Our blogs

Harvest Festival Services October 2018, by Mrs Collins

Date: 3rd Oct 2018 @ 3:46pm

Wednesday 3rd October 2018

Dear Parents,
We would like to invite you to our annual Harvest Festival Services. This year we will be holding two services.
 The Reception and Key Stage 1 Harvest Festival service will be in our school hall on Wednesday 10th October at 9.30am. This will be led by the Year 1 children. (Refreshments will be served in the theatre from 9.00am prior to this service.)

 The Key Stage 2 children (Years 3 – 6) will be holding their service at the United Reformed Church, Over Square, on Thursday 11th October at 10.00am. This will be led by the Year 3 children.

As part of our Harvest celebrations we have decided, once again, to support the tremendous work the Salvation Army do in our town and home community in supporting the aged, homeless and needy by providing food parcels and gifts. We would like to ask if you would support us in this venture by donating one or two small items of food which will then be boxed and presented to a representative from the Salvation Army during one of our Harvest services. The donations of food produce may be sent into school during the week beginning Monday 8th October.
Listed below are a few suggestions of items which would be suitable;

 Biscuits.
 Boxes/packets of cakes.
 Tinned food.
 Dried food.
 Coffee/ Tea bags.
 Boxes/bottles of fruit juices.
 Chocolate, chocolates, sweets.

We look forward to sharing our Harvest services with friends and families.

Mrs Susan Brook
Events Co-ordinator.

Newsletter 19.9.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 19th Sep 2018 @ 2:47pm

18 September 2018

Dear Parents

I am pleased to say that the children seem to have settled well into their new classes and are approaching their learning in a positive manner.

Summer Homework / Projects
Many thanks for the support with summer homework/ projects. It has been lovely to see a vast array of models and pieces of work produced during the summer break!

Reading
Please can we ask that all parents listen to their children read on a regular basis and talk to their child(ren) about what they have read and what they have understood (ideally daily). Although as staff we aim to listen to each child read regularly this is not sufficient and they need daily practice. To promote reading this year we are going to introduce the ‘Extreme Read’. This involves the children reading in the most unusual of places and recording this in their reading diaries. If you can take a photograph of them doing so that would be great; these can be handed into your child’s class teacher or emailed to [email protected] Team points and stickers will be awarded for the most extreme reads each week.

Printers Reading Diaries
Unfortunately we have been let down with our order of new reading diaries. We had enough in stock for the majority of the school, but Y5 and Y6 children will be given theirs as soon as they arrive. Please can Y5 / Y6 children record their reading in their homework books until we receive the new order; many thanks for your support with this matter!

New Year Group Meetings
These were held last week to enable you to meet your child’s class teacher and to inform you of the year ahead. If you were unable to attend the meetings, the information has been posted under your child’s year group on the school website.
Sadly I was also unable to attend the different meetings, as I was required to have a minor operation which had originally been scheduled for the summer holidays. I therefore hope to meet you during the coming weeks. Should the need arise please don’t hesitate to contact me through the School office.

Inset Day
As noted in my previous letter we have had to reorganise one of our school Inset days to accommodate staff training. This will now take place on Monday 15th April 2019 instead of Monday 3rd June.

Y6 Team Building Camp

This was held on the Thursday and Friday of the first week back at Forest Camp, Sandiway. The vast majority of our Y6 attended and had great fun camping, as well as supporting each other with raft building and climbing. Well done to all concerned!

Mr Askey
I am pleased to inform you that Mrs Askey gave birth to a baby boy (Arthur) during the summer break. Mr Askey will therefore be having some paternity leave. However to reduce the impact on his class, he will take each Friday until half term instead of a two week block. Mrs Lowe will cover his absence each Friday.

Mrs Lawton
I am pleased to inform you that Mrs Lawton is expecting her second child in January. She will therefore start her maternity leave after the Christmas break. As Mrs Lawton currently covers ‘planning, preparation and assessment time’ for KS2, appropriate cover will be sourced to provide continuity for the children.

Mrs Raistrick
Please note that Mrs Raistrick will start her maternity leave on Friday of this week. We wish her and her husband all the very best of luck for their forthcoming new arrival.

Class Names
This year we have named each of the classes after a river which either flows locally or one which flows through an area where a year group visits as part of their residential or day visits. Please can I ask that wherever possible you use the class name in communication with the school. To help you with this I have listed the class names below together with the teacher teaching each of the different classes.

Nursery Dane Miss Garnett
Nursery Weaver Miss Williams
Reception Dean Mrs Robbins
Reception Croco Mr Allen
Reception Bollin Miss Fox
Y1 Gowy Miss Price
Y1 Dee Mr Owen
Y1 Wheelock Miss Bebbington
Y2 Wye Mrs Ferguson
Y2 Dove Mrs Coleman / Mr Wright
Y2 Manifold Mrs Astley
Y3 Conwy Miss Barwick
Y3 Adda Miss Toomer
Y3 Severn Miss Phillips
Y4 Ouse Mrs Bullen / Miss Guppy
Y4 Foss Miss Warrell
Y4 Derwent Miss McCabe
Y5 Thames Mrs Moorhouse / Miss Stanway
Y5 Wandle Mrs Andrews
Y5 Brent Mr Thorburn
Y6 Esk Mr Askey
Y6 Eden Miss Levis
Y6 Calder Miss Baker

Team Point Awards
This year we will be changing the team point awards from certificates to stickers. The children will now receive a sticker for every 20 team points. It is hoped that these will have a more immediate impact on the children.

PTA AGM
This will take place on 4th October at 3.30pm in the school. All parents and friends of the school are welcome to attend. Please enter the school via the school office.

Dogs
Just a reminder, as per Cheshire West and Chester Council’s policy, there are no dogs permitted on the school premises.

Finally Should you have any concerns or wish to raise any points regarding your child’s education, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.
Regards
Mark Joule
Head teacher

Newsletter 5.9.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 5th Sep 2018 @ 3:49pm

05 September 2018

Dear Parents

Welcome to the start of a new school year. It is with great pleasure we say hello to our new Reception children and a welcome back to those who were with us last year. The children all look fantastic today in their new uniforms, thank you for your support with this matter

School Improvements

During the summer we have been busy improving the school environment with new canopies being installed outside of the Reception Classes and outside of the Nursery. These should provide the children in these areas with cover to facilitate their outdoor learning. In addition, we have moved the staff room to ensure that the three Y4 classrooms are adjacent to each other and have the best space available. Furthermore we have had to have the windows in the new block repacked as the original contractors had not installed the correct grade of frames. Finally, we have added additional fencing for security on the Y6 yard and some additional tarmac.

New Staff Members

This year we welcome Miss Phillips to Y3, Miss McCabe to Y4 and Miss Baker to Y6, in doing so we now have 3 classes in each year group. Furthermore Miss Stanway has moved into a teaching role having completed her degree, she will share a class with Mrs Moorhouse in Y5.

In addition to the new teaching staff, we welcome Mrs Whelan and Mr Bebbington as teaching assistants to the school. I am sure that you will join with me in making all new staff feel welcome.

New Year Group Welcome Meetings

These will be led by the staff from each year group on the following dates and will be held in the theatre:

Please try to attend if possible, as the staff will outline how the year will run in addition to outlining how we can work together to maximise the learning opportunity for your child(ren).

Inset day

Please note that we have had to reorganise one of our school Inset days to accommodate staff training.

This will now take place on Monday 15^th April 2019 instead of Monday 3rd June 2019.

Please see attached calendar for clarification.

Before and After School (Wrap Around) Clubs

If you need to use the aforementioned clubs for child care, please log in online via www.eduspot.co.uk using your mobile phone number, email, password and child’s name to book the club. Should you be new to the facility and wish to start using the clubs or have forgotten your password, please contact the school office and a member of the admin team will guide you through the process.

You are now able to pre-book the breakfast and afterschool club for the full term ahead.  The club list is printed in the morning, any children not on the list will be asked to be collected by a parent.  It is therefore vital that you book your child into the club with plenty of notice.  Online bookings will not be accepted on the day.  If you do need a club booking on the day, please ring the office on 01606 288188, but this facility must only be used in emergencies.

Due to changes in financial regulations/criteria, we are no longer able to permit parents to owe more than £20 at any given point in time, for services provided.  Please make arrangements to keep any money owed to a minimum by topping up your child’s account.  This can be done by logging into the school money system regularly.  We also accept cheques made payable to High Street Primary School, handed into the office where a receipt will be issued.

Y6 Team Building Camp

This year I will be leading a team building camp for the children in Y6 on Thursday and Friday of this week. I will be accompanied by the Y6 staff and Mrs Lowe and together we will be preparing the children for the year ahead. As a result, Mrs Taylor will be available to sort any queries, should the need arise.

Clubs

Each year the staff volunteer to run a selection of after school clubs to enhance the opportunities for the children. A full list of these will be posted on the school website by the end of next week. The children will be informed of the different clubs and will have the opportunity to sign up for the ones which they wish to attend. Please note that as these clubs are run on a voluntary basis, staff may need to postpone or cancel them at short notice, so please don’t rely on them for child care.

Trips / Pupil Premium

As a school we have developed a programme of residential and day visits to enhance the curriculum and stimulate the learning experiences of the children. In doing so, we have always looked at ways of subsidising the visits for all concerned; for example the true cost of the London visit for Y5 pupils would be in excess of £240.00 if we charged the full amount.

However, we are also aware of the cost of the visits to parents and without sufficient contributions from you; the visits would not be possible.

From this year we will continue to subsidise the visits in the same manner for all parents, however we will also be able to offer a 30% discount on the price specified for each visit, for children who are in receipt of Pupil Premium. To qualify for this, parents need to apply for free school meals even if their child currently gets them through the Universal Infant Free School Meal Programme.

• Your child might be able to get free school meals (and therefore Pupil Premium) if you get any of the following:
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Parking

Please note that the upper tarmac area outside of the Y6 classrooms is not for parent parking and is only available for visitors during the day.

Finally

Should you have any concerns or wish to raise any points about the service we provide, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

HOLIDAY LIST 2018/19

Bank Holidays:

Friday 19^th April 2019

Monday 22^nd April 2019

Monday 6^th May 2019

Inset Days-

Monday 3^rd September 2018

Tuesday 4^th September 2018

Thursday 25^th October 2018

Friday 26^th October 2018

Monday 15^th April 2019

  (These are days that staff are in school but not the children)

Newsletter 20th July 2018, by Mrs Collins

Date: 20th Jul 2018 @ 11:47am

Newsletter

As we approach the end of the school year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your support. Throughout the year we have enjoyed working with your child(ren) and seeing them grow and develop in many ways. We look forward to continuing to do so for those who will remain with us in September, but wish those leaving all the very best for the future.

Leavers’ 2018

Last night our Y6 children were real stars performing a short play for their parent’s which was followed by a presentation and drinks / refreshments for all involved. This was a great evening for all concerned.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the 2018 leaver’s together with any other child relocating schools all the very best for the future.

Maths / World of Work Evening

This was a great success, with the children from each year group displaying their maths attributes and working on mini enterprises and then sharing these for parents and members of the community. Through this process, the children developed their maths skills as well as learning about money, making products to sell and devising how and when to sell these. The profit raised by the children will be used to purchase additional equipment for play times. Well done to all concerned! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the PTA for supporting the evening with their tombola, cake stall and selection of small stalls in the large hall.

Edge Hill University Visit

Our Y6 children visited Edge Hill University on 12^th July as part of the raising aspirations programme. During their visit they were able to participate in actives in the state of the art technology facilities in addition to working on a mini enterprise idea. Furthermore some of the children enjoyed a lesson in Chinese whilst other members of the party made use of the sports facilities. A great day was had by all!

EYFS Reception: Reaseheath College

The Reception children had a great time visiting the zoo animals and participating in a workshop at Reaseheath. It was lovely to receive comments on how well behaved and attentive they were. Well done to all concerned!

PTA AGM

This will take place on Thursday 13^th September at 3.30pm, all parents and friends of the school are welcome to attend. Please come and join in, to build on the success of the PTA in raising funds for the children of High Street and providing different opportunities for them. All visitors for the meeting should register their arrival at the Reception.

Wrap Around Care: Breakfast / After School Club

If you need to use the aforementioned clubs for child care please log in online via www.eduspot.co.uk using your mobile phone number, email, password and child’s name to book the club. Should you be new to the facility and wish to start using the clubs or have forgotten your password, please contact the school office and a member of the admin team will guide you through the process.

From September 2018 you will be able to pre-book the breakfast and afterschool club for the full term ahead.  The club list is printed in the morning, any children not on the list will be asked to be collected by a parent.  It is therefore vital that you book your child into the club with plenty of notice.  Online bookings will not be accepted on the day.  If you do need a club booking on the day please ring the office on 01606 288188, but this facility must only be used in emergencies.

Due to changes in financial regulations/criteria, we are no longer able to permit parents to owe more than £20 at any given point in time for services provided.  Please make arrangements to keep any money owed to a minimum by topping up your child’s account.  This can be done by logging into the school money system regularly.  We also accept cheques made payable to High Street Primary school handed into the office where a receipt will be issued.

Uniform

As you may have noticed some shops have started to advertise ‘back to school’ children’s wear. This always amuses me as it becomes earlier each year! However with this in mind and as you prepare your child for the year ahead, please can you ensure that your child is following the school uniform policy.

Children should wear the following to school on their return in September:

Summer dresses (Light blue gingham check)

White shirt / blouse

Grey / black skirt / trousers / shorts

Blue school sweatshirt

Please note that ties are compulsory from Y3 –Y6 but optional in EYFS / KS1

Black school shoes (NOT TRAINERS)

School Meals

We have been informed by Edsential which is the Local Authority corporate group who supply school meals that there will be an increase in the cost of each meal to £2.30 per meal from September. Please also note that children moving from Y2 to Y3 are no longer eligible for Universal Free School Meals, as these are only applicable for EYFS / KS1 children.

Should you feel that you are eligible for free school meals due to your financial position you can contact Wyvern House on 0300 123 7039 to apply.

Finally may I take this opportunity to wish all concerned a restful and enjoyable summer.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 6.7.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 6th Jul 2018 @ 9:57am

06 July 2018

Newsletter

Maths / World of Work Evening Wednesday 11^th July 4.30 – 6.30pm

As previously indicated this will take place on Wednesday 11^th July. However we have decided to modify the times slightly just in case England qualify for the semi-final of the World Cup which will start at 7.00pm on the same evening. The evening in school will now start at 4.30pm and run to 6.30pm to give people time to get home to watch the game should they wish to do so. During the evening you will see an array of different maths activities which are used to promote learning together with some mini enterprise projects, which the children will run to raise funds for the school. As with last year, proceeds raised by the classes will be used to pay for additional playground equipment.

Class Structure 2018-19

The following class structure has been put in place for the coming academic year. From the list you will notice that we have managed to secure the finances to enable us to move  to 3 class bases in Y4 – Y6 to correspond with the rest of the school.

Nursery (EYFS 1):        Miss J Garnett

                         Miss C Williams

Reception (EYFS2)      Mrs Robbins

                       Mr Allen

                       Miss Fox

Year 1                 Miss Price

                       Mr Owen

                       Miss Bebbington

Year 2                 Mrs Ferguson

                       Mrs Coleman / Mr Wright

                       Miss Page

Year 3                 Miss Barwick

                       Miss Toomer

                       Miss Phillips

Year 4                 Mrs Bullen / Miss Guppy

                       Miss Warrell

                       Miss McCabe

Year 5                 Mrs Moorhouse / Miss Stanway

                       Mrs Andrews

                       Mr Thorburn

Year 6                 Mr Askey

                       Miss Levis

                       Miss Baker

Due to a number of teachers returning from maternity leave on a part time basis, three classes will involve job shares during the coming year. This is a model well used nationally and  has been very effective in Y3 this year.

In addition teacher’s non-contact time (PPA) will be covered by the following members of staff:

Mrs Taylor, Mrs Brook, Mr Bratt and Mrs Lawton

From September, Mrs Lowe (Deputy Head teacher) will support in the leadership of the school, by working with me on monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. In addition she will also provide booster support where required.

End of Year Reports

We are currently in the process of verifying and printing the end of year reports. These will be distributed on Tuesday 10^th July. Together with your child’s report you will also receive notification of the class your son / daughter will move to next year. We are currently finalising our lists based on the choices made by the children of who they work well with. Please note that the children will visit their new classes on the morning of 17^th July.

Year 2/ 6 SATs Results

These will be received and verified early next week. As we have always done, the Y6 children will be given their results personally before they are added to their school reports. The Y2 SAT results will be added directly to the school reports for parents to see and discuss with their children if appropriate.

Sports Week

Last week we had children from across the school participating in a variety of sports including Tag Rugby, New age  Kurling, athletics, swimming, tri-it, dodgeball, golf, football and multi skills. Our children performed really well in all activities with our New Age Kurling team excelling and going to represent Vale Royal in the Cheshire Championships this week and our three swimming teams finishing joint first out of the nine teams competing. Well done to all concerned!

Edge Hill Visit / Barclays

Next week our Y6 children will be visiting Edge Hill University as part of the raising aspirations programme. They also recently visited Barclays to review options for the world of work and to learn about finances.

Year 1 Grosvenor Museum

This week our Y1 children visited the Grosvenor Museum, Chester as part of their topic work; they had a great day looking at toys from the past and creating their own. It was lovely to receive compliments from the museum staff and members of the public regarding the positive behaviour displayed by the children. Well done to all concerned!

EYFS Reception: Rease Heath College

This will take place on Friday 13^th July and will involve the children visiting the zoo animals and participating in a workshop. I am sure that they are all looking forward to this!

Leavers’ Evening

This year our leavers’ evening will take place on Thursday 19^th July from 6.00pm, parents of our Y6 children are invited to attend, but sadly due to space limitations we cannot accommodate other family members and can only allocate 2 seats per child. During the evening the children will perform a short play which will be followed by a presentation and drinks / refreshments. Please note that the Y6 will perform their play for other children in the school beforehand so siblings will not need to attend the evening.

Non Uniform Days

On behalf of the School and PTA I would like to thank all concerned for providing bottles and sweets / stationery for the tombola stalls for next week’s Maths / World of Work Evening. Without your support this would not be possible.

Should you have any concerns or wish to discuss any points raised in this letter, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Latest Newsletter 8.6.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 8th Jun 2018 @ 3:05pm

8^th June 2018

Newsletter

Dear Parents

School Sports

It was great to see so many parents at the Reception / Nursery sports event and at the KS1 Sports, we hope that you enjoyed the new format and were able to see more events. Any comments as to the format would be gratefully received as would suggestions for further improvements. Thank you once again for your support.

Please may I take this opportunity to thank all members of the PTA for their support with refreshments during the sports days.

Reminder:

Monday 18^th June: Year 5/6 Sports from 1.45pm. Gates to the main field open at 1.30pm

Athletics Success

I am delighted to inform you that the Y5 / 6 athletics team participated in the Winsford Quad Kid Tournament on Thursday this week and were overall winners against local schools. They will now progress to the area finals next week.

Year 6 Visit

Next week I will be leading the Y6 Residential Visit to the Lake District. During the week the children will be involved in a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, canoeing, climbing, sailing, paddle boarding and Ghyll Scrambling. In addition they will visit places of interest and travel on a steam train and lake cruiser.

As Mrs Lowe will also be accompanying the children, Mrs Taylor will be available in school in our absence. Mrs Robbins, Mr Askey and Miss Garnett will also be on hand to deal with any queries.

Classes for 2018 / 19

During the coming weeks we will be starting to place the children into classes for next year. As happened last year we will be mixing the current classes to ensure that we can cater for the needs of individual children to the best of our ability. This process also ensures that we don’t have two / three separate strands going through the school but that the children in each year see themselves as a cohort. As part of the process each child will be asked to list five children who they feel that they work well with, we will then do our best to place them with several from their list. If you could talk to your child during the holidays about friends / children who your child works well with that they may add to their list, we should be grateful.

Residential Visits

During the coming half term we will be distributing letters about the residential visits planned for the coming year. Please note that these will be subsidised in the manner described in my previous newsletter. In addition the new pupil premium reductions will also apply. Should you feel that you are potentially eligible for this please apply by contacting Wyvern House on 0300 123 7039

Your child might be able to get free school meals (and therefore Pupil Premium) if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Breakfast and Afterschool Clubs

To ensure that we can provide the best service for the Breakfast and After School, we should be grateful if all parents could adhere to the following:

:

1. Breakfast and afterschool clubs should be booked online at www.eduspot.co.uk please sign in to ‘schoolmoney parent login’ (bookings are available until school ends in July)
2. Parents should not owe more than £20 or unfortunately we will need to stop their child using the clubs until the balance has been paid.
3. Parents need to let us know on the morning of the booking if they no longer need the afterschool club or we charge full price for the place. (If the child is off ill we will take them off the list automatically and no charge will be made for the session).

Dates for your diary:

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Bookstart Bird Boogie - National Bookstart Week 4th to 10th June 2018, by Mrs Collins

Date: 4th Jun 2018 @ 11:52am

Message from Cheshire West and Chester

Bookstart Bird Boogie: 4th - 10th June 2018

Dear All,

This week is National Bookstart Week and the theme this year is ‘Bookstart Bird Boogie’. Libraries across west Cheshire will be celebrating with exciting events to inspire families to have fun reading together. Children who attend any of the events will receive a free copy of the picture book ‘A Busy Day for Birds by Lucy Cousins’.

Please visit your nearest library or children’s centre to find out more. Details of events across west Cheshire are available on Your West Cheshire

Families unable to make it along to their local event can join in the fun at home with plenty of arts, crafts and games, all on the Bookstart website.

Many thanks

Newsletter 25.5.2018, by Mrs Collins

Date: 25th May 2018 @ 12:06pm

25th May 2018

Newsletter

Dear Parents

School Sports

It was great to see so many parents at the Y3 / 4 sports event, we hope that you enjoyed the new format and were able to see more events. Any comments as to the format would be gratefully received as would suggestions for further improvements. Thank you once again for your support.

Unfortunately the weather did not hold to allow us to run the Y1/2 event, this has now been rescheduled for the afternoon of 8^th June.

Reminder:

Friday 8^th June: Reception and Nursery Sports Morning from 9.45am Gates open at 9.30am

Friday 8^th June: Year 1/2 Sports from 1.45pm. Gates to the main field open at 1.30pm

Monday 18^th June: Year 5/6 Sports from 1.45pm. Gates to the main field open at 1.30pm

GDPR

As I am sure you are aware all businesses are required by law to review their data protection regulations, as schools are not exempt from this process, please find attached our revised privacy notice which details how we collect and hold data on your children. Should you require further clarification on this, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Cricket Success

I am delighted to inform you that the Y5 / 6 cricket team participated in the Winsford Cricket tournament on Thursday this week and won all three games against local schools. They will now progress to the area finals later this term.

Year 6 Visit

Children from 19JL visited Gadbrook Park on Thursday of this week. During their visit they had a tour of Barclays and participated in an array of different activities to promote their understanding of staying safe online, and appropriate budgeting. Great fun was had by all! The remainder of the Y6 will visit Gadbrook later in the term.

Classes for 2018 / 19

During the coming weeks we will be starting to place the children into classes for next year. As happened last year we will be mixing the current classes to ensure that we can cater for the needs of individual children to the best of our ability. This process also ensures that we don’t have two / three separate strands going through the school but that the children in each year see themselves as a cohort. As part of the process each child will be asked to list five children who they feel that they work well with, we will then do our best to place them with several from their list. If you could talk to your child during the holidays about friends / children who your child works well with that they may add to their list, we should be grateful.

Residential Visits

During the coming half term we will be distributing letters about the residential visits planned for the coming year. Please note that these will be subsidised in the manner described in my previous newsletter. In addition the new pupil premium reductions will also apply. Should you feel that you are potentially eligible for this please apply by contacting Wyvern House on 0300 123 7039

Your child might be able to get free school meals (and therefore Pupil Premium) if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 11.5.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 11th May 2018 @ 10:26am

11^th May 2018

Newsletter

Dear Parents

Cross Country success

I am very pleased to inform you that our Y5/6 Cross Country team finished in 2^nd place in the finals of the Vale Royal Cross Country competition. Although all competitors excelled in the competition, I would like to mention Ben H Y5 and Cameron M Y6 who finished 2^nd and 3^rd overall in the boy’s competition. Well done to all concerned!

Nursery Places

We are currently running at capacity for children attending Nursery, but due to a number of children moving into full-time education we will have some limited places available for September. Should you require a place for your child or would like to make an appointment to view the Nursery, please contact Miss Garnett (Nursery manager) via the school office.

Sponsored Reading Challenge

We have now received sponsorship money from a large number of pupils for the sponsored reading challenge ranging from £1.00 raised by one child to £152 by another; all money has been gratefully received and those who have participated will be presented with a certificate for their effort.

We now have raised a total of £2346.00 which I am sure will continue to grow. All money raised will be used to equip our new library. Well done to all concerned, we hope that you have enjoyed the challenge!

Year 2 Residential Visit

The Y2 visit to Hartington was a great success. The children were wonderfully behaved and enjoyed the experience of being away from home as well as visiting places of interest with their peers. We were even blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine during the visit! Congratulations to all concerned!

Sports Days

This year we have divided the year groups differently to maximise the sports opportunities for the children on their sports days. We will therefore run the following events for the children in the different year groups. By having fewer year groups together, you as parents should have a better view of the track and the children should be able to participate in a minimum of 3 races.

Dates of Sports Days (Depending on the weather):

Wednesday 23^rd May: Year 3/4 Sports from 1.45pm. Gates to the main field open at 1.30pm

Friday 25^th May: Year 1/ Year 2 Sports from 1.45pm. Gates to the main field open at 1.30pm

Friday 8^th June: Reception and Nursery Sports Morning from 9.45am Gates open at 9.30am

Monday 18^th June: Year 5/6 Sports from 1.45pm. Gates to the main field open at 1.30pm

Sports Offer for Parents

Through our sports partnership we have negotiated a free 7 day leisure pass to the following Brio Leisure Centres for parents, to go and try out the facilities: Northwich Memorial Court, Rudheath Leisure Centre or Winsford Lifestyle Centre. To take advantage of this offer all you will need to do is to follow this link: https://www.brioleisure.org/activate When you reach the page, you can enter the following code to activate your 7 day free trial: AP/SCH0318 This will give you access to a free gym induction, the swimming facilities, gym workouts, workout classes and use of the spa (sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi) - exact facilities vary from site to site.

Year 6

The Year 6 children have been working hard towards their end of KS2 assessments which they will sit next week. Please may I remind the parents of the children concerned and also remind the children that we will be running our SAT’s Breakfast Club from 8.15am Monday to Thursday next week in the theatre.

Mrs Raistrick

I am pleased to announce that Mrs Raistrick is currently expecting her first child. Unfortunately she has been absent due to a virus and will hopefully return by Monday. Mr Halfpenny has been covering her class with the support of other professionals in the school.

Residential Visits

As a school we have developed a programme of residential and day visits to enhance the curriculum and stimulate the learning experiences of the children. In doing so, we have always looked at ways of subsidising the visits for all concerned; for example the true cost of the London visit for Y5 pupils would be in excess of £240.00 if we charged the full amount.

However, we are also aware of the cost of the visits to parents and without sufficient contributions from you; the visits would not be possible.

From September 2018 we will continue to subsidise the visits in the same manner for all parents, however we will also be able to offer a 30% discount on the price specified for each visit for children who are in receipt of Pupil Premium. To qualify for this, parents need to apply for free school meals even if their child currently gets them through the Universal Infant Free School Meal Programme.

Your child might be able to get free school meals (and therefore Pupil Premium) if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 17.4.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 24th Apr 2018 @ 11:23am

20^th March 2018

Newsletter

Dear Parents

Welcome back following the Easter break. We hope that you managed to spend some quality time as a family and that your holiday was not spoilt by the weather.

Mr Allen

During the break Mr Allen became a father for the first time when his partner gave birth to their daughter. All family members are doing well. I am sure that you will join with me in wishing them all the very best for the future. Mr Allen will be absent on paternity leave for the remainder of this week and next week, in his absence Mrs Lawton will cover his class.

Miss Toomer

Unfortunately teachers are not exempt from being called to serve on a jury. Miss Toomer has been called for service and could be absent for this week and next, although this will depend on the court cases she is serving on. Mrs Hough will cover the class this week and will work closely with the rest of the Y3 staff to ensure continuity for the children.

Down Syndrome Day (Wednesday 21^st March)

I am pleased to be able to inform you that we raised a total of £288.32 for the Cheshire Downs Association by selling Ginger Bread Socks on the day. The fundraising efforts also helped to raise awareness of Downs in the school community.

Sports Relief

Many thanks for supporting our fundraising efforts for Sports Relief prior to the Easter break. As a result of our efforts a total of £199.69 was sent to the charity.

Cross Country success

I am very pleased to inform you that our Y5/6 Cross Country team won the recent Winsford competition. As a result they will complete again this Thursday against the fastest teams from the Northwich and Winsford Areas, I am sure that you will join with me in wishing them all the very best!

Nursery Places

We are currently running at capacity for children attending Nursery, but due to a number of children moving into full time education we will have places available in September. Should you require a place for you child or would like to make an appointment to view the Nursery, please contact Miss Garnett (Nursery manager) via the school office.

Sponsored Reading Challenge

We have already started to receive sponsorship money from some pupils for the sponsored reading challenge. As we do so we will keep a total of the money raised by each class and post this on the website.

Well done to all concerned, we hope that you have enjoyed the challenge! Hopefully we will have sufficient funds to redevelop our school library!

Year 2 Residential Visit

This Wednesday the Year 2 will embark on their residential visit to Hartington. During their stay they will visit the Blue John Mines and Chatsworth House as well as conducting a village study of Hartington which will involve them linking up with children from the village school. This will be quite a contrast as there are only 17 children in the whole school!!! I am sure that you will join with me in wishing the children well for the Visit.

As I will be accompanying the Year 2 pupils to Hartington, Mrs Lowe will deputise for me in my absence. However I will be returning briefly on Thursday to support our cross country team before returning to Hartington.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Latest Newsletter 20.3.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 20th Mar 2018 @ 2:51pm

Newsletter

Dear Parents

Down syndrome day (Wednesday 21^st March)

In recognition of Down Syndrome Awareness day we would like the children to come to school in odd socks, in their uniform, to help us raise awareness of the condition. During the afternoon the school council will also be selling gingerbread biscuits for 50p. These have been sourced from the Downs Syndrome Charity and will also help to raise awareness about Downs. All proceeds will be donated to the charity.

Sports Relief

This Friday will be Sports Relief. In recognition we would like to provide the children with the opportunity to come to school in their favourite sports kit. In return, we will collect donations of 50p -£1 which will be sent to the Sports Relief charity.

Year 3 Visit

Last week the Y3 children visited Anglesey for their residential visit. It was a pleasure to take them as they displayed excellent behaviour and were a credit to all concerned. During their stay their visited South Stack lighthouse and Elin’s Tower (RSPB) reserve. They also conducted a survey in Holyhead, and spent time in Treaddur Bay, beach combing and having a tour of the Lifeboat Station. Finally on the way home they visited the Sea Zoo. Well done to all concerned!

School Website

This term we are moving to School Spider (our school website) to facilitate the booking of parents evening appointments. Once this is underway, we will start to transfer other operations to the site including payments for visits (an additional help sheet will follow for this) etc. Please find attached a letter from School Spider explaining the system. The easiest way to receive information is to download a free app. You will then receive notifications in the same was as you would for a twitter account or Facebook, to inform you that you have a message.

The purpose of the change is partially financial as the new system is more cost effective for the school. In addition all of our services will be centralised for ease.

Parents Evening

You will soon be sent a username and password by email to enable you to log into the parent section of the school website, if we haven’t got an email address for you we will send it by text. Once you have accessed the website you will be able to enter the parents evening section to reserve your appointment. Should you experience difficulty in doing so, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office. Further details are available on the attached letter. Parents Evening will be open for booking from 6.00pm today using the School Spider app.

Should you have any issues you wish to raise, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 13.3.18, by Mrs Collins

Date: 13th Mar 2018 @ 3:41pm

Newsletter

Parent Governor

Following the closing date for nominations for the position of a Parent Governor we had received one nomination; as a result Mrs Nicola Dormer was duly appointed to the role for a four year term.

I am sure that you will join with me in wishing her well. She will replace Mrs Simpson as Parent Governor with immediate effect.

Y5 Residential Visit to London

Despite the ‘Beast from the East’ the Y5 children ventured on their residential visit to the capital. Although it was cold they had a wonderful time visiting places of interest and watching a West End show. Ironically the weather had a positive effect as there were fewer tourists to negotiate and therefore less traffic. It was lovely to hear positive comments by members of the general public and representatives at the places visited who were quick to identify the enthusiasm of the children:

‘The children were so engaged in the hands on activities, displaying enthusiasm and understanding’ Science Museum Representative

‘The children were so engaged and enthusiastic’ Houses of Parliament representative

‘What well behaved children, you could see that they enjoyed the performance of Matilda.’ Member of the public

Year 3 Residential Visit to Anglesey

This week the Y3 children will venture to Anglesey for their residential visit. As I will be accompanying them Mrs Lowe will be available should you have any concerns during my absence.

During their stay, the Y3’s will visit South Stack Lighthouse and the RSPB reserve; they will also conduct a study of Holyhead town centre and visit the local lifeboat station. In addition they will spend time on the beach looking for different sea creatures and will also visit the Sea Zoo. I am sure that you will join with me in wishing them well for their visit.

Sports

Tag Rugby

Our Y5/6 tag rugby team represented the school in the Northwich finals last week; although they did not win overall, they played really well and were a credit to the school. During the tournament they developed new skills and improved in every game. Well done to all concerned!

Cross Country

Due to a clash of competitions the Y5/6 Cross Country competition which was scheduled for 8^th March has now been rescheduled for Thursday 22^nd March.

PTA

Many thanks to the PTA for running the ‘Family Film Night on Friday; although not full those involved enjoyed the experience.

The PTA are now working on further events to hold during the remainder of the year. If you are able to help in any way please contact Claire Smallwood (Chair) via the school office. The next meeting of the PTA will be held at 3.30pm on Thursday 15^th March in the school meeting room. All parents are welcome.

Year 2 Hartington Meeting

This will take place at 3.15pm on Monday 19^th March in the school theatre. All information presented will also be posted on the school website.

World Book Celebration

Many thanks for supporting your children and the school in sourcing costumes to help us to celebrate World Book Day and reading in general. The children looked fantastic and the events planned enabled them to focus on their favourite characters and to develop a love of literature. During the week we also held a book fair in school, this raised an additional £365 which has been spent on additional reading materials for the school.

Sponsored Reading Challenge

By now we hope that your children have collected a number of sponsors and that they are participating in the ‘reading challenge.’ Hopefully each child will reach their goal of reading every day during the month of March. The sponsor money raised will be collected during the first week back following the Easter break. All monies raised will be used to develop our new library. Many thanks for your support with this initiative. If your child has not yet started this then additional sponsor forms are available from the school office. The sponsor period can then be extended over the Easter holidays.

We appreciate your support with this initiative all monies raised will be used to develop our new library.

Should you have any issues you wish to raise, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 9.2.2018, by Mrs Collins

Date: 9th Feb 2018 @ 2:44pm

Newsletter

Parent Governor
Sadly, Stacy Simpson, one of our parent governors will shortly be relocating with her family to Essex. Stacy has been a governor for 2 years and has supported the school in many ways including being an instrumental member of our Environment Committee and using her skills to support our school swimming lessons. She will be sadly missed as will her two children Gracie and James. On behalf of all concerned at the school I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her support and help whilst at Winsford High Street.

As a result of Stacy relocating, we are looking to appoint a new parent governor. This is a voluntary role, in which the successful applicant will have a real insight into the running of the school and will be instrumental in the development of policies and procedures. Should you be interested in this role application forms are obtainable from the school office and returnable by 5^th March. Should we have more than one application then a ballot will be held. If you wish to know more about the role then Stacy will be more than happy to provide you with an insight into what is required.

Book Week

To celebrate book week this year we will be holding a book celebration day on Monday 5^th March, this is slightly later than the official World Book Day to accommodate the Y5 children who will be on their residential visit the week before.

During the day we will look to promote a love of reading through a variety of different activities. We should be grateful if you could help your child to dress in the style of their favourite character from books by the following authors, to help us to develop the day to the full:

Nursery : Traditional Tales e.g. Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs

Reception: Traditional Tales e.g. Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs

Year 1: Peter Harris

Year 2: Julia Donaldson

Year 3: Dick King Smith

Year 4: Harry Potter

Year 5: Roald Dahl

Year 6: David Walliams

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this.

Sponsored Reading Challenge

To further promote a love of reading and to help us raise additional funds to develop our school library (which will be located in the old office area) we would like all children to participate in a Sponsored Reading Challenge during the month of March. All monies raised will be used to buy additional equipment and books for the library. A sponsor form outlining the challenge will be distributed next week to the children, to enable them to gain sponsors from family and family friends over the holiday period. Please note that the staff will be discussing the need to only approach known adults.

Sport success
 

Football
I am pleased to inform you that the boys football teams performed really well in the recent Crewe Alexandra tournaments. We were able to enter two teams of Y5 /6 players in the initial rounds; one team progressed to the finals the following week, again they excelled themselves but were unfortunately beaten in the semi-finals. Well done to all concerned!
 

Athletics
Our Y5/6 athletics team excelled themselves in the town indoor athletics competition held at Winsford Academy. As a result they progressed to the regional finals in Northwich where they finished fourth overall; there were only 10 points difference between 2nd and 4th. This was a great achievement which saw the children competing against some of the best in the area. During the finals all children performed really well and were a credit to all concerned.

Hockey
Our school hockey team played really well in the Winsford tournament. They finished in second place and showed skill and enthusiasm. Well done to all concerned!

Dodgeball

I am pleased to inform you that we were able to take three Y5/6 teams to the dodgeball tournament this week. All three played really well and finished 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th overall. Well done to all concerned!
 

Parent / Teacher Meetings
These will be held on Tuesday 27^th March and Wednesday 28^th March to give you the opportunity to discuss your child’s progress this year and other aspects of their education. Bookings will be made through our on line booking system and links will be distributed nearer the time.
 

Residential Visits

Following the successful residential visits for the children in Y1 and Y4 this year, the Y5 children will shortly embark on their visit to London from 28^th February – 2^nd March. As I will be leading this visit, Mrs Lowe will be in charge in my absence.

During their stay in London the children will visit the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, have a flight on the London Eye, and take in the sights and sounds of Wembley Stadium as well as visiting the Natural History and Science Museums. In addition they will see a production of Matilda the musical.

Plans are also well in advance for the Y3 visit to Anglesey which will take place from 14^th – 16^th March and for the Year 6 visit to Hawkshead in the Lake District which will take place from 11^th – 15^th June. Please can parents of the children participating on these visits ensure that they are up to date with the required payments.

February Half term Break

Please note that the school will close for the half term break at 3.15pm on Friday 16^th February and reopen for the children on Monday 26^th February.

Should you have any issues you wish to raise, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 9.1.2018, by Mrs Collins

Date: 9th Jan 2018 @ 1:37pm

Dear Parents / Carers

Welcome back following the Christmas break. I hope that you managed to have a good festive period and that you also avoided some of the ‘bugs’ which have been around!

Ofsted

As indicated prior to the holidays the school was graded as ‘good’ during the recent Ofsted Inspection. The staff and Governors and now working hard to continue to improve the service on offer and build on the positives identified. The main report can be located on the Ofsted website should you require a further copy or wish to direct friends and family to it.

School Football Kit

Unfortunately our school football kits are starting to look tired and in need of replacement. We have been fortunate in the past to gain sponsorship for them and are keen to do so in the future. If you or a company you work for would like to sponsor a kit then please contact the admin team with your details (01606 288188). On average a one off payment of approximately £400 will cover the cost of the kit and printing of the school logo and sponsors name.

In addition to the aforementioned, please can all parents who have had a child who has worn the school kit in the past, please check cupboards and draws at home as we are missing a number of items which have not been returned.

Year 2 Residential Visit

Due to accommodation issues we have needed to reschedule the Y2 Residential visit from 8th February to 19^th April 2018. A letter containing further details will be distributed by the end of the week.

Year 1 Residential Visit

The Year 1 visit will take place from Wednesday this week. As I will be leading the art activities for the children on Wednesday and Thursday, Mrs Lowe will be available should any issues need addressing.

Year 5 Residential Visit

Plans are now well under way for the forthcoming Y5 residential visit to London. However, as we still need to confirm some aspects of the visits to places of interests, we have rescheduled the parents meeting from Tuesday 16^th January to Thursday 25^th January. This will enable plans to be finalised: Apologies for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Closing Date for School Applications

Please note the closing date for applications for children to start at Primary School in September 2018 is 15^th January. If you have a child who is due to start at this time please do not automatically assume that they will gain a place at the school because they have an older brother or sister at High Street. All applications for children starting need to be made through the local authority. Further details can be obtained from Wyvern House or through the school office.

PTA AGM

The PTA will be holding their Annual General Meeting on Thursday 18^th January at 3.30pm in the school meeting room. We really need additional members who can help us to provide events for the children and drive fund raising activities. If you are able to spare a few minutes of your time your presence would be most appreciated. The school will provide child care for any parent who wishes to attend. The meeting should last no longer than 45 minutes.

Should you have any issues or concerns with regards to any aspect of school life, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher of myself should the need arise.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 21.12.2017, by Mrs Collins

Date: 21st Dec 2017 @ 1:48pm

21 December 2017

Dear Parents / Carers

As we approach the festive period, I would like to wish you all a relaxing break.

Ofsted

Please find attached a copy of our most recent Ofsted report in which we have maintained our ‘Good’ grading. This outlines the current position of the school as identified on 6^th - 7^th December by Her Majesty’s Inspectors. I am sure that you will be pleased to know that the judgements given match those of our self-evaluation. The areas identified for development come as no surprise and had already been incorporated into our School Improvement Plan.

As a school we have been on a journey which has seen the site expand and an increase in new staff as the school has grown. I am delighted in how the children have adapted to the new facilities and how well the team of staff have developed. We are at a good stage from which we can continue to develop to provide the best education possible for the children of the area.

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of the report with either myself of the governors, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

School Performances

It was lovely to see so many of you at the different Christmas performances. We are very proud of all of the children and what they have achieved and hope that you enjoyed the services etc.

As the school has grown we have tried to adapt / make changes to how we have run different events, but unfortunately don’t always get things right from the start! We continually review all activities once they have taken place to improve on future occasions. This year we have realised that St Andrews was too small to accommodate all of the pupils and the volume of parents who wished to attend from Year 2 / Year 3 and therefore we are looking at the best ways to develop this further next year. In addition we have established a register of participation, to ensure that we can monitor which children have had significant roles during the year and make sure that those who wish to take part in different events have the opportunity to do so.

Fundraising

Many thanks for your contributions to this year’s Children in Need Appeal. A total of £387.50 has been sent to the charity.

We are currently totalling monies raised in support of St Luke’s Hospice and the Blaize Morley appeal. I will inform you of the totals in the New Year. Many thanks for your support with our fundraising efforts.

Wishing you all a happy Christmas where hopefully you will be able to spend some quality time as a family.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Latest Newsletter 11.12.2017, by Mrs Collins

Date: 11th Dec 2017 @ 1:24pm

11^th December 2017

Dear Parents

Ofsted

As I am sure you are aware we were visited by Ofsted last week to review the educational provision at the school. At present we are in a period where judgements are being verified and we are therefore unable to indicate how the inspection went. The report should be available within 20 working days and will be distributed accordingly. May I take this opportunity to thank you for your support during the inspection which was a challenging experience as it should be, but one which will hopefully reflect the current position of the school.

Christmas Lunch

As previously indicated the Christmas lunch will be held on Friday (15^th December), if you haven’t indicated that your child wishes to have a Christmas lunch, please can you let the office staff know 10am tomorrow (Tuesday 12^th December) to give the school Cook time to source the required amount of produce.

Christmas Jumper Day

On Friday 15^th December, we would like to provide the children (and staff) with the opportunity to wear their favourite Christmas jumper to school (with the rest of their uniform). In return the School Council have suggested that we ask all participants to make a small donation which will be given to St Luke’s Hospice. Please send a few coins into school with your child should you wish to contribute to this very worthy cause.

Christmas Parties

This year we will be running Christmas parties for the children on the following dates:

20^th December: am Nursery and Reception

20^th December: pm Year 1 / Year 2

21^st December: am Year 5 / Year 6

21^st December pm Year 3 / Year 4

Please can the children in Nursery and Reception come dressed in party clothes and bring their uniform to change into.

Please can all other year groups come to school in their uniform and bring a change of clothing should they wish to do so.

As in previous years the PTA will provide party food for the children and if we are lucky we might even get a visit from the man in the red suit!

Additional Date Reminder:

13^th December: EYFS Christmas Performance 9.30am

EYFS Christmas Performance 2.00pm

Y3 / Y4 Grange Panto: pm

14^th December: Y1 Christmas Play 9.30am

Y2 / Y3 Christmas Carol Service at St Andrews 2.00pm

Y1 Christmas Play 6.00pm

15^th December: Christmas Lunch / Christmas Jumper Day

18^th December: Year 5 / Year 6 Christmas Carol Service at United Reformed Church: 6.00pm

19^th December: Snow White production in school for EYFS and KS1 children

22^nd December: School Closes for the Christmas holidays

8th January: School reopens following the Christmas break

Should you have any concerns or issues you wish to discuss, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

May I take this opportunity to wish all concerned a very happy and restful Christmas.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Spot the Dog, by Miss Williams

Date: 1st Dec 2017 @ 8:11pm

We have been reading the book 'Spot's Birthday Party' as part of our learning about celebrations on the run up to Christmas. The children have really enjoyed the Spot books we have shared and shown high engagement with related activities. 

Latest Newsletter 1.12.2017, by Mrs Collins

Date: 1st Dec 2017 @ 2:22pm

Dear Parents

Children in Need

Thank you for your support of this year’s children in need appeal: As a result of your donations for the children dressing in bright colours and spots, a total of £387.50 was raised for this worthwhile cause.

School Friendship Discos

The children seemed to enjoy the discos, spending time dancing with their friends in a safe relaxed environment. On behalf of the school I would like to thank the parents and teachers who gave their time freely to organise and run the event.

Following the discos, it appears that a number of parents raised issues with PTA members over the cost of the evening and the fact that hot dogs were not provided. These points of view have been duly considered at a PTA meeting held following the event.

In response to the aforementioned, the main change to the event and decision not to supply hot dogs was taken by the committee due to the lack of helpers available. We currently only have a small committee of volunteers who work for the benefit of the children of High Street, to raise funds to support school events and buy equipment which we would otherwise not be able to afford. Providing hot dogs was not viable on this occasion, with a small number of helpers being available who could support on the evening; this would have compromised the supervision of the children. The cost of the event was set to cover the hire of the disco, purchase of prizes for the children, the provision of drinks and sweets as well as raising some funds for the school.

The committee consist of both parents and staff who meet each half term to organise events. Some of these are to raise funds for school projects and some are organised to provide an opportunity for children and parents to gather in a social context. There are also a small group of parents who can’t attend meetings due to commitments, but who help during events.

Unfortunately the current committee members have children approaching the end of their schooling at High Street. We are therefore short of volunteers to support and run events in the future. If you can give some time to either attend meetings or support events we would love to see you. The meetings are held at the end of the school day and we can make provision for child care if required. Should you be able to provide support in any way, please leave your name and contact details with the staff in the school office.

Evening Activities (Meetings / After School Collection etc.)

A number of parents have raised concerns over the lack of lighting on the pathway which leads from the steps on the Grange Lane Car Park to the front of school: Whilst we look into improving the lighting in this area, this pathway will be locked after home time at 3.45pm. To gain access to the main office / building after this time we ask that all visitors do so by using the ramp to the upper car park and the pedestrian gate closet to the school offices. Please note that the gate close to Kiddicare will also be locked at 3.45pm.

Y4 Residential Visit to York

The Y4 children had a wonderful visit to York following the half term break. Unfortunately I was not able to accompany them as during the half term break I had to undergo surgery. However, I am delighted by the feedback from the children who obviously had a great time and from members of the public, who took time to speak to the staff present to compliment the children on their behaviour. Many thanks for all the staff who were able to give their time to support the visit.

Christmas Lunch

Tina Piggott our school cook has asked me to inform you of our forthcoming Christmas meal. This will be held on Friday 15^th December. Should you wish your child to participate in this please complete the reply slip below and return it together with the money for the meal by Friday 8^th December. This will enable Tina to purchase the right number of turkeys and vegetables. Please note if your child is in receipt of free school meals or Universal free school meals we should be grateful if you would still return the slip, but no money will be required.

Please note that because Tina is cooking a roast turkey meal on the Friday, she will change the menu on Wednesday 13^th December to Fish and Chips.

Boccia Competition

I am delighted to inform you that a number of children from High Street represented the school in a Boccia Competition this week and were the overall winners. They will now go on to the area finals at Manchester metropolitan University next week. Well done to all concerned!

History Success

Congratulations to the children who represented the school in the History Challenge at the Winsford Academy this week. They competed well against the other Winsford Schools in a History quiz answering questions based on specific period of time. All children performed very well, with Rosalyn and Tyler (Y5) being the overall winners in their age groups.

Should you have any concerns or issues you wish to discuss, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Shoe Box Appeal , by Mr Thorburn

Date: 11th Nov 2017 @ 6:16pm

Newsletter 9.11.17, by Mrs Collins

Date: 9th Nov 2017 @ 2:24pm

8^th November 2017

Dear Parents

Welcome back following the half term break. We hope that you all managed to spend some quality family time together during the week.

Children in Need

This year’s Children in Need fundraising day will be 17th November. Following consultation with other children in the school, the School Council have decided that they would like us to participate in this. They have considered the different options and would like all children to dress in colourful clothing or clothing with spots on during the day instead of school uniform and make a contribution of a minimum of a £1.00 for doing so. All proceeds will be forwarded to Children in Need.

School Friendship Discos

These will be run on Thursday 23rd November by members of the PTA and will celebrate friendship in school and the wider community. KS1 disco is 5.00pm – 6.15pm followed by KS2 6.30pm – 7.45pm, the cost of £3.50 to be paid on the night. Further details will be distributed by the committee. If you are able to help or support in anyway during the evening then please contact the PTA members via the school office. Children should be collected from their usual home time doors.

Y4 Residential Visit to York

The Y4 children will visit York from Wednesday 15th November to Friday 17th November. During their stay they will visit the Yorkshire Museum, the National Railway Museum, the Jorvik Centre and the Dig before visiting Techniquest on their way home. They will also explore York and the racecourse where they will stay in the Race Course Accommodation. I am sure that you will join with me in wishing them well for their visit.

Parental Returns

Many thanks for taking the time to complete the parent questionnaires provided during the Parents Evenings. These have been collated and your responses will be added to the school website in the next few days. Although the vast majority of responses were positive we have discovered that a number of parents are not familiar with our governors or their role in the school. This is a real shame as the governors work very hard for your children, although their role is unpaid. They visit school regularly, provide appropriate challenge, make decisions and offer support.

To aid you with finding out about our governors please find attached a summary document of what the governors do in the school. This can also be found on the school website. In addition governors have also posted images of themselves on the website and have added a pen portrait about themselves. On future newsletters I will add two images and pen portraits for your information. Should you want to know more about the governors and their role in running the school, they can be contacted via the school office.

Should you have any concerns or issues you wish to discuss, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Forest Schools , by Miss Williams

Date: 18th Oct 2017 @ 3:42pm

Nursery are really enjoying forest school! The forest environment offers lots of opportunities for learning and enables skills such as team work, perseverance, resilliance and problem solving. The children take part in planned activities within the forest area and initiate their own learning intentions also. 

Take a look at some of the things we have been up to so far. 

Newsletter 16.10.17, by Mrs Collins

Date: 16th Oct 2017 @ 2:25pm

16 October 2017

NEWSLETTER

Dear Parents

Harvest Services

It was lovely to see so many parents and relatives at our Harvest Services last week. Both Y2 and Y3 led super services for the rest of their Key stages. Mr and Mrs Smith from the United Reformed Church sent the following message:

‘Thank you so much for holding your Year 3 Harvest Service with us today; I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! The performance of your pupils (both on and off the ‘stage’), was well up to the usual high standard. A bonus for the Elders present was seeing the positive interaction between Garry, the children and the staff; we are confident that there are many more good things to come with him here at Over.

As a result of your encouragement, £62 was put on the collection plates. Sticking with your Harvest theme of the day, we have decided to share the money equally between the Church and Water Aid.’

May I take this opportunity to also thank you for your support in donating produce for the Harvest. This has been sent to the local branch of the Salvation Army for local families in need.

Netball

On Thursday last week the school netball team participated in the first round of their tournament. All players represented the school with skill and determination and as a result the team won all three of their games!

Parent / Teacher Meetings

As previously noted these will take place on Tuesday this week from 5-7pm and on Wednesday from 4.00pm until 6.00pm. Should you be experiencing difficulties in booking an appointment please speak to your child’s class teacher who will help you to sort this out.

Please note that entrance to the school during Parents Evenings will only be from the Grange Lane entrance. Please can you access the building in the following way:

Year 5/6 via Y6 entrance

Y4 via Y4 entrance off green carpet area

Y3 via Y3 door off green carpet

Y1/Y2 / Reception and Nursery via main Year 1 door in new build Please note members of the school council and additional staff will be available to guide you to the different classes.

School Meals

Please note Tina and her staff in the kitchen will be providing week 1 of the 3 week menu. This has been posted on the school website and is displayed in the new entrance.

Attendance Cup

Each week we present a cup to the class in EYFS / KS1 and a second cup to the class in KS2 with the best overall attendance for the previous week. Last week 3 KR (Mrs Robbins’ class) and 15OW (Miss Warrell’s Class) were presented with the respective cups. This week the winners were 17JA (Mrs Andrews Class) in KS2 and 3KR (Mrs Robbins’ Class) for a second week in KS1 / EYFS. The children in each class are also awarded an extra 5 team points in recognition of their achievement these convert to an additional raffle ticket each which give the children the chance of winning one of our end of term prizes.

Half Term

Please note that the school closes on Wednesday 25^th October 2017 at 3.15pm for the children and reopens on Monday 6^th November 2017.

Should you have any issues or concerns which cannot be addressed by your child’s class teacher, please do not hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 3.10.17, by Mrs Collins

Date: 3rd Oct 2017 @ 2:10pm

03 October 2017

Dear Parents / Carers

Macmillan Coffee Morning

This was a great success with many parents and friends of the school dropping in for a coffee and piece of cake. As a result a total of £272.66 was raised for the charity which will be added to the £451.47 raised by the children and staff wearing green for the day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your kind donations. I should also like to thank the parents who donated cakes for the sale and to the members of the PTA who gave up their Friday to sell cakes and coffee during the day.

Grandparent’s Day

It was lovely to see such a high number of grandparents on our ‘Grandparents Day’ on Friday. The Y6 children were fantastic at showing them around and the older generation seemed to enjoy the experience of mixing with their grandchildren in school. Indeed we have received at least two offers of help on a regular basis.

Helpers

As a school we are always on the lookout for adults to assist in school with reading / changing books and other activities. If you would like to be involved in school life and have a few hours to spend each week, then please leave your details at the school office. Please note all volunteers will need to be DBS checked for convictions, to ensure that we can allow them to work in school.

Parliamentary Review

I am very proud to inform you that Winsford High Street features in this year’s Parliamentary Review. This is a document which is produced on an annual basis and features articles from prominent MPs as well as articles from good and outstanding schools. Hard copies of the review are available from the school office, but should you want to have a look at an electronic version of the document you will be able to find a hyperlink on the school website. This is a real accolade and one which we should all be proud of!

Football Match

The Y5/6 boy’s football teams participated in their first games of the new season. They played really well last Thursday against teams from other local schools. Both of our teams currently top their respective leagues, well done to all concerned. This week the girls’ football team will play their first game on Thursday at Winsford Academy. We wish them every success.

School Meals

Tina Piggott and her team continue to provide the children with a variety of hot meals. Weekly menus can be found on the school website and a hard copy of the menu for the week is displayed in the school entrance. Each Thursday, Tina produces a chicken korma, which is very popular. However for those children who don’t like curry she provides an alternative meal of jacket potato with a choice of fillings. Fridays will continue to be the’ Friday Special Day’; Tina will provide a choice of Pizza and savoury wedges or fish and chips. Should you wish your child to have hot dinners now that the temperature is falling, they can be purchased at a cost of £2.25 per day for Key Stage 2 children. Children in EYFS 2, Y1 and Y2 are able to have free school dinners under the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme.

Parking

Unfortunately we have had a couple of instances where parents have parked their cars on the High Street, but in doing so have blocked the entrance to the school, this is dangerous as it means that emergency vehicles would not be able to access the site if required. Please note that the police are on alert and are monitoring illegal parking. Should you wish to use the pedestrian entrances off the High Street then there is parking on the town centre, with only a short walk being required to school through the subway.

Dogs

Please note that dogs are not permitted on the school site unless guide dogs or therapy dogs used in school. Please ensure that all dogs are left at the entrance to the school site.

MUGA

Following the completion of the building programme we are now in the position to promote evening and weekend community use of the MUGA and school field. Should you be interested in hiring the facilities for a one-off event or regular bookings, then please contact Mrs Motherwell in the school office.

Should you have any concerns or issues you wish to discuss, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Kind regards

Mark Joule

Head teacher

Newsletter 15.9.17, by Mrs Collins

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 21^st 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:

Dates for the diary:-

Friday 29^th September 2017 – Macmillan coffee morning – children wear green day

Thursday 12^th October 2017 – 9.30am KS1 Harvest at school lead by Year 2

Friday 13^th October 2017 – 9.30am KS2 Harvest at United Reformed Church lead by Year 3

Tuesday 17^th October 2017 – Parents Evening 5pm – 7pm

Wednesday 18^th October 2017 – Flu vaccination for Year (letters to follow)

Wednesday 18^th October 2017 – Parents Evening 4pm – 6pm

Thursday 19^th October 2017 – Tempest individual and sibling photographs

Wednesday 25^th October 2017 – School closes for Half Term

Thursday 26^th October 2017 – Inset Day – School closed

Friday 27^th October 2017 – Inset Day – School closed

Monday 6^th November 2017 – School opens

Friday 10^th November 2017 – Year 5 at Tatton Park

Wednesday 15^th November – Friday 17^th November 2017 – Year 4 York Residential

Tuesday 28^th November 2017 – Year 5 and 6 visit to New Vic Theatre, Treasure Island

Monday 4^th December 2017 - WEP Year 4 Concert at Winsford Lifestyle Centre

Tuesday 5^th December 2017 – WEP Year 4 Concert at Winsford Lifestyle Centre

Monday 11^th December 2017 – Year 1 Hope Journey at St Andrews 1pm-3pm

Monday 11^th December 2017 – Nursery Nativity

Wednesday 13^th December 2017 – EYFS Nativity (morning) and EYFS Nativity 2pm

Wednesday 13^th December 2017 – Year 3 and Year 4 visit to Grange Theatre, Northwich

Thursday 14^th December 2017 – Year 1 Nativity (morning)

Thursday 14^th December 2017 – Year 2 and Year 3 St Andrews Carol Concert

Thursday 14^th December 2017 – 6pm Year 1 performance

Friday 15^th December 2017 – Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper day

Monday 18^th December 2017 – Year 5 & 6 Carol Concert 6pm United Reformed Church

Wednesday 20^th December 2017 – Nursery and Foundation Stage Christmas party

Wednesday 20^th December 2017 – PM Year 1 & Year 2 Christmas party

Thursday 21^st December 2017 – AM Year 5 & Year 6 Christmas party

Thursday 21^st December 2017 – PM Year 3 & Year 4 Christmas party

Friday 22^nd December 2017 – School closes for Christmas holiday

Monday 8^th 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

Welcome back!, by Mr Joule

Date: 3rd Sep 2017 @ 6:20pm

We look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Tuesday 5th September.

Please note that access to the school will be predominantly from the Grange Lane car park. 

The pedestrian gates closest to the chip shop and the Verdin Exchange on the High Street will be open at the beginning and end of the school day for access from High Street as will the pedestrian gates from the Grange car park.

The new office block is located in the centre of school for ease of access. 

During he summer we have had magnetic locks fitted to the majority of the doors to improve security. Only staff will be able to gain access to areas of the site with their card passes. This will prevent children moving from one area to another without permission and stop visitors accessing the site without supervision. However in an emergency, the locks will be automatically released to allow the children to evacuate should the need arise. A fire drill be bill held during the first couple of days to guide the children in what to do in such an emergency.

I am sure that there will be a few teething problems with the new access arrangements, if you feel that something is not working as well as it could, please let us know.

we look forward to working with you and your children during the year.

regards

Mark Joule

Headteacher