Woodhill

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It has been an exciting first week back at school with the children settling into their new learning for the half-term. There have also been exciting events with our celebrations of International Mother tongue day and our languages day taking place across KS2 in celebration of the 50+ languages that are spoken across the school. The day was introduced with a really engaging assembly led by Mrs Aoumeur and our language leaders who modelled speaking in their mother tongue and then teachers and teaching assistants also joined in. The children then engaged in a carousel of activities across the key stage spending time with different adults as they enhanced their knowledge and understanding of different languages. Our KS1 children also had an amazing day at Royal Festival Hall at the Bright sparks concert led by the London Philharmonic orchestra. Despite getting wet, they had a truly memorable day.

A huge well done to Maisie who in support of the Princess Trust has had a haircut with 35cm being donated to the charity as well as a cash donation. Fantastic.

Have a good weekend and fingers crossed for some drier weather next week.

Mr Phillips and the team

Messages from the office

World Book Day Information

Theme Day Lunch - Thursday 7th March

If your child is normally pack lunch and they would like a theme lunch please let the office know by Wednesday 28th February

Medical Appointments

WE have had a increase of children attending eye appointments during the school day, going forward these appointments will not be authorised and we ask that routine eye appointments are made at weekends/after school/school holidays

Headlice

We have received reports of head lice in several year groups across the school. Please check your child’s hair tonight and for the next 7 days to make sure there are no eggs hatching. You may wish to run conditioner through the hair using a fine-tooth comb.

Unfortunately, this is a common problem in all schools. It helps to keep all long hair tied up to prevent the spread. Legally the school cannot check children’s hair or send a pupil home if they have head lice.

It is therefore important that all parents are vigilant and act quickly if head lice are found.

Lost Property / Valuables

Can we also remind parents not to send children into school with expensive clothing as children often misplace their belongs and the school accepts no responsibility for any lost belongs, this is the responsibility of your child to ensure they look after their property. To support with this please can you ensure all children's clothing is labelled with their names.

Absence from School Procedure

If your child is absent from school, please ensure you follow this guidance: -

Telephone 0208 8545055 or email info@inspirewoodhill.co.uk or message on Arbor by 8.30 am on the 1st day that your child is absent. Please continue to update the school daily on your child’s illness. Please also follow it up with medical evidence, where possible.
Absences will only be authorised if medical evidence has been supplied to the school. Medical evidence can be a copy of a prescription for medicine, the prescribed medicine or packaging and medical appointment letters/card or text message.
Make any dentist/doctor/hospital appointments outside of school hours or school holidays where possible.
Do not keep your child away from school if there is a school issue. Please contact the school to discuss the problem with a senior member of staff to help resolve the issue.
Do not keep your child away from school for reasons other than severe illness. Absences due to birthdays, holidays, relatives’ visits, shopping trips and your own ill health will not be authorised.
All holidays will not be authorised and you will be at risk of a penalty fine from the Royal Borough of Greenwich Attendance Advisory Service.

Measles

In light of recent news coverage regarding measles we wanted to share some important information with you to ensure the health and well-being of our school community is supported.

Measles is a highly contagious infection that can lead to serious complications. Studies indicate that 9 out of 10 unvaccinated children are at risk of contracting measles if a classmate is infected.

The most effective preventive measure against measles is the MMR vaccine (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, also known as German Measles). Typically administered at 1 year old and again at three years old, the two doses offer lifetime immunity.

A shortfall in the number of MMR vaccines administered nationally, particularly in London, has been noticed. If you are uncertain about your child's vaccination status, please check their red book or contact your GP surgery for clarification.

If your child needs to catch up on vaccinations, it can be done at any time at your GP practice, and appointments with nurses are available, making it a convenient and cost-free service provided by the NHS.

Measles often begins with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Small spots in the mouth may also develop. For detailed information on measles signs and symptoms, please refer to the NHS website at www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles.

Should you suspect your child has measles, please call 111 or inform your GP practice, which may conduct a phone appointment due to the highly contagious nature of the virus. It's crucial not to attend nursery, school, work, or medical facilities to prevent the spread. Additionally, avoid close contact with infants, pregnant individuals, and those with weakened immune systems, as they are more vulnerable to measles.

If your child is diagnosed with measles, it is essential for them to stay off nursery or school and you must notify the school. If there are other unvaccinated children who live in the house, they should also isolate incase they are infectious.

For further information on health and well-being, the www.nhs.org website is a valuable resource. To learn more about measles and the MMR vaccine, please visit the following pages

● Measles: www.nhs.uk/measles

● MMR vaccine: www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/mmr-vaccine/

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Wishing you and your family continued good health.

What we have learned this week

Nursery - This week in nursery the children have been looking at the story of the Three Little Pigs as we have been exploring Fairy Tales across this term with our Core Book You Choose Fairy Tales. The children have been acting out the story and have enjoyed joining in with the repeated refrains for example, Ezra enjoyed being the big bad wolf and saying "Little Pig, Little Pig Let Me Come in2, to which Orainea replied "Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin, I will not let you in!"

In Maths the children have been learning about positional language through a song called 'Where's the Monkey'and are using what they learned to say where Elma and the Gruffalo are. Mahd said "Elma is on the chair" and Jamal said "The Gruffalo is under the chair"

Year 1 - Year 1 has had an exciting week with the arrival of some mysterious balloons and a backpack. They have been busy making predictions about who might have left the items in English, making sensible guesses. They then watched the start of our new core film ‘Up’ and Logan said ‘It was Russell who left the balloons and the backpack!’ The children then went on to write questions about the characters and the story, wondering why Carl was so grumpy and how many balloons the house needed to float.

In Maths, they have been learning all about numbers to 20, and strengthening their knowledge of one more and one less. Kiara said ‘I know that 18 is one more than 17, and because of this I know 17 is one less than 18!’ They have been enjoying practical lessons, including applying their new skill of estimation - Andrea said ‘I know 10 is halfway between 0 and 20, so I know that 10 will be in the middle of our number line!’

On Thursday Year 1 are joining Year 2 on a trip to the Royal Festival Hall to go and see a BrightSparks event where an orchestra accompanies a retelling of the children's story ‘Stan and Mabel’. They will get a train to London and walk to the Royal Festival Hall. They will be joined by other schools to watch this special performance and are extremely excited about the upcoming trip, with Frankie saying ‘we’re going to sit in special seats and hear some lovely music!’ The children are bound to come back with lots of exciting stories to tell parents.

Year 4 - This week, year four have been diving into our new core text, 'Tamarind and the Lost Star of Ishta.' We have been exploring the culture and tradition of India through food tasting and comparing India to the UK. We have also generated a word bank of sensory adjectives and used them to create a persuasive description of Indian cuisine. Frankie said, 'It was really exciting trying new foods from a different country!' In maths, the children have continued learning perimeter and have been exploring key concepts of rectilinear shapes. Damien said, 'I have really enjoyed recalling my knowledge from the last half term and using my skills of addition to find the perimeter!'

In the wider curriculum, the children have enjoyed learning about artist Pablo Picasso and creating a mood board around self expression and identity. They used a range of resources to generate key words, ideas, patterns and colours that represent the artist's unique post-modern style. Renee said, 'I got really creative by using pastel, paints and different shapes to create a piece of artwork!'

In science, the children have explored the concept of digestion and used their own prior knowledge to support their understanding of how food is broken down and dispatched into our body to provide nutrients. They used their knowledge organiser to learn new key vocabulary and were able to apply them to their own independent learning. Faye said, 'it was interesting to learn how our body gets nutrients!'

Thursday was World Language Day and year four enjoyed having the opportunity to travel to different classes and explore different countries and learn a little about their language and culture. They made passports and enjoyed a range of activities that widened their understanding of languages used around the world. Elliott said, 'I liked being able to go to different teachers and learn about their countries and discover more about different languages!'

Community Support, Events & Activities

The Hospice Mini Marathon returns for 2024!

Help your child to make a positive difference in their local community by running 2.62-miles for special hospice care!

Open to children aged 5 to 16, the Hospice Mini Marathon offers a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and enjoy a day of walking, running, or jogging in the scenic Royal Greenwich Park.

In 2023, an incredible 900 children took part and collectively raised over £45,000 to support the families we care for.

Book your child's place at https://www.communityhospice.org.uk/event-registration/?event_id=3499

Our Hospice Mini Marathon isn’t just your typical fun run, it’s a day filled with excitement:

DJ
Performances by the Rock Choir
Free sports activities
Face painting
Meet and greet with the local royalty the Pearly People
A lively cheer squad along the 2.62 mile route
Plus hundreds of children, many in fancy dress, running 2.62 miles to raise funds for special hospice care!

Registration fees are £10 per child, which includes a JLL sponsored Goodie Bag and a Hospice Mini Marathon medal!

Registration fees help cover the costs of running this event so every penny of sponsorship you can raise makes a significant difference to the comfort and well-being of our patients and their families. We invite you to create a fundraising page and help us maximise the difference we can make to families. Please email team@gbch.org.uk to request a free Fundraising Pack!

Your support will contribute to providing patients with pain and symptom control, expert in-home care, psychological and social support for the entire family, and rehabilitation to help patients lead fulfilling lives.

Supporting this event will directly impact local families who are being cared for by our dedicated Hospice team who are striving to ensure that patients and their families are never alone when facing a life-limiting illness.

If you’re raising funds in memory of a loved one, please contact us at team@gbch.org.uk as we’d love to support you with your fundraising.

A heartfelt thank you to our headline sponsors JLL for their continued support.

We also extend our gratitude to PPL PRS for their assistance with the music license.

Let’s make the 2024 Hospice Mini Marathon a memorable day of giving, joy, and community!