CPS Newsletter | Summer | Issue Five
Acorn Class Blog
Play Acorn Class
Play is one of the key ways in which children learn and develop and is a fundamental part of child development. Through play, children are practising and developing many of the skills they will need throughout the rest of their school experience and well into their adult lives. These skills include:
· Influencing language development
· Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
· Social skills and learning how to play through sharing, conflict resolution and compromise
· Developing fine and gross motor skills
· Nurturing their creativity and imagination
· Discovering their independence and positive self-esteem.
In Acorn Class, we value play as a core part of children’s learning. We understand that during Skills time, children are not just practising and applying taught skills, but also following their own interests and exploring new concepts. As educators, we play a crucial role in facilitating this process, providing a safe and stimulating environment where children can freely explore and learn.
This term, children have demonstrated curiosity, perseverance, and excellent problem-solving skills. We are so proud of all the children in Acorn, they demonstrate excellent learning behaviours and really love learning.
We planted some beans in a tuff tray to observe them grow. The children were keen to touch and hold the seeds to see them up close as they grew. They used excellent vocabulary and language to describe what was happening. Children talked about the roots ‘popping’ out first and were very excited to see the leaf finally grow.
The Floor is Lava has been a favourite game of lots of children this year, we used this to create a new game called the Table is Lava. Children created their own towers to help save the animals from the lava. They carefully built towers, balancing pieces and lolly sticks to create a safe space.
When learning about Jack and the Beanstalk, children have been exploring ways to build castles. One child ran out of bricks and found a creative way to continue building the walls of her castle. Some children then decided to run their own competition. They encouraged all children to design, draw or build a tower for the competition. They gathered the entries, made a special badge and awarded it to the winner.
After learning about tadpoles and frogs, some children were inspired to create a puppet show that told the story of the frog's life cycle, from frogspawn to frog. They wanted a live audience and premiered their show to Mrs Bond before inviting parents in to watch.
Walk to School Week - 20th to 24th May 2024
Dear parents and carers,
We are excited to be taking part in Walk to School Week this May.
We all know the health benefits of walking so please help us this week to reduce congestion by supporting children in being more active and help reduce lower carbon emissions during this Walk to School Week.
We would like to encourage all our pupils to try and walk, cycle or scoot to school during this week. If it’s not possible to walk all the way, then it would be great if you could park 10 minutes away from school and walk or scoot the last part of your journey.
Each class will have a poster of featuring a map of Hertfordshire and aim to take a ‘virtual’ walk by helping Buster The Dinosaur (the Active and Safer Travel Team mascot) walk around Hertfordshire. Every time a pupil travels sustainably, a dot can be coloured in.
Stars of the week
Year R
Conkers:
Vihaan for settling in well in the Conkers class.
Emil for showing good progress with his tricky words. Keep it up Emil.
Acorn:
Jazmin for using her phonic knowledge when writing sentences and beginning to go back and fix mistakes.
Hanan for demonstrating curiosity in Maths to use resources to show her understanding of different mathematical concepts.
Year 1
Maple:
Whole of Maple class for their fantastic effort to learn the lines for the class assembly and for showing a mature attitude during the rehearsal.
Mulberry:
Seth for being a fantastic role model and modelling good behaviour choices to his peers.
Alex for his hard work in science, showing a fantastic understanding of animals and their habitats.
Year 2
Pine:
Saqib for improving his handwriting and working really hard to ensure that he has used his writing checklist. Saqib's is ensuring everyday that his handwriting is well presented and neat. Well done Saqib.
Rose for showing kindness to the teachers and her classmates. She uses the school value of kindness every single day and is very supportive and encouraging to her peers.
Pear:
Leshitha for working so hard in English and for working more independently. He is trying so hard to write sentences in English. Well Done Leshitha.
Alan for always working hard in every lesson and for working especially hard when writing his new story. He has thought very carefully about his handwriting and what goes in each sentence.
Year 3
Apple:
Lilly for demonstrating a caring attitude and working hard.
Lillian for demonstrating kindness and always trying her best.
Ash:
Vishraank - for his excellent attitude in class, and his kindness and consideration to his peers.
Aisha - for her respectful behaviour to adults at all times and her kindness towards her classmates.
Year 4
Beam:
Ebenezer for showing kindness
Ioana for working hard in her English lesson
Beech:
Aymen- for being a great behaviour role model to his peers.
Steve- for using the lesson's key vocabulary in his work and producing fantastic work.
Year 5
Walnut:
Vihaan - for amazing story writing in English and for showing kindness when helping other children with their writing.
Saad - for showing excellent persistence in tennis and independent learning in guided reading.
Willow:
Aahil- for applying feedback given to him and really improving his English writing skills
Abdul Mannan- for increasing independence in his work and blowing me away by applying feedback in writing.
Year 6
Chestnut:
To the whole of Chestnut class for demonstrating real perseverance and resilience in the SATs tests this week. Well done - we are so proud of you all.
Oak:
To the whole of Oak class for demonstrating real perseverance and resilience in the SATs tests this week. Well done - we are so proud of you all.
Big Parenting Questions
Navigating the leap from childhood to adolescence
Big Parenting Questions is a brand-new event for mums, dads and carers, designed to offer hope and help through this time of change in our children’s lives.
You will explore principles that will equip you to come alongside your child as they try and establish their identity, assert their independence and find their place in the world.
You’ll come away with …
A framework to help you answer tricky questions
A better understanding of what’s going on with their bodies – and in their brains
Practical ways to stay connected with your child whilst letting them go
Strategies to keep your child safe, both in the real world and online
Ways to help your child establish their identity and develop independence
Increased confidence in how you, and your child, can thrive during this crucial stage in their development
To book Watford's event on 19th June please follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/big-parenting-questions-watford-tickets-780638128657
South West Herts Partnership - Information
Easter What's On.pdfSWHP Newsletter 200 Parenting Course Calendar.pdfOnline Safety Guide for Parents: Healthy Sleep Patterns
healthy-sleeping-habits.pdfAttendance at Central
ClassDojos
At Central Primary School, we take attendance and punctuality very seriously. We aim to have an attendance figure in excess of 96% . Our current attendance percentage is 94.05%.
Please read the most recent Attendance Letter shared by Mrs Wright. It has important information regarding unauthorised attendance.
Please remember arriving on time for school is important because late arrivals will miss and also disrupt the learning already happening in class.
If you have concerns about or need support with your child's attendance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Mrs Guthrie
Please use this link as guidance from the NHS regarding sickness and attendance. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery (please click the top link when redirected)
At Central Primary School, we recognise pro-social behaviours by giving children ClassDojo points. Every half term, the classes decide on a collective target to earn a class reward. In addition, at the end of the half term, we hold a ClassDojo raffle, where the children can win some exciting prizes!
1st place - Oak Class
2nd place - Pear Class
3rd place - Beam Class
We have had 100% attendance from a couple of classes lately which is very exciting! Keep up the good work.
Donations
Thank you
Dear families,
We would be very grateful if you had any boys or girls underwear and socks that you are able to donate to school. All ages/sizes welcome and to be handed into the main office.
A gentle reminder that if your child does come home with spare items from school that they are washed and returned promptly.
Thank you for your support.
Dear parents / carers,
Thank you to those who attended our coffee morning today, it was good to see lots of familiar and new faces.
The Mental Health Support Team shared lots of great information and ideas on how to support your child with anxiety and how to build resilience. If you feel you need support with this further please speak to your class teacher who can, with your consent, make a referral to the MHST.
We look forward to seeing you at the next coffee morning!
Kayley Harmsworth - Drop in Service
Dates for the diary
Summer 1
Wednesday 22nd May - Year 2 Cricket Festival
Thursday 23rd May - School finishes for half term
Friday 24th May - INSET day - School closed
