Term 6 Newsletter – July 2024
And just like that, another academic year has come to a close! This term has been a tremendously joyful end to the school year with so many trips, shows and reasons to celebrate. One of those shows was the Year 6 production, Trechary at Traitors Quay which was a triumph! The play, set in WW2 was a spy who-dun-it and boasted brilliant dramatic characterisation, period costumes and cracking musical numbers. We all loved the performance, thank you Year 6. We all wish you well in your new schools and future adventures! Below, pictures from dress rehearsal.
Sports Day is a celebration of sporting endeavours, teamwork and fun! The weather was kind .. not too hot, but mercifully dry! Pupils worked individually and in teams to win points for their House colours whilst having a great deal of fun along the way! Our House colours are Rubies, Sapphires and Emeralds; Sapphires won both key stages!
Our school values of resilience, self-belief, teamwork, positivity and compassion all shone through on that day. Well done everyone.
Year 5 Pupils are pictured completing an online guided reading exercise. These resources are ideal for supporting the development of a broad range of literacy skills, from reading comprehension (as used in the pictured lesson!) and spelling, to the ability to infer the meaning of new and unfamiliar vocabulary. Guided reading sessions can also help to boost confidence in reading. The programme also allows pupils to track the text, particularly helpful for visual learners.
I hope those of you who received cards on Father’s Day enjoyed them as much as we enjoyed making them! Mr White’s Year 4 pupils personalised their cards .. and as you can see from the below, pupils found Mr White’s jokes … a little lacking!
Year 2 have been mastering new songs on the ocarina in their music lessons (ocarinas are ancient wind instruments!). These seemingly simple instruments are perfect for developing early musicianship in individuals and enable rewarding group performances. Music Teacher, Mrs Greenbank led pupils in a perfectly executed group performance, well done everyone.
Year 1 making moving minibeast models. Pupils have been learning about pivots and levers and put their knowledge to the test by making marvellous moving models! As you can see, pupils went on to create habitat pictures for their models to live in.
As part of our Transition Programme, our Year 6 pupils visited Wilmington Grammar School for Girls for a Geography Masterclass. Mr Simmons, Teacher of Geography, delivered an interactive session designed to introduce students to Geography i.e. Where things are, What they are like and Why are they there? Students practiced some of core skills they will be using in secondary school, such as measuring distance and direction on Ordnance Survey maps, interpreting geographical features on photographs, and using Technical Terms in their geographical writing. Mr Simmons was impressed by how engaged and enthusiastic the Year 6s were. They showed great learning stamina throughout the 2-hour lesson!
Year 4 pupils visited Wilmington Grammar School for Boys for their first taste of a secondary school library. WGSB Librarian, Ms Fisk showed pupils how the library groups books into different ‘genres’ providing activities to give them an introduction to the many (many!) types of books that are available in secondary school libraries. Pupils explored a selection of books from each genre, reading their cover synopsis (or blurb) together with the first line of the book to help them decide which they thought looked the most exciting to them! Pupils also learned about the online resources on offer as well as the extensive list of magazines and newspapers that can be accessed. Thank you Ms Fisk for giving pupils such a positive and lively experience of books, computers and other media available in secondary schools.
Reception pupils have been making the most of the dry weather, especially during their ‘child-initiated learning’ sessions. Stimulus and equipment stations are set up for pupils to take advantage of and are designed to inspire creative thinking, practical skills and problem solving. Pictured below a small number of the learning through play opportunities on offer.
Seventeen pupils from KS2 attended a very special Benenden Music Experience Day. They played clarinet, flute, saxophone and recorder. The day was spent rehearsing in the large concert hall as well as having the opportunity to observe the secondary school pupils playing in their wind band as part of the Kent Music Summer School. There was also the opportunity to participate in swimming in the Olympic sized pool. The day culminated in a Concert for parents/carers and friends where around 80 children from local primary schools performed on stage. A fantastic day all round!
Team Darenth Cycling Club came into school to introduce us to their club, bike handling skills … and to show us some bike stunts during sports week! Mr Simmons is a Geography teacher at Wilmington Grammar School for Girls, and some of our pupils will have met him as he delivers taster lessons as part of our transition programme. He is also a (very) keen advocate of healthy lifestyles … and cycling! To find out more about Team Darenth cycling club please see the below poster or click on this link Team Darenth Cycling Club – Team Darenth Cycling Club
Meet our staff! Each week a member of our team has contributed a short introductory ‘biog’ to our Owl newsletter. The latest profiles can be read below to allow you to get to know our wonderful school team!
Hi, my name is Mrs Beveridge and my desire to teach came from my work experience at secondary school. After qualifying 31 years ago, my first teaching job was at a school in northeast London. It is actually the primary school that Harry Kane went to. He was a student at the school while I was teaching there but sadly, I can’t be sure he was actually in my class as it was a three-form entry school. I joined the Wilmington team in 2004 and have taught a bit across most years but the majority of my time has been in years 2 and 3, years I adore teaching. One of my favourite subjects to teach is DT and I remember helping children design and create many a vehicle and glove puppet.
Mrs Bridges. As some of the children already know, a couple of years ago I got a sprocker spaniel called Amber and when not in school we enjoy long walks in all weathers, with beach walks being our favourite. Amber’s favourite thing is her orange ball and mine is anything chocolate and being somewhere with big skies. I joined the Wilmington team in January and quickly settled in because of the welcoming children, parents, and staff. I grew up always wanting to teach and qualified back in 2006. I have previously taught in two other schools: one in inner London and the other in Bexley. I have taught in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. At school, my favourite subject to teach is maths as this is a big passion of mine. I love to see the children work their way through solving problems and watch their confidence grow. Outside of school, I spend most of my time trying to find new ways to keep my two young children busy.
My name is Miss Bell, and I am the other Deputy Headteacher at Wilmington Primary. My working days are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I qualified as a teacher 11 years ago when my first job was in a brand-new primary school in Maidstone where we had to set up a school from scratch. I joined Wilmington in 2019 as a Year 1 class teacher and progressed to Deputy Headteacher in 2020. Within teaching my passion is Key Stage 1 and my favourite subject to teach is Phonics. As many of the children know I had a daughter back in 2022 (she pops into work occasionally on my days off and the children have all met her). When I am not at work, I spend lots of time out and about with my family, who I am very close to too! My sister, who is my best friend, had her daughter two days after me, so our children spend lots of time together and are more like siblings than cousins. When I am not at home with my daughter I enjoy indulging in afternoon tea.
Mrs Moira Keech. I began teaching at Wilmington Primary School in 2022 and have acquired many lovely memories working with children in the school. My favourite subjects are mathematics and art, an odd combination you may well say but unusually, “A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns.” GH Hardy.
I relish being outside and Forest School is one of my passions so anything I can do outside, even if it is raining, I will endeavour to fit into our day at school, making it fun and interesting. In my spare time I play golf as much as possible and enjoy the challenge of getting my handicap lower!! A much sort after aim for many golfers!
My name is Mrs Moore, and I am one of the Deputy Headteachers here at Wilmington Primary. I joined the school just over two years ago after having taught at other schools in the Dartford area for the past 10 years. I love teaching because you never have a boring day – I learn as much from the children as they do from me! Outside of teaching, I really enjoy travelling and have been lucky enough to visit some amazing countries. I also love spending time with my family, and I am very close with my sister who lives on the same road as me and my brother who lives in Canada! This summer I will be going on maternity leave to have my first baby which is very exciting, I will miss the children while I am away but will be back to visit in my time off!
Miss Louise Ullah. I have been teaching for over 20 years and during this time I have taught from Year 6 all the way through to Reception where I currently teach. I have been at Wilmington Primary School for five years. I am also the SENCO. I have worked in schools of differing sizes; I really enjoy the family feel that we have at Wilmington Primary as everybody knows each other. I enjoy teaching Maths, especially in a practical way and have really enjoyed teaching our Supersonic Phonics Friends scheme. It is lovely to see how the children progress over the course of the school year and watch the children flourish as they move up through the school. In my spare time I enjoy reading, going for walks in the countryside and spending time with my two boys which might include camping holidays, beach days and going for coffee/baby lattes!
From all of the staff here at Wilmington Primary .. we hope you have a wonderful (and sunny!) summer break with friends and family. We will welcome back all our pupils .. and new pupils, on Tuesday 3rd September.
Best wishes,
Charlotte Scott
Headteacher
