Coming up in this edition of the newsletter...
- Curriculum Evenings mention - presentations on the website
- PTA fundraising 2023-24
- Reading Eggs
- Parent Council 2024-25... please think about joining
We have had a very busy third week, full of learning, fun... and parent meetings!
The week started with our cross-country trials. Well done to everyone took part! If your child did not make this year's team, please do encourage them to keep running and to try again next year. Good luck to those who will be representing the school at Garons on Friday 11th October. We will be having some training sessions ahead of the competition.
A big thank you to all of the parents and carers who came along and attended our Curriculum Evenings. We hope you found these useful. It was great to be able to explain what happens in each year from Year 1 to Year 6. The presentations are all on our school website, linked on our Curriculum page as well as the individual year group pages. You can also find the links in the year group sections of today's newsletter.
This morning I met with Mrs. Doggett from out PTA. Did you know that last year the PTA raised almost £8000 for our school! Amazing. This morning we discussed events for this year and more news will follow. Thank you if you have signed up for Asda's Cashpot for Schools. So far it has raised £383 for Friars :-)
Some of our Year 6 children will be sitting the 11+ selection test tomorrow morning. Lots of luck to everyone and just remember that you can only do your best.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Mr. Chris McClay, Principal
Reading Eggs
This term we have introduced Reading Eggs in Years 3, 4 and 5. Your children can access Reading Eggspress at home and read lovely online texts. See the picture below for more information.
Parent Council 2024-25
We are looking for members of our Parent Council... can you help? The Parent Council is an important forum that comes together every term to meet and discuss whole school issues. We talk about everything from school events to lunches and the curriculum. Ideally, we would like to have representation for every year group from Nursery to Year 6.
Mr. McClay, Principal
Key Stage 2 Tuck Shop
Just another reminder that each day we have our tuck shop for Years 3 to 6 in operation...
What can the children buy?
• We sell a range of fruit and other snacks as per government guidelines. All fruit and snack items cost 30p, except raisins which are 10p a box or 30p with a rice cake.
• On a Wednesday, the children are able to buy a reduced sugar milkshake as a midweek treat, these are sold for 50p.
Please ensure that your child has the correct change (or as close to the correct change as possible). No notes please. The children are responsible for their own money; teachers do not collect it in.
Children can purchase one fruit/snack item each but on a Wednesday they are able to purchase one fruit/snack item and one milkshake if they so wish. Snacks and milkshakes are subject to availability and sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
You can of course send your child in with their own healthy snack rather than purchasing from our tuck shop. Please can we remind you that we are a Healthy School and snacks must reflect this.
Diary Dates
September
- Saturday 21st - 11+ Selection Test
- Tuesday 24th - Introduction to Phonics Meetings at 9:00am and 2:00pm. KS1 Hall
- Friday 27th - Y5/6 Girls Football at Len Forge
October
- Tuesday 8th - Portico PE Festival
- Friday 11th - Southend Cross Country Competition - KS1 am / KS2 pm
- Monday 28th - Friday 1st November - October Half Term
Nursery
This week in Nursery we have continued the settling-in process with the children, focusing on and introducing our daily group time sessions. This time consists of a range of activities such as nursery rhymes, stories and basic mathematical skills. At key times throughout the year, we will also discuss different festivals, themes and topics. This is the only time during the nursery session where we expect children to sit and participate in focused activities. For the rest of their session the children can chose to 'free flow' between the different learning environments and areas of their choice.
So far, the outdoor sandpit and indoor water tray seem big hits. We apologise in advance for the sand the children will bring home in their shoes or the numerous wet jumpers and cardigans, but as I always say, lots of fun is being had!
Reception
It has been a wonderful first full week with the children. They are settling into school really well and learning lots of our routines. We have enjoyed starting to share the “this is me” bags that you have completed over the summer. These will be returned to you within the next couple of weeks.
Next week we will start our phonics lessons – teaching the children a new sound each day. We are really pleased with the number of parents who have returned their slips to attend the phonics meetings.
Thank you for naming your child’s uniform – that really helps to ensure it goes back to the right child
Letters sent home this week
Year 1
The children are adapting so well to their new routine in Year 1. We have continued with the story ‘Little Red Hen’ and have been using adjectives to describe some of the characters. In maths, we have been looking at ten frames and counting on from a given number. In the afternoon, children have been enjoying PE, visiting the computer suite, learning about the different parts of our eyes in science and more!
Your child will have come home with their new reading record book and a reading book. Inside their reading record book will be their first set of words to learn. Please make sure the books are brought into school each day ready for them to be changed. New books will be sent out after their third read in school. Thank you for your support. We hope you have a lovely weekend.
Letters sent home this week
Year 2
Children in Year 2 have been exploring the story ‘The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig’ this week. They really enjoyed this alternative story and the unexpected ending made them giggle!
In science, we tested the strength of different materials which could be used to make a bridge. The children made their bridge and then used 10g and 1g weights to test their strength. They worked very well in small groups to complete the task.
In maths lessons, the children have used tens and ones equipment to investigate partitioning two-digit numbers.
During our history work, the children enjoyed exploring toys from the past and how they have changed over time.
2W have their first outdoor learning lessons next week (Tuesday – Thursday). The children must wear their uniform on their top half and should wear joggers and trainers which you do not mind getting dirty! Wellies can be worn - please send them into school in a named bag. 2W's PE lesson on Monday will still take place, so please send them into school wearing their PE kit as usual.
Please note: Reading books will be changed each Thursday. Spellings are sent home on a Friday and will be tested on the following Friday.
Letters sent home this week
Year 3
What a fabulous and fun-filled week again this week!
In English we have been completing lots of descriptive writing using expanded noun phrases, similes and including lots of great words such as appealing and wretched.
In maths, we have continued to look at place value. Partitioning hundreds, tens and ones, both in simple format and using flexible partitioning. Adults have been really impressed by the place value knowledge the children have brought with them from Year 2.
In our afternoons, we looked at what our human rights are in Britain, discussed faith and what this means for different religions. The Stone Age has continued to intrigue us as we found out about hunter-gatherers and how they would have survived during such contrasting times.
Lastly, we showed off our sketching skills in art when we sketched the various parts of the Iron Man from our 'layered reading' book.
Reminders: Please remember to keep accessing both TT Rockstars and Reading Eggs at home – we already have someone who has achieved a virtual Bronze Medal!
Letters sent home this week
Year 4
Year 4 have had a great time this week and it’s been wonderful to see them immerse themselves further into our topics this autumn!
This week we have been working on our grammar knowledge, looking into coordinating conjunctions using the FANBOYS acronym. We also wrote narratives and explored how we might build tension in our writing. In science, the children have especially enjoyed looking into the human digestive system and how our bodies process food, using a particularly gross model! We have continued to focus on the 3 and 4 times table, prioritising division, as well as consolidating place value within our maths. 4S have also enjoyed exploring various mediums of art during their exciting outdoor learning.
4G particularly enjoyed launching our music focus of ‘Mamma Mia’ this week and enjoyed practising vocal warm-ups and finding the ‘pulse’ of the music before learning to sing. We were also fantastic settlement planners and developers as we designed our own Anglo-Saxon settlement maps.
Reminder: We will be adding new spellings on Friday so please send your child in with their blue spelling books.
Letters sent home this week
Year 5
Another great week has been enjoyed in Year 5.
In history, we continued our learning on Ancient Egypt by looking at the artefacts found inside Tutankhamun’s tomb. The children discussed why such artefacts are referred to as primary resources of historical evidence.
RE saw us looking at some of the reasons why people choose to belong to different religions. As a year group, the children also prepared some questions for a future religious visitor so that we can explore what faith means to them.
The children continued their tag rugby lessons this week. We focused on organisation and communication skills and looked at strategies for both attack and defence.
In English, the students wrote the middle and end of their Tiny Crusader narratives. They applied their understanding of direct speech and accurately used inverted commas.
Maths saw us coming near the end of our unit on place value. The children worked hard to compare and order numbers up to 1 million and moved onto rounding.
At the end of the week, we had a PSHE lesson on showing compassion for the environment, animals and other living things. We had a good discussion about what the word means and how we can show compassion.
Letters sent home this week
Year 6
This week in English, Year 6 have been working on narrative that includes dialogue between characters. This has helped the reader understand the personality of the character being written about.
We have come to an end of our focussed learning on Place Value which has covered values of digits, comparing and ordering numbers, rounding integers and understanding negative numbers. We will move onto a lengthy block based on the 4 main operations - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division next week.
In geography, we have identified the continents and main bodies of water on the globe using atlases to complete maps.
Our science was extremely practical this week with the children producing their own batteries in order to create enough power to light an LED bulb.
Letters sent home this week
Online Safety
With most children today having access to their own tablets, phones, computers and other devices, it’s vitally important that parents and educators know how to keep young people protected while using them. Between targeted adverts, age-inappropriate content, and other online safety concerns, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to keep on top of.
Parental controls, present on most devices and several apps, can make this job significantly easier – but a certain amount of knowledge is required to use them effectively. This free online safety guide will provide you with the information you need to activate and maintain parental controls on children and young people’s devices.
PE & Sports
This week, we have seen the start of sports clubs. It has been great to see so many children enjoying the frantic pace of dodgeball. Year 5 and 6 Football has also started this week with a great turnout. We look forward to putting some teams together this year.
As mentioned by Mr. McClay at the beginning of the newsletter, the cross-country trials were competitive on Monday and Tuesday morning. I was there supporting Mr. McClay alongside Mr. Markham. Well done everyone and keep running!
Reminder: Please remember that earrings cannot be worn in PE lessons and must be removed.
Mr. Leggett, PE Leader
Outdoor Learning
4S had a great time outside this week with Mr. Brady. The weather continued to be nice which really helped.
Next week, it is the turn of 2W. Please see the Year 2 section of the newsletter for more information.
Singing Assembly
Mrs. Bemister led a super assembly this week and had everyone joining in. 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' was particularly notable for the participation and volume level.
In the singing assemblies this year, we will have a mix of hymns and 'pop' songs.
Dinner Menu
Week 1
Monday - Beef Bolognaise with Spaghetti - Vegan Bologaise with Spaghetti - Baked Potatoes with Grated Cheese - chicken Mayonnaise Baguette - Cheese Salad Wrap - Peas & Broccoli - Maryland Cookie
Tuesday - Ham & Cheese Pizza with Baked Wedges - Margherita Pizza with Baked Wedges - pasta & Tomato Sauce - ham sandwich - Cheese & Tomato Bloomer - Carrots & Sweetcorn - Apple Crumble with Custard
Wednesday - Roast Chicken with Roast Potatoes & Gravy - Squash & Lentil Lasagne - Baked Jacket Potato with Baked Beans - Tuna Sweetcorn Baguette - Cheese Sandwich - Seasonal Greens & Cauliflower - Cherry Cornflake Cake
Thursday - Mild Chicken & Vegetable Curry with Steamed Rice - Vegan Bean Chilli with Steamed Rice - Pasta & Tomato Sauce - Tuna Mayo Sandwich - Cheese Salad Wrap - Broccoli & Carrots - Chocolate & Pear Sponge
Friday - Breaded Fish Fingers with Chips & Ketchup - Vegan Goujons with Chips & Ketchup - Baked Jacket Potato with Grated Cheese - Ham Sandwich - Egg Mayo Bauguette - Peas & Baked Beans - Banana Flapjack
Freshly Baked Bread - Carrots & Beetroot or Wholemeal Bread.
Celebration Assembly
The links for our Celebration Assemblies can be found below.
Attendance
Attendance this week was a repeat of last week with wins for Wrens in Key Stage 1 and 5L in Key Stage 2.
This year, our winning classes not only receive the attendance trophy, they also have their chosen ‘attendance’ song played at the end of the assembly. So… this week we left to Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift in KS1 and Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond in KS2.
You can see all of the choices our classes made in the table below...
Stormont continue to be our first leaders of the new academic year. As we said last week, obviously very early days but still a big well done to our green team. Only 14 points separate all four teams which is really very little. Good luck for next week everyone!
Community
01702 294837 - office@fps.porticoacademytrust.co.uk