Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a fascinating week at Woodside as we have been celebrating British Science Week! Each class has been diving into the world of discovery by undertaking a range of exciting experiments. It has been wonderful to see the children's curiosity in action! Don't forget to refer back to the letter sent out last week regarding our Science competition—we can't wait to see your entries.

On Monday, we were joined by our external Improvement Provider for a scheduled visit. She undertook a full learning walk across the school and was very impressed with what she saw, noting calm, engaged lessons and plenty of good practice being shared across the year groups. This external validation is a testament to the hard work of both our staff and our pupils.

As we approach the end of the Spring term, please take note of an important timing reminder: we will finish school at 1:30 PM on the last day of term (Friday, 27th March). Please ensure you have made the necessary arrangements for your child's collection at this earlier time.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Iman Atwal

Headteacher

This week, we continued our value Resilience. However, we introduced the children to us becoming Rights Respecting Ambassadors. Our current JLT are turning into Rights Respectors with UNICEF UK. They work with schools across the United Kingdom to transform education through children’s rights, giving young people the best possible chance to grow up empowered, inspired and ready to make a difference in the world. Through this, we aim to practice enabling leaders and teachers to strengthen pupil’s sense of belonging and voice, and to create an environment for great learning.

🧡Wellbeing Focus: Positive Bedtime Routines

Good sleep supports children’s learning, behaviour, and emotional wellbeing. Small changes to bedtime routines can make a big difference.

🌱Early Years (EYFS)

Young children feel secure with predictable routines and calm transitions.

You could try:

Keeping bedtime and naptime routines consistent

Reading a short story or singing a lullaby to signal the end of the day

Offering reassurance and cuddles if children are worried or restless

Limiting stimulating activities right before bed

🌻Key Stage 1 (Years 1–2)

Children at this age benefit from structure and gentle reminders about bedtime.

You could try:

Keeping the same bedtime and wake-up times daily

Reducing screen time at least 30–60 minutes before bed

Ending the day with a calm chat about their day or a favourite activity

Praising children for getting ready for bed independently

🌟Key Stage 2 (Years 3–6)

Older children may need support managing screen time, worries, and independence.

You could try:

Encouraging a consistent bedtime routine, including getting ready and winding down

Avoiding screens or stimulating activities before bed

Spending a few quiet minutes talking or reading together

Reassuring children that small worries are normal and can be shared tomorrow

🧡Gentle Reminder

A calm and consistent bedtime routine helps children feel secure, rested, and ready to learn. Small adjustments can make a big difference for wellbeing at home and school.

Nest

This week, the Nest has been filled with incredible learning and joyful discoveries!

Our little architects have been busy using large foam bricks to construct wonderful creations; as they built, the children shared lovely ideas, with some creating "houses for Mummy" and others engineering "tall towers" while practicing their early maths by counting each brick in their structures. The creativity continued as we prepared for Mother’s Day, with the children using their fine motor skills to finger-paint beautiful cards and making meaningful marks to represent their names and messages and create beautiful portraits using natural materials, carefully naming each facial feature as they worked. It was heart-warming to hear them share why they love their mummies, from "making yummy food" to "taking me to the park."

We also saw a fantastic boost in confidence during our carpet sessions, where the children have been choosing their favorite rhymes to perform. By taking turns to sing to their peers, they are making brilliant progress in their social skills, language development, and the important art of waiting for a turn. It truly has been a busy and heartwarming week of growth!

In honor of British Science Week, the children turned into 'tiny scientists' to experiment with making lava lamps; they were absolutely mesmerized by the changing states and the colourful bubbles floating before their eyes. 

Saplings

This week in Saplings, we have been exploring the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk', the children have enjoyed creating beanstalks with playdough, finding magic beans throughout the classroom, acting as giants with our own small world castle and planting their own sunflower plants in pots. They have also enjoyed recreating the story through actions and key words in our circle time. We have also had fun looking at different science experiments for Science Week! The children took part in an activity in which they used soap on their hands to see how pepper granules (representing germs) are repelled in water when soap is used.

In Numeracy, we have been looking at sharing into equal parts, the children have been using fruits to put equal amounts onto plates and share them throughout snack time.

In Literacy, we have been looking at the phonic sound ‘E’, using songs and repetition to explore the sound further.

We have also been getting creative for mothers day, creating different pieces of art work that can be taken home on Friday for the weekend celebrations.

Reception

This week, children have been learning about our planet earth. The classroom has been buzzing with the wonder of planet Earth as our youngest learners traded their pencils for telescopes. We have been exploring why we wake up to sunshine and go to bed under the stars. The children have been able to discuss the idea of sleeping during the night or day and they were thinking about their parents who work at night and sleep during the day. We took our telescopes outside to hunt for "Earth Treasures"—like the way light hits a leaf or the movement of clouds. We talked about how, even when we can't see the Moon during the day, it's still out there! We learned that telescopes help us look at things that are very far away, making them look bigger and clearer.

In Phonics, children have been reviewing their Phase 3 phonics and using those to write what they would take with them in their rockets. They have been able to use their phonics knowledge when playing around the playdough area. They were creating monsters and making letters with the playdough to name their monsters. The theme on space has been observed throughout Sunshine and Rainbow rooms with some creating a farm on planet earth.

Reading in Reception continues with children reading independently and with support during guided reading. It is so amazing to see children picking up story books and sounding out words they don’t know until they are able to read the word. We thank you for the support too. 

Reminder: Please return story books on Mondays and Phonics folder (plastic wallet) on Fridays.

Year 1

This week in Maths, we have been learning about capacity and volume. (Capacity being how much a container can hold and volume being how much is actually inside the container). We used containers to work practically to show which ones were full, empty and half full. We compared containers and ordered them in terms of volume and used language such as more than and less than. Then we thought about how many glasses it would take to fill 2 jugs if it took 3 glasses to fill 1 jug. Children would love to explore these ideas more at home using containers you have around the house!

In English, we finished our work about 'Beegu' by writing our own story about Beegu landing on a farm. We used everything we have been learning - saying the sentence then writing it, using capital letters correctly, forming letters correctly, using our phonics and tricky word knowledge to spell words and adding conjunctions, comparatives and superlatives into our sentences.

On Wednesday, Beech class enjoyed their visit to Ashburton library. Ash class, it’s your turn next week!

Children have enjoyed Science week and carrying out an investigation. They thought about what makes a good hankie then carried out an investigation to find out what material is the strongest and most absorbent.

Year 2

Maths: Measuring Marvels 📏

In Maths, we have been getting hands-on with measurement! The children have been learning to distinguish between centimetres (cm) and metres (m). We turned the classroom into a giant workshop, using rulers and metre sticks to measure everything from pencils and glue sticks to the length of the classroom floor. They are becoming very confident in choosing the correct tool for the job!

English: From Storytellers to Researchers 📖

We are so proud of our young authors this week! We have officially published our narrative stories based on our core text, Frog Belly Rat Bone. The children worked hard on their handwriting and illustrations to make their final versions look professional.

We have now turned our attention to our new core text: 'Animal Encyclopedia'. This non-fiction focus is helping us prepare for our big adventure at the end of the week. We have been learning how to use content pages and glossaries to find amazing animal facts.

Science: British Science Week! 🐜

To celebrate Science Week, we became "Micro-habitat Detectives." We explored the outdoor areas to find tiny environments like log piles, damp leaves, and dark corners under rocks. The highlight was identifying real-life minibeasts in their natural habitats. We discussed why a woodlouse might prefer a damp, dark spot while a ladybird might choose a sunny leaf.

DT: Fantastic Finger Puppets 🧵

Our creative juices have been flowing in Design and Technology! We have started the exciting process of making finger puppets. This week, the children have been focused on their initial designs and learning how to join materials together. We can’t wait to see the characters they create—look out for some very colourful puppets coming home soon!

Questions to ask your child this week:❓

1. Can you find something in the kitchen that is longer than 30cm?

2. Which minibeast did you find in its micro-habitat?

3. What character did you choose for your finger puppet in DT?

Thank you for your continued support! The Year 2 Team

Year 4

Year 4 have been immersing themselves in writing an information page about the lives of children in Ancient Greece. We are basing our writing on the book 'So You Think You’ve Got It Bad? A Kid’s Life in Ancient Greece' by Chae Strathie, which is a humorous non-fiction text. The children are practising writing with a sense of humour so that they can engage the reader while still sharing interesting facts.

In Maths, Year 4 are continuing their work on fractions. They have been investigating conversions between improper fractions and mixed numbers, as well as exploring equivalent fractions.

In Geography, our lessons are focused on comparing Greece and the UK. We are exploring their physical and human features and discussing how these impact the lives of people who live there.

In Science, we are still investigating sound. The children are learning how sound travels and exploring which materials would be most suitable for building effective ear defenders.

A highlight of this week for Pine Class was our visit to Oasis Academy, where the children took part in a variety of team-building sporting activities. They also had the opportunity to visit a secondary school, which was a very exciting experience. Oak Class visited the school last week.

Thank you to all the parents and carers for your support during our local trip.

Have a lovely weekend and… please keep revising and memorising those times tables! 😊

Year 5

This week in Maths, the children have been completing their learning journey on fractions. They have worked hard to consolidate their understanding and apply the skills they have developed over the past few weeks. Following this, the class has begun a new unit focusing on decimals, where they are learning to recognise, compare and represent numbers to two decimal places.

In English, the children have now completed their narratives based on the book 'A Kind of Spark'. They worked carefully to develop the characters (Addie and Miss. Murphy), settings and plot, producing some thoughtful and engaging pieces of writing. We have now begun exploring internal monologues, investigating how they allow readers to understand a character’s thoughts and feelings. The children are also learning how these differ from narrative writing and how they can be used to add depth to a character’s story.

The children have also been thoroughly enjoying Science Week! As part of the celebrations, they took part in an exciting science experiment to mark the occasion. The activity sparked lots of curiosity and discussion, and it was wonderful to see the children thinking like scientists—making predictions, observing carefully and discussing their findings together.

Year 6

British Science Week

This week, our young scientists dived into the world of light sources. To celebrate British Science Week, we tuned into the BBC Live Lesson, which focused specifically on how light behaves and where it originates. The children were incredibly engaged, using the session to build beautifully on their prior knowledge.

Metropolitan Police Visit

We were privileged to host the Metropolitan Police for a vital session on County Lines. This was a crucial opportunity for the children to develop their awareness of complex safety issues.

Through watching live scenarios and participating in a Q&A, students:

• Identified different types of criminal activities.

• Cemented their understanding of how to spot "red flags."

• Learn exactly who to talk to if they ever feel targeted or unsafe.

In Maths, we have been sharpening our geometry skills by focusing on Area.

The children have mastered:

• Vocabulary: Confidently using the term "rectilinear" to describe shapes.

• Calculations: Using the formula Area = length \times width.

• Units: Ensuring all answers are correctly labeled in cm squared.

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.