We would like to remind all parents and carers that, for the safety of everyone, children (including younger siblings) are not permitted to ride their bikes or scooters on the school site. Mornings and afternoons are particularly busy, and riding on school grounds presents a serious hazard to others.
Please ensure that your child[ren] dismounts from their bike or scooter before entering the school gates and walks it to the designated racks. At the end of the day, they should collect their bike or scooter and walk it off-site before riding home.
If school staff notice children riding bikes or scooters on site, they will be asked to dismount immediately.
Thank you for helping us keep our school safe and welcoming for all.
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Leopard: Archie T For trying hard in our Talk4 Writing sessions. |
Zebra: Ethan K For creating some great repeating patterns this week and working hard during independent learning time. |
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Lion: Idris M For being a superstar learner. You take on all the challenges in the classroom and we are so proud of your achievements. Well done, Idris. |
Bear: Lily V For amazing work finding fact families and number bonds with numbers to 10 and for showing resilience when making a ‘juicy mistake’, working hard to correct her answers and never giving up. |
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Otter: Grace H For working very hard to calculate tricky fact family questions in our maths lessons and for creating a wonderful collage of a snail, in the style of Henri Matisse. Great work! |
Seal: Oscar B For being a fantastic role model to his peers at lunchtime by being extremely helpful and tidying up the equipment on the playground. Great job Oscar! |
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Dolphin: Jude B For having a fantastic attitude to his learning, always trying his best, being kind and enthusiastic in everything he does – a real superstar! |
Tiger: George T For brilliant who, which, where sentences in English and always trying his best in all that he does. Keep up the hard work! |
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Panda: Lois B For Striving to achieve her goals. Lois perseveres when challenges occur and is working exceptionally hard in all lessons. |
Turtle: Harry A For working collaboratively in his coding lesson. Harry was confident and creative when it came to creating his new world. Good job Harry! |
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Giraffe: Joshua C For excellent participation in lessons, always trying his best and challenging himself to further his learning. Keep it up! |
Monkey: Harley L For outstanding work in history. He showcased remarkable arguments in debate and skillfully analysed the cause and effect of various events. |
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Kangaroo: Gregory S For always working hard, contributing sensible ideas in class and being a fabulous role model for others |
Koala: Abigail S For her amazing hard work in lessons this week. She has written a great recount of the Battle of Maldon in which she included all the Riverside sentences we had worked on! Keep up the great work! |
W/E: 04/10/24
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.
Below are a list of letters, leaflets and posters uploaded to the website this week.
Letters sent this week
Changes to EYFS & KS1 meals from November – 11.10.24
TTRS Club Years 4 to 6 – 11.10.24
PTA_ Guy Fawkes Competition – 11.10.24
PTA_ Fireworks Display – 09.10.24
Prospective Parents Evening – Year 6 Helpers – 07.10.24
Previous letters, leaflets and posters can be found on the school website Events & Letters > Letters & Parent Meetings
Times TablesCongratulations to the following Year 3/4 children who have earned their;
Bronze award as they can fluently and rapidly recall the 2,5 and 10 times tables.
We are excited to share that we have begun the OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) project to enhance the lunchtime experience even further for your children. The aim is to provide more opportunities for creative and active play. Here are some lovely photos of the children having fun so far!
Please keep an eye out for a parent survey that will be sent to you soon. 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!
Please can any donations brought in be left in the red building reception area. Thank you
From 4th to 10th October, pupils from Years 1 to 6 participated in the Sumdog East England Maths Contest!
A huge congratulations to these standout achievers who ranked in the top 5 of their class on the Riverside Leaderboard.
Well done to everyone who participated—you’ve all done an amazing job!
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A massive well done to the following pupils who came in the top 10.
Autumn
On Friday 4th October, year 3 went on a walk around Hullbridge learning about how the different buildings in Hullbridge had changed over time. We went with our teachers and some of our parents. Mrs Brewer was full of knowledge of our local area and taught us lots. We saw lots of historical buildings and observed how much they have changed over the years. We liked the shell cottage because it was pretty and colourful, we don’t see pink cottages often! In our history lesson, we learnt about the bricklayers cottages, we were excited when we saw them. An interesting fact about Hullbridge is that the opticians used to be a video store which is something we don’t use anymore!
Our parent helpers were amazing and we want them to know that without their help our trip would not have been possible, so we would like to say a massive thank you to them for giving up their time.
Austin and Benjamin recently competed in the thrilling GolfSixes competition, an exciting format where teams of six play six-hole matches in pairs across various courses in Essex. Representing the Stockbrook Green team, the boys showed incredible skill and teamwork, helping their team secure an impressive second place in their league.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that many of their competitors were older and more experienced players, yet they both held their own with great determination and sportsmanship.
Both boys did an outstanding job, and their performance is something to be truly proud of!
Thank you to Mrs Adams for sending this to us.
Click to enlarge.
This week, Year 3 and 4 had the exciting opportunity to take part in a coding workshop led by Jack from Jam Coding Essex South. The students were introduced to Kodu, a beginner-friendly coding program that allows them to design and create their very own video games.
With Jack’s guidance, they learned step-by-step how to use the platform, exploring coding concepts in a fun and creative way. The children thoroughly enjoyed the session, developing important skills such as problem-solving, logical thinking, and creativity. It was a fantastic experience, sparking their interest in the world of coding!
If your child takes too much time off school they will become categorised as PA or persistently absent. Missing school will make your child fall behind in lessons and will impact on their academic progress and achievement.
Below is the percentage of children per year group who currently fall into this category. If you are worried about your child’s school attendance, please do not hesitate to contact the school where we can work with you to improve this.
| Year Group | % of Persistent Absences |
|---|---|
| R | 14% |
| 1 | 13% |
| 2 | 10% |
| 3 | 7% |
| 4 | 7% |
| 5 | 7% |
| 6 | 16% |
| Overall | 11% |
On Monday, Year 5 had a special visitor to promote road safety. The session began with an informative video on how to navigate roads safely, highlighting the dangers of distractions like mobile phones. This was followed by a presentation on different types of road crossings, road types, and the growing presence of e-scooters.
The students, wearing hi-vis bags, then headed out in groups to practice using local zebra crossings. They discussed the importance of stopping, looking, and listening before crossing, particularly with the rise of electric cars, and the role of crossing guards and safety railings. They also learned how to cross between parked cars, though it was stressed that this should only be done as a last resort.
On the way back, they took turns crossing the road safely, putting into practice the skills they had learned. The session wrapped up with a Q&A, where students asked insightful questions about stopping distances, e-scooters, and road safety rules.
This hands-on workshop gave Year 5 a practical understanding of road safety and the importance of being vigilant on the roads.
On Wednesday 2nd October, the Year 5/6 Girls Football Team represented Riverside in a competitive tournament at the Deanes against 21 other schools in Essex. After a difficult first match against the eventual tournament 3rd place team, our Riverside team won their second match 1-0 – with an incredible, almost full pitch goal from Vienna C. The third match, a tricky loss against the eventual tournament winners, was followed by three draws in a row.
These draws were a great show of resilience and teamwork – and amazing defensive work to concede zero goals for the second half of the tournament. Several team members played their part defensively to secure the draws – Sofie W (who was a brick wall in goal), Emily C, Emily G, Evie G, Grace W, and Vienna C.
The attacking opportunities were plentiful, however luck was not on our side – with the draws being unable to be converted into wins. Lydia H, Scarlett R and Riminee P pressed through every match, making the opposition defenders work really hard not to concede any goals – having several shots each match and winning corners left and right.
By the end of the group stages, we finished in fourth place, only missing out on qualifying for the knockouts by two points – to get us into third place in our group.
The girls tried their very hardest and made us incredibly proud in what was their first tournament of the season. I cannot wait to see what progress they make in their next matches. Huge well done again to Sofie W, Emily C, Emily G, Evie G, Vienna C, Grace W, Riminee P, Scarlett R, and Lydia H.
AUTUMN TERM — LOCAL AUTHORITIES DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR APPLICATION PROCESS
14 October 2024 — Results will be emailed to all candidates.
31 October 2024 — Published closing date for the receipt of applications to Local Authorities.
1 March 2025 — NATIONAL OFFER DATE
Please email admin@riversideprimary.co.uk with a brief description along with any photos of their achievement. We’ll be thrilled to showcase their success in our weekly newsletters.
The BBC’s 500 Words, the UK’s biggest children’s writing competition for 5–11-year-olds, is back and is now open for entries! Children are encouraged to write a story they’d love to read themselves in no more than 500 Words. Entries are open until 9pm on Friday 8 November 2024.
We’ve collaborated with the BBC to create a special Premier League Primary Stars entry sheet (attached here), which we encourage you to use with pupils. The worksheet includes top tips, a space to write the story and a QR code to submit entries.
The competition is split into two different age groups – 5–7-year-olds and 8–11-year-olds. 50 finalists will be chosen and invited to a special grand final at Buckingham Palace – where bronze, silver and gold winners will be revealed in each category. Those winners will receive a bundle of books, an illustration of their story, a special winner’s book and have their story read by a superstar. Gold winners will also receive 500 books for their school.
You can get tips on writing a 500 Words story at www.bbc.co.uk/500words . For more details and to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notices go to the 500 Words homepage.
We are operating a two week rolling menu. The menus, ingredients and allergen lists can be viewed on our website by clicking here.
School Dinners cost £2.60 per day.
Tax free childcare vouchers can be used to pay for Breakfast and Twilight sessions.
Breakfast club cost £6 per session.
Please arrive in between 7.30 – 8.15am. Your child will be walked back to their class by a member of staff when the school day begins.
Included in this cost will be a drink and a breakfast of toast and cereal.
Twilight club cost £7.50 per session.
Twilight Club runs from 3:15pm to 5pm. Your child will be taken to Twilight club by their class teacher at the end of the school day.
Included in this cost children are provided with a drink and healthy snack
Bookings must be booked 24 hours in advance via ParentPay.
To contact a member of the Twilight staff, please call 01702 230911 and select the Twilight Club option.
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.
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
Dates not shown on previous issues are added in RED!
17/10/24 —HARP assemblies
18/10/24 —Year 4 Egyptian Day
25/10/24 —PTA: Spook-A-Thon
25/10/24 —Children break up today
04/11/24 — Children return today
05/11/24 — Parent/Teacher Consultations 3:30 – 6:30pm
07/11/24 — Individual/Sibling Photographs
07/11/24 — Parent/Teacher Consultations 3:30 – 6:30pm
02-14/11/24 — TTRS England Rocks Contest
15/11/24 — Children in Need
21/11/24 — EYFS 2025 Open Evening
22/11/24 — Non-Pupil Day – INSET
25/11/24 — Non-Pupil Day – INSET
02/12/24 — Christmas Post Box Opens
06/12/24 — KS1 & KS2 Christmas Rehearsalds (filming)
10/12/24 — KS1 Christmas Productions 9:30 & 1:30
12/12/24 — KS2 Christmas Productions 9:30 & 1:30
13/12/24 — EYFS dress rehearsal to school
17/12/24 — EYFS Christmas Productions 9:30 & 1:30
18/12/24 — Christmas Dinner – Whole School
18/12/24 — Christmas Jumper Day
19/12/24 — Christmas Post Box Closes