Riverside News Issue 486 - 20.03.26 - Riverside Primary School

⭐ STAR of the Week ⭐

Leopard: Jessica B

For her enthusiasm for learning during our Supersonic Space theme. Jessica has enjoyed learning fun facts about each of the planets and did some lovely Exciting Writing about Venus. Well done Superstar!

Zebra: Ruby M

For writing some fantastic sentences about the planets! You always put 100% effort into every task given. Keep up the hard work superstar!

Lion: Kai A

For making a big effort with your handwriting in every lesson! Your story map was wonderful, with such neat captions and a beautiful layout. Keep working hard and being a happy member of Lion class!

Bear: Miley M

For amazing effort in yoga lessons in PE. You were able to hold different poses with great control and worked sensibly and calmly throughout. What a wonderful role model!

Otter: Rex D

For being on the Star several times this week for his attitude to learning and his hard work. This week Rex wrote a fantastic description of the Crown Jewels from our story this week, using different adjectives and working hard on his letter formation. Well done Rex. Keep up the great work!

Seal: Harrison W

For showing increasing maturity in all he does. Harrison always tries his best and shows real resilience, remaining positive and continuing to work hard even when he faces challenges.

Dolphin: Hallie G

For always being a supportive, kind and caring friend.

Giraffe: Henry H

For creating a well thought out and carefully designed catapult, complete with clear labels and excellent planning. Your design has set you up perfectly for building your design next week! Well done!

Turtle: Lennie D

For being an absolute superstar during our assessments. We could see just how hard you were trying, and your calm, determined behaviour was a joy to see.

Panda: Iris W

For confidently taking the lead role in our History Tudor acting, showing excellent attention to detail and bringing the scene to life with such creative expression.

Tiger: Oscar B

For the excellent effort shown in improving your handwriting while sharing a vital message about the dangers of plastic pollution. Well done Oscar!

Meerkat: William B

For his effort and creativity in dance, specifically for dancing on the beat and traveling to different formations. Your Strive to bring your ideas to life shows the dedication of a true performer!

Rhino: Max K

For trying hard during our history lesson when learning how the Ancient Greeks influenced our modern lives, showing great strive and curiosity.

Kangaroo: Florence D

For always trying hard, being polite, behaving sensibly and being a super member of Kangaroo class!

Koala: George W

For your hard work and determination to achieve your best in the SATs and for showing great leadership by modelling key skills during our golf lessons!

📅 UPCOMING EVENTS! 📅

Dates not shown on previous issues are added in RED!

Spring 2 2026

23/03/26 — Year 4 – Overstrand Parent Meeting

25/03/26 — Year 3 trip to St Thomas’ Church

27/03/26 — Children break up today

Letters

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

Leaflets/Posters for Parents

Letters sent this week

Olympic cyclist Visit – 20.03.26

Year 3 Trip to St Thomas – 20.03.26

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.

Meningitus outbreak - advice to parents

The outbreak of meningitis in Kent has been heavily covered in the news and may be causing anxiety in Essex. The public health team at Essex County Council have said that there is no increased risk to anyone in Essex unless they have a direct link to a case of meningitis in the Kent outbreak and been contacted by the UK Health Security Agency. Simply being a contact of a person with a direct link does not increase the risk. If you would like to know more about the outbreak and how it is managed there is an update on the UK Health Securities webpage. If you would like to know more about meningitis and how to spot it the NHS webpages give good advice.

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

🦴 Junior Scientists Put the Spine to the Test! 📚

🏐 Netball Match Report – Final Girls’ Match 🏐

🐣🐰 PTA Easter Treat Sale 🐰🐣

⚽ Year 5/6 Boys Football Match Report ⚽

Curiosity in action! 🔬✨

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.

SEN

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

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:

Baby clothes not dolly clothes
Ball pit balls
Sandpit toys/Spades etc
Wooden spoons/Kitchen utensils
Wood chip, wood chip, wood chip!
Suitcases
Tyres
2x working tablets (these would be used to just for the music app as we don’t have any spare)
scooters
remote control toys
medical play kits
hair rollers
bobbles clips etc

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 three week rolling menu. The menus, ingredients and allergen lists can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

Attendance W/E: 13/03/26

	Class	%
1	Giraffe	98.70
2	Seal	96.30
3	Dolphin	96.00
4	Tiger	95.30
5	Leopard	95.20
6	Bear	95.00
7	Turtle	94.30
8	Meerkat	94.10
9	Panda	92.80
10	Kangaroo	92.20
11	Lion	92.10
12	Koala	92.10
13	Zebra	90.70
14	Otter	90.70
15	Rhino	90.00

Team Points

Makaton: Sign of the Week

We’re excited to share our ‘Sign of the Week’.

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.

Weekly Sports Round-Up

Year 5/6 Boys Football

The boys battled bravely against OLOR with only 7 players against a full Year 6 team. Their defence kept the score 0–0 at half-time, and although OLOR scored three in the second half, the team never gave up.

Player of the Match: Max K – for determination – Well done, boys!

Girls’ Netball – Final Match of the Season

The girls finished their season with a 2–1 win over Rayleigh Primary. When the opposition lost a player, Lily and Lydia stepped in to keep the game friendly. Great teamwork, sportsmanship, and a strong finish for the season!

Exciting News – Olympic Athlete Visit

We’re thrilled to welcome Olympic athlete Alice Sharpe on 14th April for short circuit training and a Q&A assembly. A fantastic opportunity for our students to be inspired!

#SchoolSport #TeamSpirit #RiversideSchool #AliceSharpe #PlayerOfTheMatch