Beauclerc Infant & Nursery School
116 French Street, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5LE
Tel: 01932 780672
[email protected]
http://www.beauclerc.surrey.sch.uk
Friday 11th November, 2016
Dear Parents,
Well done to Chennestone who have once again achieved the Green Flag Award
Since our last assessment two years ago the Green Team have taken part in lots of different projects including
The Litter Project, the Greener Transport Project and the Biodiversity Project. All the children in the school
have helped the Green team to enable us to be a
Sustainable School.
Every two years we are assessed against the nine
Green Flag areas of Sustainability.
The assessor came this week and spent a whole
afternoon talking to the children, touring the school
with the Green Team and investigating how successful
we are at all the nine areas.
He was very impressed and the children felt very
proud of their achievements.
The assessor told us we were one of only 32 schools in Surrey to have the Green Flag Award.
One of the other schools is Beauclerc. Mrs Colclough and a new Green Team have been very active at Beauclerc
this week. They have been undercover, assessing energy use and waste, ready for Switch Off Fortnight – see
below
Reading Top Tips – see Part 8 below - ‘What to do and what to say when your child is stuck on a word’
Sue Jackson
DATES FOR THE DIARY ~ NOVEMBER
Nov
Mon 14th –
Fri 25th
Mon 14th –
Fri 18th
Weds 16th
Mon 21st –
Fri 25th
Dec
Thurs 1st
Switch Off Fortnight
Anti-Bullying Week
Weds 16th MTW Nursery Superhero dress up day
Fri 18th – Main School & Nursery WTF - Superhero Dress up
Yellow & Red Reception Children – Learning Journals in School Hall 3:05pm
Road Safety Week
‘Fun with Phase 5 phonics” Parents workshop 09:05 – 10:05am
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Responsible Citizens
Look what we’ve learnt this week!
Blue
Blue Class have been learning how to write descriptively, they have recapped there learning about
choosing the best most powerful words rather than the first words they think of. We have been
learning about writing in the first person and have described walking through the door and entering
the ‘chocolate room’ from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Next week we will be learning more
about the use of simile’s and how they can add more impact to our descriptions.
In Maths we have been learning to subtract numbers, we have learnt that when we subtract we count
back and cannot swap the numbers in a sum around. As a class we created success criteria for addition
and subtraction which we have referred to throughout our learning, this has helped us to know when
we have been successful and what are next steps are. We have also learnt about inverse, we know that
this word means opposite and that addition is the inverse of subtraction.
This week Mrs Colclough showed Blue Class a video about Remembrance Day and we then spent some
time writing down everything we could remember about this special day. In Art with Mrs Holder we
created miniature portraits of Flanders Field using water colour and acrylic paint. We also made a
beautiful Poppy Badge with Mrs Brooks by using our sewing skills which can be kept and hopefully used
again. Ruby said about her Flanders Field portrait; “When I look at it, it will remind me of the people
who fought in the war”.
Orange
The learning this week in Maths has been learning about odd numbers and even numbers. We listened
to a funny song called “Odd Todd” and “Even Steven” which helped us to remember the difference. We
can tell you if a number is odd or even, no matter how big the number is. We have also bee practicing
recalling our number bonds to ten. Our next learning challenge is number bonds to twenty. We learnt
how to use scissors, and glue stick when we made our own mini-Pudding lane. This is where The Great
Fire of London started. It was fun to learn how a flat piece of paper can be folded to make a 3D
shape. In geography we explored the map of London as it was in 1666 and we could see the damage
the fire caused. We identified some streets and towns and learnt that water is always blue in a map
and the dark lines are the roads. We then compared it to the London Map of 2016. It had so many
more houses but we could tell where the river was because it was blue. We wanted to make sure that
if visitors came to our school they would know their way around the playground, so we made our own
map of the school playground. We practised spelling some key words linked to our topic to help us
write the story of the Great Fire of London. We also discussed how we can learn from each other by
sharing what we know. The other useful thing we learnt about story telling is that it has a beginning, a
middle and an end. We will be using this knowledge in our story writing. Finally we completed our
artwork of the scene of the Great fire. We learnt that to create a good piece of work you should not
rush and drawn on your resilience. Have a nice weekend and keep warm!!!!!
Red
This week in Red class we have been developing three new learning spaces; a fairy garden, a shadow
puppet theatre and a café in the outdoor area.
In the shadow puppet theatre the children have been using torches and star wars puppets to make up
their own stories. In the fairy garden children have been using their phonics to write labels for fairies
and counting out bugs to put in the fairy garden. With Mrs Ollington, the children made playdoh, they
added glitter to create ‘fairy playdoh’ to make fairy cupcakes. In the café children have been taking
orders for customers, preparing food and pretending to be waiters and waitresses.
The year 1 children have been learning how to correctly use full stops and capital letters. We used our
‘step to success’ to make sure we were successful in our learning. The reception children wrote what
they would wish for if they saw a magical fairy, they listened to the sounds in the words and used
sound mats to help them. In maths this week the year 1 children have been learning how to count and
write numbers to 100 using a 100 square to help them. The reception children have been learning how
to write their numbers to 10.
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Responsible Citizens
Yellow
We started this week in Yellow Class by thinking about why people are wearing poppies. We learnt that
it is to remember all those special soldiers. We decided to create our own poppies by using different
resources. We learnt how to write the word poppy as a label. On Tuesday we received a letter telling
us that a post man is going to be visiting us. To prepare for this visit we have been thinking about
different questions we would like to ask him. We have also been exploring the journey a letter goes on
when it enters the post box. We were all excited to go on a special walk to spot a post box. We have
been thinking about all the different symbols post boxes have on them. We have continued our
learning about dinosaurs and have been learning facts about them. We learnt that many dinosaurs were
bigger than buses. We found this very hard to believe! In Maths we learnt to add two sets together.
Dinosaurs helped us to do it this.
Purple
This week we have been thinking about all the lovely fireworks which we saw last weekend either at a
firework display or just simply by watching them from our windows at home. We have been learning all
about the different colours that we may have seen in the fireworks. We have been making some
beautiful firework pictures using a range of different art techniques. We have been creating our
pictures using marbles, straws, car wheels and even spaghetti!!! The children have also been exploring
salt dough this week and used straws, feathers and pipe cleaners to make a firework. We have also
enjoyed learning the different words which you may use to describe the noises of the fireworks. We
have been watching some fireworks and using ribbons we have been dancing like fireworks fizzing,
banging, popping, whirling and crashing. This week we have been developing 2 new learning areas. Mrs
Weir has set up an Ice Cream parlour for us inside in the nursery. We have been making a range of
different ice creams with lots of flavours and toppings. After enjoying the story 'Kipper's Birthday'
Purple Class have now set up a party in their home corner. We have used balloons and banners to
decorate our house and we have been very busy making birthday cakes and enjoying a disco in our
party house. This week in the Nursery the children have also been counting up to 10/20, they have
been counting out a set of objects and matching these sets to numicon pieces and or number cards.
Another very busy and fun week in Purple Class.
Could your child be receiving a free school meal?
Registering is really quick and easy – if you think you qualify, contact the school office who will be able to
advise and process your application.
If you want your child to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime that’s great.
No one will know you have registered and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming.
Did you know … just registering your child for Free School Meals means that the school receives additional
funding to help children from lower income families do their very best.
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Responsible Citizens
Eco Code
The Green Team have written a new Eco Code for the school. An Eco Code is a statement to show that everyone in Beauclerc is
committed to improving the environment. We thought it would need to be simple and catchy so everyone can remember it. We
will display the code around the school so have a look out for it!
Beauclerc Eco Code
Energy – save it! Turn off the lights
Always turn off the taps – save water!
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
Travel by foot, bike or scooter
Help keep our environment litter free!
We have also been learning our new Eco School song, ‘We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands’. It reminds us that it is up to
all of us to help save the environment.
Next week we begin ‘Switch Off Fortnight’ (14th – 27th November).
Everyone at Beauclerc will be learning about energy and thinking about what we can do to use it more wisely.
The Green Team will be completing secret missions across the fortnight to check if everybody is on board and saving energy by
switching off lights, switching off computer monitors when not in use and making sure all the computers are switched off at night.
You might have some little Eco Warriors checking on you at home so remember to switch on to switching off!
Former Jack in the Box Preschool families
Come and celebrate Chris Howard's retirement after 30 years at Jack in the Box Preschool (top secret, Chris
doesn't know!) Tea and cake in St.Mary's Church Hall, on Friday 2nd December, 3:30pm
Request of Kitchen Roll Tubes
Please could you bring in your Kitchen Roll Tubes for Yellow class to use in their next topic. Many thanks Miss
Leckie.
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Responsible Citizens
Anti-Bullying Week 2016
14th – 18th November
The theme this year is 'Power for Good'. Our aim is to:
Support children to use their Power for Good – by understanding the ways in which they are powerful and
encouraging individual and collective action to stop bullying and create the best world possible.
Activities/Learning will include:
Early Years (Including Nursery) – Being a Good Friend.
What makes a good friend? Making friends. Keeping friends. Looking out for our friends and helping them.
Year 1 – What is Bullying? Difference between being rude, being mean and bullying. Diversity – respecting
others. Who to talk to/what to do.
Year 2 – What is Bullying? Different types of bullying. Ways to deal with Bullying. Who to talk to/what to
do. Focusing on emotional bullying not just physical. Don’t be a bystander.
Anti-Bullying Superhero Day – On Friday 18th November the children (and staff!) will have the
opportunity to dress up as a superhero. Using our Power for Good to stop bullying and to be ‘super good’
friends to others.
MTW nursery (am) will dress up on Wednesday 16th November. So grab a cape and a mask!
Clubs
Club
Football
French
Day
Tuesday
Wednesday
Year Groups
Yr 1 & Yr 2
All years
Starts
13th Sept
21st Sept
Ends
29th Nov
7th Dec
Tennis
Thursday
All years
22nd Sept
1st Dec
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Time
3:10-4:10
1hr after
school
3:05-3:50
Cost
£44/11wks
£80/term or
£200 all year
£50/10wks
Responsible Citizens
for Reading Part 8.
Part 8 of our regular section in the newsletter called ‘What to do and what to say when your child is stuck on a
word’. This is written by Mrs Gidman, our school Reading Expert, and over the weeks we hope this will build into a
valuable information resource for you and help your child be a highly successful reader.
What to do and what to say when your child is stuck on a word
Every time you listen to your child read at home you’re adding to their “reading mileage” and enabling them to practise their
problem solving skills. An independent reader will know what to do when they’re stuck on a word. A good reader will search
for clues and be able to self-correct when they’ve made a mistake.
The first thing to do is to observe closely. What do you notice that your child does when they get to a word they don’t
know? Do they immediately look to you for help or do you notice their eyes searching around for more information? Maybe
they look in the picture or take a closer look at the letters in the word. Maybe they go back to the beginning of the
sentence for another run up to the word they’re stuck on. Perhaps they do all of these things! Does your child work out the
tricky word for themselves by trying these strategies? These problem-solving skills are key to making good progress in
reading. These skills will enable your child to be an independent reader and tackle books on their own when you’re not sitting
with them. So with this in mind, there are a few important things to bear in mind:
1.
Don’t point to the words for your child as they read. It’s easy to do this because we want to keep our child focused
on their reading. The problem is that when your child makes a mistake you’ll stop moving your finger along and this
will tell them that they’ve just read a word incorrectly. Over time your child will come to rely on you to indicate
when they’ve made a mistake rather than notice for themselves.
2.
Don’t jump in immediately to help when your child pauses on a word. Give them a moment to use their problem
solving skills.
Sometimes children search for clues but still can’t solve the word they’re stuck on. If your child becomes “stuck” ask them a
question that will encourage them to use their reading skills. The question you ask will vary depending on your child’s reading
level and the type of word they’re “stuck” on. Here are some prompts:

“Look at the picture and think what would make sense?” or you could ask something specific like,
“What colour was the boat?”
These types of prompts are important because they encourage your child to keep the meaning of the text in mind
at all times. If they respond with the correct word then say,



“…look at the letters - does it look like the word ‘orange’?”
“Look at the first letter of the word and think what would make sense?” Again, if they get the correct word, say,
“how did you know it was ‘tortoise?’ You’re looking for your child to say something like, “there’s a tortoise in the
picture and look, it starts with t.”
“Sound out the letters in this word?” eg.s–l–ow-ly. Once they’ve worked out the word, say, “and does ‘slowly’ make
sense here?”
“Read on to the end of the sentence to give you a clue.” If that helps them to get to the right word then ask them
to check the letters too.
When children have a go at unknown words, they need to use both the meaning and the letters in the word to help them.
Some children can become over-reliant on ‘sounding out’ (and don’t think about the meaning) and other children can become
over-reliant on using the meaning (and don’t look carefully at the letters). You can see that all the prompts above encourage
your child to think about both the meaning and the letters in the word.
If you notice that your child always waits for help when they’re stuck, show them how to use the meaning and the letters
and then say, “you try”. When they try something for themselves, say, “I liked the way you (thought about the story/looked
at the letters), to work out that word for yourself… that’s what good readers do.”
Next Time – Using self-correction skills
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School Dates for Academic Year 2016/2017
Mon 5th Dec – INSET day
Weds 21st Dec – Last day of term, school closes 2:00pm
Tues 3rd Jan – Start of term – back to school
Fri 10th Feb – INSET day
Mon 13th – Fri 17th Feb – Half Term
Mon 20th Feb – Back to school
Fri 31st March – Last day of term, school closes 2.00pm
Mon 3rd Apr – Mon 17th Apr – Easter Holidays
Tues 18th Apr – Start of term – back to school
Mon 1st May – Bank Holiday
Mon 29th May – Fri 2nd June – Half Term
Mon 5th June – Back to school
Fri 21st July – Last day of term, school closes 2.00pm
St Mary's Church, Sunbury
Autumn Fair, Saturday 19th November, 10am-2pm in the Parish Hall, Green Street. Stalls,
DVD's, Jewellery, Refreshments, Raffle. Fun for the whole family! Come and get some early
Christmas presents!
Christmas Card Competition. Thank you to everyone who took part. We had lots of great entries
and are going to announce the winners in church on Sunday 20th November at the 11.30am
service. Everyone who has entered is invited to come along to find out if they have won !
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Responsible Citizens