Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome everyone to the final newsletter of the Spring term. I am sure everyone is ready for the 2 week break - although with some sunshine hopefully!

We have been celebrating the Spring Easter period this week at school. On Wednesday, we were joined by Father Sam who took a whole assembly explaining about why Easter is important to Christians. We also held our Easter Bonnet parade today which was lovely to see - the designs were creative and unique!

I have sent out a whole school letter for the end of term which has got some key updates and reminders. Please do read this End of term Headteacher message

Finally, do not forget that whilst enjoying the half term break, encourage your children to take part in our PTA’s t-shirt competition. A separate letter from ‘POW’ (Parents of Woodside) has been sent out with all the information.

Have a restful and enjoyable break and we look forward to seeing everyone on Monday 15th April.

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.

Click on this link Easter Discounted or Kids Eat Free for a  list of restaurants and cafes that are offering discounted or free children's meals for the holidays. Follow links to the relevant websites for further information on each offer - please ensure that you check the terms and conditions before you set off.

Entry to the permanent collections of these museums and galleries is free; while charges may apply for special exhibitions. Check any terms and conditions before you set off. Click the link here for a list Free Museum entry

£3 Zoo Tickets! 

London Zoo is continuing their offer of £3 tickets for anyone currently in receipt of Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, or Jobseekers Allowance.

The £3 tickets are available for the whole family and under 3’s go free.

Tickets must be purchased  online in advance and are available for up to 6 people per household

You will be required to provide proof of your benefit letter (electronic or Paper). You may also be asked to provide photographic ID.

Offer is ongoing at this time..

For further information go to; Universal Credit tickets to London Zoo

Support & Advice 

• Help for anyone experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse - Croydon Family Justice Centre 020 8688 0100 or email FJC@croydon.gov.uk

If you have concerns about a child (or their families) welfare, contact Croydon Council’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 

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

Nest

Children in the Nest have had lots of exciting learning experiences this week. Continuing to support children's knowledge and understanding of the world, we have been learning about Easter. They made Easter cards, choosing their own coloured card and materials and made marks in the card to represent their name. They were decorating Easter eggs using different coloured paints with cotton buds and made patterns on the egg shape, whilst engaged children were able to say the colour names and what they were doing. They thoroughly enjoyed their Easter Egg hunt, looking for the hidden eggs going on to count how many they had found, they also showed good sharing and waiting for their turn. They enjoyed making Easter egg nests, made out of melted chocolate and Rice Krispies. They mixed both ingredient together and placed it into cupcake cases independently.

Nursery

This week in Nursery, children have been learning about the Spring time and what happens during this time of the year. Children were able to talk about new beginnings by looking at flowers, trees and animals. They used their learning to sequence the life cycle of a chick.

In Maths, they were matching numbers on the eggs with number cards and sticking pictures to match the number.

Reception

In Literacy this week, the children have been using their phonics knowledge to independently read short sentences and draw pictures relating to the sentences. The sentences were simple sentences which had digraphs and trigraphs on them. 

Home Learning: Children can practice writing repetitive sentences about what they can see. I can see a brown cat (draw a cat and colour it brown). It is next to a tree (children draw a tree next to the cat). Support them to write  simple repetitive sentences.

Phonics: During the week, children have been using their knowledge of sounds to continue reading longer words ending in -ing such as ‘walking, singing, cooking, looking and sailing. They have also been writing some spellings to practice seeing the digraphs and trigraphs in words. They have also been practicing their tricky words as they need them for writing sentences.   

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 program 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 about repeated patterns using different objects. Children looked at patterns on clothes, animals, colour patterns, body part patterns. Children were also excited to complete patterns using different objects. Some used shapes, board rubbers and pens. Others used blocks and Lego. 

Home Learning: Children look at patterns everywhere and talk to you about the patterns. Support them to talk about patterns on their clothes everyday. 

REMINDERS: Thank you to all the parents who have made sure that Little Wandle books are returned in time so they can be changed. However, some are not being returned and no new books will be given out. This will mean children will not be bringing the Little Wandle books home.

Year 1

This week we have finished our work on 'Beegu' using all our previous learning to write a diary entry about Beegu’s time on earth. We tried to use all the features you would see in a diary: first person, feelings, time adverbials and past tense.

In maths, we recapped the work we have been doing on mass, volume and capacity and consolidated our understanding of the vocabulary associated with these: lighter, heavier, full, empty, nearly full, nearly empty, more and less. We then applied our knowledge to solve some reasoning questions.

We have enjoyed our DT work exploring moving mechanisms and created a picture with a moving part. Some of these will form part of our end of term display. A photo of the finished display will be shared after the holiday. 

Thank you for all your support this term, have a happy and restful holiday.

Year 2

In Math this week, Year 2 children calculated how much change to give in pounds and pence. Children were asked to discuss what happens when they don’t have the exact coins to pay for an item. They shared ideas. Through this discussion pupils recalled that they could pay with a coin that is of a higher value and get change.

In History this term, children looked at different artefacts from the Victorian period, making inferences about what we thought they may have been used for. After that they compared different aspects of a Victorian lifestyle, focusing on how the world has changed overtime. This week they explored different aspects of Dr Thomas Barnardo’s life. What change did Dr Barnardo bring about? What influenced his mind?

Year 4

A Term of Achievement and Excitement!

As the Easter break approaches, Year 4 is brimming with a well-deserved sense of accomplishment! This half term has been a whirlwind of learning and creativity, and the children have truly impressed us with their dedication and enthusiasm.

This week, Year 4 transformed into a team of investigative journalists! They've been diligently working on publishing a press release about a dangerous prisoner who has escaped prison. It's been a fantastic exercise in honing their writing skills, attention to detail, and ability to communicate important information in a clear and concise way. We can't wait to see the finished pieces and celebrate their journalistic endeavours!

With a fantastic half term behind them, Year 4 is more than ready for a well-deserved Easter break! We encourage them to relax, recharge, and enjoy quality time with their families. We look forward to welcoming them back refreshed and ready for new adventures in the next term!

On behalf of the Year 4 Team, we wish you a Happy Easter!

Year 5

Year 5 celebrated the end of term with a double spread in Science. We really enjoyed learning about forces and we are looking forward to learning about human development next term. 

We published our monologues based on the core text ‘A Kind of Spark’ and our work has been celebrated and displayed in school.
We started a new topic in Maths ‘Percentages’ and we are looking forward to finding all the discounts and bargains while we are shopping during our holiday :)

Finally, we are ready to celebrate Easter - some of us made some amazing Easter bonnets.

We would like to say a Big Thank You and Well Done to everyone who participated in the Spring Celebration.

The Winners of our Spring Celebration are...

Please collect your Amazon voucher after the Easter break

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.

Please be aware, school run after school clubs will not start in the first week back, 15.04.24 -19.04.24.

Details will be sent out the first week back about clubs for Summer 1.

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