Heartsease Primary Academy Newsletter - 9th May 2025

Office update

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.

After School Club provision

We have noticed an increase in children not being collected on time at the end of the school day.

 The school day ends at 3:20pm, please make sure that your child is collected promptly at this time. If you are not able to collect your child at 3:20pm please book your child into the After School Club provision which can be found on MCAS. The charges for the After School club are as follows:-

3:20pm - 3:50pm - £2.50

3:20pm - 4:30pm - £5.00

3:20pm - 5:00pm - £6.00

Children being collected late has an impact on staff being able to attend meetings after school and causes distress to the child. If your child is not collected on time and the teacher has to put your child in the After School club we will have to add a charge to your MCAS account.

If you need assistance with booking your child into the After School club on MCAS please see a member of staff in the office who will be able to help.

Thank you.

Bikes / Scooters

Please can we remind Parents/Carers that children should not be riding bikes/scooters within school grounds. Children should be walking alongside bikes/scooters until they exit the school gates.

Mobile phones on School grounds

When entering school grounds please note that taking photographs / filming is not permitted.

Pedestrian Gate

It has been brought to our attention that on numerous occasions the pedestrian gate is being left opened when Parents/Carers are entering / exiting the school grounds. Please could the gate be kept closed at all times and our Caretaker will open the gate at the start and end of the school day.

 Thank you.

Fortnightly class updates and achievements

Nursery

This half term all the children are learning about growing. 

The younger children began the term by reading 'Jasper's Beanstalk'. We have planted some beans in clear plastic bags so we can watch them grow.

This week the book is 'The Enormous Turnip'. The children have been looking at different vegetables, feeling them and describing them. We continue to watch the beans grow. They have roots and we are waiting to see the shoots of the new leaves.

The older children have been thinking about gardens. The children walked around the nursery garden and identified plants and trees. The book was 'Errol's Garden', about a boy who lives in a block of flats and wants a garden. He finds a space on the roof of the flats. The neighbours all help to create the garden. The children also learned the nursery rhyme 'Mary, Mary quite contrary'. 

This week the book is 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. The children have each planted a bean and have drawn the giant's castle. All we have to do now is wait for the beans to grow. The children have been learning about what characters are in the story. They have begun to retell the story using pictures as support.

Ruby Class

Week commencing Tuesday 22nd April

Ruby class began working on comparing amounts in maths. Reception and Year 1 worked on 1 more, Year 2 worked on using <, > and =. Everyone told the class about their holiday, and wrote about something they had done. We used Google Earth to pan out from the school all the way into space, looking at key sites as we 'flew' higher and higher. Along with the rest of the school, we revised the school expectations about listening and walking around school. In outdoor learning, we tried to work as a team - travelling through the forest by stepping into hoops. We needed to pass them along the line to the front.

   Week commencing Monday 28th April

Ruby class continued comparing amounts in Maths. Reception and Year 1 worked on 1 less, Year 2 continued working on using < and > comparing 3 amounts. In English, we read and wrote about 'The Darkest Dark' - a book about the moon landing, written by astronaut, Chris Hadfield. In History, we learnt about two famous astronauts - Neil Armstrong and Mae Jemison. In PE, we pretended to be astronauts taking small steps and giant leaps. We also began practising our skills for sports day. In Science, we revised what animals, including humans, need to stay alive.

Week commencing Tuesday 6th May

In maths this week, Reception worked on counting back to subtract; Year 1 worked on doubling; Year 2 worked on multiplying in 5s. In English, we read 'But Martin' in which children's hair is described, so we wrote descriptions of our friends' hair. In History, we learnt about Chris Hadfield (the astronaut who wrote 'The Darkest Dark') and considered what was the same or different for life on Earth and in space (making a sandwich, brushing teeth, sleeping). In outdoor learning, we learnt to use tools. In Science, we discussed how exercise keeps us healthy, and learnt that it is really important for astronauts.

Attitudes to Learning Award

   Week commencing - Tuesday 22nd April

Kylo

For achievement - settling into our class as if he has always been here.

    Attitudes to Learning Award

   Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Sidney

For remembering his hip-to-lip running skills from last year and working really hard on maths at home.

Attitudes to learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Carter

For getting his ideas across when discussing same / different in History and for arriving on time every day during the first week after half term.

Reception (Jasper / Jade Classes)

In Reception we have been learning all about plants, what they need, what the parts of the plant are called and have read the books 'Mrs Noah's Garden' and 'The Extraordinary Gardener'. We then made a lovely garden in our outside area and have enjoyed watering the plants and taking care of them. 

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing Tuesday 22nd April

Jade Class

Oliver

For completing his speech sounds, reading every day during the Easter holidays, having a brilliant ready to learn attitude in Maths AND for being an extremely good friend. You have had a fabulous week Oliver - Keep it up! 

Jasper Class

King-David

For great focus in phonics and being very helpful throughout the week. Keep up the great work!

Attitudes to Learning Award

   Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Jade Class

Harry

For fantastic attitude and hard work in phonics this week, working independently and showing pride in his achievements. 

Jasper Class

Ethan

For having the courage to try many new things this week, and showing a responsible and independent attitude.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Jade Class

Tristan

for showing a great attitude, and showing pride in his own achievements.

Jasper Class

Sophia R

For being responsible in class, having a consistent good attitude to her learning, showing kindness and setting a good example to others.

Year 1 (Onyx/Opal Classes)

Last week we wrote a personal recount of an event that has happened to us following the study of when Winne the Pooh helped the Bees! This week we are used verbs and adjectives to describe the setting of space from the book Look up!

In science the chn have looked closer at reptiles and fish, thinking hard to describe them using features such as cold blood.

Geography we have started fieldwork and mapping, looking closely at what a map is and how to use one. We did History this week and deepen our understanding of a time line and how we can use this to order events in history. 

Don't forget if your child attends Fun Fast Phonics they get to choose an item from the golden box every time they attend.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 22nd April

Onyx Class

Oliver

 For his achievement within writing, putting thought into how he composes his sentences. 

Opal Class

Aria-Louise

For amazing work this week, Well done!

Attitudes to Learning Award

   Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Onyx Class

Evie Mae

For showing kindness and consideration towards others. 

Opal Class

Debora

For working really hard in class this week, Well done!

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Onyx Class

Cody

For always working hard and being helpful around the classroom.

Opal Class

Bliss

For kindness towards others, being considerate of other people.

Year 2 (Amber/Aqua Classes)

In English we started revisiting the features of narrative writing. In our rur reading lessons we started a new book about David Attenborough. In math our learning focus was developing an understanding of how to tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past and quarter to the hour. In science we looked into the question ,'How do seeds germinate and what happens?' We set up fair tests to investigate. In geography we started a new block on developing our field and mapwork skills. Our learning question was, 'How do we describe places?'

Our English focus this week was to plan and write our narrative stories based upon the nursey rhyme Jack and Jill.

In math our learning was centered on money . We focused on addition and subtraction using part-whole and bar models, in addition to counting methods to find the most efficient strategies. Our first history lesson of the new block looked at what Felixstowe is like today.

In our science lesson our focus was the learning question, 'What happens when bulbs sprout?' As well as monitoring the growth of our seeds planted the previous week, we set up new fair tests planting bulbs.

The children finished off the reading block based on the book David Attenborough's life. They all enjoyed writing about what their passions are currently and what they hope to do in the future. In writing we continued with our simple retelling of a narrative based up then nursery rhyme of Jack and Jill. We have been measuring the growth of our sunflower and bean plants and reaching conclusions about what plants need to grow and thrive.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 22nd April

Amber Class

Mateo

Mateo is a very kind and caring member of the class as well as being an excellent learning partner. Well done Mateo.

Aqua Class

Luca

For always showing kindness to everyone in the class. You are like a ray of sunshine and we love being in class with you.

Attitudes to Learning Award

     Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Amber Class

Oliver J

He has been really engaged with his learning this week. He worked carefully on his narrative planning and introductory writing based upon the nursery rhyme of Jack and Jill. He was ambitious with his vocabulary.

Aqua Class

Farh

For putting lots of effort into presentation and writing independently.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Amber Class

Dominykas

He wrote a superb short paragraph about what he hopes to be when he is an adult. He explained why and said what skills he has and will need to acquire to help achieve his ambition.

Aqua Class

Roxana

She scored 100% on this weeks arithmetic paper. Wow! Be proud and confident with yourself Roxana!

Year 3 (Coral / Crystal Classes)

Year 3 have been busy launching themselves into another fantastic art project ready for the art gallery at the end of the summer term! We have been using gesso and relief techniques to create our bases ready for our wire art.

In writing, we are at the end of our 1st person narrative unit and have begun to write our final pieces and they are looking great!

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 22nd April

Coral Class

Riley

For really applying himself to his learning this week. He has shown himself to be ready to work and he is really making an effort with the presentation in his books. He has been offering his ideas to class discussions and made particularly good connections in vocabulary. Well done, Riley!

Crystal Class

Olivia

For reading every day during the Easter holiday. Olivia has been determined to improve her reading and has consistently brought her reading record into school everyday. She had recorded 16 reads over the Easter holidays, well done Olivia!!

Attitudes to Learning Award

   Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Coral Class

Mahoor

He really applies himself to his writing this week. He used precisely chosen adjectives, expanded noun phrases and adverbs to describe the contrast between two locations. He use emotive language to draw the reader in and worked hard to ensure his punctuation was in place. Well done, Mahoor!

Crystal Class

Toby

For being eager to learn; he has shown great mindfulness with who he works with so that he can maximise his concentration levels to get the most out of his learning and has an all round mature attitude to his work.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Coral Class

Sophie

For her demonstration of teamwork during the computer lesson. Sophie made great suggestions of how to complete the task well, welcomed all members to the group and made sure that everyone had a chance to contribute. Well done, Sophie!

Crystal Class

Alivia

For her effort in writing, always concentrating and following the model and structure given and making effort to include descriptive vocabulary.

Year 4 (Garnet/Topaz Classes)

In writing, we have completed our third person adventure stories and will starting our next topic on stories form other cultures. In reading, we started our new core text: Young Gifted and Black. In maths we have continued to revise fractions, addition and subtraction. In Science, we started our new unit on electricity. In History, we learned about where the Vikings invaded and settled. In art, we have explored Giacometti's elongated figures and reproduced similar examples. In DT we investigated the strengths of different shapes and focused on trusses.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 22nd April

Garnet Class

Marley

For always trying his hardest no matter the lesson. Because of this, it has been great to see his increased independence in writing!

Topaz Class

Amelia T

For demonstrating a wonderful attitude and understanding in English. I was impressed at her editing skills, particularly how she responded to my marking and has adapted and improved her writing.

Attitudes to Learning Award

   Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Garnet Class

Barney

He has shown fantastic independence in his learning this week, managing to successfully complete much of his maths on his own!

Topaz Class

Jasmine

Jasmine has demonstrated a wonderful attitude to learning throughout the week. I was very impressed at her editing skills and improved pace in writing. Keep up the great work!

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Garnet Class

Hiba

For consistently trying her best no matter the subject. She makes sure to always put the work first.

Topaz Class

Armandas

For demonstrating a great attitude in his learning throughout the week. I was very impressed at his focus in writing, and how well he edited his work to improve it.

Keep up the great work!

Brilliant!

Year 5 (Emerald/Sapphire Classes)

Over the past two weeks, our class has been busy with various subjects. In math, we've learned about decimals, including how to add and subtract them. In English, we've written narratives with a Greek mythological twist, featuring gods and heroes. In science, we've explored the life cycles of different organisms, studying their growth and reproduction. These activities have made our learning experience both enriching and enjoyable.

This week, we've been working hard on a series of tests, and everyone has given their best effort. We also had a visit from the Into University team, who shared some great insights and support. Their visit was both informative and inspiring, adding a positive touch to our academic environment.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 22nd April

Sapphire Class

Lorna

For always challenging herself to improve with probing questions and striving to be successful in all her learning.

Attitudes to Learning Award

    Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Emerald Class 

Freddie

For being so focused lately showing a real desire to achieve in class. Keep it going.

Sapphire Class

Skylar

For showing a great attitude to her Mathematic's learning this week. She has been trying to work more independently and has been very focused during the lessons. 

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Emerald Class

Jake

This week he has been focused in class and engaged in the lessons. He has tried really hard in all our exams. Keep it up!

Sapphire Class

Chloe A

Chloe has been very focused during her assessments. She has thought deeply and tried her best. Well Done, Chloe. 

Year 6 (Diamond/Quartz Classes)

Year 6 have started a new unit in Writing, News Reports. This will be the second report that they will write up, using our unit in History, The Battle of Britain as inspiration for our final written news report. Both classes are continuing our class text, Skellig, in Reading. They are focusing on their retrieval and inference skills when picking out key information from the book and other supporting texts. In preparation for SATs, Year 6 are carrying out an extra Maths Meeting during the school day to focus on areas such as: time and problem solving. We also revisited long division in our Maths lessons, ready for the arithmetic paper in three weeks' time. A reminder that Year 6 PE is now on a Tuesday afternoon so please can you ensure your child comes into school on that day in correct PE kit.

Year 6 are continuing to gear up for SATs, with a lot of focus on Reading, Spelling and Maths. This is carried out through our regular daily lessons, as well as some extra focus on reading in our afternoon lessons in Science and History. In Maths, we are revisiting problem solving, in order to give confidence to the children for their SATs reasoning papers. In Art, we have continued our Printmaking and Textiles unit, with some batik artwork. The children have used wax, to create the outline of their drawing from previous work and will add ink next week.

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 22nd April

Diamond Class

Amelia

For her amazing achievement in the quality of her extended narrative. Well done!

Quartz Class

Riley

For his remarkable display of kindness this week. Riley has gone above and beyond to support his friends and has shown respect and thoughtfulness towards adults in school. It has been wonderful to see him offer support and encouragement to others around him.

Attitudes to Learning Award

   Week commencing - Monday 28th April

Diamond Class

Laila

For her amazing achievement this week. She always does her best in every lesson; her presentation is excellent and contributes ideas in class with her partner. Well done!

Quartz Class

Phoebe

for her achievements in Maths this week. Phoebe has worked well in Maths. She has shown real resilience in improving her knowledge of both long division and long multiplication. This has allowed her to be more successful in her weekly arithmetic tests. 

Attitudes to Learning Award

Week commencing - Tuesday 6th May

Diamond Class

Jessica

For her amazing narrative and use of wide range punctuation. Well done!

Quartz Class

Ella-Mae

Quartz Class are proud of Ella-Mae Howe for her achievements in class this week. Ella has missed a lot of school recently but has come back and quickly caught back up with all of the learning in preparation for SATs. Ella continually makes lots of positive contributions to the learning by always being ready to answer questions when asked upon and is helpful to others in class when completing paired or group work.

Commendation Awards

Bronze Award

Received 30 Commendations

Ronnie, Sophia, Oliver, Samuel, Riley - Onyx Class

liz, Natalia - Amber Class

DJ - Aqua Class

Paisley , Liz - Amber Class

Joseph - Coral Class

Amelia , Rereloluwa - Crystal Class

Marley, Yavus Ali - Garnet Class

Amelia C,  Amelia T,  William,  Estere - Topaz Class

Sevasti - Emerald Class

Gold Award

Received 75 Commendations

Milan - Crystal Class

Rainbow Reader Awards

Jaime - Opal Class

Ashleigh - Opal Class

PE Award

Lyssia - Quartz Class

We are proud of Lyssia for her achievement in PE.

She has been developing her sprinting technique and has massively improved in athletics. She also jumped an impressive 3.8 meters in long jump this week.

Well done Lyssia!

Additional Forthcoming events / Dates for the diary

Tuesday 20th May

BeechCroft Dental Practice visit

Friday 23rd May

Year 3 - Colchester Castle Trip

Friday 23rd May

Last day of term

Monday 26th May - Friday 30th May

Half term holiday - School closed

Monday 2nd June

School reopens

Week commencing Monday 23rd June

Reception - Year 5 Parents Evening

Friday 27th June

Inset Day - School closed to pupils

Monday 30th June

Nursery Sports Day

 9am-10am

Tuesday 1st July

Friends Disco - More information to follow

Wednesday 2nd July

Reception (Jade/Jasper Class) - Sports Day

9am-11am

Friends Disco - More information to follow

Thursday 3rd July

KS2 (Year 3/4/5/6) Sports Day

9am-12

KS1 (Year 1/2) Sports Day

1:15pm-3:20pm.

Saturday 5th July

Friends Summer Fete - 11am-3pm

Thursday 10th July

Nursery Graduation - Time to be confirmed

Friday 18th July

Year 6 leavers assembly - time / details to be confirmed

Year 6 Prom - 6pm - 8pm