A new term!

A Subject Topic & Skills Grid giving an overview of what the children will be covering this term will be shared next week.

Please find the Homework Timetable for the term here.

Weekly prep will continue, and Year 5 children should be spending 25-30 minutes per subject with the presentation and effort maintained as in all class work expectations.

Please encourage your child to work independently, and touch base with us if you have any concerns.

In addition, we expect the children to maintain focus on their weekly spellings and times tables by completing any activities and strategies set. Your children should continue to read aloud at home with an adult and bring a current reading book into school daily. We do have a variety of reading books in class and weekly library visits continue. Please encourage your child to read a wide variety of genres to help widen their vocabulary choices.

The Pennthorpe PSHEE curriculum will continue this term. In accordance with government statutory guidance, specific elements of age appropriate RSE (Relationship and Sex Education) will be incorporated where applicable. Please do contact Form Tutors, in the first instance, should you have any specific questions regarding curriculum content and/or feedback.

Year 5 will be covering the following topics:

Substances & the Law – Drugs common to everyday life, risks and effects of alcohol and smoking, current rules and laws.

Staying Safe – Privacy and personal boundaries, acceptable and unacceptable contact, permission-seeking and giving, personal safety.

This term we are looking forward to a trip to the Weald and Download Living Museum on Thursday 23rd May, where the children will have the opportunity to see, touch and even smell what life was really like for people living in years gone by.

During the visit, the children will take part in two workshops demonstrating different building techniques from the Tudor and Anglo Saxon eras. These workshops will give them first-hand knowledge as we move into Year 6 and cover both of these eras of history in lessons.

More information will follow nearer to the date.

For all absences, please complete the absence request form via the Parent Portal. Please see the guide here on how to request an absence for your child.

If your child will need any prescribed or over-the-counter medication administered during the school day, please complete the following form here. No medication can be administered without this form.

Children are to bring their water bottles to school and take them home daily. It is very important that the children drink water throughout the day, and using bottles in the classrooms helps to prevent spillages! If you do forget a bottle, just let us know and we can ensure that children have a cup to drink out of.

In Years 5 – 8 pupils must have their own fully stocked pencil case, including the following items:

• HB pencils
• Rubber
• Pencil Sharpener
• Two Blue handwriting pens (not biro)
• Red pen (a red biro is fine – children will use this to refine and perfect their work)
• 30cm ruler
• Coloured pencils
• Glue stick
• Three different coloured highlighters

Children should also have their charged laptop with them in school each day.

A reminder that mobile phones are not allowed in school. If you child needs to bring one for their journey to and from school (which must be pre-agreed if travel is on the school minibus), mobiles must be left at the Front Office for the duration of the school day.

Drop off is at 8:15am on the Terrace or in the Drop off zone, for registration at 8:20am. Children arriving earlier should be booked in for breakfast from 7:30am or join our Early Birds in the Sports Hall or Courts from 8:00am. Children should not enter the Clock Block earlier than 8:15am. Core lessons begin at 8.30am.

Pick Up is at 4:00pm at the front of school, unless your child is staying for Prep when pick up will be 5:00pm at the front of school. All children must ‘blob out’ with the member of staff on duty before they leave the school site.

If you would like your child to join us for breakfast, or stay beyond 4:00pm for Hobbies or After School Supervision / Supper Club, please book this via the Portal, or contact extendedday@pennthorpe.com for assistance.

This term, there will be many opportunities for the children to visit their new classroom, meet their new teachers and get a taste of life in Year 6. This will be incorporated into our timetable and it has been designed to allow the children to feel comfortable with the changes occurring.

Our bespoke Wellbeing scheme, SHOOTS, will incorporate the themes of ‘Self-Belief’ and ‘Transition’ this term. The first half of term will concentrate on activities related to ‘Good Goodbyes’ and the children will work with their current Form Tutor. In the second half of term, the children will focus on ‘Happy Horizons’ where they will have the opportunity to meet their new Form Tutor and complete activities in their new form bases.

Tuesday 25th June will be our Moving Up Day, where all the children will spend the day in the Year 6 class rooms. That evening we will also be hosting a ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening, where parents are invited to come in to school to find out more about day-to-day life in Year 6, and get to know the Year 6 team.

More information will follow towards the middle of the term.

As well as your pocket-sized diary, parents can also view the Summer Term calendar via the website and Parent Portal.

Please do have a look through and pop important dates in your diary.  Of course, sometimes plans need to be updated, and so any changes will be updated on our electronic calendar and communicated to you as soon as possible.

The key events for our Year 5 parents include:

• Parents of children in Years 3-5 are invited to an Atom Information Session on Wednesday 1st May at 8:30am.
• The Year 5 Pre-test Subject Parents’ Evening is scheduled for Thursday 9th May with appointments starting from 4:15pm.
• The Year 5 pupils will enjoy a Forest School morning on Wednesday 15th May.
• Year 5 & 6 parents are invited to an Effective Revision and Learning Techniques Session on Wednesday 22nd May at 8:30am.
• The Year 5 Trip to the Weald and Downland Museum will take place on Thursday 23rd May.
• Sports Day followed by our Pennthorpe Family Summer Social will be taking place on Friday 24th May.
• We will be hosting a Future Schools Information Session for Year 5 Parents on Friday 14th June.
• Tuesday 25th June is our ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening, an opportunity to meet key staff for the next academic year.
• Music for a Summer’s Evening on Thursday 27th June.
• The children are invited to dress up for our Whole School ‘Be You’ Dress Up Day on Friday 28th June to celebrate PSHEE & Diversity Spotlight Week.
• Save the date for our Pennthorpe Golf Day on Sunday 30th June.
• Prizegiving for pupils in Years 1 – 8 will take place on Saturday 6th July.
• Wednesday 10th July is the end of term with school finishing for Year 5 at midday.

Our brilliant Friends of Pennthorpe, as always, will be doing lots to support our school and community this term. Key things for you to watch out for include:

• Bags of Support collections on Friday 26th April and Friday 14th June.
• The Summer Term Friends of Pennthorpe meeting is scheduled for Thursday 2nd May at 8:30am. Everyone is welcome to attend to help develop upcoming FoP plans.
• After school Ice Cream Sale on Friday 17th May.
• The Friends of Pennthorpe Father’s Day Shop will open its doors on Wednesday 12th June.
• The Friends of Pennthorpe AGM will be held on Tuesday 18th June.
• Friends of Pennthorpe Second Hand Uniform Shop & Blueblood Sports Pop Up Shop on Tuesday 25th June.

As it is the Summer Term, all children should now be in summer uniform. Please make sure your child’s uniform is labelled with their name, as it does make it a lot easier to reunite lost items with their owners.

Children are expected to wear smart uniform each day:

• All children should wear their blazers coming to and from school.
• Clean black school shoes (if a child need to wear trainers, for example where their school shoes have been misplaced, please make the form teacher aware)
• Shirts need to be long enough to tuck in.
• Earrings – one plain stud only. No hoops. The child needs to be able to take the earrings out independently for PE and Games lessons.
• No necklaces.
• Plain wristwatch, no smartwatches to be worn.
• All shoulder length tied up with a plain hairband or small school coloured scrunchie or headband.

Please make sure your child has a sun hat and sun cream in school during the Summer Term, as the weather gets warmer. Please also apply sun cream before the children come to school as we will be outside as much as possible. We cannot provide sun cream in school so it is essential that children bring this in themselves.

As a reminder, all PE and Games kit should be brought in to school on a Monday morning and should be taken home for washing at the end of each week (see below for sports kit requirements).

The Year 5 Team will be conducting a complete kit check at the beginning of term.  This will include wellies, waterproof trousers, school play coat, water bottle and sports kit. It is important that the children understand the importance of looking after and organising their own property. Please support this at home, by ensuring your child uses their independence and organisational skills to ensure they have what they need in school each day and take care of their belongings (especially their charged laptops!).

If you have any uniform requirements, please place an order via our website here. You can also book an appointment at the Uniform Shop by contacting uniform@pennthorpe.com or drop in during the times below:

• Monday 8:30am – 9:30am
• Tuesday 3:30pm – 4:30pm
• Wednesday 3:30pm – 4:30pm
• Thursday CLOSED
• Friday 8:30am – 9:30am

For the Summer Term the boys and girls will be switching to cricket and athletics. A full kit list is available here, and all branded items can be ordered through Blueblood

Cricket:

White Pennthorpe branded top, white cricket trousers (these can be any brand and are optional for girls), white socks, a blue Pennthorpe cap, and trainers or cricket shoes. White cricket jumper is an optional extra.

Pads/helmet/gloves/box pants are required for those playing hardball (see team sheets for some groups in Year 5 or above). The school can provide pads/helmet/gloves if necessary.

Athletics:

Blue Pennthorpe branded polo shirt and shorts, athletics vest (optional), white socks, and trainers or athletics spikes.

Please do not park in the drop-off lanes at the front of school if you are coming to watch sports fixtures or waiting for a child to come out at pick up. These lanes are intended for dropping-off only!

Instead, please park up in the car park, or find a safe place to park on the neighbouring roads (being considerate of our neighbours, especially with regards parking near to junctions or driveways)