Weekly News – Friday 25th April

Dear Parents,

Well the weather wasn't particularly welcoming this week, so we made up for it with a big warm welcome back to school for the children. It is lovely to see them refreshed after the holidays, we hope you enjoyed a restful Easter break. Thank you to the PTA for organising the lovely Easter Egg Hunt around the village, we hope it was a fun activity for you all! We are also very grateful for the 250kg of donated clothes that were dropped off for our Bag2School collection this morning, evidently you've all been busy having a Spring clear-out!

School Gardens

Our Foxes and Squirrels had their first Forest School lessons this week and by all accounts they had a wonderful time! All the rain we've had in the past few days should certainly help the growing conditions for National Gardening Week, which is next week. We will focus on our outdoor areas for each year group and in the Forest School area this term, planting flowers and edibles so that the children can appreciate the joy of watching them grow! The weather is set to be much warmer next week, so when necessary please ensure that the children have sunscreen applied and they bring hats and water bottles to school.

Live Orchestral Performance in School

We have some very special visitors next week. On Monday the Britten Sinfonia, one of the finest chamber orchestras in the country, will be giving a very special morning assembly. They will take us on a magical musical journey with the Tiny Magic Orchestra, in a live performance aimed at young children. We hope the children will be inspired!

Class Photos - Arrive in Uniform on Thursday! 

Kittle Photographic will visit us next Thursday to take photographs of each class. Can all children please arrive in school uniform (including cardigans and sweatshirts) on this day. Foxes and Squirrels will need to bring Forest School clothes with them in a named bag, while Year 2 children will need to bring their PE kit, again in a named bag.  

Clubs

Clubs resume next week, please ensure you have booked your places and paid where necessary.  There may still be places available, so please click the links from the clubs timetable and enquire with our professional coaches if you would like a space. 

Foxes and Squirrels Uniform

We are aware that Foxes and Squirrels are scheduled for PE days on Mondays and Fridays, in addition to Forest School lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If children can wear a blue or white t-shirt and leggings, shorts or joggers with trainers, this is perfect as a PE kit, so we suggest this as their uniform on the days when they are not having Forest School lessons. The children are very active all day regardless of their PE activities, so this enables them to move freely. The most important thing is that the footwear must be trainers, not plimsolls, so that the children's feet are sufficiently supported.

Health Advice

A reminder that every Tuesday afternoon we offer a Health Advice Drop-In service with one of the school-age health practitioners. The team are available in the library for you to discuss any health concerns about your child(ren). Please click here to book an appointment.

Watch this space as we are planning our celebrations for the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. More news on this will follow next week. Enjoy the weekend, we'll see you for a full week next week.

Best wishes,

Tracey Wilson

Home learning

Home Learning Passports

Please try to complete this half term's passports and email any work or photos to parents@writtleinfantschool.com.

Year 1 Home Learning Passport - Summer 1 2025

Year 2 Home Activity Passport - Summer 1 2025

Spelling Practice

There is also some spelling practice for Year 1 and Year 2 below.

Year 2 Spelling Practice - Summer 1, Week 2

Year 1 Maths

Miss Smith has prepared a document which should help you if you would like to give your child additional support with their maths at home.

Year 1 - Ways to support your child with maths at home

Topic Maps

We have also published our topic maps for the this half term, so you can see what the children will cover in all areas of the Key Stage 1 Curriculum.

Year 1 Topic Plan, Summer 1
Year 2 Topic Plan, Summer 1

 

EYFS Tapestry Challenge

We are beginning to write sentences about pictures next week. Why not ask your child if they can write a sentence about the picture we have posted on Tapestry. An easy way to teach this is to show your child how to write 'I can see a' and ask them to write the final word by themselves. Ask them to say the word out loud and think of all the sounds they can hear. At this stage we would normally accept a close attempt. For example, your child might write 'horse' as 'hos'. That's fine - we want them to have a go and build confidence. See if they can write one, two or three sentences and don't forget to send them in to school or post on Tapestry.
Enjoy!

Keeping Children Safe

  • Thanks to those parents who have supported us in protecting the children’s privacy by waiting on the path by the main entrance until 3pm.
  • Emergency contact details must be up to date. Please email us at parents@writtleinfantschool.com if your details have changed.
  • Any food brought to school must not contain nuts or egg-based foods (e.g. egg mayo, scotch egg, omelette etc.).
  • We all have a duty to safeguard the children in our care. If you have any concerns about a child, please contact the school, the Chairs of Governors (if your concern is about a member of teaching staff), or the Essex Child and Families Hub on 0345 603 7627.