Dear Glebe Families
What a fantastic week it has been at school! It has been wonderful to see such enthusiasm for learning and for the many opportunities our children have enjoyed.
Yesterday we celebrated World Book Day, and although I unfortunately missed the festivities as I was attending the local Headteachers’ termly briefing, I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing all about it from both staff and pupils. It sounds as though the children looked incredible in their outfits, and it was lovely to hear how much excitement there was around books and reading throughout the day. Events like this are such a brilliant reminder of the joy that stories bring and how important reading is in opening children’s imaginations and broadening their understanding of the world.
Earlier in the week, on Monday, we were delighted to welcome Essex Vibrations into school to work with our Deaf pupils. Essex Vibrations is a specialist organisation that supports Deaf children and young people, helping them explore music through vibration and sensory experiences. Their workshop allowed pupils to physically feel the rhythm and beat of music through specialised equipment, creating an inclusive musical experience where sound can be experienced through movement and vibration as well as hearing. It was a truly engaging session, and the children responded with great curiosity and enthusiasm.
Year 3 also had a wonderful visit to Holy Trinity Church this afternoon. The children enjoyed learning more about the church as a place of worship and its importance within the local community. Visits such as these help our pupils develop a deeper understanding of different beliefs and traditions, supporting our commitment to the British values of tolerance, mutual respect and appreciation of the diverse cultures and faiths that make up our society.
Looking ahead to next week, we have several exciting events planned. Our Friends of Glebe Mother’s Day event will be taking place, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the team for organising such a thoughtful and special opportunity for our children. These events always mean so much to families.
Year 2 will also be taking part in an African drumming workshop. African drumming is a vibrant musical tradition that brings people together through rhythm, movement and collaboration. The workshop will allow children to explore different beats and patterns while learning about the cultural roots of this style of music. Experiences like this not only celebrate cultures from around the world but also show children the powerful, uplifting feeling that music can create when people perform together.
Finally, our Key Stage 2 pupils will have the privilege of visiting Sweyne Park School to watch their performance of Beauty and the Beast, on Monday. We are very grateful to Sweyne Park School for inviting us, and I know the children are looking forward to experiencing live theatre performed by older students. The children are expected back at school by 3.00pm; however, if the performance happens to overrun slightly, we appreciate your patience and understanding.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Warm regards
Mr Clarke
Headteacher
Certificates
A huge well done this week to:
|
RBC: Penny J & Tommy W |
RS: Ronnie G & Salahudin A |
|
1D: Ivy M & Khairi K |
1P: Lexi L & Antonio L |
|
2A: William S & Everleigh B |
2N: Poppy A & Joshua W |
|
3MH: Harper B & Bobby L |
3VB: Artie M & Leo B |
|
4A: Sam W & Lilah G |
4L: Elyna K & Jack S |
|
5R: Ethan S & Riley W |
6/5P: Leo H & Orea-Mai K |
|
6CH: Ria-Mae C & Oliver P |
|
Attendance: Our school target is 97%
Year to date 94%
We expect pupils to be in school everyday.
We will not authorise term time absence except in exceptional circumstances and where appropriate, Essex County Council will issue fines.
Classes:
| RBC: 96.9% | 3VB: 96.6% |
| RS: 100% | 4A: 95.4% |
| 1D: 97.3% | 4L: 94.1% |
| 1P: 93.3% | 5R: 93.4% |
| 2A: 95.9% | 5/6P: 91% |
| 2N: 88.8% | 6CH: 96.6% |
| 3MH: 98.9% |
This week, the class with the highest attendance was RS with 100%. Well done! The attendance reward will be coming your way.
News from EYFS
This week in Reception, we have continued our learning around the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children have been rehearsing how to retell the story using actions before having a go at adapting it to create their own versions.
We thought about other mini-beasts that could be in our stories instead of a caterpillar and discussed different foods they might eat. The children then had a go at drawing and writing their own new stories.
In Maths, we have been focusing on the numbers 9 and 10. We have been practising counting forwards and backwards to 10, as well as representing these numbers using objects and actions.
On Thursday, we celebrated World Book Day. The children were very excited to come into school dressed as their favourite book characters. We enjoyed lots of book-related activities throughout the day, including listening to stories outside and welcoming some of the older children, who came to read stories to us.
News from the Resource Base
RBH: This week in Maths, we have started our topic on multiplication and division. We have looked at equal and unequal groups. The children have also looked at ‘groups of’, using repeated addition. Talk to your grown ups about what we have been doing.
In English, we have been working on our own versions of ‘Handa’s Hen’. The children have been creative with their own ideas. We have worked together to create our own stories. Next week, the children will plan and develop a new version, ready to write independently.
RBR: On Monday afternoon, we had the privilege of welcoming Ruth Montgomery for an exciting music workshop. The children explored body percussion, using different parts of their bodies as instruments, and had the opportunity to play the sound bars as they practised “Are You Sleeping?”
They then performed to the rest of the school, confidently teaching others how to use their bodies as percussion instruments. We even managed a harmony! The children should feel incredibly proud of themselves – they did brilliantly, and Ruth was so impressed with their focus, teamwork and musicality.
In English, the children have been exploring how to show emotions rather than simply naming them. They studied images portraying different feelings, selected powerful verbs to match the emotion, and then crafted sentences to convey this effectively. For example, Olivia wrote:
“Baylee is deaf, her hands were fidgeting as she walked slowly through the school.” This demonstrates a growing understanding of how small actions can communicate deeper feelings.
In Maths, we have moved on to applying our fractions knowledge within multi-step problems. The children have worked incredibly hard and shown real persistence when tackling these more complex challenges.
RBN: The children have written some fantastic nonsense poems independently. They really showed that they had understood the types of nonsense poetry we looked at and applied their knowledge to writing one themselves. Next we will be moving onto diary entries. Please start to note down a few things you do over the weekend as they will need to have some ideas ready!
Maths has been challenging this week. They have been learning about place value when multiplying or dividing a number by 10 and then 100. Please ask them about this and perhaps play a few games at home to help imbed their learning so that they feel confident when trying their homework.
Influential Figure – Sir David Attenborough
Sir David Attenborough is a much-loved British broadcaster and natural historian who has helped millions of people learn about the natural world. Through his documentaries, he has shown the beauty of wildlife and the importance of protecting our planet. His calm storytelling and passion for nature inspire children to be curious, caring, and responsible for the environment. Sir David’s work reminds us that learning about the world around us can help us make positive choices for the future.
Music Moment
Our music moment this week was Smalltown – Bronski Beat.
Fortnightly Focus: School Norms
Over the next two weeks, we will be reinforcing three key norms across the school:
-Behave appropriately
-Communicate politely
-Be compassionate
These expectations apply to all areas of school life: classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, assemblies and interactions with staff and visitors. Consistent modelling and reinforcement from all adults will help ensure pupils clearly understand what these behaviours look like in practice.
9 March – KS2 children at Sweyne Park School for the matinee performance of Beauty and The Beast (afternoon).
11 March – African drumming workshop for Year 2. Performance to parents 11.30am-11.45am, KS2 hall.
13 March – FOGP Mother’s Day event.
18 March – Online parents’ evening from 1.20pm to 6.30pm.
19 March – RBR Colchester Zoo trip.
19 March – Year 6 SATs meeting for parents at 9.00am. *new date*
20 March – Red Nose Day.
23 March – Class photographs.
24 March – iRock concert to parents at 9.15am, KS2 hall.
26 March – Year 2 Hyde Hall trip.
27 March – Author visit for RB children.
30 March-10 April – Easter holiday.
15 April – Year 6 residential meeting for parents at 9.00am. *new date*
28 April – Year 6 children height and weight screening and Reception children mop-ups.
1 May – Class 4L parent lunch.
6 May – Class 4A parent lunch.
8 May – Class 5R parent lunch.
11-14 May – Year 6 KS2 SATs.
15 May – Year 3 Natural History Museum visit.
22 May – Sports afternoon and picnic.
25-29 May – Half term.
2 June – Class 6/5P parent lunch.
3 June – September 2026 Reception intake welcome meeting at 2.30pm, KS1 hall.
4 June – 6CH parent lunch.
4 June – FOGP summer disco.
7-10 June – Year 6 PGL Bawdsey Manor residential.
12 June – Junior Music Festival. *new date*
18 June – Year 6 Aviation WW1 simulator.
19 June – Father’s Day event, KS1 hall.
23 June – Meet the teacher event, 3.30pm-4.30pm.
26 June – Year 6 transition to Sweyne Park School.
26 June – FOGP summer fete. *change of date*
1 July – Nursery sports morning and picnic.
3 July – District sports at Garon Park.
7 July – Year 6 production to parents at 5.00pm.
9 July – Year 6 production to parents at 2.00pm.
17 July – Year 6 Glebe fest leavers’ event.
20 July – Year 6 leavers’ assembly to parents at 9.00am, KS2 hall.
Huge congratulations to Grace in Class 3VB who has been nominated for a prestigious One Voice Award.
The awards recognise the best in British voice acting talent and Grace is nominated for Best Children’s Voiceover Performance for a television commercial she recorded last year.
We are so proud of her and wish her lots of luck for the Awards Ceremony taking place in Stratford-Upon-Avon in May.
Find the signs in action on Glebe’s social media pages.
