Newsletters

Unicorns go to Kingswood Colomendy!

This month has seen our very first Y4 Residential to Kingswood Colomendy, near Mold. We have wanted to plan in this trip for a long time and we are so glad that it became a reality this year.

We arrived to see snow falling on the hills and although the weather continued to be cold, our children found their resilience and carried on regardless. We were very impressed with Y4's spirit of adventure, their growing independence and the support that they showed each other when on each activity. The children built buggies, completed a 'nightline', sang around the campfire, mastered 'Jacob's Ladder' and braved the climbing wall. All this whilst - for some - experiencing their first time away from home.

Year 3 - are you ready for a Kingswood challenge?

English Update

We have high aspirations for our children. We want them to be the best speakers, readers and writers that they can be. We also want to grow children who love reading, in all its forms, and relish that feeling of not being able to put a book down.

Our provision through which we can accomplish these targets is growing stronger month by month. Our Read, Write Inc programme is now fully embedded and enjoyed by our younger children. Phonics results are increasing and there are more children ready to read independently as they start Y2.

Our Accelerated Reader programme provides a reading structure for children to work independently within a rigorous framework. The children are using our well-stocked library with a secure understanding of how to choose appropriate books and are developing an awareness of favourite genres and authors. Collectively, the children have read over 40 million words since September!

This week, it was encouraging to see so many KS2 readers reach their target and receive their 'Popcorn Party'! (See photo below).

The myOn programme is providing a brilliant resource of quality non-fiction books that we can add to projects and push out to children for them to read at home. This encourages pupils to complete some 'scholarship reading' and come into a lesson with some of the knowledge already locked into their memories! There are over 6000 digital books ready to access with your child's myOn logins and we are finding that levels of engagement with reading are going up.

'Prescot loves to Talk' is an initiative that we are also prod to be part of; it aims to boost oracy skills and gives children opportunities to talk for an audience. The next 'Prescot loves to Talk' event will be happening during the morning of Thur 19th March in Prescot Town Centre. More details will follow.

And finally, one of the most wonderful moments that we can offer our young writers is to see their work being published. This dream came true for many of our Y3 children when they entered the Young Writers competition and had their poems published in the 'Poetry Monsters' book. So exciting!

TESCO

Our TESCO 'Bags of help' token campaign runs until Tues 31st March. We are hoping to add any money we receive to our playground fund to improve the middle yard.

If you are in Tesco Prescot over the  half term, please add your token to our appeal! Thank you!

Engagement with learning

This half term has been packed full of exciting learning opportunities for our children.

Y6 had an amazing day exploring World War 2 in Britain. The activities brought the era to life, with time to experience the sights and sounds of the Blitz. Children were also able to handle historical artefacts, asking questions and drawing conclusions from the objects. This was an invaluable and unforgettable experience for our Sharks.

Y4 Unicorns also enjoyed a similar day whilst immersed in a different era: Ancient Rome. During their day, they re-enacted a Roman invasion and created the different attacking formations. They too investigated various artefacts and sources. Thank you for all of your efforts with Roman attire - they looked fabulous!

Y1 Tigers had an amazing day when Sophie the Dinosaur came to see us! The children could not believe their eyes when she appeared in the school hall - a truly magical moment. This activity also builds on the children's categorising skills and offers opportunities for them to use ambitious language. Just brilliant.

And finally, Y2 Kangaroos have done a spectacular job of planting our new willow tunnel. This was expertly woven by the children and should grow into their very own tunnel, with hours of fun to be had. 

Memories to last a lifetime!

Careers Showcase

We will be holding our fourth annual Careers Showcase during the afternoon of Thurs 21st May. We have been lucky in the past to welcome in so many interesting visitors to talk to our children about the jobs they do. We would love you to get in touch if you can spare some time to join in with the showcase. Alternatively, you may know somebody - or a company - who would like to get involved.

Please email the school office on admin@prescotprimary.org.uk or ring 0151 432 7100 and we will add your name to the list. Thank you!

EYFS Update

Our new starters have settled very well into Nursery life - well done and welcome to our new families!

Both Nursery and Reception have recently held their 'Stay & Play' events. There was excellent attendance at both and we value the support given by families - we work together to give your children the very best.

If you know of any families who will be looking for nursery or school places, please let them know that we have regular open evenings and to get in touch with the main office. Next date to be released soon. 

Cornerstones Assemblies

Thank you to all of the families who have attended the recent year group assemblies. We have seen Y4, Y3 and Y2 present their learning all about their current projects. 

Performances like these are a great way for our children to share their learning but we also recognise the important role they play in developing oracy skills. Speaking clearly, at the right volume and at the right time can be quite tricky and we think the children are becoming more confident every year.

Well done.

Internet Safety

Safer Internet Day was on Tuesday 11th February and it allowed us to focus in and discuss ways to keep ourselves safe online. We do have to say, however, that this theme is a regular part of class teaching - especially as we have so many devices in school.

Last week we looked at the importance of secure passwords and today's assembly looked at what to do if you see something you don't like whilst watching videos online. We watched a useful video, with a catchy song - here's the link if you'd like to watch it with your children:

Jessie & Friends at Think U Know

Also, don't forget the excellent new resource from Google:

'To make the most of the internet, children need to make smart decisions. Be Internet Legends empowers younger children to use the web safely and wisely, so they can be confident explorers of the online world.'

Follow this link for more information:

Google Internet Legends

Zoople Stars!

We call our Conservation Pupil Leaders, 'Zooples'. For the past two years, these children have acted for change during our annual conservation projects.

Last year, we explored 'Wildlife Connections' in partnership with Chester Zoo and loved our own Wildlife Festival. As a result, Chester Zoo have asked us to be part of the video for their new 'Wildlife Connections' song - so we jumped at the chance! We can't wait to see the final cut.

Watch this space!

Scholastic Book Fair.

During our recent school book fair, we sold books totalling Â£934.57. This means we can buy now buy lots of books for our own library. We have decided to invest in books to support our history curriculum.

Thank you very much for your continued support.

Please note: World Book Day is on Thurs 5th March. Children are invited to come to school dressed in their favourite book character, or bring in their favourite book to share in school.

Parent Pay

As you may have heard, a new cashless system will be coming to school in March. Parent Pay is a well-known, trusted system that is an easy way for families to pay for dinners, breakfast and after school clubs, trips and much more. Parents and carers will also be able to view their balance and add to it at any time. We will be sending more details out after half term but in the meantime, find out more here:

https://www.parentpay.com/

We will be asking all parents and carers to set up an account as our 'yellow envelope' system will no longer be in use.