Moulton CEVC Primary School Parent Portal - NEWSLETTER NUMBER NINE 2023

A message from Mrs Shipp

It has been a lovely Children In Need Day - thank you so much for your donations.

On Monday, I spoke with Years 1-6 about being safe and responsible when using school devices. We talked about the things that school adults do to keep them safe, and then about what we expect from them. I talked to the children about some changes that will be made to the way that we monitor their usage on school devices. In line with the government document, Keeping Children Safe In Education, we are now required to have specific monitoring and filtering systems in place, which we are currently organising. I explained that the systems will alert us to any unsafe searches and inappropriate use. I reassured the children that we are not spying on them, and that if they are worried about something that happens online, we will always support, listen and educate.

On Wednesday, Reverend Chris showed the children Rembrandt's painting, Return Of The Prodigal Son, which promoted some lovely discussions. On Thursday, Mrs Gilmore led collective worship. They shared a book, The Proudest Blue, which was well-received. I would recommend sharing the book at home - there is a link to a YouTube version here.

We have noticed some drawing on the walls in the girls' toilet. Teachers have spoken to the children about this, but there has been more added since. I will speak with the after-school club staff, and we will speak with the children again. I would be grateful if you could follow this up at home too.

Please see below for some dates/times for online parent workshops from the NSFT (Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust) Psychology in Schools Team.

Special mentions: Well done to Scarlett (Y5) who did her investiture ceremony recently. Congratulations to Maisie (Y5), who came 2nd, following a previous win, at a dance competition last weekend. Thank you to Jay (Y4), who was really helpful when a younger child had a medical issue this week - he was kind, and got adult help quickly. I was in awe of Darcey's (Y6) courage when she had a painful accident in school this week, and had to wait many many hours for an ambulance. Thank you to Chloe G (R) for my lovely Paw Patrol picture - very kind! Thank you to Ben (Y6) for the amazing cookies that he made and shared with us.

I taught Reception (phonics) and Y1 (PSHE) this week, and I must say how impressed I was with both classes for their hard work. Well done, R and Y1 children.

Have a lovely weekend - see you on Monday!

Key Stage 2 News This Week

Year 3:

The children have done some super learning this week.

This has included writing an imitation text about tigers and making lots of connections in their maths using number bonds to 100, fact families and the inverse operations for addition and subtraction.

In RE they explored mosques, drew wild animals in art and recited a whole story in French (with wonderful accents and actions). We are delving ever deeper into prehistory – you might like to ask your children what they have learned so far about how people lived in the Palaeolithic (old Stone Age), Mesolithic (middle Stone Age) and Neolithic (new Stone Age) periods.

Year 4:

‘We have worked really hard on our Kennings in English, our division work in maths, and, have explored electrical circuits. We’ve also loved designing 3D houses on imaging software and designing book sleeves for our D.T. sewing project. Please talk to your child about whether they would like another fastening other than a button (school provided).

I have adjusted homework to mirror Year 3. We now give it out on a Thursday and expect it in on Monday. The spellings are still consistently tested on a Tuesday and then the new ones are set. Thank you for all of the work you are doing on the King Alfred knowledge organiser too. This really supports your child’s engagement in our Topic learning.

Thank you for all your ongoing support and for sending your child in non-uniform in aid of Children in Need.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Mr T’

Year 5:

It’s been a great week in Y5. We finally got to our first battle in History – The Battle of Fulford Gate. In English, we have written our speeches as the 1066 contenders, trying to cram in as many persuasive devices as we could! We ended the week looking at a poisonous letter, penned by Harold Godwinson’s troublesome younger brother, Tostig. Next week, we are going to have a go at writing our own! We already have lots of ideas as to what we might put into them! In maths, we have learnt how to short multiply (up to 3 digits). We weren’t sure about it at first, but now we love it (or at least accept that it is quicker than all other ways!)

We are having our annual Widdershins treat a bit early this year – it is happening next Thursday!

Have super weekends!

Year 6:

We had a wonderful day at Duxford on Monday with lots of walking and even more learning. We have pondered how Concorde could be brought back into service - we learned so many fascinating facts.

In English, we have been focusing on a range of sentence structures as well as finishing our imitation texts, ready to apply this to learning for next week.

In history, the children were reading about some of the different battles of WW2.

In PSHE, we have been discussing the mental health, recognising that it is something we all have and beginning to consider what is meant by good and poor mental health.

In RE, we have been learning about the different stages of prayer, Muslims follow.

In maths, it has been quite an intensive week, learning to add and subtract fractions - we have been really pleased with how well the children have coped with this challenge.

Have a super weekend!

NSFT Parent Workshops

The Psychology in Schools Team from Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) would like to remind schools and those who work with parents and carers, about the series of free workshops they have coming up over the next few months to help provide advice and support to families on topics, such as, supporting young people with challenging behaviours, and helping children and young people manage big feelings. There is also a programme of workshops that explore nurturing the unique strengths of neurodivergent children and young people.

To view all the workshops available and to book a place, please click here.

DATES / TIMES

Supporting our Young People with Anxiety (Tuesday 21st November at 1pm: )

This workshop is for parents of school school-aged children to help them understand anxiety better. The session covers: what anxiety is, why anxiety, how it affects the brain, how it affects the body, how it impacts on what we do and don’t do and how parents can support their children/adolescents who might be struggling with anxiety.

Supporting our Young People with Low Mood (Tuesday 21st November 6:00pm)

This workshop will help you to have a better understanding of why our young people are more vulnerable to low mood once they reach adolescence, the warning signs and some evidence-based strategies to best support your young person.

Supporting our Young People with Challenging Behaviours (Tuesday 12th December 1:00pm)

In this workshop we will explore child behaviour that parents or teachers find challenging to manage, such as: hyperactivity, difficulties with attention, aggression, difficulties with friendships and relationships and irritability. We will cover practical strategies to help manage these behaviours positively. This workshop may be helpful for parents who have concerns around possible ADHD in their young person.

Supporting our Young People Manage Big Feelings (Tuesday 12th December 5:00pm)

As our children grow, they experience many changes in themselves and the world around them. During this time, our children will feel a variety of feelings which they do not know how to manage. This workshop is aimed at parents of young people aged up to 11 as we breakdown what leads our children to have these feelings and ways in which we can support them to manage if they become overwhelming.

If you miss an event, or would like to watch recordings of previous events, you can find them on NSFT's YouTube channel here.