Latest News | Bishops Waltham Infant School

Weekly Update-Friday 4th April

Fri 04 Apr 2025

What a cracking week it’s been to end the spring term – full of creativity, laughter, and plenty of Easter fun!

🎩 Egg-straordinary Easter Bonnets
We were blown away by the fantastic Easter Bonnets this year – they were truly a sight to behold! With an incredible 126 entries, every single one bursting with colour, creativity, and originality, our hall was turned into a springtime fashion show. A huge thank you to Mrs Beardmore from Lilypads Nursery who kindly judged the competition. Entries were judged on creativity, artistry, children's contribution and originality, and we awarded nine places per class – not an easy task (thank you to the parents who donated an egg prize)! Every child who entered received a prize and the children absolutely loved seeing everyone’s designs. Well done, everyone!

🌱 Getting Our Hands Dirty
Year R have been busy little gardeners, weeding and planting in our raised beds. They're hoping for a bountiful crop in the coming weeks—fingers crossed for some sunshine and showers over the break!

🍓 Tasty Treats with Year 1
Our clever Year 1 chefs designed and made fruit and vegetable dishes especially for our Reception children to try. It was a lovely moment of sharing and exploring healthy food—and it’s safe to say, everyone had a tasty time!

✝️ Exploring Easter in Year 2
Year 2 have been thoughtfully exploring the Easter Story this week, learning about the meaning behind this special time of year. Their discussions were thoughtful and reflective—well done, Year 2!

🎨 DT Curriculum Day – Moving Easter Cards
Wednesday saw our whole school enjoying a brilliant DT Curriculum Day. The children learned how to make moving mechanisms and then put their new skills to the test by designing their very own Easter cards in the afternoon. The finished cards looked amazing – we were so proud of their efforts and the children were too!

🐰 PTA Easter Hunt Fun!
A huge thank you to our wonderful PTA who organised a fabulous Easter Hunt on Thursday. Our sneaky ‘bunnies’ were hidden all around the playgrounds and the children had so much fun spotting them and collecting eggs. The Easter Bunny even made a special visit to hand out a big egg to everyone!
We heard shrieks of joy and laughter throughout the day – such a joyful way to end the term. Thanks as well to all the amazing PTA, parents and staff who helped make the day such a success.

The PTA would like to pass on this message to all: 'A massive thank you to all that came to the Easter Egg Hunt yesterday - we raised over £500 which is fantastic! Thank you to all our amazing volunteers and the wonderful staff at BWIS for all their help - we couldn’t have done it without you!
We have our Mega Easter Sale at school starting just before pick up time today - stock is limited so if you want to grab some last minute Easter bits and Krispy Kreme donuts please get there early to avoid disappointment!'

Mega Easter Sweet Sale

Remember our PTA will be selling eggs and treats at the end of today in our turning circle. There will be lots of yummy goodies available to buy.

🌞 Wishing You a Happy Easter Break
We’d like to wish all our families a peaceful and joyful Easter holiday. We hope the sun shines and you all get a well-earned rest.

See you next term – refreshed and ready for more adventures!

With best wishes,

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Easter Bonnet Winners 2025

Year R

1. Roman

2.Charlotte

3. Ivy

4.Autumn

5. Jasper

6. Cassius

7.Elsie

8. Jaxson

9 Elsie

Year 1

1.Arlo

2.Arthur

3. Henry

4 Scarlett

5. Hudson

6.Lily

7. Louis

8.Jake

9.Roman

Year 2

1. Daphne

2.River

3.Ivy

4.Nancy

5.Tommy

6.Finley

7.Jack

8.Morgan

9.Sia

Weekly Update Friday 28th March

Fri 28 Mar 2025

What a fantastic week we’ve had at school! There has been so much learning, creativity, and fun happening across all year groups—here’s a little look at what we’ve been up to.

🏛️ Year 2’s Incredible Museum Experience!
This week, Year 2 wowed us all with their fantastic learning outcome. The children transformed their classrooms into museums and visitor centres, showcasing everything they’ve learned about Horatio Nelson and HMS Victory. They even created their own games for visitors to play—what a wonderful way to share their knowledge! It was a joy to see both children and parents engaging with history in such an exciting way. Well done, Year 2!

🍎 Year 1’s Tasty Creations!
Our Year 1 children have been busy designing and making their very own fruit and vegetable delights, inspired by their reading of Handa’s Surprise. Not only that, but they have also been creating bright and beautiful healthy eating posters—we love how imaginative they’ve been. Fantastic work, Year 1!

🌱 Year R’s Magical Gardens!
Over in Year R, things are getting rather overgrown—but in the best way possible! The children have been planting wonderful gardens and beans, watching them grow with excitement. Their creativity and imagination in caring for their plants have been truly inspiring. We can’t wait to see how their gardens continue to flourish!

Rocksteady

Our rockstars gave a fantastic performance for their families and Year 2 this week. What a talented bunch they are. They played key changes and kept the rhythm and beat to their chosen songs. Well done to everyone who joined in!

🐰 Easter Egg Hunt & Easter Bonnet Parade!
We’re so excited for our annual Easter Egg Hunt, happening next week! Please check the PTA posters for details on booking a space. The weather looks glorious, and we may even have a special visit from the Easter Bunny! There will also be a tea and cake stall in the hall—perfect for a little treat after all the egg-hunting fun.

And don’t forget our beloved Easter Bonnet Parade! We can’t wait to see all the amazing creations this year. Please bring bonnets to school on Friday 4th April—every child who enters will receive a prize! If any parents would like to donate Easter Egg prizes to join our prizes, we would be so grateful. In previous years, we’ve had so many wonderful bonnets that we’ve awarded prizes up to 16th and 17th place! Donations can be dropped off at the school office.

Mothering Sunday

Please remember our school choir will be singing songs for Mothering Sunday at St Peter's Church in Bishops Waltham. Mrs Moth and Mr Coker, who lead the choir, say our parents are in for a real treat!

Thank you all for your continued support—we love celebrating these special moments with you.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a Happy Mothering Sunday to all our Mums, Grandmothers and Great Grandmothers.

Warm wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 21st March

Fri 21 Mar 2025

I hope this update finds you well and looking forward to all the exciting events we have planned as we approach the Easter break! We started this week with out St Patrick's day Assembly. Some of the children were very keen to try Irish dancing. I have put some links to activities on our 'Learning Links' page.

Red Nose Day Success! A huge thank you to everyone who took part in Red Nose Day! The children looked absolutely fantastic dressed in red, and we are thrilled to share that we raised an amazing £160 for charity. Your generosity and support make a real difference—thank you!

PTA Quiz Night – New Date! Unfortunately, we had to cancel our PTA Quiz Night tonight, but don't worry—it has been rearranged for Friday 9th May. We would love for as many of you as possible to support this fun event, so please save the date!

Special Sausage Pasta Day – Tuesday 25th March Our Clever Chefs will be serving up a delicious Special Sausage Pasta dish for school lunch next Tuesday—something for the children (and staff) to look forward to!

Bishops Waltham ‘Rethinking Rubbish’ Recycling Day – Saturday 22nd March Join the local community at Jubilee Hall from 10am-2pm this Saturday for a fantastic event focused on recycling and sustainability. A great way to get involved and learn more about caring for our environment!

A Special Mention goes to Hudson in Year 1 this week. His mum wrote in to say he helped to organise a cake sale for charity, even baking the gingerbread men! He also helped to sell the cakes, and was very good at working out the change! Well done Hudson-you raised £123 for a school in West Africa-Congratulations from us all!

Usbourne Book Delivery We were overjoyed this week to receive a delivery of Usbourne books, made possible from the books bought on World Book Day. Thank you to everyone who bought a book, and to Laura for running a stall. We look forward to reading them with our children.

Exciting Upcoming Events

Victory Game Day – Year 2 (Friday 28th March): Our Year 2 children will take part in their exciting Victory Game Day outcome, which is always a highlight of the year!
Rocksteady Performance – Monday 24th March: Our Rocksteady pupils will be showcasing their talents in a special performance for their families. We can’t wait to see them shine!
PTA Easter Egg Hunt – Thursday 3rd April: Tickets are now on sale for our much-loved annual Easter Egg Hunt! Please check the posters outside classrooms for details on how to purchase tickets.
Easter Bonnet Competition – Friday 4th April (Last Day of Term): Get creative for our annual Easter Competition! This year’s theme is ‘Make an Easter Bonnet.’ Entries will be judged in year groups, and every participant will receive a chocolate egg. We can’t wait to see all the wonderful designs!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at these events and celebrating a fantastic end to the term together!

Best wishes,
Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Clever Theme Day Menu - Tuesday 25th March

Tue 18 Mar 2025

Rethinking Rubbish - Saturday 22nd March - 10am until 2pm - Jubilee Hall

Tue 18 Mar 2025

Greening Bishop's Waltham are running a FREE and Fun filled event on Saturday 22nd March with lots of things for children to engage in ways to reduce and prevent waste.

Have a go at making a sock puppet either in advance or on the day in our crafting corner and enter it into our competition by 1:00pm. The sock with the most character may win a prize. Winners will be announced at 1:30pm.

Children's dressing up swaps - extend your children's play wardrobe by swapping the outfits they have grown out of.
Have a go at growing something from our seed swap
Get your bikes checked over for road worthiness ready for the summer
Have a clear out of all your old IT that is cluttering up your draw of doom! Jamie's Computers will be offering an IT Repair service or secure Recycling for laptops, printers, keyboards, Tablets, phones, screens and charging cables.
Explore our Waste Prevention Quiz trail to see how much you know about this important aspect of environmental protection.

Weekly Update Friday 14th March

Fri 14 Mar 2025

Our Year 1 children had a bit of a surprise on Wednesday to find their classrooms set up quite differently! Their teachers were ready to teach, and some of us didn't recognise them! Of course it was Victorian day, and the children enjoyed being in role in class. They all looked fantastic as Victorians, and some told me they had been up the chimney before coming to school. What a memorable day of learning it was for all.

Year R also made special memories in the arboretum in Romsey. They learned about pollination and explored plants of all shapes and sizes. The children have been able to recount the whole day, back in the classroom, and have applied some of their learning in our school grounds. Thank you to all the parents who helped on the trip. We value the time you give to us to help make our learning successful.

Year 2's historical knowledge and skills have been amazing this week. They are very proud of their success and are keen to show all visitors to their class. Their classrooms are developing into an exciting exhibition all about Lord Nelson, and how he lead the men on HMS Victory.

We have noticed an increased amount of children bringing in drinks other than water recently. We have a water only policy throughout the day. If you would like your child to bring a sealed carton of juice/squash as part of their lunch, then they are able to do so. Please only send water in their water bottles and they can fill these through the day as many times as they would like to.

Mrs Moth's Parent Consultations will be via Teams on Monday 17th March. Please sign up to book your slot, if you haven't already done so.

We have received a residential complaint about bad language being shouted outside their house near the school at drop off and pick up, by some of the parents and carers coming to our school. This is not a nice thing for anyone to hear, especially our young children. Please be mindful of the age of our children at pick up and drop times in school and the surrounding walking routes. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter and advise anyone affected to also report any anti-social behaviour to the PCSO.

Mrs Moth and Mr Coker, our Choir Masters, would like to invite parents to the Mothering Sunday Church Service at St Peter's Church on Sunday 30th March. Our Year 1 and 2 choir will be singing at the service, and we hope you can join them.

Our PTA is putting out a last call for teams to sign up for our Quiz next Friday. Past parents/grandparents and friends are also welcome, so please make a team and come along. It is always a fun event in the BWIS calendar, so let's get QUIZZICAL!

Lastly, next Friday is Red Nose Day. It is non uniform, and out theme is wear something red. It can be as silly as you would like it to be, with hair and glitter etc. Donations are online for this event-please see the newsletter for the link.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Easter Egg Hunt

Thu 13 Mar 2025

Weekly Update Friday 7th March

Tue 04 Mar 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been another wonderful week at school, and it has been so lovely to see so many of you at our Parent-Teacher meetings this week. Thank you for taking the time to come in and discuss your child’s progress. If you were unable to attend, please do reach out to your child’s class teacher to arrange an appointment at a time that suits you.

Our Book Fayre was a great success, and the children had so much fun exploring the books on offer. They also enjoyed the fantastic book character costumes worn on World Book Day – it was wonderful to see so much creativity! The bookmaking activities throughout the day were a big hit, and it was a joy to see all the children so engaged in them.

Please be sure to check your inbox for details of the Cyber Awareness Training taking place at the Junior School on 12th March. All infant parents are warmly invited to attend, and we highly recommend this valuable session.

In Year R, we are looking forward to their exciting trip to the Arboretum on Wednesday, 12th March, as part of their “Growing” theme. This is sure to be an enriching experience for them.

As always, please check your child’s class emails for updates from each Year Group this week.

The children have been making the most of the spring sunshine and enjoying outdoor learning. The school grounds look absolutely glorious with all the flowers in bloom, and it’s a pleasure to see the children so happy and engaged.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what the children have been learning this week:

Year R: Exploring how plants grow
Year 1: Continuing their journey as historians and enjoying their exhibition of historical artefacts
Year 2: Learning about the life and legacy of Horatio Nelson, including his timeline and fascinating facts about one of Britain’s most famous admirals

It has been a wonderful week of learning, and we look forward to more fun and exciting experiences ahead.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend – and let’s hope the sunshine continues!

Kind regards

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

PTA QUIZ NIGHT FRIDAY 21st MARCH

Fri 28 Feb 2025

Weekly Update Friday 28th February

Fri 28 Feb 2025

Welcome back to Spring Term 2!

The children have been very excited to come back to school this week with lots of chatter with their friends. Our Year 2 children have come back full of historical facts from their school visit to Portsmouth Dockyard. Thank you to all staff and parents who went on the trip-the children had a day(albeit soggy) that they will never forget. Year 1 are continuing their Victorian project, and the roleplay I have observed this week has been amazing-the children are fully immersed in character as Victorians, with an understanding and empathy of what it was like in Victorian times being demonstrated. Year R children have started their new project, with 'Growing' as their main theme. They will be visiting Hilliers' Arboretum for a day of activities regarding growth of plants in the grounds.

On Monday our teachers joined staff from several of the cluster schools as part of our teachers ongoing professional development, with a focus on writing. It was good to share ideas, and keep up to date with fellow colleagues. Our writing is of a very high standard, and our teachers were very proud to share our approach.

Next week we have our Parent /Teacher meetings. Please note your appointment time down, and arrive 5/10 minutes prior to our appointment, so that you can look through your children's work. If you are unable to make the appointment, please let school know, and rearrange a time with your class teacher.

On Thursday 6th March, it is World Book Day. Children are invited to come to school as a book character, and we would like them to bring the book with their character in it. It can be a character in school uniform (for those who are not keen on dressing up). We have a lot of costumes in school, so please let your child's class teacher know if you would like to borrow one of these before the day. All children will be given a £1 book token on the day, and we will be having an Usborne Book Stall in our lobby, where the token can be used to part pay for a book. Each class will have the chance to visit, and the book stand will also be open after school. Please see below for more details:

· Parents can shop online using the link below until Thursday 6th March at 10pm

https://usborne.com/gb/uevent?event=9f54a3c9f0d03f6c84e188eea6655b37

· The book fair will be in school on Thursday 6th March for the children to browse – all children will have a chance to visit with their class during the day.

· Children can bring money in a named envelope to buy books on the day when they visit the fair with their class. Most books start from £5.99.

· Children can use their £1 world book day voucher to get £1 off any book at the fair.

· Books will be ordered and delivered to the school 2 weeks after the event.

· Books will NOT be available to take home on the day – this allows every child to get the book they want without stock running out and the school to get the maximum amount of free books.

· The book fair will also be open after school until 4pm if you would rather purchase books with your child. Card payments can also be taken then too.

· Every book purchased will enable the school to choose free books for the school library and classrooms!

Our PTA Quiz night has been confirmed and it is to be held on Friday 21st March. We are very excited to be holding this again, and the night always proves to be lots of fun. There will be a bar, and it is an adults only evening. Please see the poster above for more details!

We hope everyone makes the most of this lovely spring weather this weekend.

Best wishes

Mrs Riches