Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
As you may be aware, the teaching union NEU has called for further strike action in light of the ongoing dispute with the government over pay and terms and conditions.
The next 2 days of industrial action are set for Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May.
As you will be aware, we have done our upmost to keep continuity for the children with staff who are not involved in the strike action. However, Thursday is one of the days that we have fewer qualified staff in school as some staff work part time and are not in school and we are not able to recruit for cover using supply agencies. This action also comes at a time when Year 6 pupils are preparing to sit their end of year formal tests in mid-May.
I have been informed today that I will not have a full complement of teaching staff in school on these days.
Therefore, on Thursday 27th April we will only be open for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. Year 3 and 4 will receive learning packs to be completed at home. These will be sent home on Wednesday.
On Tuesday 2nd May, school will be open for Years 3, 4 and 6. Year 5 will not be in school and we will send learning packs to be completed at home. These will be sent home of the Friday prior to this date (due to Monday being a bank holiday).
If there is further strike action called, we will need to consider the arrangements for pupils at this time.
Happy Eid to all of our lovely families who are celebrating this special festival.
Easter week
1. Pupils will be joining in a version of our Easter bingo in the classrooms as part of our Maths work with chocolate prizes.
2. We will be writing some poems about spring, taking inspiration from the classics such as, ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ by William Wordsworth.
3. As a treat, we will be hosting an Easter movie afternoon – Y5/6 on Thursday; Y3/4 on Friday. Pupils may bring a cushion to sit on, with popcorn and drinks being served (free).
4. There will be egg/spring craft activities for pupils to join in on Friday – all resources will be provided by school to prevent the need for anything to brought in from home.
5. We will be running our traditional egg decoration contest. However, due to the shortage of eggs at present, this will be done with a 2D print of an egg to decorate or design into a character . Pupils need to bring any additional resources to decorate their egg or to make scenery, props or a background on Friday 31st March. There will be prizes awarded for the most eye-catching, fun or unusual. All work for this must be done in school but pupils will need to bring any special resources/ accessories for their design e.g. material, boxes, sequins.
6. We will also be judging the competitions to create the best wildlife garden.. Thanks to Miss Killen for arranging this.
7. During this week we will be hosting our Easter raffle with chocolatey and cute prizes for pupils to win. Tickets cost 20p each and will be on sale with Mrs Clarke every break from Wednesday. Raffle prize draw will take place on Friday.
URGENT NOTICE TO READ FULLY.
As you may be aware, there are lots of 'bugs' in the community at the moment, including COVID and stomach issues.
At school, we have had a rising number of pupils who are experiencing sickness and/or diarrhoea, with other symptoms such as stomach cramps, headache, muscle aches, fever/chills. Today I have sought professional advice from Public Health as it seems likely that this 'bug' is Norovirus or something similar. Therefore, it is vital that we ensure we are all doing as much as we can to prevent cross contamination due to the contagious nature of this virus.
Pupils need to have good hygiene routines at home and at school. We will be insisting on all pupils using soap and warm water to wash hands more often and to ensure hands are thoroughly dried. Any pupils feeling unwell, sicky, stomach aches or nauseous should remain at home. Headaches also need to be monitored. Any child who is unwell with vomit or diarrhoea/toilet issues should not come to school. Public Health have advised that we must adhere strictly to the 48-hour rule of absence. This means pupils do not return until 48 hours after the last episode of being unwell. This helps to break the chain of infection.
We have increased the cleaning regime at school, especially at contact points such as door handles and also in toilet areas. To further control the spread of this virus, we are minimising visitors to school this week.
As we approach the Easter break, no-one wants to be ill for the holiday so I would ask all families to support these measures. We hope that we will be back to normal for next week - including being able to complete parent evenings. I will, of course, keep you posted of any further actions required.
As you may be aware, the government have decided that the End of Key Stage 2 tests for Year 6 pupils will continue to take place. This means that all Year 6 pupils in England and Wales who are able to access the tests will sit formal exams each day during the week of 8th May 2023. Due to the coronation, the exams will be set Tue 9th – Fri 12th May inclusive.
This gives us 8 weeks, plus the two weeks of the Easter holidays.
I will be hosting 2 meetings (oneface:face and one virtual) to give you information as to what is required, the work that is currently being done and how you can support your child through this important period. The face:face meeting will take place in the hall, with access from the lower hall doors accessed from the playground and close to the drive.
Please complete the slip on the letter to indicate your choice of meeting so that arrangements can be finalised and confirmed by Friday (3rd March).
Once again we will be using our internal Christmas postal service in order for pupils to send cards to their friends at school. Pupils will be able to post cards in school from Monday 5th December. The post box will be cleared daily and cards distributed during the afternoon.
To keep things safe:
Your co-operation is vital to keep everyone safe – please stick to the procedure as outlined.
Friday 18th November is ‘Children In Need’ Day.
This year, we are asking pupils if they would wish to join in by wearing either:
Clean pyjamas, complete with underwear Or odd socks/ fluffy socks
Each for a donation of 50p.
(Please make sure that Y5 pupils come in uniform to swimming and then they can change into their pyjamas or socks when we come back to school).
All pupils need to wear their shoes to come to school and will need to change for outdoor times. Please also ensure they bring a coat for playtimes and lunchtime.
Pudsey colourings and wordsearches will be available for free and the Harrington kitchen will be selling biscuits for 30p at breaktime.
If pupils do not wish to join in they should attend in their normal school uniform. Non-uniform is NOT permitted.