Starfish were very excited in their first PE lesson this term.  We got out the wall bars and practised climbing and balancing across different apparatus.  We also learnt how to jump off equipment safely by bending our knees and landing on our feet.  We are all really looking forward to next Friday when we will get the wall bars out again.

Starfish have also been learning about the coldest season, winter.  They enjoyed exploring and investigating the ice that had formed overnight.  The children tried to melt the ice in their warm hands, but this made their hands cold.  Some of the children used the hammer to smash the ice.

We made bird feeders so the birds would not be hungry as it is harder for them to find food in winter.  We left them out water to drink too.

The children have also loved playing maths games together.  They are able to take turns and help their friends work out how many frogs were swimming in the pool. They used their knowledge of number bonds to 5 to help them.

Starfish enjoyed their trip to The Lightbox where they took part in a storytelling workshop.  The children listened to the story of The Princess and the Frog and then made a puppet of one of the characters from the story.

We have started our new Geography topic this half term about Rainforests around the World.  We have located them on maps and found out that they are near the Equator and between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, as the climate and weather is the warmest there.  We found out that over half of the world’s animals live in rainforests, so they are a very important habitat!  We will be looking closely at the Amazon rainforest.

We have started our new Science topic about Rocks this half term.  The children have really enjoyed finding out that rocks and fossils are millions of years old and can be formed in three different ways.  The children learnt how fossils are formed and even made their own fossils!  We have a new book about rocks that shows all the different layers under the Earth’s surface.  The children love folding it out and looking at what is beneath our feet!

In Maths, we have been continuing our learning on Multiplication and Division.  The children have been working so hard to learn the 8 times table and related division facts, using some friendly spiders in our classroom!  In Literacy, we have been looking at the story Dragon Post.  The children have been busy writing letters and including all the features of formal letter writing.

In Art, we have been learning about the artist Henri Rousseau.  The children have been learning how to mix yellow and blue paint to make different shades of green and adding black and white.  In RE, the children have been finding out about the Golden Rules that underpin many religions.  They have been creating mindmaps of what they think Golden Rules should include.

In PE we have been doing Dance.  We have been imagining we are animals that live in forests and have used expression and creativity to move our bodies in different ways.

On Friday 24th January we had a successful enterprise mufti day, where the children wore their favourite colours. The day was not only vibrant and fun, but it also emphasised the importance of working together towards a common goal to raise money for school.

We were delighted to attend the drumming workshop at Halsted St Andrews, where the students engaged in learning different rhythmic patterns and echoes. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to express their creativity, and I am pleased to report that we all had a fantastic time!

In our Maths lessons, we have been focusing on formal methods for multiplication and division, specifically short multiplication and division methods. To reinforce their understanding, I would encourage you to support your child with their times tables at home, especially as we are moving on to learn about fractions next, which also relies heavily on times table knowledge.

In Science, our exploration of sound has been very engaging. The children have been experimenting with how sound travels, as well as investigating changes in volume and pitch. It has truly been a fascinating topic for all involved.

In Physical Education, Miss Young has been guiding the students through tennis, where they are learning the fundamental skills of forehand and backhand strokes. This has helped to enhance their coordination and teamwork skills.

Additionally, in Dance, we are currently working on a space-themed routine. The children have been collaborating with partners to create sequences of movements in both unison and canon, which is proving to be both challenging and enjoyable.

Sea Turtles have started the new year well! All children have been working really hard whilst enjoying their learning. In Literacy, the children have learnt about blogging through reading blogs written by British astronaut, Tim Peake, when he ventured into space and lived aboard the International Space Station for 6 months! To finish the unit, they wrote their own blogs on a topic of their choice which were an interesting read.

In Maths, the children have just finished their unit on written methods for multiplication and division. The class demonstrated resilience towards their learning as there are a few steps involved, which can make learning the methods a bit tricky- well done to them all! We have now moved on to multiplying unit and non-unit fractions by an integer which they all seem to be grasping well, especially those who are confident with their times tables.

In History, we have moved on to our ‘Tudors’ unit. We have learnt some fascinating facts so far, especially so about King Henry VIII, The Battle of Bosworth Field and what Tudor life was like for the rich and poor. Our History unit also links with our current Literacy unit on William Shakespeare’s play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ which we have just begun.

Our Art unit for this half term also links with our History unit, as the children are learning about Tudor portraits. They have been further developing their shading and sketching skills, as well as looking at portraits from different perspectives. Some of the work produced thus far has been extremely impressive!

In PE, the children have been enjoying their Tennis and Dance units; they have further developed their forehand, backhand and volleying in tennis, and learning choreography in dance based around the circus. In computing, the children have been accessing a site that allows them to create 3D models, called Tinkercad. They have learnt about 3D shapes and looking at them from different perspectives, as well as selecting certain shapes and joining them together to create something.

Also, as always, just a reminder to ensure you are continuing to read with your child and record in their school planner- reading as often as possible and promoting a love of reading really helps children in all aspects of their learning! In a couple of weeks, I will be delivering the Internet Safety Workshop which parents are allowed to attend, it would be wonderful to see lots of you there!

This half term has been a busy start to 2025! We have jumped straight into some new and exciting topics. WW1 is the theme of our History and Literacy lessons, with a focus on our class text of War Horse written by Michael Morpurgo. We have been busy creating propaganda posters and persuasive radio adverts to try to make people join up for the army to help out in WW1. It has been a very interesting topic and the children have loved learning about life in the trenches and the health conditions caused from spending months at a time on the front line!

In PE, we have started two new sports, tennis and dance. The children have shown great skill during our tennis lessons, so far we have practiced balance, coordination and returning the ball. We have also learnt the importance of the handshake grip and keeping a firm wrist! In our dance lessons, we are making links with music whilst focusing on rhythm and team work to learn Samba moves.

Dolphins have been fantastic Mathematicians this month, learning algebra. Children have enjoyed using function machines and substituting numbers in equations. We are now moving onto ratio which is also a challenging topic!

In Art, we have been looking at street art and the famous artist Banksy. The children enjoyed looking at a range of his art works and debated whether they thought it was art or graffiti, it was a very interesting topic! The children have been learning how to create depth in their art work by looking at positive and negative space and creating these in their work. We had some great results!

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that lunches are currently free for Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 students under the government's Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme. For children in Years 3 to 6, the cost of a school lunch is £2.95 per day / £14.75 per week. We would appreciate it if you could ensure that your child has sufficient funds in their lunch account. Please can we remind parents that school dinners should be paid for in advance. Please ensure that payment for the week ahead is made by the Monday morning.

Please click here to view the menus via our school website - School Meals

If your child would like to change from a packed lunch to a school dinner or vice versa, please contact the school office to advise of the change.  Please note changes can only be made at the beginning of a term.

Please be reminded that we are a nut free school.  Please do not send your child to school with any food containing nuts, for example Nutella / nut chocolate spread, Peanut butter, Peanut chocolate bars (Snickers) or nut cereal bars etc.  If you are unsure please visit the school office to pick up a healthy lunch leaflet.

If your child has recently borrowed spare clothing from school, in particular children in Reception class, year 1 and year 2 please can we ask that these are returned.  We have a washing machine onsite so you can be assured that any items returned are washed as needed.  

We are also looking for donations of spare clothing such as underwear, leggings, jogging bottoms in small sizes such as ages 4 - 8.  Please either hand into the office or to the class teacher.  Thank you for your support. 

Please see below for PE days for the Spring Term

The children will need to wear their correct PE kit on their PE day. Correct PE kit consists of:

·        Sky blue Maybury t-shirt

·        Navy blue or black hooded jacket

·        Navy blue or black jogging bottoms

Trainers (only lace up if your child can tie their own laces please) 

If you consider that there are exceptional circumstances relating to your request, please let the school have full details. Each application for a leave of absence will be considered on a case by case basis.

Penalty Notices to Address Poor Attendance at School

A Penalty Notice may be issued as an alternative to the prosecution of a parent/carer for their child’s unauthorised absence from school (absence without the agreement of the school or not covered by a medical note) and willbe used by Surrey County Council in the following circumstances :-

1. Pupils identified by police and Attendance Advice Officers (formerly Education Welfare Officers) engaged on Truancy Patrols and who have incurred unauthorised absences.

2. Leave of absence in term time (5 days or 10 sessions or more).

• Please be aware that The Education (Pupil Registration)(England)(Amendment)  Regulations 2013, which became law on 01 September 2013 state that Headteachers may  not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• The Headteacher is also required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.

• In such cases the Headteacher/Governing Body must decide whether there are exceptional circumstances.  They may request that Surrey County Council issue Penalty Notices when the absence is not authorised.

Warnings will not be given where it can be shown that parents have been notified that such absences will not be authorised.

3. Finally, the issuing of a Penalty Notice will also be considered where it is judged that a parent is failing to ensure their child's regular school attendance.

This will be considered when a pupil has incurred 10 or more unauthorised sessions in the previous 10 school weeks, which may include a pupil arriving late after close of registration.

If you believe at any stage that your child’s absence from school may leave you liable to receive a Penalty Notice, it is extremely important that you act without delay to secure their regular attendance. 

If you have any questions or require further support to achieve an improvement in your child’s attendance, please contact your child’s school or the Attendance Advice Officer.

Penalty Notice relating to Exclusions

If a child is excluded from school, Section 103 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on parents/carers to ensure that their child is not in a public place without justifiable cause during school hours. 

This duty applies to the first five days of each exclusion.  Failure to do so will render the parent/carer liable to a Penalty Notice. (Alternative education provision will be made available from the sixth day of any exclusion.)

Amount Payable for a Penalty Notice and Consequences for repeat uauthorised absences

1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.

Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.

Advice and support is available from an Attendance Advice Officer by contacting Surrey Attendance Service as follows:-

North West - Tel: 01483 518130 South West   - Tel: 01483 517179

North East - Tel: 01372 833588 South East   -       Tel: 01737 737777

Please bear in mind that all of these dates are subject to change