Principal's Welcome

Dear Parents/Carers

I hope you enjoy this bumper edition of the newsletter!

We have all focused on our transdisciplinary theme of ‘Who We Are’ in this module. In the newsletter you will get a flavour of some of the inquiries that have taken place throughout the academy. Everyone has been so busy!

Hatchlings and Grasshopper Class

Our youngest pupils have settled in so well within the academy. They have been amazing at learning routines in their bright refurbished environment, trying out the new resources, learning to share with their friends and getting to visit the main academy. They put a smile on everyone's faces as they arrive in the lunch hall so confidently each day! Well done Hatchlings for making such a great start! We cannot forget our Grasshoppers either in \reception. They have settled in so well and are impressing us all already. I love visiting the classroom and being invited to join in their play! Well done Grasshoppers!

Home School Agreement

I want to take the opportunity to focus on the importance of our home-school partnership. Without your support we could not achieve what we do with our pupils or provide the opportunities that we do so thank you. The Home School agreement was shared on the MCAS app at the start of the module but if you have not had a chance to read and discuss it as a family please do so when you can. Home 

Home Learning

Reading

Reading at home is vital to good progress in reading. We ask that time is built into your routine to read with your child or if your child is older, to speak to them about the book they have been reading and enjoying. Pupils are working towards their 30 read reward-who will be the first pupils to achieve a prize? Please record in the Reading Record to show any discussions that have taken place or any difficulties that were faced.  This resource can support with the range of questions that can be asked. 

Maths Champions

There are a wealth of resources to support you and your child with maths fluency on our Maths Champions Google Classroom. Pupils work through targets and are assessed to see if they are confident in each area. Certificates are awarded in assembly. On the Google Classroom are a range of games and activities to support you to support your child to develop in each area. If pupils do not grasp mental maths recall they will struggle with many areas of maths as they progress through the school. We have specific time in the timetable to work on arithmetic skills outside of the daily maths lessons but any support you can provide at home will really help your child to progress against their targets.

Thank you for your support. I hope you all have an enjoyable October Break. We will look forward to welcoming the pupils back to the academy on Monday 3rd November.

Mrs G Stangroom

Principal

Hatchlings

This module, we welcomed our first Hatchlings Class! The children have settled in very quickly and have adjusted to new routines and the environment. 

We firstly focused on emotions and the Zones of Regulation, exploring how we feel and how we can identify feelings. We then explored friendships and the people in our family, looking into similarities and differences. The children have been investigating different occupations - we have been focusing on Dentists and how we can take care of our teeth. We had a visit from the Tooth Fairy, who explained the importance of dental hygiene and how we can care for our teeth. The children have done an excellent job using the vocabulary in their play, such as "cavities" and "decay". 

We have been reading a variety of stories about feelings, sharing and friendship. The children particularly enjoyed Bears Don’t Share, reminding their friends to share the toys! The stories have been reminding children of our Golden Rules and classroom expectations.

We are amazed with how well the children have done this module and cannot wait to see what else they can achieve this year!

Grasshopper Class

Grasshopper Class have all settled into being at ‘big school’ so well, we are so proud of them! It is so lovely to see their happy, smiling faces as they walk down the path on their own, ready for another day of fun!

We have been busy this module. In maths, we have explored matching, sorting and patterns as well as numbers 1-5.  We have been engaged in great stories, such as ‘Funny Bones’ and ‘On Sudden Hill’ which gave us a chance to think about each other and our families. Grasshopper Class have really enjoyed exploring both the outside and inside space allowing them to be curious and questioning as well as learning all about each other and making long lasting friendships.

A lot of focus this module has been linked to cementing good routines and behaviours within the school day. Gilbert Grasshopper has been very impressed with how kind and thoughtful everyone is to each other and enjoyed lots of visits to the children's homes!

We had a great last week of term with a fun Spanish day, a nature scavenger hunt outside on the big playground and nature area and some lovely magical Halloween activities including spooky soup!

We hope you have a wonderful half term and well deserved rest - we can’t wait to see you in Module 2.

The Reception Team

Dragonfly Class

Dragonfly Class have made a fantastic start to Year 1! The children have settled in beautifully and are already showing great enthusiasm for their learning.

This term, we explored what makes each of us unique, learning about the human body and our five senses. Our senses learning was a big hit as we enjoyed doing taste and smell testing as well as going on sound and sight hunts around the school. 

Our class story, Owl Babies, helped us think about families, communities, and the special roles we all have. We received letters from Mummy Owl, which led us on a journey to discover where she had been (we decided on Scotland!) and to reflect on the people who care for us. The children then wrote thoughtful thank you letters to their families - keep an eye out for them arriving home!

We’re so proud of how well everyone has adjusted to life as Dragonflies and are excited for all the learning and adventures that Module 2 will bring.

Ladybird Class

The pupils settled really well into Ladybird Class and have made an excellent start to Year 2.  It has been a busy module and the pupils have had a range of learning opportunities. We looked at the British values in our inquiry learning and the pupils demonstrated an excellent and mature understanding of some of these. They were able to explain why rules are important and why we should follow them and had some great opinions of why people should go to prison and what the impact of this could be!

In science we have been learning about plants and have carried out an investigation to find out what plants need to grow healthy. We planted some bean seeds and grew them under different conditions, 1 had no light, 1 had no warmth, 1 no water and then the 4th had all the conditions we think plants need. We also grew cress heads - we followed instructions carefully to plant the cress seeds and then waited for them to grow!

In English we read the book ‘The only way is Badger’, we then wrote our own stories by changing the characters. We also wrote instructions to explain how to make cress heads.  We are looking forward to the next module!

Spider Class

The class have settled in well to KS2 life and have adapted well to the new routines. They have all really enjoyed their recorder lessons with Mr Bunker, learning some Spanish, including taking part in the Spanish day, and of course getting to use the chromebooks daily which has been the cause of much excitement.

During this module, our learning has focused on poverty; we used the book ‘The Great Foodbank Heist’ to help us understand and open our minds to the fact that all types of people might find themselves in poverty or difficult situations. The children had some excellent questions and we saw some thoughtful actions arise as a result. We then learnt about Richard Watts and ‘The Six Poor Travellers House’ which is in Rochester. We wrote diary entries pretending that we were poor travellers from five hundred years ago. We also created sketch maps of High Halstow village so that people could find their way (hypothetically) to our school and eat the healthy pizzas we made! The class are very much looking forward to creating their pizzas, which will of course be nutritionally balanced to ensure a person going on a long journey would have all the energy they would need!

This module has felt like an absolute whirlwind and I think we are all ready for the two week break!

Cricket Class 

Cricket Class has had an excellent start to the new school year and has settled into their new classroom with ease. We began this module by exploring our class text, The Whale by Ethan and Vita Murrow. The children wrote some fantastic setting and character descriptions based on the story, truly embracing the emotions and sensations of being caught in a storm and witnessing an unbelievable whale!

Our inquiry began with an investigation into the different types of teeth and their functions. We modelled teeth using play dough and conducted an exciting science experiment to explore how various foods and drinks can contribute to tooth decay. The results were eye-opening as we observed the changes over time! If you'd like to learn more, feel free to ask any member of Cricket Class — they’d be more than happy to share their knowledge with you.

Next, we explored the parts of the digestive system and their functions. This included a hands-on (and slightly messy!) practical activity using tights, biscuits, and orange juice to simulate the digestive process. It may have been a bit smelly, but the children thoroughly enjoyed every moment!

To round off the term, we wrote our very own Kennings poems, which showcased the incredible creativity in our class. We also baked delicious carrot cupcakes, honing our grating and cooking skills. The class were pleasantly surprised at how much they liked them.

Module 2 promises to be even more fun and creative for Cricket Class. Mrs. Larkin and I are looking forward to seeing you all after the half-term break. In the meantime, enjoy a well-deserved rest!

Ant Class

Year 5 have settled really well into our new routines and expectations in Ant Class.  We started the Module with a bang with a Viking Workshop, where we got a surprise visitor from a real life Viking, Ore!

In English, we investigated and produced some wonderful writing about the Lindisfarne Raid in a variety of different genres, including setting descriptions, diaries and newspaper reports.  Our inquiries led us to consider how the Viking raids affected others and also why they occurred in the first place.  We wrapped up our learning on this subject by considering ‘Diversity and Migration’ and this led to some lovely debates.

In Maths, we have extended our learning of place value and number.  Ant Class have been focusing on Arithmetic skills in various sessions throughout the week and enhancing their reasoning skills and explaining their answers in more detail.

Viking Day saw the class learn all about Viking Gods ( which we made into wonderful fact files later!), lifestyles and raids.  It was a great day!  Full of fun and lots of new information, including how our days of the week are linked to the Viking Gods; we even took part in our very own Viking burial ritual. 

I am really proud of how well Ant Class have settled into Upper Key Stage 2.  Keep up the hard work, your perseverance and resilience is really showing!

Butterfly Class

What an adventure it's been in the first module of the school year! Butterfly Class have been very busy adapting to year 6 and their responsibilities. In English the children have been reading, ‘Skellig’. They've journeyed into a world of mystery and magic, creating descriptive writing pieces and instructions. In maths, they have been learning new concepts such as long division and have taken on the challenge willfully! As part of our lines of inquiry in this module, we have been delving into discussions about charity and responsibility. We learnt about how charities have changed over time, as well as their purpose and function. After exploring vulnerable groups in our local community, as a class we decided to support ‘Second Chance Medway'. The children have started to organise the Year 6 event and voted on a cause. In science, we measured resting heart rate and found out about how the body functions. This is linked with our focus on physical and mental wellbeing. During module one, we have been developing our independence to become critical thinkers and continue to demonstrate autonomy moving forwards.The children have worked hard  this module and should be very proud of themselves.

GOLD PASSES - Module 1

Congratulations to the pupils who were awarded a gold pass in Module 1 for showing exemplary behaviour:

Year 1: Harper S, Hudson L, Rose C, Monroe C-P, Arlo O

Year 2: Oliver C, April D, Eli F, Maddison H, Laker G, Spencer W

Year 3: Hallie J, Mollie K, Johnny A, Lucy B, Evie M, Paisleigh W

Year 4: Amelie B, Darcy-May H, Jake C, Amelia G, Aimee C, Abbie M

Year 5: Sienna B, Stanley J, Louie W, Demi M, Finn T, Ophelia F

Year 6:, Charlotte F, Rory H, Tommy C, Jemima L, Leo A, Martin O

Reading

The launch of our year of ‘reading for enjoyment’ has had a great start this module. The staff have become actively involved in promoting reading by sharing what they are reading and books that they enjoy by placing ‘books on the doors!’ Every adult has a poster up on their classroom doors with the books they are reading currently. 

Pupils have had the opportunity to share a reading for enjoyment session with another year group and it was lovely to see siblings reading and sharing books with each other. We have also had our first ‘drop and read’ in school. This can be at any time of day and one of the librarians in year 6 will come to all the classrooms and announce that it is drop and read! Every pupil and adult then drops what they are doing and reads a book! This proved to be very popular and the pupils were eager for this to continue. We also had our first session when we invited adults into school to read with their children. Thank you to all the adults that came along as this is a great opportunity for adults to share books for enjoyment and I know that they all really enjoyed the opportunity. Don’t worry if you were unable to attend this module as we have a date for every module this year so we look forward to seeing you then.

Sports Update

It has been an exciting few weeks for our young athletes! Ten of our pupils took part in the Mini Youth Hockey Tournament, showing fantastic teamwork, determination, and skill throughout the day. We are incredibly proud to share that our team finished 6th out of 28 schools, winning 5 matches, drawing 2, and losing only 1. A special mention goes to Ralphy L in year 6, who was our top goal scorer, netting an impressive 8 goals across the tournament!

We also had the pleasure of taking part in the LAT Rugby 7’s Tournament, which took place during the final week of term. The children have thoroughly enjoyed training and preparing for this event, showing great sportsmanship and enthusiasm. Well done to all involved!

SEN

Please click the following link to access 15, easy-to-follow, videos designed to empower parents and carers in supporting children through key stages of growth and development. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNX_0oPAOTrHB0jDODWeogg

OTHER INFORMATION:-

Please see the following message from Kent Police regarding parking restrictions:-

“Our aim is to ensure that the young people of the Peninsula are safe, as part of this we need your help in keeping them safe when they are heading to and from school.

Parking restrictions are put in place around schools to give good visibility allowing pedestrians to see to cross the road.

To ensure this, please be responsible, following the restrictions, such as not stopping on the zig-zags around the schools, being mindful of your speed and making sure that your child is visible, as the nights get darker.

We will be around the schools at various points, so please come and say hello.

PCs Richard JONES and Josh WATERMAN”

If there is anything we can help you with, then please contact either of us via email Richard.jones@kent.police.uk or Joshua.waterman@kent.police.uk

October Break Activities:-

Just a quick reminder that Strive PE and Sport will be returning to Strood Academy this October half-term for three exciting days of activities — and spaces are filling quickly!

Our multi-activity camp runs from Tuesday 21st to Thursday 23rd October 2025, 8.30am–4pm (with early drop-off available). 

Children can look forward to an action-packed week including sports, laser tag, archery, dodgeball, arts and crafts, science, and special optional themed days!

If you haven’t booked yet, you can secure your child’s place here:

https://activities.bookpebble.co.uk/activity/strive-pe-and-sport-strood-academy-multi-activity-camp-rochester-61ec0a4e-fa5e-43ff-b24c-63765b288dc0

All this for just £25 per day, with 10% sibling and FSM discounts available.

We can’t wait to welcome your child for three fantastic days of fun, friendship, and excitement! 

Best wishes

Strive PE and Sport

www.strivepeandsport.co.uk
Follow us on social media for updates and photos!

end2end TV:

We’re excited to let you know that end2end TV is running Spook-tacular Film & TV Production Workshops this half term 

These fun, creative workshops are perfect for children in Years 3 to 9, whether they're complete beginners or have joined us before.

This time we’re going spooky, with some pirating thrown in too! Kids will create their own themed films using our green screen, voiceover tech, and multi-camera setup in our newly expanded broadcast TV studio in Sidcup.

 They’ll have the chance to:

• Act or do voiceovers 

• Operate studio cameras

• Use the production control room

• Learn TV and film production skills while having loads of fun with friends!

We offer two different one-day workshops – but parents can book both for a special price – and we’re also offering a further early-bird discount until November.

Take a 30-second tour of the studio

https://vimeo.com/1123856218?share=copy

 Details & bookings: https://www.end2endtv.co.uk/workshops

Dates for your diary

Please see dates for your diary under Important Documents in the MCAS app.  Please check regularly as these dates are subject to change and are updated regularly.