrs. S. Wyer, Attendance Administrator, or Mrs. D. Morris, Assistant Principal and Senior Leader for Attendance. You can pop into the school office to speak face to face, if we are available. Alternatively, you can call the school or drop us an email at attendance@pgps.porticoacademytrust.co.uk We are here and always happy to help!
From the first day of term to the last, the small moments in a school day make a real difference to your child.
Weekly Attendance Report
Dinner Menu
Week 2
Monday - Pork Sausage with Mashed Potato & Gravy - Vegan Sausage with Mashed Potato & Gravy - Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Sweetcorn & Baked Beans - Chocolate Rice Krispie Cake
Tuesday - Chicken & Sweetcorn Pasta - Vegan Tomato & Mixed Bean Sauce with Fusilli - Baked Jacket Potato with Grated Cheese - Carrots & Broccoli - Mandarin Jelly
Wednesday - Honey Roast Gammon with Roast Potatoes & Gravy - Sweet Chilli Stir-Fry Mushroom & Steamed Rice - Wholewheat Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Seasonal Greens & Peas - Vanilla Ice Cream
Thursday - Beef Keema with Turmeric Rice - Vegan Layered Vegetable & Sweet Potato Bake - Baked Jacket Potato with Baked Beans - Carrots & Sweetcorn - Apple & Carrot Flapjack
Friday - Breaded Fish Fingers with Chips & Ketchup - Vegan Fajita Wrap with Chips & Ketchup Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Peas & Baked Beans - Lemon Drizzle Sponge.
Community
Cost of Living Advice
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.