Summer Term 2024
Dear parents and carers,
We hope you all enjoyed the Easter break and it has been lovely to welcome the children back into school - all refreshed and ready for the Summer Term! We would like to introduce our new Assistant Head Teacher - Mrs E. Watson who will be playing a key role in safeguarding within our school and also leading developments in English.
This is the last Term for our Year 6 pupils and I know there will be mixed feelings from children and parents about them leaving the security of Primary School and starting their new adventures in Secondary. Sometimes the children who can't wait to leave, turn out to be the saddest to go on those final days! Please can we reassure parents that we prepare the children well for this important transition and whichever Secondary School they go to, we will have developed close links and will make sure this all goes as smoothly as possible. Dates will come to you soon about induction events so keep an eye out - these will come directly from the Secondary School rather than through us.
We hope the weekend is a happy one and fingers crossed we get some summer sunshine!
Mrs Arnold
A Message from Our Chair of Governors
As we welcome the warmth of the summer sun and the blossoming of new beginnings, it is with great pleasure that I reach out to share some updates and aspirations as we embark upon the summer term together.
Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to our dedicated staff, parents, and the wider community for their unwavering support throughout the past academic year. Together, we have navigated challenges, celebrated achievements, and continued to uphold the values that make our school a vibrant and nurturing environment for all.
As Chair of Governors, it is my privilege to witness the dedication and commitment of our school's leadership, teachers, and support staff in providing the highest standard of education and care to our pupils. Your collective efforts have ensured that our school remains a place where every child is encouraged to flourish academically, emotionally, and socially.
Looking ahead to the summer term, I am excited about the opportunities it brings for our students to engage in enriching learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Whether it's through sports, arts, sciences, or community projects, we aim to inspire curiosity, creativity, and a passion for lifelong learning in every child.
Furthermore, I encourage parents and members of the community to continue to actively participate in our school's journey. Your involvement, whether through volunteering, attending events, or providing feedback, plays a crucial role in shaping the educational landscape and fostering a sense of belonging within our school community.
As we embrace the summer term, let us remain committed to our shared vision of empowering our students to become confident, compassionate, and responsible citizens of tomorrow. Together, we can nurture an environment where each child's potential is realised, and where diversity is celebrated as a strength.
In closing, I extend my best wishes to you and your families for an enjoyable summer term ahead, may it be a time of growth and discovery for all.
Warm regards,
Mr M. Perkins
Spotlight on Cyber bullying
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place online. Unlike bullying offline, online bullying can follow the child wherever they go, via social networks, gaming and mobile phone.
Cyberbullying can include:
sending threatening or abusive text messages
creating and sharing embarrassing images or videos
trolling – the sending of menacing or upsetting messages on social networks, chat rooms or online games
excluding children from online games, activities or friendship groups
shaming someone online
setting up hate sites or groups about a particular child
encouraging young people to self-harm
voting for or against someone in an abusive poll
creating fake accounts, hijacking or stealing online identities to embarrass a young person or cause trouble using their name
sending explicit messages, also known as sexting
pressuring children into sending sexual images or engaging in sexual conversations.
What should we look out for?
No single sign will indicate for certain that a child is being bullied, but watch out for:
belongings getting 'lost' or damaged
physical injuries, such as unexplained bruises
being afraid to go to school, being mysteriously 'ill' each morning, or skipping school
not doing as well at school
asking for, or stealing, money (to give to whoever's bullying them)
being nervous, losing confidence, or becoming distressed and withdrawn
problems with eating or sleeping
bullying others
What can be the effects of bullying?
The effects of bullying can last into adulthood. At its worst, bullying has driven children and young people to self-harm and even suicide.
Children who are bullied:
may develop mental health problems like depression and anxiety
have fewer friendships
aren't accepted by their peers
are wary and suspicious of others
have problems adjusting to school, and don’t do as well.
All children who are affected by bullying can suffer harm – whether they are bullied, they bully others or they witness bullying.
If you are worried at all, please contact any of our safeguarding team in school.
WhatsApp Scam
We have been made aware of a WhatsApp scam whereby children are being added to a group of people they don't know. The content is harmful and threatening in nature. Encourage your child to tell an adult if they come across anything that makes them upset or uncomfortable, leave the group immediately and block the group.
Safety after school
We are seeing an increasing amount of children playing in places that they shouldn't be after school!. Please do not allow your child to run up and down the banks/sloped areas by the KS2 playground, play in the gazebo area as this is becoming damaged or play on the fire engine equipment at the front of the school as this is an area for our Early Years children and again, items are getting damaged.
This is to keep all children safe - thank you.
Police Visit to Reception
This week, visitors from the Police came to meet our Reception pupils to talk about their jobs and how they can help people. children got chance to have a look in the Police car and hear the sirens!
History Workshop for Year 1 - Victorians
This week, Year 1 children enjoyed a variety of activities from a visiting workshop - finding out what life was like for the Victorians. Children experienced what school life was like for Victorian children. Children were greeted by Miss Mean and took part in reading, writing and arithmetic lessons.
Children were able to explore toys that were used during the Victorian era and a game of marbles was a firm favourite for all of the children. They also thoroughly enjoyed creating their own Victorian peg doll characters, who were given some very interesting names!
Finally, the children tried their hand at becoming archaeologists, where they carefully uncovered artefacts from the past and discussed what they had found with their friends.
Mrs Enyedi - Y1 Year Leader
Lunchtimes
This week we have been trialling a slightly different way of arranging our lunchtimes for EY/KS1 in order to give younger children more time to eat their lunch and make sure they have enough time to play outside. We have trialled Reception having lunch every day from 11:45am - 12:45pm, leaving Year 1/Year 2 at 12:15pm - 1:15pm. We have seen lunchtimes become much calmer and with a staggered session, we are able to concentrate on reminding children to remember their manners, use cutlery correctly and tidy up their tables. We hope they remember to do this at home for you as well!
We have had a big drive on the correct use of cutlery and would be grateful if parents could encourage these important fine motor skills at home as well - children are very reluctant to use a knife, for example, to cut larger pieces of food.
Please could we ask parents to go through menus with children so that the children know what options to expect each. This helps reduce any anxiety for the children.
School Uniform - reminder
Summer Uniform
After Easter, our Summer uniform may be worn in school:
- Sky blue polo shirt with grey skirt, trousers or shorts
- Plain grey skirt, pinafore or tailored shorts
- Knee length pale blue and white striped or gingham summer dress
(Please note - playsuits are not permitted)
- Sandals may be worn in dry weather with socks. Sandals must be black or navy and flat
Uniform reminders about Jewellery and hairstyles
Expectations for jewellery and hairstyles (taking into account the requirement described in our policy to avoid discrimination in line with the Equality Act 2010)
- Only one pair of plain, small studs to be worn and removed for PE and swimming
- No large hair accessories/ornaments such as JoJo bows
- Long hair (shoulder length or longer) must be tied back
- Tramlines or shaved eyebrows are not permitted
- Hair styles which are extreme/detract from learning or impact health and safety are not allowed
A note about about hair clips - Please do not send children into school with 'claw clips' - this is for health and safety reasons and children will be asked to remove them.
A note about coats - Coats should be plain and inexpensive. They should be suitable for the weather conditions prevailing and may vary from season to season. Coats bearing inappropriate lettering or slogans are not acceptable, neither are denim or leather (leather style) jackets.
Please see our policy for further details. This can be found on our website in the policies link:-
Dates for this half term
Tuesday 16 April - History Workshop for Y2
9:00 - Wellbeing Coffee Morning for parents
Tuesday 30 April - Year 3 trip to Dudley Zoo
Monday 6 May- Bank Holiday – school closed
Tuesday 7 May - Y4 Residential to Whitemoor Lakes (2 days)
Reception visits from Fire Service
Monday 13 May - Year 6 SATs week
Photographer in for Y6 Photo – full winter uniform for all children
Tuesday 14 May - 2:45pm – Y1 Phonics screening meeting for Y1 parents
Monday 20 May - Y2 End of KS1 Assessment week
Tuesday 21 May - 1:45pm – Y4 Production
Wednesday 22 May - 6:30pm – Y4 Production
Friday 24 May - Rags2Riches collection
Break up for Whitsun
Whitsun Half Term: Monday 27th May – Friday 31st May 2024
School starts back after Whitsun on Monday 3 June 2024
Community Events and Family Support
Early Years Family Hubs Newsletter
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