Dear Parents and Carers,
It’s the first newsletter of 2025!
Well done to one and all for braving the cool weather over the last week. The term has started in a flurry of activity, so read on to find out what we have all been up to during the first five days.
NOTICES
New Morning Timetable
We are reorganising our morning timetable, this is linked to feedback from children and staff, along with facilitating preferable times for targeted support for our pupils. The children have been informed of these changes which will take place from Monday.
The school gates will open as normal at 8.30am and doors into school at 8.40. Registration remains at 8.50am, with the gate closing and locked promptly at 8.55am. Any late comers please come to the main front door, as this will allow Mrs Pike to mark pupils in school as attending. Children arriving after 9.00am will be marked as late within registers, as stipulated by Dorset Council.
The new timetable, showing the major change of a later assembly and break, enabling two lessons first thing in the morning, when children are the freshest!
07.45 Breakfast Club opens
08.45 Breakfast Club closes
08.30 Gates open
08.40 Doors open
08.50 Registration
08.55 Gates closed
09.00 Registration closes
09.00 Lesson 1 Read Write Inc / Spelling and Group Reading lesson
09.45 Lesson 2
10.35 Assembly
10.40 Break including loo and handwash
11.00 In from break
11.05 Lesson 3
12.00 Lunch
12.30 Break
13.00 Lesson 4
14.00 Lesson 5
15.00 Story / Reading
15.20 Home Time
15.20 After School Club opens
16.30 After School Club closes
Clubs
This term there are several clubs on offer:
Hazel Class club – Miss Buxton would like to offer a Wednesday lunchtime activity club for Hazel class, the activities on offer will vary each week and will include art and construction.
After school Coding Club – Miss Buxton would like to offer a coding club on a Wednesday after school from 3.30 to 4.15. This club uses Microsoft’s MakeCode editor as the perfect way to start programming and get creating with the BBC micro:bit. The MakeCode is very similar to Scratch which the children learn through their Computing lessons. The children will be using JavaScript to see the text-based code behind the blocks. They will be creating electronic name badges, thermometers, pedometers and so much more! The club is based on a first come first serve basis and is open to 5 children each term from Years 2, 3, and 4. All enquiries to the school office regarding this club.
Multiskills Clubs
Run by Prime Sports, there are two clubs, both clubs are free of charge to pupils and funded through the sports funding this term.
Tuesday – for pupils in Years 3 and 4
Friday – for pupils in Years 5 and 6
Please sign up through the Prime Sports website.
Sewing Club will resume on Monday. Each sewing block will last two weeks, with two blocks being run this side of half term. All enquiries to the school office regarding this club.
Lego Technic Club will continue on a Wednesday with the same children attending, while Gardening Club will resume when the weather warms.
After School Club
Staffing our After School Club is proving extremely challenging. I am currently the only person staffing this club on a daily basis. I understand the facility is valued and required by several parents however I wanted to make parents aware that staffing is an issue, so if you are able to help do please shout!
After School Club Staff Needed
The school is looking for someone / several people to share the covering of our After School Club provision on a daily basis. Hours: 3.20 – 4.30pm. This is a paid position. If you are interested please contact the school office or Mrs B.
To help ensure we have the necessary staff in place to care for your children in After School Club, I would request that bookings for the Club are made at the start of the week and made through Mrs Pike.
We appreciate that unforeseen circumstances may mean that late booking is necessary, however in principle weekly bookings by Monday would be much appreciated – thank you.
Gym and Swim
Remember PE and swimming kit is needed every MONDAY for Oak and Chestnut pupils!
Pupils experienced their first gym and swim session for this half of term at Port Regis on Monday afternoon. Transport and the gym experience is supported through the sports premium payment, however swimming is not, therefore a voluntary contribution of £25 is requested to cover the cost of the swimming pool and swimming teachers. If you have not yet made a contribution, yet intend to do so please would you hand your £25 (or contribution) to cover the 6 week block of swimming in the school office.
THIS WEEK
Assemblies
This week our main assemblies have focused on the need for sleep and considering what helps us sleep and the amount of sleep children need, based on the Festival of Sleep (3rd Jan). The children were fascinated to learn cats sleep for 12 hours a day, squirrels 15 hours and koalas around 22 hours! We have also discussed visual impairment and blindness linked to World Braille Day (4th Jan). There are over 25,000 children attending school who visually impaired in some way or blindness.
Lego Club
This week’s challenge is to build a helicopter, Monday’s winners were Brett with his helicopter disguised as a rock and Hugo’s police helicopter. Lily-Mae was Thursday’s winner with a helicopter and pilot, and sightseer and hidden under the roof of the helicopter is a person who needs medical attention.
Congratulations to Jasper and Hugo who both received certificates from ‘Kids with Bricks’ for their Father Christmas Lego construction, which was highlighted as a great build and selected from nationwide entries.
FRIENDS OF STOWER PROVOST
Save the dates:
| 12th Feb | 15.30 – 17.00 | Friends Friendship Disco – wear something cheerful!
15.30 – 16.15 Hazel and Beech Class disco 16.15 – 17.00 Chestnuts and Oak Class disco |
| 1st March | 09.30 – 11.30 | Friends Jumble Sale |
| 3rd April | 15.30 – 17.00 | Friends Friendship Disco – bounce and spring!
15.30 – 16.15 Hazel and Beech Class disco 16.15 – 17.00 Chestnuts and Oak Class disco |
NEXT WEEK and BEYOND
13th January – Gym and swim at Port Regis for Chestnut and Oak classes.
CLASS OVERVIEWS
Oak Class
The children have arrived back ready to learn and have some fun! We have been polishing our independent writing and helping others to do the same. We have also been finding out a bit about non-chronological reports which are types of explanation texts. We will write one about
Sagarmatha or Qomolangma (also known as Everest) in a couple of weeks time. The names of the mountain vary according to which country it is viewed from. In maths, we have been looking at multiplication in its various forms including formal, grid and area methods. We have been finishing off our Jigsaw PSHE topic by looking at controlling behaviours, control, bullying and famous Paralympians as we complete our Celebrating Differences topic. Next week, we are looking forward to finding out more about Hinduism and electrical circuits. (Mrs Clasby)
Chestnut Class
Happy New Year! I hope you have had a relaxing time over the holidays.
We have started lots of new topics this week. In Science we are learning about States of matter. This week children had to classify items in solids, liquids or gases. In Geography we have been exploring rives. We discussed specific vocabulary e.g. source, tributaries, meanders, mouth.
In Computing we are using “Logo” to programme a turtle draw shapes. In PSHE, we started using the SCARF curriculum. This week we have focused on “Danger, risks and hazards”.
On a general note, please ensure that all children return their homework books provided on a Tuesday, ready to be sent back with them on a Thursday. Maths homework may not always be a whole page, but selected questions. Please look for these details underneath the spelling homework. (Mrs Sanda)
Beech Class
This week in Beech Class, the children have started writing sentences about the story ‘Building Boy’. They have enjoyed using adjective and similes to show what the room is like with and without Grandma. In Maths this week, the children have been continuing to work on their addition and subtraction skills with numbers up to 100.
During the afternoons, Beech Class have been starting to learn what new topics we have to look forward to this term. The children explored maps of the world and of the UK as well as looking at programming BeBots. During Science, we have started looking at what characteristics’ materials have. (Mrs Whelan)
Hazel Class
The children have returned to school happy and it has been lovely to hear of all their adventures over the Christmas break. This week the children have been introduced to their new topic ‘Starry Night’. We’ve had a fun afternoon learning about constellations and creating names for them. The children created a giant story map for the story Whatever Next! and we have been investigating nocturnal and diurnal animals.
Miss Buxton
Diary Dates
| 13th Jan | 08.50 | New timetable comes into place |
| 4th Feb | 15.30 – 17.30 | Parent meetings |
| 6th Feb | 16.30 – 19.00 | Parent meetings |
| 12th Feb | 15.30 – 17.00 | Friends Friendship Disco – wear something cheerful!
15.30 – 16.15 Hazel and Beech Class disco 16.15 – 17.00 Chestnuts and Oak Class disco |
| 13th Feb | 15.20 | First half of term ends – no after school club |
| 14th Feb | All day | INSET |
| 24th Feb | 08.50 | Second half of term starts |
| 1st March | 09.30 – 11.30 | Friends Jumble Sale |
| 12th March | All day | London Trip for Year 6 pupils – times tbc |
| 3rd April | 15.30 – 17.00 | Friends Friendship Disco – bounce and spring!
15.30 – 16.15 Hazel and Beech Class disco 16.15 – 17.00 Chestnuts and Oak Class disco |
| 4th April | 15.20 | Second half of term ends – no after school club |
As ever any queries do please ask.
Best wishes,