16.12.22

Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Friday everyone!

This week, in Year 5 and 6, we have been in a very festive mood!

We have been making Christmas decorations, watching the KS1 performance, enjoyed Christmas dinner day on Wednesday and today, we watched an online pantomime performance of Jack and The Beanstalk.  

The children spent this afternoon visiting Santa in his grotto and did a bit of Christmas shopping.  

Next week, we say a sad farewell to Miss Haste, who has been working in Sapphire Class this term.  We would like to say a huge thank you to her for all her hard work and dedication to the class and wish her lots of luck and happiness in her future career as a teacher.  

She would like to share this message with you.

Hello everyone!

Just a message from me to say a massive thank you to all of the children and parents for making me feel extremely welcome at Down Hall for the term! I have absolutely loved being in the school and making lots of memories throughout my first term training. It has been amazing to be in a school that I will remember for the rest of my career. I’m sure I’ll be back at some point in the year to say hello to everyone again, but for now, it's been a pleasure to teach you all, and I wish you all the best for this next year at school!

Miss Haste

Have a lovely weekend

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin, Mrs Witherall and Miss Haste

09.12.22

Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Friday!

This week, our Youth Sport Board took part in their first Zoom meeting with Mr Bish from Deanes.  He explained that they would be taking part in some training sessions at Deanes next term and how their input will be valuable to the School Sports Partnership.

The children are extremely enthusiastic to work alongside Mr Bish and children from other local schools to develop the events provided through the SSP.

A message from Mrs Yuille about Christmas Jumper Day!

All the children looked amazing in their Christmas Jumpers today and we have raised money that will continue to sponsor Thoko and her local community in Malawi. We thought you might like to hear what Thoko wrote in her most recent letter to us. She writes:

Dear Down Hall

I am learning in Standard 4. I go to school everyday. I always work hard in classes and my end of term results are always good. When I finish school I want to be a nurse. Very soon we will start harvesting crops. Greetings to you!

Thoko

A local representative who oversees Action Aid's money also adds:

Dear Supporter

One of the problems in Primary Schools is the shortage of desks. As a way of addressing the issue, we bought desks and shared them with two Primary Schools in the Kalowe Zone. This initiative has helped increase the number of children who have access to sit at a desk. Thank you for your support which has really promoted education in the area.

It's amazing to think that from such a small act on our behalf, we can make such a big difference for the young people who live such a long way away but share our right to an education. Thank you all so much!

Don't forget......

Next week, we have our Christmas dinner on Wednesday and Christmas Bazaar on Friday.  Lots going on as Christmas fast approaches.

No homework this week as the children have been taking part in assessments.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

 

02.12.22

Dear Parents/Carer

Happy Friday!

This week, children in Ruby and Topaz completed their Bikeability course.  Well done to everyone across all three classes who took part.  Badges and certificates will be awareded soon.

There have been lots of sporting events this week.  Children have taken part in football, dodgeball and high 5 netball.  We are, as always, extremely proud of how our children conduct themselves at matches and tournaments and are delighted with how well they represent the school.  Well done everyone.

Children also received their flu immunisations this week.  If your child missed their immunisation, we would encourage you to get them booked in with your local health care provider.

Next week.......

Brrrrr!  According to the Year 5/6 weather expert (Mrs Devlin) the weather is likely to turn even colder next week.  Please ensure that your child brings a jumper/cardigan and a warm coat for playtimes and lunchtimes.  Scarves, gloves and hats are also encouraged.

CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY - A message from Mrs Yuille

Our Christmas Jumper Day is Friday 9th December.  On this day, the children can wear their fabulous festive jumpers and make a £1 donation which goes to our continued sponsorship of Thoko.  The charity Action Aid use this money to ensure that Thoko and the other children in her community enjoy their right to an education, just like all of us at Down Hall!  

Homework has been uploaded to Google Classroom.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

25.11.22

Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Friday folks!

A huge thank you goes out to all parents who braved the rain and allowed their children to attend the big switch on of the Rayleigh Lights last night.  The children sang beautifully and, once again, did you and the school proud.  Thanks also goes to the teachers who gave up their lunch times for the past few weeks to help the children rehearse.

Thank you for supporting our PTA with their non-uniform day today with your kind donations.

YEAR 6 MATHS HOMEWORK

Year 6 have brought home new homework books this week.  These will replace the CGP books, which now need to be returned to school.  We will begin using them next week (so no maths homework for Year 6 this weekend).  

They contain a range of questions in the style of the ones they will face in their SATs tests in May.  We are confident that these books will be excellent when revising for the tests, nearer the time of taking them.

BIKEABILITY

This week, Sapphire and some children from Topaz took part in a Bikeability course.  Next week, children from Ruby and the rest of those from Topaz who signed up, will complete their sessions.

Bikes can be left at school overnight during the week of the course.  Helmets must be worn and coats are essential.  Girls may bring leggings or jogging trousers to change into if they usually wear a skirt to school.  All children need sensible shoes such as trainers please.

FLU IMMUNISATIONS

Next Tuesday, children will receive their flu immunisations in school.

MOVIE NIGHT

On Wednesday, the PTA will be hosting a KS2 movie evening.  Please see the PTA section of the school website for details.

Homework pages have been uploaded to Google Classroom.

Have a lovely weekend

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

18.11.22

 Dear Parents/Carers

Happpy Friday folks!

I forgot to add this to last week's blog.

On Thursday 10th November, some of our Year 6 children were invited to take part in a very special VIP table event at lunchtime.

Since the start of the school year, some of our children have been volunteering to help our Midday Supervisors at lunchtimes, supporting the Early Years children to get used to our lunchtime routine.

As a thank you, the Midday Supervisors and the Early Years children hosted a lunchtime party for all of the children who helped.  They made thank you cards, gave little gifts of toy puzzles and set a rather fancy table!

YOUTH SPORT BOARD

Congratulations to Ollie, Lexie, Amelie, Violet, Darcie, Tim, Zeni, Isabelle and Isla, who were all selected by Mr Bish from Deanes to be part of the Youth Sport Board this year.  Their first virtual meeting will take place in December.  I am sure they are all looking forward to having some input into the kids of sporting events Deanes will look to provide in the future.

THE DEANES COMMUNITY BIKE LOAN SCHEME

Through the work of the School Sport Partnership in partnership with schools across Castle Point and Rochford, The Deanes is pleased to be able to offer a bike loan scheme for families.

We will be offering a ‘free of charge’ bike loan scheme with a stock of bikes securely and safely stored at the cycle hub within The Deanes Sports Centre.

In stock, there will be adult bikes and a range of sizes for junior bikes.

Bookings must be made through the scheme coordinator (Ellie Turner-Powell) on email

deanesfamilycycle@yahoo.com

Families will be able to borrow bikes to enjoy recreational riding for adults and children via bike collection/return on either a Monday or Thursday between 4.30-5.30pm. It will be possible to borrow the bikes for a maximum of 7 days.

We will also provide bike accessories as required including: helmets, bike locks and boot racks all free of charge but a fee will be payable if any of these are lost/not returned).

PYJAMA DAY FOR CHILDREN IN NEED!

Today, we all came to school dressed in our pyjamas to raise money for Children In Need.  Thank you for your kind and generous donations.  Please see next week's newsletter to find out how much money was raised for such a worthy cause.

BIKEABILITY

Don't forget that Bikeability starts next week for some of the children in Year 6.  If your child has signed up for the course, they will need to bring their bikes into school from Monday.  Please take some time this weekend making sure that they are roadworthy.

Children need to wear sensible footwear (trainers will be fine) and girls can bring a pair of jogging trousers or leggings to change into if they usually wear skirts to school.  Please also remember a helmet.

Homework pages have been uploaded to Google Classroom.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

11.11.22

Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Friday everyone!

This morning, children took part in a Remembrance Day assembly.  We were fortunate enough to have Mrs Morgan join us for this event to play The Last Post on her bugle. 

The children showed great respect to the theme of the assembly and we thank Ollie from Sapphire Class for his wonderful reading of the poem In Flanders Fields.

Next Friday is Children In Need.

We will be supporting this by coming to school wearing our pyjamas.  Children are permitted to come into class in pyjamas and sensible footwear such as trainers (no slippers, flip flops or sliders please).  Please also consider the weather on that day, as they will still need coats for break and lunchtime.

Tag Ruby

Next Wednesday, some of the Year 5 and 6 children will be taking part in a Tag Rugby tournament against other local schools.  If your child has been selected for the team, please make sure that their permission letter is returned to Miss Sharman as soon as possible.

Bikeability

If your child is in Year 6 and has returned their form to take part in Bikeability, they will be bringing home a letter with their training dates on today.

Please make sure that their bikes are in good working order, with tyres pumped up and brakes which have been checked.  If the trainers feel that the children's bikes are not roadworthy or that the children are not competent enough riders, they will not be allowed to take the course.

Girls may bring leggings or jogging trousers to change into on Bikeability days and all children will need to bring/wear suitable footwear.

Homework has been uploaded to Google Classroom.  Please remind your child to bring their homework books into school by Wednesday.  

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

01.11.21

Dear Parents and Carers

It was lovely to welcome the children back for the second half of the Autumn Term this week.  We hope that you all had a restful break.

Thank you to everyone who returned Christmas card designs.  If you placed an order online, it will be delivered in time for the end of term and will be given to you child when it arrives in school.

If you still need to return the yellow data sheets which were sent home, could you please do so as soon as possible, so that the office can update their records.

If your child is in Year 6 and brought home a Bikeability letter and would like to take the course, please return it to Miss Sharman.  The first group will take the course at the end of November.  Another letter will be given to the children with more details soon.  

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall.

20.10.22

Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Fr..... oops!  Happy Thursday everyone!

Our blog is a day early this week, as we have an INSET day tomorrow.

NASA

Well, what a week we have had!  The children have been lucky enough to take part in three lessons, this week, hosted by engineers from the Armstrong Research Centre in California.

Click the link below to find out more about them.

Armstrong Research Centre

Today, the children made Mars helicopters out of marshmallows and cocktail sticks.  It was fiddly work, but great fun!

During the course of the week, we have had opportunities to ask questions, find out about friction, forces and how aircraft stay in the air.  

We have all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and thank our new friends at NASA for getting up at 2am to work with us.

A huge thank you also goes to Mrs Witherall for all her hard work in organising the sessions, preparing the resources and liaising with NASA.  

THE BOOK FAIR IS BACK!

After half term, the book fair returns to Down Hall.  Please see this week's newsletter for more information.

At the end of school today, your child will bring home a blank book cover for them to design over half term.  The winning cover will be awarded a £5 voucher to spend at the fair.

HOMEWORK

Homework pages have been published to Google Classroom.  

DATA SHEETS

Some of you may have received a yellow data sheet this week.  If so, please check that details are correct, sign the form and return it to your child's class teacher or the office after half term.

CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGNS

Your child should have brought home their Christmas card designs this week.  Please read the letter carefully and return the design to school, after half term, if you would like to place an order.

Finally, we would like to thank you all for your continued support this half term.  The children have settled into their classes brilliantly, worked hard and made their teachers proud.

We look forward to welcoming them back after a well earned week off.

Have a fabulous half term.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

October 14th, 2022

 Dear Parents/ Carers,

We are at the end of our sixth week of this half term and hope that you have had another good week.

It has been a tough week of assessments, but the children have worked exceptionally hard to show their progress so far this year. 

Parent/Teacher Consultations

Thank you to those of you who have booked an appointment with us for next week's Parent/Teacher Consultations. The letter was available as a link in last week's newsletter. We are very much looking forward to seeing you either by Zoom on Monday or in the school hall on Tuesday between 3.30pm and 6pm. Links will have been emailed to you - please send us an email to notify us if you have not received this.

SCHOOL COUNCIL

On Wednesday 19th October Year 5/6 will be electing their representative for the School Council! Any child who was not a councillor last year is eligible to stand so we have asked the children to have a good think as to whether they can be a wonderful and inspiring representative for their class.

Over the weekend, if your child is thinking about standing for election, maybe they would like to make a poster and create a short speech that might help them convey their suitability to be a Class Councillor. Be creative - what might make people vote for you?

The new School Councillors will be announced in assembly on Thursday 20th October. Good luck!

Rayleigh Lights

The children have been invited to participate in this annual event. They have been informed that they are welcome to take part in the performance at Rayleigh High Street, singing songs to represent our school. There are still spaces available, so if you would like your child to take part, please encourage them to come along to the choir practices after half term. 

We hope that you have a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing the children on Monday

Mrs Witherall, Mrs Devlin and Miss Sharman

 Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Friday! We hope that you have all had a good week. As we move into October, the weather is becoming more autumnal so please ensure that your child has a coat with them every day. 

Parent/Teacher Consultations

On Monday 17th October & Tuesday 18th October between 3:30-6:00pm we will be holding our Parent/Teacher Consultations. This will be an opportunity to meet and discuss how your child has settled into their new Year group. This meeting can be either via Zoom or an in person meeting. 

Please note, in the first instance if you wish this to be a Zoom meeting please book for the Monday and if you wish it to be in person please book for the Tuesday.

Bookings can be made from Monday 10th October from 9:00am and is via Scopay. If you are unsure of your Scopay login, please go and see the office as they will be able to issue you with your details. It is important to have these details as they will be used to book trips, dinner money and meetings throughout your child's time at Down Hall.

Harvest Collection

Just a reminder that this year we will continue to support Rochford Extended Services with our Harvest collection. Donations will be boxed up and distributed by them to the children and families that need them most within our own local community.

As a Gold Level Rights Respecting School, we do our best to advocate for Children's Rights and for sustainability. Articles 24 and 27 state that:

"Every child has the right to the best possible health and a good standard of living."

Massive thank you for those who have already made a donations but there is still plenty of time if you have not yet. If you can send in any non-perishable items before Wednesday 19th October that would be fabulous and you can find a full list of suggested items  here. In school we will celebrate Harvest during the week of 17th October with some learning in class and by singing our favourite Harvest song in assembly. Please enjoy having a go at the Harvest Samba here and thanks for any contributions you feel able to make.

NSPCC Speak Out, Stay Safe

On Tuesday 11th October, Year 5/6 children will have the opportunity to take part in some workshops run by volunteers from the NSPCC.

Homework

Homework pages for this week have been uploaded to Google Classroom. Please ensure that the children only do the pages set as this reinforces skills taught during the week. Homework is due in by Wednesday of the following week, in order for teachers to have time to mark it and return it to them on Fridays.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Devlin, Miss Sharman and Mrs Witherall

30.09.22

Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Friday everyone!

We've had an exciting week in Year 5 and 6, this week. As you may know, we had Happy's Circus on the field earlier in the week. We were fotunate enough to be invited inside the big top for a look around and a talk from the Ring Mistress on Wednesday. Luckily, no one decided to run away and join the circus, although a few children (and staff) seemed quite tempted!

In class, we have been continuing to learn about space. In science we discuss air resistance and the children enjoyed making parachutes as part of an investigation. Ruby and Topaz have already tested theirs out. Sapphire will give theirs a try next week.

In English, we have begun writing a Sci-fi story called 'Holiday In Space'. The children have come up with some lovely ideas for their stories and have worked hard to include a range of sentence types in their writing, as this has been our GPS focus for the past two weeks.

Homework pages for this week have been uploaded to Google Classroom. It has been great to see so many children submitting their homework. If your child has not handed their books in yet, this term, please ask them to do so next week. It is really helpful if they can hand homework in by Wednesday each week, in order for teachers to mark it in time to return it to them on Fridays.

As you can see, we have a jam packed blog this week. Please see the messages below from Mrs Hurley and Mrs Yuille.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

A couple of messages from Mrs Yuille

NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe Programme 

RRS Article 19: Children have the right to be safe

As a Rights Respecting School we are committed to keeping children safe and we are happy to be taking part in the NSPCC’s safeguarding programme in school.  This programme helps children to recognise abuse in a child friendly way and encourages them to speak out to a trusted Duty Bearer.  

In school, children will watch an assembly delivered by Ant and Dec and then take part in follow up discussions in class. Please read the full details on the NSPCC letter here where you will find further links and resources that you can use at home to educate and support your child.  We urge you to take a look at these. 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to pop in and see us.

Harvest Collection

This year we will continue to support Rochford Extended Services with our Harvest collection.  Donations will be boxed up and distributed by them to the children and families that need them most within our own local community. 

 

As a Gold Level Rights Respecting School, we do our best to advocate for Children’s Rights and for sustainability.  Articles 24 and 27 state that:

“Every child has the right to the best possible health and a good standard of living”

If you can send in any non-perishable items before Wednesday 19th October that would be fabulous and you can find a full list of suggested items here.  In school we will celebrate Harvest during the week of 17th October with some learning in class and by singing our favourite Harvest song in assembly.  Please enjoy having a go at the Harvest Samba here and thanks for any contributions you feel able to make.

And, last but not least...... a message from Mrs Hurley

WHOLE SCHOOL SUMDOG ESSEX COMPETITION

Calling all of you amazing mathematicians! 

You have been entered into the Sumdog Essex Competition. Taking place 30 September - 7 October

I will be monitoring how well each class is doing. The winning class will be announced in the school newsletter.

Let's show our Down Hall community what great mathematicians we are!

Good luck.

Mrs Hurley 

23.09.22

Dear Parents/Carers

Happy Friday folks!

This week, in Year 5 and 6 we completed our work honouring the late Queen Elizabeth II.  Children have produced some lovely work and written some thoughtful letters in her memory.  We are both impressed and proud of the respectful way they have behaved during this time.

In English this week, we have been working on improving our sentences and learning the technical terms for sentence types of ways to link them together.

In maths, we have continued working on all four number operations.  Year 5 will continue with place value and negative numbers next week and Year 6 will begin working with fractions.

Homework pages have been posted to Google Classroom this afternoon.  Please ask you child to log onto their classroom page and check the timetable carefully.

It would be helpful, for teacher, if you could make sure that your child hands their homework in by Wednesday, each week.  This makes it easier for us to get the books marked and returned to the children in time for them to bring them home again on Fridays.

HAPPY'S CIRCUS - A Message from the PTA

The circus is coming to Down Hall NEXT WEEK (Wednesday 28th).  This was a huge hit when it visited last time and we cannot wait to welcome it back.  Happy's is a professional, all human, touring circus.  They bring the Big Top and fill it with magic, acrobatics, aerialists and so much more!  Plus, there will be hot food and refreshments on the night too, with both alcoholic and soft beverages available.  So why not get there early and make a whole evening of it (it will save you cooking dinner!)?!

By attending the circus, not only will you be getting an evening of entertainment for the whole family, you will also be helping to raise funds for your child's school. 

Tickets available on the door or in advance from the PTA.

Don't forget that if you ever have any questions for your child's teacher, we can be contacted via the Year 5/6 email address at:

year5_6@downhallprimary.com 

Have a fab weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

Welcome back!

 Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back.  We hope that you all had a lovely summer and managed to enjoy the sunshine.

It has been wonderful to see the children return to Year 5 and 6 with such positive attitudes to their learning and with huge smiles on their faces.  We hope that they have enjoyed their first week.  We certainly have!

Next Wednesday, we have our Parent Overview Meeting.  It is an opportunity for parents to come into school and receive information on life in Year 5 and 6.  If you would like to attend, please come to the car park entrance at 2:30pm on Wednsday 14th.  Someone will be there to greet you and bring you along to Sapphire Class.

Homework books have been delivered and will be sent out next week.  You will receive information regarding homework in the meeting on Wednesday.  In the meantime, please ask your child to check their school gmail account and join the invitation to their new Google Classroom page.  This will be where details of homework will be posted from next week.

Please can we request that you make sure all clothing and water bottles are labelled with your child's name. Children are bringing 'Air Up' bottles to school, which are rather expensive and often look the same.  We would hate for parents to have spent money on them over the holidays only for them to become lost or taken home by the wrong child.

Today, in Year 5 and 6, we spent some time marking the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.  The children were extremely respectful and made sensible, and often heartfelt contributions to our discussions.  They are in the process of producing some work which we hope they will look back on in the future as a reminder of the sad, yet historic time we are currently living in.  

Have a restful weekend

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

20.07.22

Happy last day of the school year everyone!

So, here we are, the day has arrived that we have said a fond farewell to our lovely Year 6 children.  We have had a lovely day celebrating with them.  This afternoon, they had pizza, lollies, music and an extra surprise....... mini golf on the field.

The children have been a pleasure to teach and we will miss them all.  We would like to wish them every success and happiness as they head off to make new memories at Secondary School.

We would also like to wish the wonderful Year 5 children a happy summer holidays and let them all know that we are excited to see them return as Year 6s in September.

A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who sent in gifts, flowers and cards.  We were touched by your kindness.

All that is left to say is, have a fab summer.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

08.07.22

Happy Friday everyone!

Thank you to all of our lovely parents who atteneded our Sports Day today.  Apologies that we ran out of time to award KS2 with their medals.  We will blame the KS2 teachers for taking too long with their silly novelty race!

On Monday at 3pm the school gates will be open for parents to come onto the field to watch the KS2 children receive their medals and take photographs.  We will also take photos and email them to parents who are unable to attend.

Have a lovely weekend

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

Message from Mrs Yuille

Unicef Shoeshare Appeal

Once again, on the last day of term, we are collecting shoes in partnership with Unicef and Clarks, who will cleverly turn our old shoes into money that will help fulfil the rights of children around the world. You can send your child with a spare pair of shoes on the final day this term so that they can place their unwanted school shoes into our collection box. If you have any other unwanted pairs you can send these in too and if you want to get started early with a big shoe clear out, we will have a box ready to take them from Monday 11th July. Shoes must be in a wearable condition with no holes or broken soles and paired together with an elastic band. You can find out more about Shoeshare here; UNICEF & CLARKS SHOESHARE APPEAL.  Our last collection total was 145 pairs of shoes, let's see if together we can smash this total!

Article 28 & 29:  Every child has the right to an education

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video ShoeShare – Clarks & UNICEF

ShoeShare – Clarks & UNICEF

24.06.22

Happy Friday everyone.

Well, what a fantastic day we have all had today!  The children looked AMAZING in their rock star outfits.  

During the day, we took part in a Times Tables Rock Stars battle against each other in Year 5 and 6.  Well done to Sapphire who were the winning class.  We also played games and took part in a scavenger hunt.  

This afternoon Mia and Edward took on Mr Greenfield (aka Freddie Mercury) and Mrs Hurley (aka Amy Winehouse) in a TTRS battle.  As predicted, the children beat the teachers, with Mia winning overall.  Both Edward and Mia are able to answer times tables questions in under 1 second!  

Staff and children in Ruby, Sapphire and Topaz would like to thank Mrs Hurley for organising such a fun filled day!

So, all that is left to say is have a fab weekend. 

Sending you all a bit of GIRL POWER!

Ginger, Baby and Scary Spice

17.06.22

Happy Friday Folks!

We hope that you have all been enjoying the sunshine as much as we have in school this week!  Today, children enjoyed the opportunity to take off their ties and munch on ice lollies!  Well, it is Friday after all!

They also had a lovely afternoon, shopping at the Father's Day sale.  We would like to say a huge thank you to our fabulous PTA for organising this event.  We hope all of our Year 5/6 dads and grandads like their gifts and have an amazing Father's Day this Sunday.

District Sports

Congratulations to all of the children who have been selected to take part in District Sports next Thursday.  Mr Grey and Mr Attfield had the difficult job of choosing from lots of children who have performed exceptionally well in their PE lessons since Easter.  

If your child has been selected, I would like to thank you for how quickly you have all returned letters and requests for programmes.  If you still need to pay for your programme(s), please send the money into school with your child or pay at the office.  I will issue programmes for the children to bring home on Monday.

On the day of the event, children should come into school wearing their PE kits.  Please keep an eye on the weather forecast and send appropriate clothing, a hat, a full water bottle and a packed lunch. 

If you have any questions regarding District Sports, please email me on year5_6@downhallprimary.com 

Miss Sharman

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall

10.06.22

 Happy sunny Friday everyone!

It has been lovely to see the children return to school this week for what is the final half term of the academic year.

There are lots of exciting events coming up over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on the website and newsletters.

On Wednesday, children in Year 5 took part in a road safety workshop.  The visitor who presented it commented on how sensible and engaged the children were.  Well done Year 5.

This afternoon some of the children will have brought home letters regarding District Sports.  If your child received one, please read it carefully and return the reply slip to Miss Sharman as soon as possible.  If you have any questions relating to this even, please contact Miss Sharman via the Year 5/6 email.

Earlier this week, 7 of the Year 6 children were selected as Prefects.  They were chosen by staff who felt that they will represent the school brilliantly.  So, well done to Phoebe, Haris, Eli, Jessica, Lily, Josh and Tyler.  

On Monday, we will be electing house captains and we wish all those who have decided to apply, the best of luck! 

Have a lovely weekend - enjoy the Trinity Fayre if you are attending.

A Message from Mrs Hurley: TTRS Day 

This year, at Down Hall Primary School, we have had a big focus on Times Tables through our Times Table Programme as well as Times Table Rock Stars. These have both helped the children to become more fluent in their times tables. 

On Friday 24th June, we would like all staff and pupils to take the opportunity to dress up as rock stars for the day. During this day they will take part in a range of maths activities. It would be great to see as many children and staff engage in the TTRS Battle as possible. Prizes for the best dressed rock star (staff and child) will be handed out. Certificates will also be given to the children who achieve the fastest ‘Studio Speed’ in (according to the leaderboard that morning) No monetry donation is needed for dressing up, as this is not a charity event. More details will follow…

30.05.22

 Dear Parents and Carers

Apologies for the late post this week.  

Firstly, a message from Mrs Witherall

Year 5 have been very busy this week and have had a great time exploring ‘Famous People’. The children have looked at famous poets, writers, public speakers, and much more. We have used some of their work as inspiration in order to create some of our very own. 

The children particularly enjoyed using Sophia Barnacle’s invention of the Helter Skelter to create a marble run that would take 60 seconds to complete. We explored friction, gradient, materials and obstacles in order to change the speeds of the marbles. 

Take a look at some of the inventions below!

   

Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

The children looked wonderful in their red, white and blue. We sang the National Anthem, drew some corgis with ‘Draw with Rob’ and had a fantastic time at lunch on the field with our picnics.

Year 6 Isle of Wight

It was an absolute pleasure to spend last week with the Year 6 children on the Isle of Wight. We are sure that by now you have heard lots of stories of our adventures.

Lots of fun and laughs were had, but most importantly, every single child achieved something amazing! Whether that be trying a new food, climbing just that bit higher than they thought they could or shooting a bow and arrow. Your children were AWESOME!

Their behaviour was impecable too. We had lots of lovely comments from staff at the places we visited as well as members of the public about how polite our children are.

Miss Sharman, Miss Wakefield, Mrs Devlin and Miss Bamber

Year 5 Parents

If you are considering FitzWimarc as a choice of Secondary School for your child, please see the information below regarding parent tours and aptitude assessments.

Have a lovely half term and enjoy any Jubilee celebrations you are taking part in.

Don't forget!  Monday 6th June is an INSET day.  We look forward to welcoming the children back into class on Tuesday 7th June.

13.05.22

Dear Parents and Carers

Happy Friday!  

As you know, this week has been SATs week for our Year 6 children.  They have worked hard and tackled the tests brilliantly.  We are very proud of them.

SATs week always seems to be the biggest week in the Year 6 calendar.  Now that it is out of the way, we are looking ahead to the next event, which is, of course The Isle of Wight trip.

This week, children in Year 6 brought home a letter with details of the trip, departure times and important items to pack.  If you did not receive the letter or have misplaced it, a copy can be found here.

Please note that spending money should be handed to Mrs Devlin, no later than Monday 16th May.  This should consist of £20 in the following denominations (3 x £5 notes and 5 x £1 coins).  This is so that children can be given £5 per day to spend. Please ignore the combination of notes and coins asked for in the letter.  If your child has already brought their money in, don't worry, we will sort it out.

Year 5 children have also completed assessments this week.  They have been sensible and mature in their approach to their tests and have been supportive of their Year 6 classmates.  Well done Year 5.  You are a credit to the school!

As a treat, for the end of assessments, we spent Thursday afternoon on the school field enjoying the sunshine.  We played rounders, football and other games.  The children (and staff) thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  

After such a busy week, we would like to wish you and your children a lovely, relaxing weekend.  Let's hope the lovely weather continues.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin and Mrs Witherall 

06.05.22

 Dear Parents and Carers.

The sunshine has most definitely brought us a happy Friday! We hope that you have had a lovely week. Year 5/6 have been working exceptionally hard to prepare for SATs and assessments next week. 

SATs

Thank you for all of the responses regarding the Year 6 breakfast next week. Please could the children enter through the front car park on Brooklyn Drive so that they can go straight into the hall from 8 am.

Homework. 

Year 5 homework has also been posted on Google Classroom.

We hope that you have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Devlin, Miss Sharman and Mrs Witherall

Dear Parents/Carers 

Happy Friday, everybody! It has been a busy week in Year 5/6. The children have been working hard to make preparations for the upcoming weeks.

Congratulations to the children  in Topaz who successfully passed their Bikeability course. Well done to the Play Leaders who have also completed their training this week and will begin organising lunchtime games for the younger children from Tuesday. 

Thank you to all parents for attending the SATs meeting on Wednesday. Copies of the slides have been sent home with the children for parents/carers that were unable to make it. 

Homework for Year 6 is to continue to revise using the pack given to them before the Easter holidays and homework books if they have them at home. If they have completed this, they can use the links that have been posted for Year 5 homework on the Google Classroom pages.

We would like to wish a happy Eid for those that are celebrating over the bank holiday and hope that you all have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sharman, Mrs Devlin & Mrs Witherall