Autumn Term 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
September seems like a distant memory as we wonder where this term had gone! It has been a long and busy Autumn term, packed with events and activities. The highlights have been the Reception Nativity, Year 1 Harvest presentation, our Christmas Fayre, our many workshops for pupils and trips out for Reception, Year 1 and Year 5, the success of our sporting events and of course our Year 5 Carol Service today. It has been lovely to welcome families into school to see the fantastic performances at events such as these. It is also lovely to see the growing confidence in our children and the smiles on their faces. These events enrich the curriculum and allow education to take place both inside and outside the classroom.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support over the term - for your kind words and recognition of the hard work of our staff, as well as for the support you give to your children every day.
On behalf of all of us at Pheasey, we wish you and your families a peaceful, festive season.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Mrs Arnold
Christmas Carol Service at Beacon Church
Well done to our Year 5 pupils and the School Choir for a wonderful Christmas Carol Service this
morning at Beacon Church. Despite the sniffs, coughs, colds and absences the children spoke and sang beautifully.
This service is a firm favourite of all of the staff - the beautiful 'O Holy Night' and the children’s rendition of ’When a Child is Born’ never fail to bring a tear to the eye.
Thank you to all children and Staff involved in making this such a positive message about the story of Christmas.
Nursery Christmas Workshop for Families
Thank you to all our parents/carers who shared our Nursery Christmas workshop with us. The children thoroughly enjoyed it. We sang Christmas songs and completed different activities including decorate a biscuit, make a reindeer, cover a bauble in glitter and decorate a Christmas stocking. It was lovely to see so many parents/carers join us for this event.
Health and Safety
Scooters
The riding of scooters is not permitted on site. Please ensure children are not riding round on the site or around cars parked outside the main entrance. Staff will address this to keep children safe and prevent damage to cars.
Parking
Please could we remind parents that there is no parking on site. The car park is for staff and official school visitors, not to drop off children. This includes those children who are going to Minimax or using the Early Years Centre.
Reception - A Wriggly Nativity
Last week, our Reception children performed their version of ’A Wriggly Nativity’ to their families and friends.
They spoke confidently and clearly and remembered all their actions and dances. Their singing was beautiful.
The children looked wonderful in their costumes and we know that this will have made some special memories for both children and adults.
Every year children have an opportunity to perform or present to parents and you will see their confidence grow year on year.
Well done children!
Online safety over Christmas
We are seeing an increasing number of issues in school which stem from activities online whilst at home. This is often as a result of children falling out with each other whilst gaming or on social media platforms such as Snapchat or WhatsApp. Parents may not realise the age limits on these platforms - Snapchat is 13 yrs or over and WhatsApp is actually 16 years. Whilst we will always investigate matters to ensure children are safeguarded online, it is parents' responsibility to monitor devices and phones at home to ensure children are using them responsibly and respectfully.
Attached is a SWAY link which contains some important messages to ensure children are safe online over the Christmas period.
Hair and Uniform
Please can we remind parents about our Uniform Policy which includes expectations for hair. We do take pride in our uniform, especially when representing our school on trips and at events.
You can see the full policy on our website, but some of the key points we need to make clear are regarding tramlines in hair, the wearing of expensive coats and the wearing of trainers:
Expectations for school uniform Winter – October (after half term) to April (Easter)
- Navy cardigan or jumper with logo
- Sky blue shirt or blouse with tie
- Plain grey skirt, pinafore or tailored trousers
- Navy, sky blue and gold striped tie (elasticated up to Year 3)
- Plain and flat black formal school shoes
- Plain black, white, navy or grey tights or socks.
Expectations for jewellery and hairstyles (taking into account the requirement described above 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
Expectations for shoes, bags and coats
- Shoes must be sturdy and black. Trainers are not allowed.
- Coats should be plain and inexpensive.
Thank you for your support on this matter.
Christmas Mobile Prize Winners
We had some wonderful entries for our Christmas mobile competition this year! The children were very creative with their designs and they have decorated our school over the festive period. Prizes were presented in this weeks Achievement Assembly.
Competition winner - Isaac B (1JC)
Second place - Arun/Aryana - (5LE and 3AR)
Third place - Sophie - (3AR)
Achievement Stars!
Our prize draw took place this week for those children who have completed their House Point books. The lucky winners have received a gift voucher and a post card home to let parents and carers know how proud were are of them!
Year 1 - Lottie (1JC)
Year 2 - Ishaan (2HF)
Year 3 - Victoria (3AR)
Year 4 - Jack (4AF)
Year 5 - Sydney (5KP)
Year 6 - Emily-Rose (6AY)
Anti-Bullying Poster Competition
A competition was launched as part of Anti-Bullying Week in November 2024. Children who wanted to take part created posters and were encouraged to focus on different types of bullying, advice they could give if someone was being bullied and positive messages to prevent bullying.
Our Year 6 Well-Being Champions judged the competition – they found this difficult due to the high quality of entries - but they finally chose the following winners:
KS1 winner = Meshwi P
Year 3 winner = Sukhmani D
Year 4 winner = Avneet S
Year 4 runner-up = Syeda J
Year 5 winner = Sydney F
Year 6 winner = Poppy M
Mrs Wilcox
Eco Code Winner
This term, the Eco Warriors launched the Eco Code competition. The Eco Code is a mission statement
that identifies our school’s environmental values. Well done to everyone who took part in the Eco Code competition – all the entries were fantastic and it was very difficult to choose a winner!
The Eco Warriors decided the winner was Maham in 6AY. Congratulations to Maham – her Eco code is shown here. This will be displayed in all rooms around school from the Spring term.
Miss Colman and Mrs Colman
Reduce the spread of tummy bugs and winter illnesses
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is reminding parents of the simple steps they can take to reduce the spread of stomach bugs and winter illnesses to ensure they stay healthy this term and keep strong this winter. Across the country we are now beginning to see cases of flu and norovirus increasing as we head into the winter months, with norovirus activity in the past two weeks more than double the 5-season average for the same 2-week period and flu steadily increasing over the past few weeks.
Teaching good hygiene habits
Parents are urged to encourage good hygiene habits in their families, such as handwashing and using a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes. Regularly washing your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds or using hand sanitiser when convenient, is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs.
Knowing when to keep your child at home and when to send them to school
Children are encouraged to stay in school or nursery with symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or slight cough (if otherwise well and do not have a high temperature), but should stay home if they’re displaying symptoms such as having a fever (they should stay home until the fever has passed and they are well enough to attend) or diarrhoea and vomiting (children should stay home for at least 48 hours after these symptoms clear up if the cause is a tummy bug).
Charity Update
We have been very busy this term raising money for charity and also for our school.
· The Macmillan Coffee Morning was held on 27th September 2024. Lots of staff and families donated or purchased cakes. We raised £194.63 which has all gone to Macmillan to provide further support to families affected by cancer.
· School discos took place on 3rd October 2024 for KS2 children. Lots of children attended and had a fantastic time with their friends. School raised around £1325 in total which helps purchase extra resources for children. We will have another disco later on this academic year!
· Hello Yellow was celebrated on 10th October, to recognise and promote World Mental Health Day. Children and staff donated £1 to wear yellow items of clothing as a symbol of something bright to support this. School raised £375.73 – this was donated directly to Young Minds, a charity that supports children and young people struggling with mental health as well as their families.
· Harvest was celebrated in school during October 2024. We focused on being grateful for the food we receive and recognised there are those less fortunate. Lots of children, staff and families donated food items, which made an impressive display. All food was donated to The Thomas Project, a food bank in Aldridge. As a school, we donated 210.65kg of food, which will help lots of people in the community.
· Children in Need took place on 15th November 2024. We fundraised by having Non-Uniform Day, where children donated £1 to wear their own clothes. In special assemblies that week, we learned about why fundraising is so important, and how Children in Need support different projects. As a school, we raised £487.90.
· The Christmas Fayre took place this month and was extremely well attended – we raised over £1600 which will go directly to purchasing resources for children and towards the cost of the many visitors and workshops we have in school to enhance the curriculum.
Thank you to all pupils, staff and parents/carers for their contributions and support.
Dates for your diary for Spring Term
Christmas Break: Monday 23 December 2024 - Friday 3 January 2025
Monday 6 January School reopens
'Frog Life' Workshops this week
Wednesday 8 January History Workshop for Year 5 - Anglo Saxons
Wednesday 15 January Reception Application deadline for September 2025
Year 5 'Understanding your Emotions' workshops
5:45pm - Year 6 Parents Workshop - SATs and
Y6 residential
Friday 31 January Eye tests for Year 1
Monday 3 February Children's Mental Health Awareness Week
Year 3 ToGo NoGo Pedestrian Walks this week
Fire Service in for Year 4 Workshop
Wednesday 5 February Year 6 residential to Laches Wood
Monday 10 February 4:00pm - 6:20pm - Parent Consultation Evening
Tuesday 11 February Safer Internet Day
Wednesday 12 February 3:40pm - 5:40pm - Parent Consultation Evening
Thursday 13 February Dance Festival
Friday 14 February Break up for half term
February Half Term: Monday 17 February 2025 - Friday 21 February 2025
NB - Monday 24th February is an Inset Day - school is closed to pupils
Tuesday 25 February School reopens for pupils
Wednesday 26 February 9:00am - SEND Coffee Morning
Monday 3 March 1:30pm - Online pupil/parent workshops for Y6
Thursday 6 March World Book Day
Monday 10 March Year 1 Scootability this week
Wednesday 12 March Class Photographs
Monday 17 March 5:00pm - Year 4 Residential meeting for parents
Friday 21 March Comic Relief/Red Nose Day
Wednesday 2 April 2:00pm - Year 6 Relationships workshop
Thursday 3 April School Easter Disco (4:30pm Y3/4, 6:00pm - Y5/6)
Friday 4 April 9:30am/2:30pm - Nursery Productions
Tuesday 8 April 9:15am/1:45pm - Nursery/Rec Easter Bonnet Parade
Friday 11 April 9:30 - Year 3 Easter Service at Beacon Church
Break up for Easter
Easter Break: Monday 14 April 2025 - Friday 25 April 2025
Please note that the following days are INSET days and school is closed for children:
Monday 24 February 2025
Monday 2 June 2025
Monday 21 July 2025
Term dates for 2025-26
Community Events and Family Support
This booklet aims to offer families information and advice about the first two years of their baby’s life. Research has shown that the first 1,001 days of a child’s life are crucial for their development and wellbeing and can have a significant impact on their future. ‘Best Start for Life’, has been collaboratively developed by a range of services such as; Health Visiting Team, Early Years Team, Speech and Language, Maternity, Early Help and Family Hubs.
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