Meridian Primary School

Parent Newsletter 11 - Friday, 25th November 2016

www.meridian.greenwich.sch.uk

Here’s what we have been learning this week? Nursery children have sent a letter to their friend, Anvita who has moved back to India with her family. Children went to the Post Office and paid for the letter to be sent. Some of the questions they asked included: What is your school like? How do you get to school? Is it hot where you live? What are your friends like? What do you wear to school? They are investigating how her life in India is the same or different to theirs.

Reception children have been learning to add quantities together by rolling two giant dice.

Y1 have been drafting letters to their Canadian penpals; they are telling them all about Lon-don.

Y2 have been on an imaginary journey around the world to learn the seven different continents.

RHR have been reading the book The Way back Home by Oliver Jeffers. They have created a sto-ry map and used adjectives to describe the characters in more detail.

Y3 have been learning about multiplication and division, thinking about inverse operations using arrays.

Y4 have been choosing efficient methods to solve problems in Maths.

The Castle Group has been learning about Roman Numer-als.

Y5 mathematicians have been using a story about a giant and his design for a palace to help them understand dec-imals. Giant, pixie and fairy footsteps were used to represent ones, tenths and hundredths in decimals.

Elemental Explorers have been exploring Growth Mind-set and how they can change their thinking by changing their language. For example,

instead of:

we want to say:

Y6 have been creating realistic volcanoes and enjoyed creating an eruption using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda during this week’s Open Morning.

As a result of all our reading challenges,

spotty dressing and cake eating we raised a record breaking amount for Pudsey! Thank you everyone for your very generous support!

WOW! Well done Meridian—

you raised a “spotacular” £879.04!

It was great to see so many parents and carers at this week’s “open” sessions. Children really enjoyed showing all they have learnt throughout the Where in the World Am I whole school topic. It was an interactive experi-ence with parents completing maths challenges, taking part in quizzes and making volcanoes erupt! There was singing, dancing, scientific experiments and lots more.

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us at the

2016 Lantern Parade! What a great way to start the festive season.

This is too hard—I can’t do it!

I can’t do this yet, but

I’m going to keep trying.

I did 2431 +2000 mentally.

There’s no point in doing a

written method because it’s

easy to add when there are

so many zeros! Dahlia, Y4

The boy shouted at the top of his

voice but the martian on the

moon still couldn’t hear him.

I can count in 500s now—

D, M, MD, MM etc.

Yejide, Castle Group

It’s 2016 Enterprise Week next week—all classes will be designing, making and promoting their own products to sell at the fair next Friday.

I told my penpal that the

London Eye has 36

pods. Aedan, Y1

It was good to see what the children have

been learning and how enthusiastic they

were to share it. I found out where all the

rainforests in the world are. Y3&Y4 parent

It was very enlightening—I found out a lot about London

that I didn’t know. Y1 parent

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Holiday/INSET dates in green;

Monday 28th-Friday 2nd December—2016 Enterprise Week for all classes - our amazing products will be on sale at the Christmas Fair

Friday, 2nd December—3.30-5.30pm-FROMS Christmas Fair

Friday, 2nd December—we are No.2 on this year's Greenwich Advent Window trail

Monday, 5th December—Choir taking part in lunchtime Christ-mas concert at the ORNC—details to follow.

Tuesday, 6th December—Y5 & 6 to the Albany Theatre based at Canada Water to see A Christmas Carol.

Wednesday, 7th Dec—School Christmas lunch

Thursday, 8th December— Y1 & Y2 + Friday, 9th December—Nursery & Reception class—to the Albany to see The Snail & The Whale.

Wednesday, 21st December—Last day of Autumn Term 2

Thursday, 22nd Dec—Monday, 2nd January—School holidays

Tuesday, 3rd & Wednesday, 4th January—INSET Days—school closed to children

Thursday, 5th Jan—First day of Spring Term 1 except for Nursery children. Nursery closed for home visits for new intake of children.

Friday, 6th January—Nursery reopens.

The Greenwich Community Directory is a one-stop-shop for all of your health, social care and community needs. There is a range of services to support you both at home and in the com-munity; as well as information and advice about what’s available in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Support on healthy living can be given through the Greenwich Healthy Living Line on 0800 4704831 OR visit www.greenwichcommunitydirectory.org.uk

After School Clubs - Dates for the last sessions for

this half term are listed below:

Mon, 28th Nov—last sessions for Choir, Computer Club,

KS1 Drama and piano lessons (a few children are owed a

piano lesson which will take place on Tuesday 6th Dec)

Tuesday, 29th Nov—last session for Multi Sports

Wednesday, 30th Nov—last Drumming and Ukulele clubs

Thursday, 1st Dec—last session for Girls Football, Craft

Club, Table Tennis

Friday, 2nd Dec—NO KS1 or KS2 Football or KS2 Drama

due to the Christmas Fair—last sessions for these clubs

will run on Friday, 9th Dec

Monday 5th/Thursday 8th Dec—last guitar lessons

Tuesday, 6th December— catch up piano lessons & last

Activ Kids (owed from Autumn Term 1)

Please note: Play Club runs up until Wed, 21st Dec.

Well done to Year 4 who were the Attendance winners for Week 3 of Autumn Term 2.

Anti-Bullying Week 2016 Our Y5 & Y6 School Council representatives joined Children’s Mentor, Chris, at Charl-ton House last week to represent Meridian at the Royal Greenwich Schools Anti-Bullying Conference. The children took part in drama workshops to explore different issues.

On Monday the children shared what they had learnt in our whole school assembly. They also reminded us all that bullying is purposeful and persistent—it is intended to be hurtful and keeps happening over a period of time.

During the week, in lessons and in assem-blies, children identified different types of bullying and what is in place at school to prevent it happening. This includes playground friends, peer mediators, cir-cle times and all the grown ups in school who children can talk to if they are wor-ried about anything.

Chris and the Y5 & Y6 school council repre-sentatives then led drama workshops in many classes to help children see things from the perspective of two characters—one who was wasn't be-ing included in games and one who was being unkind to other children.

Y1, 2 & 3 thought about “looking out for others”, learning how to identify situations where children are not part of a game and how they can include more children in their play-times.

In Y4, 5 & 6 children thought about what they could do to help if another child was being unkind. Classes discussed what they could do to challenge these behaviours and find solutions.

Bullying at Meridian is rare and we always take allegations of bullying very seriously. Our behaviour and anti-bullying policies are on the school website and summarised in the mini guide which was sent out to all parents at the start of the year. If at any time you have any concerns about your child’s wellbeing, please speak to their class teacher or Jo, Kaie or Chris as soon as possible.

Monday, 19th Dec from 1.45pm Nursery & Reception and Y1 & Y2 Christmas performances

Tuesday, 20th Dec from 1.45pm —Y3/4 and Y5/6 Christmas performances

Congratulations to Esther in Y4 who came runner up in a story writ-ing competition run by Emirates Air-lines. Read all about The Peculiar Pearl at www.emiratesflighttimestories.com/story-library

Don’t forget it’s the Christmas Fair from 3.30-5.30pm, next Friday, 2nd December

There are lots of exciting things planned including Christ-mas games and activities, Santa’s grotto and children’s Enterprise stalls. There will be handmade goods on sale so come along and pick up some Christmas presents. FROMS need volunteers to help set up, run a stall and clear up afterwards. Donations are also required for “wrap-a-gift” stall, hampers, tombola, raffles and also cakes and biscuits. If you have any jars with lids please bring them in. Thank you for your continued support.