Newsletters

Dorchester News - 26th April 2024

Newsletter

26th April 2024

Dear Dorchester Families,

 

 

 

During our assemblies, we frequently focus on one or more of our school values - shown above.  This week we looked at the value of Enquiry, using a story to demonstrate how important it is to ask questions and be interested in finding out answers.  In our story, the main character, Jake, had a special interest in snakes and went out of his way  to find out everything he could about them.  It didn't quite all go to plan when he thought he knew more than he did - and he had a non-venomous adder bite to prove it, but it demonstrated well just how amazing it is to develop an interest and want to know and learn more about it.

We also looked at Self Belief in our Picture News Assembly for years 4, 5 and 6, as we shared the success of Jasmin Paris, the first ever female finisher in the gruelling, 100 mile, Barkley Marathons back in March this year.  The children loved finding out more about this event and told me they were inspired by Jasmin's achievement.  If you would like to continue the conversation, Picture News at Home is included in the News section below, which will give you some suggestions for conversations to have with your children.

It is so wonderful to see our children confidently talking about our school values and demonstrating them so well in their attitudes and conduct.  Visitors to the school this week, namely our photographer and the Director of Quality Assurance for our Trust, both commented enthusiastically about the conduct and manners (and in the case of the latter, positive learning behaviours) of our children.  We are extremely proud of them.

Have a lovely weekend.

Cathy Bell
Headteacher

 


News

26 Apr 2024
Picture News at Home
This week in assembly, Years 4, 5 and 6 found out all about Jasmin Paris and her success at the Barkley Marathons, as we considered our school value of Self-Belief.
Read more
26 Apr 2024
Mental Health First Aiders
This week, our Mental Health First Aiders got together to discuss a range of methods to help peers in the school deal with conflict. We started by unpicking what a conflict might be, where and when conflicts might occur, and who we may have conflicts with throughout our lives. We discussed...
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26 Apr 2024
Faith and Culture Ambassadors Interfaith Dialogue
Over the course of the academic year, our faith and culture ambassadors have celebrated, learnt about and even taught about various different aspects of different religions as festivals or significant religious events have occurred. In this half-term's meeting, the focus was on ha...
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26 Apr 2024
Spelling Bee Buzz
It was a buzzing atmosphere at the spelling bee today (pun intended!). The words were challenging, the competition was fierce, yet all the children did an incredible job. Well done to everyone who took part. Our finalists were: Y1: Rosie and Mohamed Y2: Jadon and Ruthvik Y3: Rosie, Nikhi...
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26 Apr 2024
UK Maths Trust Junior Mathematical Challenge
A group of amazing mathematicians from Yeras 5 and 6 took part in the UK Maths Trust Junior Mathematical Challenge on Thursday 25th April.  
Read more
25 Apr 2024
St George's Day
To mark St George's Day, our kitchen staff treated us to what I'm sure is the most popular lunch of the year - breakfast for lunch.
Read more
19 Apr 2024
Messy Church Goes Wild and Messy Church
Please find below information regarding this half term's Messy Church events.  All are very welcome.
Read more

Sports News

26 Apr 2024
London Youth Games Basketball Gold
Dorchester are Double Champions!
Read more

Class Notes

26 Apr 2024
Nursery: What can you use to make giant pictures?
We have been using different tools to make giant pictures. We have used spay bottles, giant paint brushes, brooms, mops and sticks. We have experimented with different ways to make marks and we have developed our shoulder strength and co-ordination. These skills will help us to become super writers...
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26 Apr 2024
Reception: What building material would you use to build a house and why?
This week, the children in Reception have been heard saying lines such as: 'Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in.' and there has been a deal of huffing and puffing as they have attempted to build houses strong enough to withstand a wolf's blow! 
Read more
24 Apr 2024
Year 1: What is a prefix and what does it do?​​​​​​​
Our highlight of the week this week has been making collages of summer in Science to help us understand changes in the weather!
Read more
25 Apr 2024
Year 2: What do Muslims believe about Allah?
This week, the children started on their new RE topic about Islam. We are looking at the important figures in Islam, starting with Allah: Muslims believe in one God, who is called Allah, who created everything. Allah has many names, but there are no pictures of Allah. In our lesson, we discuss...
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25 Apr 2024
Year 3: If you were alive during the Shang Dynasty, what role would you have liked?
This week in Year 3 we have continued to learn about our new History topic and we have already started to make some amazing comparisons back to Ancient Egypt! We have enjoyed writing descriptive paragraphs about the Firework Maker's Daughter and have worked hard to include ambitious vocabulary...
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26 Apr 2024
Year 4 - Our talents shone bright this week!
One of the highlights this week was creating circuits to make a bulb light up. We looked at the different parts of the circuit and how we could make a bulb brighter. The week ended with one of our talented Year 4 children getting bronze in the school Spelling Bee. It goes to show that hard work can...
Read more
21 Apr 2024
Year 5: Who was Queen Victoria, and what was her impact on the British Empire?
We have had a brilliant week in Year 5! Our best lesson was our wonderful History lesson where the children learnt all about Queen Victoria and the British Empire. They now have lots of knowledge about this important period in British History. Please ask your child about it as this will help wi...
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25 Apr 2024
Year 6: What strategies did you use to solve puzzles like these?
This week in Maths, the children have been revising their knowledge of the four rules of number and algebra. They tried puzzles like these and then made up some of their own, which they thoroughly enjoyed.
Read more

FODS News

Thank you to everyone who joined in with the Reading Challenge. Thank you so much for all your donations & a big well done to everyone who has taken part, watch this space for winner announcements. Your kind donations have enabled the school to spend over £400 on new books!

A big thank you to all nursery parents & carers for your cake donations & to those who volunteered to run the cake sale. We couldn’t do these events without you. Next week on Friday 3rd May it will be Receptions turn to donate cakes & run the sale. Thank you for all your donations, please see details below on how to volunteer.  

Volunteer opportunities for weekly cake sales are now open. Please click on the web link for your year group (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:

Reception: https://volunteersignup.org/QT33J  

Year 1: https://volunteersignup.org/P8P4J  

Year 2: https://volunteersignup.org/DWEPX  

Year 3: https://volunteersignup.org/LPETT  

Year 4: https://volunteersignup.org/HBF74  

Year 5: https://volunteersignup.org/E3CHH  

To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do. Thank you for volunteering, all details of the upcoming cake sales can be found on the cake sale poster below.

We have so many exciting upcoming events for the children. Please see event posters below for full details. Watch this space for Father's Day event poster.

Thank you for all your donations & continued support. We're really looking forward to the Summer Fair, let's make this the best one yet for the school!

SAVE THE DATE – Saturday 29th June will be our FODS Dorchester Primary School Summer Fair. We will once again be having external stalls. If you or someone you know would like to have a stall at the fair, please email us at dorchesterpta@gmail.com.

We love to hear your feedback & suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at dorchesterpta@gmail.com

Do you know about Your School Lottery? Dorchester Primary School is part of this fantastic lottery. This lottery has been set up specifically to raise money and make a difference for our children! It's a fantastic way to bring parents, carers, teachers, and the wider community together, in partnership with our school, and at the same time give something back. There are lots of amazing prizes to be won, your support is greatly appreciated, and we wish you good luck! To sign up or find out more information, please visit the website via this link: https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/dorchester-primary-school?fbclid=IwAR2UqkYQ4Yf79s9ZZul-tgcgLtJp9McVlXXqWutUrjklVom85O1EppaUonM

If you aren’t already, please follow us on Facebook where we keep you up to date on all things FODS! Find us at: Friends Of Dorchester School PTA

Safeguarding and Pastoral Care

Need-to-know: how to set boundaries and build positive relationships

Balancing the various demands parents have to cope with isn't easy and all parents can come under pressure or stress from time to time.

This guide shares practical advice and tips for positive parenting techniques that work well for children - from babies to teenagers. These techniques encourage better behaviour and help parents find out what works for them and their child.

The guide is also a valuable resource for services and professionals offering parenting advice to new parents and those caring for young children or teenagers.

Download Positive parenting (PDF)

Download Positive parenting - ​Arabic version (PDF)

Below, you will find positive parenting advice in multiple different languages

https://www.gov.wales/positive-parenting-top-tips-alternative-language-versions

Are you worried about a child?
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/spotting-signs-child-abuse/

If you think a child could be at risk of significant harm, you can call the children's social care team at the council in Sutton (Go to their website)

020 8770 6001 (Monday to Friday, 9am and 5pm)     020 8770 5000 (out of hours)

Always call 999 in an emergency


Lunch Menu

Our summer menus are available here. 


Upcoming Events

To view the school calendar click here.

Net4All Mums and Daughters (Years 4-6) Netball
9:30am – 10:30am
From 14 Jan and on Sunday each week except for 18 Feb
21
April
Boo Theatre KS2 Drama Club
3:15pm – 4:15pm
From 22 Apr and on Monday each week until 15 Jul except for 29 Apr, 06 May, and for 27 May
22
April
National Talk Like Shakespeare Day
All Day
23
April
Borough Netball Rally
9:00am – 1:00pm
27
April
Net4All Mums and Daughters (Years 4-6) Netball
9:30am – 10:30am
From 14 Jan and on Sunday each week except for 18 Feb
28
April
Boo Theatre KS2 Drama Club
3:15pm – 4:15pm
29
April
School Partially Closed - Polling Day GLA Elections
All Day
02
May
Net4All Mums and Daughters (Years 4-6) Netball
9:30am – 10:30am
From 14 Jan and on Sunday each week except for 18 Feb
05
May
Bank Holiday
All Day
06
May
Net4All Mums and Daughters (Years 4-6) Netball
9:30am – 10:30am
From 14 Jan and on Sunday each week except for 18 Feb
12
May
Boo Theatre KS2 Drama Club
3:15pm – 4:15pm
From 22 Apr and on Monday each week until 15 Jul except for 29 Apr, 06 May, and for 27 May
13
May
Non Uniform Day - Hamper Donations for Summer Fair
All Day
17
May
Net4All Mums and Daughters (Years 4-6) Netball
9:30am – 10:30am
From 14 Jan and on Sunday each week except for 18 Feb
19
May
FODS Toy Donations for Summer Fair this week
All Day
From 20 May until 24 May
20
May
Boo Theatre KS2 Drama Club
3:15pm – 4:15pm
From 22 Apr and on Monday each week until 15 Jul except for 29 Apr, 06 May, and for 27 May
20
May