The Riverside Reporter

ISSUE 12 – 11th December 2015www.riversideprimaryschool.org.uk

THIS TERM’S SCHOOL VALUES ARE TO SPOT OUR CHILDREN WHO ARE:

Our new wall feature in the Main Office, doesn’t it look good!

ASPIRATIONAL & CONFIDENT

This week:Dates for your diary, Year 4 trip, Christmas Fair, lots of

learning and much more …

Year 4 Trip to the Maidenhead Heritage CentreOn Tuesday 7th December Peepal Tree class went on an exciting trip to the Maidenhead Heritage centre. The trip was all about the Romans which has been our topic this term. We learnt about why the Romans invaded, what life was like for Romans in Maidenhead and how we know about it. We got to experiment with different types of Roman food, create our own hypocaust and even got to see a real Roman skeleton, Julius!The children showed great enthusiasm and eagerness to learn more about the Romans. I’m sure if you see any of Peepal Tree class they will be willing to tell you all about it. Thank you to Miss Porter, Mrs Razaq and Mrs Gulzar who helped make the trip possible.Interesting fact of the day: The Romans created the name ‘Great Britain’ due to the great amount of Tin in the country!

Christmas FairOn Saturday 12th December, it’s the Riverside Christmas Fair from 11am – 2pm. We have lots of great stalls and activities for the children and their families to enjoy. A big thank you to those of you who have kindly donated things for the fair tomorrow. Don’t forget to bring your 20p’s, 50p’s and £1’s to spend on some of the fabulous stalls and games. We look forward to seeing you there

INSET Day – Monday 4th January 2016On Monday 4th January we will be having a staff training day. Therefore the first day back for your child, after the Christmas holidays, will be Tuesday 5th January.

From the Head’s Chair

Dear All Another lovely week at your school, which has been made even more magical with the nativity yesterday. Your children were amazing – singing beautifully, acting confidently and making us all so very proud. I hope many of you managed to see the performance.As you know, my time at Riverside was going to be short- I will leave on Wednesday (sadly) but will be replaced with a very able Headteacher from Yorkshire, Mr John Wright. He has much experience in headship, is very approachable and will prove to be an asset to the school, until the Governors recruit for a permanent Headteacher. I wish him well and know you will all look after him, as you have me! He will be in school next Wednesday and Thursday, so please say hello. We also, sadly, have to say good bye to some of our teachers, who are moving to pastures new at Christmas, Mrs Hurst and Mrs Black. We wish them well in their new posts and thank them for their hard work during their time with us. We welcome Johanna Moore in Oak class, Madelien Persen in Beech class. Mrs Pockett will move to year one, working with Miss Porter, Miss Young will be covering PPA in Early Years and year two. We will confirm the replacement for Mrs Hurst as soon as we can. It has come to my notice that absence in some classes is very low. As you know, it is very, very important that children attend school every day, are on time and ready to learn. We would urge you to ensure that, unless your child is really poorly, that they attend regularly – children’s progress, particularly in maths, really suffers when they have days off. We have noticed that gaps in knowledge are not easily filled as the curriculum is very full and other pupils

Rev Sally Lynch from St Luke’s Church came in to work with Year 3 this week.

move on quickly and can leave those that have been absent behind. It makes for big difficulties – so please send your children in!Well done to OAK, SILVER BIRCH and PEEPAL TREE you are the top three classes for attendance this week . Thank you all so much for your cakes, your efforts and your presence tomorrow at the Fair. I watched as some beautiful cakes came into Chestnut class this morning.

Browyn Hamilton BrownInterim HeadteacherTel: 01628 621741 Email: riverside@rbwm.org.ukVisit our Website on: www.riversideprimaryschool.org.ukWe are on Twitter @RiversideMhead

TALKING HOMEWORKSpoken language lies at the heart of communication and without it there would be no books and no writing.  One of the best ways for children to improve their work at school is for them to become confident and articulate speakers.We believe that your involvement in your child’s learning is crucial and that you can make a real difference to the progress your child makes.  With this in mind I am introducing a new simple form of Talk Homework.  Each week in the newsletter I will send home a simple discussion task; it will be same for all children in school so families can do it together. The aim is to get children sharing ideas with their families and developing their vocabulary and imagination.Please help your child to discuss the question they have been given and particularly focus on why they think that.  It is vital for children to try to talk in full sentences and to use words such as 'because'. Please discuss the question at home and let the children know your opinions. Here are some simple guidelines for how to do it:

Set aside some time for ‘Talk Homework’; Encourage as many family members as possible to be home on Talk

Homework evening and consider discussing the question while having a meal together.

Don't just give your opinion, use the 'because' word to explain why you think that.

Give the possible opinions of two contrasting family members who are not present for

the talk, and use the 'because' word to explain why they may be different. Ask others around the table to give their opinions and to use the 'because'

word. Ask your child his/her opinion and ask them to use the 'because' word. You could link the topic back to something you remember from when you were

a child and say why things may be different now. We do hope you will enjoy joining in with this learning.

This Week’s Challenge:What achievements are you proud of this term?

2015 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

DATE OCCASION WHO?Saturday 12th December

Christmas Fair / Winter Festival 11am – 2pm All

Monday 14th December

KS2 Mid Winter Warmers performance for Parents / Carers 2.30pm Main Hall

KS2 Parents / Carers

Wednesday 16th December

Caterlink Christmas LunchAll

Friday 18th December

Save the Children – Christmas Jumper Day AllLast Day of Term All