Furze Platt Juniors 2023-24 Newsletter

It feels a lifetime ago remembering back to 9:20am, on the first day back, receiving the phone call for Ofsted announcing their visit. We are currently waiting for our report to be written and we will share it with you as soon as it is. Thank you to all the families that filled in the survey and spoke to the inspector during the visit. We had 106 responses with 97% of responses from families saying that their child was happy at school, 98% said their child felt safe at school and 96% would recommend the school to another parent; such supportive feedback.

It seems that every week is a busy week at FPJS and this newsletter celebrates so many of the enrichment activities that have taken place over the past few weeks. This week is also busy with a special visitor - John Willis - coming in for two days to work with our children on resilience, determination and inclusion. More information will be in the next newsletter.

Please can I remind you all that children should not be on site until 8:35am. We are still seeing some children dropped off or walking in well before this time without an adult. The playground is staffed from 8:35 but, before that, any child on site is not supervised. Also, if families need to see a teacher, please can they arrange a meeting via the school office or via SeeSaw. Please do not try to come into the classrooms, cloakroom areas before school because the staff are working with children at this point and not able to meet.

Finally, we do listen to all feedback and we do try to be as open as we can for families. We truly believe that working together (school and home) is the best way to support the children. With that in mind, if you ever do have any concerns, questions or suggestions then please do get in touch with the class teacher, team leader, Mrs B or one of the school leadership team. I know how accessible and useful social media, including WhatsApp, is for families to keep on top of the numerous events and school requests but we have been made aware that some concerns or even incidents are being widely discussed outside of school and we are then hearing second hand from other families. Please do be mindful that sharing on a year group level is not always relevant for other families and, as a school, we cannot do anything about it if we are not made aware. Thank you for your support.

Quick Links

Curriculum

Lunch Menu

Term Dates 23-24

Calendar

Website including housepoints update

Diary Dates:

Wednesday 13th March - John Willis in for years 3 and 4
Friday 15th March - Dress Down for Red Nose Day
Tuesday 19th March - Y4 trip to The Living Rainforest
Tuesday 19th March - James Campbell (author) visit
Wednesday 20th March - Y6 Easter Cracked at St Peter's Church
Thursday 21st March - Parents Evening 3.30-6.30
Tuesday 26th March - Parents Evening 3.30-6.30
Week Beginning 25th March - Y5 class assemblies. Dates TBC
Thursday 28th March - Last day of term. School finishes at 3.15
Monday 15th April - Term 5 begins
Friday 19th April - Fire and Rescue Service in for Y5
Friday 26th April - Brazilian Dance workshop for Y3
Thursday 2nd May - Multiplication Tables Check information evening for Y4 parents via Zoom 6pm
Monday 6th May - School Closed (Bank Holiday Monday)
Monday 13th May - Thursday 16th May - KS2 SATs Week
Week Beginning 20th May - Y4 class assemblies. Dates TBC
Friday 24th May - Term 5 ends
Monday 3rd June - Term 6 starts
Monday 3rd June - Friday 21st June - Y4 Multiplication Tables Checks
Tuesday 4th June - Y6 trip to Silverstone
Monday 10th June - Y3 Roman Day
Tuesday 11th June - Y3 and Y6 road safety workshops (rearranged from February)
Wednesday 11th June - Y4 road safety workshops (rearranged from February)
Tuesday 18th June - GEMS coffee morning at FPIS 9.30
Friday 28th June - Sports Day
Friday 5th July - Y5 trip to Cadbury World
Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd July - Y4 trip to Longridge

World Book Day - 8th March 2024

Friday saw a fabulous array of costumes from cleverly thought out hints of characters to guess to full blown outfits!

Year 3 welcomed our year 2 children to FPJS to share a book together and a large team of year 6 volunteers went across to the Reception classes to read with the children. Two lovely activities for the older children to work with the younger year groups at FPJS.

In our celebration assembly, staff members shared extracts from their favourite books, year groups shared their homework's including their overall class and year group 'book in a box' winners and the school sang a beautiful rendition of 'when I grow up' from Matilda.

Thank you to all the families that attended our book fair. As a school, we raised an amazing £1,270.85 and, so many children got the opportunity to browse and even buy some fabulous books.

Book in a Box Class Winners

Wren - Rayan

Robin - Keziah

Finch - Farrin

Skylark - Cameron

Swift - Phoebe

Kingfisher - Carina

Kestrel - Lily

Kite - Millie

Eagle - Imogen

Swan - Rose

Cormorant - Maya

Heron - Sarim

Y3 Stop Animation Workshops with Norden Farm

On Monday 26th February, Year 3 were lucky enough to have a special visit from Norden Farm. As part of World Book Day the children created their own stop, start motion stories based on their favourite book characters. The children started by drawing these and then used the ipads to record the story in motion. The children thoroughly enjoyed creating these and sharing their videos with the class.

Whole school author visit Sam Copeland

On Tuesday 5th March, we were treated to a whole school assembly from author Sam Copeland. Sam is the author of the Charlie Changes series, among others. Sam spoke to the children about the inspiration behind his books and, in particular, told them some weird and wonderful facts about disgusting animals, which the children thoroughly enjoyed!

At the end of the assembly, the children were enthralled listening to Sam reading an extract from 'Charlie Changes into a Chicken' - I think many were very disappointed that they hadn't bought a book in order to read on!

We have a selection of Sam Copeland's books in our school library should any child wish to borrow one.

2024 Poppy Appeal

Thank you to everyone who bought poppies for the Poppy Appeal back in November.

Furze Platt Junior School raised a huge £398.33!

Well done, Mollie

Last weekend, Mollie H, Finch class, competed in another ice skating competition, this time in Leicester. Mollie won another silver medal. We are so proud of her achievement. Well done Mollie!

Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars

Star of the Week for Newsletter 11th March

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 & Top Ten progress children this term

Well done to all our children who use TT rock stars regularly to practise times tables! In this edition we have an updated top ten and the top ten children who have made the most progress this term.

Top Ten Progress in TT Rock stars

Spelling Shed- Top Ten

Well done to our top ten spelling pupils this week!

Bedrock Top 10 by Year Group

Congratulations to the top 10 in each year group who have scored the most points on Bedrock!

Sports Update

PE News!

Since starting spring term 2, the children have moved on to doing Fitness and OAA (outdoor adventurous activities) in their P.E. lessons. In their fitness lessons they have been doing the bleep test to develop their stamina and agility; they have also been doing circuits in order to develop their balance, speed, co-ordination, flexibility and skills. In their OAA lessons, they have been developing their spatial awareness skills, team work, directions, problem solving, and trusting each other in the activities they have been doing.

Miss Gill

Fencing Festival

On Wednesday 6th March, year 4 and year 6 went to Newlands Girl School to attend the fencing festival. This event got the children learning a new sport and learning new skills. They completed fencing drills learning how to lunge, dodge, advance, retreat and many more. After completing the drills, they then got to play against each other using all the skills they hadlearnt.

Miss Gill

FPJS Football Reports

Finally, after weeks of rained off game and cancelled fixtures. FPJS A and B team have managed to play some more football fixtures.

B Team Match v Holy Trinity

Mr King and the B team finally got their first fixture of the season, on the third time of trying due to poor weather in previous weeks. The B team played exceptionally well in this game and deservedly came out 2 - 1 winner.

The first half started nervously with a few chances for Holy Trinity, however excellent goalkeeping and a solid defence kept the game level. The midfield managed to get on the ball more and more leading to a domination of possession, some intricate play saw FPJS thunder their first goal into the back of the net.

The second half saw Holy Trinity grow into it a little more, with more possession and pressure leading to a well played goal against FPJS, to draw the game level. This changed the FPJS focus and they got back to playing like they did in the first half. A strong challenge led to a free kick just inside the Holy Trinity half, we lined up the free kick and thundered it towards the goal, through the crowd of players it took a wicked deflection past the goalkeeper. 2-1 FPJS. The team stayed strong for the rest of the match and came out victorious, an excellent start to the season for the B team.

A Team Match Report v Courthouse

A local derby this week for the A team, at the fourth time of trying due to constant rained off fixtures and water logged pitches, FPJS managed to play Courthouse. The matches between these two teams have always been close over the last few years and this time was no different.

The first half was tight with neither team managing to break down the other's defence. Courthouse played good long ball football which FPJS dealt with very well. It took a while for the FPJS playmakers to get control but once they did the chances kept coming but some excellent Courthouse saves kept the scores level. Just before halftime, Courthouse managed to sneak a goal with another long ball attack this time taking the FPJS defence by surprise.

The second half was very much the same with FPJS controlling the ball and making numerous chances. The pressure eventually got the rewards scoring as the A team drew level. The match became a stalemate with chances for both teams not leading to a goal, the A team played an excellent game this time around and were unfortunate to not get the win. Nonetheless, a solid 1 - 1 draw against Courthouse was the least they deserved.

B Team Match Report v Courthouse

The B team had their second game of the season in a local derby against Courthouse. Unfortunately, the Courthouse B team didn’t have enough players and instead played some A team players to ensure the fixture went ahead.

The first half, FPJS were exceptional, demonstrating that brilliant link up play seen in the previous match and had a few early chances to take the lead but for some outstanding Courthouse goalkeeping. Against the run of play, Courthouse managed to get through on goal and after an excellent initial save Courthouse had a tap in to take the lead. Nonetheless, FPJS kept going and managed to earn a penalty just before half time, and it was superbly taken with the ball flying into the top corner giving the keeper no chance. 1 - 1 at half time.

In the second half, FPJS stayed strong with some excellent defending and pressure all over the pitch. As FPJS pressed for a winner, Courthouse started to look dangerous on the counter attack with some excellent long ball play from their defenders catching FPJS off guard. Unfortunately, FPJS conceded two very quick counter attack goals giving Courthouse a 3 - 1 lead. The closing moments of the game were still dominated by FPJS however they couldn’t find a way back level but they should all be very proud of another strong and consistent performance.

Mr King and I would like to thank all the supporters we have been coming to the fixtures so far. We are hoping for many more fixtures before the end of term!!

Well done FPJS A and B team.

Mr Sawle and Mr King.

SportsHall Athletics year 3/4

On Friday 8th March, year 3 and 4 went to the county finals held at St Bartholomew's School Newbury, representing Ascot and Maidenhead.

Our A team came 1st back in November when SHA was held at Braywick Leisure Centre, this was the performance that had led them to the finals.

The children tried their very best and gave it their all. It was a very competitive event against all the other schools that got to the Berkshire county finals. our year 3/4 came 5th! I am very proud of them all!

Keep an eye on the next newsletter for an update on the y5/6 SHA team.

Miss Gill

Year Group Updates

Year 3 News

What another fantastic start to the term Year 3 have had! This included a visit from Norden Farm as shown above.

We are also so proud of all of the children's hard work and creativity with our home work of 'Book in a box'. These have blown us away and it was so very hard to choose winners but all of the children have done brilliantly so well done Year 3!

In English the children have been creating their own persuasive posters in an area of their choosing. These have included how to eat healthier, how to look after the library and how to use school equipment correctly. The children enjoyed looking at both presentation and writing features.

In maths we have been working hard on fractions. The children have been looking at the role of the numerator and denominator as well as making a the whole and putting fractions on a number line. We have also looked at arithmetic and how to use the 4 operations.

In science our topic is Animals including Humans. We have looked at the healthy eating plate and the 5 food types as well as the main organs and bones we have inside our bodies.

In French we have learned 10 new fruits as well as how to say one and more than one fruit.

Our geography topic this term is North America and this has involved the children identifying countries in North America as well as which one has the biggest population and which is the largest on the continent. The children were also reminded of the seven continents and where these are located on the world map.

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 positive phrases can you remember from our persuasive posters?
What is the job of the denominator?
How do you say peach in French?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...

Charlie and the chocolate factory - Roald Dahl

Earth shattering events - Robin Jacobs

The 13 Storey treehouse - Andy Griffiths

Year 4 News

What a BUSY 2 weeks we have had in school! All of the year 4 team are so proud and impressed with the children's resilience and hard work, especially this week during assessment week- well done!

In our reading lessons, the children have enjoyed getting stuck into the climax of Charlottes Web, discovering how Charlotte plans to save poor Wilbur from the hands of farmer Mr Zuckerman. This has involved a lot of prediction work, interpretation and detective retrieval skills. Alongside this, the children's 'Book in a box' homework have been nothing short of fantastic. We have been able to see a real variety of genre and creative flare that has gone into each and everyone. Please see examples of this.

In Science, the children have been using their Scientific skills to look at classification and adaptation. They have been interpreting data, creating predictions and devising questions that can be carried out in a Scientific enquiry to classify and group different species.

Ready for Red Nose Day, the year have been writing autobiographies on Lenny Henry (the co-founder of Comic Relief). They have been using time adverbials and subordinate clauses to create detailed and relevant biographies, outlining his early life, career and work within Comic Relief. Read the next newsletter to view some fantastic examples of these.

Finally, within Geography, the classes have been researching the different layers of the rainforest. Discovering what features can be found within these and the impact the rainforest has around the world. The children have thoroughly enjoyed working in groups for projects to deliver information to the rest of the class on a selected layer.

I know the children are really looking forward to the upcoming Living Rainforest trip, where they can continue to discover more about the species and plants found in the rainforest. Watch this space to hear more about that trip and upcoming Red Nose day!

Miss Keating-Bell Y4 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:

How can an animal adapt itself to suit its enviroment?
What is the difference between a biography and an autobiography?
Can you name the different layers of the rainforest and some of the features of them?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4..

The Wonder Brothers- Frank Cotrell Boyce

The Worst Witch- Jilly Murphy

A Street Through Time- DK & Steve Noon

Year 5 News

Half way through the term already, we can't believe it! The children have been brilliant this week while completing assessments and we are looking forward to meeting with parents at the next parent's evenings to discuss your child's progress.

In writing, we have begun our diary entry writing. The children have been thinking about what it would be like to be stranded on a desert island which is what has happened to one of the characters, Michael in the book we are currently reading; Kensuke's Kingdom. The children will write a diary entry as if they were him. We will be sharing some of these with you when they have been completed.

In maths, the children have almost finished learning all about decimals, fractions & percentages and the relationship between all three. We will be moving on to Perimeter and Area next week.

We have just begun our DT lessons where we will be making a healthy soup and this week the children have been put into groups, chosen the vegetables that they want to use with the aim of making it next week.

We had so much fun today for World Book Day and it was great to see a fabulous array of children in character costumes and dress up. Well done to the three homework winners too. Your story boxes were amazing!

Mrs Dean, Y5 Team Leader

Year 5 - What are we learning?

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

What are the layers that make up the Earth? What does the top layer consist of?
Can you round 3.64 to the nearest WHOLE number?
Are dissolving, mixing and changes of state reversible or irriversible changes?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5...

Kensuke's Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo

Charlie Changes into a Chicken - Sam Copeland

Roller Girl - Victoria Jamieson

Year 6 News

We are full steam ahead into Spring Term 2! We have started lots of new units and we are really proud of the independence that Year 6 are showing at the moment.

In English, we have finished our suspense unit of writing where we have explored writing techniques to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. This was based on a short film called 'Alma' that has a sinister twist to the story. We have now begun our next English unit on writing hotel advertisements which includes designing our own features of out hotel.

In maths, we have completed our unit on algebra and we have moved onto our next unit on area and perimeter.

In science, we have been looking at the circulatory system and how our organs help to transport blood, nutrients and water around the body. There has been a lot of new scientific language in this unit which the children have been using well through diagrams and explanations.

In DT, we have started our very exciting unit of pizza making. In this unit, children will be making their own individual pizza whilst taking into consideration dietary requirement and healthy alternatives.

We have been astonished by the quality of the world book day boxes that have been coming in! It is clear that there is a lot of effort that has gone into these.

Miss Morales, Y6 Team Leader

Year 6- What are we learning?

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

How is nutrients transported through your body?
What is the difference between being lactose free and gluten free?
What are the key advantages of 'shipping' as a mode of transport in a trade route?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...

No Ballet Shoes in Syria - Catherine Brunton

Sky Song - Abi Elphinstone

Finding Wonders - Jeannine Atkins

FPSA Updates

Disco Night

Our first 'Disco Night' for the grown-ups was held on Friday 9th February. Thank you to everyone who supported the event and a huge thank you to the two Junior teachers, Mr King and Mr Sawle (aka DJs King & Sawle) who played the music on the night. The event raised ~£1,000 for both schools which is fantastic. Roll on the next one!

FPSA money funds the development of the Infants school pond.

Hopefully parents and children at the Infants have noticed a big change in the pond area behind Beech class. Builders were busy over the February half term and have made some big improvements to this area. The FPSA funded all of this improvement work so thank you to everyone who has supported our fund-raising events, this is a nice example of where the money goes.

Dates for your diary

Happy School Bags Collection - Friday 22nd March (drop off)

Bring your bags filled with unwanted clean clothes to help raise funds for both schools. You can leave bags at the Infants gates between 8.30am and 9am.

Mr T's Quiz Night - Friday 22nd March (8pm - 10.45pm)

The FPSA quiz night is back! Join us at the Junior School hall for a fun evening as we raise money for both schools whilst testing our general knowledge and having a drink or two. The quiz includes 4 picture rounds, a music round, a connections round and another mystery round. Book tickets at www.pta-events.co.uk/fpsa. Enter as a full team of 6 or come along as an individual/pair and we will join you with another friendly team on the night. Tickets include lovely food from Palmieri's. A licensed bar will be available.

Thank you to everyone who signed up to have an Oakwood Estates board up outside their house - these should be going up very soon and have helped to raise ~£450 for both schools.

FPSA AGM - Wednesday 27th March (8pm - 9pm)

Come and find out about our fundraising in 2023, hear from the school heads about what they have spent FPSA money on and what is on their wish list for 2024. Everyone is welcome. We would love to have new members join the team so this is a perfect opportunity to meet us, find out more and hopefully join the FPSA!

The AGM will be taking place in the Infants school (most likely Hazel classroom), so please arrive any time from 7.45pm.

Summer Fair - Saturday 22nd June (11.30am - 2.30pm)

Fun for all the family at our biggest fund-raising event of the year. Please save the date!

SEND Updates

Other Useful Information For Parents

Mixed Touch Rugby Camp at Maidenhead Rugby Club this Easter (8-9 April)

There will be a Junior Touch Rugby Camp during the Easter holidays at Maidenhead Rugby Club (SL6 1BN) from Monday 8th April to Tuesday 9th April 2024 (9.30am to 3pm) for juniors aged 5 to 17.

Sessions will include a combination of games and skills development for touch rugby:

Passing & Catching

Running & Agility

Kicking & Coordination

Communication & Teamwork

Creative problem-solving & Decision-Making

This camp will be supported by regional and international coaches and athletes from England Touch 󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Juniors of any playing level are welcome from complete beginner to experienced players

Please complete the booking form below if your junior would like to join us and please share with any parents/guardians who might be interested for their juniors too:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEZdSZJDB0Si6BqsuAWKqANUe8JWvcyof8VummelDVXhvm_w/viewform?usp=sf_link

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