Riverside News Issue 473 -28.11.25 - Riverside Primary School

⭐ STAR of the Week ⭐

Leopard: Caden D

For his beautiful singing and actions during every rehearsal for our EYFS Nativity. Caden’s enthusiam for singing is infectious! Great work Superstar!

Zebra: Ayden A

For amazing progress in Phonics. Ayden is now blending and segmenting sounds in words and is always such an enthusiastic learner during our phonics lessons. Keep it up, superstar!

Lion: Zoey G

For showing incredible resilience, one of our core STAR values, during the cross-country race. You never gave up, and you even showed kindness by helping a friend finish the race too. Well done!

Bear: Lily S

For amazing effort in class. You have been striving to do your very best in every task and have shown resilience when attempting challenges. Well done superstar!

Otter: Gabriel B

For showing great enthusiasm and excitement for the KS1 cross-country race this week, for being a superstar runner, and for showing wonderful kindness by helping a friend when he fell over. Well done Gabriel.

Seal: Jackson B

For showing excellent effort and determination in PE this week. Jackson worked hard to return the ball his partner threw, using both gentle pats and a controlled closed-hand strike, while communicating well and taking turns thoughtfully. Keep up the great work!

Dolphin: Nathan H

For trying so hard with his handwriting. Well done, superstar – keep it up!

Giraffe: Sophey A

For showing excellent behaviour in lessons and setting a wonderful example to others. She has worked hard in all subjects and has particularly impressed in our reading lessons, giving excellent answers to our inference questions. Well done!

Turtle: Lois B

For always being such a caring and kind member of Turtle Class, consistently showing thoughtfulness and consideration for others.

Panda: Aarush S

For your fantastic use of show, not tell to reveal character feelings in your suspense story. Your writing kept me hooked from start to finish!

Tiger: Henry P

For usuper effort and fantastic concentration while sewing your stocking in DT — and for the brilliant achievement of sewing on a button too!
Well done Hollie!

Meerkat: Miller R

For showing great enthusiasm for our Christmas songs this week. Your singing is loud, clear, and a joy to listen to during our practices.

Rhino: Josiah A-B

For excellent work during our rehearsals for the Christmas production, showing brilliant singing and real enthusiasm throughout.

Kangaroo: Ella S

For a super effort to improve her handwriting. Ella has worked hard on consistently joining her writing and improving the presentation of her work in general- well done Ella!

Koala: Logan J-M

For working really hard this week, showing just how much he can achieve with great concentration. Well done, Logan!

📅 UPCOMING EVENTS! 📅

Dates not shown on previous issues are added in RED!

Autumn 2 2025

01/12/25 — Christmas Post Box Open

03/12/25 —Tudor Banquet Day – Special Menu!

03/12/25 — PTA Event – Christmas Sale

08/12/25 —Year 1 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

08/12/25 — PTA Event – Christmas Sale (after school)

09/12/25 —Year 2 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

10/12/25 — Christmas Jumper Day

10/12/25 — Christmas Dinner – Special Menu

11/12/25 —Year 3/4 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

12/12/25 —Year 5/6 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

15/12/25 — KS1 Christmas Disco

16/12/25 —EYFS Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

17/12/25 — KS2 Christmas Disco

18/12/25 — Christmas Post Box Closes

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

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

Latest Facebook Posts

🧮✨ Hands-on Maths Learning in Action! 🧮✨

🏐 Riverside Netball Match Report 🏐

🌈🍎 Fruity Adventures in Seal Class! 🍓🥭

🎸 TTRS England Rocks! 🎸

🎄✨ Year 1: Instruction Writing Adventures! ✨🎄

A Polite Reminder – Scooters and Bikes on the Way to School

We’ve had a few parents share their concerns about younger children riding scooters or small bikes at speed on the way to school, particularly along Ferry Road. In some cases, children are well ahead of their adults, and there’s a real worry that one could accidentally veer into the road before a parent is close enough to intervene.

Please can we kindly ask all families to ensure that children stay close and ride at a safe pace when travelling to and from school. This helps to keep everyone safe – especially near busy roads.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support in keeping our school community safe.

The 2 Johns

The 2 Johns will be back on Thursday 11 December, 8.00pm with one of their popular online sessions. This is your chance to hear the latest insights, tips, and must-know updates to help keep children safe online — just in time for the holiday season. Save the date and register now by scanning the QR code via this link

Further information and links available on ESCB – Online Safety

Riverside Shines with Kindness: 1,050 Shoeboxes on Their Way!

We were delighted to receive a heartfelt message from the South Essex Shoebox Appeal team, thanking our Riverside community for the incredible generosity shown during this year’s collection.

This week, 1,050 shoeboxes lovingly created by schools across South Essex — including our wonderful pupils — have begun their journey for processing, with a second load due to leave on Wednesday. Each shoebox represents a moment of joy for a child somewhere else in the world, and as the team reminded us, “one box is one child touched by our love.”

Although we do not yet know the final destination of the boxes, the organisers assured us they will follow up with a letter as soon as details are confirmed.

The team also shared how much they enjoyed visiting Riverside. From the warm welcome in the front office to the enthusiasm in assembly, they were full of praise for our pupils and staff, describing them as “a joy and a credit to the school.” They were particularly impressed by the speed and skill of our Head Pupils during the demonstration!

We are incredibly proud of the compassion and commitment shown by our children. These small acts of kindness can leave a lasting impact, and the Shoebox Appeal team shared that some recipients remember their gifts well into adulthood.

Thank you to everyone involved for helping us make a difference — one shoebox at a time.

Match Reports

Year 3/4 – Champions Cup Match against Alleyn Court

What an exciting game of football today! Both teams worked incredibly hard in a very close contest that ended in a thrilling 3–3 draw.

Our goals were scored by Oliver P, Oliver W, and Jayden, each finishing brilliantly after some great team build-up play. The whole squad showed fantastic determination, strong defending, and excellent teamwork throughout the match.

Huge well done to everyone who played — a great display of effort, sportsmanship and skill. We’re already looking forward to the next game!

Player of the match was awarded to Oliver W.

Year 5/6 – Champions Cup Match against Alleyn Court

Our team put in a fantastic performance today in a very competitive match against Alleyn Court, eventually finishing with a narrow 5–3 loss. Despite the result, the game was extremely close from start to finish, with plenty of end-to-end action and some brilliant teamwork on display.

Our goals were scored by Jack and two from Grayson, all taking their chances well after some excellent team play. The whole team worked incredibly hard, showing great determination, strong defending, and lots of energy throughout the match.

A huge well done to everyone who played — you showed resilience, effort and brilliant sportsmanship. Plenty of positives to take into our next game!

Player of the match was awarded to Grayson.

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

Prospective Families

Is your child starting school in September 2026?

The primary school (Reception) admission round opens on Monday 10 November 2025 for parents of children to apply for a Reception school place for the academic year that starts in September 2026. The statutory national closing date for applications is 15 January 2026.

From 10 November 2025, applications can be made online via www.essex.gov.uk/admissions. 99% of parents in Essex applied online last year.

The website also has a copy of the Primary Education in Essex 2025-26 booklet and the Schools Admissions Policies Directories contain details of all admission policies.

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!

As part of our exciting OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) journey, we are continuing to develop a rich and varied outdoor play experience for all our children—whatever the weather!

To help us make the most of our wonderful outdoor spaces even as the weather turns wetter and muddier, we are asking that every child brings a pair of wellies to school from September. These will be kept in school so that children can continue to enjoy outdoor play at lunchtimes and still return to lessons feeling clean, dry, and comfortable.

Thank you for your continued support as we build a happier, healthier, and more active playtime for all our children.

The OPAL Team

OPAL Play Project – Donations Wanted!

As you know, we are developing our playtimes through the OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) project. This exciting approach helps children develop creativity, teamwork and resilience by giving them access to a wide range of play opportunities.

To keep building on this, we’re looking for donations of the following items:

Medical toys (doctor/nurse kits)
Wallpaper (for crafts)
Toy tools (plastic hammers, spanners, screwdrivers, builders’ kits etc.)
Larger sized wellies (sizes 5, 6, 7)
Pop-its

If you have any of these at home and no longer need them, please drop them off at the school office. Every little contribution helps us make playtimes even more exciting!

Dinner Menu

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

Attendance W/E: 21/11/25

	Class	%
1	Turtle	100.00
2	Zebra	98.80
3	Meerkat	98.60
4	Seal	97.50
5	Bear	97.30
6	Kangaroo	97.00
7	Otter	96.60
8	Giraffe	95.70
9	Lion	95.50
10	Koala	93.80
11	Rhino	93.30
12	Tiger	89.80
13	Leopard	89.70
14	Dolphin	89.60
15	Panda	89.50

Team Points

SEN Coffee Morning

Makaton: Sign of the Week

We’re excited to share our ‘Sign of the Week’— To Sing

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.