Riverside News - 18/09/26 - Riverside Primary School

⭐ STAR of the Week ⭐

Leopard

Zebra

Lion: Teddy C

For being a brilliant scientist who communicated his ideas clearly and used impressive scientific vocabulary during our experiments on materials! Well done for being an excellent role model too!

Bear: Arlo A

For taking real pride in your maths work! You showed fantastic accuracy when counting on and back from any given number. Keep aiming high and demonstrating our STAR value ‘ACHIEVE’.

Otter: Freya S-E

For being a fantastic partner in PE. Freya worked amazingly well as part of a team, listening well, cooperating, and encouraging her teammate. Well done Freya!

Seal: Ronnie B

For showing our STAR value of ‘strive’ by working incredibly hard during maths this week. Ronnie put in maximum effort when learning to count in 10s and 1s on a number line, showing fantastic focus and determination to succeed.

Dolphin: Oakley B

For demonstrating our STAR value of TOLERANCE through his wonderfully respectful attitude towards teachers and classmates alike. His excellent behavior and polite listening make our classroom a welcoming place for everyone.

Tiger: Primrose P

For showing our STAR value of tolerance by being an excellent role model to her peers, treating everyone with respect, and ensuring everyone feels included.

Panda: Emilie B

For showing our STAR value of STRIVE by pouring effort into her own learning while constantly lifting up those around her. Emilie is a shining example of helpfulness as she is always ready with an encouraging word, a helping hand with classroom jobs, or a clear explanation when a classmate finds work challenging.

Turtle: Jake M

For demonstrating excellent communication by sharing ideas confidently and using ambitious vocabulary in his planning for his portal story.

Giraffe: Samuel P

For demonstrating strive by showing excellent enthusiasm for all things maths. Challenging yourself to think deeply, persevere with tricky problems and inspiring others with your positive attitude towards learning.

Meerkat: Devon F

For bringing incredible effort and joy to our music lesson! You consistently embody our Strive star value by always trying your best and sharing your enthusiasm—keep up the fantastic work!

Rhino: Isaac D

For demonstrating COMMUNICATION by writing an exceptional, concise summary of Beowulf in English and using ambitious, high-level vocabulary. Isaac showed great skill in capturing the core story while carefully selecting powerful language to make his writing stand out.

Kangaroo: Joshua C

For showing our STAR value of STRIVE by giving 100% effort in English this week, working incredibly hard, and bringing wonderful creative ideas to every lesson.

Koala: Esme M-S

For showing incredible Resilience and Strive since returning to school by working hard to stay focused and complete all of your work to a good standard. You have also put yourself forward for a leadership role which takes great courage and growing maturity. Keep it up!

Penguin: Albert H-W

For STRIVE for his brilliant work ethic across every single subject. He worked tirelessly and demonstrates the ACHIEVE mindset by taking immense pride in every bit of progress he makes.

📅 UPCOMING EVENTS! 📅

Dates not shown on previous issues are added in RED!

Autumn 1 – 2026

22-23/09/26 – Year 5 Road Safety Walks

30/09/26 – Individual & Sibling Photographs

01/10/26 – Census Day – Special Menu!

05/10/26 – SRFC Rugby Lessons

12/10/26 – SRFC Rugby Lessons

19/10/26 – SRFC Rugby Lessons

23/10/26 – PTA Event – Spookathon

Recent Facebook Posts

🛡️ A feast fit for Valhalla! 🛡️

First day back ⭐

Letters

Below are a list of letters, leaflets and posters uploaded to the website this week.

Leaflets/Posters for Parents

Letters sent this week

Previous letters, leaflets and posters can be found on the school website Events & Letters > Letters & Parent Meetings

SEN Drop-In

Reminders

Reporting Pupil Absence

This is a reminder to all parents/carers that the correct way to report absences is to leave a message on the absence line answerphone daily. If messages are sent by email to the admin email address they will not be registered in time for the morning attendance and you may then receive a call from our attendance team.

Supervision

This is a gentle reminder that parents are responsible for supervising their children and siblings on-site before and after school. We have had a couple of incidents reported to us which were considered ‘near misses’ and children could have got hurt. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

KS1 Playground
Please do not allow children to play on the equipment either before/after school. At the end of the day, parents and children should leave the site promptly . This enables us to open up the playground for our other clubs. Thank you.

KS2 Playground
Please note that the day in KS2 does not start until 8:40am when the doors open. Children should not be left unsupervised on the playground before this time. Children should not play on the equipment. Thank you

Parking Concerns Around School

We kindly remind parents and carers that any parking issues in the local area can be reported directly to Chelmsford City Council. This helps ensure concerns are logged correctly and sent straight to the enforcement team.

To report a parking issue:

Visit the Chelmsford City Council website.
Click ‘Parking & Travel’ on the homepage.
Select ‘Parking Restrictions’.
Click ‘Report a Parking Issue’.

Your report will go directly to the council’s Enforcement Team, who will respond to you directly.

Thank you for helping us keep the area around the school safe for all.

SEN

Team Points

Attendance W/E: 11/09

	Class	%
1	Zebra	100.00
2	Tiger	100.00
3	Rhino	100.00
4	Panda	99.00
5	Dolphin	98.60
6	Lion	98.60
7	Otter	98.00
8	Leopard	97.90
9	Giraffe	97.70
10	Turtle	97.50
11	Seal	96.20
12	Bear	95.30
13	Meerkat	95.00
14	Koala	94.10
15	Kangaroo	90.70

Emotional Based School Avoidance Support

SNAP charity has compiled a short guide explaining Emotional Based School Avoidance (ESBA). The guide includes advice and resources to help parents and carers.

To find out more and access the resources, visit SNAP’s website.

Online Safety Guides

Before children have even learnt to read, most can navigate through devices to play games and watch cartoons.

Internet Matters primary school guide helps you to:

Get up to speed on popular apps and platforms like YouTube and Roblox
Learn more about risks and challenges they might face, from inappropriate content and too much screentime.
Find tips and resources to protect them from online harms

Dinner Menu

We are operating a three week rolling menu. The menus, ingredients and allergen lists can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

The Megacentre Community Space

Please see a list of activities that run throughout the week at the Megacentre at their new venue (78a Eastwood Road, SS7 7JP).

Please not you do not need a formal diagnosis to access any of our support.

Unless otherwise stated, sessions take place at our Community Space: 78a Eastwood Road, SS6 7JP.

Here’s a quick guide to what’s on:

Monday Mix
Exclusive soft play for SEND families – plus crafts, football, gaming room, inflatables, laser tag, and more.
Held at The Megacentre, Brook Road
No booking required.

Monday – Youth Group

Open youth group for secondary aged children, Games, Crafts & Snacks. Term time only. No booking required.

Tuesday – Punching for Purpose
Boxing-based sessions to build confidence and resilience.
5:00–5:45pm (ages 6–15)
5:45–6:30pm (ages 16+)
Suggested donation: £7
Booking required: families@megacentrerayleigh.co.uk

Wednesday – T21 Heroes (for families & children with Down Syndrome)
First Wednesday of the month: 1:00–2:30pm (under 5s)
Fortnightly sessions: 3:30–5:00pm (ages 5+) – contact us for dates

Wednesday – Midi Mix (SEND club for school-age children)
4:00–6:00pm
Activities include arts & crafts, sensory play, table football, table tennis, and outdoor games (weather permitting).

Thursday – Your Space – Youth Wellbeing Group

4:00–5:30pm

Secondary age. Referral only, please contact us if this sounds like something your child would benefit from

2nd Thursday of the Month – SEND Coffee Morning
10:00am–12:00pm
Meet other SEND parents, ask questions, and hear from guest speakers on a range of SEND topics.

4th Thursday of the Month – DLA Workshop
Support and guidance for completing Disability Living Allowance forms.

Friday – Mini Mix (Under 5s SEND Group)
A safe, welcoming non-judgemental group for families with younger children who have SEND needs – free play time, no structured activities and no music. Facilitated by experienced SEND professional.

External Events

OPAL

We are excited to share that we have begun the OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) project to enhance the lunchtime experience even furtherfor your children. The aim is to provide more opportunities for creative and active play.

This section of the newsletter will keep you updated on our OPAL journey, including upcoming developments and ways you can get involved.

Also, if you are having a clear-out, please look out for our donation requests for resources to enhance the playground. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated!