Harrison Headlines
Year 6 SATs
Firstly, a huge well done to our Year 6 children last week. The children demonstrated great resilience and perseverance; we are proud of their efforts and attitudes to learning. The Year 6 team has worked tirelessly to give the children the confidence to rise to the challenge of SATS - a huge thank you to everyone who supported the children, from across the school.
We celebrated the end of SATs with the launch of the Year 6 Production - more details to follow.
999 Day
Fareham’s 999 Day will take place on Saturday 22 June from 10am-4pm in Fareham Town Centre.
There will be lots of local emergency service heroes and their vehicles on display including the Police, Fire Service, South Coast Ambulance Service, RNLI, Hampshire Search and Rescue, Coastguard and much more. People will be able to chat the emergency service heroes, find out about the work they do and even sit in some of their vehicles.
Plus, Fareham Library will have 999 day themed crafts!
Summer Reading Challenge
This year the challenge starts on Saturday 13th July and finishes on Saturday 7th September. The theme is 'Marvellous Makers', which hopes to inspire children to keep creative. Further details to follow.
And don’t forget to use Sora and to keep up reading for pleasure over the half-term break.
D Day 80 Celebration:
On 5th & 6th June 2024 we will commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings by creating a giant '80' on the playground, an image of which will be shared with parents and carers. We have already been practising some much-loved songs such as 'The Lambeth Walk' which you may already have heard the children singing!
The Singing Club, led by Georgia Swift and Sara Gmitrowicz, will participate in Fareham Shopping Centre's celebrations on 6th June at 10am. Parents and carers are very welcome to meet us in Osborn Square, opposite B&M, in the town centre to support us.
This week in assemblies the children have learnt about the D-Day landings, and their significance as the beginning of the liberation of France and western Europe.
Governor update, from Andi Bambeck, Learning & Teaching committee:
Our curriculum lead, Sasha Weld, discussed with the governors the actions taken to keep the Harrison curriculum current and up to date. The Harrison Curriculum Map has been updated to ensure units are taught in a logical order and that the teachers know the progression of skills and expectations.
We also discussed healthy eating within the school and how school lunches are quality assured in order to ensure that the HC3S menu meets the 'School Food Plan'. Lunchtimes in the classrooms continue to prove successful, allowing all children time to eat before play.
The Governors planned the recent Governor Strategy Day held on Monday 20th May when governors held pupil interviews with children on their understanding of their learning.
We have been talking to the children in our assemblies about 'Spring', and the inspiration that nature can stimulate at this time of year... a time of wonder and awe, to reconnect with the beauty and magic of the natural world around us.
It is also a time of 'New Beginnings' - an opportunity for the children to be inspired by Spring's freshness and energy to work their hardest and achieve great things.
Our aim is to work closely with you to support all children to become 'Lifelong Learners, with open minds'. We use the Harrison Learning Tree to teach children how to be great citizens, develop responsibility, fantastic attitudes and excellence in all that they do - if you would like more information about this please see the school website.
Next week on Monday, 22nd April, we will be learning about 'Earth Day 2024'.
We are supporting this global campaign to end the use of plastics - to make a contribution to the longer term health of our planet.
Mr Penfold, year 4 teacher and geography lead, is leading this initiative. Our aim is to achieve ‘plastic free school status’ by:
• stopping the use of single use plastic bottles
• replacing single use plastic items
• collecting difficult to recycle items (pen & glue container recycling)
• writing to Fareham Council and our local MP about plastic and litter in the local area and
• increasing litter picking around the school.
We are also planning to install bird boxes and further insect hotels to enhance our grounds, and create better habitats for wildlife.
If any children would like to join Mr Penfold in these activities, they are welcome to join the Eco Warrier club, 3.30pm on Mondays for pupils in years 3,4 and 5.
Appeal for help from parents/grandparents/friends – if you can help with building bird boxes and bug hotels, gardening or laying of a new artificial grass surface near the climbing wall, please let Mrs Pidgeon, School Business Manager, know.
We would really appreciate your help, thank you in advance.
Art Competition: please see the separate email about last term's winners, and the next competition. Huge thank you to Mr Watson for inspiring Harrison's budding artists.
PTA: Easter Egg Hunt - we made a fantastic £370 - thank you everyone for joining us. Monies raised this year will be put towards outdoor gym equipment, which has been ordered.
Attendance:
Poor school attendance is a national concern.
You will be pleased to hear that our attendance rate is back to 97%, following a lot of unavoidable illness before Easter.
We strive for 98% attendance for all children and know that you wholeheartedly support us.
If you are struggling to get your child to school, we want to help. Please get in touch.
Bluey Club were excited to welcome a special guest this week. Finn Powell, an ex Harrison Primary School pupil, joined the Royal Navy recently and came to talk to our pupils about his experiences. They had lots of questions for him which he answered patiently and with great humour. Thank you Finn!
Amazing Authors in Year 2 Badger Class!
Aspiring authors in Year 2 Badger Class have been busy writing and illustrating stories at home, inspired by Salty’s Prize and Salty’s Treasure. These new adventures have been compiled into a growing collection, that now resides in their book corner, so everyone can enjoy reading them. So far Salty has been to school, had a party, a fun day, a trip to the cinema, enjoyed Easter and made a new best friend!
A huge well done to you all for your inspiring stories and creativity, you are amazing writers! Keep it up, we can’t wait to see what he will do next!
World Book Day is fast approaching once again... we will be celebrating in school on Friday 8th March 2024 (although the official date is Thursday 7th March).
On Friday 8th March we are asking the children to come to school dressed as their favourite book character - if they would like to.
Mrs Davies and the Harrison team are very much looking forward to sharing World Book Day 2024 with you.
We will also be collecting books for the 'Children's Book Project' - a national charity that gifts donated books to families who have very few books in order to tackle the 'book gap' in some communities.
These books will then be passed to 'new homes' locally via the 'Children's Book Project' charity. Across London and the UK 1 in 4 disadvantaged children owns fewer than 10 books, whilst 1 in 8 has none at all. This has an impact not only on these children’s academic outcomes but also on their wellbeing, emotional development and sense of themselves as a reader. The charity expects to gift upwards of 350,000 books this year.
We will be asking children to donate unwanted books, those that they have 'outgrown' or perhaps purchase an old favourite to donate. These books can be brought to school on 7th and 8th March.
For more information visit www.childrensbookproject.co.uk
The School Council will host a 'Pyjama Day' on Friday 22nd March 2024.
Having consulted with their classes recently, the School Council has decided to focus on raising money for an 'outdoor fitness station' which can be used by all children.
Everyone is invited to wear their pyjamas to school - and make a donation towards the gym equipment.
New Artist of the half-term competition
Please watch this week's celebration assembly to find out the winners of last half term's Keith Haring art competition for which Mr Watson received over 135 entries.
This half term's new artist is the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama - whose bright and vivid style, full of poker dots and fantastic patterns, can be seen on this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wveQuF8tj1w
Mr Watson is looking forward to receiving entries to this half term's competition by Wednesday, 27th March 2024. Remember, all entries on A4 paper with your child's name and class on the back.
Walk to School - WOW - February to July 2024
We are participating in the 'Living Streets' national Walk to School competition whereby ALL children are encouraged to walk, cycle, scoot or 'park and stride' to school once each week. Each week we will track the children's journeys to school, and at the end of each month badges will be handed out to those children who have active journeys to school. As our children all walk through the 'School Streets Scheme' we anticipate that all children will receive badges.
