Dear Parents and Carers

We hope you had a restful and enjoyable half-term break. It’s wonderful to see our students back, refreshed, and ready to embark on the exciting activities we have planned for the second half of the term. I cannot believe we are at the last half term of the academic year already. 

This week has been DT week with a focus on cooking. Children across the school have been busy designing, making and evaluating their creations. We have had everything from fruit salads, cupcakes and pizzas. The school has smelt amazing as the children have been busy cooking.

A reminder to please ensure your child comes to school in the correct uniform. With warmer weather approaching, don’t forget to apply sunscreen before school and send your child with a hat for outdoor activities. 

We will be sending out information very soon confirming our events this term, including our Sports Day (which is being organised by Mrs Pearce), as well as transition plans for our new Reception children. Please watch out for this.

We are also finalising our end of year plans and preparing for September. We hope to share this information soon.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

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.

At the carpet session children talked about what they did during the half term break. We have been visiting the nursery garden, where children explored different areas independently. This term our core text is 'The Tiny Seed'.

In our outside area we have made our lovely display of summer, which has been very popular. Children have been enjoying listening to the story and talking about the story in their own words.

In maths, we have been counting in tens recognising that the numbers end in zero. We have recognised and counted numbers between 50 and 100 and identified numbers missing in a sequence. We used a part-whole model to partition numbers into tens and ones and used practical resources such as numicon, straws and dienes to help us make the numbers. . 

As it is DT week, we have been doing lots of DT activities related to our outcome which was to make a fruit salad. First we identified the many fruits that we can eat and noticed that they can come in different forms - tinned, dried, fresh and jams. We enjoyed tasting some different fruits before selecting the ones we wanted in our fruit salad thinking about the colour and texture of the fruits. We discussed how to work safely when preparing food, and practised some cutting before using our skills to make our salad.

Year 3

It is DT week and year 3’s have been developing their cooking skills by starting off with designing their cupcake cases, writing the step by step recipe for their cupcakes and practically baking using different ingredients and toppings. They have shown good teamwork skills and focus. 

In English, our topic book for this week is ‘The Invisible’. The children have been thinking about the different emotions the character may illustrate in the book. We then spoke and watched a video on the Uber Boat Experience where the children highlighted the key events that took place. We then wrote a recount using the key events they highlighted. 

In Maths, we are learning about minutes and seconds. The children have started to understand that 1 minute equals to 60 seconds and using that fact the children were able to convert different minutes into seconds.

Year 4

In their Design and Technology lessons, the children explored Greek kebabs through research, taste testing, recipe development, and hands-on cooking. They began by investigating the origins and cultural significance of Greek kebabs in ancient Greece. Through taste tests, they experienced typical flavors like oregano, garlic, lemon, and olive oil, which helped them understand traditional Greek cuisine.

The children researched ancient Greek foods to learn about the diet and culinary practices of the time. They discussed their food preferences and shared insights on flavors they enjoyed or disliked. They learned how to make kebabs step-by-step, including selecting ingredients, marinating, skewering, and grilling.

Each child then designed their own kebab, choosing specific ingredients and spices based on their tastes. Following a simple recipe, they made their kebabs, measuring ingredients, mixing marinades, assembling skewers, and cooking under supervision. After cooking, they evaluated their kebabs based on taste, appearance, and satisfaction, reflecting on what worked well and what could be improved.

This project combined historical research, sensory exploration, and culinary skills. The children gained a deeper understanding of Greek cuisine, improved their cooking abilities, and appreciated different tastes and traditions. They applied their knowledge practically, creating and enjoying their own kebabs.

Year 6

During DT week, our Year 6 children participated in a fantastic cooking project focusing on the country of Spain. We decided to cook a popular Spanish dish – Pan con Tomate, also known as Spanish Bruschetta. The children learned about the cultural significance of this dish and discovered its long history in Spanish cuisine.

In addition to the cooking process, we incorporated a cross-curricular approach by exploring the cost of ingredients and identifying the best value for money during our math lessons. This allowed the children to understand not just the cooking process, but also the practicalities of purchasing ingredients and managing a budget. This holistic learning experience enriched their understanding of both culinary skills and financial literacy.

Please note. When entering school property, you must dismount and walk with all wheeled modes of transport. This is to keep everyone on school property safe.

Thank you for your cooperation

We are starting to use 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.

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