Furze Platt Juniors 2024-25 Newsletter
Newsletter 1: 27th September 2024
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Welcome to FPJS 2024!
Welcome to FPJS 2024!
Welcome to our first Newsletter of the new school year! We hope that our regular newsletters will give you a flavour of all the wonderful events and learning that happen at Furze Platt Juniors.
We have only been back for a few weeks but already we are incredibly impressed with how all of our children have settled into their new classes, working really hard and being so engaged in their learning- see our Year Group news pages for more detail for your child's year group. We are all working hard this term on showing that we can "Be the best we can be!". I am also very proud to announce our new Y6 head students for the year and our new Y6 House captains-see below!
It was great to see so many parents attending the welcome meetings in early September- thank you so much to all the lovely parents who welcomed me back after my absence last year- I am so happy I am back in school almost full-time now!
We hope you enjoyed the chance to see the classrooms, meet the staff in the team and hear about updates. If you were unable to attend the meeting, slides have been shared with the key points. At the Y5 and Y6 meeting, I mentioned the nationwide campaign to encourage parents to delay giving their child a smartphone. If this is something that you want to learn more about, please see the information I have shared near the end of this newsletter.
Anna Clark
Head of School
Diary Dates:
Diary Dates:
Monday 7th Oct: Y6 Screening
Tuesday 8th Oct: Y5 trip to Planetarium at Winchester
Friday 11th Oct: Prospective parent talk and tour
Monday 14th October: School photos
Friday 18th Oct: FPSA Quiz Night
Tuesday 22nd Oct: Parent consultations 3.30-6.30pm
Thursday 24th Oct: Parent consultations 3.30-6.30pm
Friday 25th Oct: Inset Day
Monday 28th Oct- 1st Nov: Half term week
Quick Links
Quick Links
FPJS School News
FPJS School News
Celebrating Mr Vogel
Celebrating Mr Vogel
FPJS bid Mr Vogel a final farewell on Friday 13th September after the sad news of his passing over the summer holidays. All staff and pupils dressed in blue to commemorate Mr Vogel's favourite football team Everton and we held our assembly in memory of him. Mr Vogel was a very popular and happy member of the FPJS team and we will miss him incredibly around the school. All the pupils sang "Altogether Now" in assembly as it was Mr Vogel's favourite song- he knew the band "The Farm" and regularly took photographs as the band were performing.
Thank you to everyone who has kindly donated to the MND charity- the total currently stands at a whopping £4380! Your donation will help to find out more about this debilitating disease to which there is currently no cure. The tribute page is still open if you would like to add a comment or a donation.
Drop Offs and Pick Ups on Oaken Grove- important reminders
Drop Offs and Pick Ups on Oaken Grove- important reminders
We have noticed an increased number of parents who are driving their children to school and dropping off/picking up along Oaken Grove. Please could we kindly ask parents to consider encouraging children to walk/cycle/scooter to school if at all possible to ease the congestion along the road. If this is not possible, please help us further by parking along other roads nearby school and walking a little bit further with your child. Not only does this help with congestion, it helps with safety and it encourages your child to develop a more healthy attitude to walking to school.
Parents should not be driving down the school drive unless an agreement has been made with the school- e.g. due to a disability. This includes all before and after-school clubs.
Please note, we have been monitoring the situation carefully and we will be passing details to the police of any vehicles which are seen to be breaking laws (such as parking on zig-zag lines) or undertaking dangerous maneuvers (such as attempting 3 point turns) on the school entrance. Please do your part in keeping our children safe.
Many thanks for your support in this important matter.
Calling all inspiring parents and carers!
Calling all inspiring parents and carers!
Do you have a career, interest or talent that would inspire our children? If the answer is "Yes!" we would love to hear from you! We are always looking for speakers to come into our assemblies to inspire our children. We plan our assemblies on a range of themes, but we would love to hear from people who have a passion for their career or hobby. Get in touch by contacting annaclark@fpjs.org.uk telling me what you can offer!
Head Students for FPJS 2024-2025
Head Students for FPJS 2024-2025
Well done to all of our Year 6 students who put themselves forward for the position of "Head Student" last week. Year 6 pupils wrote and presented their vision for why they should be chosen to represent the whole school. The Year 6 team were very impressed with all of the speeches and the confidence shown by the pupils and had a difficult time deciding who would make the final shortlist.
The final 6 shortlisted who were given the opportunity to present their speeches to the whole school were: Chizara, Aidan, Henry, Albie, Liyana and Lorenzo. All children presented in such a mature and confident way and it was hard to choose the winners.
We are delighted to announce that this year, our head students (pictured below) are Chizara, Henry and Albie.
House Captains and Ambassadors at FPJS 2024-25
House Captains and Ambassadors at FPJS 2024-25
Congratulations to all of our new Y6 House Captains who were voted in this year to represent their houses. All of these children will have a big role to play in leading and organising lots of house events over the year, including sporting events, the Christmas singing house competition and many more! I look forward to meeting with them and planning lots of events this year!
Pictured are our newly elected House Captains:
Romans- Captains:Jack Jo & Katie B ; Vice Captains: Max C & Millie G
Danes- Captains: Aidan H & Freya T; Vice Captains: Bea F & Yusuf S
Vikings- Captains: Lucy E & Cameron H & Vice Captains: Damon L & Greta D
Normans- Captains: Lorenzo P & Jack Je; Vice Captains: Megan G & Lila W
We have also chosen several children to become ambassadors of our school who have continued to demonstrate our school values and put themselves forward for different leadership roles. Well done to Eva, Alayna, Liyana, Freddie and Rosie!
School Council Reps for 2024-25
School Council Reps for 2024-25
Congratulations to the following pupils who were voted to represent their class this year. All of the children below showed the values of passion, well-being and respect in their delivery of why they should be chosen in their speech to the class. Mrs Sweatman runs the school council and will be meeting the new members shortly to discuss key actions they will be working on this year- helping us to improve our Eco-awareness in school. There will also be some exciting opportunities for the school council this year- watch this space!
FPJS Recommended Reads & SMaRt library
FPJS Recommended Reads & SMaRt library
We absolutely love books at Furze Platt Junior School! We love reading for pleasure and we encourage all our children to love books as much as we do. Our teachers are constantly on the lookout for new and exciting reads and we regularly update our library with current reads.
We have recently purchased 50 brand new books for each classroom! We hope our new reads will inspire our children to develop a love of reading- and we will regularly be celebrating our favourite reads in our Friday celebration assemblies.
You can find the checklists for our new reads here. How many can your children read this year?
Our library is also now up and running for this year. Children can visit at the times shown above. Don't forget parents can also pop into the library on Tuesdays after school if they wish to support their child in choosing a new book as our new librarian, Mrs Belfrage will be available to help.
Year Group Curriculum Maps for 2024-25
Year Group Curriculum Maps for 2024-25
Our updated curriculum for next year can be found on our website or below:
Homework at FPJS
Homework at FPJS
For all year groups, the most important aspect of homework is daily reading. Your child should be reading daily (either aloud to you or a sibling or independently once they are a fluent, free reader). We would like Y3 and Y4 children to record their reading in a reading log. For other year groups, some children will continue with a reading log, although teachers will be regularly checking in with their class about their reading for pleasure habits. All children who are still learning to decode will be monitored closely and will receive additional support or interventions.
We also expect children to practise their times-tables (TT rock stars is brilliant for this!) for speed of recall, and work on any spelling rules.
In Year 3 and Year 4, we set one piece of formal homework a week, alternating maths and English. In Year 5 and Year 6, this increases to two pieces a week. This work will mostly be set on our online learning platforms, however, we do at times set other homework, requiring children to write using a pen or pencil! We use Bedrock Learning for reading and will will shortly be using itutor (complete maths) which will give bespoke homework designed to support your child with any gaps in learning and accelerate those who need further challenge. The team leader will send weekly message on Seesaw to ensure parents are aware of what needs to be completed each week.
At times, there will be alternative homework to complete for variety- this could be practical tasks, handwriting or other more open-ended tasks- we normally set "topic" homework before half term.
Although homework can be frustrating for both children and parents, it is our duty to prepare children to be "secondary-ready", enabling children to get into good habits with completing homework tasks. If your child is struggling with any of the homework set, please DO let teachers know via Seesaw. The children should be able to complete most tasks without adult support- if your child needs your full support when completing the work it is too hard for them and needs to be adjusted, or they may need further support in class.
If you have any problems accessing any of the homework on line due to issues with internet to access to devices, please speak with your child's class teacher who will be happy to support in any way possible.
Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars
Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars
TT Rock stars- Top Ten
TT Rock stars- Top Ten
Well done to all our children who have started using TT rock stars regularly to practise times tables! Year 3 need to play at least 10 times before creating a studio speed- but have been practising well already and we have 4 names on the board!
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.
Spelling Shed- Top Ten
Spelling Shed- Top Ten
Well done to our top ten spelling pupils this week!
Bedrock Learning
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 this week who have earned the most points:
Sports Update
Sports Update
PE News
PE News
What a fantastic start to the new school year! All the children have started this term with invasion games and tagging games for the first week and now moving on to skill based learning. Year 5 and 6 are focussing on tag rugby outside and dance in the hall. Year 3 are learning gymnastics and ball skills, and year 4 are focussing on gymnastics and netball.
Just a friendly reminder = can you please make sure all children's earrings are taken out before PE lessons and hair tied up. Depending on the weather, please make sure children have coats and are dressed appropriately for the weather to keep them warm.
Miss Gill
National Fitness Day at FPJS!
National Fitness Day at FPJS!
FPJS joined in with the national initiative to do 10mins of exercise at 10am for National Fitness Day, where all the classes joined people nationwide in a 10-minute workout to celebrate fitness and physical activity.
Leisure Focus invited schools to participate in a live-streamed fun workout with the Active Community Coaches.
What a great way to start the day!
Swimarathon- save the date!
Swimarathon- save the date!
Save the date Swimathon 12th January 2025
We are pleased to share that again we have secured 7 lanes at 9am for Furze Platt Infants and Junior schools on Sunday 12th January 2025
This is a fun and enjoyable event for children and parents, so if you would like to get involved pencil the time and date in your diary AND please email Sallyannebrown2106@gmail.com by 25th October with the following information:-
Name of participant
Class and year
Any preference to be with any friends?
Once the teams are confirmed, details of sponsorship will be sent out.
Year Group Updates
Year Group Updates
Year 3 News
Year 3 News
What a fantastic start the children have had to Year 3. We are so incredibly proud of how well they have settled and how hard they are working.
We started the term with our establishment phase which started with the story 'I am fabulous'. The children discussed what made them all fabulous and then we created our own posters which had words, colours and pictures on.
As part of literacy, the children all went on an adjective hunt around school and used ipads to find words that they could use. The children also wrote letters to their teachers finding excuses as to why they could not make it to school just like in the story 'Dear Teacher'. Some of these excuses were very imaginative!
In maths the children looked at place value as well as finding a variety of ways to make 100. The children also used the manipulatives to help support their learning. The children also looked at time including half past and o'clock.
In art the children also created their own thinking hats and listed all the words that showed things they enjoy doing such as jumping in puddles.
Finally, the children discussed how to be ready, respectful and safe as well as what they think they can do to meet these school rules.
Well done for the best possible start Year 3 - we are so incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful cohort
Mrs Barry- Y3 Team Leader
Year 3- What are we learning?
Year 3- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:
What adjectives can you use to describe how fabulous you are?
What number would the minute hand be on if it was pointing to o'clock?
What could you do to be ready in school?
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...
Dear teacher - Amy Husband
The boy who grew dragons - Andy Shepherd
24 Hours in the Stone Age - Lan Cook
Year 4 News
Year 4 News
Wow! What a busy end to the term we have had in Year 4. We have been choosing school councillors, eco councillors and warriors, and have earned many marble treats!
In English, the children have been writing build-ups taking inspiration from our video 'The Dream Giver'. They have been using short sentences to create suspense and learning how cliff-hangers make our audience want to read on.
During our maths lessons, the children have been developing their addition and subtraction skills using a range of methods and applying these to word problems. We are setting ourselves a year group goal to be the year who wins the most plays on Times Table Rock Stars over half term - I know we can do it!
In history, they have loved researching and fact finding all about the Anglo-Saxons. They have recalled all of these facts to create a diary entry as an Anglo-Saxon. They even chose an Anglo-Saxon name!
Wishing the children a lovely, restful half-term break!
Mrs Batchelor - Year 4 Team Leader
Year 4- What are we learning?
Year 4- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks:
What does ascending and descending order mean?
How many pronouns can you list?
What is Omar's imaginary dragon called?
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4..
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4..
Planet Omar Accidental Trouble Magnet
Planet Omar Accidental Trouble Magnet
Zanib Mian
The Boy at the Back of the Class
The Boy at the Back of the Class
Onjali Q. Raúf
The Land of Roar
The Land of Roar
Jenny McLachlan
Year 5 News
Year 5 News
Year 5 have been super busy since starting the new academic year and we have been impressed by how well they have settled in. They have also been showing us how hard they work after a long summer break. Well done, Year 5!
In maths, the children have been getting to grips with large numbers. They have understood the place value of digits of numbers up to a million, ordered and compared them and we have finished off by rounding to the nearest 1000, 10,000 and 100,000. Next week, we will be moving onto adding and subtracting.
In writing, the children have been writing a scary story after watching the short video of a girl named Francis Brandywine. What did happen to her on that day at Quetico Park? I guess we will never know...!
In science, the children have been fascinated with all things space. They have had a chance to research a chosen planet and find out how the planets orbit the sun.
We are looking forward to our upcoming trip to the Winchester Planetarium.
Miss Scott & Mrs Slyfield, Y5 Team Leaders
Year 5- What are we learning?
Year 5- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks:
How many days does it take for the Earth to orbit the sun?
Explain how an author lulls the reader into a false sense of security.
How do you round 216,473 to the nearest 10,000?
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5...
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5...
Year 6 News
Year 6 News
Top of the school!
What a brilliant start to Year 6 all the children have had. It has been brilliant to see the classes gel together so well and settle into their new routines. We have already seen lots of children deliver brilliant speeches which has resulted in the allocation of our Head Students, House and Vice Captains - we know you will be brilliant!
In maths, we have dived into place value and we have been exploring rounding, ordering and some written methods.
In English, we have completed our first unit on how to write an effective setting description based on a futuristic abandoned city whilst thinking carefully about our sentence starters.
In History, we have been exploring what life was like on the home front during WW2 which links with our class book 'When the Sky Falls' by Phil Earle. In art, we have begun looking at local artist Stanley Spencer and we have been having a go at his grid method.
We have lots of brilliant learning still to cover this term including some very exciting work on microbits in computing. We look forwarding to keeping you updated on all of the brilliant things Year 6 are getting up to!
Miss Morales, Y6 Team Leader
Year 6- What are we learning?
Year 6- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:
What was life like for evacuees?
What are three interesting ways you could start a sentence?
What is the difference between factors and multiples?
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...
When the Sky Falls
When the Sky Falls
Phil Earle
The Viewer
The Viewer
Shaun Tan
Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Edited by Otto Frank and Mirjam Pressler
SEND updates
SEND updates
October 2024.pdfFPSA Update
FPSA Update
The Furze Platt Schools Association (FPSA) would like to welcome back everyone to a new school year and a huge welcome to our new Early Years children and families. We have a busy autumn of fundraising events, please see below for more details.
A warm welcome to our new member Mindy who joined the FPSA this month. The FPSA is currently a team of 12 people but always on the lookout for more. Contact us at fpsa.ebox@gmail.com.
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.
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 following link: https://www.windsorandmaidenheadcommunitylottery.co.uk/support/furze-platt-schools-association
Copas Farm Shop
Copas Farms have a PTA cashback scheme. Please visit www.copasfarmshop.co.uk and they will donate 5% of the order value to the FPSA. Ideal for your Christmas turkey!
Please use the following code: FPJS24PTA.
Dates for your Diary:
Mr T's Quiz Night - Friday 18th October
The quiz night returns in October with an added 'Play your cards right, higher or lower' bonus game as well as the usual 4 picture rounds, music round, connection round and much more!
Book the babysitter, get your team together and start brushing up on your general knowledge. Tickets include food from Palmieri's.
Tickets are available at www.pta-events.co.uk/fpsa
Christmas Fair - Saturday 30th November (11.30am - 2.30pm)
The Christmas Fair is back at the very end of November. Please pop this date in your diary. This is our second biggest fundraising event on the year.
Useful Information For Parents
Useful Information For Parents
Smartphone Free Childhood- do you want to join the revolution?
Smartphone Free Childhood- do you want to join the revolution?
When children first started getting smartphones a decade ago, there was no research about their impact. Now there is, and it’s overwhelming. Exposing children to things their brains aren’t yet developed enough to deal with can cause a whole host of problems, from triggering anxiety and eating disorders, to opening the door to cyberbullying or sexual predators, according to the latest research.
When we give our children access to the whole world in their pocket, we give the whole world access to our children, and this includes access to harmful content.
Underpinning many harms is one that is potentially the most significant of all. For the first time in human history, children are spending more time on devices than they are playing – an activity crucial to our healthy development. Smartphones are experience blockers, distracting children from engaging in the real world. The average UK 12-year-old now spends 29 hours a week – equivalent to a part-time job – on their smartphone. This leaves little time for the real world activities and relationships that enable us to learn the essential life skills we need to transition into adulthood. The average daily time that teens spend with friends has plummeted by 65% since 2010.
Parents have been put in an impossible position- do we give our children access to an adult product that opens the door to harmful content, addictive algorithms and the anxiety machine that is social media or do we risk alienating them from their peers at a crucial stage of their development? It’s a lose-lose; for parents, children and society. However, there is a growing mission to change this.
If you want to be part of a revolution, and pledge to change this so that your child can experience a play-based childhood rather than a screen-based childhood, click on the link below to find out more:
Street Tag! The competition continues this term! Can you join in the fun with your family?
Street Tag! The competition continues this term! Can you join in the fun with your family?
Street Tag is a FREE innovative, app-based physical activity program designed to motivate families to lead more active lives.
By transforming the world around them into a virtual playground, users earn points by walking, running, or cycling to virtual tags strategically placed throughout their local community and Prizes are available too!
What are the benefits?
• Gamified approach to physical activity and mental wellbeing.
• Participation is completely FREE.
• A fun way to achieve the recommended daily minutes to be active.
• Reconnects families with local parks, green spaces and places to safely explore.
• Fosters teamwork and a healthy competitive spirit among participants.
• Offers an opportunity for schools to win prizes!
Schools Leaderboard and Prizes
Teams can have up to 250 participants, including children, parents, carers, and staff, who will all collectively compete against other teams on the Schools Leaderboard which will regularly update, culminating in prizes available for out PTA.
When does it start?
Windsor & Maidenhead Schools Leaderboard Schedule:
Season 2: September 16th to October 7th, 2024
How do I sign up to join in the fun?
Everything you need to know about how to join our FPJS team is included in the attached RBWM toolkit which can be found in the button below:
Prostate awareness A5 canvasser v2-1.pdfPage updated
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