Dear Parents and Carers,
Hopefully the milder weather will bring some sunshine and a reduction to the colds and sniffles we are currently seeing in school. We have also been made aware of a couple of pupils with slap cheek symptoms and impetigo, so I would urge parents to be vigilant, as we know how easily these things spread.
On a jollier note – further to World Book Day, I thought you might like to see a photo of all the wonderful costumes! Many thanks also to parents and carers who came in to read with either their own children or to others first thing in the morning.
THIS WEEK
Ready, Steady, Read
What a great effort was made by so many children in the Ready, Steady, Read event. I am pleased to announce that £187 was raised. This money has been passed to our Usborne representative, who has determined the amount the company will match. The School’s English Leads, Mrs Clasby and Miss Buxton are currently selecting books which will support out pupils across the school across a range of subjects. I will ensure a list of the books purchased is shared with you. Thank you for all your support linked to this event, whether through sponsorship, encouragement and/or hearing your child read.
Sporting Events
Last week a group of pupils from Chestnut class represented our school in a Gillingham Family Schools football festival. The festival included skills training and games, with the team thoroughly enjoying the experience.
This week saw another group of pupils from the class participate in a Gillingham family football tournament. There was some great football played and teamwork displayed. The team lost 2, drew 2 and won 2.
The pupils’ behaviour at both fixtures was exemplary, according to Mrs Smeaton, so thank you to the all those who proudly represented the school and to Mrs Smeeton and Mrs Harris for supporting the teams at these events.
Lego Club
This week’s Lego Club competition was to build an easter egg! There were three winners this week – Christopher, Brett and Ava. Congratulations to all constructors – it was a tricky challenge this week.
A reminder that summer dates are available for both sessions, and can be booked from 1st April. The Club is open from Year 1 – Year 5 pupils at a cost of £3.99 + VAT per session. Please book online if interested – www.kidswithbricks.com .
Each week our competition winning build is photographed and entered into a national competition. Please see the attached information on how to vote for Stower Provost’s weekly winning build. You never know, we might have a National Lego Champion in our midst.
PSHE based assembly
In assembly this week, as part of our discussions centred around mental heath and well being, we looked at all those diverse things which can improve our mood and make us grateful. We looked at a video of children from around the world saying what made them happy, and then we had discussions with our partners to find out what makes us happy as well as them. Of course, we couldn’t talk about the idea of happy without thinking of the song, so we had a joyful dance around the hall to the tune by Pharrell Williams. (Mrs Clasby)
PTFA NEWS
School Disco
The PTFA will be running a school disco on Wednesday 27th March. As with the last disco, Hazel and Beech children will boogie away from 3.30- 4.15, while Chestnut and Oak pupils will be provided with classroom-based activities. At 4.15 younger pupils may be collected or enjoy classroom-based activities, with KS2 pupils dancing away from 4.15 – 5pm. Snacks and drinks will be provided for all pupils. The cost of the disco is £2 per child, to be paid on collection. Pupils should enter the school through the main front entrance, and be collected (and pay) from the hall door and exit through the usual pick up gate, to avoid confusion over who has and has not been collected.
Easter Art competition
The PTFA are running an Easter Art competition. The challenge is to design an Easter themed piece of artwork or creation. This could be a hat, painting or model. Entries to be in by 18th March. Cost per entry £1.
OTHER NEWS
Gillingham Detachment Needs You!
Volunteers, known as Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (or CFAV) don’t have to have had any military or cadet experience. Full training is given at a pace that suits the volunteer. The Force only ask that CFAV commit to a minimum of just 2 hours each week to help run their local detachment once they are trained. For more details of how can get involved, please see that attached flyer.
CLASS NEWS
Oak
This week, the year 6 children were challenged by the 2022 SATs papers, which they attempted with great dedication and, in many cases, considerable enthusiasm. If any families have older children, they will remember just how challenging these tests are. Year 5 have also started some tests – they have attempted the new tests we bought for them this week. They have completed the maths and reading in the last few days. In science, we looked at reaction times and considered the hypothesis that there is a link between the age of a person and their reaction time in the context of a driving simulation challenge. We created both a spreadsheet and a scatter graph. We did seem to find a positive correlation with a good degree of trust, too. Next week, we are looking forward to catching up with our RE curriculum. (Mrs Clasby)
Chestnut
This week, the children have been doing their independent writing based on our core text, Flood by Alvaro F Villa. In topic, the children have been learning about the events of the Mount Vesuvius eruption near Pompeii and they also looked at key artefacts from the excavation site. The class have finished their science topic and completed their experiment write up.
Beech
This week, Beech class have finished exploring different countries in order to write their own non-chronological reports. The children have worked really hard with this and enjoyed learning about different countries. In maths, the children have continued to explore measurements such as temperature as well as revisiting previous learning to deepen their understanding.
In other learning areas, the children looked at Sea Shanties and even created and performed their own. In RE, the children looked at promises and what these mean to people. Beech class have also been identifying the reasons plants might be seasonal, bringing in our Maths learning around temperature.
Hazel
This week, Hazel class have been investigating the weather, recording the wind speed, temperature and weather conditions. As part of our work on the Great Fire of London, the children have learnt the nursery rhyme London’s Burning and performed it to the other classes. In Computing, the children have been looking at Data and Information, and grouping data in different ways.
In UtW, FS2 have completed their investigation into what plants need to grow. The beans that the children planted last week have sprouted, some surprising our predications. The bean that grew the biggest had water, light but planted in cotton wool. The bean that didn’t grow at all had light, water and soil but had too much water and had grown mouldy.
Diary dates (dates in red have been added this week)
| 8th Mar | PTFA Easter Art Competition starts – entries £1 | |
| 19th Mar | 15.20 | PTFA Easter Art Competition entries to be in. |
| 20th Mar | 07.45 – 20.30 | Year 6 London Theatre trip |
| 22nd Mar | 11.00 – 11.30 | Chestnut class parents invited into school for Ukelule Showcase. |
| 25th Mar | 9.00 – 12.00 | Oak Class trip to the Udder Farm Shop and associated farm |
| 27th Mar | 15.30 – 17.00 | PTFA Disco |
| 28th Mar | All day | Chestnut Class Stonehenge trip |
| 28th Mar | 15.20 | End of term |
| 15th April | 8.50 | Summer term starts |
| 22nd July 2024 | INSET DAY | |
| 23rd July 2024 | INSET DAY |