It has been an exciting start to the summer term in Year 3.  We have started our new science topic about light and our new geography topic about the new Woking developments.  In Science, we have investigated and planned a suitable material to make reflective strips on a school bag, have tried to walk by looking up in a mirror, this was trickier than we first thought!  We have thought about the benefits and dangers of the sun and how to protect ourselves from harmful UV rays, and designed our own funky sunglasses!

The children have enjoyed learning about mass, capacity, length and perimeter in maths and have taken part in lots of practical activities to apply their knowledge.  The children loved drawing on the tables to find the perimeter of Numicon shapes!  We finished this unit with a fun practical lesson in the playground drawing shapes on the ground and measuring in cm and m.

We have enjoyed reading our class book together ‘The Enchanted Wood’ by Enid Blyton.  It’s a lovely way for us to share a story together and have some calm and quiet time amidst our busy timetable.

In Literacy, we have been looking at the text ‘How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth’.  We have used this a focus to write instructional texts.  The children have been using time subordination to write their own detailed instructions.

In PE, the children have been practising their cricket skills.  This has been a really popular sport as lots of the children enjoy playing cricket out of school too.  We have also been doing HRE (health related exercise) to improve our stamina and ability to exercise at different intensities.

In Art, we have been studying the artist Andy Goldsworthy.  The children have been experimenting with collage by layering, tearing, cutting and crumpling different materials and sorting them by mood colours.  They imitated some of Andy’s artwork by creating their own sculptures/collages using natural materials—they were amazing!

Angelfish class have had a very busy start to the summer term. Earlier this month, we had an inspiring visit to Butser Ancient Farm, where the children took part in a variety of hands-on activities including a fascinating talk about Roman villas, archaeological digs, building Flint walls, and even jewellery making using pliers! It was a wonderful day, made even more delightful by the lovely weather.

In Literacy, we started the term by exploring the story 'Escape From Pompeii', focusing on the correct use of speech punctuation. While it presented a few challenges, I am pleased to report that all the children made significant progress by the end of the unit. Later in the term, we shifted our focus to persuasive writing, where the children developed their skills to convince others to visit Woking. They learned how to effectively use rhetorical questions and emotive language in their writing.

In PE over the past few weeks, the children have been learning a variety of skills essential for playing cricket, and they have shown great enthusiasm and development in this area. Lessons have focused on key skills such as throwing, catching, bowling, and performing the long barrier technique. The children are mastering these skills with great dedication and teamwork, which has been wonderful to witness. It's delightful to see their confidence grow as they engage in different activities, working collaboratively with one another.

In Music, our exploration of Bollywood music has been particularly joyous! The children have enjoyed dancing, creating ambient sounds, and learning to play tunes on the glockenspiel by reading different music notations. It's been a delightful fusion of culture and creativity.

Our Art sessions have also been vibrant, with the children experimenting with clay. They have been improving their techniques in manipulating the material to create various styles of coils, ultimately resulting in the creation of beautiful coil pots.

Additionally, I am delighted to share that the children performed wonderfully in their class assembly, which focused on violent volcanoes and extreme earthquakes. Their singing and speaking were loud and clear, and it filled me with pride to see their confidence shine through.

As we settle back into our routine after an enjoyable half term, I wanted to take a moment to share some highlights from our time in Year 5. Mrs McCormick has loved getting to know the children and Mrs Gregory is very happy to be back!

In Maths, the children have been actively engaged in exploring angles and shapes. They've demonstrated great enthusiasm, and it has been lovely to see their understanding develop as they are now able to measure and draw angles accurately using a protractor.

In Literacy, we have been inspired by the story of Katie and the Water Lily Pond, using it as a springboard to craft their own transportation stories. It has been impressive to watch their creativity flourish as they weave imaginative tales involving correctly punctuated speech.

In P.E, children have begun their swimming lessons! They are already showing great effort and are eager to improve their skills in the water. It would be beneficial for them to continue practising at home, where possible to continue to improve ready for their Year 6 lessons.

Our Geography topic this term is centred around France. We are exploring the country's culture and landmarks. It can be fun to locate France on a map at home or even try cooking a French dish together!

In Art, we have taken a deep dive into the works of Claude Monet. The children are learning about impressionism and will create their own artwork inspired by Monet's beautiful landscapes. Please keep an eye out for their masterpieces, which we will proudly display soon!

It has been a very busy month for Year 6, the children have been working hard all year in preparation for their SATs tests. Last week our time to shine finally came! The children came in for a very yummy breakfast where they could choose between cereal, toast, crumpets, pancakes or pan au chocolates!

Once our tests were over, we enjoyed a few treats… we had a visit from the ducklings that have been in Starfish class. They were so cute and a lot of fun to have cuddles with!

On Friday, we spent the morning at Boundary park. It was fantastic weather, we had football, skipping and the children played on all of the equipment. The children also enjoyed some tasty snacks and juice drinks!

It hasn’t just been about SATs; we have been busy with our art learning journey. The children have been making life-size sculptures of a human body inspired by Sean Henry the creator of the ‘Woking People’ sculptures that you can see around town. We made ours from sellotape, clingfilm, newspaper and paper mâché. Each person in our group was one of the body parts– we measured them and then created them. It was so much fun!

In computing this half term, children have been programming Micro: bit mini computers. They have had an amazing time adding variables and turning the Micro: bits into compasses.

In Geography, Year 6 have been learning about The Amazing Americas. We have focussed on North America and South America by looking at human and physical features and comparing climates with the UK.

During our Science lessons, we continue to learn about light, focusing on how shadows are formed and what affects their size, direction and shape.

We can’t believe that we are heading into the Dolphin’s final half term at Maybury. We have lots of fun activities planned for next half term, we cannot wait to celebrate everyone’s hard work this year!

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