Welcome to our weekly newsletter!

We have had immense fun acting as scientists this week for British Science Week.  The theme was 'time'.  This year was 30 years of British Science week.  Thank you to Mrs Harris for planning a great variety of activities.  

Extreme Reading Challenge

Thank you to all those who have taken part in our extreme reading competition.  It was incredibly difficult to choose the winners.

Nursery: Participation awards to Chloe and Kian

Reception: Joshua in Foxes

Year 1: Lottie in Robins

Year 2: Joe in Kestrels and Cooper in Owls 

Extra award to Luna K for being the first entry of extreme reading!

 The Nursery children have had another busy week.  They have been looking at polar bears this week creating their own fluffy polar bears using different mediums!  They have also been constructing different objects including a robot and fire engine.  They have also been using our Chromepads to develop our number skills and been developing their motor control by being 'fishermen and trying to 'hook' a specific letter or number.

For British science week they have been investigating measuring time using sand timers.  They have also been on a mini beast hunt as well as using the vocabulary 'full' and 'empty' in the water tray. 

We also had lots of fun outside.  Has Spring finally arrived?  

What a busy week!

 What a busy time we have had in Reception this week! We started the week by reading 'Jasper's Beanstalk', thinking about growth and how things change slowly over time. We thought about things we would like to change and the children wrote down skills they would like to be better at.

For Science week we explored the changing seasons and drew pictures of Spring flowers. We observed the changes in the weather and recorded them using Seesaw and drawings. We carefully observed our new tadpoles and watched them grow little gills!

In maths we were comparing amounts using the language of 'more' and 'fewer'. We compared groups of practical objects and then drew our own representations of more and fewer.

In art we enjoyed colour mixing and finger painting Spring flowers. We also created flower paper chains to decorate the classrooms!

Finally we had a very exciting visit from some real police officers. We were thrilled to talk to them and compared our uniforms!

What a wonderful week of learning Reception! Well done! 

Year 1 have had a great week of learning.  It's been a busy one with science week and comic relief! 

The children really loved dressing up with crazy hair, what creativity we saw for comic relief!

In English, the children have been learning about the scientist Eugenie Clark, who studied sharks. The children have really enjoyed learning all about her life and how she rode on a whale sharks and discovered sharks resting. The children created a double page spread of wonderful facts. 

Can you ask them what they can remember about Eugenie Clark and/or sharks?

As mathematicians, the children have been reviewing numbers to 40. They have been finding the greatest and smallest number e.g. 36, 30, 26 putting them in order and explaining how they know (36 is the greatest number because it has 3 tens and 6 ones). They have also been practising counting in 2's, 5's and 10's. 

Can your child count in 2's, 5's and 10's? 

Can you ask them what comes next 16, 14, 12, _____ and 36, 34, 32, ____  _____   26. 

As scientists, the children explored amphibians and the life cycle of a frog.  They enjoyed the various activities. They also made salt dough moths using objects in nature and explored the morph of a moth. 

Acting like a historian, the children learnt about Matthew Henson and why he was significant explorers. They learnt about how he was the first person to travel to the North pole by a sledge pulled by dogs.  

Year 2 have been enjoying their broad wider curriculum and have enjoyed lots of different learning experiences this week.

It was their second week of coding with the Lego Spike kits and the children were very proud of themselves when they managed to build and program their Arctic snow mobiles.  The teachers saw some great turn taking and problem solving as well as developing computing skills.  Well done Year Two!

In music, the children have been busy learning 'Under the Sea' songs.  Ask them to entertain you by singing 'Baby Beluga'.  Eagles Class were lucky enough to use the chime bars during their lesson with Ms Greene.

In dance, the children have been developing their ideas around 'circles', this time moving, turning and jumping with a partner.  They worked together to create their own sequence of movements.  

Can they show you any of their sequences?

Working as geographers, the children have been locating the different continents using the atlases.  They used the compass rose to discuss where the continents are in relation to each other.

They have used their chrome books to research where penguins come from - Antarctica!  The children know many facts about Emperor Penguins.  

Can they tell you why Emperor penguins and polar bears never meet?

In maths, the children have been working with money.  They have practised making different totals using polypad on their chrome books. We also practised using our subtraction skills to give change.

Can they explain to you what giving change means?

Please check the dates section regularly as dates may change and new dates will be added.

Friends Update

There are many different views about physical chastisement, but it is widely accepted there are much more effective ways to teach children right from wrong. 

As a local authority, Sutton has seen a number of children coming to the attention of police and social care due to the use of physical chastisement and as such has worked with other local authorities on an initiative to reduce this number. 

In line with this initiative, we agree that anything that causes harm to a child is unacceptable.

As a school, we have a duty to report incidents of suspected or confirmed physical chastisement to social care and the police and this can be with ot without visible bruising, grazes, scratches, minor swelling, cuts as well as stress injuries from prolonged standing, position holding as these are banned by law in the United Kingdom.

Smacking or chastising that does not leave a mark is now illegal in Wales and Scotland, and there is currently pressure being placed on the Government to make it illegal in England and Northern Ireland too. It is therefore important to understand that even if a child has been smacked but no injuries are visible, social care or the police may still choose to take further action.

If you would like support on how to manage your child’s behaviour at home, please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help. 

Safeguarding Team

The London Borough of Sutton is in the process of developing a new SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) strategy for the borough and is really keen to hear the views of children and young people with SEND/additional needs in the Borough. Barnardos are helping with this work. If you are a young person with SEND or additional needs, or a parent/carer of a child with SEND, please do contribute to this review by completing the survey by following the steps below:

1. Read about the survey here, what is being asked and how your privacy will be protected

2. Complete a short consent form here (upon completion you will be emailed a copy of the survey using the email address you provide) 

3. Complete the survey that is emailed to you prior to the 12 April 2024

What children and young people tell us will influence the SEND/AP review and will inform decision makers about what children and young people’s lived experiences are in Sutton and how we can improve them. 

Surrey County Council encourages residents to foster

Fostering is an incredibly rewarding experience that can transform the lives of both the children being fostered and the foster carers themselves. Children who enter the care system have often experienced trauma and instability in their lives, and a caring, stable foster family can make a significant difference in their wellbeing and development.

Nationally, there are currently over 70,000 children living with foster families in the UK. However, there is still a significant shortage of foster carers, with around 9,265 new foster families needed in the next year alone. In Surrey, there are over 1,000 children in care and Surrey County Council have just under 400 foster families.

Foster carers come from all walks of life and backgrounds, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to fostering. Whether you are single or married, young or old, own your own home or rent, you can still become a foster carer. The most important thing is a willingness to provide a safe and loving home for a child in need.

This is the message that Surrey County Council is promoting in national recruitment film ‘Any of Us’. The short film has been jointly funded by over 80 councils across England and aims to raise awareness about fostering, particularly among those people who may not have previously considered themselves suited to fostering. The film looks at the potential of three people from different backgrounds to become foster carers, and the potential of children they care for to grow and thrive. ‘Any of Us’ will be available to watch from 26 September.

If you have ever thought about fostering, now is the time to take that first step and find out more. The more people who consider fostering, the greater the chance of finding loving, stable homes for children in Surrey who desperately need them.

You can contact Surrey County Council Fostering Service on 0800 096 9626, via email at fostering.recruitment@surreycc.gov.uk or by visiting the website; www.surreycc.gov.uk/fostering

You can watch ‘Any of Us’ via Any of Us - YouTube and connect with the Fostering Service on social media via @surreyfostering

Dads' Football

Some Cheam Common School Dads get together on a weekly basis to play football and have a good chat. 

Join us in our WhatsApp group! ( https://chat.whatsapp.com/FwN7SksNXnBIxanYRJ9TEc) 

See you on the pitch!

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