Spring Term Newsletter #17

17th January 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a week of forward thinking and planning at school. I have met with all the teachers in pupil progress meetings to review the outcomes from last term and to refine the way we teach through the Spring term. There have been some really important and purposeful conversations which have demonstrated to me how well the teachers know your children and want the best for them. Continuing the theme of preparation, I have met with the Friends of Lanchester to consider events for this term and to begin preparation for the summer term and the celebration of Lanchester Primary School's tenth anniversary! More details will be revealed nearer the time.

Values: This week our value has been 'respect'. Mrs Ansell led the whole-school assembly sharing the importance of the little acts of respect and the relationships they can help to develop. Our values champions were recognised in assembly for respecting not just their classmates, but also the adults in school and the learning environment too. Respect is such a powerful value within a community. Next week, our value will be 'resilience' as we revisit the last of our core '3Rs'.

Votes for Schools: This week, we explored 'Could a year of culture improve your life?' and explored Bradford as it is the City of Culture for 2025. We also considered our local access to culture which is broad and diverse with London just a short train ride away. Next week our big question is 'Is it easy to save your pennies?' We also noticed in the presentation this week that our opinions had again been shared with other schools reaching an audience of over 55,000 children. Only four schools are selected each week and we've been chosen twice this year!

Attendance: We are climbing towards our 95% target. Attendance this week across school has been 94.4%. Please do all you can to ensure your children are in school every day: lots of sleep, healthy food and plenty of exercise can help to keep us all healthy.

Volunteers Required: Thank you to those parents who have already submitted applications to volunteer with reading in school. Reading is a vital skill and we need as many helpers as we can to ensure children read everyday. If you, or perhaps another family member, have time, please consider applying.

There is a lot going on in Watford this weekend. The River Colne Community Festival takes place tomorrow, 10.30 - 1.30 at the Wellspring Church Centre. There's an opportunity to hear more about the river and how you can get involved in this local project. On Sunday, you are spoilt for choice: there is tree planting at Whippendell Woods and the Leisure Centre (just down the road) is hosting an Open Day with lots of free activities to try. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to have an enjoyable weekend.

Best wishes,

Mr. Matt Morey - Headteacher

Upcoming Dates...

Wed 29th Jan - Chinese New Year

There will be a range of learning opportunities across school to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Fri 7th Feb - NSPCC Number Day

The whole school will explore a range of maths activities and adventures to raise money for the NSPCC.

Tue 11th Feb - Safer Internet Day

Lessons will promote online safety and help to support children to know how to stay safe online.

Sat 15th Feb - Half Term

School will re-open Mon 24th Feb.

School calendar

A Date for the Diary...

All parents and carers of Year 4 children are invited to attend the parent workshop hosted by Mr Bristow on Fri 31st January. This will be a chance to understand the expectations of the upcoming multiplication check so that you are best equipped to support your child(ren) at home.

Times Table Rockstars

TTRs enables all children to develop their knowledge of multiplication through practice and competition. Encourage your child to log in this weekend and make their screen time productive time. How many questions can they answer in 60 seconds?

Attendance

Attendance this week is 94.4%. Learning cannot take place if children are not in school; it is vital that all children are here every day. Congratulations to Kampala for achieving a creditable attendance rate of 96.6%, and Kingston in second with 96.2%. These results highlight our collective dedication to education and growth. Let's continue this momentum and strive for even higher attendance rates across all classes in the coming months!

Class Attendance Summary:

1. Kampala 96.6%

2. Kingston 96.2%

3. Cairo 96.1%

4. Rome 95.7%

5. Cusco 95.3%

6. Delhi 94.4%

7. Beijing 94.3%

8. Rio 94.3%

9. Sydney 94.3%

10. London 93.6%

11. New York 92.8%

12. Barcelona 92.8%

13. Wellington 90.1%

Values Champions

This week, the whole school community are the values champions! They were ready to share all that they do, respectful to our visitors being courteous and kind and they were resilient and worked hard throughout a challenging week. Well done, everyone!

Reception:

London - Nolan

Year 1:

Rome - Annabell

Barcelona - Pranav

Year 2:

Delhi - Isaac

Beijing - Nuran

Year 3:

Wellington - Amelia

Sydney - Layla

Year 4:

Cairo - Smit

Kampala - Kristian

Year 5:

Rio - Kushagra

Cusco - Leya

Year 6:

New York - Jamirez

Kingston - Daniel

House Points

This week, the competition for house points has been as close as it can get! Only 10 points separate the four houses. Well done to Alhazen who sit top of the table for the first time. Children’s attitude to learning has been recognised through the collection of Dojo points, which are then totalled as house points across the school. Every child continues to show their commitment to being Ready, Respectful and Resilient, earning points for their house.

Here’s how the points stand:

1st: Alhazen with 873 points (+597 from last week)

2nd: Curie with 868 points (+600 from last week)

3rd: Sharman with 826 points (+557 from last week)

4th: Carver with 798 points (+532 from last week)

Let’s keep up the great work and continue to support each other as we aim for the top!

Class News

This week in Reception

In Reception, we have immersed ourselves in our Talk for Writing story: The Sleepy Bumblebee. The children have learned facts about bees including where they live and how they can be important to our ecosystem. They have enjoyed supporting activities in child initiated learning. In maths, we have been looking at one more and one less and have been building on our oracy skills.

This week in Year 1

Year 1 have been exploring the theme of dreams and goals in PSHE. As part of this, we set ourselves the goal of making a jam sandwich and worked step by step to achieve it, using small tasks to guide our success.

This week in Year 2

This week in Maths, Year 2 children were playing the roles of shopkeepers and customers. Both classes were set up to offer a range of products to sell, beginning with books, through toys to all sorts of stationery items. We have used coins and paper money to practice counting the exact amount needed to buy a product as well as calculating the change.

This week in Year 3

This week in science, Year 3 had a special visitor! Brian the skeleton came into class to help the children learn all about bones and the human skeleton. The children then investigated whether or not taller people had larger bones than shorter people by measuring each other.

This week in Year 4

In year 4, the children embarked on a fun and hands-on journey through the three states of matter—solid, liquid, and gas. Using three colourful hoops, the children eagerly demonstrated the differences between each state. They created scenes where solids were tightly packed, liquids flowed freely, and gases spread out, filling the space around them. It was a fantastic, interactive way for them to grasp these scientific concepts!

This week in Year 5

This week, students in Year 5 kicked off their deep dive into the various landscapes around the United Kingdom. They engaged in a geographical enquiry focussing on allotments and the most suitable location for one. We look forward to digging deep into this side of our learning.

This week in Year 6

This week, Year 6 pupils explored the inspiring work of climate activists like Sir David Attenborough, Dr. Jane Goodall and Greta Thunberg. They learned about environmental challenges and actions taken to protect our planet. The children discussed how small changes can make a big impact, focusing on sustainability and ways to contribute positively to the environment.

This week in Staff Meetings

In our staff meeting on Wednesday, we explored the last of our core principles behind memorable teaching: ensuring that learning sticks through practice and retrieval. We have built the structure of a successful lesson and are in the process of adapting our planning to ensure all lessons are memorable and children understand more.

Friends of Lanchester

Hope you all had a good first week back to school. We’ve been busy planning out the events for this year and will send more information as soon as we have it.

Tesco Stronger Starts

Thank you very much to everyone who supported us in the Tesco Stronger Starts grant. We should find out the results in February and how much money we will awarded. The cause with the most votes will receive £1,500, the second cause will receive £1,000 and the last cause will receive £500. Depending on the outcome, we’ll work with school to look into what educational workshops we can provide for children with the funding.

Dates for your diary

TBC February - Lanchester Disco

6 March - World Book Day Wonka Bar Sale

April - Easter Egg raffle

12 July - Summer festival to celebrate 10 years of our school

Don’t forget to follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendsoflanchester or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendsoflanchester/ or contact us by email: friendsoflanchester@gmail.com

Thanks for your support!

Friends of Lanchester committee - Tracey Bravo, Lawrence Brown, Louise Brown, Helen Gibson, Chloé Harper and Laura Robson

On Behalf of 'Friends of Lanchester CFS'

Registered Charity 1161580

Lanchester Primary School, Hempstead Road, Watford, WD17 3HD

Tel: 01923 224160 Email: office@lanchester.herts.sch.uk

Website: www.lanchester.herts.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mr Matt Morey

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