Message from Mrs Collis Well it has certainly been a busy start to the term, with children settling into their new classes and engaging in exciting learning. It has been impressive to see how quickly our new Nursery and Reception children have settled into school life. This week our Year 5 children are on their residential visit and have been having a fantastic time climbing, swimming, pedal carting and working well as a team. In the last week of this half term we have parent consultation evenings, please see below for details of how to sign up for a meeting with your child/children’s teacher.

You may have noticed that we have added our provisional 2019 data to our website. We are really pleased to share that there have been improvements in the percentage of children achieving a Good Level of Development, the measure used at the end of Reception, with 74% children achieving this, which is above the national percentage. In Year 1 85% achieved the required standard in the phonics screening, again this is above the national percentage of 81%. Attainment at the end of KS1 has improved since last year in reading, writing and maths and the percentage of children achieving the greater depth standard in these subjects is above national percentages. Our end of KS2 data shows overall improvements and means we are close to national percentages. Well done to the children who worked so hard to achieve these results and a huge thank you to staff who have all played a role in supporting children and achieve these improvements.

School Council Classes have now voted and chosen their School Council representatives for the year; their first meeting will be held next week. Well done to:

Year 2 Ruby-Ted

Jet- Jack

Year 3 Garnet –Jesse

Opal - Essie

Year 4 Moonstone- Megan

Topaz- Alice

Year 5 Amber- Millie

Emerald- Erin

Year 6 Quartz -Elsa

Amethyst - Finley

LC Pearl - Max

Medical Tracker From Monday we will be using Medical Tracker, this is a software system that notifies parents when a child requires first aid or has had medication administered. This system will replace the red letter that has previously been sent home with children if they have bumped their head and will ensure that parents/carers are aware of the incident.

Wallands Community Primary School Monthly Newsletter

Friday 4th October 2019

Fundraising for Prostate Cancer Eva, Lola, Saffron, Scarlet and Aticha in Year 6 organised a bake sale to raise money for prostate cancer. They spent lots of time at home cooking batches of cakes and then sold them after school. I was so impressed with their organisational skills and they managed to raise over £100 – well done girls!

Nursery News – Sarah Haskoll, Nursery teacher We have welcomed some new children into the Nursery, this term and have been learning about being

kind as well as how to be a good friend. While helping each other with lots of new things, we are building

new friendships and showing how caring we can be. In the garden, we had great fun collecting all the

apples and making apple juice as well as cooking apple muffins!! Yum ! Yum ! This week we are reading the

story of Elmer the elephant and thinking about how we are all so unique, different and special but the

same too !!!

Reception and KS1 News – Kim Hart, Foundation Stage and KS1 Leader Reception children have been very busy getting to know classroom routines, learning about our school

values, exploring the environment and making new friends.

Wallands Nursery and Reception have been involved with an East Sussex transition project from ‘Nursery

to School.’ Both classes have used a book called Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell. Nursery looked at the

book in the summer term before the children started school and Reception has carried on using it this

term. This book formed a basis of our English, Maths, Creative and Personal Social and Emotional

Development. We spent a long time discussing whether the farmer was right staying in bed all day and

making the duck do all the work. This was then linked to our school value of cooperation.

We also produced a stunning display of artwork in the main corridor. Have a look the next time you are

passing.

Year 1 The children in year one are having a great time with their space topic. We have had lots of fun with the text Q

Pootle 5 and the children have created some lovely pieces of work. In maths, we have been learning about number

and place value. The children have been engaged with lots of practical and pictorial representations to help them

consolidate their number knowledge.

In science, we have been exploring the school grounds for signs of autumn and have been recording the weather. In

music, we have been learning about pulse. We have learnt some new fun songs. We have been exploring simple

drawing techniques in art and in computing we have been looking at online safety.

Year 2 We have settled into our new classes well and have been having a SUPER time! Our topic this term is Superheroes

and in history, we have been looking at a real-life hero of the past, Grace Darling.

In English, we have been exploring the persuasive adjectives that adverts use and created our own adverts for an

imaginary superhero gadget. We then worked together to edit and improve our adverts to make them the best they

can be. Next, we will be looking at our class texts, Traction Man and SUPERBAT.

In Art, we are looking at the Pop Art artist Roy Lichtenstein and we created onomatopoeia words in his dotty style.

‘Is it possible to always be kind?’ is our big question in R.E and we have been exploring the idea through parables

told in the Bible. In Maths, we are coming to the end of our place value topic and beginning to explore addition and

subtraction involving 2-digit numbers.

KS2 News – Fiona Large, KS2 Leader In Year 3, we have been impressed with the way the children have adapted to new routines in the junior

part of the school. The children have been learning about the Stone Age and are finding this fascinating.

They are currently reading the story Stone Age Boy by Satoshi Kitamura and writing their own stories.

In Year 4, the children are learning about the Romans. They are studying the book Escape from Pompeii

and this is leading to some super writing about life in Pompeii. The homework projects, which are

beginning to come into school, are very impressive. Soon the children will visit Fishbourne Roman Villa and

this will really bring the learning to life for the children.

In year 5, the children are really enjoying the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The story is set in

Paris and is really inspiring the children to produce some great writing and artwork.

Finally, in Year 6, the children have been reading a range of extracts from novels set in World War 2. They are also

reading Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll. If you are in the school entrance hall, take a look at the

amazing writing on display.

Language Centre – Emma Mann, Language Centre Leader The children in Pearl Class, Language Centre, have settled very well into their new class, altogether. They have joined their link classes for PE and history/geography lessons and found these to be interesting and fun. In class, we have been finding out about our skeletons and the incredible job they do. We have learnt lots of new vocabulary including tibia, fibula, phalanges, humerus and cranium - ask them what they mean. We know that our skeleton has three important jobs: support, protection and movement. We have been using a book called 'What Makes Me a Me?', for our English lessons hand it has helped us to identify a range of punctuation, in particular question marks. We have also used it to think about what makes us special. Also in English, we have been having a go at writing Haiku poems using our 5 senses. Year 4 are off on a trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace next week with their link classes and Year 6 have had a trip to the Railway Land with their link classes. Year 5 have had the opportunity to go to Carrotty Wood and I am sure have had a fantastic time. All in all a successful start to the new school year.

Attendance Update As you will be aware, our school target for attendance is 96%. We monitor children’s attendance regularly and contact parents if attendance falls below 96% as well as to celebrate good attendance. Our attendance percentage from 4th September to 4th October is 95.91%, this is only just below our target of 96%. Thank you to parents/carers for supporting the school with this.

English Update – Ella Mynott and Sally Walters, English Leaders Thank you for the support you give your child at home. Regular reading helps to boost your child’s reading confidence, develop their strategies to tackle new words and stories, broaden their vocabulary as well as take them on new adventures. Make sure you write a quick comment to log your child’s reading in their yellow reading record as each day that your child reads earns them a point on our Reading Planets and, when they reach 41 points, they can earn a certificate (and a small prize!) to say well done.

Your child should have brought home a list of ‘statutory spellings words’ in their book bag. This list should show you which spellings they are already confident with and which spellings they need to practise at home. Please help your child by giving them time and encouragement to practise their spellings and give them the opportunity to show you they have learned them and to write the words in a sentence/in context. As with reading, little and often is best and the practise at home really does make a difference. The children will be tested on these spelling words each half term and an updated list will be sent home to you.

Lastly, if you are able to give up any of your time to help read with children in school, support in our library or help test children on their spellings, please contact your child’s teacher or the school office.

SEN Update – Julie Mortimer – SENCo I will be available during the parent consultations for anyone who would like to speak to me. You can book a slot via the office or I will base myself in the hall when I am not meeting parents so you are welcome to come and see me. There will also be some coffee mornings this year so look out for the dates in future newsletters! I look forward to seeing you. Thanks, Julie Mortimer (SENCO)

Green Team Our children are fantastic in their enthusiasm for all things 'Green'! After a huge amount of interest (over 180 children wanted to take part) we have set up a Green Team. We are meeting weekly to set our targets for our school. Our aspirational aim is to become a zero-waste school so we are starting with our recycling. Some of you may have seen our Colgate recycling box in the foyer (thank you to those who have already used it!) We will be recycling more items soon (including all writing equipment, rubber gloves and crisp packets) so please look out for the new boxes. We are also looking to improve recycling and re-using in our classrooms, the children are being very good at monitoring this! The other area that the children were keen to focus on was looking after our environment (our trees and wildlife) so we are exploring ideas. Some of these were more protection of our wildlife areas and looking to reduce the amount of litter. We will keep you updated as the projects grow! Oli Palmer and Julie Mortimer

Aldi Stickers We have made an excellent start to our sticker collection, but we have a way to go before we will earn the sports equipment or a chance to win £20,000. We have to fill a whole sheet with stickers in order to apply; we have currently filled 1/3. If you shop at Aldi, please ask at the checkout for the stickers for every £30 you spend. Our collection box is in the foyer. Many thanks for your support.

Parent Consultations Wednesday 23rd October 2019 Reception/Year 1 & 2 - 3:20pm with last appointment finishing at 5pm Year 3,4,5,6 (Quartz - Mr Clay) - 3:30pm with last appointment finishing at 5pm Thursday 24th October 2019 Reception/Year 1 & 2 - 3:20pm with last appointment finishing at 7pm Year 3,4,5,6 (Quartz - Mr Clay) - 3:30pm with last appointment finishing at 7pm Tuesday 12th/Wednesday 13th November 2019 Year 6 Amethyst (Mrs Jenkins) class ONLY 3:30pm with last appointment finishing at 5:30pm (both days) We would like to invite you to come in and discuss your child’s progress as well as looking at their recent learning. Each appointment is scheduled for 10 minutes. Mrs Jenkins Year 6 Amethyst Parent Consultations will be after half term on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th November from 3:30pm until 5:30pm. All appointments can be made via Parentmail from Sunday 6th October at 9am. If you have trouble booking via Parentmail then bookings can be made at the school office. Parent Consultation Meetings will be held in the Main School Hall for KS2 and in the Dining Hall for Foundation Stage and KS1. Julie Mortimer, our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), will also be available in the Main Hall on both dates to meet with parents. Please book an appointment at the front office.

Friends of Wallands, Christy Peters and Emma Hodgson, Co-Chairs of FoW Firstly, a massive thank you to everyone who came to Wallandsfest and helped in any way. There are far too many people to name but the support was absolutely fantastic. The sun shone on us all weekend and we raised well over £2,000 for the school. So thank you to each and every person who came along and contributed. We cannot wait for next year! Next up is the Friends of Woo-lands Halloween Movie Night. This will be held on Friday 25th October, doors open at 6.30pm. The film is Hotel Transylvania 3 and the cafe, bar and tuck shop will be open. Halloween fancy dress strongly encouraged! It’s £3 on the door for all children and adults go free. We are looking forward to seeing you there. Finally, the Christmas Fair will be held on Saturday 30th November so please put it in your diary. If you would like to be involved and can help out on the day please email friendsofwallands@gmail.com. Patina: In the run up to Halloween, the Year 6 Patina Committee are running a bargain priced 'Costume Sale' after on Friday 18th October in the Infant Playground. We are collecting any unwanted/outgrown children's fancy dress costumes/accessories. It's an opportunity to clear out the fancy-dress box. A tub will be placed in both playgrounds to collect your costume donations every day from Mon 14th until Fri 18th October or you can hand them to Becky Trotman.

Animation workshops Press Play Films is running 4 days of animation workshops this October half term (Oct 28th to Nov 1st) in Lewes. We have some fun learning planned including Lego animating, claymation, sand animation and puppet making. All children take away completed films from each day. For more information please contact lara@pressplayfilms.co.uk/ 07977 593 857. See: http://pressplayfilms.co.uk/event/october-2019-pop-up-animation-week/ for full programme.

Dates for your Diary

AUTUMN TERM 2019

October 2019 Wednesday - Friday 2-4 Year 5 Residential Trip

Thursday 3 School Census Day – try a school lunch!

Thursday 3 Year 2 Ruby Class sharing assembly 9am

Sunday 6 Parentmail open for Parent Consultation Bookings (9am)

Wednesday 9 Year 4 Trip

Thursday 10 Year 5 Emerald and Amber class sharing assembly 9am

Wednesday 16 Nursery and Reception Autumn Morning 9am

Thursday 17 Year 2 Jets class sharing assembly 9am

Friday 18 Whole School Photos (changed from 9th)

Friday 18 Patina Quiz Night (8:30-10:30pm)

Wednesday 23 Parent Consultations (3.20 (KS1)/3.30 (KS2) - 5.00pm) – Not Y6 Amethyst

Wednesday 23 Y2 homework exhibition – All parents welcome – (9am – Classrooms)

Thursday 24 Parent Consultations (3.20 (KS1)/3.30 (KS2) - 7.00pm) - Not Y6 Amethyst

Thursday 24 Y1 homework exhibition – All parents welcome – (9am – Classrooms)

Thursday 24 Y2 Superhero Dress-Up Day – Look out for letter

Thursday 24 Year 6 Quartz and Amethyst class sharing assembly 9am

Friday 25 Influenza Nasal Spray Vaccination Session R-Y6

Friday 25 FoW Halloween Cinema Night

Friday 25 End of Term 1

Thursday 31 Year 6 Secondary School Application Deadline

Monday 28th October 2019 – Friday 1st November 2019 - Autumn Term Break

November 2019

Monday 4 Start of Term 2

Tuesday 5 No Clubs today except Breakfast and Afterschool - Lewes Early Road Closures – Check County’s website for further details

Wednesday 6th November 2019 - Inset Day Tuesday 12 Y6 Amethyst - Parent Consultations 3.30 – 5:30pm

Wednesday 13 Y6 Amethyst - Parent Consultations 3.30 – 5:30pm

Thursday 14 Year 1 Onyx class sharing assembly 9am

Tuesday 19 Nursery and Reception (2020 Intake) Open Morning (at 9:15am)

Wednesday 20 Nursery and Reception (2020 Intake) Open Morning (at 9:15am)

Thursday 21 Year 4 Topaz class sharing assembly 9am

Wednesday 27 Nursery and Reception (2020 Intake) Open Morning (at 6pm)

Thursday 28 Year 1 Sapphire class sharing assembly 9am

Saturday 30 Fow Christmas Fayre 1pm-3:30pm

December 2019 Thursday 5 Late night shopping – Lewes High Street

Thursday 5 Year 3 Opal and Garnet sharing assembly

Tuesday 10 Reception/Year 1/Year 2 Christmas Performance (2pm)

Wednesday 11 Reception/Year 1/Year 2 Christmas Performance (9:30am)

Sunday 15 Sing Noel! - Wallands Junior Choir performing

Tuesday 17 Year 5/6 Christmas performance (2pm and 7pm)

Wednesday 18 School Christmas Lunch – Wear something Christmassy - donations welcome.

Friday 20 End of Term 2

Saturday 21 A Christmas Cracker – Wallands Junior Choir performing

Monday 23rd December 2019 – Friday 3rd January 2020 - Christmas Break

School Photos on Friday 18th October

If you have a sibling outside of the school and wish to have a ‘family’ photo taken, please arrive at the school between 8:15am and 8:50am.

Don’t forgot to look smart and practice your smile!

Information for Parents and Carers about Video Interaction Guidance (VIG)

East Sussex Educational Psychology Service

What is VIG?

VIG workers (called practitioners) make and edit very short videos of people in everyday situations to show them some examples of their most positive interactions. Filming takes place during a shared activity or game with your child, usually something you both enjoy. The clips are studied together with you at the next visit in order to see and learn what it is that helps your child most. There are usually three film sessions and three review visits.

People are often unsure about seeing themselves on film at first but nearly everyone is surprised by how good VIG makes them feel. VIG looks at building on strengths so we only focus on the best bits (even when you may think activities haven’t gone well). This means that it really is a very pleasant and encouraging experience.

VIG is a fast growing way of working with families. The principles and practice can be used with any relationships. There are VIG practitioners working across the UK using it with many different families in a wide range of different circumstances.

What happens in VIG sessions?

When you first meet with your VIG practitioner you will be supported to set some goals for positive change. This is often the first step in moving towards a better future for you, your child and even the whole family. The VIG practitioner will then arrange to meet with you and your child to take the first short video. This is often in your own home but can be wherever you both feel most relaxed.

You might then go on to use some of the positive techniques you’ve seen in the first video clips during the second session, when you might choose a slightly more challenging activity with your child, something your child responds less well to. By the end of VIG, you will have explored and found many ways to help your child.

Parents as Partners A group programme for parents who want to improve their relationship for the benefit of their children.

Oasis is pleased to offer a new group for parents which is proven to be effective in improving

relationships within the family.

Parents as Partners is a 16 week programme delivered to both parents. It is aimed at parents who:

live in East Sussex

have (or have had) problems with drugs and/or alcohol and are managing their

issues

are not going through private court proceedings

Group starts on Tues 22 Oct

12.30- 2.30 pm

Fellowship of St Nicholas

66 London Rd, St Leonards, TN37 6AS

Childcare, refreshments & contribution to travel costs provided

Wallands CP School is a member of the UK charity School Angel which helps us fundraise for our school when

you do your normal shopping.

Below is a list of the major UK retailers who have agreed to make a donation to our school every time you

shop using our school's fundraising page.

It’s so EASY to do. Please visit our fundraising page before you do your shopping online with these retailers

by either typing in ‘Wallands School Angel’ into Google or go to www.schoolangel.org.uk/wallands-

community-primary-school , click on the retailers logo and start your shopping as normal.