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“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.”
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Messages from the Deputy Principal, Miss Jarrett | |
Why create English Newsletters?
- To promote a love of reading and writing at Phoenix within our whole school community!
Who are they for?
- They are designed to be shared between parents and children.
When are they sent out?
What is included in them?
- Recommended reads - picture books and early chapter books
- Author or Illustrator information
- Upcoming events
- Pupil Voice
- Writing at Phoenix
- Activities to do at home
- Ways you can help your child
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The Summer Reading Challenge takes place every year via local libraries across the country and children are challenged to read 6 books during the summer holidays. Congratulations to Abraham, Elyza, Jathvika, Everitt and Nuzla who all completed the challenge this year. They received a certificate and gold medal from the library AND a prize from us at Phoenix. Get ready for next year's challenge now by joining your local library with your child (see below for details).
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Joining your local library
Anyone who lives, works or studies in Slough is welcome to join Slough Libraries free of charge. Even babies can have their own library card! You can sign up at your local library, or you can join online right now!
You can join at any library branch of Slough Libraries. Children aged over 8 years can join without a parent, guardian or carer being present. If you are a child aged under 8 years, you need someone with you to become a member. This could be a parent, adult guardian (grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.), or carer.
You can borrow up to 35 items including books and audiobooks. In addition, you can borrow e-Books, e-Audiobooks and e-Magazines!
Borrowing books, e-Books and e-Magazines is free.
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Slough Libraries
Britwell Library
Britwell Centre
Wentworth Avenue
Britwell, Slough SL2 2DS
- Monday 9am-5pm (self-service 9am-1.30pm, staffed 1.30pm-5pm)
- Tuesday 9am-5pm (self-service)
- Wednesday and Thursday 9am-5pm (self-service 9am-1.30pm, staffed 1.30pm-5pm).
- Friday 9am-5pm (self-service)
- Saturday 10am-4pm (staffed)
- Sunday Closed
Library @ the Curve
Library at The Curve
William Street,
Slough, SL1 1XY
- Monday 9am-5pm
- Tuesday 9am-7pm
- Wednesday 9am-5pm
- Thursday 9am-5pm
- Friday 9am-5pm
- Saturday 10am-5pm
- Sunday Library closed
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We are looking for Year 2 children to apply for the role of Pupil Librarians.
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Job title: Pupil Librarian
Job purpose: to help the school run a good library
Responsible to: Miss Jarrett
Duties
- To help in the library at set times agreed with the librarian
- To shelve fiction books in A-Z order
- To shelve non-fiction books in subject order
- To keep a section of the stock tidy and in the correct order
- To help with library displays
- To help issue and return resources
- To help repair resources
- To help other students find what they are looking for
- Any other jobs which help the librarian
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Pupil librarians are
- Reliable
- Hardworking
- Honest
- Cheerful
- Sensible
- Enthusiastic
Pupil librarians also
- Enjoy working with computers
- Are willing to help others
- Love books
- Enjoy thinking on your feet
- Enjoy helping other people
- Have good communication skills
Pupil Librarians will be expected to help in the library during selected playtime/lunchtimes
If your child would like to apply to be a Pupil Librarian they will need to complete an application form by Friday, 4th November. Children will be able to collect an application form from their class teacher from Monday.
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If your child would like to apply to be a Pupil Librarian, they will need to complete an application form by Friday, 4th November. Children will be able to collect an application form from their class teacher from Monday.
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23rd November:
Author Visit - Fiona Barker
We are super excited to announce that Fiona Barker will be coming into school to visit on 23rd November!
On her website, Fiona says: "I’ve always loved picture books and passionately believe that reading a book together is one of the great joys of life. And now I write picture books too which has opened a whole world of opportunity for sharing a love of books."
Click here to take a look at the other books Fiona has written.
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Books Available to Purchase:
I Definitely Don't Like Winter £7.99
The BIG Christmas Bake £7.99
Pickled Pepper Bookshop is offering the chance for you to purchase a book, written by Fiona for your child. This will be delivered to school in time for her visit. Fiona will then meet with your child and sign their book!
If you would like to purchase a book for your child please click on the link below.
https://www.pickledpepperbooks.co.uk/products/fiona-barker-author-event
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World Book Day 2023
Changing lives through a love of books and reading.
We love celebrating World Book Day and are already looking forward to 2nd March 2023! The books that will be on offer have already been announced (see some of the books below) and we think this could be the best year yet. More information will follow in the new year.
Click here to watch the World Book Day 2023 Launch video on Youtube!
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Author/Illustrator Spotlight
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Steve Anthony
Y1 have been reading lots of books by Steve Anthony this term. We love "The Queen's Hat" series. Steve has written and illustrated 18 picture books!
Steve says: "I am mainly a writer and illustrator of illustrated books and enjoy visual storytelling, drawing what I see and encouraging others to express themselves in creative ways."
There are lots of activities relating to the books Steve has written on his website. Click here for more details.
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Tom Percival
Year 2 have been enjoying stories by Tom Percival.
Tom has been drawing since he's been able to hold a pencil, and making up stories for as long as he can remember.
We love his "Big Bright Feelings" series as these books are the perfect springboard for conversations about mental and emotional health, positive self-image, building self-confidence and managing feelings.
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Book Trust Great Books Guide 2022:
Book Trust annually produce a guide to the 100 books from the last year that they think are great – and so will children.
Book Trust say: The guide is full of books we think are absolutely brilliant, carefully chosen to engage and excite children all the way up to age 11. We believe that the "right" book is always the book a child wants to read – and we hope this guide inspires you to find that book.
Please click here to take a look!
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I Definitely Don't Like Winter
Author: Fiona Barker
Illustrator: Christine Pym
A brilliantly funny picture book about two best friends who just can’t agree!
Hank and Hoog are best friends – they do EVERYTHING together.
Until one morning, when a single, crisp, brown leaf falls to the ground…
Hank is so annoyed! Falling leaves mean winter is coming, and Hank definitely does not like winter. BRRRRRRR!
But Hoog is overjoyed! Hoog loves winter – the snow, the snuggles, all of it! AHHHHHHH!
Will these two friends learn to put their differences aside? You bet they will! They may not agree on winter, but there’s something they both definitely like: each other.
And there’s nothing more important than being best friends.
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The Big Christmas Bake
Author: Fiona Barker
Illustrator: Pippa Curnick
The Big Christmas Bake is a funny, lively romp through the twelve days of Christmas, taking the elements of the popular carol, and weaving them cleverly into the ingredients for a Twelfth Night Cake.
Starting with the partridge and its gift of dried fruit, this rhyming story includes all of the familiar characters from the song as they all contribute to the baking of the magnificent Twelfth Night cake.
- A trio of french hens bring baking powder
- Six geese bring eggs, and lots of feathers too
- Ten lords help carry the cake into the oven ready to bake
At the end of the story, there is a recipe included to bake your own cake at home, giving this book the potential to be a favourite Christmas story as well as a resource to be used every year in introducing a twelfth night cake tradition to a family.
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That's Not My Name!
Author/Illustrator: Anoosha Syed
Mirha is so excited for her first day of school! She can’t wait to learn, play, and make new friends. But when her classmates mispronounce her name, she goes home wondering if she should find a new one.
Mama helps Mirha to see how special her name is, and she returns to school the next day determined to help her classmates say it correctly–even if it takes a hundred tries.
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Spooky Sleepover - Autumn Moonbeam
Author: Emma Finlayson-Palmer
Illustrator: Heidi Cannon
It's Autumn's first day at Sparkledale Dance Academy. She loves dance and gymnastics so being an official member is a dream come true! With lots of magical mishaps at the team bonding sleepover, can working together help Autumn and her friends find out who is behind the strange goings on at Sparkledale?
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Please ensure you are reading regularly with your child. This should include:
- Your child reading their home reading books to you. Children in Year 1 and 2 will bring home Read Write Inc decodable books each week and they should read these to you as often as possible. Children in Reception will bring home reading books once they have developed their phonic knowledge.
- You reading to your child - this could be their library book, a favourite story or making a story up! This should happen every day.
We love to see photos and videos of your child reading at home! Do add photos/videos to their portfolio on Dojo!
If you would like support developing reading routines at home please do speak to your child's class teacher.
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The Reading Realm iPad app
The Reading realm app is free to download on iPads is designed to:
- Support and encourage wider reading
- Encourage authentic, purposeful book talk
Each passage comes with a set of open-ended questions and prompts, for children to discuss. These are not designed to be test questions – these are about encouraging children to evaluate, share their opinions, likes and dislikes.
There are a range of different activities to complete for each text - including spelling, sentence structure, punctuation and word structure.
It is unfortunately only available on iPads.
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Oxford Owl Free eBook Library
Oxford Owl have a free eBook library which has been created to help children aged 3–11 to develop their reading skills at home.
All the eBooks are free to use, but you will need to register or sign in at the link below to read your book.
Sign in and browse the e-Book library
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“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
Stephen King
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Children in Year 1 and 2 use Spelling Shed to practise their spellings more regularly which brings success for everyone to celebrate! We recommend children complete 10 minutes on Spelling Shed every day to have the most impact. Log in details are stuck into children's reading records - please speak to your child's class teacher if you can't find them.
Spelling Shed is not only a way to practise spellings, but is also a competition! Children score points every time they play - the more spellings they spell correctly, the more points they score individually and for their class!
The top group score in the whole of England is: 900,060,428 points! See if you can score enough points to earn your class a place on the England School Leaderboard!
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Top Spelling Shed Groups
Congratulations to Buzzard Class who are this week's winners at Phoenix!
1. Buzzard: 28,869,221
2. Falcon: 17,324,013
3. Swan: 7,816,028
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Top Spelling Shed Pupils
Congratulations to Arjun who is this week's top Speller!
1. Arjun in Buzzard class: 14,643,942
2. Wahab in Falcon class: 5,340,628
3. Oscar in Eagle class: 5,152,456
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5 Ways to Improve Your Child's Handwriting
Try these activities to build your child's handwriting skills and confidence.
- Make Practicing Fun
Offer your child a special pencil or a rainbow of coloured ones. Don't just give them words to copy. Try simple word puzzles, anagrams, a game of hangman, or ask them to brainstorm lists around a theme to give writing practice a purpose.
- Encourage Drawing and Puzzle Games
In order to develop the physical requirements of writing — holding a pencil correctly, posture, control, dexterity, coordination — the more time your child spends manipulating objects, the better. Even using silverware can help them develop their fine-motor skills.
- Pinpoint the Problem
Common handwriting problems lie in four main areas: letter formation, sizing, spaces between words, and line-alignment. Focus your child's practice on the letters or concepts that challenge them and make sure they are using two hands to control the paper.
- The Right Tools
If your child's struggling with a regular pencil, try a smaller or shorter, kid-sized one.
- Writing Outside the Box
A foggy mirror, patch of mud, or bowl of leftover sauce make great surfaces. Whether your child's practicing with their fingers, a stick, or a pencil, inspiring their creativity will lend appeal to writing.
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Gross motor skills
In order for your child to be able to sit upright at a table for any length of time, they need to have developed strength and stability in their:
- Trunk
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Hips
Play Outside Every Day to develop your child's core strength and stability. Experts strongly recommended that the most important thing for children to develop fine motor skills was unstructured free play outdoors. Go to the park or play in your garden as much as possible!
Here are some ideas for activities you can do to help your child build gross motor strength:
Trunk Stability:
- Press ups against the wall
- Superman position – lay on tummy with arms outstretched in front and legs straight and lifted off the floor
- Tug of war
- 2 Handed Bat game – 2 children lay out flat on their tummy’s facing each other with their arms outstretched in front of them holding a bat (or a book) in both hands – bat a ball to and from each other.
- Puppy dog walking - both hands placed on the floor, knees bent – walk around like a dog.
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All children at Phoenix are invited to take part in our first Hero House handwriting competition! Children should complete their writing independently at home and either bring in and hand to their class teacher or post a photo on their Dojo portfolio. The competition ends on Friday 4th November.
Winners from each Hero House (Police, Teachers, NHS and Fire Brigade) will be selected within the following categories:
- Neatest handwriting
- Tried their best
Reception Children
Children should write the sounds they have been taught so far and their name.
Year 1 and Year 2
Children should write the poem "If you should meet a crocodile". Children must write their name and class on their entry.
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We know that children who enjoy writing and are motivated to write are eight times more likely to achieve well academically. It is important that children are given lots of opportunities to write.
Top Tips
The best things you can do when helping a child write:
- Devote time to it.
- Make it a quality experience. Show your own interest and pleasure in writing.
- Allow children to choose what they would like to write.
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See talking and drawing as planning and encourage taking things from the reading, video games, play, film, or the television programmes that they like.
What not to do when helping a child to write:
- Don’t look over your child’s shoulder all the time and criticise.
- Don’t control their writing.
- Don’t stop to correct errors immediately.
- Don’t ask a child to write without talking and writing together.
Here are just some of things you can write together:
- jokes
- labels
- lists
- recipes
- letters
- invented stories
- fairytales
Not only can writing improve your creativity and memory, but it’s also a great stress reliever. Writing down thoughts, feelings and emotions can boost mindfulness and increase calm. See below for lots of different writing ideas!
Please share any writing your child does at home on their Dojo portfolio!
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Reception Writing This Term
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This term, Reception have been learning to read and write new sounds! Take a look at Hadiya's phenominal phonics writing below! They also had an amazing day of writing today during our Dot Day celebrations, making a range of different marks using circles, lines and of course, lots and lots of dots!
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Year 1 have been busy writing the story of Paddington, labelling different places in London and writing letters! They have been practising remembering to use finger spaces between words, using their Fred Fingers to spell words with increasing accuracy and beginning to use full stops.
Take a look below at some of their fantastic letters to Miss Jarrett, explaining what they would like to be when they grow up!
Kingfisher class - Khadija
Kingfisher class - Hafsa
Heron class - Akram
Heron class - Dayan
Swan class - Salina
Swan class - Rohaan
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Year 2 have been retelling and innovating Tom Percival's story "The Sea Saw". They have been learning about verbs and how to write in the past/present tense. Year 2 used the recent visit from the Feathers and Fur Falconry Centre to write recounts and thank you letters. They have also used their learning in Geography to write brochures for Whitby - a very different location to Slough!
Eagle class - Tanvir
Eagle class - Yusuf
Falcon class - Wahab
Falcon class - Divya
Falcon class - Jannat
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Follow us on Twitter! @phoenixinfants |
CALLING EX-PUPILS AND STAFF!
Were you once a pupil of Phoenix Infant Academy (then called Godolphin Infant School)? Did you work at our school a long time ago? Would you like to share what you're currently doing for our Trust publication?
If so, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH! https://t.co/RBJwSJDQHG
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For all those who have felt, or are feeling, less well. The world is listening. #WorldMentalHealthDay #WorldMentalHealthDay22 #MentalHealthDay https://t.co/9EYD9xHv3f
3 days ago
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