Heartsease Primary Academy Newsletter - 10th May 2024

joanne.rowley • May 10, 2024

Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been another excellent two weeks since I last wrote to you and I am pleased to report that the children have fully embraced the Steps to Success and children are being recognised for their positive achievements in school.

Thank you to those parents that attended the Unity School Partnership evening last night where they were able to find out a little more about the new Trust Heartsease will be joining. In the meeting Mr Coulson (CEO) took the time to outline that Heartsease will have access to a greater depth of school improvement support which will help the school and most importantly your children achieve their goals and prepare them effectively for the next stage in their learning journey.

In other news, Year 6 SATs are next week and your children with the help of Ms McGee, Mr Bonner, Mrs Thurston, Mrs Daniels and Mrs Stafford have worked relentlessly to improve their outcomes this year. Please join me in wishing them every success in the coming week as I am certain they will do us and themselves proud. Good Luck Year 6!

Mr N Campbell

Office update

Aspens Select - Lunch ordering system

If you wish to order your child a school meal please note that the orders have to be placed before 8am on the day. If you have not set up your account and need some assistance please visit the school office so we can provide you with your log in details and help with setting up your account. To find the link to access Aspens Select, go onto MCAS, select 'announcements' and the link can be found in this section.

Free School Meals

A reminder that if your child is in Yr2 (Amber and Aqua), they will no longer be entitled to a universal free school meal when they move into Yr3 (Coral/Crystal). You may still be entitled to free school meals and you can check if you are at www.norfolk.gov.uk/neo You could save up to £400 a year.

Car Park

Please can we remind parents / carers that only those have been issued a parking permit are permitted to enter the school car park at the start / end of the day. Permits are issued on medical grounds only. If you feel that you need a permit issuing please visit the school office where we can provide you with an application form, please note that medical evidence will be required to support your application.

Please can we remind parents / carers that the speed limit within school grounds is 5mph.

Thank you

Bikes and Scooters within school grounds

Please can we remind parents / carers that children and adults should not be riding bikes / scooters within the school grounds, these should be dismounted when entering the school gates. This is to keep adults / children as safe as possible and prevent any accidents.

Weather

Now the weather is getting warmer, please send your child in with a water bottle, a named sunhat. Sun cream need to be applied before coming into school.

Water Bottles

Please can children make sure that water bottles are brought into school daily especially the days when they are doing PE.

Lost Property

We are accumulating a large quantity of lost property again, if your child is missing items please do check the lost property area. If you are not sure where this is please visit the office where we can point you in the right direction. Please can we ask that all belongings are clearly labelled with your child's name so should these be found we can return them to the correct child. Towards the end of term the lost property will be sorted through and any items that are not claimed and are unnamed we will be washing and adding to the pre loved rail outside the main school office.

Uniform

With the weather becoming warmer, if shorts / skirts / dresses are being worn these need to be an appropriate length.

Diarrhoea/Vomiting

Please be reminded that if you child has an episode of diarrhoea / vomiting they need to be at least 48 hours clear from the last episode before returning to school.

Aspens Lunch ordering - Parent drop in session

We will be holding a parent / carer drop in session on Monday 20th May between 3:30pm-4pm for those parents / carers to attend who are having difficulty in ordering their child/ren lunches on Aspens select.

There will be a member of the office team and a member of the kitchen team present to support and talk parents / carers through the system.

We have noticed a large number of parents are not ordering their child's lunches, if a lunch is not ordered we unfortunately are not able to offer your child a choice on the day, your child will be offered pasta. The kitchen do need to know numbers in advance to be able to prepare the correct amount of meals.

To attend the session please enter via the main school office.

We look forward to seeing you there.

School Sanctuary

Dear Parents /Carers

We are a school that believes that everybody should feel welcome and valued and as a big part of the local community we want to do as much as we can to support it and the people in it. One of the things we are doing is working towards the 'School of Sanctuary' accreditation.

What is a School of Sanctuary?

A school, nursery or sixth-form that fosters a culture of welcome and safety for people seeking sanctuary, including asylum seeking and refugee families.
A school that educates the whole school community about the experiences and realities of people who have been forced to flee their countries to foster empathy and understanding.
A school that plays an active role in building a culture of welcome by connecting with and supporting local refugee organisations, collaborating with other institutions to raise awareness and advocate for a kinder approach towards those seeking safety.

Why become a School of Sanctuary?

Schools are the centre of our communities and so they have a powerful role in building cultures of welcome and compassion and ensuring families seeking sanctuary are effectively supported.

As of the end of 2022, there are more than 108 million people who have been forcibly displaced, of whom about 40% are children. This is an important global phenomenon that can not be ignored and that schools must address in order to build understanding and empathy.

Within the UK, this has never been more important. Schools can promote approaches led by kindness and compassion rather than mistrust and judgement.

Children often feel passionately about standing with those who are most marginalised and disadvantaged and Schools of Sanctuary support students to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to take action and make change. These are transferable skills that help pupils to become responsible citizens and positive changemakers.

Schools have also never before been more at the forefront of receiving and supporting those forcibly displaced: the recent, sudden arrival of people from Ukraine, Afghanistan and changes to the dispersal of families seeking asylum across the UK mean schools are increasingly the first supportive institution refugee children and families come into contact with. The Schools of Sanctuary programme helps schools access the resources, advice and guidance to review and refine their practice and build much needed expertise in relevant areas. Ensuring sanctuary seeking children are supported in school has tangible impacts on their wellbeing and educational progression and outcomes.

Working towards becoming a School of Sanctuary also provides schools with a powerful focus for possible development in areas such as:

Meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010
Imaginative re-engagement with required curriculum areas such as literacy, language arts, geography, history, humanities
Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural education and ‘British Values’
Building an inclusive school culture of belonging that reduces intolerance, hate speech and bullying
Improving the provision of English as an additional language in school
Fostering ethically-informed active citizenship and changemaking skills amongst young people
Engaging families and strengthening the school’s role in the local community.

SPONSORED MILE WALK - FRIDAY 24TH MAY 2024

As part of our application we will be doing a sponsored mile long walk around our school grounds on Friday the 24th of May. The children will have their morning assembly and then teachers and children together will walk around the school premises as a sign of solidarity with the many people who have been displaced from their homes, due to them not being safe at this time.

To sponsor your child/ren you can do so via BromCom, please go into 'Products' and filter 'Fundraising', we are requesting a set donation of £1.

For every child who has been sponsored £1, Mr Wellard will donate an extra 20p per child.

This will go live on BromCom as from Monday 13th May to make a payment.

Thank you

Fortnightly class updates and achievements

Nursery

Over the past couple of weeks we have been using the book 'Winnie the Pooh helps the bees' to guide our learning. We have learnt a lot about bees and what they need to thrive. We have learned the words - 'nectar', 'hive', and 'pollen', and understand what they mean linked to bees. We tried being a bee moving pollen from one flower to another using crushed chalk and a cotton bud. We found out that the honeycomb the bees store their honey in is made up of lots of hexagons. We made our own hexagon patterns. We have created bees from paper plates. We listened to a piece of music called 'The Flight of the Bumble Bee' and used it for expressive drawing. This week we tasted honey in a sandwich, which we made ourselves. To help the bees we are making bee hotels and will be planting more flowers.

Caterpillar update. They are turning into chrysalises or cocoons. Now we have to wait for the amazing transformation. Fingers crossed they will have hatched into butterflies by the next newsletter.

Ruby Class

W/c 29.04.24

This week, Ruby class read and wrote about Rapunzel. We continued with the same maths as last week - multiplying or making repeating patterns. In Science, we considered the properties of materials, and ordered them by degree e.g. most flexible to most rigid. In History, we learnt about how the structure of castles helped with defenses, then built our own castle outdoors. In Design Technology, we went into the forest and learnt another join - tying sticks together. We then built a tower applying the tab join we learnt last week.

W/c 06.05.24

This week, Ruby class started reading and writing about Cinderella. In maths, Reception started learning to count on and back; Year 1 and 2 started dividing. In Science, we explored materials that are waterproof or absorbent. In History, we learnt about the role of knights. In PSHE, we considered what makes us special and designed coats of arms to reflect that.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29th April 2024

Peter

For being confident when answering maths questions and comprehension English.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Eli

For being responsible when making good choices.

Reception (Jade / Jasper Classes)

W/c 29.04.24

The core book this week has been Mrs Noah's garden. The children have enjoyed planting bulbs and plants and growing their own cress. They are able to talk about what plants need to grow. In maths we have practised verbally counting beyond 20 and recognising the pattern of the counting system. We have also compared quantities in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as another quantity.

W/c 06.05.24

This week we have been exploring and representing patterns, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be equally distributed. Our core book has been The Story Orchestra Carnival of Animals. The children have explored the way music can be used to help us imagine and create a feeling. Pupils have been looking at a variety of animals and the way in which they move and the sounds they make. They have enjoyed listening to different music and are able to recognise the different sounds different instruments make.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29.04.24

Jade Class - All of Jade Class

They are all passionate learners who continually try and improve their early morning sentence writing and letter formation. Well done!

Jasper Class - Toby

For starting a new school and for showing an increasing confidence in coming into school happy and ready to learn.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Jade Class - Isabel

She has been committed to reading her speed sound book regularly at home and practising the special friends and blending words containing them. Well done Isabel, keep it up!

Jasper Class - Kaiden

For being passionate about his learning of doubles this week. He has been engaged and enthusiastically sharing his knowledge with the class.

Year 1 (Onyx/Opal Classes)

Over the past two weeks, we have been immersed in space exploration by learning how significant people, who become astronauts through commitment and passion for science. We have been campaigning to stop the deconstruction of the rainforest for Palm oil by writing letters in English. In maths we have learnt about position and direction and even put our learning in practice to find our way through a maze outside by only giving directions of; forward, backwards, left, right, half turn, quarter turn etc. In music we have learnt how to play the tune of a song by using Glockenspiels!

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29th April 2024

Opal Class - Leo

For being aspirational when he thought hard to spell tricky words when writing in the formation of a letter.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Onyx Class - Ibrahim

For showing confidence when working with others.

Opal Class - Mila B

For being committed to being the best she can be in all subjects this week.

Year 2 (Amber/Aqua Classes)

English writing- Writing a recount from personal experience.

English reading- The unit is set in the context of the core text The Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker-Smith. We are learning key reading skills including, retrieving information from the text, making inferences, sequencing events and personal response.

Maths- Problem solving and learning different efficient methods. Including: find the missing numbers. mental addition and subtraction etc.

Science- What do plants need to thrive and be healthy?

Geography- What is different about my location and the Yanomami?

Computing- Creating media, digital music

Art- textiles and collage

R.E- Why do people have different views about the idea of God?

PSHE- Being My Best.

The children have all been really positive about 'steps to success' and have been working extremely hard to improve their attitudes towards learning. I am very proud of each and everyone of them!

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29th April 2024

Aqua Class - Jayden

Jayden has been curious this week, he asked the question "if God is the creator, who created God?". A great question!

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Aqua Class - Penny

For always doing her best, she is a joy to teach!

Amber Class - Elsie

For being resilient while learning this week. Elsie has been building her independence and in doing so has become more resilient. She has been refusing to give up this week and we are so proud of her. Keep it up Elsie!

Year 3 (Coral/Crystal Classes)

Year three have been active learners in Bushcraft. They have been improving their archery skills and learning to saw wood correctly. In science, they are continuing learning about light - ask them how important eye safety is when it comes to light. Today, they learnt about the absence of light and how shadows are formed - is your shadow always attached to you? Ask us! In art we studied the work of American artist Kehinde Wiley, We created dynamic backgrounds and contrasting foregrounds. We learnt seven different techniques for applying paint. In ready we have finished Operation Gadgetman - do ask us if Beans saved her dad. Now, we move onto the Magicians Nephew. This is the first book in the Narnia series. We are very keen to watch The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe if you can help us with that as it would really help with our understanding and enjoyment of this book.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29th April 2024

Crystal Class - Ellie-Mae

For showing great confidence in her learning when solving mathematical problems relating to equivalent lengths.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Coral Class - Yavus

For being passionate about their learning in every lesson every day. He always thinks carefully about his answers and does his very best every day. Well done, Yavus!

Crystal Class - Amelia C

For showing resilience when making the transition from home to school every morning. It's been lovely to see her walk in with a smile, ready to tackle any challenge with great resilience and determination.

Year 4 (Garnet/Topaz Classes)

It's been a fantastic few weeks for Y4. In English we have been writing phenomenal stories based in Ancient Egypt, about two workers who are competing over building a pyramid. In reading we have been continuing with our book called Varjack paw, which is about a cat trying to find his way in the world. In DT we have looked at structures and which shapes are the strongest for building buildings. In history we have continued learning about the fearsome vikings, and why they became so feared.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29th April 2024

Topaz Class - Enoch

For being committed to his learning within Reading and Writing this week. He has shown a lot of focus and commitment.

Garnet Class - Jake

He has been a passionate learning this week, using his knowledge of structures to create an incredible design!

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Topaz Class - Kelsey

For being a creative thinker using excellent editing in her writing, meeting all the success criteria of punctuation, spelling, grammar, use of direct speech and third person pronouns.

Garnet Class - Teddy

For being a committed learner. He has worked hard throughout the week to make sure that every piece of work he does is the highest quality it can be.

Year 5 (Emerald/Sapphire Classes)

Last week started with Year 5 excitedly making Vietnamese Spring Rolls. This focused on the children’s cutting skills as well as mixing a dressing. The dressing included Japanese rice vinegar along with soya sauce. Next week will be stir fry which the children will eat in school so please make sure we know if there are any allergies.

In computing, we are still working in programming systems.This included adding timings and a loop to the program. It was not as easy as it may seem. Geography saw the children reading contour lines on a map. They had to decide what they would look like for different terrains.

Finally both classes have a celebration of work board where excellent work that shows how children have improved in their learning can be displayed.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29th April 2024

Emerald Class - Roxie

For taking greater responsibility for her learning this week especially in maths where she has dedicated herself to achieving excellence.

Sapphire Class - Zoe

She has been confident in answering questions this week. She has also been able to give reasoning behind her answers.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Emerald Class - Alexander

For being a passionate learner, especially with his story in writing, and has worked extremely hard all week. Keep it up Alexander!

Sapphire Class - Ariana

For her commitment to her work. She always does her best and this is reflected in all that she achieves. Well done Ariana!

Year 6 (Diamond/Quartz Classes)

Reminder that it is SATs next week (w.b. Monday 13th May) can parents make sure their children are in school at 8:30am prompt.

We will meet down in the hall for breakfast, followed by movement and meditation with Mrs Marrison.

A reminder for parents whose children are attending the Year 6 Residential at X Adventure that we will be holding a meeting in Quartz Class on Thursday 23rd May from 4pm to finalise all details regarding the trip.

Year 6 Prom will be held on Friday 19th July from 6pm until 8:30pm. Attendance at the prom, as with school trips and visits, is dependent on good behaviour within school. In the unlikely event that your child does not follow the schools’ behaviour policy, they will not be able to attend the prom. The prom is paid for by the Friends of Heartsease Primary Academy, so will be free for all Year 6 children.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 29th April 2024

Quartz Class - Hithesh

For showing excellent engagement across all subjects through asking thoughtful questions and highlighting key points within each topic. Hithesh always shows great interest in every subject and is always wanting to learn.

Diamond Class - Paul

For always pushing himself to be the best that he can be. This week Paul's autobiography of a passenger on the Empire Windrush was excellent.

Steps to Success Award - Week commencing - 6th May 2024

Quartz Class - Taylor

For being responsible. Taylor has really taken full responsibility for his learning in both the classroom and in groups. He has remained fully focused on the task at hand, especially in Maths showing more confidence in his arithmetic work.

Diamond Class - Glory

For being committed to her learning this week. She always does the best she can and is always focussed in every lesson.