Dear Parents and Carers,

Isn’t it amazing we are already past the half way point of this first half term of the school year?!

The week began with the children thinking about the second way to well-being: ‘ Be Active.’ Next week they will be considering the third which is ‘ Keep Learning.’ Attached are details of these different ways to well-being for you to talk about with your children at home.

Worship

During our Key Stage Worships this week, the children in Early Years and Years 1 and 2 listened to the story of the Go Away Bird and thought about how they can be kind to each other during the school day. The older children in Key Stage 2 spent some time delving into the question ‘How important is space exploration?’ There was a wide range of views shared. Some of the children thought it was a good idea, others not. Other children thought that although it wasn’t necessary, it is driven by the curiosity of people.

Our Learning

Curiosity is something we encourage the children to develop and it is always great to walk around the school and see so many children engaged in their learning. Following a quick tour of the school today, it is clear lots of the learning has been enjoyable. Here are some of the responses from children when asked ‘What have been your learning highlights this week…?’

• Children in Camber Class have been enjoying learning about different kinds of sounds as they begin learning the first phonic sounds.

• Children in Lewes Class have been busy enjoying sorting different objects according to their colours.

• Amberley Class have had lots of fun writing their Magic Medicine recipes rising to the challenge of using different types of words like adverbs and time conjunctions.

• In Hastings Class, the use of number lines in Maths has been really enjoyable.

• Not surprisingly, the most enjoyable learning in Amberley Class has been whilst they have been in the Forest all day today. Mr Floyd was really proud that everyone was able to help lighting the fire which then meant lots of marshmallows were roasted to make some delicious smores to eat.

• Children in Arundel Class have enjoyed learning how to write a diary entry. In Science they have been investigating the different properties, including the permeability, of rocks.

• Starburst sweets were squashed together in Bodiam Class as the children learned about how layers of metamorphic rocks are formed over long periods of time.

• Pevensey Class have enjoyed learning about how they can keep themselves safe online by not sharing any usernames and passwords. They were also amazed by how many people it took to move each of the stones at Stonehenge.

• The children in Cowdray Class have enjoyed the freedom of not following any rules as they have been drafting, editing and publishing their free verse poems about Beowulf. They have also got their brains stuck into comparing the lifecycles of amphibians and insects.

• In Portchester Class, there has been lots of fun in Maths through the discovery of prime numbers and as well using their previous learning to complete long multiplication calculations.

• Southsea Class have enjoyed finding out about Anglo-Saxon settlements. They have been worried about oxen sharing the great hall and the use of a hole in the ground to act as their toilets. Wooden benches and splinters were a particular concern!

  Harvest Festival Services and Donations

  Don’t forget you are invited to join the children at our Harvest Festival Services on Monday 1st October at St. Mary’s Church. The EYFS and KS1 service is at 9:30am and the KS2 service begins at 10:30am. Thank you to those of you who have already made a donation to our collection for the Foodbank. It would be lovely if some more donations could be made during next week. I wonder how full, or even over-flowing, our box in the hall will be…?

  Parent Information Meetings

  Over the next couple of weeks, there are some important information meetings for parents and carers of children in particular year groups:

• Wednesday 4th October – Phonics for EYFS and Year 1

• Thursday 5th October – Multiplication Tables Check for Year 4

• Tuesday 10th October – Key Stage 2 SATS and End of Year Expectations for Year 6

• Thursday 12th October – Key Stage 1 Assessments and End of Year Expectations for Year 2

  Each of these meetings will be held twice: once at 2:45pm and then at 6:00pm. We hope you will be able to attend.

  Covid

  It is that time of year when the bugs and germs reappear. There has been a rising number in cases of Covid amongst the staff and the children. As a school community, we are keen to keep everyone as safe as we can. This means the reintroduction of increased hygiene measure in school – such as more ventilation in classrooms and more frequent hand washing during the day. As a staff, it has been agreed that following a positive test, a return to work will only happen when a further test proves negative. This may mean more flexible staffing arrangements may be needed in school.

  Parking outside the school

  Please can you be considerate to our neighbours during the busy drop off times at the beginning and the end of the school day. This includes not parking on the corner of Roemead Drive and North End Road.

  Parent-Teacher Meetings

  Our first meetings to discuss the progress of your children’s learning will be held in the week before the half term break. Look out for the opportunity to make an appointment though ParentMail next week.

  Whatever you are up to over the weekend, take care and keep safe.

  Mrs Huggett