Dear Parents and Carers,
It’s the penultimate week before half term, and as ever the children have been working hard. I have added a section to our newsletter this week, which is Curriculum in Focus. Each week I intend to focus on one subject and share work the children have created. Read on to find out more, and what is in store for the last four days of the spring half term.
Girls Football
The school has been presented with an Equal Access School 2024 award by England Football, sponsored by Barclays Bank, for offering a girls’ football club last term.
Curriculum in Focus – Design and Technology (DT)
Children enjoy either an art or DT lesson once each week. Children in Oak, Beech and Hazel class have been following DT projects this half of term, with Oak focusing on bridges, Beech beach huts and Hazel class making and sewing. Last term Chestnut class learnt all about weaving, so I have included some examples, as this half of term they are focusing on art.
Oak Class – exploration into bridge designs and then building structures with straws to span a gap which will be tested using weights.
Examples of Chestnut’s weaving
Beech Class beach hut designs which will be made from wooden box frames
Hazel Class’ rabbits with sewn on button tails
THIS WEEK
Assemblies
In assembly this week, we looked at how important it is to think carefully before we say something unkind to someone. Mrs Clasby poured out some delicious custard, and then tried to put in back into the carton. It was very messy and very difficult! Luckily, she had an apron on hand to deal with that situation. We decided that just as it was hard to put the custard back in very easily, it can be hard to un-say something we wished we hadn’t. Mrs Clasby did find a tiny spoon – some custard did indeed go back in. We thought this might be a bit like giving people some space if we had upset them and then apologising!
Number Day 2025
It was lovely to see so many children come dressed up for our NSPCC Number day, which intended to celebrate Maths and numbers. All children had the opportunity to apply their maths skills to everyday scenarios and explore how amazing Maths is during their daily maths lessons and a variety of additional class activities.
Parent/Carer teacher meetings and Usborne book stall
It was lovely to see so many parents and carers attend this week’s teacher meetings. I do hope you found these meetings useful. I also hope that you enjoyed the opportunity to browse through a variety of books on the Usborne book staff tables.
Parent Forum
A Parent/Carer Forum was held this afternoon prior to our Praise and Celebrate assembly. My thanks to those who attended and contributed. Points discussed:
Parent/Carer teacher meetings
It was raised that the having the meetings in the hall, although keeping meetings more to time, did not offer a condusive environment for more sensitive conversations to be held. It was concluded that parents would prefer to have meetings held in classrooms, with a bell system in place to help meeting keep to time.
Uniform
In the past few weeks I have requested feedback on the idea of adding navy tracksuit bottoms to the uniform list, with the idea that pupils would come into school in their PE kit on days that they have sporting activities. This would be twice a week. Currently around 20 mins per ‘sporting’ day is lost due to changing, equating to a whole day lost from curriculum learning time each term.
After half term all pupils will be asked to come into school on their ‘sporting days’ in PE kit. This would be their sports t-shirt, shorts, navy tracksuit bottoms, trainers and school jumper.
I will send out a definitive list in next week’s newsletter outlining the days each class partake in sporting activity. I do not want to assume that class timetables will remain the same for the second half of term!
Playground areas
Prior to the school doors opening and following collection at the end of the day, pupils should not be running behind the blue wooden shed please.
Photo sharing
I intend to take more photos in and around the school during the week and share these through a rolling photo album at the start, and end, of our Praise and Celebrate assemblies. I appreciate that some children do not always share what they have been doing in school, so I thought this might give all an opportunity to see what has been going on, as well as open up possible conversations and discussions opportunities.
Sharing community club information
At the end of our Praise and Celebrate assemblies, some children are presented with certificates and awards from local clubs. It was requested that local club information be shared through the newsletter. This would be particularly helpful for new parents to the area. I will certainly do this and collate information for future newsletters.
Praise and Celebrate assembly
Congratulations to all those awarded a certificate this week.
The Governors’ Oracy Cup, which celebrates those who have spoken and listened well, was awarded to Isaac and Ted.
Our first recipients of our Conduct Cups were Elsie and Ada.
Lego Club
Monday’s Lego Club winners were Jacob and Hugo who created a rikshaw with a jet engine driving over a bridge. Our Thursday winners were Archie and Lily-Mae.
NOTICES
School Bus Information
A link to information relating to any delay or disruption to the school bus service, which is freely available to parents. The site is updated when information is shared by the bus company and a bus is delayed by 15 minutes or more.
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/school-transport-updates-and-disruptions
NEXT WEEK and BEYOND
12th February – Beech Class trip to Lyme Regis. 08.20 – 15.20.
12th February – 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 February – Praise and Celebrate assembly 09.00.
After half term 24th February – Gym and swim at Port Regis for Hazel and Beech classes.
1st March – Friends Jumble Sale 9.30 – 11.30
18th – 25th March – Scholastic book fair
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 |
COMMUNITY AND OTHER NEWS
Please find a flyer attached from Dorset Cricket advertising a disability engagement opportunity on 21st Feb, 10 – 3pm at Lychett Minster School.
Please see the attached flyer and below linked to Autism Central coffee mornings at RiversMeet, Gillingham, for those that may be interested.
Please also find attached flyers linked to opportunities for a half term football club and another activity locally.
CLASS OVERVIEWS
Oak Class
This week, in Maths, we have continued looking at shape and calculating the area of both rectangles and rectilinear shapes. We looked at how best to split the rectilinear shape into simpler rectangles to calculate the individual areas before adding them all together. In Computing, we have been creating our own game using Scratch. We have taken a base ‘falling game’ and added extra sprites that fall at different rates. The challenge was to add variables of a timer, scoreboard and even to think about how the game ends. We have saved what we have created so far on the class Scratch platform, ready to continue next week. In French, we have continued on our unit about where we live and have moved inside, saying the names of the rooms inside our houses. In DT, we have designed our own bridge in small teams and have been challenged to create a prototype out of art straws to cover a span of 80cm. When completed, these will be tested for strength. Have a lovely weekend. (Mrs Toy)
This week we have completed our Independent write – many of the children tried really hard to make their writing as good as possible and I am very proud of them. In maths, we have been multiplying and dividing fractions as well as finding fractions of amounts. We cut up a banana just to prove that if you divide something by a fraction, then it the answer has a lower value that the original integer. In Geography, we have started to compare the Artic and the Antarctic. Next week, we are looking forward to looking at how sensors work as part of our science topic. (Mrs Clasby)
Chestnut Class
In French, we’ve been busy practicing asking politely for vegetables using conjunctions as well as quantities (kg, ½ kg).
This week in English, we wrapped up our independent writing projects and started diving into our next book. This will complement our Science learning by focusing on the water cycle and the importance of water.
Our focus in Maths has been on measures (km, m, cm, and mm). We worked on understanding equivalent measures and adding them together, which will help us as we learn about perimeters.
In computing we’ve learnt how to change colours while working with repeated shapes, adding a splash of creativity to our coding skills.
In Science, we investigated measuring the temperature of water when more cold/ warm water is added, or even ice.
At Port Regis children are becoming experts at getting ready quickly, taking care of their belongings, and following instructions. It’s a joy to see them becoming so much more organized in such a short time. their swimming and gym skills are also coming along. (Mrs Sanda)
Beech Class
It has been a great pleasure this week to discuss your children’s learning with you all! Thank you so much for your time.
This week in Beech Class, the children have been writing descriptions all about leaves with a heavy focus on interesting adjectives. In Maths this week, the children have started to explore multiplication and division with looking at equal and unequal groups learning recognition and creating them as well as counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.
During the afternoons, Beech Class have been expanding our understanding of creating sequences of bee bots for them to then go around obstacles. In addition, we have looked at scenarios that we do and don’t like as well as things that we feel are fair and unfair.
I hope you all have a great weekend and are looking forward to our trip to Lyme Regis as much as I am!
(Mrs Whelan)
Hazel Class
In Hazel class we have been finishing off our Starry Night project and starting our Winter Wonderland project. We have been investigating the weather in winter and how it differs from other seasons, we have also been learning about hibernation and what this means for animals. The children have been busy creating seasonal trees and exploring odd and even numbers. (Miss Buxton)
Diary Dates
| 12th Feb | 08.25 – 15.20 | Beech Class trip to Lyme Regis |
| 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 |
| 12th Feb | 8.25 – 15.20 | Beech Class trip to Lyme Regis |
| 13th Feb | 09.00 | Praise and Celebrate Assembly |
| 13th Feb | 15.20 | First half of term ends – no after school club |
| 14th Feb | All day | INSET |
| 21st Feb | 10 – 3pm | Dorset Cricket disability opportunity – Lychett Minster School. |
| 24th Feb | 08.50 | Second half of term starts |
| 24th Feb | 12.30 – 14.30 | Swim & Gym at Port Regis for Hazel and Beech classes |
| 25th Feb | 10 – 11:30am | Autism Central Coffee Morning at RiversMeet, Gillingham |
| 1st March | 09.30 – 11.30 | Friends Jumble Sale |
| 12th March | All day | London Trip for Year 6 pupils – 11.15 depart and return 01.00 approx |
| 18th 25th March | All week | Scholastic book fair |
| 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 |
| 1st April | 10 – 11:30am | Autism Central Coffee Morning at RiversMeet, Gillingham |
| 4th April | 15.20 | Second half of term ends – no after school club |
As ever, any queries do please ask.
Best wishes,
Ailsa Boardman-Hirst