Diary Dates
May
- Monday 19th - School Nurse Drop In Session 8.30am - 9.30am
- Reception Height & Weight, vision & hearing checks
- SEESMA Junior Music Festival at St. Mary's
- Monday 26th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Tuesday 27th - Friday 30th - Half Term
June
- Monday 2nd - No School - INSET Day
- Monday 9th - Friday 13th - Phonics Screening Check
- Wednesday 11th - Class Photos
- Friday 13th - Junior Music Festival
- Monday 16th - Wednesday 18th - Year 6 Residential
- Monday 23rd - Friday 27th - Year 5 & 6 Swimming Week
July
- Tuesday 1st - Year 6 School Nurse Transition session
- Friday 4th - Year 6 Transition Day
- Wednesday 23rd - Last day of term
Nursery
Nursery have been learning about the lifecycle of a caterpillar. We have real caterpillars in class which we have been observing daily. We are looking closely at their growth, features and the way they move. We have enjoyed lots of creative work, linked to ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ story by Eric Carle, which we have really enjoyed. Our 3D paper caterpillars are amazing!
REMINDER: Please remember to apply suncream to your child before their session and to provide a named sunhat. Thank you
Reception
This week we have enjoyed observing our caterpillars and discussing how much they have grown! As part of National Smile Month we have been learning about the dentist and our teeth. We have been using our phonics to help us to write simple sentences about our teeth. We have been learning about finger spaces in our sentences so that they can be read by others.
In Maths we have been focusing on teen numbers, to recognise numbers to 20, the composition of numbers to 20 and learning the order of counting to 20 discussing what number comes before and after.
REMINDER: Please can you name items for school this includes sunhats and suncream. Please check the label in your child's cardigans/jumpers to check their name hasn't washed out.
The children will need to apply their own suncream in school, so it is a good idea to practice this at home. A roll on suncream is very child friendly and easy to apply!
Year 1
Year 1 have continued their diary entries in English. Our focus has been using connective conjunctions and compound words.
In maths, the children have done very well creating equal and unequal groups. Also, they have practised creating arrays using columns and rows.
REMINDER: With the warmer weather, please ensure your child has a named sun hat, sun cream applied before school and clothing that will keep them cool.
PE is still Thursday. Please make sure your child does not wear any jewellery.
Year 2
This week year 2 have completed their work on fractions. They will be moving on to time on Monday. Encourage your child to notice certain times of the day that they wake up, have lunch and go to bed. Help them to spot the time on the clock - we are just looking at the analogue clock. In geography the children are comparing British homes to Brazilian homes and exploring how people live differently to us.
REMINDER: Please do not let your child bring in a chap stick unless their lips are extremely dry. Encourage your child to drink lots of cold water in this warm weather.
Year 3
This week year 3 have completed their maths work on fractions and have moved onto money. In English we have been identifying our talents and recognising how everyone is different. We have written a summary and have started to write a journal. In geography we have been identifying human and physical features of Europe and have researched facts about European landmarks.
Year 4
This week Year 4 have continued to learn how fractions and decimals are related. We have divided whole numbers to make decimal numbers and have used our place value skills to help us. In English we have written our own set of instructions based on a playground game, using conjunctions and exciting adjectives.
REMINDER: All children need a PE kit to get changed into.
Year 5
In English, the children have looked at persuasive speech. Linking to their topic in geography, they have read about the disadvantages of flood defences. Towards the end of the week, they planned their own persuasive speech about why flood defences are a good thing. Next week, they will write them.
In maths, the children have plotted co-ordinates onto a graph. They have also solved co-ordinate problems. Some were a little bit tricky however they had a go and didn’t give up!
REMINDER: Please ensure that when your child has read at home, they record it in their homeschool diaries.
Year 6
We are extremely proud of the effort the children put into their SATS this week. Well done everyone! We have now finished revising topics taught in years 3, 4, 5 and part of year 6 and will be continuing with the English and maths curriculum.
On Friday, we went to Southchurch Park as a reward for all the children’s hard work. We had a picnic and played lots of team games. It was great fun!
In PE, we focussed on being able to accurately throw, catch and hit the balls into gaps to make it easier to score points and harder for the other team.
In art, we have been investigating the idea of negative space and leaving the white, shiny parts of metal objects blank. Then shading in the dark bits only.
REMINDER: Homework has now finished.
Children still have weekly spellings to learn. These will be based on spelling gaps and topic words.
Please remember sun cream and a hat, thanks.
Music
Choir will be restarting this term on Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes, rather than after school on Thursday. This will hopefully mean that more children from across the KS2 (Years 3 – 6) classes will be able to attend and prepare for the concert the Cliffs Pavilion on Friday 13th June. Links for the songs (both words and backing tracks) can be found on the school website:
Future Events
- Cliffs Pavilion Music festival – 13th June
Instrumental Tuition - lessons will start next week
- Tuesday am Guitar – Mr Brown
- Wednesday am Guitar – Mr Elliot
- Wednesday am Keyboard – Mr Hockey
- Wednesday am Drums – Mr Peters
WE HAVE SOME AVAILABILITY FOR NEW PUPILS TO START LEARNING AN INSTRUMENT – CONTACT MRS BAINES FOR INFORMATION
French
This week, year two have enjoyed listening to a song about playground games, and showing their understanding of it; year four have enjoyed learning about a French playground game which they then experienced in the hall; year five have been learning about this year’s Tour de France and talking about how the riders might feel.
Online Safety
With it's limitless opportunities for building, exploring and collaborating, Minecraft remains a global gaming phenomenon. Its broad appeal lies in how open-ended it is – but this also means it’s not without risk. From chatting with strangers on public servers to the grief of having a beloved creation destroyed, young players can face challenges if left unsupervised. Minecraft can also become a time sink for enthusiastic players, with late nights spent crafting and constructing, potentially impacting school and social lives.
We’ve created this free guide to help parents and educators understand how to keep young gamers safe – from choosing age-appropriate game modes to setting boundaries around screen time and spending.
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 (cash only please). 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.
Donations
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
Let’s All Help Each Other by Coming to School Every Day!
At Porters Grange Primary School, we want your child to feel happy, safe and ready to learn – and a big part of that is being in school every day.
Did you know that if your child misses too many days of school, it’s called persistent absence? That means they have been missing more than 1 day every two weeks. And that can make it harder to keep up with their learning, join in with fun activities, or stay close to their friends.
Right now, we’ve noticed that some children are missing more days than they should. We want to work together with families to help everyone come to school as often as possible – because every single day matters!
The Department for Education (DfE) ask schools to work really hard to make sure children aren’t missing too much school. So we’re doing things like:
- Checking who’s in each day and making sure everyone is okay,
- Talking with families if their child or children have been missing a lot of school,
- Helping anyone who finds it hard to come in – whether it’s because of illness, worries or something else,
- And celebrating great attendance!
Parents and Carers, you can help too! Here’s how:
- Try your best to make sure your child is in school every day – even on cold or rainy mornings!
- Get your child’s bag, uniform and homework ready the night before so mornings are easier.
- Encourage your child to talk to you or their class adults if there’s something worrying them– someone is always here to help.
We know that sometimes you or your child might feel poorly or things might be tricky at home. We understand that things happen – we just want to make sure you’re supported and not missing out on learning or fun.
So, let’s all work together – you, your child, and all of us at school – to help Porters Grange be a place where everyone comes in, joins in, and shines!
Thank you for being amazing. Let’s keep making every school day count!
Contact us
If you would like to talk to someone for support or advice on attendance or punctuality, please do not hesitate to contact the Attendance Team and ask to speak to, Mrs S. Wyer, Attendance Administrator or Mrs D Morris Assistant Principal and Senior Leader for Attendance, you can also pop in to the school office to request to speak to one of us face to face, alternatively you call the school or send us an email to attendance@pgps.porticoacademytrust.co.uk we are here and we are always happy to help!
Being ready for every day and getting in on time is the challenge you set yourself to achieve greatness!
Dinner Menu
Week 2
Monday
- Beef Bolognaise & Penne Pasta Bake
- Vegan Bolognaise with Spaghetti
- Jacket Potato with Baked Beans
- Cauliflower & Green Beans
- Maryland Cookie
Tuesday
- Caribbean Chicken & Sweet Potato Curry with Steamed Rice
- Vegan Spiced Squash & Potato Samosa
- Pasta with Squash & Tomato Sauce
- Carrots & Peas
- Carrot & Apple Flapjack
Wednesday
- Honey Roast Gammon with Gravy
- Vegan Bombay Chickpea Burrito
- Pasta with Squash & Tomato Sauce
- Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Greens & Carrots
- Jam Sponge
Thursday
- Curried Beef & Vegetables with Steamed Rice
- Vegan Mexican Bean & Vegetable Savoury Rice
- Jacket Potato with Cheddar Cheese
- Broccoli & Sweetcorn
- Cherry Shortbread
Friday
- Fish Fingers, Chips & Ketchup
- Vegan Boston BBQ 3 Bean Stew with Baked Jackets
- Pasta with Squash & Tomato Sauce
- Vanilla Ice Cream
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.
Credits:
Created with images by Ekaterina Pokrovsky - "French national flag" • xavier gallego morel - "group of happy people holding a picture of a mouth smiling on a gray background"