Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2024. I hope everyone had a restful break and a happy new year. It has been lovely to welcome back our children and community as we continue on our journey. 

This week, our children have begun immersing themselves in their new curriculum learning. We have had Ranger Stu bring in a range of animals for our Reception children, food tasting across the school, Chelsea FC supporting some football activities and more.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share our reflections on Autumn term and our next steps in Spring term. In Autumn term, we developed our new leadership structure to provide greater support across the school. We also improved our school website where it now provides up to date information as well as whole school letters and curriculum newsletters so parents and carers are aware of what is being taught. With our inclusion team, they have worked on our SEND provision and liaising with the local authority (Croydon) to provide better quality provision for children with EHCPs. This is something we still need to continue this term to better ensure a consistent approach for our SEND learners. We have also developed the way we teach maths, reading and phonics across the school to provide more consistency for children with high-quality learning opportunities. 

For Spring term, we will continue to work on our Core Priorities. In particular, we will be looking at developing our parental communication and work. Whilst we are developing this, we recognise we can do more to ensure parents feel secure in the school’s provision, as well as providing opportunities to increase parental engagement. We also conducted assessments towards the end of last term and we will use this information and data to adapt our provision for children to better meet their needs. We will also look to further develop our Teaching & Learning and Behaviour provisions at Woodside.

A letter has been sent about Census day next Thursday (18th January). It is important that as many children attend school as possible on this day - as a school, we receive funding for children based on their attendance on that day. The more that attend, the greater chance we have to improve our provisions at school and provide experiences for our children.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Iman Atwal

Headteacher

We expect pupils to maintain a high standard of attendance here at Woodside. We want all our pupils to be able to achieve their very best and in order to do this, they need to be in school as much as possible so they don't miss out on any learning. Everyday is a new learning opportunity!

Nest

It was lovely to meet some new parents/carers and their children on the home visits this week. We warmly welcomed all the children and their families into our setting (New and returners).

This week we are settling new children, reassuring them and their parents/carers. 

All children are enjoying exploring the different resources we have on offer, adults are modeling and supporting children to use them appropriately. Children are also enjoying singing songs with rhymes, for example “ If your happy and you know it”, "Twinkle twinkle little star” and “Banana banana clap your hands”.

Nursery

This week in Nursery, the children walked into the classroom and found foot-prints left by some bears! They also found some bowls and they had to say what story they thought the bears and the bowls were from. As the children were talking about the stories, they also found they had a new role play area. They had to count the chairs in the castle and dress up as a King, Queen, Prince and Princess. Nursery children have also enjoyed talking about the seasons and how to dress up for that.

Phonics: This week, children started on their Phase 3 phonics with these digraphs and trigraph: ai, ee, igh. They have read some words with these words: feel, sheep, train.

Home Learning: Practice saying and writing the digraphs learnt this week and make a list of words that have the phonemes, ai, ee.

In Maths: Children have been learning about weighing and capacity using non-standard measurements and weighing scales. They have learned the vocabulary for weight and capacity and are using it to identify which objects are heavy or light and which containers are full, empty, half-full, nearly full.

Home Learning: Try finding objects that children can weigh without scales or measuring jugs.

REMINDERS: Children will be receiving their reading record books together with the phonic book they are reading in class.

Year 4

Welcome back to a brand new term! We're thrilled to report that our Year 4 have returned from their Christmas break brimming with energy and excitement. The classrooms are buzzing with stories about festive feasts and they're all eager to tackle the challenges that await.

And what a challenge we have in store! This term, our Spring core text is 'The Adventures of Odysseus'- they will explore the fantastical journey through the pages of Homer's epic poem, 'The Odyssey'. They've already been swept away by the cunning hero's encounters. Their imaginations are ablaze with visions of mythical creatures, ancient landscapes, and daring escapes.

In class, we're not just reading about Odysseus – we're living it! We've built miniature ships to chart his course, donned blindfolds to experience the Siren's seductive song, and even crafted cunning plans to outsmart Polyphemus the cyclops. The laughter and chatter is infectious as they debate Odysseus' choices, celebrate his victories and gasp at his narrow escapes.

Here are a few ways you can join the excitement:

• Ask your child about their favorite moment from the story so far.

• Help them create a map of Odysseus' journey, marking key locations.

• Discuss the challenges Odysseus faces and brainstorm how he could overcome them.

• Share your own favorite childhood adventure stories with your child.

We're excited to see what this term holds for our Year 4 adventurers and we can't wait to share more of their journey with you.

Primary Admissions

Closing Date, This Monday 15th January

If your child was born between 1st September 2019 and 31st August 2020 you are now able to apply for them to join Woodside for a Reception place in September 2024. Applications for Reception next school year should be made via the Local Authority.

Information about the application process can be found HERE

Existing Nursery children will also need to apply for a Reception place.

If parents would like any support with the process, Ms Georgiades would be happy to help - 

Please contact the school office

Late applications will be processed after Primary National Offer Day (Tuesday 16th April 2024) which could severely reduce your child's chances of being offered a place at your preferred school.

Belongings and equipment

Please remember that children should not bring pencil cases, toys or other items to school - we cannot be held responsible if these items go missing or are damaged. Pencil cases are a distraction - we provide all necessary equipment for our students to use during lessons.

In line with our school policies, we ask that children do not wear smartwatches during school hours. This ensures a fair and uniform approach to the use of technology within the classroom setting. 

To avoid confusion and loss of personal items, please ensure your child's name is clearly written on all of their clothing. This includes uniforms, PE kit, jackets or coats, and any other items they may bring to school. This simple step greatly aids in the quick and accurate return of lost belongings. Please regularly check that your child is returning home with their own property.

Thank you for your support with these requests.

Please note that this year, we are asking children to change in school. They should bring in their PE bags and keep them in school for the term and take them home at the end of the term. Thank you for supporting us with this.

All children need elastic fronted plimsolls for indoor/outdoor PE which are best kept in a drawstring bag on their cloak peg. Children will need black/blue shorts and a white t-shirt in their PE bag to wear for PE lessons. 

Places are limited for school-run clubs and parents can sign children up for school clubs by signing into Arbor online or using the Arbor App. This help page will show you how this is done: https://support.arbor-education.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008179494-Signing-my-child-up-for-a-Club-on-the-Parent-Portal-or-Arbor-App#free-clubs-on-the-parent-portal-0-0

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