Furze Platt Infant School
Newsletter - 7th May 2021
Here comes Summer!
What a wonderful start we have had to the Summer Term! There has been such a positive feel around FPIS as we begin the final term of this rather odd academic year - and it certainly seems that we are gradually moving back towards normality with things such as before and after school clubs returning, as well as visitors and enrichment events starting to take place in school once again.
We continue to be really pleased with the systems and procedures we have in place in and around our school and how these are working. We are also very hopeful that as we review these over the coming weeks and months to reflect any changes to government guidance that we will be able to hold our Sports Day event as well as other end of year celebrations. We will add these dates to our diary as soon as we are able to confirm our plans, so please do keep checking for updates.
We are aware that so many parents are very keen to help their child with their learning at home and we would like to thank you for all you are doing to support us with this. Fluent reading and quick recall of maths facts are both proven to have a significant impact on learning in particular, so please do continue to ensure that you are listening to your child read at home. Equally, DoodleMaths, with its 'little and often' approach is also great for boosting their confidence in maths as well as their ability too!
Have a lovely weekend! :)
NEW Early Years outdoor learning environment!
Our children in Bumblebees have been thoroughly enjoying exploring their newly fenced outdoor area adjacent to their classroom recently. The area enables the children to have secure and easy access to learning outside - and means that each of our three Early Years classes now has their own designated outdoor learning environment! Phase 2 of this exciting project will involve the installation of artificial grass surfacing, which is due to be completed within the next few weeks. This will allow the children to make full use of this wonderful outdoor space - whatever the weather!
April birthday celebrations!
Our children who had birthdays in April were all very keen to celebrate with their classmates in school last week. There was certainly lots of fun and laughter as they partied away all together. We think the birthday crowns look very impressive too!
Parties for our children with birthdays in May will be held on the afternoon of Friday 28th :)
...and another April birthday!
We are delighted to let you know that Miss Parsons has had a baby girl!
The lovely little one, who is yet to be named, arrived safely on 19th April - weighing 6lbs exactly.
The children in Caterpillar Class were so excited to be introduced to baby Parsons via zoom earlier this afternoon!
Both mother and baby are doing well - and we are sure that you will join us in sending our congratulations and very best wishes to Miss Parsons and her Fiancé on their new arrival.
Such happy news!
Early Years News
We have had a great start to our Summer Project - Journeys! We shared our experiences by discussing favourite places that we have visited and how we got there. Last week our Brilliant Beginning took Bumblebees, Caterpillars and Dragonflies on a tour all around the school grounds. We explored various maps and then made our own, inspired by our journey. This week we have focussed on the Traditional Tale of The Gingerbread Man and have enjoyed using props, actions and small world resources to retell the story.
Year 1 News
We have been looking at the similarities and differences between the UK and The Gambia, focusing particularly on how water is used, the weather and what school is like. This week we have started our new project Changes and have been busy planting broad bean seeds and thinking about what all plants need to grow well. We have also been looking at sequencing the stages of how a plant grows and focusing on instructions. In maths we have been counting in different ways and learning about equal and unequal groups.
Year 2 News
We have had the most wonderful start to our project Fire, Fire! We had three Brilliant Beginning events. Firstly, our Great Fire of London workshop. We had an amazing time acting out the main events from 1666 with Mr Chandler's help. Secondly, we had a creative day where we participated in a range of creative activities; becoming artists, designers and scent bag makers. Finally, we immersed ourselves in 1666 with a dress up day, which involved a traditional dance, escaping from the fire on boats using our mathematical knowledge of arrays to help us and burning down our very own Pudding Lane!
House Points
Head of School Awards
Head of School Awards.newsletter template.docxDoodle update
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The new Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has launched The Big Ask – the largest ever consultation with children aged 4 to 17 in England. It aims to find out children’s concerns and aspirations about the future, so that we can put children at the heart of our country’s recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The results from this survey will help the Children’s Commissioner identify the barriers preventing children from reaching their potential, put forward solutions and set ambitious goals for the country to achieve.
If you have time, please can you support this by asking your child to complete the questionnaire, using the link below. They are seeking both children and adults views.
Baroness Floella Benjamin live zoom!
Baroness Floella Benjamin will be talking live to all the children at FPIS on Tuesday 11th May and we are very excited to hear her story, based on her experiences of moving from Trinidad to London as part of the Windrush generation. We are very fortunate to secure this for free, with the help of Chiltern Bookshops and hope that many children will be inspired to purchase her book, "Coming to England". Please click on the link to buy a copy!
Oaken Grove parking plea
We are still experiencing a high number of complaints from local residents and parents in regards to the behaviour of a minority of our parents when dropping off and picking up children along Oaken Grove. We have repeatedly asked parents to park considerately along Oaken Grove, avoiding the area if at all possible and walk to school. Despite our pleas, we are very concerned to hear of some parents who are parking or manoeuvring dangerously along Oaken Grove, or even intimidating other parents as they do so. Unfortunately, the school has limited powers to take action against individuals. However, we would suggest that any parent who experiences abusive or intimidating behaviour from another parent in regard to this contacts the police and ensures they take note of the car registration plate. Please do let the school know too as it may help us to identify the perpetrators to enable us to keep all of our children safe as they walk to and from school.
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