Dear Parents,

The children and teachers have settled well into the new term. It has been wonderful to visit each of the classes this week, listening to the children talking enthusiastically about their work and lessons.

Forms 1 & 2 have continued to explore Maldon by visiting Leeches Garden, as part of their ‘X Marks the Spot’ topic. Whilst there they identified things that were ‘alive and not alive’, they also determined which things had ‘never been alive’.

All classes have been making excellent use of the ‘Expressive Arts Room’, formerly known as Upper Form 1 and feedback from the children and staff has been fantastic. Toot & Dood, LAMDA and curriculum Music lessons will be taking place there each week.

Today, we have been supporting Jeans for Genes Day, raising awareness and vital funds for children living with genetic conditions. We support this event every year and I would like to thank you for your generous donations, we raised a total of £120.90.

We would like to extend a huge congratulations to Florence’s family, (Reception), who welcomed a new baby brother and Thea’s family, (Form 3), who welcomed a new baby sister. I am sure that Florence and Thea will be wonderful big sisters. We look forward to meeting the new arrivals soon.

Finally, good luck to Hugo, Diego, Olivia, Aidan and Gracie-May who will be sitting their 11+ exam on Saturday. Remember, ‘Your hard work has brought you here. Trust in what you know.’

Mrs Clark

Deputy Headteacher

Happy Birthday to Ethan, Paige and Clementine.

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Happy Birthday to Ethan, Paige and Clementine. ~~~

Stars of the week

Nursery

This week, the children have had lots of fun discussing their family members. Each child had a flower with their photograph in the centre. They filled the petals around it with photos of all the people and pets who are important to them. It was lovely to see and hear the children as they pointed, chatted and made expressions when they recognised the photos sent in from home.

On Monday, George brought in some apple and honey to share with his Nursery 2 friends as part of his family’s Rosh Hashanah celebrations. The children really enjoyed exploring this special celebration with George and listening to a story all about it.

We have also continued with our role play home, adding a bedroom this week. The children have had a great time getting cosy under the blankets and listening to stories together.

Our tuff trays have included a maths tray with objects to count from 1–5, as well as an oral health activity where the children used toothbrushes to clean the teeth in the tray. This supported our discussions about looking after our teeth, including the importance of brushing them and making healthy food choices.

Mrs Callaghan

PRE-RECEPTION

This week in Pre-Reception we have been finishing off our ‘Look At Me’ topic, the children have made fantastic family trees which we shared in circle time, we have also compared eye and hair colours and put this information into graphs displayed in the classroom.

The children have also been practising name writing, starting with tracing then having a go at writing letters independently. We were very impressed at the control and determination of the children.

Mrs Kennedy and Miss Hansell

FORMs 1 and 2

On Tuesday afternoon, Forms 1 and 2 continued their ‘X Marks the Spot’ adventure with a visit to Moot Hall. We explored this fascinating building and discovered more about the history of our local town. We learnt that Moot Hall is a very old building (over 600 years old) and that it has played an important part in Maldon’s history for centuries. The children were particularly fascinated to discover that the building was once used as a jail! We explored the old courtroom, imagining what it would have been like to stand before the judge many years ago. We looked carefully at the different features of the room and discussed how the courtroom and the way people were treated in the past might be different from today. We then had the exciting opportunity to climb up the amazing spiral staircase to the rooftop, where we enjoyed a fantastic bird’s-eye view of Maldon! From high above the town, we could spot familiar landmarks and places we had been learning about, including the river and our school. What a wonderful afternoon of exploring, discovering and learning!

Mrs Caldow and Miss Vaughan

Form 3

In our history lesson this week, we discussed how life would have been for early humans in the Paleolithic period of the Stone Age. We learnt about the tools they would have used, how they would have found food and how they may have spent their time. We had a look at cave art from the period and found it interesting how the pictures reflected the things that were important to them. We had a go at creating our own cave art inspired work using animal templates, oil pastels and crayons.

Miss Oxford

Form 5

Form 5 have amazed us with their Summer homework! They have produced a fantastic range of imaginative and innovative projects, demonstrating enthusiasm, originality and a real willingness to think outside the box.

From delicious creations in the kitchen, including healthy smoothies, WWII rock cakes and scrumptious apple crumble, to engaging quizzes, sensational artwork and wonderfully inventive board games, there has been something to delight and inspire us all.

We have been incredibly impressed by the effort and thought that has gone into each project. It has been wonderful to see Form 5 approach their learning with such enthusiasm and imagination, and we are very excited to see what they will accomplish throughout the coming year!

Mrs Dickinson and Mrs Knight