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Leopard: Archie T For always striving to be a Shooting Star! Archie has completed so many of the learning challenges during independent learning time and has shown us what a super learner he is! Well done Archie! |
Zebra: Poppy S For always striving to become a Risky Risk Taker. Poppy has been writing amazing sentences, getting more confident to write challenging words. Poppy is always following the class rules and is an excellent role model in Zebra Class. Well done Poppy, keep up the great work. |
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Lion: Luna B For being such a superstar in class at all times. Luna tries her best and is always determined to be a risky risk-taker. She completes so many learning challenges and is independently writing some beautiful sentences. Well done. |
Bear: Hettie W For excellent attitude to learning, working hard to recall facts about the Great Fire of London using capital letters, full stops, adjectives and -ed endings. |
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Otter: Harrison B For being a very well behaved and responsible member of Otter class! You work hard in every lesson and always take care with the presentation of the work in your books! Well done! |
Seal: Kyla J For being a fantastic role model to her friends at all times. Kyla sets a great example by listening to instructions, completing her independent work carefully and being an extremely kind and caring friend. What a superstar you are Kyla! |
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Dolphin: Meila M For fantastic contributions in class – your confidence is improving so much and we are so proud of you! Keep it up! |
Tiger: Casper G For creating a super Tudor portrait in art. You really tried hard to use the skills that our artist Hans Holbein used. Well done! |
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Panda: Noah P For showing amazing perseverance in sketching tutor portraits, working through the challenges with patience and creativity. |
Turtle: Lacey S For quickly settling into Turtle class and adjusting well. Your positive attitude and effort have been noticed. Well done! |
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Giraffe: George B For showing great dedication and effort, always working hard and giving his best in every task. This week, he particularly impressed us in PE, demonstrating excellent coordination skills and a strong understanding of the lesson. Keep up the amazing work |
Monkey: Chloe L For outstanding teamwork during PE! Also, your positive attitude towards all areas of schoolwork is truly commendable. |
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Kangaroo: Logan J-M For a good attitude to learning and for using some fabulous vocabulary in his writing. |
Koala: Aiden P For his amazing attitude to reading! He has found an author he loves and I can’t keep him out of a book! |
W/E: 14/03/25
Below are a list of letters, leaflets and posters uploaded to the website this week.
Letters sent this week
Year 2 Postal Museum Trip date change – 19.03.25
Singing Lessons at Riverside – 18.03.25
Years 1-6 Sumdog Spring Contest – 17.03.25
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.
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.
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! 
Bronze Reading AwardsWell done to the following children who have received their Bronze award for reading 50 times.
Year R
Year 1
Year 2
Silver Reading AwardsWell done to the following children who have received their Silver award for reading 100 times.
EYFS
Year 1
Year 4
Year 5/6
Well done to the following children who have received their Gold award for reading 200 times.
Year 3
Year 4
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.
Gold award as they can fluently and rapidly recall the 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables.
We’re excited to share our ‘Sign of the Week’— Spring
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.
For a full list of events and booking details, visit the website’s Eventbrite page or their Facebook community for updates.
Learn More
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!
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
