Meridian Primary School Parent Newsletter 7 - Friday, 19th October 2018

meridian.greenwich.sch.uk

What have we been learning during Week 6 of Autumn Term 1?

Nursery children have been thinking about all the different languages which are spoken in class—there are 14 altogether.

Reception children have been developing their bal-ancing skills using bean bags and quoits.

The Rocking Horse Room, Y1 and Y2 classes enjoyed their bus tour of London admiring some of the city’s famous landmarks to help them with their own guidebooks.

Well done to Y3 on their brilliant assembly

this morn-ing. In Geography this week they have been learning about the different tribes in the Amazon.

With the help of a lighthouse, Y4 have been understanding negative numbers. Why not ask them to explain?

Children in the Castle Group have been writing persuasive letters to ask the man from

their class book not to chop down the Kapok tree because it would have a devastating effect on the planet.

Y5 have been writing poems to describe a setting in Antarctica

using expanded noun phrases.

The Discovery Group have been learning how to find factors of numbers and building up strategies to help them.

Y6 have been developing their multiplication methods and applying them to different problems.

The 2018-19 School Council’s first official engagement was to help one of the nation’s oldest children’s TV programmes cele-brate its 60th birthday this week.

We were invited to take part in a BBC One Show programme to

help mark Blue Peter’s special milestone. Children ap-peared in a film montage of young and old singing along to the programme’s well-known theme tune.

If you missed it, you can watch the clip via BBC iplayer at https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bn87dn/the-one-show-15102018—check us out around the 16 seconds mark. A claim to fame no matter how brief!

Mummy says Gutentag. Ceanna, FS1

If the kapok tree is cut down, it can’t hold the earth in place and then it will become a huge dry desert. Guin, Castle Group

Piano player wanted

If there are any parent or carers who can play the piano and you are available on a Monday from 3.15pm for an hour, we would love to hear from you. The choir need someone to accompany them in the run up to their Christmas concert which takes place at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel on Monday Monday, 3rd December. Please contact Elizabeth to find out more.

Piano seeking new homes

We have two tuneable pianos which the school no longer needs—they are free but removal costs would need to be met by the recipient. If anyone is interested, please contact the school office.

It was good to see so many parents and carers at Parents’ Evenings. If you missed this opportunity to discuss how your child is settling in and the next steps in their learning, please contact the class teach-er to make an appointment at a mutually convenient time.

Young Voices at the O2 Thursday 31st January

Choir members have been given details of next year’s Young Voices concert. Chil-dren will be singing at the O2 as part of a mass choir made up of hundreds of

school children. It’s a great night and children have been working hard to learn their song words. If par-ents/carers want to order tickets or t-shirts, please do so by Monday 5th November. Children will be at the O2 from 1pm on that day for rehearsals with the concert starting at 7pm.

Nelson Mandela said: “What counts is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” October is Black History Month—a time when we re-member and celebrate the positive contributions black people have made, and continue to make, to our world. In assembly, children learnt about Frank Arthur Bailey, the first black firefighter in London. He recently passed away at the age of ninety. Born in Guyana, Frank came to England in 1953 and heard about the Fire Brigade. Frank said: “I was told that the authorities were not hiring black men because they were not strong enough physically or well enough educated to do the job.” Frank still applied to become a firefighter and had a very successful career. He said, “I saved a fellow fire-fighter’s life when he fainted while we were on the fifth floor of a ladder drill session. I brought him down to the ground in a fire-man’s lift.” Frank’s legacy is still felt today.

Bitter cold ice cre-ates an isolated jig-saw puzzle in front of us. Bea, Y5

The Tower of London is really big. It was used as a prison until 1952. Big Ben is getting fixed right now—maybe they could superglue a real clock to the front so that we can still tell the time. Nicole & Cillian, Y2

Sam and Alice en-joyed being tour guides and talking through the microphone and telling everyone their facts:

You can see everything from the London Eye. Alice, Y1

HMS Belfast is the biggest boat on the River Thames. Sam, Y1

The Korubo tribe put stilts at the bottom of their houses to keep out water. Joshua, Y3

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY including School Trips Holiday/INSET dates in GREEN, new dates in ORANGE

Friday, 19th October—Autumn Term 1 ends Half term holiday Mon, 22nd — Fri, 26th Oct inclusive

Monday, 29th October—Autumn Term 2 starts

Wk/c Monday 29th October—Bikeability runs for Y6 dur-ing the entire week

Wednesday, 31st October—deadline for secondary school applications for entry in September 2019

Wednesday, 31st October—Reception class trip to Greenwich Park

Thursday, 1st November—Flu Immunisation Day

Friday 2nd November—FROMS craft club begins

Monday, 5th November—deadline for return of consent forms and ticket/t-shirt orders for Young Voices 2019

Wednesday 7th November—Reception class trip to Cutty Sark —packed lunch required

Friday, 9th November at 9.30—Year 2 class assembly

Friday 9th November—FROMS wine tasting evening

Wk/c Monday 19th November—Curriculum Open Mornings—dates to be confirmed

Wednesday, 21st November from 3.45pm—Annual lantern parade and switching on of Greenwich Christmas lights. Y4 will be invited to join the parade and children must be ac-companied by parents.

Wk/c Monday, 26th November—Enterprise Week

Friday,30th November 3.30-4.30pm—Christmas Fair

Wednesday, 12th December—Christmas Dinner

Wednesday, 19th December at 1.45pm —Foundation Stage and Y1/Y2 Christmas performances

Thursday, 20th December at 1.45pm —Y3/Y4 and Y5/Y6 Christmas performances

Friday, 21st December—Autumn Term 2 ends

Christmas Holidays: Mon, 24th December—Friday, 4th January inclusive

INSET Day 3: Monday 7th January 2018 —school closed to children

Tuesday, 8th January—First day of Spring Term except for Nursery children who start again on Wednesday 9th January 2018.

Tuesday, 15th January 2018—deadline for primary school applications for entry in September 2019

Congratulations to Y3 who were the winners of the Attendance Shield for Week 6 and for Week 7 of Autumn Term 1. They are also the overall Attendance Champions of Autumn Term 1 with 98. 91 %. Well done to everyone!

Free meals for kids this half term Royal Greenwich’s mobile kitchen, Autumn Feast, is on the road this half term to serve up a round of healthy meals to children in Greenwich over the holidays. It can found at the following venues:

A reminder for Y6 parents/carers —the deadline for secondary school applications for September 2019 is Wednesday 31st October. Please visit www. royalgreenwich. gov. uk/secondaryadmissions.

Avery Hill Youth Club

Anstridge Road,

London SE9 2LL

Friday 26

October

6pm

Birchmere Hub off Disraeli Close,

London SE28 8AP

Friday 26

October

1pm

Clockhouse Community Centre

Defiance Walk, Royal Arsenal

Woolwich SE18 5QL

Wednesday 24

and Friday 26

October

1pm

Coldharbour Adventure Playground

The Course,

London SE9 3JB

Monday 22

October

2pm

Glyndon Adventure Playground

Elmley Street, London SE18 7NN

Tuesday 23

October

1pm

Hawksmoor Youth Club

Bentham Road,

Thamesmead SE28 8AS

Wednesday 24

and Friday 26

October

6pm and

7pm

Meridian Adventure Playground

Thames Street,

Greenwich SE10 9BX

Tuesday 23 and

Thursday 25

October

2.30pm

Plumstead Adventure Playground,

Blendon Terrace,

London SE18 7RS

Thursday 25

October

1pm

Woolwich Common Community

Centre, Leslie Smith Square,

London SE18 4DW

Monday 22 to

Friday 26

October

1pm

Woolwich Common Youth Club

144 Nightingale Place,

London SE18 4HE

Thursday 25

October

7pm

Woolwich Dockyard Adventure Play-

ground, Pett Street,

London SE18 5NZ

To be confirmed To be con-

firmed

Donna and her team of Rebecca, Veronica and Rose do a fantastic job every day to prepare and cook some very tasty meals! After the half term holidays, a new menu will be introduced; all families should have received their copy.

The cost of dinners for Autumn Term 2 is £92.00.

Thank you for your continued support during our busy first term of the 2018-19 school year! We hope everyone enjoys the half term break—whatever you are doing, have fun and take care. See you all on Monday, 29th October for an action- packed Autumn Term 2!

Please log into your Parent Pay accounts to pay any money owing on dinners, Play Club & Breakfast Club and chargeable extra curricular clubs and music tuition before the start of Autumn Term 2. Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has returned their signed Information sheets given out at Parents’ Evening. Thank you also to those parents/carers who have their Medical Alert Handbook consent form.

If you have not already done so, please can you ensure all outstanding forms are returned to the school of-fice by Monday, 29th October 2018.

Look out for your FROMS newsletter heading home today. Check out all the events and activities planned!