The children in Reception have been listening to the story 'Owl babies'. They have learnt how to sign some of the words when listening to the story. They have learnt 'owl', 'mother', 'tree', 'branch' and 'mouse'. The children have also been very creative in painting and collaging owls this week in the classroom. As a class, we all went on an Autumn walk to see if we can spot any first signs of Autumn. We discussed that we may see conkers and changing coloured leaves. The children spotted berries, leaves, bird boxes and how the leaves have started to fall off the trees.
Year 1 have been experimenting with different lines using a variety of writing tools such as chalk, wax crayons, felt tips and pastels. We looked at art work inspired the artist Bridget Riley. The children really enjoyed working together to create pictures of water using wavy lines.
This week, Year 2, started their "Schools in the Past" topic. They sequenced pictures on a timeline, starting with what school looks like now and worked backwards. Year 2 discussed the meaning of decades and used their knowledge of counting in tens to help them with dates - we used base ten to help us visualise this. Our timeline showed the changes in our school over 120 years.
In Year Three this week, we learnt how to use repetition in algorithms, initially by singing a song and thinking about how we could record it in writing using repeat blocks. We then programmed Mr Hollis to walk shapes using repetition in our instructions. Finally, we used repeat blocks in our Scratch code to create projects based on shapes!
Year 4 went to Forest School this week and tested out the brand spanking new orienteering markers and map. It was tricky at first to understand where landmarks corresponded to on the map but the children soon got the hang of it and completed the 'find and seek' for animal markers! Excitingly we finished the session by finding LIZARDS! Yes live lizards underneath the logs we had only just been sat on!
Mrs McFeeley
Year 4 Teacher
Year 5 had a brilliant first session at forest school last Friday with Mrs Mcfeely, Miss Lennon and Mr Jay. They went hunting for blackberries, picked them, tasted them and even painted with them. They had such a good time making a huge mess, enjoying the gifts autumn provides us with.
In History, Year 6 learnt about why Britain went to war in 1939. We identified the causes of World War II and placed key inter-war events on our own timelines. We then evaluated how significant these causes were.
A Love of Reading
At Alveston, we are passionate about providing your children with high-quality texts as the foundation for our English lessons. We believe that rich and engaging literature inspires a love of reading and develops key language and comprehension skills. To ensure our texts remain current and relevant to the children’s learning, we refresh our book selections regularly.
In the past, many of our students have enjoyed bringing in their own copies of the texts we are studying. Some families have also visited local libraries to borrow them. We encourage you to continue this practice as it fosters excitement about the reading journey and allows the children to read along in lesson time. Teachers will always inform you in advance about which books the class will be covering, giving you plenty of time to borrow or purchase a copy for your child.
We are also very fortunate to have many parents who kindly donate these books to the school once their children have finished with them. These donations help build our classroom libraries and allow future students to benefit from a wide variety of engaging literature.
Thank you for your continued support in nurturing your child's love for reading.
Miss Griffiths
Year 2
While we're on the subject of reading, this week, Year 2 held book club in the library where they shared books they are enjoying. They then had discussions about Enid Blyton books, books about dogs, The Secret Garden and Where’s Wally.
We are absolutely delighted to announce that the Warwickshire based, registered charity Young Minds Matter (YMM) will be joining the services we offer at Alveston.
YMM support young people through their mentoring service, building resilience, self-esteem and confidence. They provide 1:1 mentoring sessions in schools across Warwickshire for children and young people aged 5-18, free of charge, and now they will be at Alveston supporting our children too. Our YMM Mentor, Kate, will join the Alveston Family and will be in school for her first visit on Tuesday 24th September. Attending weekly, Kate will be able to provide children with a safe space in which they can share any anxieties or concerns that they might be experiencing. YMM will work closely with us to ensure the child is supported holistically, with support from other mental health professionals and collaborations with like-minded organisations, if necessary.
All this is free of charge to the school and it couldn't have come at a better time. As a school, we buy in support from a range of services for our children, including Lifespace and Place2Be. Each year, for the last 6 years, we have dramatically increased our spending in this area to ensure we can support as many children as possible. For the first time however, due to the rising costs of these services, our actual hours of support has reduced. This offer from YMM, ensures we can continue to offer this vital support on the same scale as last year.
Later this academic year our school council will decide on a fundraising event to enable us to show our appreciation and support for this wonderful charity.
If you believe your child would benefit from any of our mentoring services, please do speak to your child's class teacher or contact Mrs Rogers via
parents3002@welearn365.com.
Community Interest
We post all community events and projects on our website under 'Our Community'. For more information about activities open to you, your family and your local community, please do check the pages regularly:
Last but not least, you can also find a list of
Stratford Food Bank's "MOST WANTED" items right
here. Please do take a look and help to support those in need in our local community.
General Reminders
Parking at Drop-Off and Pick-Up
We are so lucky at Alveston that the Football Club allow all our parents who drive to school to use their car park for drop-off and pick-up. This makes it safer for all our children. Please continue to use the Football Club car park. Please do not park on Knights Lane, Oak Road or any double-yellow lines for pick-up or drop-offs. Please also ensure that you do not stop or park within the zig-zag "Keep Clear" markings. This area is marked to keep the flow of traffic moving and to ensure the safety of all pedestrians.
Sickness and Absence
Please let the school office know each day your child is absent from school by calling 01789 293412, option 1, and leaving a message. You may also email
parents3002@welearn365.com. You do not need to contact us daily if your child is sick/vomits. Absences for sickness/vomiting will be recorded 48 hours from the end of the day your child was last sick (i.e. if sick on Sunday, come back on Wednesday; if Tuesday come back on Friday) nor for COVID absences.
Medicines in School
We cannot accept medicines in school without a prescription label and a medical form completed by a parent or carer. Please ask the school office for more information and/or a form via parents3002@welearn365.com.
Important Dates to Remember
Key dates for the Autumn term are HERE! You can find information relating to term dates
here and teacher-led clubs
here:
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Autumn Term (1)
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Celebration / Star of the Week Assemblies
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27/9, 4/10, 11/10, 18/10
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Teacher-Led Clubs – 4 weeks
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16th September to 20th October
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23/9 (wk)
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Online Safety Week
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3/10
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Bag2School
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11/10
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FOA Autumn Disco
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15/10
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Parents’ Evening 3:30-6:30pm (face-to-face)
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17/10
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Parents’ Evening 3:30-6:30pm (face-to-face
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21/10
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Half-Term Cup Assembly
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24/10
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Harvest Festival 2pm
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24/10
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FOA AGM
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25/10
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Crazy Hair Day
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HALF-TERM 28th October – 1st November
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Autumn Term (2)
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Celebration / Star of the Week Assemblies
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8/11, 15/11, 22/11, 29/11, 6/12, 13/12
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Teacher-Led Clubs – 4 weeks
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11th November to 6th December
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7/11
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Open Morning 9:30-11
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11/11
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Remembrance Service: Y2 & Y6 to visit War Memorial
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12/11
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Odd Socks Day
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18/11
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Open Morning 9:30-11
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6/12
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FOA Christmas Fayre/ Bake Off & Sale
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10/12
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Christmas Performances KS1 9-10am, KS2 10:30-11:30, Rec 2-3pm
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11/12
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Christmas Performances Rec 9-10am, KS1 10:30-11:30, KS2 2-3pm
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16/12
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Whole School Theatre Trip
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17/12
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Half-Term Cup Assembly
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18/12
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Christmas Lunch
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20/12
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Christingle 11:00-12:00
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20/12
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Last day of term. Morning only - school closes at midday.
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20/12 (pm)
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INSET Afternoon (children not in school from midday)
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