Regular reading at home has been shown to have numerous benefits for children. It not only helps improve their reading skills, but also enhances their language development, vocabulary, and comprehension abilities. Additionally, reading helps to stimulate children's imagination and creativity, which can benefit them in many aspects of their lives.

The school encourages parents/Carers to take an active role in their children's reading by reading with them regularly and discussing the stories they read. By doing this, parents/Carers can help their children develop a love for reading and instil in them the value of lifelong learning.

To help parents/Carers keep a record of the reading that is done at home, the school has provided Reading Records or Planners (depending on the child's age) to document their children's reading progress. Parents/Carers are asked to record the title of the book, the date it was read, and any comments or observations about their child's reading experience. This information can be used by teachers to monitor children's progress and identify any areas where additional support may be needed.

As a school, we expect parents/Carers to be listening to their child read and recording this in their Reading Records or Planners at least 4 times per week. 

To encourage children to read more frequently at home, Mrs Waite and Mr Gunning will now be hosting a very special reward for all children who are reading with a parent/Carer and recording this 4 times per week.

The 'Reading Club Afternoon Tea' will happen once per half-term in the last week of the half-term. This will involve drinks, fancy fruits and some tasty treats for children to share with Mrs Waite and Mr Gunning as well as some great chat about the books that the children have been reading. 

Starting from next Friday, on a weekly basis, children's reading records will be checked to find out which children have kept up with reading 4 times a week. Those who manage it every week for the half-term will receive an invitation to the Reading Club Afternoon Tea in a Celebration Assembly in the penultimate week of the half-term. 

Mrs Waite and Mr Gunning are really looking forward to the first event which will happen on the afternoon of  Thursday 30th March. 

New PE Schedule for Children in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6

There will be a change to the timetable for Physical Education (PE) lessons for children in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 at our school. From next week onwards, children in Years 3, 4, and 5 will have their PE lessons on a Monday, while Year 6 pupils will have theirs on a Tuesday.

To make the most of these lessons, we ask that all children come to school dressed in their PE kits on the relevant day. This means that no time is wasted getting changed, and more time can be spent on physical activity and learning new skills. We also remind parents that it is essential for their children to wear the correct PE kit, which can be found on the school website under 'uniform.' This includes Year 3 who are currently swimming on a  Monday afternoon. 

Physical education is an important part of a child's education, and regular exercise has many benefits for their physical and mental well-being. It can help to improve their coordination, balance, and flexibility, as well as their confidence and self-esteem. We want all of our pupils to enjoy their PE lessons and get the most out of them, which is why wearing the correct kit is so important.

We hope that this change to the PE schedule will be a positive one for everyone involved, and we look forward to seeing our pupils continue to develop their physical skills and grow in confidence.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Thank you for your continued support.

Dear Parents of Thornhill Primary School,

I am writing this letter to express my sincere thanks to you and your children for their active participation in the school Read for Good readathon. We are overwhelmed by the response we have received from the students, and we are proud of their efforts to raise awareness about the importance of reading.

We know that loads of children have been involved, and we are thrilled to see their enthusiasm for reading grow throughout the readathon. We are grateful for your support and encouragement throughout this initiative. Your role in fostering a love of reading in your child is crucial, and we appreciate your efforts in this regard.

As you may recall, the readathon was also a fundraising event. We encouraged the children to seek sponsorship from family and friends for the books they read during the readathon. Now that the event has come to an end, we would like to remind you that any sponsorship money is now due for collection. The money can be handed in to the school office or to a teacher. Alternatively, if you prefer to donate online, you can do so via the link provided in the original new article on the website. 

Once again, thank you for your support and for encouraging your children to participate in the readathon. We hope that this event has inspired them to read more and to continue to explore the joys of reading.

Best regards,

Thornhill Primary School

It's World Book Day next Thursday. 

This year, we've asked the children to dress up as historical fiction character. This might relate to the topic that they are currently learning about in their History lessons but it could also be a character from their favourite older storybook. 

Here are some of the historical topics that we've covered so far this year. These may help to give you some ideas if you are still struggling. 

EYFS - Any book character - just get involved with whatever they love. 

KS1 - The Great Fire of London, Explorers, 

KS2 - Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, The Tudors, World War 2, Arabian Nights.

We're also happy for children to come in dressed as any book character as, really, we just want as many children to get involved as they can. 

Take a look at the link below for some ideas on how to choose from the World Book Day website. 

Looking forward to the day!

Dear Parents/Carers

This morning, all children from Reception to Year 6 were invited to an assembly where they were shown a video of a 'creature' that has been sighted on school grounds. 

The idea of this is to get the children excited about writing a set of instructions for how to trap the creature so that it can be returned to its natural habitat, and it's fair to say that all the children were very excited by the end of the assembly. 

Throughout the day we've been having wonderful discussions with the children about what the creature might be and where it might be hiding or what it might do next. 

All teachers have made it very clear to the children that this creature is a friendly creature and not to be worried about so, please, when the children come home and tell you all about it, remember that it's all a good bit of fun and something exciting for the children to think about during their learning. 

This will be going on for the next couple of weeks so please do amuse the children's imaginations and let them have a bit of fun with it. 

Perhaps talk about ways to take care of it or think about what it might like for lunch or dinner. Maybe the children would like to design it a little place to sleep so that it doesn't get cold. Anything to keep it positive and fun. 

Thanks for the support.