Dear Parents and Carers,

We have reached the end of another busy and productive half term!

A huge thank you to our Year 1 children for their wonderful Sharing Assembly on Thursday. It was lovely to see such a great turnout of parents and carers; the children were so proud to share their learning with you. This week also saw Year 5 complete their two-week intensive swimming programme. They have thoroughly enjoyed their time at the pool and have made brilliant progress with their skills and confidence.

In our letter directory today, we have sent out several important updates. This includes information regarding our upcoming Community Iftar event and details for World Book Day. Please also look out for specific letters sent to Year 4 and Year 6 containing information relevant to their year groups.

As we head into the break, please be aware of local travel updates: there will be no trams running until Thursday, 26th February. Please plan your journeys accordingly for our return.

We wish you all a restful and happy half term break. We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, 23rd February.

Iman Atwal

Headteacher

This term, we have started to explore a new value: Collaboration. This week, we explored the importance of being kind to each other. When we are kind, by showing we care and using kind words, we can collaborate with others. We watched a video clip where it showcased that being kind can mean good outcomes for everyone. So it is important we are kind to one another and recognise how others feel.

Ask you child:

• How can you be kind to someone?

• How are they feeling?

• What can we do to show we care?

Nest

It has been a vibrant and busy week at the Nest as we celebrated two wonderful festivals: Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. To celebrate the Lunar New Year, the children dived into "Knowledge and Understanding of the World" by exploring different cultures and traditions. They put their learning into practice by designing and creating their own beautiful lanterns using a variety of materials. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, our little learners have also been busy in the playdough area, "baking" cakes with heart-shaped cutters. This activity was a fantastic way to encourage social communication, as the children talked about what they were making and who they were making it for. We also squeezed in some brilliant math work by counting our cakes and using mathematical language to compare big and small sizes. To top it all off, the children showed great focus during our fine motor challenge, using tweezers to carefully fill heart shapes with colorful pompoms and buttons—a perfect workout for those growing hand muscles!

We hope you all have a restful half term, and we look forward to seeing you when we are back on Monday, the 23rd of February 2026.

Saplings

This week in Saplings, we have been enjoying looking at all things Valentines and Pancake day! The children have loved creating their own valentines day cards as we discuss showing love and kindness to the people around us at circle time. The children also loved designing their own pancakes with different fruits and will enjoy a delicious pancake treat at the end of the week as we explore the different ingredients used to create them.

In Numeracy, we have been exploring new vocabulary words such as ‘underneath’ ‘on top’ ‘behind’ ‘in front and ‘in between’. The children are given the opportunity to move a teddy around and place it in different positions to gather more meaning to the words.

As we come to a close on looking at the Little Red Riding Hood story, the children begin to link all the things we have been looking at, such as Red riding hood showing kindness to her Grandma by bringing her a basket of food, as well as the question of ‘could pancakes be in that basket?’

It has been another wonderful term and the children have enjoyed exploring lots of different areas of learning , we hope you all have a great week off!

Reception

This week in Reception, we have been innovating our own stories using characters we have met this term, from Goldilocks to the Gingerbread Man. The storytelling skills in reception are truly blossoming as the children have been developing their narrative sequencing and oracy skills.

In Math this week, we have been exploring the concept of length. The children have been busy comparing objects and using language like longer, shorter, and the same as. We’ve been using everything from cubes to our own feet to measure items around the classroom!

A special shout-out to Pear Class for their wonderful trip to Ashburton Library! The children represented the school beautifully, showing great curiosity as they learned how a library works. They enjoyed a group story session and had the chance to browse the shelves for books that sparked their interest.

It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Parents’ Evening this week. These meetings are such a vital part of the term, allowing us to celebrate your child’s success. Thank you for your time, your kind words and for your continued partnership.

We hope you have a lovely half term and we look forward to welcoming you back to school on Monday 23rd February.

Year 1

This week in Year 1, the children have been busy rehearsing for their class assembly and practising their lines with great enthusiasm.

In Maths, they have been focusing on numbers and exploring different methods of addition and subtraction using a range of practical resources. During arithmetic sessions, the children have been practising how to use a number line to add and subtract numbers confidently.

In English, the children have been writing a recount about their recent school trip. They have been learning to use time adverbials, write in the past tense, and include conjunctions to express their feelings clearly.

In History, the children have been learning about leaders of countries and the role of the monarch.

Year 2

We have reached the last week before the half-term holiday, and what a busy and exciting week it has been!

In Maths, we have been focusing on counting in twos. The children practised grouping objects into pairs and sharing by two. They worked very hard to understand how numbers can be split into equal groups, and it was wonderful to see their confidence growing!

In English, we have been learning how to write newsletters. The children created their own pieces of writing about a missing item of their choice. They thought carefully about describing the object and explaining why it was important. We were very impressed with their creativity and effort!

In Science, we learned about germs and the importance of good hygiene. The children discovered how to keep their bodies clean and why washing hands properly is so important. Some children were surprised to learn what germs really look like and that they are not colourful or visible to our eyes! We carried out a fun experiment to help us understand how germs spread. We used glitter to pretend it was germs and dipped our hands into water with the glitter. The children could clearly see how much “germs” stuck to their hands! Next, we added soap and tried again. This time, our hands were much cleaner. The children could see the big difference soap makes when washing away germs. At the end of the lesson, we recapped everything we had learned about keeping our bodies clean and staying safe from germs.

Thank you for your continued support. We hope you all have a lovely and restful half-term holiday!

In English, we began planning and writing our own non-chronological reports about deforestation. The children learned about the causes of deforestation, its impact on animals and their habitats, indigenous tribes, the global environment, and what can be done to help protect our forests. They have been focusing on using clear headings, factual information, and interesting vocabulary to inform their reader.

In Science, we have been learning about rocks. The children examined and held different types of metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks. They enjoyed observing their textures, colours, and patterns, and discussing how each type is formed. As part of their learning, the children also designed products that could be made using rocks, such as kitchen worktops, statues, and building materials.

Year 4

This week, our Year 4 classrooms were transformed into hubs of ancient Greek storytelling. The children have been working incredibly hard on their innovative Greek myths, taking classic tales and adding their own creative twists.

At the start of the week the children created atmospheric introductions, using descriptive language to transport readers back to Ancient Greece. In the "build-up," students focused on 'Show, Don't Tell' techniques to hint at rising trouble, while also experimenting with dialogue between their main characters. Every good myth needs a problem. The children introduced dramatic plot twists, including unexpected character changes and mysterious new powers. We finished our stories by shifting the mood from panic to triumph, using carefully chosen vocabulary to bring our resolutions to life.

Throughout the week, the children took great pride in their work, using their purple pens and detailed checklists to edit and refine their writing. To wrap it all up, we spent our final lesson publishing our work. We are so impressed with the stamina and imagination shown by our young authors.

For Maths, the children focused on finding the perimeter of a variety of polygons using different units of measurement. They used their knowledge of units to convert them to the same one and then used addition to find the total of all the different sides.

In English, our lessons have moved into an exciting creative phase. The children have continued to write their own poems, working carefully on each stanza. They have been focusing on "reading as a reader" to make sure every line makes sense, while following a strict AB rhyme structure. It has been fantastic to see them applying their vocabulary to show the strong relationship between Leonard and Grandma through their verses.

This week marked the final sessions of our intensive swimming block. All the children have worked incredibly hard to improve their skills and confidence in the water. All the adults are immensely proud of the effort and resilience the pupils have shown throughout the course. It was especially impressive to see so many children move to the large pool to continue their swimming journey.

Well done to all our swimmers for a brilliant finish!

In English this week, Year 6 pupils have finalised the drafting of their formal Information Leaflets on how to survive an air raid before starting the final publishing process, the children engaged in editing to ensure their work met the Year 6 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They focused specifically on incorporating sophisticated punctuation to enhance clarity, including colons to introduce lists, semi-colons to bridge related clauses, and parenthesis (using brackets or dashes) for additional detail. Pupils also ensured their work mirrored real-world non-fiction by integrating key organisational features such as subheadings, passive voice and formal language. It has been wonderful to see the children take such pride in their work as they move into the final publishing stage, combining high-quality writing with professional presentation.

This week in Art, Year 6 have brought their sculpture unit to a successful conclusion by finalizing their handmade poppies. To provide a professional, long-lasting finish, the children applied a PVA glaze, adding a subtle sheen that enhances the texture and depth of the petals. Throughout this project, the pupils have demonstrated excellent fine motor skills and an eye for detail, carefully shaping their designs to ensure each piece is unique. The children are rightfully proud of their finished sculptures, which showcase their ability to work with three-dimensional forms and a variety of finishing techniques.

We are using in-app messages to communicate with parents through the app - please could parents ensure they are able to log-in and Arbor is set up to accept these messages - they should be visible in the Communications section of the portal.

Parents who have the app should enable Push Notifications - this will alert you through the app that a message has arrived.

Over 90% of our parents have logged into Arbor - if you are having difficulty, please talk to the office who can help.

Check your Child's Data

Please log in to Arbor and check your child's/children's details are correct - and let us know if not. You can also request changes directly through the app which will take place once we have seen them - if we have questions, we will get in touch. Or you can let the office know directly.

It is important we have the correct data for all our families.

Please remember to check Arbor - either the Parent Portal (at https://login.arbor.sc/) or the parent app (available from the App Store or Google Play).

Parents who log in can:

* see their child's attendance

* log consent for local trips and those further afield

* pay for trips and book and pay for clubs

* receive In-App messages - and message the school

* book parent consultations

* see their child's details and request changes to ensure they are completely up to date

If you have more than one child at the school, they should be visible via a drop-down so you only need to login once.

To set up your account, you need the email you use for school communications and the date of birth of one of your children. Follow the Forgotten Password link on either the app or the website.

If you need support with logging in, please talk to the office team who will be glad to help.