Whole School Letters
September Ebooks from the School Library Service
Dear Parents/ Carers
Our school believes reading good books is important and we want to let you know about an exciting development. As well as the many excellent "real" books available to enjoy from school, your child will now be offered access to a library of e-Books as well. The eBook library will aim to promote reading for pleasure by providing a broad range of fiction and some leisure non-fiction for each pupil to choose and read independently.
Your child will be given their own user name and password to access an online library of books which is made available to us by the School Library Service (SLS). The books have been chosen by SLS to be suitable for our age group and we know that there will be many great books to enjoy. You can preview the eBooks at http://portsmouth.wheelers.co
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Each user can select one book at a time and has three weeks to read it
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The child can return the book early to select another book, if they want
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The eBook library offers children a different reading experience and will help to further inspire reading for pleasure
The eBook library operates within a web browser so they will be able to read at home on any device which gives access to the internet, such as a lap top, tablet or smart phone. It will be possible to adjust the font size, background colour etc.
Unfortunately the Amazon Kindle won't be able to access our eBook library as Amazon uses its own, non-standard file type. However, the Kindle Fire will work as it gives internet access via the Silk web browser.
Please encourage your child to participate fully in this opportunity.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely
Mrs R Canavan
School Librarian
September Newsletter
CRANESWATER NEWS
I would like to welcome back everyone who has been with us in previous years and extend a very warm welcome to all of our new children and parents.
I have been very impressed with how the children have returned to school after a very unsettled time and I am delighted with the positive attitude to learning they are showing. It is a real pleasure to see the children happy and contented in school.
Thank you to all the parents who have stuck by our new drop off and pick up arrangements. They seem to have worked quite smoothly and children are clear about where they need to be. I would ask that parents remain behind the dotted yellow lines on the carousels.
Cars on St Ronan’s Road.
It is really important that, for the safety of the pupils at the school, that parents DO NOT park or stop at the top end of St Ronan’S Road. This applies to the zig zag markings, the double yellow lines AND the single yellow line by the lower school building. Parking or stopping in these place causes bottle necks and makes it dangerous for pupils trying to cross the road.
I would encourage families to walk, scoot or cycle to school. Where this is not possible please try and park on the roads surrounding Craneswater rather than right by the school on St Ronan’s Road.
Please also avoid waiting on St Ronan’s Road by the barriers in order that parents and children can pass by without having to walk into the road.
COVID and Absences
We have been receiving calls asking for advice concerning COVID-19. While we are happy to advise, we are not medical practitioners and it would be preferable to take a look at the NHS website which may help you with your concerns. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/.
We advise that parents check this website and if they are still unsure call 111 or 119 for help.
If a child is unwell with other symptoms such as sore throat, earache, stomach ache, runny nose, skin rashes, or a winter related illness such as norovirus with vomiting and diarrhoea, then parents are advised to check online health condition advice – is my child too ill to go to school, and contact their local pharmacy or GP if they need further help.
We have included a quick reference guide for schools which has been updated by Portsmouth City Council, for your information at the end of this newsletter. Please keep it handy to refer to in the future.
Lost property
Please make sure all of your child’s uniform, PE kit, coat and lunch box are clearly labelled. This means that we can return any lost items quickly. Due to COVID restrictions, we will no longer hold the lost property in the reception area. Instead, there will be a box in the lower school corridor, the library in upper school area and the school hall. Children will be able to look in the box for anything belonging to them.
Scooters and Bikes
Scooters and bikes are not to be ridden on the playground. Scooters should be stored by the steps to the field or the blue scooter rack in the middle playground and bikes in the bike store in the car park.
Online Safety and Guidance
A reminder to all parents that on the front page of our website is a link to ‘Childnet international’. This provides lots of useful information and advice for both pupils and parents.
Online Payments
Thank you to the year 3 parents who have signed up to SCOPay. We are 50% of the way there for this year group. You should have received a ‘link code’ via email to enable you to set up your online account in July or August. This account will enable you to pay for school meals, trips and other activities. Please contact the office by, email, if you have not received the email or are having problems getting set up.
We will shortly be asking for contributions towards your child’s Design and Technology projects and you will need to have a SCOpay up in order to pay for this.
Flu Vaccination
We will be having a whole school flu nasal vaccination on 12th November 2020. Consent forms will be sent out after half term.
Homework
You should by now have received an exercise book for homework along with any necessary pupil log in details. Whilst many of the activities may be set online the book should be used to support the process of learning for example jottings/working out in maths and practising their spelling strategies before applying them to the online quiz. This is a book that should be used at home and can remain at home.
If you have any issues in accessing these online platforms please contact your child’s class teacher thorugh the admin team.
Remote learning
Should your child need to self isolate/quarantine for a period you can find work to be completed on the website, Simply go onto the year group page and scroll down. All work (if not online) can be completed in the homework book.
Academic year
Dates of the current academic year are on the website under: Information/Term Times and school hours
School Photographer
The school photographers, “Yellow”, will be in on Wednesday 14th October . Please make sure that your child has their sweatshirt or cardigan with them. We usually have sibling photographs doen but due to COVID restrictions, this will not happen.
INSET DAYS
A reminder that, as per our letter of 30th August, we wil be closed for an Inset day on Monday 5th October. During the day staff will be working on curriculum development. Our next inset day will be on Monday 30th November.
Absence Reporting and Text Communication
Thank you to those parents who have signed up to Studybugs. This is a system for reporting absence and for receiving information texts from school. If you have not done so please sign up as soon as possible in order that you can receive text messages from school. Otherwise you will receive information by email only.
Year 3 Letters
September Curriculum Letter
Dear Parents/Carers,
We hope your children are settling easily into their new Year 3 classes. Please find below details of various aspects of the learning and organisation of Year 3.
Daily Routines and Independence
From the very start of Year 3, we encourage the children to show responsibility and independence. Please be aware that the Year 3 lockers are large enough for a small school bag and a coat and are not suitable for rucksacks or any additional items. We request they use a small school bag to carry letters, home reading and library books. Children are required to look after and remember their lunch boxes, jumpers, musical instruments and other belongings.
Homework
In light of the current situation, we are now setting online weekly homework. Your child’s log in details will come home in their green book, which should then remain at home. If you have any problems with accessing the online platforms or your child has limited computer access, please contact your child’s class teacher via the office.
Spelling: This will be set every Monday to be completed by the following Monday. Children will use an online spelling curriculum using Purple Mash. Each child will have ten words to practise in their homework book before completing an online quiz. Your child will be tested on their spellings weekly on a Friday. The first spelling homework will be sent home week commencing 21st September once we have accurately assessed the children and ensured they are learning the most appropriate words.
Maths: This will be set on a Monday and to be completed by the following Monday. This is set online (MyMaths). Additionally, children should be practising their multiplication tables and related division facts regularly as we assess these weekly. They will receive logins for Times Table Rock Stars (TTRS) to support this.
Home Reading
Your child will have the opportunity to choose a library book to take home each week. We encourage you to listen to your child read on a regular basis and discuss the events, characters and settings. Your child will have a home-school reading book for you and your child to record what they read each week. An adult in the class will check this on a weekly basis. In addition, all children can select a school library book of their choice, which will stay in school for quiet reading times. Your child’s library days are as follows:
3D and 3B – Thursday (Reading records return on Tuesdays).
3R and 3W – Friday (Reading records return on Wednesdays).
P.E.
P.E. will be on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is important that your child wears their kit into school on these days: ideally blue or black shorts, leggings or tracksuit bottoms, yellow P.E. t-shirt, a blue or black sweatshirt or warmer zip up top and trainers or plimsolls.
If stud earrings are worn, as permitted by the school and LA policies, these should be removed for P.E. sessions. Children with newly-pierced ears must bring in tape to cover their earrings. Please note that teachers and other members of staff are not permitted to remove a child’s earrings, therefore children must be able to remove and replace them on their own or bring a suitable microporous tape to cover them.
Clothing
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have named your child’s clothing and belongings. “I can’t find my jumper / t-shirt / shorts,” is a common complaint at times and reuniting clothing with owners is made so much easier when names are inside. We would appreciate it if you could also check that labels do not fade away after uniforms have been washed a few times.
Trips and Activties
In Year 3, there are a range of trips and activities that we usually plan to support the curriculum and need financial support to pay for. For the foreseeable future, due to Covid-19 restrictions, these may not take place but you will be informed of those we are able to book as they occur. Please be aware that prices are approximate. At the request of parents, we have tried to detail these in advance for the year as follows:
Design Technology activities for year- £2.00
Visit to the Methodist Church to see a mock baptism – September - Free
Skeleton Workshop using museum artefacts – September - £1.00
Egyptian Museum Open Session (at school for parents) – Free – December
Hooke Court – 3 day optional residential visit - £170– January 2021
Stone Age Workshop – for non-residential children - £10 – January 2021
Southsea Seafront – Free – April 2021
Gunwharf Quays and Spinnaker Tower - £9.00 – May 2021
Just Different workshop for P.S.H.E.- £4.00 - July 2021
Professional Musicians – there may be additional requests for payments should performances to the school be arranged during the year
Healthy Snacks
Children are allowed to bring in a healthy snack for their morning break. They are welcome to bring in fruit, cereal bars or any healthy alternative to keep in their tray in a separate container to their named lunch box until break time. Please note that crisps, chocolate bars and sweets are not acceptable healthy snacks. Children will also need to bring their own named water bottle in school so they have access to drinking water during the day.
Curriculum Map
A curriculum map, which is a general overview of the work your child will be doing during the year, will be available on our website. If you require a hard copy, please contact the office.
Contact us
Finally, if at any time you have any queries or concerns, please let us know. Contact teachers via the office by phone and email and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
The Year 3 team
Mrs Robinson 3R Mr Dugan 3D Mrs Brooks 3B Miss Wilkinson 3W
September procedures for whole school opening
Dear parents
We are delighted to be opening up to all and look forward to having your child start their time with us here at Craneswater Junior School. We have been working hard on plans to keep pupils as safe as possible while making sure the school day and classroom environment feels familiar and normal. Our first official start date is Thursday 3rd September.
Once again we are offering our new year 3 pupils a second opportunity to visit the site and see their teacher on Wednesday 2nd September. If you feel that your child would benefit from this opportunity, please enter the site by the St Ronan’s Road entrance near Albert Road.
The timings of this will be:
Southsea Infant 9:00 to 9:40
Cumberland Infant 10:00 to 10:40
Bramble Infant and all other schools 11:20 to 12:00
Please ensure you leave promptly at these times so we can welcome the next group.
Please also ensure that you maintain social distancing at all times.
September arrangements
On the first and second day of term (Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September), we will ask you to join us at 9.20 in the middle playground for a 9.30 start. For many of the children in school this will be their first day at school since March and we think it will be easier for our new year 3 children to settle given a later and less busy start. We will also finish at 2.30pm for year 3 children on those days for the same reasons.
On these 2 days please enter the site via the entrance on St Ronan’s Road nearest Albert Road and leave via the more southerly exit on St Ronan’s Road. See Map A.
From the week beginning Monday 7th September year 3 will then begin their standard start and finish times alongside the rest of the school. These are set out below:
years 3 and 5 drop off 8.30am and collection 2.50pm
years 4 and 6 drop off 8.40am and collection 3.00pm
Classes 3B (Mrs Brooks), 3D (Mr Dugan) and 3R (Mrs Robinson) will enter and leave via the southerly entrance on St Ronan’s Road. 3W (Mrs Wilkinson) will enter and leave via the northern entrance on St Ronan’s Road. Please see Map B.
Getting to and from school
Please avoid using public transport as far as possible. We would encourage walking, cycling and scooting – there are facilities for cycle and scooter storage at school. We would suggest that you bring a lock as all are left at owners’ risk.
Please do not congregate around the site at the beginning and the end of the school day to ensure that social distancing is maintained. As far as possible please either; allow your child to come to school on their own (if you feel that is appropriate) or drop them off near the school allowing them to walk to the school entrance by themselves.
If you feel that you need to bring your child onto the school site please use the carousel systems to drop your child off without staying around to engage in conversation with your child’s teacher (obviously a quick hello is fine). This is so we can maintain social distancing and make drop offs efficient. This is a walking carousel as opposed to a stop and wait. Please queue up outside the school premises maintaining social distancing and do not cross the yellow markers in the playgrounds.
Please be on time. Children will not be allowed to stay and play on site at the end of the day.
The car park entrance should only be used by children who are entering and leaving the site by themselves and is not for parents at the moment.
Communication
Please contact the office by email or telephone call as far as possible rather than coming into the reception area as we need to minimise the number of adults on site. DFE guidelines state that parents should only come into school in an emergency. In any event we will only allow one parent/family in reception at a time. Our preferred method of communication for general messages is ‘Studybugs’ You should have received details of this app in our hadbook. If you have not already signed up please do so by following this link https://studybugs.com/
Miscellaneous
Children should NOT wear facemasks in school as this is against government advice. If you choose to wear one on the way to school they will need to be put away in a bag or disposed of in a bin
Pupils should wear school uniform except on PE days where they children should come in their PE kit. Children will be informed of their PE days once we return to school. We will be keeping windows open as much as possible so please make sure your child dresses accordingly and has a jumper to wear
Water bottles are to be brought in from home and taken home daily
Children should not bring in any additional items e.g. pencil cases. All equipment will be provided in individual pencil cases.
There will be no hot lunches as there are too many logistical challenges to enable these to be provided safely. Children will still be able to order a cold packed lunch through
SCOPay or in class, which will still be provided free for those eligible. Please follow the link for more information https://caterlinkltd.co.uk/school/portsmouth-citycouncil/
We emailed sign up details for parents to set up a SCOPay accoutnt a few weeks ago. If you have not received the email or have had problems with the account, your child will still be able to order a meal in class. The admin team will be contacting parents who have notified us of problems early next week.
If you are providing your child with a packed lunch from home lunches are to be placed in a washable lunchbox with your child’s name and class clearlhy labelled.
Health
We are fortunate in Portsmouth that the level of infection is currently low. You can play your part in keeping the rate of infection low and reducing the spread of the virus by:
Helping your child understand and follow the school's new arrangements to keep everyone as safe as possible
Teaching your child how to wash their hands effectively, and ensuring they wash their hands frequently
Encouraging good respiratory hygiene, by following the "catch it, bin it, kill it" guidance when coughing or sneezing
Keeping your child off school if they or anyone in the household has symptoms of coronavirus, or if they have returned from a country with quarantine restrictions in the last 14 days.
If reporting an absence please use the Studbugs app. https://studybugs.com/
Please contact us if your child has any underlying health conditions that you feel we need to be aware of and that may affect their return to school on admin@craneswater.portsmouth.sch.uk
INSET Days
We also have two in service training days days booked for the autumn term on Monday October 5th and Monday 30th November. Therefore, school will be closed on these two days.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Jones
Year 4 Letters
September Curriculum Letter
Dear Parents/Carers,
We hope your children have settled into their Year 4 classes. Please find below details of various aspects of the learning and organisation of Year 4.
Homework
In light of the current situation, we are now setting online weekly homework. Your child’s log in details will come home in their green book, which can then remain at home. If you have any problems with accessing the online platforms or your child has limited computer access, please contact your child’s class teacher.
The first week of homework is Monday 14th September
Spelling: This will be set every Monday. Each child will have ten words to learn and practise during the week and then will be tested in class on a Friday. We would encourage your child to use a range of strategies to help learn their spellings and they may wish to practise in the green homework book. Once your child feels confident that they have learnt their spellings, they then complete the online Purple Mash Quiz which will be able to be viewed by your child’s teacher. Quizzes will need to be completed by the following Monday and feedback will be provided online or verbally within class.
Maths: Maths homework is completed on an online program called My Maths, which is accessible by desktops or tablets. This will be set every Monday to be completed by the following Monday. Your child will use their existing username and password to log on. Whilst this is an online homework, your child may use additional resources such as paper and pencil to support their working. At the end of the homework, there is a ‘mark it’ icon, which will then mark and score the piece of work. Children may re-attempt the homework if they wish to improve their initial score. All scores will be accessible by the class teacher and feedback will be given either electronically or verbally within class. Additionally, we encourage your child to continue practising multiplication tables each week using Times Tables Rockstars. They should be able to recall each multiplication table up to 12 x 12, including corresponding division facts by the end of year 4.
Home Reading
Your child will have the opportunity to choose a library book to take home each week. We encourage you to listen to your child read on a regular basis and discuss the events, characters and settings. Your child will have a home-school reading record book for you and your child to record what they read each week. An adult in the class will check this on a weekly basis. In addition, all children can select a school library book of their choice, which will stay in school for quiet reading times. In light of the new regulations, all reading records and reading books will need to be returned on Mondays. Year 4 will have allocated time in the library on Wednesdays and therefore reading records and books will be taken home on this day.
P.E. and Games
P.E. will be on Tuesdays and Fridays. It is important that your child wears their kit into school on these days: ideally blue or black shorts, leggings or tracksuit bottoms, yellow P.E. t-shirt, a blue or black sweatshirt or warmer zip up top and trainers or plimsolls.
If stud earrings are worn, as permitted by the school and LA policies, these should be removed for P.E. sessions. Children with newly-pierced ears must bring in tape to cover their earrings. Please note that teachers and other members of staff are not permitted to remove a child’s earrings, therefore children must be able to remove and replace them on their own or bring a suitable microporous tape to cover them.
Usually, Year 4 would have swimming lessons as part of the PE Curriculum. However, due to Covid-19 we are awaiting further guidance about if and when this can go ahead.
Clothing
May we take this opportunity to thank all of you who have named your child’s clothing and belongings. “I can’t find my jumper / T-shirt / shorts,” is a common complaint at times and reuniting clothing with owners is made so much easier when names are inside. If you could name all items of clothing and lunch boxes, it would be much appreciated.
Trips & Activities
In Year 4 there are a few activities that we would ask for a voluntary contribution towards. Please be aware that prices are approximate and that trips are subject to change due to the current Covid-19 situation. At the request of parents, we have tried to detail these in advance for the year as follows:
Design Technology activities for the year (Autumn term) - £4.00
Cumberland House (Autumn Term) - Free
Council Chambers/School visit by Stephen Morgan (Spring Term) - Free
Portals to the Past Roman Workshop (Summer Term) - £5.00
Beaulieu - optional 5 day residential - £230
Manor Farm - alternative day trip for those not on the residential - £9.50
Curriculum Map
A curriculum map, which is a general overview of the work your child will be doing during the year, will be available on our website. If you require a hard copy, please contact the office.
Healthy Snacks
Children are able to bring in a healthy snack for their morning break. They are welcome to bring in fruit, cereal bars or any healthy alternative to keep in their tray in a separate container to their named lunch box until break time. Please note that crisps, chocolate bars and sweets are not acceptable healthy snacks. Children will also need to bring their own named water bottle in school so they have access to drinking water during the day. This will be returned home each day to be washed.
Finally, if at any time you have any queries or concerns, please let us know.
Yours sincerely,
The Year 4 team
Mrs Waterman & Mrs Braham Mrs Nzegwu Ms Lawrence Mr Richards
4BW 4N 4L 4R
September procedures for whole school open
Dear parents and carers
We are delighted to be opening up to all and look forward to having your child back with us next week. We have been working hard on plans to keep pupils as safe as possible while making sure the school day and classroom environment feels familiar and normal. Our first official start date is Thursday 3rd September.
Key messages and arrangements for September
Getting to and from school
Please avoid using public transport as far as possible. We would encourage walking, cycling and scooting – there are facilities for cycle and scooter storage at school. We would suggest that you bring a lock as all are left at owners’ risk.
Please do not congregate around the site at the beginning and the end of the school day to ensure that social distancing is maintained. As far as possible please either; allow your child to come to school on their own (if you feel that is appropriate) or drop them off near the school allowing them to walk to the school entrance by themselves.
If you feel that you need to bring your child on to the school premises please use the carousel systems to drop your child off without staying around to engage in conversation with your child’s teacher (obviously a quick hello is fine). This is so we can maintain social distancing and make drop-offs efficient. This is a walking carousel as opposed to a stop and wait. Please queue up outside the school premises maintaining social distancing and do not cross the yellow markers in the playgrounds.
At the end of the day you can either:
arrange a place outside the school grounds to pick up your child,
your child can walk home alone
use the carousel system to pick up your child as teachers will be on the playground with their class.
Please be on time. Children will not be allowed to stay and play on site at the end of the day.
Timings
We will be having split drop off and collection times:
years 3 and 5 drop off 8.30am and collection 2.50pm
years 4 and 6 drop off 8.40am and collection 3.00pm
Classes will be dropped off and collected in the following playgrounds using the carousel system. See attached map.
The car park entrance should only be used by children who are entering and leaving the site by themselves and is not for parents at the moment.
Communication
Please contact the office by email or telephone call as far as possible rather than coming into the reception area as we need to minimise the number of adults on site. DFE guidelines state that parents should only come into school in an emergency. In any event we will only allow one parent/family in reception at a time.
Miscellaneous
Children should NOT wear facemasks in school as this is against government advice. If you choose to wear one on the way to school they will need to be put away in a bag or disposed of in a bin
Pupils should wear school uniform except on PE days where they children should come in their PE kit. Children will be informed of their PE days once we return to school. We will be keeping windows open as much as possible so please make sure your child dresses accordingly and has a jumper to put on
Water bottles are to be brought in from home and taken home daily
Children should not bring in any additional items e.g. pencil cases
There will be no hot lunches as there are too many logistical challenges to enable these to be provided safely. Children will still be able to order a cold packed lunch through SCOPay which will still be provided free for those eligible.
If you are providing your child with a packed lunch from home lunches are to be placed in a washable lunchbox with your child’s name and class clearlhy labelled.
Health
We are fortunate in Portsmouth that the level of infection is currently low. You can play your part in keeping the rate of infection low and reducing the spread of the virus by:
Helping your child understand and follow the school's new arrangements to keep everyone as safe as possible
Teaching your child how to wash their hands effectively, and ensuring they wash their hands frequently
Encouraging good respiratory hygiene, by following the "catch it, bin it, kill it" guidance when coughing or sneezing
Keeping your child off school if they or anyone in the household has symptoms of coronavirus, or if they have returned from a country with quarantine restrictions in the last 14 days.
If reporting an absence please use the Studbugs app. https://studybugs.com/
Please contact us if your child has any underlying health conditions that you feel we need to be aware of and that may affect their return to school on admin@craneswater.portsmouth.sch.uk
INSET Days
We also have 2 in service training days days booked for the autumn term on Monday October 5th and Monday 30th November.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Jones
Year 5 Letters
September Curriculum Letter
Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope your children have settled easily into their Year 5 classes. Please find below important information:
Homework
In light of the current situation, we are now setting online weekly homework. Your child’s log in details will come home in their green book, which should then remain at home. If you have any problems with accessing the online platforms or your child has limited computer access, please contact your child’s class teacher via the office.
Homework will be set every Monday (starting week beginning Monday 14th) and should be submitted by the following Monday. Both spelling and maths will be set online on Purple Mash and MyMaths respectively. Children will be tested on their spellings in class each week.
Additionally, we encourage you to practise times tables with your child each week. This can be completed in paper form, by rote or by using Times Tables Rockstars. Children should be able to rapidly recall each times table up to 12 x 12.
Home Reading
All the children can select two library books from the school library. One will stay at school and one will be a book of their choice which should be taken home. The library books should be returned when completed or when children are requested to do so. We would encourage children to read daily, even if for a short time. Children will have the chance to change their library books during their class library session, which will be on a Tuesday.
If your child has any outstanding loans, please return these as soon as possible.
P.E.
P.E. will take place on Monday and Friday each week.
Your child must come into school wearing their correct kit on these days. Please note that this is a yellow or white t-shirt; navy, black or grey shorts/jogging bottoms; a navy sweatshirt or hoodie and suitable outdoor trainers.
All jewellery, including watches, must be removed on safety grounds. The wearing of stud earrings will be permitted, but, as stated in the school policy, these should be removed for P.E. sessions. Children with newly pierced ears must bring in tape to cover their earrings. Please note that teachers and other members of staff are not permitted to remove a child’s earrings; therefore children must be able to remove and replace them on their own. Children with long hair will need to tie it back for P.E. lessons.
Clothing
May we take this opportunity to thank all of you who have named your child’s clothing. “I can’t find my jumper / T-shirt / shorts” is a common complaint at times and reuniting clothing with owners is made so much easier when names are inside. If you could name all items of clothing, it would be much appreciated. All footwear should be black and suitable for school. Please also label lunch boxes.
Trips & Activities
In Year 5, there are a range of trips and activities that we need financial support to pay for. Please be aware that prices are approximate. At the request of parents, we have tried to detail these in advance for the year as follows. However, due to Covid restrictions, all trips and visits are subject to cancellation in light of changing government guidance.
Design Technology activities for year - £4.00
Saxon Workshop (Autumn) – £4.50
South Downs Planetarium (Autumn) - £6.00
River Study (Spring) - £9.50
Stubbington – 5 day optional residential (Summer) – £223.00
Queen Elizabeth Country Park – non residential alternative (Summer) - £6.00
Professional Musicians – there may be additional requests for payments should performances to the school be arranged during the year
Curriculum Map
A curriculum map, which is a general overview of the work your child will be doing during the year, will be available on our website. If you require a hard copy, please contact the office.
Healthy snacks and water bottles
Children will need to bring a water bottle into school (to go home each day to be cleaned) so they will have access to drinking water during the day. Children are welcome to bring in fruit, cereal bars or any other healthy snack. Please note that crisps, chocolate bars and sweets are not acceptable healthy snacks.
Finally, if at any time you have any queries or concerns, please let us know.
Yours sincerely,
The Year 5 team
Mrs Barnard Miss Olive Miss Vaughan Mrs Pounsett Miss Woods
5B 5O 5V 5PW
September procedures for whole school opening
Dear parents and carers
We are delighted to be opening up to all and look forward to having your child back with us next week. We have been working hard on plans to keep pupils as safe as possible while making sure the school day and classroom environment feels familiar and normal. Our first official start date is Thursday 3rd September.
Key messages and arrangements for September
Getting to and from school
Please avoid using public transport as far as possible. We would encourage walking, cycling and scooting – there are facilities for cycle and scooter storage at school. We would suggest that you bring a lock as all are left at owners’ risk.
Please do not congregate around the site at the beginning and the end of the school day to ensure that social distancing is maintained. As far as possible please either; allow your child to come to school on their own (if you feel that is appropriate) or drop them off near the school allowing them to walk to the school entrance by themselves.
If you feel that you need to bring your child on to the school premises please use the carousel systems to drop your child off without staying around to engage in conversation with your child’s teacher (obviously a quick hello is fine). This is so we can maintain social distancing and make drop-offs efficient. This is a walking carousel as opposed to a stop and wait. Please queue up outside the school premises maintaining social distancing and do not cross the yellow markers in the playgrounds.
At the end of the day you can either:
arrange a place outside the school grounds to pick up your child,
your child can walk home alone
use the carousel system to pick up your child as teachers will be on the playground with their class.
Please be on time. Children will not be allowed to stay and play on site at the end of the day.
Timings
We will be having split drop off and collection times:
years 3 and 5 drop off 8.30am and collection 2.50pm
years 4 and 6 drop off 8.40am and collection 3.00pm
Classes will be dropped off and collected in the following playgrounds using the carousel system. See attached map.
The car park entrance should only be used by children who are entering and leaving the site by themselves and is not for parents at the moment.
Communication
Please contact the office by email or telephone call as far as possible rather than coming into the reception area as we need to minimise the number of adults on site. DFE guidelines state that parents should only come into school in an emergency. In any event we will only allow one parent/family in reception at a time.
Miscellaneous
Children should NOT wear facemasks in school as this is against government advice. If you choose to wear one on the way to school they will need to be put away in a bag or disposed of in a bin
Pupils should wear school uniform except on PE days where they children should come in their PE kit. Children will be informed of their PE days once we return to school. We will be keeping windows open as much as possible so please make sure your child dresses accordingly and has a jumper to put on
Water bottles are to be brought in from home and taken home daily
Children should not bring in any additional items e.g. pencil cases
There will be no hot lunches as there are too many logistical challenges to enable these to be provided safely. Children will still be able to order a cold packed lunch through SCOPay which will still be provided free for those eligible.
If you are providing your child with a packed lunch from home lunches are to be placed in a washable lunchbox with your child’s name and class clearlhy labelled.
Health
We are fortunate in Portsmouth that the level of infection is currently low. You can play your part in keeping the rate of infection low and reducing the spread of the virus by:
Helping your child understand and follow the school's new arrangements to keep everyone as safe as possible
Teaching your child how to wash their hands effectively, and ensuring they wash their hands frequently
Encouraging good respiratory hygiene, by following the "catch it, bin it, kill it" guidance when coughing or sneezing
Keeping your child off school if they or anyone in the household has symptoms of coronavirus, or if they have returned from a country with quarantine restrictions in the last 14 days.
If reporting an absence please use the Studbugs app. https://studybugs.com/
Please contact us if your child has any underlying health conditions that you feel we need to be aware of and that may affect their return to school on admin@craneswater.portsmouth.sch.uk
INSET Days
We also have 2 in service training days days booked for the autumn term on Monday October 5th and Monday 30th November.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Jones
Year 6 Letters
Maya Workshop
Dear Parents/Carers
Re: Maya Workshop
As part of our history topic on the Maya, ‘Past Productions’ will be visiting our school to deliver a Maya workshop on Tuesday 6th October 2020 and Wednesday 7th October 2020.The day will include opportunities for the children to find out lots of information about this ancient civilisation and explore some Maya artefacts. They can also take part in a drama/re-enactment and meet a warrior! Past Productions have personal ties to the Mayan community and still have family living in the Yucatan Peninsula; they will be great at bringing the subject to life as well as making it fun through a diversity of activities.
There is no requirement for your child to make or bring anything Mayan to wear.
The school has carried out an internal risk assessment to ensure the workshops and events are Covid secure.
6M and 6DS will have their workshop on Tuesday 6th October and 6B and 6CR on Wednesday 7th October.
To meet the cost of this workshop, we would like to ask parents/carers to make a voluntary contribution of £6.20. Payment should be made on ScoPay by Friday 2nd October 2020.
Thank you for your support.
Yours sincerely
Year 5
Yours sincerely
September Curriculum Letter
Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope your children have settled easily into their new year 6 classes. Please find below details of various aspects of the learning and organisation of year 6.
Curriculum Map
A curriculum map, which is a general overview of the work your child will be doing during the academic year, will be available on our website. If you require a hard copy, please contact the office.
School Uniform
You are reminded that the policy about school uniform is clearly stated on the school website. All children should be wearing a white polo-shirt, shirt or blouse; navy blue sweatshirt or cardigan (preferably with school logo); black or grey trousers, shorts or skirts and black shoes (not black trainers). To avoid potential loss of clothing, please ensure all garments are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Homework
In light of the current situation, we are now setting online weekly homework. Your child’s log in details will come home in their green book, which should then remain at home. If you have any problems with accessing the online platforms or your child has limited computer access, please contact your child’s class teacher via the office.
The first week of homework is Monday 14th September
Spelling: This will be set every Monday. Each child will have ten words to learn and practise during the week and then will be tested in class on a Friday. We would encourage your child to use a range of strategies to help learn their spellings and they may wish to practise in the green homework book (this book will not need to be returned to school). Once your child feels confident that they have learnt their spellings, they then complete the online Purple Mash Quiz which will be able to be viewed by your child’s teacher. Quizzes will need to be completed by the due on the following Monday and feedback will be provided verbally within class.
Maths: Maths homework is completed on an online program called My Maths, which is accessible by desktops or tablets. This will be set every Monday to be completed by the following Monday. Your child will use their existing username and password to log on. Whilst this is an online homework, your child may use additional resources such as paper and pencil to support their working. At the end of the homework, there is a ‘mark it’ icon, which will then mark and score the piece of work. Children may re-attempt the homework if they wish to improve their initial score. All scores will be accessible by the class teacher and feedback will be given verbally within class. Additionally, we encourage your child to continue practising multiplication tables each week using Times Tables Rockstars.
Home Reading
As part of our whole school approach to reading, children will have the opportunity to choose a library book to take home. Children are encouraged to read every evening. Please encourage and support your child with their reading.
P.E.
P.E. will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is important that your child wears their kit into school on these days: ideally blue or black shorts, leggings or tracksuit bottoms, yellow P.E. t-shirt, a blue or black sweatshirt or warmer zip up top and trainers or plimsolls.
All jewellery, including watches or wrist bands, must be removed on the grounds of safety and security. The wearing of stud earrings will be permitted, but, as stated in the school and LA policies, these should be removed. Children with newly pierced ears must bring in tape to cover their earrings. Please note that teachers and other members of staff are not permitted to remove a child’s earrings; therefore, children must be able to remove and replace them on their own or bring a suitable micro-porous tape to cover them.
SATs Week
SATs for all Year 6 children is planned for the week of 10th – 13th May. It is important that no holidays or medical appointments are booked during this week. If any tests are missed, they cannot be rescheduled.
Trips and Activites
In Year 6 there are a few activities that we would ask for a voluntary contribution towards. Please be aware that prices are approximate. However, due to Covid restrictions, all trips and visits are subject to cancellation in light of changing government guidance. At the request of parents, we have tried to detail these in advance for the year as follows:
Design Technology activities for year - £4.50 – Autumn Term
Maya Workshop – History workshop in school - £10 – September
Fairthorne Manor – 5 day optional residential visit – £285.00 – 24th- 28nd May (instalments)
Mary Rose Activity Day- Local History Study- £9.00- June
Paultons Park – Computing and DT - £18 – July
Mobile Phones and Social Media
It is recommended that your child does not bring a mobile phone to school as we cannot be held responsible for any damage that may occur. However, if you decide it is necessary for your child, then the procedure is that they turn their phone off before entering the school grounds and hand it to their class teacher at the start of the day to be stored. Mobile phones should not be turned on until your child has left the school grounds. We would like to remind parents that the school policy is that children should not be using any social media platform beyond the legal age stated or without parental supervision. Therefore, any issues arising will always be referred back to parents.
Finally, if at any time you have any queries or concerns, please let us know via the school office.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Carter-Rowe Mr McMaster Mrs Di Marco / Mr Salmond Miss Batten
6CR 6M 6DS 6B
September pocedures for whole school opening
Dear parents and carers
We are delighted to be opening up to all and look forward to having your child back with us next week. We have been working hard on plans to keep pupils as safe as possible while making sure the school day and classroom environment feels familiar and normal. Our first official start date is Thursday 3rd September.
Key messages and arrangements for September
Getting to and from school
Please avoid using public transport as far as possible. We would encourage walking, cycling and scooting – there are facilities for cycle and scooter storage at school. We would suggest that you bring a lock as all are left at owners’ risk.
Please do not congregate around the site at the beginning and the end of the school day to ensure that social distancing is maintained. As far as possible please either; allow your child to come to school on their own (if you feel that is appropriate) or drop them off near the school allowing them to walk to the school entrance by themselves.
If you feel that you need to bring your child on to the school premises please use the carousel systems to drop your child off without staying around to engage in conversation with your child’s teacher (obviously a quick hello is fine). This is so we can maintain social distancing and make drop-offs efficient. This is a walking carousel as opposed to a stop and wait. Please queue up outside the school premises maintaining social distancing and do not cross the yellow markers in the playgrounds.
At the end of the day you can either:
arrange a place outside the school grounds to pick up your child,
your child can walk home alone
use the carousel system to pick up your child as teachers will be on the playground with their class.
Please be on time. Children will not be allowed to stay and play on site at the end of the day.
Timings
We will be having split drop off and collection times:
years 3 and 5 drop off 8.30am and collection 2.50pm
years 4 and 6 drop off 8.40am and collection 3.00pm
Classes will be dropped off and collected in the following playgrounds using the carousel system. See attached map.
The car park entrance should only be used by children who are entering and leaving the site by themselves and is not for parents at the moment.
Communication
Please contact the office by email or telephone call as far as possible rather than coming into the reception area as we need to minimise the number of adults on site. DFE guidelines state that parents should only come into school in an emergency. In any event we will only allow one parent/family in reception at a time.
Miscellaneous
Children should NOT wear facemasks in school as this is against government advice. If you choose to wear one on the way to school they will need to be put away in a bag or disposed of in a bin
Pupils should wear school uniform except on PE days where they children should come in their PE kit. Children will be informed of their PE days once we return to school. We will be keeping windows open as much as possible so please make sure your child dresses accordingly and has a jumper to put on
Water bottles are to be brought in from home and taken home daily
Children should not bring in any additional items e.g. pencil cases
There will be no hot lunches as there are too many logistical challenges to enable these to be provided safely. Children will still be able to order a cold packed lunch through SCOPay which will still be provided free for those eligible.
If you are providing your child with a packed lunch from home lunches are to be placed in a washable lunchbox with your child’s name and class clearlhy labelled.
Health
We are fortunate in Portsmouth that the level of infection is currently low. You can play your part in keeping the rate of infection low and reducing the spread of the virus by:
Helping your child understand and follow the school's new arrangements to keep everyone as safe as possible
Teaching your child how to wash their hands effectively, and ensuring they wash their hands frequently
Encouraging good respiratory hygiene, by following the "catch it, bin it, kill it" guidance when coughing or sneezing
Keeping your child off school if they or anyone in the household has symptoms of coronavirus, or if they have returned from a country with quarantine restrictions in the last 14 days.
If reporting an absence please use the Studbugs app. https://studybugs.com/
Please contact us if your child has any underlying health conditions that you feel we need to be aware of and that may affect their return to school on admin@craneswater.portsmouth.sch.uk
INSET Days
We also have 2 in service training days days booked for the autumn term on Monday October 5th and Monday 30th November.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Jones
