Welcome to our gallery!  Have a look at what has been happening in our school.

Welcome to 2018 - 2019

Autism Awareness Day

Thank you to everyone who wore green on our Autism Awareness day on Friday 5th April.  The children enjoyed assemblies from Debbie from PACT for Autism where they learned a lot more about Autism.  As always, everyone was incredibly supportive and generous and we managed to raise £354.18 for the PACT for Autism charity.  Thank you everyone!!

Ingrid Anderson, an artist and specialist art teacher, has been working with children across the school for the past two years. Children from each year group have been lucky enough to work with Ingrid to design and paint the glass doors into our Early Years area. The children in Reception are very excited to see their favourite characters every day.

Partyman and McDonalds

On 11th and 13th July, Mrs Lamberth took 74 children to Partyman and McDonalds to celebrate great attendance. This year we had 59 children with 100% attendance and we also rewarded 15 children who have made a significant improvement in their attendance over the year. They arrived at Partyman at about 10.15 and spent 90 minutes climbing, sliding and exploring the soft play area. After they went to McDonalds where everyone had a Happy Meal before heading back to school for the last hour of the day. The children, as always, were very well behaved throughout and were a credit to the school and their families.

Aspirations Week 

This week we have been privileged to welcome lots of visitors into school for Aspirations Week. The week is designed to inspire children and open their eyes to some of the job opportunities available to them when they leave school. The week also highlights the importance that education plays in them being able to achieve their goals. Each visitor gave a brief overview of their job, what inspired them to enter their role and some gave a practical demonstration after which the children had the opportunity to ask questions. Some of the jobs that were featured included: immigration officer, nurse, engineer, media and advertising, train driver, firefighter…. and the list goes on. We would like to say a BIG thank you to everyone who gave up their time to take part in this amazing week.

Science Museum Trip

Last Friday 32 of our Year 5 children stayed at the Science Museum overnight. A great time was had by all with all the children returning shattered when they returned to Ockendon on Saturday afternoon. This year the workshops focused on chemistry so they saw an experiment which involved boiling and freezing plasticine, Timi had the opportunity to set fire to a balloon filled with helium, which exploded, and Gracie took part in a smell test – rotten eggs - YUK !!!.

Each child also printed their own bag or T-Shirt. The children were all extremely well behaved and we were extra proud when Ryan and Ava were picked as prize-winners for their role model behaviour. They both received a book, moon-ball and an experiment set in which they can grow a crystal.

Poetry Finals

Yesterday evening (Thursday 22nd March) it was the Performance Poetry Finals at the Civic Hall - we were represented in both the Yrs 3 and 4 small group and solo categories. Each group competed against 3 other schools and whilst we had no overall winners, the five children did an amazing job of representing the school with confidence and big smiles on their faces. Congratulations and thank you to Ellie H, Sophie B, Victoria R, Lucas W and Bamiyo O for making us proud.

Roman Workshop

On Thursday and Friday each class in Key Stage 2 took part in a Roman Workshop. The classes was greeted by a ‘Roman Warrior’ – she had wild red hair and a commanding voice. She guided the children through the life of a Roman Warrior by using role play - they explored weapons, fighting formations and marching as well as what it was like to be at war. All the classes reported how enjoyable the experience had been and it was amazing how much they have .

World Book Day 

As you all know, our original Book Week did not exactly go to plan due to the snow! But, this week we were able to enjoy what we had missed out on. On Wednesday, many of the children took part in a workshop bringing to life the well-known Roald Dahl story of The Enormous Crocodile. It is incredible to see the imaginations and creativity the children have during these workshops. Today, our school was transformed into a building full of people who looked like they had just stepped straight out of a book. Everyone looked great and it really enthused the children to learn about some new books and characters that they didn’t know about before, as well as some of those well-known ones. Also today we had a children’s author visit us, Mat Waugh. He entertained and engaged all the children through his workshops and has definitely inspired us all to write more and become possible authors in the future. There was a special workshop at the end of the day for those children who have read the most books across the school.

Congratulations to the children who were a part of this workshop, just another great reason to read at home! We hope the children have been inspired and motivated to continue reading and gaining all the advantages of reading.

Esafety Week 2018

This week is children have taken part in a range of workshops and assemblies which will enable them to keep safe on-line. We know there are lots of amazing experiences and learning opportunities on the world-wide web but there is also a side that can be dangerous and distressing so it is important that our children are confident and well-equipped to make judgements and decisions if something doesn’t look or feel right. It is also really important that they talk to an adult whether that is at home, school or someone independent. Please talk to your children about what they have learnt this week and ensure that they are reminded regularly.

Thurrock Colouring Competition 

During our assembly on Thursday 25^th January we were visited by a lady from Thurrock Council to discuss a colouring and name that Bin competition, she also discussed how and why we should recycle.

In March, Thurrock Council will receive 28 new bin lorries to replace the current ageing fleet and they told us about a fantastic opportunity to engage with schools across Thurrock and to name the vehicles. Recently the gritting vehicles were given some catchy names like ‘Gritney Spears’ and ‘Gritty McGritface’ and they wanted our school to join other schools in Thurrock and think of imaginative names for the bin lorries!

Kellee Buckthorpe-Evans visited us from Thurrock and spoke to the children in assembly, then if the children wanted to, they could colour in a picture and come up with an imaginative and appropriate name. These will then be judged by members of the Waste & Recycling team. The winners will be selected and the names will go on the front of the freighters and the drawings will be placed on the driver’s door. Our enteries have been submitted and we are looking forward to find out if we are one of the lucky winners!! Watch this space.....

First Aid Training 

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week Key Stage 2 children took part in some basic first aid training. Under the guidance of St John’s Ambulance they learnt how to make a first response assessment of an emergency situation, how to check a person’s airway, breathing and circulation (ABC) and then how to put someone in the recovery position. Whilst we hope that they never need to use this information we are confident that they will have a better idea of what to do should an incident occur.

Shaw Primary Academy Library Bus!

This term has seen the grand opening of our new school library - the big blue double deck bus!

The bus has been transformed from a working bus to a magnificent two storey library jam packed full of books, cushions, rugs and everything else a good library needs.  On Friday 8th September all the children had a visit to the library to see it for the first time.  Every class will have a session on the library bus each week to read for pleasure and enjoy books as well as having opportunities to use the library to enhance lessons.  For example, using the library bus to research during a topic lesson.

We are all looking forward to seeing the bus in use.

Welcome to 2017 - 2018 

Year 6 leavers 

On Tuesday and Wednesday our Year 6 children performed their farewell end of year show to their parents. They took us on a journey through time with singing and dancing from the 70s to present. It was an amazing show with lots of laughs and a few ‘characters’ that seemed very familiar. Congratulations to everyone involved from the performers to the stage crew who provided props, music and lighting throughout. We would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came along to watch – the heat was almost unbearable so we thank you for sticking with us.

Partyman 

During w/b 10^th July, Mrs Lamberth and Mrs Vorster took 71 children to Partyman at Lakeside to celebrate amazing attendance throughout this academic year. Everyone had a great time and there were plenty of hot, red faces as they left the venue. They followed the fun by visiting McDonalds for lunch and returned to school at 1.30pm. Well done to everyone who achieved 100% attendance this year and a special well done to the children who made a dramatic improvement this year.

Aspiration Week 

STEM Ambassadors supported our Aspirations week and they conducted a case study - please see attached report. 

Aspirations Week 

This week the children have enjoyed Aspirations Week. The aim of this week was to provide children with the opportunity to explore different careers and businesses so that they may begin to think about their own futures. We had 12 visitors in school to talk about their career paths and the importance that education has played throughout. The children were really excited by the workshops and the practical activities available. We would like to thank everyone who came to inspire the children and answer some of the challenging questions they asked.

This week children in Key Stage 2 went on a trip to Stubbers for a day of outdoor fun and adventure. The children took part in 4 active sessions which included a combination of: Bell Boating, Orienteering, Team Games, Raft Building and Laser Tag. Everyone had a wonderful time – some of the children came back wet and exhausted whilst others were eager to do more. (The staff just came home and slept !!).

Science Week 2017

During the week of 14th March children were emerged in Science activities.  They had opportunities to develop their skills in scientific enquiry through a wide variety of experiments.

We took part in the Tim Peake Priamry Project which was presented by Spacefund.  This included an interactive show with a "live link" to the international Space Station and lots of information about space travel.  Children were engaged in activities related to space and produced fabulous work sharing what they have learnt. Some of these feature in the photos below but do go and look for mor eon the class pages.

We look forward to next year's BSW.

Welcome to the Year 2016 - 2017

Visit to the houses of Parliament

At the end of last week Mrs Vorster took members of our school council to visit the Houses of Parliament. They were given an amazing presentation about the history and traditions of Parliament and they were then given a tour of the building including the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The children thoroughly enjoyed their day and were fascinated by the way democracy works. They left feeling empowered and enthusiastic about their ability to contribute to change.

Did you know that there is even a Post office in the building? You will see a letter adressed to the school council below, posted in a special envelope to remind them of their experience.

Our Christmas Productions 2016

Children in Need day

Thank you everyone who came to school in their pyjamas today in support of Children in Need. All money donated will be sent directly to the charity so that they can support children across the country. We will let you know how much we raised next week.

Our World War 2 Topic

This week our Key Stage 2 children have had two wonderful opportunities to get immersed in their World War 2 topic. Years 3-6 all took part in a workshop and went on a trip to Barleylands which gave them a better insight into what it was like to live during the war year.

MacMillan Coffee Morning

Thank you to everyone who faked, baked or ate cake in aid of MacMillan this year – the staff and parents had a lovely hour or so in the staffroom garden eating, drinking and having a chat. We would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to our ‘bucket shake’ at the end of the day. In total we raised £326.29p which is being sent off to the charity on Monday.

Welcome to the Year 2015 - 2016

Partyman World

On Tuesday and Wednesday (12^th and 13^th July) Mrs Lamberth and Mrs Vorster took 80 children to Partyman at Lakeside to celebrate amazing attendance throughout this academic year.  Everyone had a great time and there were plenty of hot, red faces as they left the venue.  They followed the fun by visiting McDonalds for lunch and returned to school at 1.30pm.  Well done to everyone who achieved 100% attendance this year and a special well done to the children who made a dramatic improvement this year.

Borrow-a-bike scheme

Would you like the opportunity to borrow-a-bike for a week? 

Well at Shaw Primary Academy you are very lucky to be able to do just this!  We have a selection of bikes available for Reception to Year 6 to borrow along with a helmet and a padlock. 

How it works?

Parents and children collect a bike on a Monday and ride to and from school for the week and deliver the bike back to school on a Friday.  The bikes are not for borrowing over a weekend and are NOT allowed to be used for recreational purposes i.e. not allowed to ‘play out’ on the bikes.  The purpose of the ‘Borrow-a- bike’ scheme is to encourage children to ride to and from school with their parents; practicing their skills at riding a bike.  Parents MUST escort their children to and from school.   All you have to do is complete the form below if you decide this is something you wish to do and hand it to the office and Miss Arnott will be in contact with you. Please give notice of at least one week.

Infant Music Festival

On Tuesday 5th July a selection of children from year 2 went on a coach trip to perform in the ‘Infant Music Festival’. The theme this year was ‘The Body’ and the children performed 7 group songs with 7 other school from around Thurrock.

During the festival everyone, including the audience, were taught a new song ‘In the jungle’ and we then performed this as a round and of course the children were much better than the group-ups!

Each school was also given the opportunity to perform their own song – ours was entitled ‘I’ve got life’ we were chosen to perform first and as usual our children shone, they were not only well-behaved and beautifully dressed in their school choir t-shirts but they sang exquisitely … I am sure all parents who attended will agree that they were a credit to our school!

Aspirations Week

This week has been Aspirations Week. We have had lots of visitors in school talking about their careers and giving the children the opportunity to take part in some ‘work related’ activities and ask any questions they may have.

Our visitors have included a lawyer, a fireman, a tea-taster, musicians, an undertaker, a nurse, a health improvement practitioner, a branch manager for a company that specialises in care services, an ambassador for the Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics sectors and our Yr 5 children also had a day out at Gaynes to give them a taste of the next stage of their education.

We hope that this week will have inspired our children to think about their future and to continue giving 100% to their education so that they can achieve their goals and aspirations.

How lucky are we!

We were very lucky to have a visit from Alex Iwobi professional football player from Arsenal.  Alex came to our school and discussed how he became a football player, how hard he had to work at school, what skills he learnt at school that helped him in his chosen career.  He spoke about the up and coming Olympics and how hard athletes have to train, which is very similar to football players. 

Thank you Alex for coming to our school we loved meeting you and hearing your story.  

Year 3/4 Quad Kids

Today Year 3/4 will be taking part in Quad Kids at Blackshots. They will be participating in 4 different events: throwing, long jump, 50m sprint and a 400m run. Good luck everyone!

On Thursday, Darren from Roots to Food took the children (and staff) on a journey of discovery, learning about food and nutrition in a fun and interactive way.

During the KS2 cooking workshop Darren engaged the children explaining the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet and set Miss Cummings and Miss Coupe against each other in a ‘Ready, Steady, Cook type challenge.  Both teachers worked with a group of children to produce a quick, healthy and nutritional meal – Miss Coupe’s Italian Chicken and pasta was voted the winner but Miss Cummings came in a close second with her Salmon Fishcakes and lemon rice.

In the KS1 workshop the children learnt about the importance of exercise and nutrition.  They found out what a portion of your ‘five a day’ looks like and how to judge it by using the cup of their hand.  Finally, they made a very fruity ‘smoothie’ which everyone tasted. 

 A day filled with fun, laughter and learning.

Roots to Food

Here are two recipes developed in the KS2 cooking show. Please feel free to try some at home.

Science Week

As part of science week all children from Yrs R-6 had an encounter with some unusual creatures.  Sophie brought in a variety of different animals – reptiles, amphibians and mini beasts. The children met, were able to touch/hold and learn all about a gecko, scorpion, salamander, millipede and a royal python. You will be able to see photos on various class pages to see what we got up to.  As well as the workshops individual classes have been taking part in science investigations including the ‘mentos’ experiment and making their own toothpaste.

On Monday we had a geologist visit KS2 this week to talk about the earth. They looked at rocks and soils, they got to dig into the sand to find a rock and then we discussed what type of rocks we had found and what they may be used for. We looked at tiger eye, marble, slate, granite and even some gold. The geologist showed us fossils that were all different ages some were found not so long ago and others were 300 years old! We found out what a fossil is and learnt about how they were formed. It was great fun and we took part in lots of science learning!

On Wednesday the children in KS1 went on a coach trip to Thames Chase Forest Centre in order to search and find Stickman. They followed a map and the path’s signposts and had to complete challenges along the way. Over the course of their visit they found a dog, a swan, a rabbit, Stick lady and their stick children and had almost given up hope. Luckily, as they neared the coach to come home, they finally found Stickman himself !!   Everyone had a lovely time and they were really pleased to be able to send Stickman on his way back to the family tree.

Children in Years 4 and 5 took part in an amazing music workshop this week.  Every child got the opportunity to play a range of different percussion instruments including agogo bells, tambourines, shakers and surdo drums.  They learned all about rhythm and how to create a group piece of samba carnival music and I think they all shocked themselves at the amazing music they were making.  The school was filled with magnificent music which sounded like a professional samba band, when in fact, it was our wonderful children.

On Thursday Years 3 and 6 took part in a Carnival Dance Workshop to celebrate dance from around the world, linking with their topic this term. They learnt a short dance sequence which included whole class dancing and dancing in pairs.  Everyone looked like they were having a wonderful time dancing to the Latin American rhythms

Esafety Roadshow

On Thursday our Yr 5 and 6 children attended an E-Safety Roadshow at the Civic Hall in Grays. There were lots of schools there and our children behaved impeccably throughout. They had a talk from and undercover policeman who helps protect individuals on the internet and they were able to show their knowledge and understanding of e-safety by answering lots of questions. Every child was given a goody bag at the end of the roadshow.

National Book Week

This week the children (and adults!) have very much enjoyed National Book Week.  There have been lots of visits to the local library with children coming back full of enthusiasm and a love of books.  It was wonderful to see so many of our children borrowing books as they are members.  For those who weren’t, they went away wanting to join and I hope that they can sign up soon to this invaluable and free resource.  In class there has been lots of story sharing and activities, including each class spending time with a different teacher to share their love of reading with.  On Thursday, the school was taken over by a whole host of book characters.  It was a joy to see the children engaged in this and passionate about their characters and the books they had come from.  Not only were the children looking great, the adults did a good job too!  The week has ended with all the children having the opportunity to meet and be inspired by a real author who has engaged the children in a range of workshops.  Perhaps one day one of our children will be doing this very same job after becoming a well-known author themselves.  Don’t forget to visit a bookshop to get a free book with you World Book Day voucher!  Miss Skingley would like to say a special thank you to all the children, parents, carers and staff for getting involved and making the week such a great success!

A thank you from the visiting E-Safety Team

As you will be aware, the week beginning the 8th February was E-Safety Week. We had a number of workshops taking place during the week and we have received the following message and card from one of our visitors "the facilitators Stuart and Nina said they loved every minute delivering the workshops at your school. They said both the Children and staff were such a pleasure to work with and we would be delighted to come back again next year!"

Esafety Week 2016

This week was E-Safety Week. All children from Yrs 1-6 took part in an interactive workshop which gave them the key facts and messages about keeping safe on-line and what to do if anything they see makes them ‘uncomfortable’ or afraid.

Yr 6 took part in ‘The World of Thrones’ where they had the chance to add their own ideas to a basic game show type script to make the story their own. They performed their final masterpiece to Yr 4 &5 in the afternoon.

Yrs 1-5 took part in ‘Into the Screen’ where they played games on a giant keyboard on the floor. They learned what is ‘safe’ to talk about on-line and also what information they should never share.

Our trip to Wat Tyler

On Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th the whole of Key Stage 2 visited Wat Tyler Park. In the morning they took part in a range of teambuilding activities. They played a team memory game, an activity where they had to keep a ball moving through guttering without letting the ball drop and they had to protect an egg with a range of materials so that it didn’t crack or break when dropped from a height. In the afternoon they learnt how to use a compass and were sent of an orienteering treasure hunt. Despite the cold everyone had a great time.

Look what has been happening in our school this week!

This week has been National Storytelling Week. This week each class had the pleasure of being thrown into a world of imagination through a special storytelling visitor. The children were able to learn new stories and got to take part in telling stories through acting out lots of the characters and actions from them. It allowed the children to explore their ideas and they all let their imaginations run wild. They have already set about putting this into practice in their own story writing. Everyone is a storyteller in our school!

First Aid Training

On Monday and Tuesday this week all Key Stage 2 children undertook some First Aid training with St John’s Ambulance.  They learnt what to do if they came across an emergency situation and how to complete a ‘primary survey’ of the casualty using Dr’s ABC.  They also practiced putting their friends in the recovery position.  We’ve printed a copy of Dr’s ABC for you which you may find useful.

Would you know what to do if you came across a first aid emergency?

Do you know your Dr’s ABC ?

D - Danger Your priority is always to maintain your own safety. Check for signs of danger or potential risks

R - Response You now need to ascertain if the casualty is conscious. Ask them to respond to a simple question like "Can you tell me your name?" If they are unable to respond verbally, they may be able to respond to other simple commands like "Can you open your eyes?"

S - Shout for help You will most likely require someone to help you call the emergency services while you attend to the casualty.

A - Airway You should ensure that your casualty's airway is open and unblocked. If they are unconscious, tilt the head back and lift their chin to open the airway.

B- Breathing You need to establish if your casualty is breathing normally - look, listen and feel for breaths. If your casualty is unconscious but breathing normally, they should be placed in the recovery position. If the casualty is unconscious and not breathing, you should dial 999 / 112 for the emergency services and start CPR.

C- Circulation Look for signs of severe bleeding once the other checks have been made. Pressure should be applied to the bleeds and the affected limb raise above heart level. The casualty should be monitored and treated for signs of shock.

School Council Trip to Parliament

On Wednesday 20th January our School Councillors visited the House of Parliament to find out how important decision are made nationally, they saw democracy in progress and took part in a ‘Story of Parliament’ tour. They travelled to Westminster via train and tube and were fantastic role models throughout the day. 

Poetry Workshop

This week the children were immersed in a world of poetry and took part in workshops where they were able to play around with words. Every single child became a poet and wrote their very own poem. Each class followed a different theme or type of poem including poems about technology, homes, abstract ideas, rhythm and rhyme. The teachers favourite part of the day was the opportunities the children had at the end to share their poetry with other year groups. It truly was remarkable what the children achieved from one workshop and everyone is looking forward to the poems to come in the future from our budding poets!

Inclusion Quality Mark – Flagship Status

As you will be aware we were assessed by the Inclusion Quality Mark organisation on 11^th November and we are delighted to announce that we have once again been awarded Flagship Status.  ‘Flagship Status’ means that we are recommended to other local and national schools as being a school that is highly commended for their ‘inclusive practices.’ If you would like to see the full report please go to the Key Information section.

Some of the comments made by the assessor include:

“things never stay still at Shaw”

 “At this school professionals really do believe in quality first teaching and the empathetic support of children and their families in order to improve educational outcomes and real-life inclusion for all”

School Council Visit to the Mayoral Chambers

On Thursday Mrs Clack took 20 School Council members to the Mayoral Chamber in Grays to learn about democracy at a local level.They met with our current Mayoress who answered lots of questions about her role and how she got the job.They were taken into the main Council Chamber where they sat in the councillors’ chairs and held their own mini School Council meeting chaired by Maddison, Joseph and the Mayoress.After that they went to the Mayoral Parlour where they tried on her robe, hat and other regalia.Everyone who attended was awarded with a pencil and rubber stamped with the council crest. Everyone has a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

On Friday all the children attended a traditional Carol Service in the morning at Belhus Park Chapel. To add a twist to the event the Chapel had been turned into a TV studio where the children and staff saw an interview with Mary and Joseph. We would like to thank everyone from the church for making us so welcome and to all the parents that came with us. The afternoon was filled with fun and singing – what a wonderful way to finish the term.

We are really excited to announce that in January and February 2016 we will be visited by two amazing theatre companies delivering a Comedy Poetry workshop on the 12th and 13th January and a Storytelling workshop on the 3rd and 4th January.  We will keep you updated with any more news and photos - watch this space!

Reading is stealing your Headteachers heart....

There is no better way to spend time together than sharing a book.  One of our youngest children showing off his reading skills to Ms Copping is just another show stopper!

MacMillan Coffee Morning at Shaw

Thank you to everyone who supported our MacMillan Coffee Morning today (Fri 25^th Sept) - whether you baked, ate or donated we appreciate your support.

We still have money coming in but it looks as though we have raised about £200 for this wonderful charity.  Thank you again

Jeans for Genes Day

Thank you to everyone who came dressed in their Jeans today in aid of Jeans for Genes day. We raised a total of £334.75p which we will be sending off to the charity next week.

The Stone Age - KS2

This week key stage 2 were visited by a time traveller who transported us all far back in time, so far in fact, we became the very first group of people. We learned all about the life of the people during these first ages and got to carry out many of the tasks and activities of their daily lives, very different to ours now. It was a real eye opener as to how creative they needed to be with what was available to them, especially in terms of something to wear. Luckily none of us arrived in real animal skins but everyone looked wonderful in their costumes. We have a great day and look forward to learning even more in class throughout the term.

Prize Giving Assembly at Shaw

This week we were delighted to welcome Steve and Phil from our building contractors, in to assembly to talk to children from Years 1 to 5 about staying safe near building sites.  Steve used a PowerPoint presentation to engage the children in a wide range of safety information which we have put on the school website for you to look at.  At the end of the presentation, children were invited to take part in a poster competition about staying safe.  Details of the competition can be found on the presentation and entries should be returned to school in September.

Please encourage your children to take part in the competition as this will help to reinforce Steve’s message and give them the chance of winning a £20 book voucher.

On Tuesday Mrs Lamberth took 82 children to Partyman to celebrate the achievement of children that have 100% attendance or have made massive improvements in their attendance this year. As you can imagine there were lots of hot and excited children (and some exhausted adults) but the staff and volunteers were hugely impressed with their behaviour throughout.

Last Friday we welcomed home our Year 6 pupils that had been on their residential trip to Kingswood. They all had a fantastic time taking part in new and exciting activities such as the ariel slide, archery and lots of team challenges. Congratulations to Arthur Fuller who managed to reach the top of Jacob’s Ladder which, by all accounts, is quite some feat. They also showed off their dancing skills at the disco and were so good that someone thought we were a dance school !!!!

On Thursday Miss Haynes took 8 Key Stage 1 children to Quad Kids. They had a really fantastic time and competed in a team at 4 different events – 300m run, standing long jump, vortex throw and a 50m sprint. They came 9th overall but their sporting spirit was in evidence throughout.

On Thursday 47 children represented the school at the Borough Olympics.They took part in a range of track and field events and many children won individual medals.Overall Shaw came 3^rd in the Field events, 5^th in the track and came 5^th overall.Well done to all the children who took part, they all gave 100% and had great team spirit.

On Monday Yr 5 visited Hever Castle.They met with Henry VIII who thought it had taken them 2 days to reach the castle from Ockendon (he obviously didn’t know about the luxury of modern travel !!).The children were especially fascinated by Tudor toileting – just a wooden toilet seat over a hole in the ground (YUK) and were highly amused when 2 children had their sandwiches taken by the ducks.The weather was lovely and everyone had a great time.

On Wednesday it was Yr 6s turn to visit to Hever Castle.They had a guided tour of the castle and saw Anne Boleyn’s bed and many other artefacts from Tudor times. Everyone had a go in the Yew Tree Maze – thankfully no-one got lost.Miss Mulcahy and Mrs Beard were extremely proud of the way Yr 6 behaved on their visit, especially when on the journey home they had to sit on an extremely hot coach, in traffic, for over an hour.

Year 5 hare Project

On Wednesday after school Miss Mulcahy , Mrs Adegbite and Mrs Skingley took 4 Yr 5 children to the Thurrock Thameside Nature Reserve for an awards ceremony. Last term 47 schools in Thurrock decorated an 8ft hare and this week was the grand unveiling of all the hares which are displayed on the hill at the Nature Reserve. Emalee B, Summer T, Maddison B, and Joseph O met with the Mayor who gave Shaw a special mention in his speech. Shaw’s hare was judged the 5th best out of 47. Well done to everyone who took part

Hever Castle Visit

On Wednesday our Yr 3 children visited Hever Castle to support their work on The Tudors. They met with Anne Boleyn who told them all about her childhood home and her marriage to Henry VIII. They also walked around the magnificent gardens and got lost in the Yew Tree Maze.

Did you know that the castle has a number of secret doors? Year 3 found some of them – will the other year groups be able to spot them?

Netball Presentation

On Friday 22nd May our Netball team attended an awards ceremony with Miss Warwick and Mrs Standing, where we were presented with the Winners Trophy.  Our Netball team have won the Netball league in Thurrock, they were confirmed winners of the Western School’s League and have won the trophy for the second year. Congratulation everyone!  

Art Gallery Trip to London

On Thursday Miss Mulcahy and Miss Arnott took 11 children on an Arts Award visit to the National Gallery in London. It was an exhausting day but well worth the trip. The group were given a special guided tour which introduced them to some of the most famous paintings in the world including Monet’s Water Lillies. After lunch they had some time to explore other parts of the gallery and then visited the gift shop before they came home. A great time was had by all.

Bikeability

This week 10 of our Year 4 children undertook their Level 1 Bikeability Training led by Thurrock Council’s Road Safety Team.

They completed two 2 hour training sessions which involved learning basic road skills, bicycle control and the Highway Code.  We are pleased to announce that they all passed with flying colours.  Well done to Paige, Louisa, Bradley, Patrycja, Jay, Daniel, Erikah, Brooke, Abbie and Ajla.

Reading at Shaw Primary Academy

Shaw Primary Academy have subscribed to the 'First News' children's newspaper.  Two of our boys spent some good quality time reading the Newspaper - good choice boys!

Special Congratulations

Everyone at Shaw would like to say congratualtions to Dylan Aldridge and Hayden Hoang on passing their 11+ exams and gaining places at Grammar School. We are extremely proud of them both and we know that they will excel in their new schools. Both boys have put in a lot of extra work into preparing for their 11+, involving extra classes and extra homework, so we are really pleased that they have been rewarded for their efforts.

Year 5 Art Project

All Thurrock Primary Schools were recently invited by Essex Wildlife Trust’s Thurrock Thameside Nature Park (TTNP) team to enter a competition, on a Year 5 class basis, to decorate giant wooden hare silhouettes.

The idea of the project is to strengthen Essex Wildlife Trust’s links with the local community, raise awareness of conservation with the general public – the Brown Hare, which can be found at TTNP, is in worrying decline and is a key species in the English Biodiversity Action Plan – and to use a variety of educational tools to enthuse and excite Thurrock’s children about wildlife and the open spaces on their doorstep.

For more information please see press release from Your Thurrock

http://www.yourthurrock.com/Hare-today-hare-tomorrow-Thameside-Nature-Park/story-26210028-detail/story.html

American Football

Wednesday was an extremely busy day at school with 16 children taking part in an American Football tournament in London. We entered 2 teams of 8 and were ecstatic to be placed 2nd and 3rd. Well done to everyone who competed. Mrs Bello was hugely impressed with your passion and behaviour.

Comic Relief

Thank you to everyone who donated money to Comic Releif this morning. We will let you know the total raised on next week’s newsletter. In school we spent some time looking at the work that Comic Relief does and how the money raised is spent. In the 20 years that Comic Relief has been in existence they have raised over £800million pounds which has helped projects at home and abroad.

Grand Opening of our Uniform Swap Shop

Wednesday 11^th March saw the Grand Opening of our Uniform Swap Shop. 

Every term Mrs Lamberth and her 3 Swap Shop Assistants (Temi Osho, Hayley Yerokun-Johnson and Antonia Orebella) will be recycling the unclaimed lost property and putting the best bits in our ‘shop’.   Parents can either bring in some uniform that their child has outgrown and ‘swap’ it for something in a larger size or alternatively purchase it at reduced price.

Our first session was really busy and we raised £38.50.  We hope to run the ‘shop’ fortnightly so keep an eye on the newsletter for the next date.

Remember, if you have any old uniform that you would like to donate, please bring it along to the school office – Mrs Lamberth will be very grateful

Performance Poetry Competition

After school on Wednesday 41 children from Shaw competed individually and in groups agains other local schools in the Performance Poetry competition. Everyone did extremely well performing in front of approx. 120 parents and children from the other schools taking part. We are delighted to announce that our Yr 3 and 4 large group were selected to take part in the Grand Finals next Wednesday at the Civic Hall. Well done to everyone who took part – as always, you were a credit to the school, your parents and yourselves. Special congratulations to Naomi, Kateshalom, Bonita, Ruby-Mae, Mark, Louise, Antonia and Ellie from 4R. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents and staff from Shaw that went along to support.

Key Stage 1 Space Dome

Last Friday our Key Stage 1 children entered the ‘Space Dome’ where they were treated to an immersive space experience. They were shown video from different space missions including how the first man landed on the moon and listened to news and radio clips from the time. They watched a rocket take off which included sound effects and they also saw the planets orbiting in the Solar System.

Visit from the School Nursing Service

On Wednesday Kerrie Willis from the School Nursing Service came before school to answer any questions parents or children had about Dentall Hygiene. Many of the children enjoyed her ‘best way to brush quiz’ and designed posters about what they had learnt.

Visiting Author

On Tuesday 3^rd March get ready for your children to be telling you stories as children’s author and storyteller Adam Guillain will be working alongside us all and teaching us all to do just that! Adam is co-founder of Storytelling Schools, an international organisation set up to show how storytelling can be used to elevate language and teach right across the curriculum. Adam will be offering an after-school book-signing featuring some of his latest books such as Doughnuts for a Dragon, written with wife Charlotte, and award winning illustrator, Lee Wildish and Doughnuts for a Dragon is the third in the team’s George’s Amazing Adventures series (shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize). Adam will also have his Bella Balistica novels for older children. For more information on these books and Adam’s writing visit: www.tinnedspaghetti.co.uk

Maths Competition

On Thursday morning Mrs Beard and Mrs Clack took 4 Yr 6 pupils to a Maths competition sponsored by Grays Rotary club.  Bethany F, Ryan T, Dylan A and Hayden H were set a number of puzzle-based questions which they had to work as a team to solve.  Shaw came 2^nd out of 30 Thurrock schools - that is an amazing achievement.  In recognition, each child was given a trophy to take home.  Well done – we are very proud of you all.

Volcano and Earthquake Workshop

On Thursday Key Stage 2 had a visitor from Freshwater Company who carried out geography workshop for KS2 children.  Embarking on a trek, the children showed their knowledge by passing various tasks, including role playing the different stages of a volcano and taking an interactive imaginary journey around the world to visit places that have experienced natural disasters. That was to enable to become members of the prestigious Explorers’ Club. They were able to achieve the task by using certain amount of props and visual aids but the focus of the workshop is on using interactive drama activities such as role play and tableaux to explore the topic of Volcanoes and Earthquakes. 

Esafety Week

This week has been E-Safety Week. All childrein in Key Stage 1 and 2 have taken part in workshops and assemblies which have highlighted how to stay safe online and the importance of keeping your personal details private. Year 6 also experienced a workshop which showed how easy it was to become friends with someone that lied about their identity. The internet is a wonderful resource but parents and children need to be aware of the dangers. Please look at our Esafety Page for more information and pictures.

National Story Telling Week

Christmas Bazaar 2014

Thank you to everyone who attended the Christmas Bazaar or purchased raffle tickets this year.  We are still finalising the total but we raised approx. £1100 which will be used to support the school and your children over the coming year.

1st Prize - Wayne Dominique

2nd Prize - Lily-may Weaver (Nursery)

3rd Prize - Mary - Kate (3I)

4th Prize - Mrs Jones (Office)

Name the Snowman - Jack Beckwith - The correct name was Berry

Guess how many sweets in the Jar - Mrs Clarke - There were 206 and this was correctly guessed  

Parliament Week at Shaw Primary Academy

Our pupils enjoyed Parliament Week last week which enable them to gain more knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy, they learnt why we had a parliament and how we were able to vote. It will also enabled pupils to explore what it meant to them and their community.  The children will also gained more knowledge about Class and School Council by taking part in a series of activities throughout the week. 

Diabetes Day

On Friday 14th November we held a Diabetes Awareness Day. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated money to the cause and to the children and staff who supported the event by wearing something blue. We also like to thank the Diabetes Nursing Team, Bethany, Daniel and their mums for taking the time to speak to the children about how diabetes affects daily life and also the symptons to look out for.

Parliament Week at Shaw Primary Academy

Next week we are taking part in Parliament Week (week beginning 17^th November) which will enable our pupils to gain more knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy, why we have a parliament and how we are able to vote. It will also enable pupils to explore what means to them and their community.  The children will also learn more about Class and School Council by taking part in a series of activities throughout the week.  Watch this space for more information and pictures!

World Diabetes Awareness day

We are pleased to announce World Diabetes Awareness day on Friday 14th November.  The day is designed to help everyone, both children and adults, raise their awareness of Diabetes and its symptoms but is also about how it can affect the lives of those living with type 1 diabetes.  To show our support and awareness we are asking everyone to wear something blue on the day.  Children in KS1/2 will be taking part in a variety of activities to raise their awareness during the day.  Parents/carers are invited to attend a short awareness session at 2:50 in the infant hall – this will include a very short film on awareness around possible symptoms of diabetes and also give you the chance to ask our local diabetes nurse any questions you may have. 

We are asking for a small donation before or after school – look out for the collection buckets.

Play Leaders at Shaw Primary Academy

At Shaw Primary Academy we are proud to have Year 6 Play leaders.

Having Play Leaders in our school promotes children's well-being, skills, socialising, and team work, this also demonstrates:

ENJOYMENT 

COMMUNICATION

ORGANISATION

RESPONSIBILITY

Play leaders carry out their roles and responsibilities during lunchtime. All children are able to join in with a range of activities, led by our Year 6 children.  The children have access to a range of equipment, such as, hoola hoops, skipping ropes, bean bags, quoits, bats and balls and they also teach their own games to the children. It's great fun!!

How lucky are we! Thank you to Maddie Perfect who met with Lauren from X factor during the half term and she asked her to write a message to us - thank you!

Please see the document below for a special message to Shaw Primary Academy. 

Our House Captains this term are;

Lucy Attewell - Ruby

Jack Easton – Topaz

Ryan Cerato – Emerald

Aimee Marney – Sapphire

Congratulations

We would like to send our warmest congratulations to Dylan Aldridge and Hayden Hoang in Yr 6 who passed their 11+ exams recently.  The boys both undertook extra tuition outside of school in order to sit the exams which took a lot of hard work and dedication.  Well done boys.

Jeans for Genes Day

On Friday 19th September pupils came dressed in their jeans to support the charity 'Jeans for Genes day' - we raised a staggering £302. Please see letter  below and a fabulous certificate.  Well done everyone.

Celebrating Attendance at Shaw Primary Academy

On Thursday Mrs Lamberth took a group of 43 children to Partyman and Macdonalds as a reward for perfect or ‘most improved’ attendance last year. Everyone had a great time and they all have high hopes of going again at the end of this year.

On Friday 26th September we held a MacMillan Coffee morning.  Parents joined us for a coffee and a cake.  Thank you to everyone who came and supported our Coffee Morning last week. Staff and Parents/Carers raised an amazing £255.79 which will be sent off direct to the charity next week.

Jeff Rich from Status Quo visited our school today for a Drum Master Class. 

On Wednesday 17^th September world famous drummer from Status Quo held his drummer workshop at our school today.  Jeff Rich not only offered an insight into the music industry but also an enjoyable and educational experience.  He showed the pupils lots of different percussion instruments and drums.  Some children had the chance to play an instrument alongside Jeff.  An event enjoyed by all.  There are some young drummers in our school so watch this space!

Welcome to our new year 2014-2015

Please have a look to see the exciting things that happened in our school during 2013 and 2014

On Tuesday, our Yr 6 children went to Basildon for their Celebration Trip. They had a game of bowling, ate pizza and then went to watch ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’.

Year 5 Science Museum Sleep Over