Coming up in this edition of the newsletter...
- Reminder to please name clothing... we have mountains of lost property
- Harvest... thank you!
- Year 3/4 IndiRock report
- Southend Cross-Country report
- Christmas events and dates
We are now in October and the first month of the academic year has whizzed by… Only three weeks remain of Autumn 1, with lots still to take place before we break for half-term.
In the PE and Sport section of the newsletter you can read all about last week’s cross-country event at Garon Park. It was a super day! This morning we had our girl footballers head to Len Forge. Early reports were that they were doing well and a full write-up will be shared next week. This year we will be trying to share more of our news stories on Facebook so please do follow the school’s page. You might have seen that we shared the cross-country news there earlier in the week.
This week we had IndiRock visit and we had a climbing wall on our school playground. This was a free opportunity for our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils and everyone had a great deal of fun. If you haven’t visited IndiRock in Southend I would personally recommend it… it’s fantastic.
This week we had a lovely phonics workshop led by our Key Stage 1 English Leader, Miss Goodwin. Thank you to all of the parents who attended. Next week, we will be sharing curriculum information videos that our teachers have recorded. You should find these full of useful information for the year ahead.
In school this week, our staff have been updating corridor displays. We love putting together fantastic displays and showcasing the children’s learning. We hope you enjoy seeing them across our Learning Conversation evenings. Booking for these evenings is now open so please do book in to talk with your child’s class teacher(s).
I’ll be heading to Roots Hall again this weekend to watch the mighty Southend United play. Let’s hope for a win as it’s been a little while. It was nice to see quite a few familiar faces there last Saturday. Please say hello if you ever spot me in the crowd.
Have a super weekend everyone and good luck to anyone running the Southend 10k on Sunday!
Mr. McClay, Principal
Lost Property
Please, please, please name clothing that comes into school. The photo shows a pile of jumpers and cardigans from one day this week… all unnamed which makes it almost impossible to return items to owners. Thank you.
Harvest Assembly
On Monday, the school celebrated Harvest with an extended assembly that explained the origins of the festival and the importance of our contributions. This year we supported the Southend Foodbank who distribute to multiple locations around Southend and as usual, you were extremely generous with what you could spare.
The foodbank we support is always amazed at how much we provide and it is with great pride that I praise the parents and carers of Friars Primary School. The clients of the foodbanks are also eternally grateful for your generosity:
Reception 2026
In October and November, we will be hosting tours of the school for prospective parents who are thinking about sending their children to Friars in September 2026. If you have a child of that age, or have friends and family who do, we would be grateful if you could share the dates with them.
- Tour 1: Tuesday October 21 at 9:30am
- Tour 2: Tuesday October 21 at 1:30pm
- Tour 3: Thursday November 13 at 9:30am
- Tour 4: Thursday November 13 at 1:30pm
Tours will last approximately 45 minutes. Both parents and children are welcome to attend.
Diary Dates
October
- Friday 3rd - Yr 5/6 Girls' Emerging Football
- Wednesday 8th - Nursery Stay & Play
- Wednesday 15th - Learning Conversations
- Thursday 16th - Learning Conversations
- SEN visit to IndiRock
- KS1 & KS2 Halloween and Fire Safety Assembly
- Friday 17th - Rhythm Connections
- Tuesday 21st - Reception 2026 Tour - 9.30am and 1.30pm
- Wednesday 22nd - Nursery Stay & Play
- Thursday 23rd - Y5 Royal Opera House visit
- Friday 24th - INSET Day
- Monday 27th - Friday 31st - Half Term
November
- Wednesday 5th - Shine Bright, Wear Bright Non Uniform day
- Friday 7th - Yr 5/6 Boys' Emerging Football
- Whole School Flu Immunisations
- Tuesday 11th - Remembrance Assembly
- Wednesday 12th - Yr 3/4 Emerging Dodgeball
- Nursery Stay & Play
- Thursday 13th - Reception 2026 Tour - 9.30am & 1.30pm
- Friday 14th - Children In Need
- Tuesday 18th - Individual photos
- Wednesday 19th - Yr 5/6 Dodgeball
- Friday 21st - Rhythm Connection
- Monday 24th - Flu Immunisation mop up
- Monday 24th - Friday 28th - Yer 6 Practice SATs week
- Wednesday 26th - Nursery Stay & Play
December
- Tuesday 9th - RockSteady Concert
- Wednesday 10th - Nursery Stay & Play
- Monday 22nd - Friday 2nd January - Christmas Break
Nursery
This week in Nursery we have celebrated Harvest. Children have learnt the meaning of Harvest and how chops are grown and gathered from the land. They enjoyed preforming the Poem ‘Chop Chop Choppity Chop�� and sang this as we mixed soups using the range of vegetables on display. The children also used these to create vegetable print artwork and faces inspired by the artist Arcimboldo. It has been a great week with lots of learning all round. We have had another successful visit to the school Library where the children were shown where they can select their own books. They very much enjoyed doing this.
Reception
We have had another wonderful week in Reception, learning phonemes g,o,c,k & ck and are beginning to identify them in CVC words and blend them to read. Your child’s first reading book will be coming home this week. A wordless book that allows your child to tell a story through the pictures and learn the directionality of books. Very soon this will develop to simple worded books. In maths we have looked at matching same and different.
We also learnt about Harvest Festival, it’s meaning across the world and being grateful for what we have. The children had time to share things they were thankful for, and it was lovely to hear the children recognising the blessings they have in their lives such as “My baby sister”, “My friends” or “My Hallowe’en bed”! We investigated several vegetables, seeing an ear of corn, “white carrots” (parsnips!), onions, cabbage, beetroot and many more.
REMINDER: Please ensure cardigans, coats, lunchboxes and bags are clearly named so they can be reunited with the correct owners.
Please ensure your child has a bookbag in school as opposed to a rucksack. As coats start coming in, we simply do not have the space to accommodate them.
Letters sent home this week
Year 1
This week in science we have been exploring different textures using our sense of touch. The children felt items and categorised them under the titles smooth, hard, rough and soft. We are excited to explore our sense of taste next week!
In English, we have continued to base our learning around the book 'Monkey Puzzle'. The children have been creating questions from the perspective of the butterfly in the story. We are now able to use question marks to punctuate questions - fabulous!
In history, we are beginning our new topic, “My Family.” The children have drawn and labelled their own families. Next week, we will be looking at their baby photos to see how they have changed.
REMINDER: Thank you very much to those who have sent in your baby photos - if you haven’t already, please could you email a baby photo of your child ready for next week.
Letters sent home this week
Year 2
Our English work this week has focused upon the traditional tale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. The children have used images from the story to create their own statements. We have also continued to use adjectives to add detail when writing descriptions of characters.
In maths this week, we have completed our work focusing upon place value and are now exploring the topic of addition and subtraction using tens and ones.
2S have had lots of fun exploring the environmental garden with Mr. Brady as part of their outdoor learning. They used natural materials found to create collage artwork. They also used charcoal to recreate a scene within the garden.
REMINDERS:
Reading: Please listen to your child read regularly at home. If your child has tricky words stuck into their Reading Record, please tick the words they can sight read.
Maths: Please practise counting in 2s, 5s and 10s in readiness for your child to begin learning their times table facts.
Letters sent home this week
Year 3
This week, we continued building our understanding of inverted commas. The children have been practising how to use them correctly when writing dialogue, and they’ve really impressed us with their creativity! Ask your child to show you how to punctuate speech – they might even act out a short scene they’ve written!
In maths, we've been focusing on how to quickly and confidently add and subtract 1, 10, and 100 from different numbers. This skill is helping us become faster and more accurate with mental calculations. You can try asking your child quickfire questions like “What’s 243 + 10?” to see how speedy they are!
Science was especially exciting this week as we conducted an experiment to explore how strong magnetic force can be! The children tested magnets with different objects and measured the distance at which a magnet could attract them. There was lots of curiosity and fantastic scientific thinking in action!
REMINDERS:
- PE is on Tuesday and Thursday – please make sure children have the correct kit.
- Library books are due back on Tuesday.
- Please continue to read with your child daily and record it in their reading log.
- 3SP have outdoor learning next week
- 3SM have outdoor learning the following week.
Letters sent home this week
Year 4
This week, Year 4 has been full of determination, bravery and brilliant learning!
In maths, we wrapped up our work on rounding and started our new topic—addition and subtraction. The children have been practising using different methods and applying their skills to real-life problems with great focus.
In English, we completed our persuasive letters to Mr. McClay, asking for a class pet dragon. The children presented some excellent arguments… and we’re pleased to announce that he was very convinced! 🐉
A huge well done to everyone who took part in IndiRock. The children showed incredible bravery and teamwork—it’s given them a real taste of what to look forward to on their Year 5 residential!
In history, we continued to explore Viking settlements, discovering where and why the Vikings chose certain places to settle.
PE this week focused on hockey skills, especially holding the stick with the correct grip and perfecting dribbling and passing. PSHE involved reflected on the importance of books and stories, and how they help us understand ourselves and others.
Science got a little smelly as we investigated the effects of different liquids on teeth using eggs as enamel substitutes! The children made some excellent predictions about which drinks might cause the most damage—and they were very surprised by the results!
In DT, we had a fantastic time making dough balls, experimenting with different utensils and ingredients to see which worked best. During RE, we discussed how different people worship and why these practices are meaningful to them.
Well done Year 4 for another fantastic week of enthusiasm and effort!
Have a lovely weekend,
The Year 4 Team
REMINDERS:
- PE is on Monday and Wednesday.
- Please continue reading at home.
- Don’t forget to keep practising times tables on TT Rockstars.
Letters sent home this week
Year 5
We have had another busy week in Year 5!
We began the week continuing our use of addition and subtraction with maths. The children have used rounding, written methods and the inverse across the week. They have approximated and made sensible suggestions to answers when calculating. Our focus this week with our times tables is the 7 times table. Please still ensure your child is finding time at home to practise this. Next week will be the 8 times table.
We have had fun being editors of newspapers throughout our English lessons. They have used their prior knowledge of the find of Tutankhamun to compile newspaper reports where they have generated newspaper names, headlines, bylines, factual orientations and included in the main body of the report direct and indirect quotes. They have also used our grammar work looking at relative clauses. We have some budding newspaper writers in Year 5!
Through our musical learning this week the children have really enjoyed learning 'Joyful Joyful' which brings together gospel, hip hop and rap. We spent time learning the verses and the chorus was quickly enjoyed by all. It was a joy to see performed!
We have started tag rugby in our PE lessons, and the children are beginning to run forward and throw back. They have enjoyed some tag games, and we are adding further rules as the game is developing.
On Thursday of this week, the children took part in 'Road Safety' and continued their skills on the Ukelele with Miss Kent. We also all enjoyed our Harvest Festival to kick off the week. Thank you for your valued donations.
Our trip to the Royal Opera House will soon be upon us in October. We will send out more information soon...
Letters sent home this week
Year 6
We have had a very busy week in Year 6. A big well done to all the students for their efforts in their first practice SATS. Everyone managed these maths and English tests well, trying their absolute best.
We then spent some time with activities based on our class book, ‘The Butterfly Lion.’ We have all loved this book so much that we decided to theme our display around the text.
In addition, we had two PE lessons with the entire year group. It was great to see such sportsmanship from so many of the students. Hockey can be an intense game but everyone gave it their all, kept good control of the ball and encouraged their team mates to work hard.
Letters sent home this week
Computing
This week children have continued to develop their computing skills in the computing suite. On Monday the Year 2 classes learned about ‘pulse’ and ‘rhythm’ and how these may sound in a piece of music. They then used this understanding to create a piece of music about an animal of their choosing. Shall we say, we listened to some very interesting compositions.
On Tuesday the Year 3 children developed their understanding of desktop publishing and continued to experiment with PowerPoint. This week they were tasked with creating their very own birthday party invitation. Take a look at some of their creations below
The Year 1 children revisited the computing suite this week with a designated spot. We continued to practice learning our typing skills by identifying where the keys are on the keyboard. Here is a great resource:
Everyone will have heard by now that the applicants for the digital leader positions have all been so amazing and I would like to do a quick shout out and thank you all those took the time to apply and interview for the role this year, it has been the most challenging year yet.
The announcement was made in assembly today that our new digital leaders for Friars 2025-2026 are....
- Year 3 - Ava, Olive, Amelia and Ivy
- Year 4 - Eddie, Leo Fox, Ozzy, Bessie and Noah
- Year 5 - Jonathon, Zafiya, Amelia and Amie
- Year 6 - Bay, Logan, Eva and Beth
We also have 4 additional Year 6’s who are going to be part of the team as technical support- Lily, Tega, Lathan and Emily.
Well done everyone, we are truly proud of everyone who applied and interviewed, i wish i could have had everyone.
Sports & PE
Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Cross-Country
On Friday, it was the Southend cross-country competition at Garon Park. With separate races for boys and girls in every year group, it was the largest cross-country event ever hosted in the borough. Some races had well over 100 children running!
As always, it was a great spectacle with everyone giving it their all. We had many excellent individual performances and some great team results. A special mention to Ralph who achieved 6th place in the Year 4 boys’ race meaning he will be invited along to the Essex finals in March.
Over the past few weeks the children have been coming along to before-school training on a Monday and a Tuesday and this definitely paid off. Well done to everyone involved.
Children, remember that this is an annual event so if you’re in Year 5 or below, there will be more opportunities to represent the school at cross-country in the future.
Go Team Friars!
IndiRock Climbing Wall
Pupils showed fantastic strength and bravery this week when the IndiRock climbing wall came to visit. From the moment it was set up, there was a real buzz of excitement as children lined up, ready to take on the challenge.
With determination and plenty of enthusiasm, pupils pushed themselves to climb higher and higher, many surprising themselves with how far they could go. Staff were especially impressed by the confidence and courage shown, particularly from those tackling the moving wall for the very first time.
The playground was filled with smiles, cheers, and encouragement as pupils supported one another and celebrated every achievement, big or small. It was a wonderful day of teamwork, resilience, and fun, leaving everyone proud of what they had accomplished.
Online Safety
For 20 years, FIFA dominated the football video gaming arena, attracting legions of devoted fans and scooping up accolades like a digital Real Madrid. After parting ways with the sport’s governing body, however, renowned developers Electronic Arts (EA) have now launched their own individual bid for the title. It’s called EA Sports FC 24, and its effectively FIFA 2.0.
Familiar action delivered by the same team, of course, points to a comparable level of popularity – especially among those young gamers raised on the FIFA franchise. As our #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights, however, EA Sports FC 24 also carries many similar risks to its predecessor, including addictive gameplay, abusive voice chats and expensive in-game purchases.
Dinner Menu
Week 3
Monday - Homemade Pepperoni Pizza with Baked Wedges - Margherita Pizza with Baked Wedges - Pasta with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce - Ham Salad Wrap - Cheese & Tomato Bloomer - Classic Coleslaw & Sweetcorn - Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Custard
Tuesday - Chicken Biryani with Vegetable Dhal - Vegan Aubergine & Courgette Tagine with Cous Cous - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans - Tuna & Sweetcorn Baguette - Cheese Sandwich - Broccoli & Cauliflower - Sultana & Oat Cookie
Wednesday - Slow Roast Beef & Root Vegetables with Gravy - Vegan Country Vegetable & Bean Pie - Pasta with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce - Tuna Mayonnaise Sandwich - Cheese Salad Wrap - Broccoli & Cauliflower - Fruit Jelly
Thursday - Chicken & Sweetcorn Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Penne Pasta - Vegan Tofu Sweet & Sour Vegetables with Steamed Rice - Jacket Potato with Salmon Mayonnaise or Baked Beans - Chicken Mayonnaise Baguette - Cheese Sandwich - Cauliflower & Roasted Carrots - Orange Drizzle Cake
Friday - Fish Fingers, Chips & Ketchup - Mexican Roasted Vegetable & Bean Quesadilla - Wholewheat Pasta with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce - Ham Salad Bloomer - Cheese Sandwich - Baked Beans Peas - Chocolate & Courgette Rice Krispie Cake
Freshly Baked Bread: Pesto & Garlic or Wholemeal Bread
Celebration Assembly
The links for our Celebration Assemblies can be found below.
A very interesting week for our team points! It doesn’t happen very often but we have three teams tied. Although Stirling remain our leaders, Windsor, Stormont and Caernarfon all share second place! 12 points separate the reds, greens and yellows from the first-placed blues.
For the week, Caernarfon and Stirling shared the spoils in Key Stage 1 and Stormont won in Key Stage 2.
Good luck for the rest of October everyone!
Community
Credits:
Created with images by Fabio Principe - "A diary open with instruments for writing. Pencil, eraser and notebook on white background. Close up of a wooden pen orange and black, an eraser green and a booklet black. " • Maryna - "Young girl uses smartphone in dark. Unaware of online dangers lurking in the background. Cyberbullying, cyberstalking, online predators. Child safety concept illustration." • miss irine - "Various dishes served in modern school canteen. Food catering assortment includes fresh salads, cooked meat, carrot noodles, roasted potatoes. Selection, self-service, prepared fast tasty eatery." • fatima - "Vibrant "Let's Celebrate!" message with colorful burst design for festive occasions"