Maundene Weekly
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Friday 22nd April 2022
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” —Maya Angelou
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back after half term - we hope you managed to have some time to rest!
On Tuesday, Woodpeckers and Falcons dressed up as Prime Ministers to introduce them to their global theme of Power and Governance. They even wrote their own laws and thought of some consequences that they would put in place if people did not follow them! Alongside this, Year 6 had a very exciting day as they started their forest school sessions. The got very wet and muddy on the mud slide, enjoyed climbing trees and making bug hotels with their friends.
On Wednesday, Mrs Jackson led a very exciting celebration assembly. Each class teacher chose an individual that they felt had worked extremely hard or had a positive start to the term ahead. The children behaved impeccably in the hall and Mrs Jackson was very proud of EYFS for joining the rest of the school in such a mature and sensible manner. The whole school were amazing! Alongside this, Year 5 had another exciting swimming lesson. The children love attending these weekly and always come back to school buzzing to tell members of staff and other children about their achievements during their lesson.
Kingfishers and Doves thoroughly enjoyed discussing their new text, 'The Wall' on Thursday. They thought about what fair and unfair means and created questions to ask the King in the story. During forest school, Falcons spent their time climbing trees, collecting all the rubbish that had blown in over half term, used the mud slide and even used natural materials to make a bird feeder. On Thursday, Year 1 also had a visit from DPD where they had the opportunity to experience a ride in electric vans. The children absolutely loved this experience!
This morning Year 5 had a learning with your child workshop focusing on English. The children loved using the resources that had been set out for them and showing their parents how they would answer particular questions or use engaging vocabulary to improve their writing. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the workshop - it means so much to the children. Today Owls and Ravens class had a fun science lesson where they explored the topic of sound. Through teamwork, they investigated how sound can be amplified by adding more energy.
The children have had a fantastic first week back after half term and we know that they have many more engaging lessons and activities planned for the weeks ahead.
We hope you have a lovely weekend,
Miss Capes, Mrs Jackson and the Maundene Team
Learning Snapshots
Year 1 - DPD
Year 1 are learning about sustainability as part of their global theme. They had a visit from DPD Dartford who drove in two of their electric vans.
They talked to the children about why they have started using them and the benefits that they have on the environment. The children and some staff members then had a ride in them!
Thank you to DPD Dartford for the visit on Thursday! We look forward to continuing to build our relationship and working together to benefit our school community. #community
Stars of the Week
Mrs Jackson absolutely loved presenting the Stars of the Week in assembly on Wednesday. Even though the children had only been back for one day, the certificates were awarded to children that had come back on Tuesday demonstrating amazing learning attitudes and dispositions - well done to everyone that received a certificate.
Doves
Bailey W
Kingfishers
Edith G
Finches
Harliv V
Kestrels
Seth N
Blackbirds
Emeli S
Robins
Isabelle I
Falcons
Leia H
Woodpeckers
Lennie P
Owls
Ewan K
Ravens
Daisy H
Swans
Amarlia H
Jays
Sienna P
Ospreys
Payton T
Eagles
Harry N
Key Messages
Staffing News
Following a rigorous interview process, our congratulations go to Mrs Jackson who is now officially Assistant Headteacher at Maundene. We are sure you will join the staff in congratulating Mrs Jackson on her promotion - please do not worry, she will still continue to do her wonderful work as SENCO for the children of Maundene!
Careers Fair - 8.7.22
We are pleased to inform you that on Friday 8th July 2022 we will be hosting a Careers Fair for our pupils. We aim for this fair to help boost the aspirations of our pupils and find out about lots of different opportunities they could encounter one day.
We know that the event will have a lasting impact and raise the aspirations of the children and as school we strongly believe in making a difference for all children. We are inviting representatives from various industries/services to enable our children to be more aware of the wide range of opportunities that are available for them.
If you would like to volunteer for the careers fair, please email the school office. More details about the event will be provided nearer the time. Volunteers must be willing to discuss their job role to KS1 and KS2 children, and also talk about the barriers that they’ve had to overcome to succeed.
Jubilee Celebrations
Friday 27th May 2022
Advance notice - the children will be spending the day celebrating the Queen's Jubilee and participating in a range of activities relating to this - more information regarding this will follow shortly.
Children can come to school dressed in red, white and blue
Lunch - weather permitting - will be a picnic on the school field and the school kitchen will provide this for any children that usually have a school dinner on a Friday
Covid Updates
As we are sure you will be aware, on Friday 1st April the long term government strategy for ‘living with Covid’ came into place. The UK approach to managing COVID -19 is now very similar to how we manage other forms of respiratory infections as the success of the vaccination programme means that most people with COVID-19 will only experience very mild illness.
Below we have outlined what this means for us as an education setting:
- Children with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or mild cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend school.
- Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and where possible avoid contact with other people. They can come back to school when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough.
- If a child or young person has a positive COVID-19 test result they should stay at home and where possible avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test. The risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower after 3 days if they feel well and do not have a high temperature.
- Children and young people who live with someone who has a positive COVID-19 test result should continue to attend as normal.
We know that the last two years have been very challenging for us all and we want to thank you for your support during this period.
Nivea Suncream
It has been brought to our attention that Nivea suncream contains almond oil. As we have a number of children who have nut allergies, this product is not suitable for any children to bring into school or use. We have made this decision in order to keep all of our children at Maundene safe, particularly those with known allergies.
We do acknowledge that some children may bring suncream into school, however please can parents take notice of the ingredients in the suncreams that they are providing.
Year R Places September 22
Do you know of any children who are due to start school in September 22?
After Medway allocating places this week, we still have spaces available for September. Please contact the school office or Medway council for further information.
Key dates
Thursday 28th April
Year 4 Learning with your child workshop - 14:20-15:20
Friday 29th April
International Dance Day - PE kit to be worn
Monday 02nd May
Bank holiday
Tuesday 03rd May
Year 2 SATs
Friday 06th May
Year R Reading with your child - 14:55-15:15
Monday 09th May
Year 6 Sats Start
Wednesday 11th May
Year 4 Starts Swimming
Friday 13th May
Swans Class Assembly - 09:00-09:20
Thursday 19th May
Year 1 Grandparents at Forest School
Friday 20th May
Finches Class Assembly - 09:00-09:20
Year 6 Reading with your child - 14:55-15:15
Tuesday 24th May
Year 1 Brighton Sea Life Centre Trip
Young Voices
Thursday 26th May
Year 3 Learning Exhibition
Falcons - 14.00 - 14:30
Woodpeckers - 14:30 - 15:00
Friday 27th May
Whole School Book Look - 14:45-15:20
Jubilee Celebrations - Children can wear red, white and blue
Last Day Of Term
Attendance
Our whole school attendance this week is
92%
Doves - 91%
Kingfishers - 89%
Finches - 90%
Kestrels - 87%
Robins - 87%
Blackbirds - 94%
Falcons - 93%
Woodpeckers - 97%
Owls - 95%
Ravens - 95%
Swans - 93%
Jays - 88%
Ospreys - 96%
Eagles - 97%
Birthdays
Kingfishers
Doves
Finches
Jacob C
Kestrels
Robins
Blackbirds
Harrison E
Falcons
Woodpeckers
Lenne-James P
Owls
Ravens
Swans
Maisie C
Jays
Ospreys
Eagles
Oracy
At Maundene, we believe that Oracy is fundamental to the learning process and children's development.
Oracy is our ability to communicate effectively using spoken language. It is the ability to speak eloquently, articulate ideas and thoughts, influence through talking, listen to others and have the confidence to express your views. These are all skills that support success in both learning and life beyond school.
Therefore, we have decided that we are going to add an Oracy task in our weekly newsletter. This is an optional activity but it is being provided to encourage you and your child to discuss an image, scenario, quote or video each week. The four different strands of Oracy are provided below with key skills for your children to focus on when they are participating in a discussion with you at home.
Oracy Task
Take one minute to look at the image.
Can you think of other ways to say 'cold'? For example, wintry.
Use your words in sentences.
I believe…
In my opinion…
I know this because…
The first reason…
Another reason being…
Surely you would agree…
It must be considered…
In support of this…
