Newsletter
October 2022
Principal's Welcome
Dear Parents/Carers
Summer now seems like a long time ago! The children have all engaged well in their learning this module and you can find out more about it in this newsletter.
As you know, we have made some changes to our behaviour policy and it has been wonderful to see some pupils wearing the Gold Pass, indicating to the whole school community what an amazing role model they always are. Pupils are chosen on a two weekly basis and celebrated in our celebration assembly. These pupils have enjoyed the privileges that come with having a pass such as going to the front of the lunch queue, using ipads at lunchtime and having lunch with me!
Use of technology in the classroom and at home is a key part of education now. Teachers regularly put resources and updates on the Classrooms that should be accessed at home to support home learning. Please establish a routine with your child that you are looking at the Classroom with them at least weekly as it will help them to keep progressing with their basic English and Maths skills. Buster’s Books has been a huge success so far this term. It is important that pupils read regularly at home. We expect reading to happen five times a week. As part of reading it is important that vocabulary is discussed and questions are asked to develop comprehension skills as well as supporting your child to read the words. We really do value the partnerships we have between home and school and thank you for your ongoing support.
Lunchtime plays have also been an exciting time this term. We have introduced new equipment for pupils to enjoy through independent play. It has been wonderful to see the different ways pupils have made use of crates, tyres and ropes in their play! We have been successful in gaining a grant of £500 which has enabled us to purchase loose parts to further develop open ended play and we will be sharing some of the new equipment as we start Module 2.
Mrs G Stangroom
Grasshopper Class
We have had a great first module in Grasshopper Class! We have all settled in really well to our daily routine and have been engaged in lots of learning opportunities in our classroom. We are so proud of how Grasshoppers are coming into school, by walking down to our classroom independently and using our classroom with such enjoyment and excitement every day! We have spent this module getting to know each other, by sharing our family photos, talking about families and ourselves. We have discovered stories such as ‘Funnybones’ and ‘The Tiger who came to tea’. We have hosted tea parties, painted self portraits and investigated patterns using our natural resources. It has been a very busy module already, and you have all done fantastically well! Have a restful half term, and well done on a brilliant first module in school!
Dragonfly Class
Dragonfly class have done a fantastic job at settling into the new year and have taken the responsibilities of being in Year 1 in their stride. During the first few weeks they really enjoyed finding how everyone in the class is unique. We learnt about the parts of the human body and investigated each of the 5 senses. We tried lots of different foods and it was a unanimous vote that the smelliest food was pickles!
Our class text was ‘Owl Babies’ where we looked at the different owls within the family and their personalities. This then led us into exploring the communities we belong to, in particular our families, and the responsibilities we have within them. Mummy owl wrote us lots of letters during our learning, the first one giving us clues as to where she went to the night she left the baby owls. We concluded, after researching the four countries of the United Kingdom, that she must have been in Scotland although we weren’t too keen on the idea of the Haggis she was bringing back as a gift! Mummy owl then wanted to find out more about our families and what the special people in our lives do for us. After thinking about this, we decided that it is important to thank the people around us for what they do so we wrote a letter to our families and posted them. We hope you enjoy reading these!
The class has adjusted very well to the big transition between Grasshoppers and Dragonflies. Keep up the hard work and we are very much looking forward to all our learning in Module 2.
Ladybird Class
The pupils in Ladybird Class have settled really well into Year 2 and have risen to the expectations positively. We have had a busy term with lots of different learning opportunities taking place. In English we have been reading and exploring the book ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ through drama and music. Pupils worked in groups to create their own wild rumpus using dance and musical instruments and then performed to the rest of the class. We have now written our ‘Wild Things’ stories using the creatures we created. We have been learning about different religious stories and the beliefs and values they teach us - we have explored stories in the Qur’an, the Bible and a Buddhist story. We have written poems and created posters to demonstrate our understanding of these stories. In science we have been learning about plants and seeds and grew our own cress. All the pupils have worked incredibly hard this term and it has been lovely getting to know all of them; I am looking forward to next term with Ladybird Class.
Spider Class
How lovely it has been to have the class again and see how they have progressed and developed!
Now that we are in KS2, there have been a few changes and new routines to get used to but Spider Class have taken it all in their stride. The children really enjoy using their Chromebooks regularly throughout the day and are using them quickly and efficiently. The Chromebooks are a great tool in aiding the children’s learning and it has been a good opportunity to discuss the importance of E-Safety. Spider Class have also taken to learning Spanish and are enjoying learning a new language - muy bien! As well, Spiders have been learning how to read music and play the Ocarina - an instrument that a lot of us hadn’t heard of before!
In our Inquiry learning, we have been learning about Richard Watts - He founded a charity in 1579 which established Rochester’s ‘The Six Poor Travellers’ House’. You can still visit the house today and the Richard Watts charity is still supporting people in our local area. We explored the many different reasons that people travel and migrate, including why people might have travelled in the 1500s. We learnt that at ‘The Six Poor Travellers’ House’, travellers would receive lodgings, food, entertainment and four pence to save them from being whipped. We then applied our Geography skills and did some fieldwork around our village. We learnt about human and physical Geography and also created our own sketch maps so that tired travellers might find their way to the healthy pizzas we would be making.
Cricket Class
Cricket class have had an excellent start to the new school year. Each and every one of the children have settled into the pace and demands of Year 4 like ducks to water. We kick started our inquiries by looking at the function of the digestive system and carried out a science experiment using tights and some mashed up food to see how our bodies process the food we eat. Our inquiries then moved to looking at teeth and their function. We made models of teeth and carried out another science experiment to see how various foods and drinks can contribute to tooth decay. The results of this experiment literally blew our minds! If you would like to know more then please feel free to ask any of the children from Cricket class and I am sure they would be happy to share their knowledge with you. We rounded the term off by cooking some delicious cheese and courgette muffins and writing up our instructions of how to make them. The mouth-watering smell of our muffins literally filled the school. We are sorry that you couldn’t all taste them with us but they were far too good for us to share!
Module 2 is literally going to be epic for Cricket class! Mrs Fox and I have a very exciting announcement to make to the class about one of our lines of inquiry, but for now we are going to leave you all guessing . . .
Have an incredible half term
Ant Class
Ant Class have had a wonderful first term! They all came back to school looking at acting like Year 5s and eager to learn. They have immersed themselves completely into our inquiries, starting with how the Viking raid on Lindisfarne affected people’s lives. The class wrote some brilliant newspaper articles about this historic event! Since then, our inquiries led us to thinking about how people and communities experience change over time. We based our learning on how the Vikings changed the British community over time and how this has continued to change to the present day. The class truly excelled in performing scripts between King Alfred and the chief Viking, Guthrum, on the day the peace agreement was signed in Wessex!
The class have also learnt some new D&T skills this term, including safely using a hot glue gun. They showed great maturity and responsibility at all times. Now we are all very much looking forward to our Viking Day on the 6th October!
Well done Ants for all your hard work this term, you have earnt yourselves a well-deserved half-term break!
Butterfly Class
This half term in Year 6 we have been following our lines of inquiry surrounding supporting vulnerable people. 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 homeless people. This was in conjunction with Medway Street angels, with the aim of collecting goods to support those in need. Additionally, we spread awareness by sending letters to ensure we collected as much as possible to support this very important 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.
A great start to Year 6 Butterfly Class!
Success!
Foundation International School Award Certificate
High Halstow Primary Academy has been awarded the Foundation level of the British Council's prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom and for our commitment to international learning.
Local School Nature Grant
Our application for a Local School Nature Grant award has been successful!
Co-op Local Fund
Application for Co-op's Local Community Fund was successful! The funding received will give us a nice boost to our playground improvements. The more people who choose to support our school when shopping at Co-op the more money we will receive towards our outdoor projects.
WOW - KM Charity Team
This year we will be taking part in WOW (Walk on Wednesday) thanks to funding from Medway Council. This is a walk to school campaign that will make a real difference in reducing the volume of vehicle traffic coming to school. Further details to follow.
Defibrillator in school
We now have a defibrillator in the school Reception kindly funded by the High Halstow Community Lottery.
Nature Squad
Nature Squad have been clearing up after a fruitful summer! We have been picking tomatoes, chard and baby carrots this September. Autumn is now in full swing with Conkers falling off the tree in the car park and leaves falling across the school! All great for little art projects and play! Our new Nature Squad reps have been busy collecting Conkers for each class. We have also been enjoying freshly cooked apple and pears picked from the school grounds. All donations gratefully received towards our efforts. Please note, however, that we DO NOT need any more plant pots - thank you.
Spanish
The competition is on! Language Nut, the scheme we use for learning Spanish, has started a World Competition! All you have to do is use Language Nut as much as possible to get as many points as possible! You have until the 31st October to do this! There are prizes, such as a £50 Amazon voucher up for grabs, for the top 50 students.
At the current time of writing, High Halstow is 410th in the entire world! We have students here doing exceptionally well too, with Beau (Year 5) in the school’s 1st place, Rory (Year 3) in 2nd place, and Charlotte (Year 3) in 3rd place! There’s a few weeks to go yet though… good luck everyone!
On another note, if you’re taking a holiday to a Spanish speaking country this half term, we’d love to hear about how you’ve used your Spanish knowledge whilst you’re there! Can you greet a Spanish speaking person? Order something at a restaurant? Have fun and we look forward to hearing about it!
Writing Update
Module 1 has certainly been an exciting one for writing! You only have to take a walk down our corridors to see the abundance of talented writers we have at High Halstow. Many of the classes have been focusing on narrative writing and have produced some excellent pieces which would give J.K Rowling a run for her money. Children across the school have been working exceptionally hard on their handwriting to ensure that their published work really showcases their talents. Please take time to stop and admire the work displayed in the corridors and share our successes, you won't be disappointed!
We have some very exciting trips planned across the year to continue to inspire the children and provide them with a real purpose for writing. Watch this space as we begin to reveal what delights we have in store for you all as the year progresses.
School Timings
A reminder that your child should arrive at school each morning by 08:45am, ready to start their learning at 08:50am. A number of pupils are consistently arriving late via the office entrance after registers have been taken. Please support your child to be punctual so that their start to the day runs smoothly.
Reception, Years 1, 2, 3 and 4 should arrive and leave via the South Path (The Street entrance). Gates open from 08:40am and close promptly at 08:45am.
Years 5 and 6 should arrive and leave via the Harrison Drive entrance.
Dates for your Diary!
PTA Meetings / events
Thursday 10th November 2022 - Rainbow Day
Pupils invited to come into school wearing bright rainbow colours and bring in donation to match allocated class colour:-
Grasshopper - Red
Year 1 - Orange
Year 2 - Yellow
Year 3 - Green
Year 4 - Blue
Year 5 - Purple
Year 6 - Pink
PTA Christmas Fair - Friday 25th November 20222 from 3.15 to 5.30pm - Please contact the PTA if you can help with preparations or run/help with a stall.
PTA Christmas Shop for pupils - 6th, 7th and 8th December 2022 - Further details to follow.
PTA Christmas Panto and Christmas Jumper Day, and surprise visit from Santa - 9th December 2022 - Further details to follow.
PTA New Year's Disco - 20th January 2023 - Further details to follow.
Blythswood Care Shoe Box Appeal 2022 - Filled shoe boxes in school by Friday 11th November 2022
Class Assemblies - Module 2
Year 6 Butterfly Class - Wednesday, 7th December at 2:50pm
Open Classrooms - Module 2
There are no Open Classrooms planned for this module.
Christmas Nativity - (only attend one performance please):
Tuesday 13th December 2022 9:15am: Reception, Years 1 and 2
2.00pm: Year 3, 4, 5 and 6
Wednesday 14th December 2022 9:15am Years 3, 4, 5 and 6
2.00pm Reception, Years 1 and 2 at 2pm
Term Dates 2022-2023
MODULE 1
Finish: Friday 21st October 2022
Autumn Break: 24th October 2022 to Friday 4th November 2022
MODULE 2
Pupils Start: Monday 7th November 2022
Finish: Tuesday 20th December 2022
Christmas Break: Wednesday 21st December 2022
To Tuesday 3rd January 2023
MODULE 3
Start: Wednesday 4th January 2023
(Professional Development Day) – PUPILS DO NOT ATTEND
Pupils Return: Thursday 5th January 2023
Finish: Thursday 9th February 2023
Friday 10th February 2023 (Professional Development Day) – PUPILS DO NOT ATTEND
February Break: Monday 13th February 2023
to Friday 17th February 2023
MODULE 4
Start: Monday 20th February 2023
Finish: Friday 31st March 2023
Spring Break: Monday 3rd April 2023
to Friday 14th April 2023
(including Good Friday 7th April and Bank Holiday Monday 10th April 2023)
MODULE 5
Start: Monday 17th April 2023
Finish: Friday 26th May 2023
Early May Day Bank Holiday: Monday 1st May 2023
May Break: Monday 29th May 2023 (Late May Bank Holiday) to Friday 2nd June 2023
MODULE 6
Start: Monday 5th June 2023 (Professional Development Day) – PUPILS DO NOT ATTEND
Pupils Return: Tuesday 6th June 2023
Finish: Friday 21st July 2023