Welcome to our May newsletter where you can find out about some of the brilliant learning your children have been busy working on across the month. Staff and children have worked together to produce beautiful displays to showcase their amazing work and they are looking stunning. Mrs Hockey and Mr Temperley are delighted to have secured the Primary Quality Mark in Science for school. This is a brilliant achievement and would not have been possible without the hard work of our children and staff.

Working outdoors has provided the School Council the chance to meet together safely to talk about pupil wellbeing and how to make travelling to and from school a healthier and safer experience for everyone.

We have an exciting summer term to look forward to where we will be working hard to ensure our children have the best possible experiences, including opportunities for sporting events, outdoor activities and celebrating and reflecting on the school year as we look ahead to next year. Transition is well under way for our Year 6 children as they prepare to leave primary school and move onto pastures new.

This year we are adapting our usual Transition Week in school so children spend the entire week with their new teacher. We know giving children the opportunity to spend time in their new class with their new teacher, enables them to feel confident and reassured about what to expect in September. Further information about Transition Week will be sent in a separate letter.

We ended this half term on a high with the FOW Crazy Hair Day! We have been blown away by the range of creative and inventive hair styles worn by children and staff. Thank you to our wonderful FOW team who are working hard to provide new ways to raise money to support school and inject even more fun into the school calendar.

We would like to thank all of our families and Governors for their support and wish everyone a sunny Bank Holiday and a relaxing half-term break. We hope the sun shines and you can make the most of the time together before we welcome you back to school on Monday 7th June.

We have been enjoying our Follow that Fish topic where we found out about our local area. We have learnt about the river Tyne and followed it to the sea. Mrs Dhiman’s husband owns a fish and chip shop and he kindly sent us videos of how the fish and chips are prepared. We enjoyed some fish and chips from there too!

We made our own maps of the coast and Wallsend. We had to sort the photos into which were taken at the beach and which were taken in Wallsend and talk about how we knew this. We then made these into maps.

We followed instructions to make a salmon dip and were very impressed by how many children enjoyed eating this.

We have really enjoyed learning the songs 'Yellow Submarine' and 'Octopus' Garden' by the Beatles. We have explored the sounds within the songs and joined in with the pulse using percussion instruments.

We made an amazing class book to capture the story of 'The Silver scaled Fish'. We all created a page by retelling part of the story and adding our own illustrations. We also made a fabulous video for our families to tell the story with actions!

Outdoors, we have been trying to enjoy some sunshine and created an ice cream van using the construction materials! We even added our own messy play ice cream using colourful mashed potato, cones and sprinkles. We took on the roles of customers and servers and lovely Miss Dixon even popped in to see our wonderful role-play! Even though she was very impressed with our vocabulary she didn't sample the ice-cream as we told her it was really mashed potato!

This month we have been looking into the adventures of great explorers. We started with Ranulph Fiennes, a British explorer and holder of several endurance records. As we explored Ranulph's adventures around the world we learned about the Arctic, Antarctic and the Sahara Desert. We explored the qualities of a good explorer and the personality traits that Ranulph and his team must have. We also considered if we would like to be an explorer and, if so, where would we like to explore. Year 1 were very split in their thoughts with many preferring to stay at home rather than venture to the unknown. Last week the children were given an opportunity to experience, first hand, some equipment that Ranulph Fiennes would have used on his adventures. The ice axe and crampons attracted particular attention amongst the children. Who knows where our little people will be in 20 years time. Maybe one of them will be standing at the top of Mount Everest or at the South Pole. The world is their oyster!

Super Scientist

The children have impressed us with their super observations and experimenting skills this half term. We have been exploring materials, their properties and their suitability for different uses. The children were really surprised to learn about which paper was the strongest, the most absorbent material and the most waterproof. The children were fantastic at developing their predictions and reporting on results.

Traction Man is here!

We have had Traction Man visit this half term while on his voyage and the children have created their own 'Voyage and Return' stories based on the book. We used the clips app to record our Traction Man stories and uploaded them to Seesaw independently.

Kampong Ayer

The children have been really enthusiastic about our geography and learning about a water village called Kampong Ayer in Asia. They have been making super comparisons between the types of houses, transport and even school in the country and our local area.

In Year 4 we have been exploring the story, 'The Secret of Black Rock' and we have particularly enjoyed investigating the different types of sea creatures the main character, Erin is introduced to. As part of our Literacy unit, we have created our own non-chronological reports on our favourite sea creatures to present to Blue Reef Aquarium.

In DT we have continued to work on our stitching and sewing skills to create our own purses and wallets. It has taken a lot of resilience but we can't wait to show you our final product! As well as this, we have just finished off our Science unit on magnets and we were so surprised to find out how many things in our day to day lives use magnets to work.

This half term in Design Technology the children have been thinking about seasonal foods which they could offer as a new recipe to update the school menu. They researched their own seasonal ingredients and taste tested these. As well as this, they tasted existing soup recipes and ranked them based on flavour, texture, appearance and aroma. As a class, they decided on the ingredients for their soup. This led to them combining a range of vegetables in their own stock. They had a great time making the soup and were very impressed by the outcome!

In Year 6, the children have had the opportunity to compete as heptathletes across a range of individual events this half term. They have focused on improving their running, jumping and throwing techniques with the high jump proving to be a big hit in particular! We struck lucky with the weather during the last week and managed to test our personal bests across all of the events, along with challenging other competitors within small groups. Looking ahead to our final half term, we are thinking about our Western journey overall and doing lots of work and discussion around preparing for our transition to a new school.

The Eco Council have been making posters for the upcoming Great British Clean Up event which takes place between 28th May-13th June 2021. We have been raising awareness around school with our posters on the importance of picking up rubbish in order to look after our school grounds and the local community. The Eco Council have made a pledge to focus on doing more litter picks in the first week back after half term. We are also encouraging as many children and families as possible to take part or help clean up and recycle more litter over half term. Have a look at our posters for more ideas and ways to look after our school and community:

Jasmine in 6AT has been catching up with our Eco-Council lead Mr Murphy about a green project she has been working on at home in the past year…

Mr Murphy: Tell me all about your fantastic project Jasmine!

Jasmine: I created a carbon capture garden at home from scratch, using a wooden planter that I constructed myself. This involved drilling, cutting and measuring the planter before filling it with soil and sprinkling volcanic rock dust on the surface.

Mr Murphy: This sounds brilliant! What are the benefits of a carbon capture garden?

Jasmine: A carbon capture garden helps us to return carbon to the soil – which is where it belongs! Increasing CO2 in the atmosphere is contributing to global warming so we must make more efforts to reduce CO2 levels. One way to do this is to create a carbon capture garden.

Mr Murphy: I see. So what have you grown so far in your garden?

Jasmine: During lockdown I grew potatoes, spring onions, lettuce and other organic fruits and vegetables. This year I’m planning on re-planting them again. It was better for the environment than buying from the supermarket and much more fun too!

Mr Murphy: What a brilliant idea Jasmine! Keep up the fantastic work! Mr Temperley and I are very proud of your contributions to the school’s eco-efforts!

The National Cyber Security Centre is launching CyberSprinters.

Cybersprinters is a free online game that will teach children how to stay secure online in a fun, interactive way. The world is becoming more digital each year and children are growing up with technology readily available to them in many forms. This increases the risk of being exposed to the opportunities and risks of the internet.

Cybersprinters will support children when they are online. From choosing a safe and secure password to making choices about images and unknown sources, young children are empowered to make the right and smart decisions.

"As a CyberSprinter, children race against their depleting battery to collect cyberspheres and score points. They boost power by collecting padlocks and correctly answering a question on staying cyber secure. If they bump into battery-sucking cybervillians, they face a mini game with a different internet lesson to win back their power."

The game launched on Tuesday 18th May and can be found in the link below.

Persuasive Design is the tactics used to get people to download and app and continue to use it. Default autoplay is a good example of this as apps like YouTube and Netflix keep watchers there by starting a new video that could be of some interest to the watcher.

YouTube for kids the app for under 7s also has autoplay turned on please read the article below to look at some of the concerns raised by autoplay.

County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

During lockdown our days felt very different and some of our regular routines changed. As the World opens up again and we return to our lives before Covid it is a good time to think about some of the things that really helped us everyday. For children this means eating well and regularly, drinking lots of water, being active and getting fresh air and a good bedtime routine. All of these things can really impact positively on a child and their day at school. If you are struggling to build routines and would like some advice or help contact school to chat to Miss Fox or Mrs Robson.

If you feel your child would benefit from some Thrive activities to do at home please contact Gemma Robson on 0191 263 0202.

We also have lots of helpful activities and information on our school website under the Wellbeing section. Please click on the link below

Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place on 10-16 May 2021 and this year's theme is nature.

What is Mental Health Awareness Week and why does it matter?

Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event when there is an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health. The Mental Health Foundation started the event 21 years ago. Each year the Foundation continues to set the theme, organise and host the Week. The event has grown to become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and globally.

Mental Health Awareness Week is open to everyone. It is all about starting conversations about mental health and the things in our daily lives that can affect it. This year we want as many people as possible – individuals, communities and governments – to think about connecting with nature and how nature can improve our mental health.

However, the Week is also a chance to talk about any aspect of mental health that people want to – regardless of the theme.

Why was Nature chosen as the theme for the Week?

The theme was chosen because being in nature is known to be an effective way of tackling mental health problems and of protecting our wellbeing.

This seemed particularly important this year - in the year of a pandemic. Our own research has shown that being in nature has been one of the most popular ways the public have tried to sustain good mental health at a challenging time.

Our hope is that by growing awareness of the importance of nature to good mental health – we can also work to ensure that everyone can share in it.

Nature is something that is all around us. It can be really helpful in supporting good mental health. Our ambition is to try to make that connection clearer for both individuals and policy makers.

How do you define Nature?

By "nature" we mean any environment in which we can use our senses to experience the natural world. This could include the countryside, a park or garden, coast, lakes and rivers, wilderness, plants or wildlife closer to home. It could also include nature that you can see or interact with in or from your home.

Where can we connect to nature in wallsend?

Wallsend Parks

Contact details

Address:

Richardson Dees Park Lodge

North Road

Wallsend

NE28 8RH

United Kingdom

Email:

wallsendparks@northtyneside.gov.uk

Telephone:

(0191) 643 7897 | Park Wardens: 07866587269 | 07581069814

Opening times

The park is open from 6.30am, the toilets are open from 10am to 4pm. The gates are currently being locked at 6.30pm, this is a temporary measure and is subject to review.

The Verandah Café in Richardson Dees Park is open from 10.30am to 5pm daily.

About

Wallsend Parks are a fantastic group of three public parks, close to Wallsend town centre.

They form an essential resource for wildlife and people in three unique, connected green spaces over 16 hectares in size.

Explore historic grounds, woodland walks, wildlife habitats, a cosy café and range of self-led activities – not to mention a fantastic children’s play area!

Wallsend Parks is made up of:

• Wallsend Civic Hall Grounds – a quiet parkland with formal walks and points of historical interest, dating back as far as 1790

• Prince Road Arboretum – an open grassland area, sloping down to a natural burn with a mixture of open spaces and beautiful views

• Richardson Dees Park – a Victorian park dating from 1900, incorporating formal planting with a wide range of facilities:

• multi-age play area

• Verandah Café

• bandstand

• community pavilion

• bowling greens

• outdoor gym

• tennis and basketball courts

• skate park

• multi-use games area

• lakeside and woodland walks

• sculpture story trail

• plant hunter trail

• orienteering

• public toilets

We are Mindstars, a social enterprise based in North Shields. We educate and inspire children to take control of their mental health. In light of the mental health crisis we are facing, never has this been more important.

This May Bank Holiday we are running our Star Club from our premises at Albion House, North Shields. Our classes creatively inspire children with fun and engaging activities that focus on resilience and self-confidence. We will also be running Summer Clubs.

We have spaces available for our May Half Term and would like to ask Western Community Primary School if you would be able to communicate this with your parents and guardians / social media. Every paid session provides free places to children and families living in poverty.

Our aim is to repair some of the negative effects of Covid in our community and work towards creating a generation of mental health champions.

As we approach the summer term, staff are working hard to make sure our Year 6 pupils have a smooth transition to Year 7 either at secondary school or middle school.

As you will know, COVID-19 has had a huge impact on children's education and wellbeing causing a lot of uncertainty about the future.

We want our Year 6 children and their families to know that support is available to all Year 6 children and that the Care, Guidance and Support Team will be looking at delivering some transition sessions in the Summer Term.

If you would like to talk to a member of the Care, Guidance and Support Team about your child's transition to secondary school or if you have any worries- please do not hesitate to call us on 0191 2630202 or you can email school office at western.office@ntlp.org.uk

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support. This year's theme for 2021 is Make Caring Visible and Valued.

The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities, highlight the vital role carers play in our communities and draw attention to just how important caring is. A carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, illness, mental health condition, or who needs extra help as they grow older. It isn’t someone who volunteers or is employed to provide support.

One in eight adults are carers and 3 in 5 people will be carers at some point in their lives. The vast majority of care in the UK is provided by family and friends, who make up the UK’s carer population. Social services and the NHS rely on carers’ willingness and ability to provide care and without it they would collapse. If you are a carer and need some support please see the links below for further information : Newcastle Council - https://www.newcastlecarers.org.uk/ North Tyneside Council: https://www.northtynesidecarers.org.uk/

This short survey, which should take no more than 10 minutes to complete, is a follow up of the recent Wallsend Pupil Survey and aims to understand the experiences of parents and carers in Wallsend during the pandemic. Insights from this survey will be shared with local schools and organisations for the purpose of improving services for families in the area.

To be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win £150 in vouchers, please see the relevant section at the end of the survey.

Your individual responses on the survey will not be shared and all your information is regarded as confidential.

Survey: https://bit.ly/wccsurvey190321

Thank you!

There's some advice for parents of school children about Lateral Flow Tests here bit.ly/LFT-Parents

Lateral flow device testing (LFD/LFT) is a fast and simple way to test people who do not have symptoms of coronavirus, but who may still be spreading the virus.

This term our values look at patience and loyalty. We have begun by looking at patience for the first half of the term and how it is important in lots of different ways to practise waiting for something good to happen. Patience is the ability to accept delays without anger or resentment. We know how tricky it can be to wait for something to happen especially now we are sharing our classroom again with more people. We will be thinking about the importance of being able to wait for things to happen rather than having what we want immediately. We will also be thinking about how being patient with ourselves is just as important.

“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.”

-Helen Keller

To practise your patience this term, you could play a board game with your family and practise waiting for your turn or try planting a seed and waiting patiently for it to grow.

Family circumstances can change quickly so we would encourage anyone who believes they are eligible to register for Free School Meals. Even if your child would normally bring a packed lunch or is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and therefore already qualifies for Universal Free School Meals , it is very important that you still apply as this allows the school to claim additional much needed and valuable funding.

If your circumstances have changed, you can check if you are eligible and apply using the online portal via the link below. Just select: 'How to apply', click ‘Apply for free school meals’, register or log in and just follow the instructions: https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/238/free-school-meals

If you have not done so already please click the link https://bit.ly/34q7m7d to fill out our GDPR consent form. This needs to be completed for all children.

Here at Western, we use SchoolGateway for all home to school communication. SchoolGateway allows us to message you and also enables you to reply directly to us. This makes communication between home and school much easier for families and school.

As you know, we have now moved to a completely paperless communication system. All letters and school communications are now sent via the SchoolGateway app.

Furthermore, we are now a cashless school. All trips, clubs and activities are loaded and paid for using the new SchoolGateway system.

This is a much more secure and convenient system than paying by cash or cheques. Payments can be made any time of the day and will normally reach the school within one hour. An electronic record is kept of all payments made to your son or daughter’s account for your information. This prevents payments from being lost or stolen.

Cash or cheques are NOT accepted at the school office but you can request a PAYPOINT voucher so that you can pay at your local shop or supermarket. Please click here to find your local PayPoint store.

Downloading the App:

Please download School Gateway from your app store (Android and iPhone). Once you have downloaded the app, you will need to click "Sign Up". It will ask you to enter your email address and phone number. A pin is then sent to your phone, which you will use to activate your account.

OR

For those parents or carers without a smartphone, you can visit the website:

www.schoolgateway.com and click on ‘New User’. Enter your email address and mobile phone number and you’ll receive a text message with a PIN number. Use this PIN to log into School Gateway.

Trouble logging in? It might be because school doesn’t have your current email and mobile phone number on record. Please contact school and we’ll update the details on our system.

Please contact Mr Ashard on 0191 263 0202 or western.office@ntlp.org.uk if you have any problems getting started or have any questions regarding SchoolGateway.

We continually review how things are working with feedback from staff and parents/carers and ask you to carefully read and adhere to the points below as we work together to keep everybody safe:

• Families should use their appropriate designated gate (West Street/Rutland Road) and ensure that they leave school premises as quickly as possible after dropping children off.

• Please do not socialise with other families on school premises or congregate to chat around the gate areas on the street.

• Children should be supervised at all times and are not allowed to play on site before and after school e.g. on tyres, hill or yard. This is to ensure mixing is minimised and to keep numbers as low as possible on the yard.

• Please ensure you observe social distancing at all times. Only one adult will be allowed on the grounds to drop off or collect for each family.

• Please remember not to step on the cross-hatched grids outside classroom doors as they are there to ensure a safe distance between staff and families.

Thank you for playing your part in keeping our school site as safe as it can be for our children, family members and staff.

Please can we remind parents and carers to only come onto school grounds when it is the scheduled time to either drop off or collect your child. You may arrive at the start time of your youngest child if dropping off more than one child. When collecting siblings we request you collect at the time of your eldest child. The aim is to minimise numbers on the yard and outside classroom doors at any one time and to maximise teaching time for children.

Please see the image below to check your child's year group times.

Thank you for your continued support.

Head Teacher: Katherine Hill

Email: western.office@ntlp.org.uk
Website: westerncommunityprimary.org.uk
Location: Rutland Road, Wallsend, UK
Phone: 0191 263 0202
Twitter: @westernprimary