To The Parents

I am sure there will be one or two tired children this weekend as we complete our first full week of the term. It is always a bit of a shock to the system when the children return but it won’t be too long before they are fully in their stride.

Assessments

As they do at the beginning of each year, the children will be having assessments in maths and English over the next few days, which allow us to have an additional measure of progress for each child. The Progress in English and Progress in Maths assessments are carried out on-line, and are the same assessments that are carried out in hundreds of schools from both the maintained and independent sectors. They are especially useful at the beginning of the year as they highlight any gaps that might need to be filled in a pupil’s learning.

Hilsea

It was great to see so many pupils and parents at Hilsea last Saturday morning for the first Saturday Sports session of the year. I hope that this continues throughout the autumn term and although not compulsory, participation in sport is so important as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Parents’ Forum

Thank you so much to those parents who have put themselves forward to join the Parents’ Forum; the response has been overwhelming and I am delighted so many of you want to get involved. I know that not everyone is able to commit to the Parents’ Forum so I hope it is encouraging for those parents to know that so many are willing and able to represent the parent body in this way.

Scooters

I love the fact that so many of our children scooter into school; I am almost tempted myself! I would just like to remind all those that do that we do not permit the children to ride them within the School grounds for obvious reasons.

PS Hopkinson Headmaster

Responsible Pupils

A new term brings a new crop of Year Six pupils awarded special responsibilities. The positions are taken very seriously by the children and the School and contribute greatly to the personal development of those involved. Throughout the year we hope that all Year Sixes will show the qualities necessary to take on one of the many different roles and to carry them out to the best of their abilities:

Head Boy and Girl

William and Alice

School Monitors

Omar C George H, Jemima H, Louie HW, Alex B, Ethan H, Alice C, William H, Tom S, Isabelle P,

Lauren-Lilly P and Lily G

Librarians: 6P – Alex B, Harriet M, Susannah S 6G – Edith C, Kristian F, Harvey H 6J – Faith A, Raulf B, Dan S 6S – Imogen D, Maisie E, Miles T

Heads of House: Hudson – Lucy A Jerrard – Caleb H Nicol – Sam B Privett – William M

House Monitors: Hudson – Henry B, Sophie M, Tess M, Elliot RR Jerrard – Hannah M, Hannah RK, Avi S, Charles W Nicol – Alice C, Ashwin E, Meha P, Florence W Privett – Raulf B, Oliver D, Finn DT, Stephanie W

thelion

The Newsletter of The Portsmouth Grammar Junior School Issue No.124 12th September 2014

Rory’s Stories of the Week

Rory felt hot just reading Eddie’s story about his trip to a volcanic crater:

Volcano Visit

When we went to the Greek Islands in the summer, on one of them we went inside a volcanic crater with smoke around (Nyssiros Island).

It was hot inside. We climbed down for about 10 minutes. I took off sandals and put closed shoes on. You cannot wear rubber shoes because they will melt.

There was steam coming from down the earth through the holes that was smelly. It smelt like rotten egg. It burned my arm.

It was a bumpy type of noise coming through the holes.

We went close to muddy pools. A guide told us the temperature was over +100oC around there. It was dangerous and you can burn yourself.

It was scary, but I felt safe with my Mum and Dad. By Eddie Y2

Nursery News

Nursery has had a lovely start to the new term. Home Visits for the new children are well underway and the families seem to be excited about starting Nursery. We would also like to welcome back our existing families. The children have all settled in really well and are enjoying all the exciting activities around Nursery.

A New Start

'We have been enjoying our first few days at school and have been really grown up. We spent the afternoon in the outside area, in the sunshine, learning about sharing and playing together.'

Monkey Business

On our first day in Year Two, we came into the classroom after lunch, to find monkey nuts and banana skins everywhere! It was a bit of a mess and after some hunting we found the culprit, a baby monkey! We then decided that because he was alone we would practise our sketching skills to make him some new friends. We are now becoming experts at drawing monkeys and have also learnt how to mix different shades of brown.

Settling In

With four new pupils and a whole new building to get used to, 5J has had a week of getting to know each other and finding their way around the Upper Junior School site. Right away on the first morning back, we followed the UJS trail, discovering what lay behind door after door, including the new Textiles Room, Staff Common Room and Learning Support base.

Photos were taken in every room and a short i-movie, put to music, was created using one of our new i-pads. Members of 5J travelled far and wide over the summer: from London to Africa; from Canada to the USA, with lots of us spending time in the West Country here in Britain.

We are all looking forward to the year ahead: trying out new clubs, making new friends and learning, of course. Good luck to all who are new on the Upper Junior School site – enjoy the year ahead.

Guess Who?

Last week Year Three wrote descriptions of themselves. Can you guess which description matches which photo?

I have soft, ginger, silky, beautiful hair. My eyes are green and blue like marbles and my face is pale and has lots of freckles dotted over it. My favourite hobbies are drawing and rounders. Did you know my favourite animal is a leopard?

I have swirly brown and squiggly hair. My eyes are chocolate brown and my face is an oval with a hard chin. I really enjoy playing the drums. My favourite lessons at school are history and games. Did you know my favourite animal is a snake?

From PGS With Love

Our links with the M-Lisada organisation grow ever stronger and thanks once again to Miss Husselby, the girls in Uganda have taken delivery of a batch of dresses made by our children; as you can see from this picture, they are very happy with them.

We are looking forward to Miss Husselby coming into school soon to tell us all about her latest visit to Uganda.

Healthy

Choices

At the Parents’ Forum meeting in the summer term, we discussed how we could encourage the children to make healthy choices at lunch time. The food at PGS is excellent and there is a good balance of healthy options and also food that will provide energy and that children will enjoy eating. The following points were agreed:

Reg Way, who manages our catering team, was present and he agreed to reduce the number of ‘donut’ style desserts available for Junior school children

Greater emphasis would be placed on educating the children in lessons, especially PSHE

We would make parents more aware of the fact that they can access the menus via MyPGS and help children choose in advance

Raise awareness of the fact that parents are able to check what their children are eating via an online lunch account. Parents can email Jane Tomblin ( j.tomblin@pgs.org.uk ) with a brief note and she will create an account and send you an email from Upay giving a logon and password to access the account. Once you have access you can see what the child has purchased and can also add funds to the account if necessary.

PGS Events Sunday 2 November PGS Family Fireworks Extravaganza at Hilsea playing fields. Gates open at 4.30pm, spectacular display at 5.30pm. Tickets available from School Receptions and the Development Office. Adults £5, Juniors (U16) £2, Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £12.

Saturday 11 October, 7pm Musical entertainment from current staff, pupils and OPs, plus supper at the school, organised by the OP Club

£20 per person, book via the Development Office.

Knock Knock!

All the children in Year One had an exciting start to the term, with a Treasure Hunt!! In each classroom we have a secret door, with the message ‘Knock Knock’ on it. On Thursday afternoon, we couldn’t wait any longer to see what was there and when we opened the door we found a treasure map! A big X marked the spot and we went in search of the hidden treasure. We found beautiful boxes filled with objects which gave us clues to who they belonged to. We are now going to be designing and making our own Special Boxes to share with our friends at school.

Medical Centre Notice Please could parents be aware that any child who has had diarrhoea or vomiting should not return to school until they have had no further symptoms for a complete 48 hours. This policy is based on Health Protection guidelines for schools and further information is available from the Medical Centre.

PARENT ALERT

Please would all parents be extremely vigilant as we have had cases of head lice reported to us recently. Children’s hair needs to be inspected regularly. If you find head lice then you should speak to the local pharmacist who will recommend one of the preparations currently being used. However advice from our medical centre is that for a period of two weeks after treatment hair should be washed and conditioned daily and combed through using a nit comb to comb out any newly hatched eggs. This ongoing treatment is an important part of the process of ensuring the hair is free from head lice. For the most up to date information please go to http://www.patient.co.uk/health/head-lice-and-nits.

Mrs Budgen’s

Quiz Corner:

This Week: 1. Who stole Christmas in a Dr Seuss book? 2. What is the London home of the Prime Minister? 3. What is the largest planet in the solar system?

Answers from last time: 1. Guy Fawkes 2. Bitzer 3. Hedwig

PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENTSCongratulations to:

Caleb Hillier (6P) who has

achieved Distinction passes for LAMDA Grade 1 Acting and ABRSM Grade 3 Music Theory and for being part of the Hambledon U11A Cricket Team, which won

the South East Hants U11 Cricket League. Isaac Platts (6J) for passing Grade 1 E.Flat Horn with merit and for winning third place in the U13 year category fishing competition at the RN & RM fishing club. Elliot Hartridge (4J) for gaining a distinction in his Grade 2 trumpet exam.

Molly Moriarty-Turnbull (4J) for gaining her orange and white karate belts and for winning a Trophy at the grading for Best Progress student.

Evie Abrams-Wilson (4P) for compl eting the Summer Reading Challenge 2014 at Portchester Library over the summer holidays.

Mrs Budgen’s App

of the Fortnight

Monkey Drum: Free

Making music has never been so fun, or so easy! Play realistic instruments and watch as little jungle animals copy your tunes. See their funny reactions as you feed them bananas, spin them, or bop them on the head! Make them happy and see them reward you with a special song!

thelion’s pride

thelion sport

Fixtures

Wed 17 Sep U11 PGS Football Tournament 1400: U10A Westbourne House Netball Tournament (a) 1430: U11C & D Football v Princes Mead (a)

Under 10A Netball v West

Hill Park:

Fathers and Daughters!

The sun shone at Hilsea for the start of the Inter school netball season. The Under 10 girls were excitedly awaiting the arrival of the West Hill Park team when, much to my delight, I glanced across to see that most of my hardy band of supporters were dads. It was fantastic to have them courtside to cheer along the girls with great humour and enthusiasm. The girls did their parents proud and, once they remembered the aim of the game was not to try and all run to the same spot at once, recorded a very impressive 22-1 victory. Pupils, opposition, staff and dads then went on to enjoy the delights of our famous Hilsea tea. Thank you to all parents who come along and support their sons and daughter at matches. A great start to the season.

Important information

about Clubs

On Monday 15th the children will be coming home with information about the clubs to be held over the year. Please take time to read this carefully as it explains many of the FAQs.

You will also receive a letter outlining the clubs which will be on offer this term, starting from the week beginning September 29th. It is important to return the form with your child’s requests as soon as you can and no later than Thursday morning (18th September) as clubs are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Reception to Year 4 pupils should return the form to Mrs Bull in the main office and Year 5 and 6 pupils should give theirs to the Playground Supervisors on the UJS site.

At the same time, you will receive a letter about LAMDA, our Speech and Drama lessons. This opportunity is for this whole academic year and children are expected to attend each term. (You do not automatically retain a place from last year, but must apply again, please)

All new pupils and existing ballet pupils will also receive a letter inviting them to join the ballet lessons held after school on Tuesdays. If any other children would like to join ballet, please contact Mrs Giles at p.giles@pgs.org.uk and she will forward the necessary information.

Enjoy this term’s clubs and please contact Mrs Giles if you have any ideas for clubs in the spring and summer terms.

The Junior School Premier League

Who will be this year’s trophy winner?

Details coming soon!

A Great Start to the Year

Portsmouth Cathedral hosted the first whole school assembly of the academic year and it was certainly one to remember. The children looked resplendent in their pristine school uniforms and were joined by their teachers, TAs and family members to celebrate the beginning of the new school year.

The children shared the things they were looking forward to, read poems and talked about changes.

They then had to guess the staff from their baby and toddler photos, which caused much hilarity and a great deal of scratching of heads.

Canon Peter showed off his artistic talents and we all joined in singing some of our favourite songs.

HILSEA GAMES There will be games sessions for KEY STAGE 2 at Hilsea this Saturday from 0900 to 1000. Saturday morning games are voluntary. There will be football for the boys and netball for the girls.