Dear Parents and Carers,
We were in the world of John Terry on Wednesday, but it wasn’t ‘Ducks in Detention’ or ‘Rabbits on Report’, it was calves in the playground; better than John Terry’s ‘Calves in the Classroom’! Then on Thursday we had a multitude of costumes, with children dressing up as either a profession from a book or in the clothes of their desired career, and what a range there was, which was lovely to see. So, it has been a diverse week, from calves to football and costumes to a therapy dog visit! Read on to find out more.
NOTICES
Friends of Stower Provost Meeting
A meeting to discuss future events will be held on the 10th March at 3.30pm in the school library. All are welcome to attend.
Water bottles and book bags
Please could I ask for water bottles to be kept separate, and out of book bags. We have had 4 Read Write Inc books costing a total of £20 this week being water damaged due to leaking bottles. Many thanks in advance for your help in this matter.
PE Days
Children should wear their school PE kits into school on the following days:
| Class | ||
| Hazel | Monday – swim & gym | Tuesday – games |
| Beech | Monday – swim & gym | Tuesday – games |
| Chestnuts | Thursday – games | Friday – gymnastics |
| Oak | Thursday – games | Friday – gymnastics |
School in Focus – Playtime
Children enjoy two playtimes each day. The first being 15 minutes long, the second 30 minutes. At the start of the year we separated our playground areas, with the younger children playing in the upper playground area, and the old children accessing the lower tennis court. Children this term move freely between the two.
We also have our outdoor classroom area, which is a ‘quiet area’. Children then to use the area for role play (as there are kitchen play units), chatting or Lego constructing.
Games in the court area tend to include ‘Run Across’, football, skipping and tag style games, while in the upper playground games tend to be more role play in nature.
THIS WEEK
5th March – Calves in the Playground
Many thanks to Thomas’ parents who brought in two-week-old calves to show to the children. This allowed discussion about calves and their needs, as well as farming in general.
5th March – Year 3 & 4 Football Festival
I took a group of 12 children to Gillingham Secondary School. The children volunteered themselves and were keen to represent the school in the Gillingham Family Sports Football Festival. The Festival was a mix of skills and drills, followed by matches against other schools. The children played remarkably well and most importantly enjoyed themselves!
My thanks to parents who transported and offered support through spectating.
6th March – World Book Day
World Book Day took place on Thursday. Many thanks to those parents who came into school and read to children first thing in the morning. Much fun was had by all dressing up in costumes, sharing their favourite professions.
6th March – Therapy Dog
We welcomed Woody the therapy dog in school on Thursday, and wasn’t he a hit! He was in school for an hour and was doted upon from start to finish. Woody was so patient and gentle with all the children. I am sure this won’t be the Woody’s first and last visit to Stower Provost!
Gym & Swim Hazel and Beech classes
What great swimming we saw this week during the Port Regis swim sessions this week. Well done to all!
Lego Club
Today’s challenge was to build their favourite book character, and our winners on Monday were Jasper and Hugo who created the Cat In The Hat, along with his bowl of fruit, a cake, a chair, and of course his hat.
Clubs
Lego Club for the second half of term
Please find a direct booking link below should you wish your child to attend Lego Club after half term.
Monday Club: https://kwbclubs.ecwid.com/Stower-Provost-Community-School-Monday-Dorset-Spring-Term-2-2025-Monday-p624603022
Thursday Club: https://kwbclubs.ecwid.com/Stower-Provost-Community-School-Dorset-Spring-Term-2-2025-Thursday-p632155811
NEXT WEEK and BEYOND
10th March – Friends of Stower Provost meeting – all welcome – in the library
12th March – Year 3/4 Football tournament for selected children.
12th March – Year 6 trip to London 11.15 departure and 01.00 return.
18th – 25th March – Scholastic book fair
FRIENDS OF STOWER PROVOST
Save the dates:
| 10th March | 15.30 | Friends of Stower Provost meeting – all welcome – in the library |
| 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
The 6 weeks between 5th March and 17th April marks the season of Lent when Gillingham Foodbank will provide emergency food parcels for local individuals and families facing hardship.
The soaring cost of living is driving record numbers of people on the lowest incomes to the foodbank and the amount of help needed is outstripping the donations they are receiving.
The foodbank is calling on the local community to donate food, if they can, to ensure that they can continue to support everyone who needs help.
Please see the attached poster with a shopping list of the foodbank’s urgent needs and another for anyone who would like to give a donation of money.
Please help if you can, by dropping off any food donations:
Monday and Thursday 10-12am
6 Station Road
Gillingham
SP8 4PY
(With thanks from Helen Weaver, Project Manager at Gillingham Foodbank)
CLASS OVERVIEWS
Oak Class
It has been decimals week! We have furthered our exploration of this topic by adding them and subtracting them. We then extended our knowledge by multiplying them too. It was surprisingly easy. We have also done a number of spelling tests and worked on our arithmetic skills. In English we have been creating a negative atmosphere using foreshadowing and also looking at semi colons. The children worked hard at this. RE was an exploration of The Night Journey – Milait al Miraj from the Islamic system of belief. In science we looked at eyes and what colour is. Next week we are looking forward to finding out more about The Great War as well as planning our independent write based on the book Varmints. (Mrs Clasby)
Chestnut Class
This week, in Geography, we focused on the Mountain ranges part of the UK. Our research highlighted their locations and towering heights. We also explored the tourism they attract, the diverse wildlife they support, and uncovered some intriguing facts.
In Religious Education, we began exploring Christianity with a focus on The Holy Week and Easter. We explored the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, discussing how he was greeted and examining the reasons behind the varied reactions from different people during this significant event.
In Science, we continued our fascinating journey into the world of classifications. We explored the types of questions that can be used to create a “Classification Key,” an essential tool for grouping and identifying living organisms based on their characteristics.
In French we began learning about families. Children discovered new vocabulary related to family members, building their language skills and understanding of relationships within a family context.
(Mrs Sanda)
Beech Class
This week in Beech Class, the children have been looking at different sentence structures and expanded noun phrases to support their writing. In Maths, the children have been looking at times tables and division – specifically the ten times tables this week.
During the afternoons, Beech Class have been looking at what the RNLI is and what it does. In computing, the children have used IPads to create pictograms. (Mrs Whelan)
Hazel Class
This week the children have been investigating plants.
We have set up an experiment to see what pea seeds need to grow. We have four seeds set up, some in compost and some in cotton wool, some with water and some without, and some with light and some without. We also investigated different types of seeds and how they look and feel.
We had a lovely visit from two Angus calves on Wednesday.
As part of our learning, we looked at germination and the different stages of growth of plants. (Miss Buxton)
Diary Dates
| 10th March | 15.30 | Friends of Stower Provost meeting – all welcome (in the library) |
| 12th March | All day | London Trip for Year 6 pupils – 11.15 depart and return 01.00 approx |
| 12th March | 15.30 | Year 3 & 4 Football Tournament for selected pupils |
| 18th 25th March | All week | Scholastic book fair |
| 2nd April | Morning | Tennis Roadshow experience for each class |
| 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 |
Best wishes,
Aisla Boardman-Hirst