Dear Parents and Carers

First and foremost, I would like to remind you about our upcoming Parents' Evening scheduled for next week on Wednesday and Thursday. This valuable opportunity allows you to connect with your child's teachers, discuss their progress, and address any questions or concerns you may have. If you haven't already done so, please ensure that you book your appointments promptly via Arbor to secure your preferred time slots.

Today, we had a visit from our Improvement Partner to analyse our SEND provision. I am proud to announce that our efforts to improve our SEND provision and communication have been recognised. We remain committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every child receives the support they need to thrive academically and personally. On Thursday, we had a Governors monitoring visit with school leaders where we conducted a review of reading across the school. We visited all classrooms across the school, spoke to children and analysed books. We are seeing improvements and more consistency in the teaching and learning of reading and early reading across the school. We have specific feedback which we will be actioning across the remainder of this term and next to enhance the quality further.

On Thursday, we hosted our Safeguarding Parent Forum. We will share the slides and information soon. We have further parent forums lined up with more information below.

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!

We want all children to come to school each day, but we know that there are some days children are just too ill to attend, or will spread illness to others.

The NHS website Is My Child Too Ill For School is a useful place to look for guidance.

If your child has vomiting or diarrhoea they should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).

Children can attend school with cold sores, conjunctivitis, hand, foot & mouth disease, slapped cheek (fifth) disease, sore throat, thread-worms or ear infections as long as they don't have a temperature as well.

Please encourage your children to wash their hands regularly and use and throw away tissues properly.

The NSPCC’S underwear rule, uses the ‘PANTS’ acrostic, which is like a green code to stay safe from abuse.

PANTS stands for:

• Privates are private

• Always remember your body belongs to you

• No means no

• Talk about secrets that upset you

• Speak up, someone can help

If you would like to know more about the NSPCC’S campaign and see how you can help keep your children safe in partnership with your child’s school, further information can be found at Let's talk PANTS | NSPCC

You will have received an email or text message from (hello@holidayactivities.com) with a link to view your voucher - please check your spam if you cannot see communication from HolidayActivities.com. You will receive your unique code once you have claimed the voucher.

Click on the link to take you to further information on what parents can expect when they are assigned these vouchers: Croydon's Easter Holiday Activity and Food Programme 

If your child is in receipt of benefits-related free school meals but you haven’t received a voucher code, pop into the office and  double check your child’s details with Mrs Hewitt, such as whether you are on the benefits-related free school meal list and/or whether your email address on the school system is correct.

Upcoming Coffee Mornings and Parent Forums

Friday 22nd March 2024 - Parent-Led SEND Coffee Morning 

Meet other parents/carers and enjoy some tea, coffee, and biscuits. These regular Parent-Led coffee mornings will be an opportunity for parents & carers of children with SEND, to meet one another and share experiences and ask questions. It is always great to realise that you are not alone on this journey; there are many of us treading a similar path! 

• Need some advice about how to manage challenging behaviour?

• Share tips about how to support your child to manage their anxieties?

• Have questions about how to put routines in place and enforce boundaries?

Come and join Emma (one of our lovely Woodside Parents) & Mrs Georgiades (Family Support) at 9am in the Community Room for a cup of coffee or tea, a biscuit and a chat.

Thursday 28th March 2024 - EDI Parent Forum

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Curriculum - an opportunity to have an overview of our curriculum and to provide feedback on how we promote and explore our culture of inclusion, using real life contexts, 9am in the Community Room.

It was fantastic to see so many parents/carers come along to our first PTA meeting last Friday – there was a real buzz of excitement about re-establishing our PTA, getting some of the old Woodside community spirit back and helping our children in the long run.

Following last week’s meeting, the parents/carers have already set up a system of communication amongst each other and are nominating a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer but we still need as many parents as possible to be part of our committee to support ideas and running events.

Look out for information coming soon from our PTA!

Nest

We have had a fantastic week in the Nest. Children have been independently accessing different areas of the learning. They enjoyed our Spring display. We were talking about the weather and what's in our tray going on to name the items in the tray. Children have been feeling the flowers, mud and talking about the texture and colours and counting the flowers while using the mathematical language of big and small. They have also been making houses for the pigs from our core text 'The Three Little Pigs', children choose which house they wanted to make. The adult modelled using the glue spreader to paste glue and then sticking the materials on, whilst demonstrating the adult modelled language. Whilst the children were engaged they spoke about the story and talked about the texture of the materials, such as hard and soft. Continuing to develop our Children's maths skills, we have been singing number songs and counting through various activities.

Nursery

This week, Nursery children have been learning about original and alternative stories. The story they were looking at was ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ They compared this one to 'Jim and the Beanstalk'. They looked at the similarities and differences between the two texts. The children also planted some bean seeds. They were excited to take part in this activity.

In Maths, children were learning to count out from a large group. They used fruit and other objects to count.

Please support Nursery children by reading more traditional stories to support their language.

Reception

In Literacy this week, the children have continued writing instructions. This time children have written instructions on how to make a cress sandwich after growing their own cress. Firstly, Reception children spoke about the ingredients they needed to make the sandwich. At first most of the children were talking about not liking the cress and so we asked them to have a taste. After a few bites, children were ready to eat their sandwiches and others even wanted to make some more. After making their sandwiches, children were then able to write instructions on how they made their sandwiches.

Home Learning: Try and make a sandwich using their favourite filling. Ask the children to revisit saying the instructions and using words such as first, next, then and finally. 

Phonics: During the week, children have been using their knowledge of sounds to read longer words by chunking (breaking them into two parts). They have been reading words such as shimmer, fantastic, zooming, pattern. Children have also been learning about action words or words ending with -ing. The words were, looking, walking, cooking.

Home work: Children will be getting Phonics homework every week. Please support your child at home by scanning the QR code and going into the phonics programme we use as a school. Phonics homework will continue till the end of the term and then we will be adding Maths homework in Summer 1.

In Maths this week, Reception children have been learning to use manipulatives (objects) to make numbers number bonds to 10. Children have used different objects and pictures to create numbers to 10. Children have also been practicing number formation on whiteboards.

Home Learning: Support the children with number formation using pens, pencils or any writing tools.

REMINDERS: Please remember to return all Little Wandle books by Wednesday. If books are not returned in time, it is difficult to then give out new books.  Thank you

Year 1

This week in Year 1, we have been exploring what it would be like to be transported into a world where people do not understand you. Inspired by our core text 'Beegu', we have looked at the thoughts and feelings of our main character and how her feelings change throughout the book.

In Maths, we have been looking at height and length and have explored the concept of mass and volume. This week we have experimented with measuring not just objects but ourselves and comparing them.

Year 2

This week in Maths, we have begun our topic of money. The children started with identifying and understanding the value of each coin and note, discussing why it is important for us to learn about money. They then looked at how coins and notes are used to make different amounts, before having a go at selecting the right pence coins to make amounts given to them. Year 2 applied their 1, 2, 5 and 10 times table knowledge to work out what coins would be best to use and which ones they would not be able to use. For example, when making 20p, they could use a range of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p coins or a single 20p whereas they would not be able to use a 50p coin as the value is too high.

In English this week, the children had a chance to continue with their own version of ‘Frog Belly Rat Bone’, but also they were able to change the ending to the story. This gave Year 2 an opportunity to use their imagination to determine how they wanted the story to end. We will begin to publish these amazing stories so that we can display them around the school but also in the main school office.

Year 3

In English lessons, we continued on with our story, innovating and adjusting the key features of the story into one of a Stone Age setting.

For Maths, we continued working with fractions and the children were introduced to the idea of equivalent fractions.

In Science this week, we looked at different soils and the order in which they are layered underground. The children made their own model of the different layers using sand, stones, and soils in clear plastic containers in order to observe them from the side.

In History this week, we examined some replica tools from the Stone Age and tried to deduce their uses. The children were able to identify the materials they were made from and who might have used them.

Year 4

This week, Year 4 embarked on a fascinating journey through history and design in their Design & Technology lessons! Year 4 pupils  began their exploration by uncovering the secrets behind the Parthenon's construction, purpose, and architectural features. They learned about the majestic columns, intricate friezes, and the temple's significance in ancient Athenian culture. Through engaging activities and discussions, they gained a deeper appreciation for the ingenuity and artistic skill of the Greeks.

Year 4 then took on the exciting challenge of designing and building their own miniature Parthenon models. Using their creativity and problem-solving skills, they explored various construction techniques.

The classroom buzzed with activity as the pupils started working on their models. They meticulously measured, cut, and assembled their creations, incorporating elements like columns, pediments, and decorations. Each model promises to be unique, reflecting the individual student's design vision and interpretation of this architectural marvel.

The project continues next week and we look forward to the week ahead when their grand design is completed and unveiled!

Year 5

In English, Year 5 analysed the relationships between Addie - the main character from ‘A kind of spark’ and her sisters.  We also role-played the differing relationships between the three sisters.  In Maths, we are beginning to learn about decimals and how to convert them into equivalent fractions. 

Our Science lessons are dedicated to exploring forces. This week, we constructed parachutes and performed a fair test. We concluded that the size of the parachute affects the speed of the descent. 

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.

Collaboration matters   Excellence in everything   Community first   Equity for everyone   Continuous growth