The Riverside Reporter

ISSUE 7 – 6th November 2015www.riversideprimaryschool.org.uk

THIS TERM’S SCHOOL VALUES ARE TO SPOT OUR CHILDREN WHO ARE:

Self-portraits in Year 1

ASPIRATIONAL & CONFIDENT

This week:Dates for your diary, welcome back after half term, new

school values, lots of learning and much more …

From the Head’s Chair

Welcome back to Riverside after what I hope was a relaxing and enjoyable half term break. The children have certainly settled very quickly and have been learning across the curriculum with renewed enthusiasm! Our school values for this term are for the children to be both ASPIRATIONAL and CONFIDENT.Many of our children work very hard, but being ASPIRATIONAL is all about looking ahead, thinking about what you want to achieve and which steps you need to take in order to help you get there. That’s how lots of our learning happens – we tell the children what we want them to learn, show them how we want them to learn it and describe what success looks like so they understand what they have achieved. This happens lesson by lesson, day by day at Riverside. Being or feeling CONFIDENT doesn’t necessarily mean that you know everything. It means that children learn when they have been successful, but when their learning is more of a challenge. Being CONFIDENT is about not being afraid to give your very best, whatever the challenge, and again our children demonstrate this day in, day out. We will be looking out for children who demonstrate confidence and are aspirational

and I look forward to sharing this with you during the course of this term.

This week:Dates for your diary, welcome back after half term, new

school values, lots of learning and much more …

The children in Year 1 were very excited this week as they returned to school to find that some enchanted builders had visited their classrooms during the holiday and constructed two amazing buildings. They are enjoying learning in and around a medieval castle and an enchanted Winter palace! These kinds of enrichment opportunities really help bring the children’s learning to life and I know they have and will really have fun getting into character and exploring their environment. Thank you to our magical builders

(Miss Porter, Mrs Borland and Mrs

Vaughan) for your enchanted construction skills!Also, our children in Year 5 have been busy creating realistic Anglo Saxon shields in Art and DT. They have created painted designs which are both colourful and striking, and then coupled these with shields made from textiles. They look very eye-catching in the corridor on our new display boards so well done Willow Class and Mrs Hurst.Year 6 were enthralled on their first day back by a first-hand account of life in Warsaw under German occupation. Mrs Lysakowska's story left Year 6 spellbound and asking some very thought provoking questions. After the speech Year 6 wrote some

excellent recounts of Mrs Lysakowska's experiences, if you

would like to read more please pop down to Year 6! Thank you to Mrs

Lysakowska for bringing this area of learning to life for the children and thanks to Miss Palfrey for

arranging it.

Have a good weekend and if you enjoying the fireworks, please stay safe!

Nick StevensInterim Executive HeadteacherTel: 01628 621741 Email: riverside@rbwm.org.uk

TALKING HOMEWORKSpoken language lies at the heart of communication and without it there would be no books and no writing.  One of the best ways for children to improve their work at school is for them to become confident and articulate speakers.We believe that your involvement in your child’s learning is crucial and that you can make a real difference to the progress your child makes. With this in mind I am introducing a new simple form of Talk Homework. Each week in the newsletter I will send home a simple discussion task; it will be same for all children in school so families can do it together. The aim is to get children sharing ideas with their families and developing their vocabulary and imagination.Please help your child to discuss the question they have been given and particularly focus on why they think that.  It is vital for children to try to talk in full sentences and to use words such as 'because'. Please discuss the question at home and let the children know your opinions. Here are some simple guidelines for how to do it:

Set aside some time for ‘Talk Homework’; Encourage as many family members as possible to be home on

Talk Homework evening and consider discussing the question while having a meal together.

Don't just give your opinion, use the 'because' word to explain why you think that.

Give the possible opinions of two contrasting family members who are not present for

the talk, and use the 'because' word to explain why they may be different.

Ask others around the table to give their opinions and to use the 'because' word.

Ask your child his/her opinion and ask them to use the 'because' word. You could link the topic back to something you remember from when

you were a child and say why things may be different now. We do hope you will enjoy joining in with this learning.

This Week’s Challenge:What are you confident at? Who is the most confident person you know…..what

does their confidence ‘look like’ to you?2015 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

DATE OCCASION WHO?

After school clubs will start the week beginning Monday 9th November

Monday 9th November

Zumba Club Y3 – Y6 12.30pm – 1.00pm Years 3 - 6

Football Club 3.30pm – 4.30pm Years 2 - 6

Tuesday 10th November

Dance club – Yrs 3 & 4 …3.30pm – 4.15pm Years 3 and 4Willow Class Trip to Windsor Castle Willow Class Y5Riverside v Courthouse Netball League Match 3.30pm – 4.30pm

Y5/6 Netball Team

Wednesday 11th November

Gymnastics – Yrs 3-6 … 3.30pm – 4.15pm

Years 3 – 6 inclusive

Netball Club Years 5 and 63.30pm – 4.15pm Years 5 and 6

Diwali Assembly – Silver Birch Y3 2.45pm – 3.15pm

Silver Birch (Y3) ParentsGovernors

Thursday 12th November

Rugby Club 3.30pm – 4.15pm Years 4 - 6Multi – Skills KS1 12.30pm – 1.00pm Years 1 and 2

Monday 16th November

Individual and Family Groups School Photographs Whole school

Head lice There have been a few cases of head lice infestation reported in school. We would therefore ask if you would take extra care in regular inspection. Current recommendations on the treatment of head lice are to wet comb hair (using conditioner) every other night for two weeks.  This ensures that you are combing for the duration of a head lice life cycle and will hopefully eliminate both the lice and possible nits from your child’s hair.It is also recommended that you check all family members for head lice and treat where necessary.  If you have any questions, or are finding the treating of your child’s condition difficult, please visit or talk to your GP, health visitor or call our school nurse (Pauline Green 01753 638441 ) for further information