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Leopard: Oakleigh L For trying so hard with all your learning this week. It has been lovely to see you striving to be a Risky Risk Taker and choosing to challenge yourself during independent learning time. Well done Oakleigh! |
Zebra: Zoey G For trying so hard with her reading; for blending her sounds to read words and sentences. Zoey also tried hard to write some lovely sentences this week. Well done Zoey. |
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Lion: Alba B For always striving to achieve her best. Alba is a happy learner and will complete lots of challenges in the classroom. She is a great role model to others. Well done. |
Bear: Amieka C For excellent participation during our computing workshop, shraing ideas with confidence, following instructions, being respectful and setting a wonderful example to others during the session. |
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Otter: Naomi L For your impressive dribbling skills in P.E and for working hard to solve tricky questions on measurement, in our maths lessons. Keep up the great work! |
Seal: Mila-Rae R For creating a fantastic poem based on ‘Dear Greenpeace’. Mila used expanded noun phrases to help the reader imagine the scene from the story. Great work Mila! |
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Dolphin: Hayden H For using fantastic phrases in his poem in Talk 4 Reading. Superstar! |
Tiger: Amelia S For writing an excellent suspense story using a range of time adverbials and for making a good contribution to all her lessons. Well done Amelia! |
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Panda: Robin M For her excellent story writing, combined with her skillful use of fronted time adverbials to create fantastic suspense. |
Turtle: Henry T For being an excellent role model! He consistently demonstrates a fantastic attitude toward learning in all subjects, and his hard work and progress are truly inspiring. Keep up the good work! |
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Giraffe: Eleana H For your hard work and dedication. You always put in great effort and stay focused on your learning. Keep up the excellent work! |
Monkey: Sadev W For outstanding effort during our modelled writing session! Your use of diverse sentences effectively builds suspense in your story. |
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Kangaroo: Joseph M For working hard to improve his handwriting- a great effort Joseph! |
Koala: Isabel W For her amazing effort in Maths where she is constantly pushing herself to tackle the questions that requires her to apply all her maths knowledge! |
W/E: 07/03/25
Below are a list of letters, leaflets and posters uploaded to the website this week.
Letters sent this week
PE Kit Expectations – 14.03.25
Change of Gate Timing – KS2 Morning Gate – 11.03.25
PTA Wonderful Women Sale Reminder – 10.03.25
Previous letters, leaflets and posters can be found on the school website Events & Letters > Letters & Parent Meetings
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.
New Prices from April 2025
School meals, Breakfast Club, and Twilight Club, which will take effect from 1st April 2025. This adjustment is necessary due to the ongoing increases in the costs of staffing, energy, and food supplies that have significantly impacted our operational expenses.
The new prices will be as follows:
School Meals
Main Meal, Vegetarian Option or Jacket Potato £2.85
Grab Bag £3.05
Breakfast Club £6.60
Twilight Club £8.25
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
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.
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 | 17% |
| 1 | 7% |
| 2 | 14% |
| 3 | 6% |
| 4 | 17% |
| 5 | 9% |
| 6 | 16% |
| Overall | 13% |
Mrs Kruse – Book Review: Whatever Next! by Jill Murphy
Whatever Next! is a wonderful picture book written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. It is about a little bear who wants to go to the moon before bedtime.
The story follows Baby Bear as he uses his imagination to build a rocket out of a cardboard box. With a colander for a helmet and some wellies on his feet, he zooms off to space! Along the way, he meets an owl and has a picnic on the moon before heading back home just in time for his bath.
This story is full of fun, imagination, and adventure. The pictures are bright and beautiful, making you feel like you’re flying to the moon too! It’s the perfect book to read at bedtime or anytime you want a magical journey and I am sure it will inspire you to make your own space rocket!
So grab a copy of Whatever Next! and get ready for a trip to space—no ticket needed!
Red Nose Day is back, and we’re getting involved! 🎉
On Friday 21st March, we’ll be ‘doing something funny for money’ to support Comic Relief’s 40th anniversary.
How can children take part?
🔴 Wear non-uniform
🔴 Come to school with a crazy hairstyle – the wackier, the better!
🔴 £2 donation to support this brilliant cause
Why it matters
Every pound raised helps fund vital projects in the UK and around the world—providing shelter, tackling child poverty, and supporting mental health services.
Health & Safety Reminder
✂️ Hairstyles must be safe for the school day
🚫 No sharp or heavy accessories
👀 No styles that obstruct vision
💨 Hair products (e.g., sprays/gels) should be applied at home
How to donate – ParentPay
This year, we are collecting donations via ParentPay.
✅ No need to send cash—donate directly via our ParentPay Donations Page
✅ Gift Aid available—boost your donation by up to 25% at no extra cost
✅ Funds go straight to Comic Relief, making an immediate impact
Simply log into ParentPay and follow the link to our Red Nose Day Donations Page to contribute.
DonateWe’re looking forward to seeing your wacky and wonderful hairstyles while raising money for an important cause. Let’s go big, give big, and feel good together!
Thank you for your support.
We are pleased to see so many children choosing to cycle and scoot home from school, as it promotes an active and healthy lifestyle. However, we would like to remind all families of the importance of ensuring that children do so safely and with consideration for others.
Please take a moment to remind your child about being mindful of their own safety and that of other path users. This includes being aware of those who may find it more challenging to react quickly to a child on a bike or scooter, such as young children, elderly pedestrians, and dogs on leads. We encourage all children to ride at a sensible speed, be alert to their surroundings, and always show respect to others using the paths.
Your support in reinforcing these messages at home will help ensure a safe and enjoyable journey for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe.
Bill’s New Frock by Anne Fine
What’s the story about?
One morning, Bill Simpson wakes up and finds something very strange—he has turned into a girl! Even though he feels the same inside, everyone starts treating him differently just because he’s wearing a pink frock. Throughout the day, Bill discovers that life as a girl is very different from what he expected!
What I liked about the book:
This book is funny and full of surprises! It makes you think about fairness and how people can be treated differently just because of how they look. Bill’s adventures are exciting, and you’ll enjoy seeing how he deals with all the challenges of his unexpected day.
Who would enjoy this book?
If you like funny stories with a little bit of mystery and a big lesson about treating people equally, you’ll love Bill’s New Frock! It’s great for children aged 7–10.
Bronze Reading AwardsWell done to the following children who have received their Bronze award for reading 50 times.
Year R
Year 1
Silver Reading AwardsWell done to the following children who have received their Silver award for reading 100 times.
EYFS
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 5/6
Well done to the following children who have received their Gold award for reading 200 times.
Year 2
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.
Silver award as they can fluently and rapidly recall the 3, 4, 6 and 11 times tables.
We’re excited to share our ‘Sign of the Week’— Monkey, Kangaroo & Koala
Are you a parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD or showing traits of it? You’re not alone. Navigating the world of ADHD can be challenging, but an invaluable support network is just a click away!
Our featured website, created by a dedicated group of volunteers, is a hub of information, advice, and resources for families managing ADHD. Whether you’re looking for practical strategies, up-to-date information, or a supportive community, this platform offers it all.
Mark your calendar for these exciting opportunities to connect and learn:
For a full list of events and booking details, visit the website’s Eventbrite page or their Facebook community for updates.
Learn More
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.
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!
Calling All Dinosaur Lovers! 
We’re creating an exciting Dino World for the children to enjoy at lunchtimes, and we need your help! If you have any spare dinosaur toys—big or small—we’d love to give them a new home where they’ll be played with and loved.
Donations can be dropped off in the red foyer
Thank you for helping bring this prehistoric playground to life! 
Please can any donations brought in be left in the red building reception area. Thank you
May 2025 — Registration opens
Further details here – https://csse.org.uk/examination/
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.
We are operating a two week rolling menu. The menus, ingredients and allergen lists can be viewed on our website by clicking here.
Schools Dinners are free (UFSM) for children in EYFS & KS1 (Years 1 & 2) and for families eligible for FSM (Free School Meals). For children in KS2, who are not entitled to FSM please see pricing below.
Dates not shown on previous issues are added in RED!
20/03/25 — Year 1 Phonics Presentation to parents – 3:30pm
21/03/25 — Comic Relief Day – Non uniform
21-27/03/25 — Year 1-6 Sumdog Spring National Maths Contest
24/03/25 — Year 1 Fire Engine Visit
25/03/25 — Year 3 visit to St Thomas’ Church
01/04/25 — Year 4 Colchester Castle
01/04/25 — EYFS Height, Weight and Vision
Easter Holidays – Monday 7th April – Monday 21st April 2025
22/04/25 — Children return back to school
01/05/25 — Year 2 SATs Presentation – 3.30pm
06/05/25 — Year 6 Height and Weight
07/05/25 — Class Photographs
12-15/05/25 — KS2 SATs Week
22/05/25 — Children break up from school
23/05/25 — INSET Day
Half-Term – Monday 26th May – Friday 30th May 2025
02/06/25 — Children return back to school
04/06/25 — PTA Marvellous Men’s Sale
11/06/25 — EYFS Gruffalo Trail – Thorndon Country Park
