Furze Platt Juniors 2025-26 Newsletter

Newsletter 5: 23rd January 2025

January- we are back!

Welcome back and Happy New Year! While the cold, dark, and rainy days can make the post-Christmas return a challenge, we are so proud of how our children have bounced back. They are already back in their routines and working hard on their new topics—please check the Year group news for more details on what they are learning.

While the weather has forced us to cancel some outdoor sports recently, making for a quiet start to the term, things are about to get very exciting! Highlights for this term include:

Cultural Week ("This is Me"): Celebrating identity and community- more info to come this week!
Young Voices: Our first trip to the O2 for the joint schools concert!
Plus many other curriculum trips and activities such as talks, dressing up days and visits.

If the return to school has been difficult for your child, please let us know so we can help support them- we have created a useful poster below to help parents with the often difficult morning routine- we hope this might be helpful to some. We are also busy preparing further resouces which could be of use of parents.

Here is to a positive January—a month for fresh starts, new learning, and looking forward to an exciting term together!

Anna Clark

Head of School

Diary Dates:

Mon 26th January- Al Sylvester expedition talk for Y4
Tues 27th January- Young Voices rehearsal after school in Swan classroom (3.15-4.15), weekly until after end of term.
Weds 28th January- Y5 Greek Day
Weds 28th January- Y4 Swimming (weekly this term)
Thurs 5th Feb- 25th Feb: Topic homework set
Mon 9th Feb: Culture Week- "This is Me"
Mon 9th Feb: Y4 to see "We will Rock You" at FPSS- pm
Weds 11th Feb: Y5 parents meeting about Rhos-Y-Gwaliau Y6 residential trip 6-7pm
Thurs 12th Feb: Swan class taking part in the dance festival at Braywick leisure centre
Fri 13th Feb: "This is Me" dress down- more info to follow:
Fri 13th Feb: End of term 3
Half term break Monday 16th Feb- Friday 20th Feb
Mon 23rd Feb: Term 4 begins
Weds 25th Feb: Young Voices Concert at the O2
Thurs 27th Feb: Y3 Egyptian day
Fri 28th Feb: FPSA Murder Mystery Event
Mon 2nd March: Y3 Trip to Ashmolean Museum
Thurs/Fri 5th/6th March: Scholastic Book Fair
Fri 6th March: World Book Day celebrations (dress down)
Mon 9th March: Author visit (TBC)
Tues 17th March: Road safety talks Y3,Y4, Y6
Fri 20th March: Comic Relief Day (dress down)
Mon 23rd March: Parents consultations 3.30-6.30pm
Tue 24th March: FPSA AGM 8pm-9pm
Weds 25rd March: Parents consultations 3.30-6.30pm
Fri 27th March: End of term- school finishes at 1.30pm

Quick Links

Curriculum

Lunch Menu- Winter 25-26

Term Dates 25-26

Calendar

Who's who at FPJS

Website including housepoints update

FPJS School News

Assemblies this term

Our Tuesday assemblies this term have continued to inspire thoughtful discussion and reflection across the school. We began by learning about ADHD, helping the children understand what it is and encouraging them to celebrate differences and appreciate the unique strengths everyone brings to our community. We then explored the New Year, discovering that it is celebrated at different times and in many different ways around the world, highlighting the richness of global traditions and cultures.

During Energy Saving Week, the children considered why saving energy is important and shared practical ways they can help at home and at school, from switching off lights to reducing waste. Most recently, we enjoyed learning about Burns Night, exploring how and why it is celebrated and discovering more about Scottish traditions and heritage. These assemblies have provided valuable opportunities for learning, curiosity and reflection, and we look forward to the themes still to come.

Mrs Barbosa

Wicked- Singalong Live!

This past Thursday, 22nd January, our Young Voices choir had a truly Wicked time participating in a special live singalong event! It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to belt out the Wicked medley that have been practising and get into the performance spirit. This served as the perfect warm-up for the main event: our upcoming performance at the O2 Arena next month. The students sounded incredible, and the excitement is officially building!

Swimmarathon 2026

Congratulations and huge thank you to all the fantastic children who took part in the 41st Lion's Swimarathon earlier this term. We had a fantastic 7 teams which took place- 44 of our pupils took part- who swam a total of 788 laps, 1756 lengths which adds up to a mammoth 39,400 metres! This has raised a fantastic £3171 in total with a brilliant £1585.5 going to our FPSA funds!

Also thanks to Sally Brown who helped to organise this and came into our Friday celebration assembly to present certificates to the following children (see in photos below):

Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars

Star of the week Newsletter 5: 23rd January

Well done to all our stars over the last few weeks:

Our stars are chosen from following the values of the school: Passion, Well-being and respect.

We also chose children who have made exceptional effort in their work or attitude to learning.

TT Rock stars- Top Ten Leaderboard & Top Ten progress for accuracy

Well done to all our children who are using TT rock stars regularly to practise times tables!

Keep up the daily practise everyone- it is scientifically proven that practising a little and often will ensure you master those times tables as soon as possible until they are automatically recalled from memory.

Here are our Top 10 children for speed in each year group and the best progress for accuracy.

Bedrock Learning

Well done to all our children who are regularly completing their homework tasks to improve their vocabulary! Here are our top 10 children who have spent the most time on their bedrock learning so far this term:

Sports Update

10@10 Leisure Focus Workout

On Wednesday, 14th January, the entire school pressed pause on their lessons to take part in the Leisure Focus 10@10.

At 10:00 am sharp, every class dialed into a special Zoom call organised by Leisure Focus to complete a fun, high-energy 10-minute workout. We participated in this event to support the Chief Medical Officer’s advice that children should aim for 60 active minutes every day.

It was wonderful to see students and staff alike getting active, having fun, and energising themselves for the rest of the day of learning!

Year 4 Speed Stacking

Well done to all the Year 4 children who represented Furze Platt at the Year 3/4 Speed Stacking Festival on Tuesday 20th January. The children did extremely well, showing great teamwork while learning a new sport they had not tried before.

Speed stacking is both an individual and team sport that involves stacking nine or twelve cups in pre-determined sequences as quickly as possible. The children showed fantastic focus, coordination and enthusiasm throughout the event.

Year 6 Speed Stacking

Well done to all the Year 6s who represented Furze Platt and Altwood School at the Speed Stacking Festival. Some of the Year 6s have done this before, so it was great to see how much they had improved their skills, while for others it was a brand-new sport to learn. Everyone worked brilliantly in their teams and did extremely well. Speed stacking is both an individual and team sport that involves stacking nine or twelve cups in pre-determined sequences as quickly as possible. The children showed fantastic focus, coordination and enthusiasm throughout the event.

Year Group Updates

Year 3 News

Happy New Year and welcome back!

The children have settled really well and are back into the swing of things after a well deserved Christmas break.

In English the children have been creating their own superheroes and villains using 2A sentences to describe them. The children have worked hard on how to make a paragraph flow using adjectives to describe how a character looks and acts. In book talk the children have been reading a variety of poems and read them aloud to the class.

In maths the children have been focusing on multiplication and division using exchanges. They have been using the manipulatives to support this as well as using H,T and O charts.

In history our topic this term is 'Ancient Egypt'. The children have looked at the mummification process, who rules Egypt and where they were buried and what artefacts we have in museums today.

As part of out history topic, the children have been learning some sewing skills and stitch types that will help them to create their own collars.

Our science this term is 'Plants'. We have looked at what a plant needs to grow as well as labelling the key parts and what their job is.

In French we have been learning the names for musical instruments.

Well done for settling so well into 2026 Year 3 - we are so proud of how hard you are working.

Mrs Barry- Y3 Team Leader

Year 3- What are we learning?

Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:

What does a plant need to grow?

What adjectives did you use to describe your superhero?

What are the French words for drums and recorder?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...

I am the seed that grew the tree - Fiona Waters

Iron Man - Ted Hughes

Fantastic Mr Fox - Roald Dahl

Year 4 News

Happy New Year and welcome back!

The children have returned after the Christmas break well-rested and ready to take on the new year.

In English, the children thoroughly enjoyed reading their excellent oral hygiene posters to the Year 1 children at Furze Platt Infant School. It was lovely to see them buddying up and confidently teaching the younger children how to look after their teeth.

In Maths, the children have been focusing on written multiplication strategies, as well as multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100.

In History, our topic this term is The Vikings. The children have explored the Vikings’ first raid on Lindisfarne, as well as debunking myths and questioning whether the Vikings were really violent raiders.

In Science, we have been learning about how sound is created through vibrations and how it travels to our ears. The children have investigated how vibrations cause sound waves and how we can observe their effects.

In French, we have been practising greetings, asking and answering the questions “How are you?” and “What is your name?”, as well as learning numbers up to 20.

Well done to Year 4 for such a positive start to swimming lessons. It has been wonderful to see so many of you enjoying these sessions while developing such important life skills.

Keep up the hard work!

Mrs Batchelor
Year 4 Team Leader

Year 4- What are we learning?

Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks:

True or false? The Vikings wore horns on their helmets.
If I am dividing by 10, do I move my digits up or down the place value chart?
How can I greet someone in French?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4...

Everest - The Remarkable Story of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

By Alexandra Stewart and Joe Todd-Stanton

How to Train Your Dragon

By Cressida Cowell

Brand New Boy

By David Almond

Year 5 News

Happy New year to all and welcome back!

It has been a busy and productive start to the term for Year 5.

In our topic work, we have fully embraced the Ancient Greeks, studying their history and enjoying the drama of Greek Myths during our reading sessions. This theme has sparked some wonderful discussions in class!

In English, they have focussed on suspense writing. The children have used sensory descriptions and the past perfect tense to create atmosphere and tension in their stories. They are currenly working on creating interesting and infomative fact files about some of the Greek Gods. Meanwhile, in Maths, they have been are tackling multiplication and division equations with growing confidence.

We have also been scientists this week, examining the properties of materials, and artists—completing our final pieces inspired by the contrasting styles of Stephen Wiltshire and Van Gogh.

Well done, Year 5!

Miss Scott and Mr Sawle, Year 5 Team Leaders

Year 5- What are we learning?

Maths: Can you show me the method you are using for multiplication and division?
Writing: How do authors use sensory description to help build tension in a scary story?
Topic: What is your favourite Greek Myth that you have read so far?
Art: Tell me about your final art piece—did you use more inspiration from Stephen Wiltshire or Van Gogh?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5:

Mythologica

Steve Kershaw and Victoria Topping

Greek Myths

Ann Turnbull and Sarah Young

Year 6 News

Year 6 Term Update

Miss Morales - Y6 Team Leader

We have had a brilliant start to the Autumn term and we have enjoyed diving into our new units.

In maths, pupils have been developing their understanding of percentages, decimals and fractions, exploring the links between them and learning how to work confidently and interchangeably across all three.

In English, the children have been writing diary entries inspired by the spooky short story Boo. We are extremely proud of the high standard of writing produced, with pupils demonstrating a wide range of punctuation and a consistent, appropriate tone.

In science, learning has focused on evolution and how living things adapt over time. Pupils have also explored inherited characteristics, such as eye colour and freckles, and how these are passed from parents to offspring.

Our reading comprehension lessons are centred around the class novel Orphans of the Tide. The children are thoroughly enjoying this exciting story of good versus evil, which has now reached a pivotal point filled with suspense and anticipation.

In art, pupils have been studying the work of Frida Kahlo and Andy Goldsworthy. They are working towards creating a self-portrait that incorporates patterns found in nature.

Keep up the great work!

Miss Morales

Year 6- What are we learning?

Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:

Name on similarity and one difference between the artwork of Frida Kahlo and Andy Goldsworthy.
What might be in your 'toolkit' for diary writing?
Tell me about the hierachy of one of the Ancient Civilisations.

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...

FPSA Update

The FPSA would like to welcome all parents, carers and staff from both schools a Happy New Year! Please get your diaries out and pencil our fundraising events in.

Well done to all of the Juniors children who took part in the recent Maidenhead Lions Swimarathon at Braywick Leisure Centre, this activity raised over £3,000, half of which is going to FPJS.

Personalised name label stickers

We have an updated discount code for buying school uniform labels and labels for water bottles etc. from the 'Easy2Name' company. Simply order from the following site: https://www.easy2name.com/stickeasy, quote code 'FR-FPIS-72' and not only will you will get free delivery, the FPSA will receive 20% of the order value. These labels will help the schools return mislaid uniform and will help cut down on the lost property including water bottles and lunchboxes as well as uniform.

Windsor & Maidenhead Community Lottery

This is a weekly lottery that raises money for good causes in the Royal Borough including the FPSA. Tickets for the lottery cost just £1 and from that 60p goes to good causes including 50p to the FPSA. Each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance to win a prize each week with a top prize of £25,000! So please sign up and buy a weekly ticket or two using the link: https://www.windsorandmaidenheadcommunitylottery.co.uk/support/furze-platt-schools-association

Dates for your Diary:

Murder Mystery Event - Friday 27th February 2026

Tickets are now on sale for our very first ever 'Murder Mystery' event which takes place at the end of February. The Juniors hall will be turned into an old library in a 'Death at Dinner Club' performance from Moonstone Murder Mysteries company. Work in teams or go solo as live actors bring the drama to life - can you solve the crime?

Tickets available at https://fpsa.charityhive.co.uk/tickets/1/murder-mystery-evening.

Happy School Bags Collection - Thursday 5th March

A time to get rid of unwanted clothes and other items to help raise money for our schools. Please bring your filled bags to the Infants gates at drop-off.

FPSA AGM - Tuesday 24th March (8-9pm)

Our annual meeting takes place at the Infants School. Come and hear what events we ran in 2025, the money that was raised, what was spent by both schools and what is on their wish list for this year and beyond.

Cheese & Wine evening - Friday 24th April

Another brand new event for 2026! Look out for more information soon.

Mr T's (10th anniversary) Quiz Night - Friday 15th May (8pm-11pm)

The quiz night is celebrating 10 years, having started with the first one back in May 2016. This time there will be fancy dress with prizes for best team fancy dress and best individual.

Summer Fair - Saturday 27th June (11.30am-3pm)

Please save the date for our biggest fundraiser of the year!

Useful Information For Parents

WUW_YouTube_Guide

pdf final spring wmso poster 14.3.2026 (1).pdf

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