Latest News

We have lots of events in Book Week to inspire children with their reading and writing. As we have a theatre group coming in to present Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book on Tuesday we have chosen animals from this book or any books as the theme for dressing on World Book Day on Thursday 7th March. We would like to see some characters from the Jungle Book but think that lots of children have or could soon improvise the costume for an animal book character. If this is difficult but your child already has a costume of another book character this is quite acceptable. We have been having more dressing up days as children enjoy them, but we want you to be able to recycle or improvise costumes rather than wasting money, and to make it possible for every child to take part. Dressing up is entirely optional - there is no donation required and normal uniform that day is fine too.

Well done to our A team girls who won the Thurrock Cup Semi-Final!

Thank you for supporting our celebrations for of The Year of the Dragon. on Our kitchen have provided a special Chinese Lunch featuring Sweet & Sour Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry. As we have no Chinese Language Assistant this year classes have video linked with on of our excellent former CLAs,  Xioumeng Li who provided some amazing online learning for us when she was here during the pandemic. We will also be singing some of our favourite Chinese songs.

 

 

Well done to our swimmers for coming first place in the Thurrock Swimming Gala!

We restarted our Walking Bus on the first day of term, walking across Orsett Heath from The Pavilion. Due to popular demand we have now extended the route and, after dropping children off at school, staff go to the Bon Bon to collect more. The bus starts at 8.15 am from the Pavilion (changing rooms) off Orsett Heath Crescent and leaves the Bon Bon 8.30 am. You can leave children at the Pavilion from 8.00 am and at the Bon Bon from 8.25 am.  Both points have some parking as the aim of the Walking Bus is both to encourage our children to enjoy the healthy activity of walking to school and to alleviate traffic and parking problems around the school. As an Eco School we hope it will also contribute towards limiting the carbon emissions which are causing harmful climate change. There is no charge for using the bus and you are welcome to join us in walking with your child.

We stopped supplying fleeces a number of years when we learnt that they release harmful microfibres into the water system when washed. To save families expense we said that children who already had them could continue to wear them. Those children have grown up now and our official uniform suppliers have been told not to sell them. We do not want children to wear fleeces in school and instead they should have a Woodside jumper or cardigan which also look smarter. Fleeces or other non-uniform items  bought from unofficial suppliers are not uniform even if embroidered with a similar badge. 

Leading up to Christmas at Woodside, while maintaining  our usual high standard of education, we taught children many of the traditional carols that are their heritage together with some exiting modern carols and carols from around the world and gave them the opportunity to develop their confidence and performing skills while thinking about others. This began.  with performances by our choir at Grays Court Care Home, and at Lakeside, where they collected for St Francis Hospice. Our Christmas Jumper day took place without as collection for this as we had recently done some major fund raising money for Children in Need but infant classes held their own Christingle services collecting for the Children's Society. We also took children to some seasonal entertainment. Year 3 went to see the Royal Ballet Company's Nutcracker at Covent Garden as part of their Chance to Dance collaboration with ROH Trailblazers, we took year 4 to the pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk and Thameside Theatre, and year 5 and 6 to the end our term show at Thames Park School. All our children enjoyed an in-school performance of Cinderella for all children on the last day along with parties and a traditional Christmas lunch.

 

Children have also had the chance to perform themselves. Each of our Infant classes presented a simple nativity with well-known carols to their parents while each Junior year group presented a traditional carol service at St Mary's Chadwell, as well as singing carols outside in the time honoured way at the end of specified days. This year we have focussed on the more traditional carols which are part of our heritage, with our own accompaniments involving children playing instruments rather than using commercial backing tracks.  We have included some newer carols, including John Rutter's Angel's Carol and the originally Ukrainian Carol of the Bells and an international element with El Burritto Sabanero sung in Spanish and Silent Night in Spanish, German and English with British Sign Language.

 

Y4 Thameside Theatre Visit

We are taking Y4 to see Jack and the Beanstalk at The Thameside Theatre on Wednesday 6th December.

 

Y3 ROH Nutcracker Visit

We are taking Y3 to see The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on Wednesday 6th December.

 

Christmas Jumper Day

Children can wear Christmas Jumpers or other Christmassy clothes on Thursday 7th December and the last day of term.

 

Christmas Bazaar

Please come to our Christmas Bazaar after school on Thursday 7th December. There will be no clubs after school that day, not even ASC.

 

Carol Singing in December

Year 1 to 6 all have a day to sing carols outside from 2.45 to 3.15 pm:

        Y6 Friday 8th                 Y5  Monday 11th       Y4 Tuesday 12th

        Y3 Thursday 14th       Y2   Monday 18th Y1 Tuesday 19th

 

Disco

Our Christmas Disco is on Wednesday 13th December: Infants 4.45—6.30 pm and Junior 6.30—7.45 pm. £5 each (includes hot dog & drink)

 

Infant Nativities *

Each class will present a simple nativity play with traditional carols:

 

Y2 Friday December 8th       2 B  9.15 am   2E  11.00 am  2W  2.15 pm

Y1 Monday 11th 1P    9.15 am 1C 11.00 am 1O 2.15 pm

Reception Wednesday 13th   RM  9.15 am  RS 11.00 am RB 2.15 pm

 

Nursery Christmas Concert *

Our nursery children will perform I-Spy Christmas on Friday 15th December  at 11.00 am and 2.30 pm.

 

Carol Services*

KS2 invite you to their Carol Services at 10.00 am at  St Marys:

Y5 Tues 12th  Y4  Thurs 14th  Y3 Mon 18th Y6  Tues 19th .

 

* Crèche

We ask you to use our FREE crèche in school for all performances as we do not admit toddlers and babies. There are NO exceptions.

 

Christmas Pantomime

We are treating children to the M&M pantomime of Cinderella in school on Wednesday 20th December, the last day of term.

 

Christmas Lunch

We shall cook Christmas Lunch for everyone on the last day of term. Please let us know if your child does not want it or is a  vegetarian.

 

Parties

We are holding Christmas parties in the afternoon on last day of term. No need for food but children can wear Christmas jumpers or party clothes.

 

The 18th January is the birthday of AA Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh and, by popular request, we are having another Winnie-the-Pooh day. Children and staff are invited to come to school in Pyjamas or Onesies (teddy bears welcome) and we will be having a special lunch with children's favourites, chicken nuggets or cheese and tomato pizza with skinny chips with Winnie-the-Pooh's special Honey Cake as dessert. All children who stay to school lunch that day will be given their own hardback Winnie the Pooh story book to keep and  a honey-scented sticker.  We will also be showing some favourite Winnie-the-Pooh films at lunchtime.

We are reviving the custom of allowing children to wear their Scouts. Beavers, or Brownie uniforms instead of school uniform on the following National Saints' Days:

 

St Andrew's Day (Scotland) 30th November

St David's Day (Wales) 1st March

St George's Day (England) 23rd April

St Patrick's Day (Ireland) 17th March