Riverside News - 25/09/26 - Riverside Primary School

⭐ STAR of the Week ⭐

Leopard: Reeci E

For settling so well into school life! Reeci listens carefully at carpet times and follows all our class routines, encouraging others to do the same. He is a super role model and friend to everyone in Leopard class. Well done Reeci!

Zebra: Izzy R

For being an incredibly kind friend by making sure all children across the year group feel happy and included. You are a great role model Izzy well done!

Bear: Tilly A

For amazing participation in PE lessons. You have shown you are a resilient learner and have worked so hard to develop your ball skills and jumping skills during. Fantastic work Tilly!

Otter: Emilia B

For consistently challenging herself during independent learning and being put on the star for her efforts! Emilia always strives to do her best every day! Well done Emilia!

Lion: Sunday R

For fantastic effort in English! You showed brilliant resilience, taking your time to plan your fantasy story carefully and write beautiful sentences. Keep up the good work!

Seal: Gabriel B

For demonstrating ambition by setting high standards for himself and taking meticulous care with his letter formation. Gabriel has worked incredibly hard to join his writing, showing fantastic pride in his learning and creating beautiful work in every subject.

Dolphin: Ivy H

For outstanding STAR values in every lesson! Ivy always aims high, listens beautifully, and contributes sensible answers to class discussions. It is wonderful to see her growing resilience when tackling challenging work. Super effort, Ivy, keep it up!

Tiger: Selim G

For showing our STAR value of ‘Stive’ through his fantastic start to Year 3. Selim has worked hard, believed in himself, and quickly settled into his new learning environment with a great big smile.

Panda: Jax S

For showing our STAR value of ACHIEVE by taking real pride in the progress he is making with his descriptive writing. Jax has shown fantastic dedication to improving his vocabulary, carefully choosing impressive adjectives to make his writing as rich and engaging as possible.

Turtle: Teddy B

For exemplifying our STRIVE value through his outstanding effort and determination in Maths. By tackling new challenges with hard work and true self-belief, he shows us all what it means to be a Riverside Learner. Well done, Teddy!

Giraffe: Hayden H

For showing incredible resilience by stepping up in front of the whole class, overcoming any nerves and delivering an amazingly confident speech.

Meerkat: Sophey A

For being a kind and helpful member of our class and a fantastic role model to others. You consistently embody our Achievement star value by always trying your hardest at everything you do—thank you for setting such a wonderful example!

Rhino: Noah G

For showing fantastic RESILIENCE during his swimming lesson. Although he felt nervous at the start, Noah kept going, overcame his fears, and was able to conquer the task with brilliant determination! Also, he pushed himself to stay focused and put in fantastic effort to produce far more writing than usual in English this week.

Kangaroo: Aidan V

For demonstrating ambition by dreaming big and setting high goals for their independent reading. Reading over 133,000 words this school year already and regularly completing Accelerated Reader quizzes shows a brilliant commitment to pushing themselves to achieve their very best.

Koala: Jack T

For showing brilliant Strive through his hard work and determination in English. By listening carefully, applying his learning, and consistently exceeding behavior expectations across all lessons, Jack is a true star!

Penguin: Poppy G

For the fantastic ways she connects with staff and peers every single day. Through her brilliant use of signs, symbols, and eye contact, she expresses her wants, needs, and choices with growing confidence across all of her learning.

📅 UPCOMING EVENTS! 📅

Dates not shown on previous issues are added in RED!

Autumn 1 – 2026

30/09/26 – Individual & Sibling Photographs

01/10/26 – Census Day – Special Menu!

05/10/26 – Parent/Teacher Consultation Booking via SCOPAY Opens 10am

05/10/26 – SRFC Rugby Lessons

12/10/26 – SRFC Rugby Lessons

19/10/26 – Parent/Teacher Consultation Booking via SCOPAY Closes 10am

19/10/26 – SRFC Rugby Lessons

22/10/26 – Year 4 Egyptian Day

23/10/26 – PTA Event – Spookathon

23/10/26 – Children break up today

October Half-Term – Monday 26th – Friday 30th October

Autumn 2 – 2026

02/11/26 – Children return to school

03/11/26 – Parent/Teacher Consultations 3:30 – 6:30pm

05/11/26 – Parent/Teacher Consultations 3:30 – 6:30pm

13/11/26 – Children in Need

19/11/26 – Year 5 & 6 Planetarium Visit

19/11/26 – Prospective EYFS Intake Open Evening

20/11/26 – INSET Day – School Closed to Pupils

23/11/26 – INSET Day – School Closed to Pupils

01/12/26 – Christmas Card Box Opens

11/12/26 – EYFS Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

14/12/26 – Year 2 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

15/12/26 – Year 1 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

16/12/26 – Christmas Jumper Day

16/12/26 – Christmas Dinner

17/12/26 – Year 3 & 4 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

17/12/26 – Christmas Post Box Closes

18/12/26 – Year 5 & 6 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

18/12/26 – Children break up today

Christmas Holidays – Monday 21st December – Friday 1st January

Recent Facebook Posts

✍️ Making learning interactive in English!

🚦 Keeping Our Pupils Safe On the Roads! 🚦

What a fantastic turnout for our OPAL Stay & Play! 🌟

Letters

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

Leaflets/Posters for Parents

Letters sent this week

Years 2 -6 – Accelerated Reader Parent Information Event 25.09.26

Parent Teacher Consultations – Autumn 2026 25.09.26

Year 6 Social Media Usage and Online Safety 23.09.263

Earrings – PE – 23.09.26

Snack and Lunch Guidance 22.09.26

Year 5 & 6 Water Rescue – 22.09.26

Celebrating Play at Our School – An OPAL Update for Families 21.09.26

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

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.

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

SEN

Team Points

Attendance W/E: 18/09

	Class	%
1	Zebra	99.40
2	Rhino	99.10
3	Dolphin	98.30
4	Turtle	97.80
5	Otter	97.30
6	Tiger	96.90
7	Lion	96.20
8	Leopard	95.50
9	Seal	95.50
10	Giraffe	95.50
11	Meerkat	95.00
12	Bear	94.30
13	Kangaroo	93.00
14	Panda	91.30
15	Koala	90.90

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

Sports Update

A big thank you to Elite Kids Self Defence for visiting our school and working with our KS2 children!

The children really enjoyed taking part in the sessions and had the opportunity to learn some useful self-defence skills and techniques, as well as the importance of staying safe, being aware of their surroundings and having confidence in themselves.

It was fantastic to see the children getting involved, listening carefully and having lots of fun while learning some valuable skills.

If you are interested in finding out more about Elite Kids Self Defence and the sessions they offer, please see the attached flyer for further information.

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!