Fairfields Primary School

Dear Fairfields Community, 

It has been a super week in school and lovely to see most of the children and staff who have been unwell now back and feeling better.  

The children have been working really hard and I was delighted to award Super Citizen badges and certificates to the following pupils for their efforts in showing our school core values: 

London- Joshua 

Paris- Jolana 

Rome- Ceyda 

Warsaw- Lacey 

Madrid- Elijah 

Budapest- Mia 

Kathmandu- Amizhthan 

Ankara- Theodora 

New Delhi- Finn 

Canberra- Esme 

Nairobi- Brody 

Cairo- Izzy 

Lima- Maria 

Ottawa- Iris 

All the children have been working so hard to show our core values, and in assembly this week they shared all the ways they show love in school. We are so proud of you all- well done! 

Children’s Mental Health Week 

Next week is Children's Mental Health Week and we will be doing lots of activities throughout the week to promote positive mental health. This will include a daily activity in the classroom, brain break activities, activities at lunch time and activities for you to do with your children at the end of each day in the playground. Each day will have a different focus.  

On Monday we will be focusing on 'Take Notice' and we will be encouraging everyone to notice the environment around them. After school please come and join us in looking at the changing seasons and drawing something you have seen that day. It could be something you see everyday on your walk or drive to school.  

On Tuesday our focus will be 'Be Active' and Sarah and Steve will be on the playground after school doing a bootcamp fitness session for children and adults to join.  

On Wednesday we will be focusing on 'Give' and thinking of what we can do for others. Please join us after school to make a thank you card for someone.  

On Thursday our focus will be 'Keep Learning' and Tracey will be on the playground teaching everyone a new dance routine. Bring your dancing shoes and come and join in. 

Finally on Friday we will be focusing on 'Connect' where we will  be thinking how we can spend time with each other. After school we will be writing message of gratitude for our mental health week display.  

In addition, we would like to invite you into school on Friday 9th February at 2pm to work with your child in their classroom completing an art activity for 20 minutes. As the children get ready for the end of the day, we will then take parents to the hall for a 'Back to Basics' workshop in the school hall with the mental health team which will finish at 3.10pm. This workshop will explain the project which is being launched in Hampshire to support families with mental health and wellbeing, and if the project we have used to underpin Mental Health Week.  

The theme for Children's Mental Health Week this year is 'My Voice Matters'.  

My Voice Matters is about empowering children and young people by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves. 

When we feel empowered, there’s a positive impact on our wellbeing. Children who feel that their voices are heard and can make a difference have a greater sense of community and self-esteem. This year, we want children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to be empowered to work together to create a positive change for their mental health and wellbeing. 

During Children’s Mental Health Week, we want all children and young people to be able to say – and believe - “My Voice Matters.” 

Please use the link below to do some activities at home.  

Families - Children's Mental Health Week (childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk)   

Playground Equipment 

Please can I politely remind parents to supervise their children before and after school to ensure that they are not using the playground equipment during these times. For insurance purposes, the playground equipment is not to be accessed by the children before or after school. it is confusing for children who have been told this by their parents when they see other children climbing on the equipment.  

SEND ambassadors 

Thank you to the wonderful SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) ambassadors who led our Monday assembly to share their challenge for this half term. Brody, Mia, Zoe and Lorcan will be on the playground next Tuesday and Wednesday to hold the finger spelling competition. Can you spell a word to us using finger spelling, we practiced this in assembly to get you started. Remember, you can enter as many times as you would like on each day. If you would like to practice before, please search British finger spelling on google and have a go at spelling your name! Well done again SEND ambassadors, you were brilliant!  

Miss Moore  

Year 4 Times Tables Update 

We are continuing to focus on times tables in year 4 and would encourage parents to help their children practise at home to speed up progress.   Every Friday, the correct times table is set in ‘Garage’ on TTRockstars so the children can work on it at home.  We are also really pleased to see times tables practice appear in homework books.  Maybe you could set your child a mini test and write the questions in the homework book for them to answer.  In this way, we could see the work they are doing to learn them.  Some children have completed their times tables and are working on answering at speed.  TTRockstars is great to practise this. Thank you for your support! 

Football Club 

There will be some football club sessions after the half term holiday.  The first session will be on Wednesday 28th February and will be for year 5 only.  Any children in year 5 who would like to trial for a place in the football club should attend that session.  Next week, Miss Warwick will have available attendance forms for the children to bring home to be filled in.  Only children who have returned these forms will be allowed to attend this session.  We will then choose which children have been successful in gaining a place in the football club.   Please note that with membership of the football club comes commitment to organise your child's transport to matches.  We will no longer be offering lifts with staff.  There will then be three sessions for year 5 and 6 football club members on Wednesday 6th, 13th and 20th March. 

Music Performance 

Just a reminder that the children who play the guitar or ukulele in school, and the school band, will be performing to their parents/carers and some of the rest of the school on Wednesday 7th February at 9:30am in the school hall. Parents and carers of those children involved are invited to watch. Please come through the school office. The performance should be finished by 10am.  

Updates from year groups 

FS 

Foundation Stage have enjoyed learning more about Chinese New Year this week. They learnt that this year is the Year of the Dragon and heard a story of how the years were named after animals. In Forest School this week, the children learnt how to tie knots with ropes and used this skill to make their own 'log dogs'. They even took them for walkies around the allotment!  

Year 1 

The children have been enjoying their ICT lessons, exploring the work of different artists and using the Paintz program. We have been very impressed with their work. 

Year 2 

Well done year 2 on another brilliant week, your Great Fire of London silhouettes look amazing, and your finished non-chronological reports are excellent. We look forward to sharing these with parents in our year 2 assembly next half term. Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to help on the London trip, we have now confirmed with parents who we are able to bring. If you have not heard from us, that means we are unable to take you this time but thank you for your ongoing support.  

Year 3 

Year 3 have had a very exciting week this week with our visit to Winchester Science Centre. The children were brilliant and represented Fairfields school to the highest standard. They discovered, played and learned throughout the whole day. Parent volunteers- you were phenomenal and we would like the thank you again for your support. The children have continued to enjoy the Iron Man and we look forward to our final week with him next week. Well done year 3!  

Year 4 

Year 4 have had a great week learning about poems. The children enjoyed acting them out and writing their own. Please join us on Thursday afternoon, via zoom, for our poetry slam. It will start at 2:00 and finish by 3:00. 

Meeting ID: 362 636 7161 

Passcode: Poetry 

Year 5 

We have thoroughly enjoyed painting our canopic jars this week! Take a look at the website and see the process and some of the finished pieces for yourself.  

Year 6 

Year 6 have been amazing this week as they have been learning how to ride their bikes safely on the local roads or playground. All the staff and instructors have been impressed by how well behaved they have been and by how much they concentrated. Pupils will come home with a certificate and on the back it reports how confident your child was at each skill. Also, a big thank you to parents for your support bringing bikes to and from school each day. For next week, please continue accessing with your child the SATs Bootcamp online revision modules and do order your revision books on Arbor.  

Netball 

Last week, the netball team played Rucstall School at home. It was a great game and although the children did not win, they played brilliantly, and it was a very close match. Yesterday, the team played Chalk Ridge and won, 9-3! They were delighted and it was well deserved. The children have grown in confidence so much and should be very proud of themselves- we are! 

Sunflower Café 

We are delighted to tell you that next half terms guest in our Sunflower café is the Mental Health Support Team who work with children with anxiety, low mood, OCD, phobias, behaviour and trauma. They will be at the café for an informal chat if you want to pop in on Monday 26th February from 8.40am until 9.45am. Please do come along for a hot drink and a chat.  

The café is open to come and meet other parents and to chat to our Home/School Link Worker, Tracey, every Monday from 8.40am, and on a Friday from 2.45pm until 3.10pm.  

Other Information (attachments may not be visible on some devices using the Jotter app) 

Please see the attached flyer for information on Reading Station’s Family Fun Day.  

A flyer for free online parent courses available through Hampshire Libraries is attached.  

Dates: 

Week beginning Monday 5th February: Children’s Mental Health Week 

Wednesday 7th February: Lunar New Year celebrations after school on the playground 

Wednesday 7th February: Guitar, ukulele and band performance (9.30am- 10.00am) 

Thursday 8th February: Year 4 Poetry Slam online (2.00pm-3.00pm) 

Thursday 8th February: Budapest class parents and carers school library visit (2.30pm-3.00pm) 

Friday 9th February: Parents invited to join us in class to do one of our Mental Health Week activities, and then hear about the Back to Basics programme from the Mental Health Team (2.00pm-3.10pm) 

Monday 26th February: Mental Health Team parent drop in at the Sunflower Café (8.40am-9.45am) 

For other key days, please look at the calendar on the website or the School Jotter.  

PE Days are as follows: 

FS: PE to start in summer term 

Year 1: Tuesday (outdoor PE) 

Year 2: Tuesday (indoor PE) 

Year 3: Monday (outdoor) and Thursday (indoor PE) 

Year 4: Wednesday (indoor PE) 

Year 5: Thursday (outdoor PE) 

Year 6: Monday (indoor) and Friday (outdoor PE) 

Start and finish times are as follows: 

Foundation Stage, Year 1 and 2: 8.40am- 3.10pm 

Years 3- 6: 8.45am- 3.15pm 

Have a lovely, relaxing weekend and we look forward to seeing you on Monday. 

Mrs Vicky Hopkins