Principal's Welcome

Dear Parents/Carers

This module has been jam packed with learning experiences as we have focused on our transdisciplinary theme of ‘How we Express Ourselves.’ Whilst we are on the topic of expressing ourselves, I am sure you will agree that our pupils did a fantastic job in their Christmas performances this year. Whether it was standing proudly in their costume, singing enthusiastically or acting with confidence, they all did a fantastic job and certainly added to the Christmas spirit. 

As always , the staff have written an entry within the newsletter to help you keep up to date with everything that is happening in the High Halstow Primary classrooms! Hopefully you get chance to sit down with a cuppa (and maybe a mince pie!) whilst you take a look.

I wish you all a fantastic Christmas break with family and friends. We will look forward to welcoming pupils back to the academy on Wednesday 3rd January 2024.

Merry Christmas!

Thank you for your continuing support.

Mrs G Stangroom

Spider Class

Another busy module in Year 3! We have been learning about the Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. We have been working really hard to learn the features of a non-chronological report, research one of these ancient groups of people and then write our own reports. Although we found this a little tricky, all of the children showed resilience and worked extremely hard which led to some great results! Linked to this learning, we have also been using atlases to locate where in Europe the Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings originated.

In our science lesson we have been investigating and observing how light allows us to see the world around us. During this module we also had anti-bullying week in which we had some really good discussions regarding the difference between bullying and banter.

Finally, of course we have been building up to Christmas! We hope you enjoyed seeing our performance of 'No One Wraps Like An Elf!'

Ant Class

Year 5 have had another fantastic, busy and fun module! Our inquiries began by us looking into Ancient Greece and whether they had any organised sport. This soon led us to finding out all about the Ancient Olympics, where the class did some fantastic artwork and poetry! We then researched the modern Olympic Games and thought about the similarities and differences between the two. We had a look at some of the most successful Olympic athletes, and enjoyed writing biographies about them. It was fascinating finding out so much about their lives!

We also had a busy anti-bullying week, where we made rather creative artwork for an anti-bullying exhibition! The class made mannequins with anti-bullying messages written on their T-shirts. We enjoyed getting messy with paper mache to make the heads!

I’d also like to say a big well done to the class for the Christmas production this year. Every single member of Year 5 has put 100% effort into making the production a huge success - they have been a joy to work with! We most definitely have some very talented actors and singers amongst us!

Well done Ants for all your hard work. Have a great Christmas break! 

Butterfly Class

Module 2 in Year 6 has been eventful! During the module we have been following lines of inquiry, linked to our central idea that, ‘people express their beliefs, thoughts, feelings and personality through portraits’. The class started by organising historical events and then looking in more depth at the Tudor period.

The children have been creating their own Picasso style portraits after exploring how people in the past used portraits to form an impression of others. They have also  learnt in depth about different techniques used by Tudor artists.

During anti-bullying week, the children created their own graffiti with personalised messages of kindness.   In English, the children wrote detailed recounts about Anne Boleyn’s execution as well as a biography about Henry VIII.

The children continue to strive to meet targets and have been learning about the division and multiplication of fractions in depth. Additionally they found equivalent fractions by building a fraction wall.

In the lead up to Christmas, Butterfly Class have been supporting Years 3, 4, and 5 with the production of ‘No-one Wraps Like an Elf’. They have had the opportunity to express themselves musically through song and dance. Year 6 are continuing to act as good role models  for the other pupils in the academy.

Sports Update - Swimming

It has been a quiet module with regards to sports competitions.  However, in November we had a Leigh Academy Trust swimming competition, in which 4 swimmers from Year 6 enjoyed a great morning at the pool. The children swam brilliantly in both the individual and relay race. Overall, we came 5th out of 15 schools, and one member of the team received an amazing silver medal in backstroke. 

Anti-Bullying Week

November 13th-18th was anti-bullying week, where we marked it and raised awareness in a few rather enjoyable and memorable ways!  The week began with Odd Socks Day, a day where, yes - we all came wearing odd socks. This was to represent and celebrate the fact that we are all unique. It was great asking the children why they’d chosen the socks they had, showing how it represented them as an individual. We also enjoyed an assembly, led by Jodie, a member of the Medway Child Health team. During this assembly, the school got the opportunity to think about what bullying actually is and the different forms it comes in, plus how to deal with it and what to do if you see it happening but are not directly involved.

Throughout the week, the children had a couple ongoing tasks:

1. Enter the anti-bullying poster competition! All entries have received a certificate from Medway Child Health and the top 3 have been awarded prizes. The children themselves voted for their favourites.

2. Contribute to our Kindness Box and Sorry Box by writing a personal note and popping it into the box. The notes made us all smile so much, especially the person who the note was to! There really is so much kindness and consideration in our school. 

In class, each year group produced an art outcome with the theme of anti-bullying. These outcomes were extremely creative! We had anti-bullying Roman shields, a huge kindness tower, mannequins made from scratch with anti-bullying messages on their t-shirts, just to name a few! 

On the final day of anti-bullying week, the PSHE learning ambassadors helped set up an anti-bullying exhibition in the hall, complete with all year groups’ artwork, plus the poster competition and the notes from the kindness and sorry boxes were displayed. Each class had time to enjoy the exhibition, appreciating the importance of anti-bullying.

GOLD PASSES - Module 2

Congratulations to the pupils who were awarded a gold pass in Module 2  for showing exemplary behaviour.

Year 1:   Paisleigh, James H, Matilda, Rosie, Evie M, James C

Year 2:  Betty, Barkley, Amelia, George  F, Elsie, Abbie

Year 3:   Chloe, Isabella, Lily, Maddy, Louie, Rose

Year 4:   Tommy, Jemima, Ebony, Rory, Hannah, Daniella

Year 5:   Frankie, Freya, Finn, Leighton, Charlie, Grace

Year 6:   Lois, Sam S, Elsbeth, Sam T, Isabelle, Amelia

House Point Winners - Module 2

1.   700 Herons

2.   646  Skylarks

3.   621 Redshanks

4.   588 Lapwings

As winners of the House Point totals, Herons are invited to come into school on Wednesday 3rd January 2024 wearing their own clothes with the predominant colour being Green.

National Online Safety Accreditation

We are pleased to report that High Halstow Primary Academy has achieved the National Safety Accreditation for 2023-24!

School Council

The School Council's chosen charities are shown below as well as the date that we will be raising money for them. More details to follow:-

Shooting Star Children's Hospices - 9th February

Cancer Research - 22nd March

Dogs Trust - 24th May

School Lunches

Please ensure you are checking your school lunch balances on the MCAS app.  Please settle any outstanding debts as soon as possible or speak to the office staff if any help is needed.

Medication

In very exceptional circumstances, the Principal has agreed that school staff can administer medication prescribed by a doctor/hospital but this is a service which the school is not obliged to undertake.   Antibiotics prescribed to be taken 3 times a day can be given before and after school and before bed, if they are prescribed 4 times a day, we ask parents/carers to come in at lunch time.  Any medications to be administered at school must have a dispensing label with the pupil's name and date and parents/carers must sign an authorisation sheet.   If this has been agreed, any medication will need to be brought straight to the office to be stored in a locked medicine cabinet and should not be carried by pupils.

Appointments

We do ask that routine appointments are made outside of school hours if possible.  If you do need to take your child out of school for an appointment, please provide a copy of the appointment card or letter for our records (a screenshot will suffice).

Dogs - a reminder

Please remember that other than assistance dogs, Jazz and Baxter, dogs are not allowed on the school site. 

Is my child too ill for school?  Please see the attached link to the NHS website which provides information for schools and nurseries:-

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Dates for your diary

See Dates for your diary 2023-2024 under Important Documents in MCAS - some dates may be subject to change so please check back regularly.

Term Dates 2023-2024