Copy of Heartsease Primary Academy Newsletter - 14th November 2025
Welcome
Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope you all had a restful half term and are ready for an exciting few weeks ahead as we move towards the festive season.
Firstly, a huge thank you to all parents and carers who attended our recent Parents’ Evenings. These meetings are such an important opportunity to celebrate the progress pupils are making and to share next steps together. Your support makes a real difference.
Please take time to read the newsletter below carefully, as it contains important information about our upcoming Christmas performances. We are looking forward to welcoming families into school to enjoy these special events.
Well done to all classes who have spent time learning about and supporting Children in Need. Pupils engaged in activities that helped them understand the importance of charity and community, and we are proud of the thoughtful conversations and enthusiasm shown across the school.
Finally, we would like to celebrate and congratulate all of the pupils who have received awards this week. Their achievements reflect the hard work, kindness, and determination we see every day in our classrooms.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Warm regards,
Mrs G Guy
Executive Headteacher
Office update
Aspens Select - Lunch ordering system
If you wish to order your child a school meal please note that the orders have to be placed before 9am on the day. If you have not set up your account and need some assistance please visit the school office so we can provide you with your log in details and help with setting up your account. To find the link to access Aspens Select, go onto MCAS, select 'announcements' and the link can be found in this section.

If an order is not placed for your child we will not be able to offer them a choice on the day, they will be given tomato pasta.
Contact Information

It is very important that we have the most up‑to‑date contact information for every child. Please check that we hold the correct names and telephone numbers, as well as details of the adults who have permission to collect your child/children.
You can update or amend this information quickly and easily through the Arbor app, clicking on child profile and existing details.
Keeping these details current helps us to ensure your child’s safety and that we can contact you promptly if needed.
Thank you for your support.
Christmas Performances
We’re excited to share that each year group will be performing a short Christmas celebration in the school hall this December. These performances will include festive songs, poems, and readings, and we warmly invite two family members per child to attend.
Kier Class Christmas Celebration - Wednesday 10th December 1:30-2pm
EYFS Christmas celebration - Wednesday 10th December 2:30-3pm
Year 1 Christmas celebration - Thursday 11th December 2:30-3pm
Year 2 Christmas celebration - Friday 12th December 2:30-3pm
Year 3 Christmas celebration - Monday 15th December 2:30-3pm
Year 4 Christmas celebration - Tuesday 16th December 2:30-3pm
Year 5 Christmas celebration - Wednesday 17th December 2:30-3pm
Year 6 Christmas celebration - Thursday 18th December 2:30-3pm
Further details around clothing for the event will be shared by the end of next week.
Christmas jumper and Christmas dinner day - Tuesday 9th December -
please order through the Aspen app!
Sickness/Illness
A reminder to inform the office if your child is unwell before 8am by phoning the office on the absence line.
System Change - MCAS to Arbor
All parents/carer's should have received the new link for Arbor which was sent out on Tuesday 2nd September. All emails/messages seem to be going into Junk/Spam rather than your main inbox.
If you did not receive the link or are having difficulty setting up please do let a member of staff know in the office so we can assist you with setting up.
Please note that MCAS (My child at school) is no longer in use.
Free School Meals
A reminder that if your child is in Yr2 (Bond/Sanchez Vegara), they will no longer be entitled to a universal free school meal when they move into Yr3 (Blackman/Hooper). You may still be entitled to free school meals and you can check if you are at www.norfolk.gov.uk/neo You could save up to £400 a year.
After School Activity Clubs
Following on from the message that was sent out last week the after school activity clubs are live on Arbor for you to book, spaces are limited. Please note that when you are booking a place please pay attention to the term dates you are booking your child in for. If there is nothing available for September-December this means that the club is currently full.
Flu Vaccinations
Second catch up visit for school vaccinations will take place within school on the 28th November.

Diarrhoea/Vomiting
Please be reminded that if you child has an episode of diarrhoea / vomiting they need to be at least
48 hours
clear from the last episode before returning to school.
Fortnightly class updates and achievements
Respect Award Winners
Kier Class:
Alec - for perseverance to develop knowledge of number.
Potter Class:
Christine - a trust award for following the Heartsease Way, and for always showing fantastic manners.
Bright Class:
Kevin - for showing a great attitude to learn.
Bond Class:
Halima - for working very hard and not giving up.
Sanchez Vergara:
Chinedu - for being focused in learning and showing the Heartsease Way.
Blackman:
Oliver - congratulation on earning a service away for being such a helpful member of the class.
Hooper:
Emma - demonstrating great enthusiasm in maths and using great written addition skills.
Farook:
Ivy - fantastic work with her peers and an amazing member of the class.
Said:
Blake - perseverance award for being focused consistently, across every area of the curriculum.
Grill:
Harry-Jay - Making a fantastic start to the half term for being focused and ready for learning.
Rundell:
Lola - for being an excellent class member and working hard.
Thompson:
Malia: having a fantastic attitude to learning and trying her best for all letter.
Almond:
Faith: Have shown real resilience in maths, working exceptionally hard and becoming a master of long version.
Reception

This week in EYFS, the children have been learning about a range of important celebrations and events. They explored the excitement of fireworks through creative play and artwork, made beautiful clay lamps to mark Diwali, and reflected on Remembrance Day by creating poppy-themed crafts and talking gently about its meaning. In Maths, we’ve been focusing on the composition of the number 3 using part-whole models, helping children build strong foundations in number understanding through hands-on activities and exploration.
Kier Class
This week, the children have thoroughly enjoyed reading Rosie’s Walk and using the story to inspire their learning. In Maths, we explored directional prepositions, helping pupils to develop their understanding of position and movement.
In Geography, we began learning about maps and even went on a local area walk to put our knowledge into practice. The children loved spotting familiar places and thinking about how these connect to our community. This work will feed directly into next week’s History lessons, where we will build on what we discovered.
We also spent time reflecting on the values of Kier Class, recognising and celebrating the wonderful differences that make each of us unique.
Year 1
Year 1 have been busy exploring a wide range of exciting topics this week. In Science, the children have been learning about plants and studying the features of different trees, building their understanding of the natural world around them. In Writing, they have been practising instructional writing, focusing on clear steps and sequencing. In Geography, pupils have begun learning about the continents and oceans, developing their knowledge of the wider world. In Maths, the focus has been on working confidently with numbers to 20, using practical activities to strengthen number sense. Finally, in Art, the children have enjoyed creating geometric paintings, experimenting with shapes, colours, and patterns to produce striking designs.
Year 2
In Year 2 we have all been very excited to return to school. We have embraced being back into the classroom, learning so many things this week. We are loving our book, Paddington and his London adventures. We have learnt how to use our I pads in different ways, explored different ways to calculate numbers and spent time thinking about how music makes us feel.
Year 3
Year 3 have had a busy and exciting week of learning across the curriculum. In Maths, we’ve been developing our skills in addition and subtraction, using different strategies to solve problems with increasing confidence. In Reading, we’ve been enjoying Leon and the Place Between, a magical and imaginative story that has sparked some brilliant discussions. In Writing, the children have been working on non-chronological reports about rocks, linking beautifully with our Science topic, where we’ve been exploring different types of rocks and their properties. We’ve also started our DT unit on textiles, where pupils are beginning to learn basic stitching techniques and thinking about how fabric can be used creatively.
Year 4
Year 4 have begun learning about the Nativity this week in RE and are putting this to good use in preparing their Christmas performances - look out for a letter and the words to learn!
In science, we have begun learning about states of matter. We looked at water, why not help us observe water changing from ice to water and then to water vapour so we can really see how solids, liquids and gases differ. In writing, we are finally writing our diary entry on pizza making. I'm sure we would love the chance to share our new skills with you - perhaps we could write a diary entry of something we did over the holiday: our teachers would love to see it is we did. In art we began a new unit on painting - we are colour mixing now to tertiary colours. Can we tell you what tertiary means? In history, we continued learning about the Anglo-Saxons - did you know they all lived in one big room with a fire constantly burning?
Year 5
Year 5 have had a busy and creative week across the curriculum. In Reading, they are continuing with The Explorer and have been using echo reading and read-along strategies to develop their fluency and confidence. In Writing, pupils have been crafting poems with word play, working hard to include puns, alliteration, and internal rhyme in their work. In Maths, they are finishing their unit on line graphs and timetables and will be moving on to multiplication and division next week. As part of their DT learning, Year 5 will be preparing food again next week, making Smørrebrød—a Danish open sandwich topped with a variety of vegetables. Looking ahead, the class will soon begin rehearsals for their Christmas performance, which will feature three festive songs alongside a selection of Christmas-themed readings and poems.
Year 6
This week in Year 6 we’ve been busy learning and exploring lots of different things. In maths, we’ve been tackling long division and multiplication, really pushing ourselves to get quicker and more confident with tricky problems. In English, we’ve been writing stories that include a moral, which has made us think carefully about the lessons our characters can teach. For reading, we’ve been diving into Pig Heart Boy, which has sparked some great conversations about science and emotions. And in science itself, we’ve been learning all about the heart—how it works and why it’s so important for keeping us alive and healthy. It’s been a full and exciting week, with plenty of new skills and ideas to take away!
Additional Forthcoming events / Dates for the diary
Parents Evening (Spring 2) - 11th and 12th March 2026
SENCo Parent Appointments - On parents evenings
EYFS Sports Day - Monday 29th June - 1pm
Sports Day (KS1) - Monday 29th June - 9:30
Sports Day Reserve (KS1) - Monday 6th July
Sports Day (Year 3 and 4) - Wednesday 1st July - 09.30
Sports Day (Year 5 and 6) - Thursday 2nd July - 09.30
Sports Day Reserve (KS2) - Wednesday 8th July - 9:30
Year 6 Residential - Monday 13th - Wednesday 15th July
Year 6 prom - Friday 10th July
Year 6 leavers assembly - Friday 17th July
Year 6 leavers trip (bowling) - Tuesday 7th July
Kier Class Christmas Celebration - Wednesday 10th December
EYFS Christmas celebration - Wednesday 10th December
Year 1 Christmas celebration - Thursday 11th December
Year 2 Christmas celebration - Friday 12th December
Year 3 Christmas celebration - Monday 15th December
Year 4 Christmas celebration - Tuesday 16th December
Year 5 Christmas celebration - Wednesday 17th December
Year 6 Christmas celebration - Thursday 18th December
World Book Day - 5th March 2026
NSPCC Number Day - Friday 6th February
Red Nose Day - 20th March 2026
Year 1 - Art and Music Cafe - Thursday 12th February 2026
Year 1 - Family phonics - Wednesday 18th March 2026
Year 1 - Family Maths Challenge - Tuesday 25th November 2026
Year 2 - Art and Music Cafe - Thursday 5th February 2026
Year 2 - Family phonics - Thursday 19th March 2026
Year 2- Family Maths Challenge - Tuesday 25th November 2026
Year 3 - Art and Music Cafe - Friday 6th February 2026
Year 3 - Family phonics - Friday 20th March 2026
Year 3 - Family Maths Challenge - Thursday 27th November 2026
Year 3 - Reading and prosodic reading - Thursday 16th October
Year 4 - Family Maths Challenge - Thursday 27th November 2026
Year 4 - Reading and prosodic reading - Thursday 16th October
Year 5 - Family Maths Challenge - Wednesday 19th November
Year 5 - Reading and prosodic reading - Thursday 9th October
Year 5 - Family OAA - Monday 22nd June
Year 6 - Family Maths Challenge - Wednesday 19th November
Year 6 Family OAA - Tuesday 23rd June
EYFS Parent Cafes
Christmas stay and play - Tuesday 9th December
Valentines stay and play - Thursday 12th February
Easter stay and play - Tuesday 24th March
Mini beast stay and play - Tuesday 19th May
