Latest News & Events

DISTRICT SPORTS 23/6/22

We are so proud that in our first year of being in the top league for District Sports, we achieved an overall 3rd placement out of 7 schools and were only 4 points away from topping the league! Congratulations to all the children who ran, jumped and threw superbly and thank you to all the staff who have supported the HFJS District Sports Team to this amazing result.

Once again MATHS IS FUN at HFJS!

On Monday 20/6/22, we welcomed more parents into school to join their upper school children to take part in an incredible morning of maths. There was a buzz of activity throughout the school as children and adults alike took part in lots of engaging, hands on and practical activities. I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to: Miss Aleks our maths lead, the students from Westcliff High School for Girls who did a sterling job supporting our children and all of the adults who joined us too. What a great way to enrich the maths curriculum at Holt Farm Junior School, ‘To Create Confident and Competent Mathematicians’.

MATHS IS FUN AT HFJS!

On Wednesday 15/6/23, it was a pleasure to welcome our Year 3 and 4 families to join their children for an exciting morning of maths. Supported by Miss Hartigan, adults tried to jump further than the children, they enjoyed playing times tables balloon tennis and tried to beat their personal bests. Meanwhile, Paul Hargreaves, a specialist maths teacher, worked with the children using a variety of resources and our outside space to bring Maths alive. The children also enjoyed developing their knowledge about coordinates when they worked creatively with Evole Learning to design a treasure island. In the suite, there were a number of interactive games on offer whilst back in the classrooms more games were enjoyed.

As a school we recognise how important a love of reading is for children’s wellbeing, self-esteem and life chances. This week ( W/E 10/6/22), we have enjoyed welcoming families into school to join their children at the start of the day to read together. During Tuesday’s assembly, Mrs Richardson shared exciting news about this summer’s library reading challenge ‘Gadgeteers’, how the PTA has purchased £500 of new books for our classroom libraries and that the children will all receive a commemorative book to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We encourage all children to be resilient and to ‘read to succeed’ whether through physical books or myOn electronic reads. We look forward to welcoming parents and carers into school to join our weekly reading sessions throughout this half term.

This week (W/E 10/6/22) it has been Bike Week. We have used a variety of activities to support learning as part of the physical health and mental wellbeing curriculum, Physical Education curriculum and more. The aim is to use these activities to aid teaching, but also build on community and family links by taking these wellbeing messages outside of the classroom. Children in Year 6 have also started their Bike Ability training this week. Vinnie said, ‘ It was very fun and we learnt a lot of skills that will help me to keep safe" .

Queen's Platinum Jubilee Week 23rd-27th May 2022

Queen’s Jubilee celebrations at HFJS! This week (23-27th May 2022), the children have taken part in a range of activities including: themed dances, learning about the Queen’s reign in a focused decade, singing the national anthem, creating a story with the Queen as the hero, writing a letter to the Queen and designing a stamp to celebrate their chosen decade.Thank you to Mrs Gill who is a member of our community group ' Hug in a Shrug' for knitting HFJS a crown! This afternoon (27/5/22), we sang the national anthem and watched the Year group dances together as a whole school.

(23-27th May 2022) Year 3 has been celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by making new stamps, writing a story (with Her Majesty as the main character), writing the Queen a birthday card, colouring Union Jack bunting and creating a Union Jack collage. We have also learnt the National Anthem as well as the dance to The Twist, which fits our dress code of the 1960’s.God Save The Queen!

Throughout the week, Year 4 have been writing letters to the Queen, drawing her portrait, singing the national anthem and learning a 70s inspired dance.

23/5/22 Year 3 visited Danbury Park to experience how Cavemen would have lived in the Stone Age. They completed four activities across the day: Den/Cave building, Fire Lighting, Animal hunting and Cave Art. Albert said, ‘The Park Rangers were lots of fun and we all learned lots more to add to our knowledge’.

26/5/22 After weeks of training and effort our Dance Club represented our school at a dance festival which was held at the Palace Theatre. They all looked the part in their costumes as they performed a Men In Black routine. They were absolutely amazing and Miss Gallimore said that she was incredibly proud watching them perform so confidently . Well done to everyone who took part and to Miss Gallimore for being such an inspirational dance teacher.

To support Year 6’s Theme of Tudor Rochford, they have ventured off to explore the history of Rochford Hall and its links to Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wife, Anne Boleyn at the Rochford Library.

As part of their investigation into local history, they explored texts about Tudor Britain and the Rochford Historical Society’s Tapestry and photograph display. This enrichment activity should add depth and context to their understanding of both local and national history of this time period.

Well done to the HFJS Year 5 and 6 netball team who played in a netball tournament at Great Wakering yesterday. HFJS came 3rd! A special mention to Sam and Charlie who were chosen as the HFJS players of the tournament.

4/5/22 Year 3 are having music lessons delivered by a music specialist from Essex County Council. Seb and Gwen said, ‘This week we started playing a really cool instrument called a dood. It is a cross between a flute and a recorder. We first had to learn all of the parts, for example the cap, dood and reed. We had to put the reed into the instrument before we played it. This created the vibration which made the sound. As it was our first lesson playing them it was tricky to master but our Music Tutor told us to keep trying and never give up. By the end of the lesson, everyone was able to create sound on the instrument. We cannot wait to learn more next week’

On Tuesday 3/5/22, our Year 5/6 netballers played a game against Ashingdon Primary. We won 5-4—a fantastic way to end the season! Thank you to Mrs Smith for training the team. Maryam said, ‘ We persevered really well and worked together as a team!’

On Wednesday 27/4/22, 3 children took part in the County Cross Country event at Garons Park. This event was against other schools across Essex ranging from Shoebury to Brentwood, Sadie, Abigail and Rowan were selected because of previously finishing in the top 6 of the local schools event.

Sadie finished 20th and Abigail 73rd in the Year 3 girls race out of 104 competitors. Rowan finished 17th out of 98 in the Year 5 boys race.

All 3 represented the school with pride and determination. HFJS are super proud of you all. Congratulations on your individual achievement.

On Wednesday 27/4/22, Year 4 had a brilliant trip to Colchester Castle where they learnt more about the Romans.

"At Colchester castle I enjoyed everything and I learnt lots of new things. It was really fascinating learning about the Celts and Romans." A.F

"I learnt about queen Boudicca and we saw all of the amazing stuff and we went underneath the castle so it was very fun." A.D

"It was quite fun! My favourite part was the gift shop and the underground tunnels! and I learnt about the Romans and the Celts. It was really fun!" GD

On Monday 25/4/22 twenty-two year 6 children became part of the biggest schools' choir in the world. After two years, Young Voices was back! Together with over 150 other schools, HFJS joined over 8,000 children to combine voices to raise the roof off the O2 Arena in London. Each member of the choir showed tremendous dedication - attending weekly rehearsals, learning ten songs off by heart - not to mention having to decipher both Latin and Zulu lyrics - as well as dances to accompany them. They were also lucky enough to sing as accompaniment singers to Number 1 artists. It was a fantastic evening full of singing, laughter, dancing, beatboxing, and hopefully memories to last a lifetime. Year six certainly ... 'Sung from their hearts with all of their power. Sung with a fire that knows no fear and Sung with their voices, their song for the World to hear!'. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them.

Year 3 met some rescued ducklings this morning 22/4/22

A huge well done to all of the Year 5 and 6 students who took part in the Sports Hall Athletics competition at Deanes on Thursday 21/4/22

After many track and field events including relays, javelin, long jump and an obstacle relay, we finished first! An absolutely incredible achievement and our first ever win at this competition.

All children behaved impeccably and took part with real desire and enjoyment. You are a credit to the school.

Thank you to all of the staff who helped on the day, in particular Mrs Robinson who chose and supported us with training the team.

Making A Difference—Caring about animals at HFJS Guide Dogs Fundraiser

HFJS School Council would like to thank everybody for their support in helping to raise money for the Guide Dog Association. HFJS raised £182.71.

Yesterday 31/3/22, we were joined by Polly and Anne who spoke to us about this incredible charity. Polly explained how her dog has made such a difference , “Una has given me my confidence and my life back. She is so precious because she is my eyes and lets me live life to the full.”

It is fantastic to see how the money that we have raised will go towards the £56,000 that is costs to provide a sight impaired person with their own guide dog. Thank you once again, to the School Council.

Developing Year 5 ‘s Knowledge of the Victorians

‘Inquiry, knowledge and understanding of our world’

On Wednesday 30/3/22, Year 5 immersed themselves into a Victorian Day which was full of much learning and excitement. This included exploring Victorian games, sewing, singing, participating in Victorian style school lessons and even drill. It was fantastic to see such engaged learning taking place with children keen to share what and why they were learning with adults throughout the day.

Year 6 Enrichment Activities—30.3.22

‘Inquiry, knowledge and understanding of our world’

On Wednesday, year 6 enjoyed taking part in a variety of enriching activities. Fallon and Genie Ann said, "A visitor called Mary came in to talk to us about World War 2. She told us about her experiences during this time. Mary explained that at the beginning, lots of people thought that the war would not happen, they called this the 'Phony War'. She retold her experience of being evacuated, we enjoyed listening to her story immensely. It brought our learning to life!”

This week (w/b 28/3/22,) all classes took part in a First Aid session. The sessions involved : how to call an ambulance, how to recognise an unconscious person and put them in the recovery position, how to deal with bleeding and learning CPR using the Flat Stan manikins. Each child received a book and certificate of attendance. Thank you to our amazing PTA for funding these life skills sessions!

Developing Year 4’s knowledge of The Vikings! 28.3.22

‘Inquiry, knowledge and understanding of our world’

On Monday 28/3/22, Year 4 had the chance to experience a Viking Day which linked to our topic this term. They had the chance to look at replicas of Viking swords, shields, clothes and Viking life essentials. They played games, took part in Viking stories and tried on different types of helmets. "It was amazing, there was a man called Ash, who told us all about the Vikings. I really liked him because he was really fun and informative." M.D 4B "I learnt that Vikings didn't eat potatoes, but I thought they did. Also, Vikings used small axes to chop trees, which I didn't know before". F.G 4B "I learnt that when the Vikings die, they get buried with their slaves, their animals and their valuables, if they're rich!" H.W 4B

Maths Themed Day—25.3.22

‘To create confident and competent mathematics’

Today, 25/3/22 we are celebrating World Maths Day. There have been opportunities to: investigate Maths puzzles, tackle quizzes and brain teasers, share Maths jokes, games and take part in a live Times Tables Rock Star Battle between the whole school! It has been fun, engaging and competitive- ‘ Creating confident and competent mathematics’.

On Wednesday 23/3/22, our boys football team played Hockley Primary School. The score was 1-0.

On Tuesday 22/3/22, our girls football team played St. Teresa’s School

The score was 2-2.

Identity and Diversity Pupil Summit-

March 18th, 2022

Last Friday, a group of children attended an Identity and Diversity Pupil Summit Day with many other local schools to celebrate and value difference. During the day, the children considered the qualities needed to be a good leader and how everyone can make a difference. Throughout, music was used to explore the different issues culminating in an amazing group performance at the end of the day. Well done to Maryam M, Charlie W, Oscar G, Abbi M and Emna M who showed great understanding of the issues and confidently articulated their ideas. The children were so thoughtful, respectful, eloquent, insightful... in fact they were just brilliant.

6Bs Forest School

Making a Difference- Raising funds and awareness for Comic Relief at HFJS!

Today, we are raising funds and awareness of Comic Relief . Mr. Purvis is running 18.5 mile to visit each of the SEEAT schools. All donations via this link would be greatly appreciated.

Today, Year 5 attended a Wow event at KES where they were able to experience a range of subjects from across the curriculum. Working in partnership with our feeder schools continues to be a priority for us.

Year 5 attended a virtual event with Dermot O’Leary on 15th March 2022 and was a great learning experience:

The fact that Dermot O'Leary uses cats in his books has made me want to read more - to discover more about the adventures that they go on. I like that he manages to merge mystery and funny books together.' (Lily 5N).

’ I really liked that Dermot read the first chapter of his new book. He answered questions from the children which was kind'. (Bethany 5B)

'I really like the illustrations because he merged reality and cartoon together which interested me because it was different.' (Liam)

The Great Biscuit Bonanza! It is our intention to help every individual to develop essential scientific inquiry skills to help deepen their scientific knowledge. It is British Science week this week (w/b 14/3/22) , so the children have been involved in a whole school science experiment to find out which biscuit is the ultimate dunker! On Monday, Miss Bines will be leading an assembly to discuss their observations and conclusions.

District Cross Country 2022 at Garons Park-

16/3/22

Holt Farm Junior School joined over twenty other schools at Garons Park for the Castle Point and Rochford District Cross Country. It was the largest cross country ever hosted by the Sports Partnership with each race having more than 120 children racing. Each year group had a team of girls and a team of boys who ran to score points for their teams.

Our Year 3 girls went off to a fantastic start with Sadie sprinting her way round the 900m course to receive a bronze medal; she was followed closely by Abigail who was hot on her heels finishing 4^th. Our first four runners' points were combined to give a team total. With Lyla and Amelia both finishing in the top half of the race, with Evie strong in support, there was no surprise when the girls were awarded 3^rd place overall. We wish Sadie and Abigail lots of luck as they go on to take part in the Country Cross Country Championships in April.

This was followed by the Year 3 boys where Albie ran a sensible race, making it look far too easy for his 10^th place finish. Next powering across the line was Seb in 21^st, Albert 43^rd, Thomas 56^th and Teddy 62^nd who all demonstrated a fantastic commitment and attitude to bring the boys team home.

Our Year 4 teams were equally impressive with wonderful runs from Emmy in 21^st, Summer 31^st, Isabella 66^th and Elsie in 87^th. They were led home by Mia with her outstanding, well-judged run to finish 1^st overall. She will also represent the District in the County Cross Country Championships. In the boys’ race Jackson was our first Holt Farmer home as he secured 16^th place with Jacob 23^rd, Edward 55^th, Alfie 93^rdand Aiden 66^th where they all displayed a fantastic commitment and attitude as they finished off the lower school races.

Our Year 5 and 6 teams had a longer course to tackle, with 1400m to complete the tactics switched to who could pace themselves well enough to complete the course whilst staying out of trouble in the crowd. The Year 5 girls set off well, each with sensible strong runs. Well done to Poppy 36^th, Alexandra 38^th, Isabella 42^nd and Ciara 75^th with top runs by them all.

The Year 5 boys’ team of George, Rowan, Bobby, Oscar and Dylan saw George set off at a quick and steady pace leading for the first lap, he was followed closely by Rowan who gradually picked up the pace to secure a 4^th place and selection at the County Finals. George stayed strong to finish 8^th. It was an amazing run by all our boys.

Our final two races were the Year 6 children where Bethany stuck with the leading group and paced herself well to finish a fabulous 13^th. She was followed by Sophia, Neive, Marryam and Ruby who again showed commitment and effort working hard to score vital points for our team. Finally, our Year 6 boys saw a superb run from Alfie to finish 19^th with Tom, Charlie S, Ben and Charlie R all running an impressive race to conclude a wonderful event for Holt Farm.

It was fantastic to see our children competing with outstanding performances and Holt Farm’s best ever results with twenty-eight of our children placed in the top half of the field. Cross country certainly isn’t for everyone and all those running this week used every bit of stamina, endurance and speed at the finish to get them around the course while demonstrating a fantastic attitude. With comments such as, “I managed to finish higher up than last time” I am delighted that our children are determined to strive to do even better. Good luck to Sadie, Abigail, Mia and Rowan who all go on to represent Castle Point and Rochford at the District Cross Country. Well done to all of you.

Mrs. Robinson

On Tuesday 8/3/22 Miss Geoghegan and Mr Lyons from SEEAT spent the day with us. The day included various meetings with school leaders and a Learning Walk around the school. Strengths included: Behaviour and attitudes, consistency within teaching and learning, use of powerful texts, strong sense of community and teamwork. This was a very valuable day to support our ongoing school development.

Also this week, Mrs Noone and I met with the Parent Council. We are keen to achieve the Parent Partnership Award this year and increase parental participation at HFJS to support pupil progress, attendance and behaviour. If you have any suggestions, please contact your class Parent Councillor , use our suggestion box in the foyer or contact us. Minutes from our recent meeting can be found here.

Well done to the team and to Maryam who received ‘Player of the Match’ in our recent netball match against Great Wakering Primary School. (8/3/22)

FitzWimarc Cross Country Event

Friday 4th March 2022

It was fantastic to be involved in a real sporting competition again after 2 years without any large sporting fixtures. Despite the mud and tricky conditions Holt Farm produced many outstanding performances.

Our year 3 and 4 girls, alongside 100 others participants, were the first to tackle the slippery 900m course in front of hundreds of spectators. They got us off to an amazing start with a 3rd place and medal finish for Mia, 5th place for Summer, 6th Saddie, 11th Abigail, 13th Isabella and 22nd Lyla Rose. The teams overall finish was 1st and was our best performing team of the day.

The year 3 and 4 boys team followed with an even bigger field of runners. Jackson finished in fantastic 10th place followed by 18th Albie, 33rd Edward, 34th Seb ,47th Aidan, 68th Harry, 71 st Albert, followed closely by Dylan, Teddy and Toby. There team position as an amazing 4th place.

Next up were the year 5 and 6 girls who had a longer, harder run round a 1400m course. Well done to Bethany 7th, Alexandra 18th, Neive 21st, Isabella 25th, Maryam 29th, Sophia 40th, Ruby 62nd, Ciera 82nd and

Jannet 88th. Our overall team position was 5th place

Finally the year 5 and 6 boys had the toughest run of the day for their 1400m. Tom and Rowan stuck together and battled to a 18th and 20th finish followed by George in 23rd, Charlie Simpson 32nd and Oscar 38th and an overall team position of 6th.

It was fantastic to see the children out competing again; for most of the children this was their first sporting event and they should be super proud of themselves.

3.3.22 - 'To develop a love of reading’

We are really passionate about reading at Holt Farm Junior School. We feel that Reading provides endless opportunities for children to explore a wealth of worlds which exceed their own experience. We aim for every child to harness a love of reading where they think of themselves as a reader and enjoy listening to and discussing the written word within the community. Reading VIPERS are used to support children with their reading comprehension skills.

This week our themed reading week involved the children participating in reading themed activities, such as: designing a magical wand/broomstick and persuading people to buy these in English and converting muggle money into wizard money in maths. On Thursday, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of World Book Day. We have also linked reading to various areas of our curriculum, encouraged reading anytime and anywhere and all adults/ children dropped everything and read.

Year 3 - Egyptian Day

22/03/2022

Holt Farm Junior School aims to deliver a balanced and inspiring curriculum filled with enriching experiences to develop a love of lifelong learning. Year 3 have been involved in a themed event this term, which developed their knowledge and understandings on mealtimes, fashion and religious good luck charms. 'Egyptian day was really great because it was fun doing all the activities and I loved the Egyptian parade to see everyone’s outfits. We made pharaoh masks and Tiger nut sweets. They were chewy and not very nice, but that is what the Egyptians ate! I would definitely recommend the day to the Year 2 children coming up and say get prepared for a bunch of fun!'

George, School Councillor of 3H

On 11th February, staff attended a virtual conference with other staff from across the SEEAT. The SEEAT vision is to be the Trust of choice: First for pupils, First for staff and First for parents. It was a fantastic opportunity to work together with a clear focus on raising and sustaining the educational standards in our schools through high aspirations for all.

Half term life challenges!

Homework to be proud of w/e/4/2/22

This week (w/e/10/2/22), we have embraced our themed Online safety week ‘’Exploring and respecting relationships online’. Using the internet safely and positively is a key message that we promote at HFJS, and having a themed week is a great opportunity for us to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year. Various themed assemblies and lessons have taken place.

More online information and resources can be found here. This is a reminder of the 7 questions to help you start a conversation with your child:

Which apps/ games are you using at the moment?

Which websites do you enjoy and why?

How does this game/ app work? Can I play it?

Do you have any online friends?

Do you know where to go for help?

Do you know your limits?

Do you know what your personal information is?

Our whole school focus has been on how we can stay safe online and the dangers linked to Internet Safety. Year 3 and 4 took part in a drama workshop, reenacting appropriate games for 7-11 year olds and talking through potential scenarios young people face online. All learners shared good knowledge of risks that they face and how to deal with concerns that they may face.

Our Class have discussed what online bullying and what it looks like during online safety week.

We used a picture to describe online bullying and we shared the risks of sharing online photos without the privacy settings on.

There were many risks to doing this. We also did a very fun activity called roll-a-stay where we rolled a dice and ended up with different scenarios which we turned into a story.

Poppy - 5N

This week in Year 6, we completed a range of activities centered around internet safety. We completed a Kahoot quiz on how to keep safe online during our ICT lesson, attended an assembly about keeping safe and how to be respectful online as well as completing activites in class. In class, we devised a recipe for respectful relationships online and created a gaming guide. We had lots of fun and learned a lot.

Theo-6N

This week, Miss Aleks and Miss Cohen watched a specialist maths teacher teach within a local school. Next week, the teacher will be popping into Maths lessons at HFJS to support our ongoing school development.

Today, 4/2/22 we also celebrated ‘Number Day’ by discussing real life links to Maths.

On 27/1/22, Mrs Walter and Miss Tobin spent the morning in school to support their ongoing Governor monitoring. This included speaking with children, staff, parents and joining our assembly. Ronnie (Chair Of Governors) said, ‘Lynn and I took part in our first Governors Day of the year on Monday and we loved it! It felt amazing to be back in school, meeting with staff members, including newer members that we haven't had the opportunity to meet yet! It was a thoroughly worthwhile day and we learnt so much from it. It was so good to be able to speak to parents on the gate in the morning too, something we are hoping to do more of from now on. We even had the opportunity to speak with some of the children during their break time - it is clear how much they love the play equipment in the playground! We had such an amazing day on Monday that we already can't wait for the next one, next term!

Football Update

Yesterday 27/1/22, our upper school girl’s football team played an away match against Ashingdon Primary School and won 2-0.

Once again ,many of our HFJS Values were on display. Every member of the team worked together; it was great to see how they encouraged and supported each other on the pitch. They listened and worked hard to keep organised so that they marked well and found space to receive the ball. Most importantly, the whole team were motivated to show their best, their enthusiasm and obvious enjoyment of the game was a pleasure to watch.

Well done to: the team, Miss. Hartigan (for being a great coach) and Mr. Purvis for taking the team.

Oasis

Well done to Nathan in Year 6 for designing our new sign!

This week (24/1/22) Year 3 took their Egyptian topic knowledge into their drama workshop with Miss Gallimore. As a class they spoke about what they already knew and completed an inquiry session linked to Egyptian Gods, Kings and Queens. Using this, they then worked in groups to produce a short piece of drama showcasing a still frame narrative. Famous names such as Tutankhamun, Cleopatra, Anubis and Ra were all included. The children had great fun and this way a great way to enrich the learning experience.

This week, Year 5 and 6 attended an online safety workshop hosted by ‘The Two John’s. “The Two Johns” have extensive knowledge of online safety issues affecting children, having previously worked in law enforcement investigating online grooming and exploitation of children.

Thomas said, ’Not everything that you see online is real’

21/1/22

On Monday 17/1/22, we celebrated the life of Martin Luther King Jr via our whole school assembly. Together we reflected on his life and considered why he is remembered through the celebration of a national holiday in America and around the world. Photographs and Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech was shared so that we could think about what life was like in the 1960s and why change was needed. At the end of the assembly each class were asked to reflect and share their ideas about other ways there should be equality in the world and how we encourage equality at HFJS. Alongside eradicating racism the following areas were shared- prejudice because of: religious beliefs, where you live, what you look like, gender and who you love. At HFJS, we reinforce the value of being respectful and celebrate difference.

This week 14/1/22, we re launched our drama and Philosophy for Children sessions. Philosophy for Children, or P4C, is an approach to teaching and learning, in which children take part in philosophical inquiry. It enhances thinking and communication skills, boosts confidence and self-esteem, and improves behaviour and well-being. More information can be found here.

It was a hard decision but Samantha W was chosen as player of the match—well done Samantha!

This week (11/1/22) our enthusiastic netball team visited Great Wakering Primary School to play a mixed league match. Every player tried hard and showed increasing skill and confidence as the match progressed. We had great support from the parents who were proud to see the teamwork and resilience on display.

Well done to Edward in Year 4 for being awarded a runner up prize in the Rochford Chairman Christmas card competition. Congratulations also to Emna and Clara in year 3 and Maryam in year 6 for receiving a highly commended certificate. Thank you to Cllr Julie Gooding for visiting us this week to present prizes.

December 2021 - Please refer to our Christmas recordings - we hope you enjoy them!

Nativity featuring all classes

Helping Hands Project at HFJS!

Thank you on behalf of the School Council for supporting our ‘Helping Hands Project’ this term. With your support, along with Rayleigh and Rochford District Association for Voluntary Service, Sanctuary Housing, Rayleigh Lions, United in Kind, Home Bargains and Waitrose, we have filled 100 festive bags ready to deliver to vulnerable people in Rochford. Any amazing team effort!

This week, Mrs Wass was informed by a member of the community that Charlie in 6B helped an elderly gentleman on the bus when his shopping fell out of his bag. What a fantastic example of kindness and initiative - he is a credit to his family and our school!

HFJS Christmas Decoration Competition

We are pleased to announce that the winners of the HFJS Christmas Decoration Competition are….

Kaitlyn G (5B ) from upper school

and

Esme E (4G) from lower school

Year 3 virtual author visit

Year 3 were very lucky to listen to the new book Christmas Delivery read by the author and staff member, Mrs Robinson . The story was about a boy called Charlie and his teddy, who forgot to post their letter to Santa. They had to instead go on a magical adventure to find Santa and give him the letter. 3C said "It was a very magical journey, I really enjoyed the book!" "The pictures were beautiful and we enjoyed reading the letter and meeting the character" .

Year 3 have been inspired to write their one Christmas stories "One small step for a page , one giant leap for a book."

3.12.21 We were very proud to be involved in the national campaign to recognise the tremendous work that our emergency services provide (especially in view of the challenges faced by the pandemic). Our non-school uniform event represented the colours of our emergency services- blue, green, red or orange.During the day we provided the children the opportunity to find out more about the work of the emergency services and the skills that they took from school into their careers. This was a fantastic opportunity to make links with our community and provide our pupils a valuable opportunity not only to learn more but may even inspire them in their future career choices. Thank you to the emergency service heroes who supported our day by visiting the school.

Remmie said, ‘ It was really interesting asking Inspector Hilbery questions about his job.’ Poppy added, ‘I was inspired to hear about the role of the police and paramedics today. It has made me think about my future career.’ Whilst the children in 4G had so much to share about their time with the fire service and obviously enjoyed the opportunity to see the fire engine.

On Wednesday 1/12/21, 20 upper school learners travelled to Deanes school to represent Holt Farm in a dodgeball competition against other local primary schools. The children were well behaved throughout and did the school proud with their efforts and behaviour, showing the Holt Farm values in abundance. Both teams won 2, drew 1 and lost 2. We narrowly missed out on the semi finals. Alfie said, ‘I was really nervous, but excited to play. I had a great time!’.

All pupils in year 4-6 entered the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge in November. Congratulations to Ben in 6G who came top in the school and also in the top 10% of all pupils who took part nationally (87, 115.)

Christmas L/C.R

In computing Year 6 have been making interactive advent calendars for year 3 & 4 to open.

Restorative approach at HFJS

We use a restorative approach to resolving conflict. Restorative approaches enable those who have been harmed to convey the impact of the harm to those responsible, and for those responsible to acknowledge this impact and take steps to put it right.

This week, Jodie, Lyla and Calyn visited us from the Essex County Council Youth Offending Service. They led a variety of activities within Year 6 exploring differences, respect, feelings and viewpoints.

The 5 key restorative questions we use are: What happened? What were you thinking? How do you feel? Who has been affected? What would you do differently? ‘Calyn said, ‘The children of Holt Farm were an amazing group of children to work with. They gave us some wonderful answers and were all engaged thoroughly in the sessions. Even the staff got involved in the exercises. We had a truly fabulous time, and the kindness resonates from all involved in the school’.

Pudsey PE Challenge for Children In Need 2021-22

Vikings=147 Goals

Normans=166 Goals

Britons= 174 Goals

Saxons=175 Goals

Raising funds and awareness for Children in Need at HFJS 19/11/21

Philosophy for Children

On Monday 15th November 2021, Jason The Philosophy Man visited HFJS to support our curriculum. He launched the day with an assembly: 'How can you tell if adults are real or not?' 'Would living in an unreal world be a good thing or not?' He then led focused year group workshops linked to our topics of 'Our World', 'Romans', 'Space' and 'Water and Rivers'. All of the strategies encourage pupils' understanding of their own thinking, problem solving skills and ability to be effective communicators.

Rochford District Council - Chairman Christmas Card Competition

The Chairman of Rochford District Council, Cllr Julie Gooding, would like to invite our pupils to take part in her 2021 Christmas Card Competition to design her Christmas Card which will be sent to dignitaries around Essex.

Entries should feature what community means to you, with a Christmas twist. There some suggestions on the form. Entries must be returned to Rochford District Council by midday on Tuesday, 30^th November. The winner of the competition will win a £50 voucher, and runners up will receive a £10 voucher.

Please click the link below for the entry form. Good Luck!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lwToovfWsAOt0nvgykAFI4BsQKlZzryv/view?usp=sharing

This week we launched Anti bullying week’ One word– Kind’ with ‘Odd Socks Day’, it was lovely to see some many children (and pets!) getting involved. We take every opportunity to celebrate difference at HFJS.

We shared the Anti– Bullying Alliance definition of bullying:

‘Bullying is the repetive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online’’.

Enriching the Curriculum - Year 3 Post Office visit

Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the post office to post a letter home to their parents and carers. On their route, mapped and planned in earlier lessons, they were able to point out physical and human features in their local environment. The children posted a letter written in class and a piece of collaged artwork. They wrote their own addresses and ensured their envelope was stamped. Year 3 parents and carers, please keep an eye out for any exciting post!

HFJS’s Half Term Life Challenges

Year 3 & 4 Life Challenges: Year 3 Taramja, Year 4 Lacie and Summer

Year 5 & 6 Life Challenges: Year 5 Maddison and Liam Year 6 James and Alex

19/10/21: Well done to the HFJS football team during their recent tournament! We got through to the quarter finals.

On Tuesday12th October, a selected group of Year 6 took part in a resilience workshop led by Kelly and Christine from a national wellbeing service ‘Now ( the time for change)’. They shared strategies to help feel better which included: exercise, breathing exercises, affirmations and meditation. Thomas said, ‘ The squeezing nose breathing techniques were very useful to calm you down’. Bethany said, ‘ I enjoyed writing things that I liked about myself’.

The Senior Pupil Team and I will be leading a whole school assembly about theses important strategies after half term. For more information, click here

https://nowsthetimeforchange.com

Our Friday lunchtime Hen Club

Thank you to our Governor, Miss Lines for running our club!

UK's biggest professional women's cycling race

Year 6 watched some of the world’s leading cyclists this week cycle through Rochford as they took part in the prestigious Women’s Tour.

It was inspirational!

The Senior Pupil Team sent out a pupil survey to gather information about teaching and learning. What subject is their favourite? How do they learn best? What helps them remember their learning? I will discuss the results with the team as part of our ongoing school development. Each class also voted for their School Council representative and Mrs Richardson is excited to meet with them for the first time next week. 24/9/21

This week (17/9/21) 4B started their Forest Schools sessions. The sessions help develop confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

This week (10/9/21), members from Southend United training team supported Year 3 and 5 within their PE lessons. We also enjoyed using our new table tennis table purchased by the PTA.