Woodside Weekly

Kindness Respect Excellence Collaboration

Thursday 21st December 2023

Our whole school Attendance

this week is..

93.7%

Our whole school target is 96%

"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome everyone to the final newsletter of the term and the final newsletter of 2023. Since September, I have been fortunate enough to get to know the Woodside community, from our children, parents and staff. There have been many things we have been working on across the school to improve our provision. I welcome the opportunity to work with our teams and community to better serve our children. I look forward to continuing this next year in 2024. We will be looking to expand our community engagement so look out for this.

I also must talk about the festive season. At Woodside, we have had singing performances to our community across the school. Everything from ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, ‘Jingle Bell Rock’, ‘SANTA is his Nameo-O’ and more. Thank you to all the parents and carers who managed to come along and join in with the festive fun! The turnout was amazing at each performance with a real buzz of excitement - thank you! In school, all children have had the chance to engage in a festive celebration and were delivered class presents from the school!

Today, we unfortunately say goodbye to some of our staff members. Ms Bernard, Miss Clancy and Ms Georgiades (from Apple Class) are leaving us to start new adventures in the new year. We wish our colleagues good luck and we know they'll be missed in the new year!

We have seen a drop in our attendance over the past week, a few of which were an increase in illnesses. Please, do take care over the Christmas break and we look forward to welcoming everyone back on Tuesday 9th January 2024 (remember school is closed for Inset day on Monday 8th January).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Iman Atwal

Headteacher

Attendance

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!

These are this week's attendance figures and leading class in each phase:

EYFS: Apple 94%

KS1: Fir 94.5%

KS2: Juniper 96.4%

It is essential your child is in school everyday.

Inclusion

The festive period can be a difficult time for many children and their families.

Remember that there is a lot of help available.

Click on the links for a list of organisations that can support you;

If you have concerns about a child (or their families) welfare, contact Croydon Council’s Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Telephone: 020 8726 6400

Out of hours: 020 8726 6400 (ask for out of hours team)

Email: childreferrals@croydon.gov.uk

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 – 16:00

If you think a child is at risk of immediate harm telephone 999

Don't forget to try out Legacy youth centre over the Christmas break! For children aged 8 - 19,

they offer a one off membership (£5), then 50p sessions throughout the week.

EYFS

Nest

Children in the Nest are really enjoying the festive season. In our role play they have been writing letters to Santa and posting them in a letter box. Mark making is developing their fine motor skills as well as their communication and language skills. They have been giving meaning to their marks. They have also been enjoying exploring with a variety of baubles, sorting them out in different colours and sizes and counting how many they have in their bowls. They have been naming the colours and saying “I got a small ball”, "I got a big ball” and “Look this is blue”.

Lastly to all the Nest parents, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

See you all in the New Year on Wednesday 10th of January!

We are closed on Tuesday 9th due to home visits.

Nursery

This week in Nursery, children have been learning about different family celebrations. They looked at the similarities and differences in celebrations for different families in the Nursery class. They also enjoyed writing their Christmas cards to their families. In Maths, children continued learning about repeated patterns on wall papers and wrapping papers. They created repeating patterns using inter-linking animals. As the children have been learning about families, they also worked hard on creating a display of their family tree.

Reception

This week, children have enjoyed performing their Christmas songs in front of adults and other children. Well done children, for learning the songs! The children got creative when making a Christmas card by using paint and their fingers to design a Christmas tree.

In Literacy: We continued our learning about families from the previous week by discussing how families celebrated Christmas in England and around the World and looked at other family celebrations. We focused on children using keywords and full sentences when discussing their understanding and experiences. During independent learning, the children went on to use winter/Christmas pictures to write words and sentences about what they could see.

Home Learning: Enjoy family gatherings and celebrations during this festive season and discuss what you will be doing/done and if you are celebrating Christmas, talk about how you will/did celebrate. Remember to use full-sentences and keywords when talking: I will/I did … / I enjoyed …

Phonics: This week, the children have continued to recap their sounds, blending and segmenting words with familiar sounds. They practiced spelling words with digraphs (two letters that make one sound) such as: rock, chop, shed, thick, ring, king, pink, sink. Home Learning: Practice saying diagraphs and write words that start or end with these sounds: qu, ck, sh, ch, th, nk (quack, duck, ship, chip, that, sink)

In Maths: This week, the children consolidated their learning by revisiting topics previously learnt: sequencing of daily routines, counting using ‘one to one’ correspondence, subitising (identifying a number of objects in a group without the need to count) and capacity.

Home Learning: Children to practice identifying numbers from one to ten and beyond and to find different ways of making numbers up to five. They could use both hands to show you 2, 3, 4 and 5.

REMINDERS: To continue to help your child with their reading and writing, please encourage your child to practice phase 2 sounds. Furthermore, if your child is not able to independently write his/her name, please support him/her to practice writing their name. Thank you.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas

The Reception Team

Key Stage One

Year 1

In maths, this week we have been consolidating our learning by revisiting methods we can use to add and subtract numbers.

In English, we continued learning about diary entries. We sequenced the events in the school day, thought about time adverbials we could use and how we felt at different points of the day. Then we wrote a diary entry for one of the days.

The photo is of our display board showcasing the writing and design technology work we have done this half term.

We hope you all have a happy holiday and look forward to seeing you in 2024.

Year 2

This week, Year 2 analysed and identified the features of a diary entry. They created a WMG diary entry.

Children wrote in paragraphs using their senses to describe what happened when they entered the basement.

They used descriptive phrases to describe what they could see, hear and feel?

In Maths, children revised addition and subtraction questions. They added three, one digit numbers and subtracted two digit numbers from two digit numbers.

Lower Key Stage Two

Year 3

Thank you to all parents who attended year 3’s Christmas carol performance. Your presence and support made the event truly special. The children felt absolutely thrilled and excited when they were performing. It was such a delight to see their confidence and talent shine in today’s performance.

The display of children's amazing newspaper articles is finally up. The children have done so well in completing their newspaper article. The children have worked so hard this term and their efforts have truly paid off.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Year 4

Dear Year 4 Parents,

As we wrap up Autumn 2 and look forward to the new year and Spring Term 1, we wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for all your help and support. The collaborative effort between parents, teachers, and students has truly made a positive impact on our children's educational journey.

Firstly, we extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who attended our Christmas carol event. Your presence not only filled the room with joy and festive spirit but also emphasized the importance of relationships in our school community. The shared experience of celebrating the season together has left a lasting impression on our students, highlighting the sense of togetherness that makes our school special.

We are also thrilled to share the success of our Year 4 students in completing their drawstring bags in Design and Technology. The pride and enthusiasm they exhibited during this project were truly inspiring. The process of planning and creating these bags allowed them to showcase their creativity and skills, and we are proud of the progress they have made. Your continued support in encouraging and nurturing their talents is invaluable.

Looking ahead to the new year and Spring Term 1, we are excited about the continued collaboration between parents, teachers, and students. Together, we can create an enriching learning environment that brings out the best in our children. We anticipate more exciting projects, activities, and opportunities for growth.

Once again, thank you for your unwavering support. Your involvement and dedication contribute significantly to the success of our school community.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and looking forward to a fantastic new year.

Warm regards,

Year 4 Team

Upper Key Stage Two

Year 5

This week in maths, the children completed their fraction journey by subtracting mixed number fractions. In Spring 1, the children will be moving on to multiplication of up to 4 digits by 2 digits, so please take some time over the break to revise your times tables.

During Autumn 2, our geography lessons were dedicated to human and physical geography in the Croydon area. The children explored how Croydon has changed since Tudor times, and this week, we captured our learning in a double-page spread.

The Christmas concert was a great success and the children enjoyed their performance.

Thank you to all the parents who were able to join us.

Year 6

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that our Year 6 fundraising cake sale held last Friday was a tremendous success, and it’s all thanks to your incredible support!

Your generous donations and enthusiastic cake purchases made a significant impact, contributing to the success of our fundraising efforts. The funds raised will go a long way in enhancing the experiences of our Year 6 pupils as they embark on new and exciting adventures.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas filled with love, joy and memorable moments. May the spirit of the season bring warmth to your homes and hearts.

Extending heartfelt wishes for a blessed, happy and healthy 2024.

Key Dates

Monday 8th January 2024 - INSET DAY, School Closed to Children

Tuesday 9th January - Nest Closed due to Home Visits

Tuesday 9th January 2024 - School Open Spring Term

Monday 15th January 2024 - Year 2 Science Museum Trip

Monday 5th - Friday 9th February - Book Fair

Friday 9th February 2024 - School Close Half Term

Primary Admissions

Closing Date 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 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.

Communication

You can now find any whole school letters sent home by email

on our school website.

Recent letters:

Inclusion Update
Playground Letter
Changes to the gates
Cake Sale
Festive Season at Woodside
Term Dates
Curriculum Newsletter

Follow this link to the letters page for more information

Please Remember

We are a Nut Free School.

This includes nuts and foods containing nuts such as; boxes/tubs of chocolates, chocolate nut spreads and cereal/snack bars. We have children that have extreme nut allergies we would like to keep safe.

Thank you for your support with this.

Chartwells are delighted to offer a new

Autumn/Winter menu.

Please follow this link to see the menu

and more information

Consent for local trips

You will have spotted that you can now give your consent for your child to attend trips in the locality on Arbor. You will always be told if they are attending a trip locally.

If you have not yet given your consent, please do so by logging into Arbor and checking the Notices section. Here you will see an arrow that allows you to consent.

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.

PE & Clubs Updates

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.

Next term we will be offering some new clubs for children in years 1-6,

look out for a letter about this in the New Year.