Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been an extraordinary week here at Woodside as we experienced extremely high temperatures and Red Weather Alerts. To ensure the safety and well-being of our children and staff, we made the decision to close the school early at 1:30 PM for most of this week. We are aware that some local schools shut schools completely all day. However, we decided to close at 1:30 to support families who would struggle with all day closures. Thank you so much for your understanding, cooperation, and agility in helping us put safety first during these unprecedented conditions.

Despite the heat, we were incredibly pleased that we did manage to hold our Sports Days for KS1, Lower KS2, and Upper KS2 earlier in the week. It was wonderful to see the children competing with such fantastic team spirit, and we want to extend a huge thank you to all the parents and carers who came along to support them and make it such a brilliant experience.

Unfortunately, the extreme weather meant we had to make some difficult decisions regarding our other scheduled events. We have had to postpone the EYFS Sports Day, the Year 4 trip to the British Museum, and the Year 6 trip to Frylands. We know the children will be disappointed, but their safety remains our absolute priority. Please check this week's letter directory, where we have published updates detailing the new dates and times for each of these rescheduled events.

We hope you all have a restful weekend. Please take care, stay hydrated, and stay safe in the high temperatures.

Iman Atwal

Headteacher

This week, due to Sports Day, we did not have an assembly. So please do remind your children about the value of Aspiration - believing in something to achieve, working hard to get it and keep on going.

For information and updates of the clubs running this Summer, please click on the following link; Croydon’s HAF Summer Programme 2026

Every child/family in receipt of benefits-related Free School Meals will have the chance to book onto programmes running during the upcoming Summer holidays.  You will have received an email or text message from HolidayActivities (hello@holidayactivities.com) stating ‘You have been issued a voucher’. The email will contain details of how to register/sign-in to the booking platform and claim your child(ren)’s voucher. Once you have claimed your voucher you will be able to link your HolidayActivities Voucher to your Holiday Activities Account, which will show the available credits you have to use. If you are unable to locate this email please do look in your junk mail.

If you have more than one child, you will have received multiple vouchers via email/text. Please ensure you access the individual link for each of your children for their credits to show in your Holiday Activities Account. 

When you first log in, HolidayActivities will ask for you to share your location. By doing so, clubs will be displayed based on those closest to you. If you have any trouble with accessing the platform, please email support@holidayactivities.com. 

Spaces on the HAF programme are limited and pre-booking is essential. All bookings must be confirmed using the HolidayActivities online platform.  Please look out for your email or text message from HolidayActivities.com (hello@holidayactivities.com) which contains your voucher code, and book now to ensure that your child does not miss out.

All holiday clubs cater for children with low-medium levels of SEN and/or disability and children will be considered by each club on a case-by-case basis.

Nest

What a wonderfully busy and creative week we have had! The children have been deeply engaged in hands-on learning, storytelling, and finding clever ways to stay cool in the gorgeous weather.

Our main creative focus this week was making symmetrical butterflies to tie into our ongoing theme. Using cotton buds, the children carefully dotted paint onto their templates, and there was absolute magic and excitement in the room as they unfolded their papers to reveal beautiful, mirrored wings. It was a fantastic opportunity for learning, as the children eagerly named all the different colors they were using and chatted animatedly about the unique patterns they had created.

Alongside their art, we have continued to embed our core story, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. It is wonderful to see how well the children are absorbing the tale; this week, they showed incredible focus as they confidently retold the story in their own words.

Finally, because the weather has been so hot, our water tray became the star attraction of the playground. The children had a brilliant time staying cool while exploring with boats and little people, practicing their sharing skills, and engaging in lots of imaginative water play.

Saplings

We had a truly memorable week in Saplings, highlighted by our wonderful Father’s Day celebration! A massive thank you to all the amazing dads and special father figures who joined us for our "Dads into Reading" event. The classroom was buzzing with excitement as the children proudly shared their favorite stories with you. It was incredibly special to see everyone bonding over books, and your presence made the day absolutely unforgettable for our little learners.

Our hands-on learning continued this week as the children took fantastic care of Talula, our classroom tomato plant. The Saplings have become excellent urban farmers, diligently watering her and measuring her growth.

We also caught sports fever in the classroom! Inspired by the World Cup, we spent time discussing different countries, designing our own vibrant team flags, and testing our dexterity with some high-energy games of flick football. It was a brilliant way to blend geography, creativity, and fine motor skills.

Looking ahead, we will keep monitoring Talula’s progress and exploring more teamwork-based games. Please remember to send your child with a sun hat and a reusable water bottle as we spend more time enjoying the summer weather outdoors.

Thank you all for your incredible support this week—have a fantastic weekend!

Reception

This week, Reception children have been learning about their responsibilities to save the environment they live in. We’ve been going on bug hunts and nature walks. The children are learning that even the tiniest worm or bee has an important job to do, and we need to treat them gently. We are practicing sorting our rubbish. The children are learning that things like paper and plastic don't just disappear—we can recycle and reuse them to make something brand new. We are learning not to waste things. We’ve been practicing turning off the tap while we wash our hands and switching off the lights when we leave a room.

In our Creative Area, we’ve been using "junk modeling" (like cereal boxes and bottle caps) to show the children that old packaging can be turned into amazing spaceships and castles instead of going straight into the bin. 

As temperatures have gone up, most of the children have been finding quiet cooler spaces to enjoy reading stories independently. Using their phonics knowledge, some are sounding out the sounds they see and blending to read the titles. Reception children have managed to keep engaged with their learning despite the weather and change to their routines 

In Maths this week, we stepped out of the flat world of drawing on paper and into the exciting world of three-dimensional (3D) shapes! The children have been using their hands and eyes to explore objects that are solid, heavy, round, and pointy. Learning about 3D shapes helps children understand the physical world around them and builds a foundation for early geometry and engineering skills. They have built different models using the 3D shapes.

Year 1

Well we’ve survived the hottest week of the year, so far! Luckily the weather wasn’t at it’s hottest for Sports Day, and the children really enjoyed participating in the various activities. Thank you for coming and cheering them on.

In Maths, we’ve been learning about time thinking about the days of the week and months of the year. Children ordered the days and thought about what days make the weekend. Using the language of before and after, and yesterday and tomorrow, the children did lots of oracy work talking about activities they might do on different days. They also ordered the months and thought about which month comes before and after a particular month. We then started thinking about time in relation to hours, minutes and seconds recognising which is the shortest and longest period of time. Children did some activities and sorted pictures thinking about which ones took a second (clap) a minute (having a drink) or hours (sleeping at night).

In Science, we’ve been thinking about the weather!  We’ve recalled how to stay safe in the sun and made a poster to remind others, and found out about the summer solstice. We made a paper chain to show the hours of dark and light and used Jenga blocks to make a model of Stonehenge!

Year 2

This week has been very hot, but we have still challenged ourselves and completed lots of fantastic learning!

All of the children who took part in Sports Day across Key Stage 1 were exceptional. They were wonderfully behaved, showed great resilience and put maximum effort into every race and activity. A huge well done to everyone involved!

In Maths, we have been drawing and reading pictograms. The children learned that the key is one of the most important parts of a pictogram, as it helps us understand what the pictures represent. They worked hard to interpret information and create their own pictogram tables.

Towards the end of the week, we started learning about position and direction. The children secured their understanding of positional language, such as under, above, next to, between and behind. They especially enjoyed playing “Simon Says”, where they could sit under the table or stand beside a chair! 😄

In English, we continued our Paddington adventure. We planned our own narrative writing and discussed the features that should be included in an exciting story, such as the “power of three”, expanded noun phrases, interesting verbs and clear story structure. The children had lots of creative ideas and are looking forward to writing their stories.

In Geography, we travelled all the way to Lima! We found out about the physical features of Lima and compared them with the physical features of London. The children thought carefully about similarities and differences, including weather, landscapes and the surrounding environment.

In Science, we focused on microhabitats and the minibeasts that live there. We explored how small habitats, such as under logs, in soil, among leaves or beneath stones, provide shelter, food and protection for different creatures. The children enjoyed thinking like scientists as they observed and discussed why certain minibeasts are suited to particular microhabitats.

Please remember to stay hydrated and keep cool during the warm weather.

Have a lovely weekend!

Year 3

What a scorching but incredibly productive week it has been in Year 3! Despite the soaring temperatures and unexpected changes to our usual daily routine, the children have shown fantastic resilience and worked exceptionally hard. We are incredibly proud of their focus and enthusiasm during such a warm week, and it has been wonderful to see them supporting one another through every activity.

In English, we have dived into our new class book, ‘The Pea and the Princess’, which offers a brilliant and humorous twist on the classic fairy tale. To truly hook the children into the story, we hosted a magnificent royal banquet where they braved some very unusual delicacies straight from the pages, including pea ice cream and pea jelly. This immersive experience sparked wonderful imagination and led directly into our letter-writing focus. We were thrilled to receive mysterious correspondence from both the Queen and the infamous Pea itself, which inspired the children to practice writing letters of their own. We are also busy solidifying our narrative writing techniques, focusing specifically on punctuating direct speech with inverted commas and crafting expanded noun phrases with prepositions to describe exactly where objects are hidden.

In Maths, we have successfully moved away from flat 2D shapes to explore the three-dimensional world. The children have been eagerly investigating the properties of various 3D shapes, mastering how to accurately identify and count faces, edges, and vertices. To bring this geometric vocabulary to life, they put their spatial skills to the test by designing and constructing their very own 3D shape nets, watching flat card magically fold into solid structures.

Thank you for your continued support at home. We hope everyone manages to stay cool, hydrated, and safe over the weekend!

Year 4

During Geography lessons this week, Year 4 enjoyed researching the causes of natural disasters and investigating earthquakes in detail.

In English, we began to investigate the features of a newspaper report. This is the final genre that we will be immersing ourselves in this academic year. We will be writing a newspaper report based on an idea taken from our core text, 'The Goldfish Boy'.

In Maths, we began learning about coordinates and how to describe positions using coordinates. We enjoyed applying our learning through games such as Battleship.

In Science, we have been learning about food chains and exploring how habitats affect them. We investigated how plants and animals depend on one another for survival and considered how changes to a habitat can impact the entire food chain.

Finally, the highlight of this week was our Sports Day. Thank you to all the parents and carers who attended, encouraged, supported, and cheered us on throughout the day.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Year 5

In Maths, we have continued our work on decimals, focusing this week on adding and subtracting decimals that are within and cross 1. The children have been using their "known facts" to help them solve these trickier calculations. For example, by remembering that 6 + 7 = 13, they can easily see that 0.6 + 0.7 = 1.3. This approach is really helping them continue to build confidence with place value and spot patterns across their work.

In English this week, the children have been working hard on writing a prequel narrative based on Marcus Sedgwick’s novel, 'Floodland'. We have been exploring the backstory of the main character, Zoe, looking closely at her relationship with her father before they were separated. The children have done a wonderful job focusing on the practical skills her father taught her—such as boat rowing and survival techniques—and using these details to bring their storytelling to life.

What a fantastic Sports Day we had this week! Our Year 5 children did themselves proud, showing excellent teamwork as they cheered each other on and worked together across all the events. It was also wonderful to see their resilience on display; even when challenges arose, they kept trying their best and kept those smiles moving all the way to the finish line.

Thank You for Your Support

We would like to say a big thank you to all the parents, carers and family members who came along to support the event. Having you there cheering from the sidelines made a real difference, and the Year 5 staff thoroughly appreciate your time and encouragement.

In Maths, we are continuing our focus on financial literacy, looking closely at the real-world value of money.

Home Challenge: It would be fantastic if you could start quizzing your child at home on their financial literacy! Ask them about budgeting, distinguishing between wants vs needs, or calculating prices next time you are shopping.

Summer Term Clubs

Bookings will be open from Friday 20th March at 6pm and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The dates exclude the half term week, 25th May 2026 - 29th May 2026 and Bank holiday, Monday 4th May 2026. Also, Inset day, Friday 19th June 2026.

Please book directly using the links provided or via Arbor where it is indicated to do so.

Kindly ensure your child commits to the duration of the club, as we cannot guarantee refunds.

Sign-up starts at the beginning of the club, not once the club has started.

Please follow this link for futher information and booking links: Summer Term Clubs 

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.