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4th July 2025

Messages from the Principal, Miss Jarrett

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Dear Parents

As we approach the final fortnight of this remarkable academic year, I find myself reflecting upon the annual journey we have undertaken together as a school community. The passage of time has been both swift and profound, carrying with it moments of discovery, creativity, and celebration that have truly defined our collective experience at Phoenix Infant Academy.

Our recent Arts Week stands as a testament to the boundless creativity and imagination that flourishes within our school walls. Throughout this vibrant celebration of artistic expression, our children have immersed themselves in a rich tapestry of creative endeavours, from the rhythmic movements of dance that filled our halls with energy and joy, to the careful strokes of drawing that captured their unique perspectives of the world around them. 

The culmination of our literary pursuits reached its zenith with our inaugural Poetry Slam competition, an event that showcased the remarkable eloquence and artistic sensibility of our children. The competition drew forth exceptional talent from across our school community, with four outstanding finalists emerging from a field of passionate young poets. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Khatiba, Suhan, and Anab, whose performances demonstrated remarkable skill and creativity. Special recognition must be given to Aayan, whose exceptional poetry reading earned the distinction of overall winner. All participants embodied the very essence of artistic expression and linguistic mastery that we strive to nurture within every child.

As we prepare for our Summer Fair on Friday, I encourage all families to secure their wristbands through our school office, where our dedicated staff will be delighted to assist you. Please remember that sibling discounts are available, reflecting our commitment to ensuring that every family can participate fully in this joyous celebration of our school community. Please speak to the school office for these.  On this special day, school will conclude at 2pm, with children in the Nest finishing at 1.30pm, allowing families to transition seamlessly into our afternoon festivities.

Looking ahead to our upcoming Sports Days, I remind you that Reception children will demonstrate their athletic skills  on 10th July, followed by Year 1 and Year 2 children on 11th July. These events represent the culmination of our physical education programme and provide wonderful opportunities for our children to showcase their sporting achievements whilst celebrating the values of teamwork, perseverance, and healthy competition.

Best wishes

Miss Jarrett

Principal


SAFEGUARDING

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Water Safety

 


ONLINE SAFETY TIPS:

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Celebrating our Children!

Blackbirds had a busy Arts week full of learning! We started Arts week with a wonderful dance workshop online led by Darcey Bussell. The children were taken on a journey listening to different types of music from around the world and learnt different dances - we all had a lot of fun! Next was our weekly music session where we played one of Aadam's favourite songs 'We will rock you by Queen' and we all learnt how to clap along in time to the beat! 

Next up was another key protagonist, Avyay, inspired our next art project in Blackbird class as he shared his wonderful knowledge about clouds. This prompted a great discussion about the sky and clouds within the class. So, we explored a range of materials and tools to make clouds and the sky above! There were lots of blue and white painted handprints everywhere. A lot of creative messy exploration led to a final masterpiece that is proudly displayed in our classroom. The creativity surrounding arts week did not end here as Ibrahim and Zain demonstrated their creative flair and skills as they made two incredible robots called Ben and Mohamed! We loved hearing their wonderful outer-space story! 

A fantastic arts week was had by all! 

Year 2 recently completed a fabulous RE workshop, led by our own Mrs Hussain where the children learnt all about Jummah (Friday) prayer and the children made prayer mats. 

To celebrate Arts week, Eagle class wrote poetry about libraries. We discussed why people go to libraries and how it makes them feel. We followed along with 'George the Poet' who helped us with our poetry. 

In history, Year 1 children have been learning about a man called Samuel Wilderspin who grew up in the Victorian times. He changed the way lessons were taught in schools and said children needed to play outside to be able to learn well.

Binyamin-“I think he was a really nice person and the way he changed schools was magnificent”.

Salik- “He made the playgrounds better by saying children had to go outside for an adventure”.

Humzah-“ He changed Victorian schools because teachers were very strict and hit children”.

Zara- “He made Victorian schools’ fun by playgrounds and fun lessons”.

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The Nest

At The Nest, we were delighted to welcome parents to our Stay and Play session, where a variety of engaging activities were thoughtfully set up to encourage exploration and connection. This special event gave families the opportunity to play alongside their children while gaining insight into the rich learning environment we create each day. Throughout the session, we showcased our use of diverse communication approaches, modelling language and interaction strategies to support every child’s development. It was a wonderful chance to share ideas, inspire home learning, and celebrate the joy of playing and learning together.

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Staffing Update

At the end of term we will sadly be saying goodbye to a few members of staff who are moving on to new challenges.  As you all already are aware, Miss Austin is moving on to become Headteacher at Castleview Primary School.  Miss Mohamed is leaving us for a fantastic opportunity to move abroad to teach in Saudi Arabia.  Miss Javier is starting an apprenticeship to become a PE coach.  Last but by no means least, Mrs Prashar - who has been at Phoenix for an amazing 27 years, is retiring and is looking forward to being able to travel and spend more time with her grandchildren.  We thank them all for their wonderful contributions to our Phoenix school community and wish them well as they move on to pastures new.  

We are pleased to be joined in September by Ms Liddell as our new Assistant Principal.  Ms Liddell is an experienced SENCO and inclusion lead and has most recently been Head of Inclusion in the UAE.  Ms Liddell is joining us for the summer fair so please do welcome her to Phoenix if you see her around school.

Ms Liddell has sent a message to you all: 

Hello! My name is Kim and I’m excited to be joining the school community as Assistant Principal. I began teaching in 2008 and have worked across all primary age groups. I have 9 years experience as a SENCo with the last 3 years, living and working in a school in Abu Dhabi.

My philosophy for teaching is centred around supporting all students to shine in their own unique way. I believe every child deserves the chance to develop as confident and happy learners, ready to take their next steps in the world.

Outside of school, I enjoy singing, dancing, and spending time with my family, including our dog and cat. I also thoroughly enjoy getting lost in a good book! 

I’m really looking forward to joining this amazing school and getting to know everyone!

I am also please to tell you that we have successfully recruited this week for the vacant teacher position in Year 1.  We will share more information with you as soon as we can. 

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Music Updates

Slough Music Service Singing Festival 

On Monday 23rd June our school choir joined other Slough schools at The Hexagon Theatre in Reading for the Slough Music Service Singing Festival.  We had the youngest singers present, with children from Reception to Year 2 represented.  The choirs sang songs from movies, such as Jai Ho, He lives in me (Lion King 2) and I got this feeling (Trolls).  It was a wonderful opportunity for our children to sing with other choirs and to listen to live music, performed by Slough musicians. 

Sabeen said she "liked Jai Ho and singing with other children."

Gurmani said she "liked singing with other children."

Andrei said he "liked singing."

Lawrence said he "liked singing in front of a lot of people."

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Rocksteady Band Assembly

Once again we were wowed by our 3 Rocksteady Bands! With great  performances on the keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals our 3 bands did wonderfully well performing to everyone.  

Remember, if you would like your child to take part in band lessons in September (current Reception and Year 1 parents) you can sign them up here: Parents - Rocksteady Music School 

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ATTENDANCE

Well done to all parents/carers who continue to ensure their children attend school regularly.

This week Year 2 has the highest attendance of any year group across the school. Well done!!

The class winners in each year group can be seen below.

All attendance expectations can be found on our website.

Please do get in touch if you would like any support getting your child to school and on time.

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RECEPTION CLASS WINNER

Well done to Robin class who won the attendance trophy this week.

Keep it up!

YEAR 1 CLASS WINNER

Well done to Kingfisher class who won the attendance trophy this week with 95%.

Keep it up!

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YEAR 2 CLASS WINNER

Well done to Falcon class who won the attendance trophy this week with 97%.

Keep it up!


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Dates for your Diaries

Year 2 Trip to the Beach
All Day
08
July
EHCP Children and Parents Trip to Thomley
9:00am – 3:00pm
09
July
Year 1 Curriculum Celebration
9:00am – 9:20am
10
July
Parent Workshop: Behaviour
9:00am – 9:30am
11
July
Summer Fair
2:00pm – 4:00pm
11
July
Year 2 Leavers Assembly
9:15am – 10:15am
15
July
Year 2 Leavers Picnic
All Day
17
July
Last day of term - 1.30pm finish
All Day
18
July
INSET Day - Staff only
All Day
01
September
INSET Day - Staff only
All Day
02
September
School Starts (Year 1 and Year 2)
All Day
03
September

Community Notices:

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Wishing you all a lovely weekend. 

TOGETHER WE SOAR!