It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of the Spring term at Cypress although the sunny weather and spring flowers are showing us that spring has well and truly arrived.
We started the week at the Lower School with our Reading Tree assembly led by Ms Cheeseman. All our children who have read regularly this term received a special book mark with a link to a very funny story read by Miss Chapman. Well done to Turquoise Class in Year 2 and Blue Class in Year 1 who have earnt a special reading pyjama party for being the classes who read the most this term.
Well done to all the children at the Upper School who have consistently read for 20 minutes a day and earned themselves a bookmark and a special story! A special congratulations to Arabella (Willow), Cillian (Lime), Ethan (Larch), Zara (Beech), Rosanne (Rowan), Heidi (Birch), Harry (Hazel), Layal (Oak), Freddie (Hawthorn), Rose (Cedar), and Mabli (Holly), who won the reading raffle and took home a book prize from our special selection!
A big shout-out also to the winning year groups—Cedar, Hawthorn, Rowan, Hazel, and Beech—who earned the Year Group Reading Cafe prize! They enjoyed an afternoon of new books for the book corner alongside a sweet treat and a refreshing drink this week. We know that reading is not just about finishing a book, but about discovering new worlds, developing your imagination, and learning more about the world around you.
To all who won a bookmark and to those who didn’t, please keep reading, and remember that every page you turn brings you one step closer to becoming a lifelong learner. Well done to everyone, and keep up the fantastic work!
Y3 Easter Performance
The Year 3 Easter performance was a real treat, offering a fresh and clever take on the Easter story with a powerful message of hope. The children brought plenty of energy to the stage, and their choice of contemporary songs had everyone in the audience tapping their feet and nodding along. The acting was lively and engaging, and it was clear they’d put a lot of effort into perfecting their roles. The children delivered their lines beautifully and sang with conviction. A huge thank you goes to the fantastic teachers—Ms Fernandes, Ms Corbet, Ms Chaudhuri, and Ms Ahmed and our Y3 teaching assistants, Mr Nicol, Ms Francis, and Ms Gould, for their guidance and support throughout. We are incredibly proud of the children for their dedication and teamwork; the whole performance was a wonderful example of what can be achieved when hard work and creativity come together. Well done, Year 3!
Gold Award
This half term we are celebrating those children who have made excellent progress in their learning. Well done to the following children who have earned the award for ‘Curriculum Achievement’
| Red Class – Jack and Astrid | Turquoise Class – Gilbie and Jason | Lime Class – Shyla and Amanda |
| Yellow Class – Lily and Rowan | Violet Class – Matilda and David | Hazel Class – Karter and Alara |
| Orange Class – Jack and Ariyanna | Holly Class – Elbie and Aiyla | Sycamore Class – Zara and Sam |
| Blue Class – Leoh and Maddie | Cedar Class – Izzy and Roscoe | Willow Class – Folarin and Sofian |
| Indigo Class – Ruth and Otis | Birch Class – Evelina and Jamie | Beech Class – Cruz and Samuel |
| Green Class – Patrick and Robyn | Hawthorn Class – Alex and Kavell | Oak Class – Amelie and Kendric |
| Ruby Class – Kelisse and Reuben | Rowan Class – Amanda and Amar | Larch Class – Safia and Tosca |
Daily Mile at the Lower School
This term all the children from Rainbows up to Year 2 have been working hard completing their Daily Mile. This week each teacher has awarded a certificate to the child in their class who has made the biggest improvement. Well done for exhibiting our Pegasus value ‘We are Healthy’.
Year 4 Swimming
Year 4 children will begin their two-week intensive swimming course at South Norwood Leisure Centre after the Easter break. The sessions will run daily for an hour, with different classes scheduled as follows: Rowan (22nd April – 2nd May), Hawthorn (6th – 16th May), and Lime (19th May – 6th June, excluding half term). Children will leave school at 12:15pm after an early lunch and return by 3pm. Swimming is a key part of the curriculum, and all children are expected to participate. Please ensure your child has the required swimwear, a towel, and a separate bag for their swimming kit. Parent helpers are needed each day—please contact your child’s teacher if you would like to volunteer.
Years 3,4,5 and 6 Bikeability
A selection of children from all year groups participated the Bikeability programme this week, where they received expert instruction on the essential skills of cycling. The sessions covered a wide range of techniques, including how to balance on a bike, signal effectively, change gears, and ride confidently off the saddle. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, gaining new skills and building their confidence on two wheels. The instructors were incredibly patient and supportive, ensuring that each child made significant progress at their own pace. Their professional guidance helped the children not only improve their cycling abilities but also develop a sense of independence and road safety awareness. A special thanks must go to Ms Fernandes for organising the event, as her dedication and hard work made the programme possible. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children, and we are delighted with the progress they made during this valuable experience.
Reception Fire Brigade Visit
Thursday afternoon was a very exciting afternoon for our Reception classes as they got to see a real fire engine. The children enjoyed sitting inside, finding out how the fire engine works and having a go using the hose. This was a great learning experience for them as part of their ‘Emergency’ topic.
Maths Day
In order to raise the profile of maths, today has been ‘Maths Day‘ at Cypress. Children have come to school in items of clothing that have numbers and each class has taken part in a range of maths activities. It has been lovely to see so many children enjoying maths and celebrating this important subject. A special thanks to Ms Stewart and Ms Balhadere for organising the activities on offer today. Your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated!
Goodbye Ms Williams
It was a very sad day at Cypress Lower on Wednesday as we said goodbye to Ms Williams. Ms Williams has worked at Cypress for the past 17 years. She is an excellent teacher who displays all our Pegasus Values. Ms Williams has made a huge difference to the lives of many children and families. We thank her for her hard work, commitment and dedication to all the children and families at Cypress. Ms Williams is leaving us to pursue a career working with children with Special Educational Needs. She will be a huge loss to Cypress but a huge gain to her new school. Thank you Ms Williams.
Cypress Superstars
Congratulations to Eleni and Juniper in Yellow Class who came to visit Ms Binks with their amazing art work. They had really focused and persevered on their task and carefully torn pieces of coloured paper to create beautiful spring flowers. Well done to Emma in Red Class who came to show her wonderful writing. Emma had drawn a plane with her family going to Italy to visit her grandparents. She had used fingers spaces and her sound buttons to write a sentence. We had some lovely visitors from Indigo Class who had produced some great work about feelings. Well done to Ben, Sam, Tyla and Kit! Congratulations to Gracie in Turquoise Class who came to share her writing about The Shard. She had used the facts she had learnt to sequence some amazing sentences. Well done to Leoh in Blue Class who came to share his book he had written based on the text ‘Chalk’. We are so proud of the amazing progress you have made in your letter formation and writing. A big round of applause to James from Hazel Class for his outstanding work on a spine-chilling passage inspired by The Highwayman poem by Alfred Noyes. It’s no small feat to capture such atmosphere and intrigue—well done, James! Meanwhile, in Holly Class, Fifi, Elliot, Mabli, Ife, Yusuf, and Nyla have truly impressed with their creative flair. They put together eye-catching posters packed with clever tips on how to stay safe, healthy, and happy – well done! Phoebe Rose and Malaika in Birch Class have been very busy outside of school, competing in a gymnastic event, showcasing their best moves. They came to show me their impressive medals – keep up the hard work and dedication, girls! Elis, Hanna, Willa and Melissa came to show me their completed narrative inspired by the Highwayman – the quality of writing was beyond that of an age-related writer! They wrote with maturity and flair – I am very proud of you all. Raymond in Larch Class came to show me his diary entry written as Torak from Wolf Brother. It was full of emotive language and varied sentence types to add interest. I very much enjoyed listening to you read to me today, Raymond!
We wish all our children and families a relaxing Easter break and look forward to welcoming you back to Cypress on Tuesday 22nd April.
Ms Binks, Mrs Carpenter and the Cypress Team
