Sally Atkins 26/03/2021 Sally Atkins 26/03/2021

Wonderful writers

This week we have been celebrating the fantastic writing that has taken place in school. Our English curriculum is based around high quality texts such as Stig of The Dump and The Wonder Garden, and it is wonderful to see the enthusiasm and care that our children are taking in their work. Here are just some examples of the writing from this week.

Nina Lindsay 20/03/2021 Nina Lindsay 20/03/2021

Stanmore Post - 19 March 2021

Dear Parents,

There has been a lively atmosphere throughout school today as all our ‘rock stars’ enjoyed our Comic Relief event 2021. Thank you for supporting this event. The children looked amazing and so far we have raised £213.72 The day brought a smile to everyone’s face from the start of the day at morning drop off. It reminded us of how important these events are in the school calendar and how much children and adults need to have something different to look forward to. After Easter, we have many more exciting events planned as, gradually, we work towards a more familiar school term.

The children all have a log in to Times Tables Rockstars online. Please ask your class teacher if your child has forgotten theirs. The format of the online program successfully boosts times table recall speed. Knowing the multiplication and division structures help children to become competent mathematicians. It is a key component of mathematical fluency. Younger children can benefit from practical experiences of increasing quantities and equal sharing. Find out more about how we teach maths.

Our curriculum work this week has included a virtual tour of Winchester in KS1, with children continuing to strengthen their technology skills using Google Earth to explore their locality. In KS2 children have been learning more about the stone age using our school grounds to collect materials to create cave paintings inspired by the books ‘Stig of the Dump’ and ‘How to train a Woolly Mammoth.’ Children in Oak and Elm finished their literacy unit on ‘The Wonder Garden,’ with a fantastic double page feature on their own Island designs.

Thank you to parents who joined us for online Parents Evening this week. We are always available if you want to have a conversation about your child. Our open door may be virtual or socially distanced at the moment, but it is still open. At the moment there are children who are understandably still struggling to settle either at home or at school after such a disrupted period of time. If school and home are working together to re-introduce high expectations and clear boundaries, there is likely to be a better result. We are reminding children about our values: Belonging, excellence, support and trust. We are continuing to strengthen our keys for success: resilience, persistence, organisation, confidence, co-operation and respect. At the moment, we are focusing on respect, which includes the way in which we treat each other and school property. This includes special areas like the Willow Domes and the new resources that the Friends of the School have bought for us. Thank you for your ongoing support with this.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Chris Lindsay 19/03/2021 Chris Lindsay 19/03/2021

Comic Relief 2021

School had a very different feel today as Staff and pupils came to school dressed as rock stars to raise money for Comic Relief. The theme rock stars was chosen to celebrate all the children’s hard work on Times Table Rockstars and children with the highest scores in each class were given certificates. Everyone looked amazing and it was great to see all the fabulous wigs, stylish bandanas, colourful tutus and even some fishnet gloves!

The school managed to raise £213.72 for Comic Relief and we know that this will go towards people and organisations who need our help in the UK and around the world.

Many thanks to all the parents and carers who supported with this event: the children had a brilliant time and managed to raise money for a great cause. We hope you enjoy the photos below.

Nina Lindsay 06/03/2021 Nina Lindsay 06/03/2021

Stanmore Post - 5 March 2021

Dear Parents,

World Book Day provided us with the perfect end to our Blended Learning Approach. Children at home and at school have had positive shared experiences over the past couple of days. Helen Griffiths, author of the book ‘Treasure beyond Measure’ led an inspiring assembly from her home in New Zealand, on the themes within her book. Children enjoyed creating their own collective nouns for different groups of animals, spotting the globe on every page. This has resulted in excellent writing, not to mention a collection of creative veget-a-pals. I was very impressed with the children’s awareness of conservation and their suggestions for ways in which humans can improve their impact on the planet.

Children will receive a £1 book token on Monday.

Thank you for your ongoing support through the lockdown this term. The new skills learned by children and parents have been quite remarkable. If your child has been learning at home, I am sure you are pleased to see them return to school but there may also be some mixed feelings. This period of time has brought families together in a way that is unique and there will be many good lasting memories. Please reassure your child that Monday is a new beginning for everyone. We are looking forward to seeing children who have been learning at home and children who have been in school ‘bubbles’ return to their usual classes. Children are remarkably resilient and capable of surprising us. It is likely that with the right support and enjoyable challenge in their school day, they will quickly adapt. If you are struggling in any way, we are here to help as much as possible. Please email the school to contact Mrs Fenton, our Inclusion Leader, Mrs Atkins, our Assistant Headteacher or Mrs Taylor Headteacher

We will be continuing to follow our Covid risk assessment to keep the school community as safe as possible. I am confident that the systems of control that we have in place are as effective so far as it is reasonably practical, if we all stick to them. We have already demonstrated how effective we are as a whole school community if we work together in the best interests of everyone. For that reason I need to ask you, as Parents and Carers to continue to support the following measures.

· No-one with symptoms of Coronavirus or self-isolating should be on the school site

· Everyone on the school site must adhere to the Government hygiene regulations to reduce the spread of Coronavirus

· Everyone on the school site must practise social distancing, being careful of pinch points like the entrance to the school and the gates.

· All visitors to the site must adhere to the one-way system without fail. If you have any accessibility or mobility issues we can arrange to collect your child from you at the entrance to the school and walk them to the classroom. Please arrange this with the office.

· All adults and visitors to the site should wear a face covering

· No child should arrive on site before 8:30am unless they are attending breakfast club. Doors open at 8:40am Gates in front of the office close at 8:55am.

· Parents and Carers should arrive no more than 10 minutes before pick up and leave promptly. Children without siblings in Catkins Maple and Rowan can continue to be collected at 3pm.

· Please leave all toys at home. Children only need their book bag with a water bottle and lunch box if necessary

· Children will remain in their class bubbles, including at break and lunchtimes

· Children may continue to wear PE kits to school on PE days. Year R children in Catkins do not need to change for their PE lessons:

Monday Maple and Rowan including all Year 1

Tuesday Oak

Wednesday Birch and Sycamore Maple and Rowan including all Year 1

Thursday Elm

Friday Willow

If your child is unwell and unable to attend, please contact the school with the reason for absence. If, for any reason, your child is showing signs of anxiety about attending school, we can help, please contact the school office. Quickly re-establishing a routine will be a priority in supporting their wellbeing.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Chris Lindsay 05/03/2021 Chris Lindsay 05/03/2021

World Book Day 2021

Despite still being in ‘Lockdown’, all of the children and staff at Stanmore Primary School participated in celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 4th March. The event was launched by two ‘live’ assemblies, featuring our guest author, Helen Griffiths, who joined us from her home in New Zealand! Helen shared her incredible book, ‘Treasure Beyond Measure’ with us, explaining how she came to write her book, and the inspiration behind it.

This formed the ‘hook’ from which the children’s writing was based on for the next two days, which included exploring animals in different biomes, developing vocabulary and learning about fascinating collective nouns. This led to some inspired poetry writing on Friday, as well as the creation of animals using fruits and vegetables. In the afternoon, the children enjoyed a ‘Pyjamarama’, sharing books with hot chocolate and biscuits. The wonderful staff at school created a ‘Hidden Reader’ version of ‘Treasure Beyond Measure’, and a ‘Virtual Library’, where the children could click on a book cover and hear the book being read aloud, which was shared with children at home and in school.

World Book Day vouchers will be distributed week commencing Monday 8th March.

Year 5/6 wrote some fantastic Kennings poems using the Treasure Beyond Measure book.

Floating on the rushing river was a snapping caiman herd

They soon alarmed the crackle of the cockatoo bird

Flying low, the flutter of moths

Rudely awoken a slumber of sloths!

Mahika – Elm class

Meandering slowly through the vulnerable river

A bite of piranhas begin to quiver,

A flash of ants climbed up a rigid tree

Hoping they will soon be free.

But all they see is a whisper of slow sloths

Always waving to a flutter of moths.

Ava K and Olivia H – Oak

Nina Lindsay 26/02/2021 Nina Lindsay 26/02/2021

Stanmore Post - 26 February 2021

Dear Parents,

With the announcement of the Government ‘Roadmap’ taking us out of Lockdown and some better weather, it seems as though positive change is on the way. We are really looking forward to welcoming children back on Monday 8thMarch. We recognise that this date represents mixed feelings and children will experience the return in different ways. It is helpful to start preparing your child for this. You might choose to say that this is just another change in a year of changes and since they have coped brilliantly so far, there is no reason to believe that they won’t manage the change back into school. It is also worth reminding them that everyone is likely to feel a bit wobbly for a day or two but those feelings will soon pass. In school we will continue to focus on wellbeing. Throughout this year we have learned that the best way to help children resettle is to quickly re-establish routines and high expectations. You can help with this by ensuring that your child arrives on time, in full school uniform and attends every day.

Breakfast club can re-start on Monday 8th March. Please book this a week in advance. A booking form will be emailed separately, please return to the admin office. Payment is via scopay. Further restrictions will not be lifted until 29 March at which point outdoor mixing in groups of 6 and organised outdoor sport can resume. Our school clubs will resume after Easter.

This week our blended learning model has continued to deliver inspiring curriculum activities. This has included designing imaginative islands based on the book ‘Wonder Garden by Kristjana Williams and to write instructions from the book ‘How to wash a Woolly Mammoth’ by Michelle Robinson. Children in Year 3 / 4 at home and in school followed instructions to make a Woolly Mammoth of their own, and afterwards, evaluated the instructions to improve them for future use. In Year 1 / 2. The book ‘Diver Bill’ by Judith and Kenyon is inspiring Year 1 and 2 to find out more about Winchester Cathedral. Find out more about learning this week at:

https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2021/02/26/super-science

https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2021/02/26/woolly-mammoths

Next week, our final week of blended learning, we have some exciting events planned. World Book Day will extend over 3 days and will include a theme of maths through story amongst other events through story this year. We have different activities planned in school outlined in a separate letter and we will share photos on the website next week. Further information about these events can be found at:

https://www.mathsthroughstories.org/#

https://www.worldbookday.com/events/

On Friday 5th March children can wear their pyjamas or comfy clothes to school to celebrate World Book Day (and stay in them all day at home of course!)

Parents evening this Term will take the form of a 5 – 10 minute phone call. We will be offering telephone appointments during the week beginning 15th March. The purpose of this meeting will be to focus on how your child has managed within the Blended Learning phase and to evaluate their progress to date. Booking will be via Scopay and will open from tomorrow. This year, we will aim to offer an additional face to face Parents Evening in June.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Chris Lindsay 26/02/2021 Chris Lindsay 26/02/2021

Super Science

KS1 children have been busy being scientists this week and exploring how to tell if an object is a bean or a seed! They have all used fantastic scientific vocabulary and have identified all the different parts.

Chris Lindsay 26/02/2021 Chris Lindsay 26/02/2021

Woolly Mammoths!

In Year 3 and 4, our focus is on learning about writing instructions, based on the book, ‘How to wash a Woolly Mammoth’ by Michelle Robinson. As part of this unit, the children have been learning about selecting the most appropriate imperative (bossy) verbs to use, as well as including prepositions to ensure that their instructions are effective. As part of this they had to give clear instructions to a friend on how to clean some very dirty ducks.

On Thursday, the children at home and in school followed instructions to make a Woolly Mammoth of their own, and afterwards, evaluated the instructions to improve them for future use. This will inform the instructions that the children will be writing next week, to help a new keeper at Marwell! We think that the children have followed the instructions beautifully – what do you think?

Nina Lindsay 15/02/2021 Nina Lindsay 15/02/2021

Stanmore Post - 12 February 2021

Dear Parents,

Every half term is different to the previous one at the moment. We have almost got used to expecting the unexpected. Not being able to plan ahead with certainty is challenging as we all know. As a school community we have stayed focused on our core values of Belonging, Excellence, Support and Trust. There is no doubt that this has helped us to stay on track, continuing to strengthen our curriculum and our school community. Thank you for all of the support you have shown for this since January.

Despite the challenges of Covid this term, we have been able to continue with our school improvement journey. As a result, we are seeing progress in the way children are working in maths. Our focus has been to encourage children to think flexibly about number. This helps them to make sense of what they are learning, rather than relying on reproducing learnt procedures. To do this, children need to have a model to work with. From working practically with a model, children then begin to visualise the model and it becomes a tool for thinking with. What we want is for children to have this model to imagine whenever they are given different mathematical problems. If you have been supporting children at home, you may have enjoyed seeing them begin to make more and more connections. At Stanmore it is important to us that we train the children mathematically, building on the same models throughout the school. This will help children become more secure, competent mathematicians in our school and beyond. Many parents will have now experienced this first hand through the remote learning but further information can be found at: https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/maths

This week children engaged with safer internet day. The focus was ‘An Internet we can Trust – exploring reliability in the online world.’ The reliance on remote working for children and adults has brought this topic sharply into focus. If you would like to find out more about how you can support your child at home visit: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2021/i-am-parent-or-carer

When we come back after half term, the children will be getting involved in World Book Day. If you are thinking about a half term activity, don’t forget to have a look at the 30 books your child should read before they leave Stanmore. On Friday 5th March, children can wear their pyjamas to school (and stay in them all day at home of course!) There will be fun activities on line and at school that children will find out more about after half term.

Well done for all of the hard work and extra effort that has gone into this half term. Enjoy a well-deserved break. I hope that the sun shines and that at some point next half term we will be back in school.

Best Wishes

Sharon Taylor

Chris Lindsay 05/02/2021 Chris Lindsay 05/02/2021

Stanmore Post - 5 February 2021

Dear Parents,

We are continuing to work well within our ‘Blended Learning approach, combining remote and home education. The tasks are improving as we find out more about how best to engage children in learning through ongoing feedback and assessment. Through the tasks and quizzes we are now able to assess children either through the work online or through work in school. This means that by the end of the year, despite the withdrawal of KS1 and KS2 testing this year, we will be able to give you up the most accurate information about how your child is doing. While we are hopeful that children will be back in school before Easter, we are not yet certain. For that reason we have made some changes to our termly Pupil Progress reviews. Parents evening this Spring Term will take the form of a phone call again. We will be offering telephone appointments during the week beginning 15th March. The purpose of this meeting will be to focus on how your child has managed within the Blended Learning phase and to evaluate their progress to date. This year, we will offer an additional Parents Evening in June where we will aim for a face to face meeting. At this meeting we will be able to discuss progress and transition into the next school year. We will share targets and ways in which we are supporting your child to secure the key learning that they need to make that process as smooth as possible.

Thank you for your feedback on the Google Classroom work. It is good to hear that children are enjoying lessons and becoming increasing familiar with the routine. The quality of the ‘turned in’ work is consistent. We have listened to parents who have told us that sometimes there are not enough opportunities for breaks during the day. This is a problem, particularly between the maths extension and English. We have responded by ensuring that slides are available on the Classroom page so children could go back and check their work, completing it later in the week. From Monday there is a new session ‘Rapid round up,’ where children can ask a teacher for any additional help. This may be useful for children who have had to move quickly from one session to another without being sure about how to start the task. A top tip from one parent is to encourage your child to start working alongside the teacher, not to wait until the end of the session to start. We have picked this tip up and teachers are suggesting that children work with them where possible. Ultimately you know when your child has done enough. It is essential that they get proper breaks in the day, eat well and get some fresh air and exercise. The quantity of work set caters for the broad range of children within the class, so don’t worry. If you can see that your child has done enough, even if they haven’t finished, it is ok to stop. If they are too stretched, focus on phonics, reading and maths and then perhaps select some of the wider curriculum subjects that they particularly enjoy. Whatever they are doing, if they are joining in on time and turning in work, we are proud of them. This is a real achievement and they are developing their keys for success which they can rely on in the future.

It is not just the children at home who are managing extremely well, the children in school have had to adapt to different routines, different teachers and in some cases different bubbles. Children throughout the school are working hard in their bubbles enjoying learning about Stonehenge and surviving in the Amazon.

The opportunities for children at school and home to participate in a shared experience like Assembly and ‘Chill and chat’ are the highlight of the week. I have heard that Mr and Mrs Read have turned into gameshow hosts!

If you can’t find a space for your child to work, or you are struggling with technology, including internet connection or having enough devices to work on, then we may be able to help you. Please contact the school office: adminoffice@stanmore.hants.sch.uk Thank you for your ongoing support.