Newsletter 15.9.17
Date: 15th Sep 2017 @ 11:44am
15 September 2017
Dear Parents / Carers
We have had a great start to our new school year. The children all arrived smart and ready for the year ahead. It has been a delight to see our Reception children looking so proud of their school uniforms; they have started their year superbly joining in and full of confidence.
Class teachers have worked hard and have created wonderful, welcoming learning environments in all of the classrooms. The children have started their new topics for this term and I have already seen some great questions being generated which they are keen to investigate.
Nut-free School
It has come to our attention that we now have a number of children who have very severe nut allergies which could be life threatening. We therefore are now asking that no nuts are included in packed lunches or snacks throughout the school. Thank you for your cooperation.
New Entrances / Security
Thank you for your patience as we have introduced new security measures and have moved the main office so that the school entrance is from Grange Lane. We know that this has led to some confusion and frustration, but the added security measures on site mean that you can relax in the knowledge that your children are safer than ever whilst at school.
Year 3 steps
Unfortunately the builders experienced difficulty in completing the year 3 steps before the start of the term. As a result, the finish is not to the standard which was expected. The contractors will return to rebuild these during the half term break.
Supporting your child
At the start of a new school year, I would like to take the opportunity to remind you of ways you can support your child in school:
-Being Punctual:
Getting your child to school on time makes a great start to the school day and we cannot stress how much children are affected if they arrive late. The feeling of uncertainty and worry often impacts throughout the entire morning. Please let us know if you are having problems getting your child to school on time.
-Look Smart: Wearing School Uniform
This makes a statement which helps unify all of our learners. It has been great to see so many children looking super smart in their new uniforms. PLEASE label your child's clothes and belongings; it makes a big difference when looking for lost property
-Avoiding absence during term time:
We fully understand that illness can’t be avoided and there will possibly be times during the school year when your child needs to stay at home to recover; should this be the case, please contact the school office on the first day of absence to let us know.
As indicated prior to the summer break, the Local Authority has now reintroduced fines for parents who take their children out of school during term time for family holidays. Please note that I am no longer in a position to authorise absence except under very extreme circumstances. I think it also worthwhile noting that the school does not receive any monies from the fines issued.
-Helping your child with their learning
During the term each year group will be running workshops on areas of the curriculum to highlight some of today’s strategies for teaching reading, writing and maths. The dates for these are currently being set and will be posted shortly on the website calendar. Information regarding these will also be distributed by the class teachers.
Snacks and Water bottles
Please ensure any snacks for break times are fruit only / healthy snacks— no chocolate bars or crisps please. We also encourage all children to eat healthily at lunchtimes and we ask that you as parents support us with this when sending packed lunches into school.
Keeping our bodies and brains hydrated throughout the day is vital to ensure we are able to stay healthy and refreshed. Please make sure your child has a named water bottle in school each day. Children have access to water in school to replenish their bottles throughout the day but they do need a bottle to collect their water in. Please also be reminded that these bottles are for
water only and not juice of any kind.
School Meals
School Dinner Menu — We will be serving week 3 menu next week. A copy of the menu will be posted in the new entrance and can also be found on the school website.
PTA
We are very lucky to have a hard working PTA group who support school with many projects. The PTA will be holding a range of events and meetings across the school year. The first meeting of the PTA will be held at 3.15pm on Thursday 21st September in the school meeting room. It would be great to see some new faces. If you would like to attend, but need someone to look after your child we can accommodate this. Please let the office know if this is the case so that arrangements can be made.
Office Letter
Our office team will be distributing home data collection sheets for families to update contact details for the new academic year for all children in Year 1 — Year 6 next week. Please help the Office staff by returning your data collection sheets promptly so we can ensure we have the most up to date details on our system.
Volunteer Helpers in School
We were, once again, well supported by people volunteering to come into school to help with reading and activities in classes last year. We really appreciate the time people are willing to give to this and are keen to make the best use of it. A letter with a reply slip for volunteers to complete about their availability will be distributed next week so that we can allocate the help we get across school. Please look out for this letter and let the Office know if you have any questions about this.
School Meals and Pupil Premium
As you are aware, the Government's initiative 'Universal Infant Free School Meals' provides free school meals to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Cheshire West and Chester Council will also continue to administer free school meals to families that receive qualifying state benefits. Any family who feels they may be eligible for this scheme should apply by telephone on 0300 123 7039
All schools receive additional funding known as: Pupil Premium, for pupils registered with the Council for free school meals based on income levels; this is used to support their learning in a variety of ways. Any parents who may qualify should still apply to the Council if they are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits, even if your child is currently in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2.
Calendar
We have now set the majority of significant dates for school events for the term. These can be found on the school website under calendar. We will continue to add other important dates throughout the term, so please keep checking for updates. We will also send a text message out to remind you and highlight forthcoming events in the newsletters.
Website
On the website you will find further information about the school to help you support your child. Please note that each year group post a weekly newsletter outlining information which may be of use. If you are struggling to access this information, please don’t hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher.
Classes
Please note the class number and structure. We should be grateful if you could add the appropriate class number to any correspondence regards your child. Many thanks for your support with this matter:
|
Year Group |
Class Number |
Teacher |
|
N1 |
1JG |
Miss Garnett / Miss Williams |
|
N2 |
1JG |
Miss Garnett / Miss Williams |
|
F/S |
2RA |
Mr Allen |
|
F/S |
3KR |
Mrs Robbins |
|
F/S |
4OF |
Miss Fox |
|
Yr 1 |
5MO |
Mr Owen |
|
Yr 1 |
6LB |
Miss Bebbington |
|
Yr 1 |
7CFP |
Miss Price |
|
Yr 2 |
8LW |
Mr Wright |
|
Yr 2 |
9SF |
Mrs Ferguson |
|
Yr 2 |
10MP |
Miss M Price |
|
Yr 3 |
11AB/SM |
Mrs Bullen/Mrs Moorhouse |
|
Yr 3 |
12LT |
Miss Toomer |
|
Yr 3 |
13HB |
Miss Barwick |
|
Yr 4 |
14LR |
Miss Raistrick |
|
Yr 4 |
15OW |
Miss Warrell |
|
Yr 5 |
16JT |
Mr Thorburn |
|
Yr 5 |
17JA |
Mrs Andrews |
|
Yr 6 |
18NA |
Mr Askey |
|
Yr 6 |
19JL |
Miss Levis |
|
The following staff will also be responsible for the teaching of classes in the different year groups to cover planning preparation and assessment times: Mrs Lawton Mr Bratt Mrs Taylor Miss Guppy Mrs Coleman Mrs Lowe |
||
Dates for the diary:-
Friday 29th September 2017 – Macmillan coffee morning – children wear green day
Thursday 12th October 2017 – 9.30am KS1 Harvest at school lead by Year 2
Friday 13th October 2017 – 9.30am KS2 Harvest at United Reformed Church lead by Year 3
Tuesday 17th October 2017 – Parents Evening 5pm – 7pm
Wednesday 18th October 2017 – Flu vaccination for Year (letters to follow)
Wednesday 18th October 2017 – Parents Evening 4pm – 6pm
Thursday 19th October 2017 – Tempest individual and sibling photographs
Wednesday 25th October 2017 – School closes for Half Term
Thursday 26th October 2017 – Inset Day – School closed
Friday 27th October 2017 – Inset Day – School closed
Monday 6th November 2017 – School opens
Friday 10th November 2017 – Year 5 at Tatton Park
Wednesday 15th November – Friday 17th November 2017 – Year 4 York Residential
Tuesday 28th November 2017 – Year 5 and 6 visit to New Vic Theatre, Treasure Island
Monday 4th December 2017 - WEP Year 4 Concert at Winsford Lifestyle Centre
Tuesday 5th December 2017 – WEP Year 4 Concert at Winsford Lifestyle Centre
Monday 11th December 2017 – Year 1 Hope Journey at St Andrews 1pm-3pm
Monday 11th December 2017 – Nursery Nativity
Wednesday 13th December 2017 – EYFS Nativity (morning) and EYFS Nativity 2pm
Wednesday 13th December 2017 – Year 3 and Year 4 visit to Grange Theatre, Northwich
Thursday 14th December 2017 – Year 1 Nativity (morning)
Thursday 14th December 2017 – Year 2 and Year 3 St Andrews Carol Concert
Thursday 14th December 2017 – 6pm Year 1 performance
Friday 15th December 2017 – Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper day
Monday 18th December 2017 – Year 5 & 6 Carol Concert 6pm United Reformed Church
Wednesday 20th December 2017 – Nursery and Foundation Stage Christmas party
Wednesday 20th December 2017 – PM Year 1 & Year 2 Christmas party
Thursday 21st December 2017 – AM Year 5 & Year 6 Christmas party
Thursday 21st December 2017 – PM Year 3 & Year 4 Christmas party
Friday 22nd December 2017 – School closes for Christmas holiday
Monday 8th January 2018 – School opens
Finally
I will be on the playground before school most mornings to speak to parents, carers and children. If you would like to speak to me about any aspect of school life and are unable to see me then, please contact the school office to arrange an appointment or email me directly.
I look forward to working with both you and your children again during the year.
Mark Joule
Head Teacher