Byfleet Primary Newsletter
Twitter: @Byfleetprimary
Dear Parents/Carers,
It's been great to have our smiling Reception Rainbow class back in school since their bubble closure recently. The part fortnight has been very busy with moderation work carried out between the Woking Headteachers from EEEA looking at our children's work and planning school improvement opportunities. Staff have been focussing on developing writing outcomes for their classes and we are pleased to see the vast opportunities planned for our children to develop their writing across the curriculum. We are having a big push on children being able to apply the same strong writing skills they use in their English sessions to other areas such as Science, History and Geography. It's great seeing fronted adverbials, relative clauses and complex sentences being used so readily by our KS 2 children and our KS 1 children exploring with compound sentences.
Next week is a busy week:
Monday 7th February - Wear your Scarf to School Day for Children's Mental Health Week. Further details can be found within this newsletter from Mrs Martin, our PSHE Lead. A letter has also been sent out this week with a reminder.
Tuesday 8th February - National Online Safety day. We have planned some exciting lessons to help our children spot dangers online.
All week we will be celebrating National Football Week. We will be holding house football matches within Year groups, producing work based around football and having a 'football shirt' mufti day on Friday 11th February - further information regarding football week has been emailed to parents/carers earlier today.
Please note the link at the end of the newsletter to our School Term Dates for 2022/23.
We apologise that our Parent/Carer Reading Workshop was cancelled last week due to staffing issue related to Covid. We have rescheduled this Parent/Carer Reading Workshop for Friday 25th February at 9 - 9.30.
We continue to have interruptions as a result of Covid, with several members of our staff team self-isolating. We apologise for having to cancel some of our clubs as a result - thank you for bearing with us.
Please remember to wear a mask whilst on site at drop off and collection times, if possible. We also ask that children are dressed in extra layers as we continue to keep the classrooms well ventilated, to avoid them being cold.
We have noticed a lot of children wearing black trainers as part of their school uniform - please can black leather shoes (not boots or sports trainers) be worn on non PE days.
At the end of this half term we say good bye to Mrs Sopp, who works in the office. We thank her for her commitment to our children and community during the time she has worked at Byfleet. We wish her well in her future endeavours. We welcome Mrs Bell, a TA, who joined our Year 3 team last week.
Some of our parents/carers, but most likely our Year 6 parents, may be familiar with Katie Moore who is the reputable Principal at Fullbrook. She has notified her community that she will be moving on from Fullbrook at the end of the academic year and would like to reassure prospective parents that the Governors and MAT trustees will ensure that the right lead for Fullbrook is sought. After 16 years at Fullbrook, we wish Mrs Moore good luck with her new endeavours.
We recently introduced our Science Quiz Club and our Year 5/6 team of four did exceptionally well and came 4th in the national round. We are very proud of our children who took part in the finals today - well done to Monty & Lola (Year 6) and Kjaer, Oliver R & Amelia (Year 5) - they came 57th out of 90+ schools - a huge achievement! Miss Mills will be hosting her General Knowledge Quiz Club from next week, every child from Year 3 - 6 will take part to find the top 4 children (1 from each year group) to form our General Knowledge Team. Their national round will be on the 17th March. We hope to increase our children's Science and General Knowledge through the process. Good luck KS 2.
This week we shared information about Chinese New Year (it's the year of the tiger) in assembly. This month we also celebrate LGBT History Month, which helps us remind our children about the importance of rights, equality, tolerance and respect, which further supports our RSE (relationship and sex education) curriculum.
Stars of the Week
Reception Rainbow Eva Albert
Year 1 Red Rachel Jack
Year 2 Orange Lukas Chloe
Year 3 Yellow Ethan Theo
Year 4 Green James Katherine
Year 5 Indigo Charlotte All of Indigo
Year 5 Blue Lucy Teddy
Year 6 Violet Daisy Annie
Year 4 Bikeability
This week Year 4 took part in their Level 1 Bikeability Cycle Training - this training teaches the basic skills for cycling in advance of their taking their Level 2 on-road course in Year 6. Well done to everyone who took part.
Year 6 Trip to HaslEMere
On Thursday, Year 6 went on a trip to the Haslemere Museum to learn more about classification.
During their visit, they had a workshop on classification, used keys to classify different species of birds before creating their own key to identify different butterflies and moths.
In the afternoon, they were given the chance to wander the galleries of the museum, where they saw the huge collection of different animals on display, along with a real mummy!
They behaved impeccably well and represented the school brilliantly. A massive thank you to our parent volunteers as without them, we would not have been able to go on the trip.
Top Doodler of the Week
This term we are focusing on times tables so don't forget to click the X on Doodle so you can practise your fluency. Remember to log on for 15 - 20 minutes each day and complete as many questions as you can!
Year 2 Orange Darren Andrew 1114
Year 3 Yellow Albie B 1010 Albie 735
Year 4 Green Katherine 898 Katherine 1209
Year 5 Blue William 1086 Lucy 479
Year 5 Indigo Max 776 Henry 4003
Safer Internet Day
Sometimes it feels like our children know more about the internet and computers than we do as adults - this is why it is essential that we are able to be informed so we are able to help keep our children safe online.
Safer Internet Day is on Tuesday 8th February. In addition to our Online Safety Unit of work we do with our children as part of our Computing Curriculum in the Autumn term, the children will take part in different activities to help them remember how to keep themselves safe on line. We'd like every child at Byfleet to know how to spot problems on line (fake news, phishing, bullying, exposure to inappropriate content, sharing of personal information etc.) so that they know what to do about it.
We have a range of different helpful resources on our school website related to keeping our children safe online, under the 'safeguarding' tab - to view these, click here.
As parents, try using the NSPCC's 'TEAM' model below to make sure we're working in partnership with our children to keep them safe online.
Watch this short clip about Respect and Relationships Online in Gaming
Year 3 & 4 Trip to Butser Farm
On Tuesday Year 3 and 4 had a very exciting day at Butser Ancient Farm. We took part four hands on activities which helped develop our understanding of our current topics. Both classes became archaeologists digging up bones, flints, metal and how this fits with the chronology of our earlier civilisations. Year 3 also had a tour of the site where they learnt about how Stone Age houses developed over the period before having a go at making a traditional wattle fence and chalk carving with traditional techniques. Year 4 also had an opportunity to make a wattle fence as well as sewing Viking Runes and making metal jewellery. The children all had a wonderful time and learnt lots of new facts as well as impressing the experts with their prior knowledge.
Children's Leadership Roles
School Council
We have been busy voting in each class for our school council reps.
Congratulations to the following children who have been chosen democratically to represent their class:
Year 1: Amie & Oscar Year 5I: Darcy & Max
Year 2: Isabelle & Hari Year 5B: Oliver & Amelia
Year 3: Ethan & Penelope Year 6: Ally & Lola
Year 4: Lilly & Jed
Year 2 clay models
Year 2 have been inspired by the book Ossiri and the Bala Mengro and have created their own versions of the ogre from the story.
They have also been writing about this character in Literacy sessions this week.
Why not listen to this story at home with your child. Click here to listen to Ossiri and the Bala Mengro.
Homework Matrix Projects
Year 4 are learning about The Vikings as part of their Invaders & Settlers topic.
Year 1 are enjoying learning about the Great Fire of London. They have been completing some fantastic home learning!
Looking for something Local to do this half term?
This half term join Surrey Heritage and The Lost letters Project in celebrating written letters. We have two activities for families to do at home:
Writing through time
Listen to some old letters written by people in Surrey and write your own.
https://bit.ly/writingthroughtime
Smile in my pocket
Create a pocket reminder of something that makes you happy.
You can either download the activity packs on the links above or pop into the Surrey History Centre, Woking, during normal opening hours to pick up a pack and see the Lost Letters exhibition.
Scarf & Children's Mental Health Week
Wear your scarf to school day - Monday 7th February
We are asking the children to wear a scarf to school to raise awareness for children's mental health week and to talk about the values that SCARF stands for in our PSHE curriculum.
The SCARF values are:
SAFETY - some scarves will be warm and comforting, helping to keep someone snug and safe in very cold weather!
CARING - some scarves might have been a present from a special person; they'll help make someone feel cared for. Wearing a scarf as part of religious faith can also help someone to feel cared for.
ACHIEVEMENT - some scarves might be part of a club, perhaps a sports team. These are waved when a club achieves (e.g. when a football team scores a goal!) They also show when someone belongs to something.
RESILIENCE - a football team's scarf can also help someone to remember that they can still support a team even if it's not doing well; they can show resilience when bouncing back from defeat or disappointment.
FRIENDSHIP - maybe some scarves were a gift from a friend and this makes them extra special.
You could discuss these values and what they mean with your children at home.
As part of children's mental health week, the classes will also be participating in a range of assemblies and activities with a focus on our well-being.
our science quiz team
Well done to our Science Quiz Team, including Monty who joined us virtually, for representing Byfleet Primary in the national rounds - we are very proud of you all.
a message from mrs sopp
It is with great sadness I leave Byfleet Primary School next Friday. I have been part of our BPS family for almost 26 years, firstly as a parent and then 21 years as part of the BPS team and I will take with me so many happy and treasured memories from the little school at the end of the lane I have loved.
A huge thank you to all the parents and carers I have shared chats, lots of laughter and occasionally tears with, mostly through a sliding window, but the biggest thank you goes to your wonderful children who always bring a smile to my face and have brightened each and every day - I really will miss you all!
Music Lessons: 1-1 or small group
Mr Gillani has had a strong interest from parents/carers wishing for their children to take up paid ukulele and guitar lessons during school time. He will be in touch with you shortly to outline arrangements so that these lessons can start in the coming week.
If you are interested in music lessons for your children at Byfleet, please register your interest clicking on the link below.
YEAR 2 MATHS EXPERIMENTS
This week Year 2 have been carrying out some maths experiments. They measured the temperature of different cups of water using a thermometer and recorded the information in their books. They recorded their findings in degrees Celsius.
Plea for Small World Resources
We would be extremely grateful if you could donate any unwanted small world resources which will be used to support the children during their phonics sessions. There is a box at the office for you to put your donations in.
We've already received some resources so a big thanks for these.
Thank you!
Multiplication Table Challenge for Spring 1
All year 4 children complete a statutory online Multiplication Table Check (MTC) in June. It is important that we adequately prepare our children for this assessment by proving daily opportunities to master their 12 x 12 tables through maths lessons, 144 Club, Doodle Maths and interventions.
To find out more about the MTC for Year 4, click here.
Children need to know a select number of tables by the end of each year. They are as follows:
Year 1 - Count in multiples of two, fives and tens
Year 2 - Recall and use multiplication and division facts from the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables
Year 3 - Recall and use multiplication and division facts from the 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables
Year 4 - Recall and use multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up the 12 x 12
Year 5 and 6 - To become confident in multiplying larger numbers and deal with multiplying decimal numbers
Football for Girls
Class Assemblies
It's been a while since we've been able to invite you into school. We can't wait to invite you back into school to see your child's class assembly. We will continue to reduce the number of children we have together in the hall so will only move to 'whole school' assemblies once it is safe to do so. In the meanwhile, each class will host their class assembly to their parents and one or two other classes in the school hall. These will start at 8.55 - 9.20ish so please join us in the school hall on the day that your child's class assembly has been scheduled.
Reception - Wednesday 29th June Year 1 - Wednesday 16th March - London
Year 2 - Wednesday 23rd February Year 3 - Wednesday 30th March - Stone Age
Year 4 - Wednesday 22nd June Year 5 Indigo - Wednesday 2nd March - The Pharaohs
Year 5 Blue - Wednesday 25th May - Greeks Year 6 - Wednesday 9th March - The Heart
Diary Dates
Monday 7th - 3rd February - National Schools' Football Week & National Mental Health Week
Wednesday 23rd February - Year 2 Class Assembly
Friday 25th February - Year 2 Visit to Wisley Gardens
Wednesday 2nd March - Year 5 Indigo Class Assembly
Thursday 3rd March - Year 5 Visit to Wisley Gardens
Wednesday 9th March - Year 6 Class Assembly
Wednesday 16th March - Year 1 Class Assembly
Friday 25th March - VIP Lady Day 8.45 - 9.45
Tuesday 29th March - Spring Parents' Evening (1pm - 5pm)
Wednesday 30th March - Year 3 Class Assembly
Thursday 31st March - Spring Parents' Evening (3.15 - 6pm)
Friday 1st April - End of Spring Term
Tuesday 19th April - INSET 4
Wednesday 20th April - Start of Summer term
Thursday 28th April - Class & Y6 Leavers Photos
w/c Monday 9th May - Year 6 SATs
Wednesday 25th May - Year 5 Blue Class Assembly
Friday 27th May - Half Term
Monday 6th June - INSET 5
Friday 17th June - VIP Man Day
Wednesday 22nd June - Year 4 Class Assembly
Thursday 23rd June - Reception and KS1 Sports' Day
Friday 24th June - KS2 Sports' Day
Tuesday 28th & Wednesday 29th June - Year 6 Secondary Transition Days
Wednesday 29th June - Reception Class Assembly
Friday 8th July - Reports out to parents
Monday 18th July - Wednesday 20th July 2022 - Y6 Residential
Friday 22nd July - Year 6 Leavers' Celebration Assembly
A bit thank you to the parents and carers who volunteered to help out at the Year 3, 4 and 6 class trips this week. There has been a high number of pupils self-isolating over the past fortnight - thank you for helping those children who have been well enough to carry out some learning at home. Where possible, the class teachers will upload work onto Google Classroom. Homework matrices, Doodle Maths and Epic Reading are also available to access remotely if children are feeling well enough.
We can't wait to have all of our children back in school with us safely soon.
Kind regards,
Mrs Meyrick - Headteacher
Term Dates 2021-22.pdf