Dear Parents and Carers,

Homework

Although we have done lots of incredible home learning, during the pandemic, managing traditional homework has been more difficult. In September we will share clearly our policy and expectations for homework, so that children continue to build independence and practice away from the classroom.

• For the remainder of this term, we will be focussing on:
• Children reading at home as much as possible.
• Children practising their spellings.
• Where possible, children using digital resources to support their learning. Children have logins for some great resources like Times Tables Rockstars, Numbots, Doodle Maths and Doodle English.

Sports Day

As a result of COVID-19, our sports day will look a little different this year. We are going to have our CTK sports day on Monday 19th July. This will take place at school. Our sports day will consist of 6 different carousel sports activities for the children to enjoy. However, due to the current COVID restrictions, we are unfortunately unable to open our sports day to parents and carers this year, especially with the current rise in infections due to the Delta variant. Please can your child come into school on this day in their PE kit and with a water bottle. Other than this, it will be a normal school day. 

We will share lots of photos and videos on Facebook so you can all see what is going on.

Winston’s Wish - NON UNIFORM DAY

On Friday 2nd July, we are having a non-uniform day to raise money for our new 'Growing Hope Garden'. We are working with the charity Winston's Wish to develop a very special garden area within the school playground. At first the Garden will be used to support children within our school community who have been bereaved but by next year it will be used for gardening activities across the school. This is a great opportunity for us to raise funds for a project that will directly benefit our own school. We kindly ask for a £1 donation per child. Buckets will be on the front and back gate. Thank you for your continued support.

School Photographs

This Wednesday 30th June 2021 a school photographer will be in school to take photographs. Every child will have their photo taken and there is no obligation to buy.

Unfortunately, due to present covid restrictions, younger siblings who are NOT in school will be unable to come in for photos.  

Shout-out for mums who are getting moving!

Bristol Girls Can is looking for local mums to take part in a new project run by Bristol City Council and Knowle West Media Centre. The aim of the project is to share real stories of mums with young children who have recently started taking small steps to be more physically active. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire other mums. 

We are inviting women to take part in two fun, free workshops exploring storytelling, filming, and editing to make a 30-second video. And what’s more, your story will be part of our new city-wide campaign in the Autumn! 

The only equipment you need is a mobile phone. Workshops will run in July and be located in South Bristol. 

Free creche and light refreshments available. 

So whatever small steps you take to fit a bit of movement into your life - it might be 10 minutes with Joe Wicks, a swift walk round the park with a friend, or a 5-minute kitchen boogie with the kids - we'd love to hear from you! Apply by 1st July.

To find out more please email josephine@kwmc.org.uk or visit https://kwmc.org.uk/projects/bristol-girls-can/ 

Places Available

We have a number of places available for this September’s Reception Class. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

Attendance

Well done to the following classes who had attendance at over 97% this week:

• Year 2 with 98% attendance.
• Year 6 with 98% attendance.

Headteacher’s Awards

The following children will receive an award in next week’s Celebration Assembly. Videos of Celebration Assemblies are now shared on our Facebook page. 

Reception - 

• Zuzanna for using an initial letter / sound to come up with words to write and doing this independently!
• Reggie for showing good understanding of sharing in numeracy including what is fair / unfair or uneven. 

Year 1 -  

• Chloe- for scoring a fantastic 40/40 on her phonics work with Mrs Meacham!
• Harper G - for her fabulous work in literacy on The Three Billy Goats Gruff. 

Year 2 -   

• Alfie - For working independently when describing himself as if he was a fruit.  Super description of an orange.
• Ronnie - For working independently when describing himself as if he was a fruit.  
• Toby, Leo, Abby and Filip - For independently producing a quality retelling of our story called ‘Handa’s Surprise’.  The focus being on using adjectives, commas, question marks and exclamation marks.    

Year 3 - 

• Kalvin- For showing fantastic enthusiasm to learn about different types of angles in maths. 
• Kaye- For producing a wonderful poem about Boudicca using interesting similes. 

Year 4 -

• All Year 4 children! For the last two weeks of swimming, the coach drivers have both praised the class for their politeness, manners and behaviour on the coach. They all represent CTK in the most fantastic way when off site and with members of the public. Mr Prichard and Ms Holmes feel so proud to be your teachers.  

Year 5 -  

• Gabriel - for taking the success criteria and our shared work and making it into something completely unique and wonderful.
• Ian - for responding to feedback about sticky commas and using adventurous punctuation independently.
• Deniro - for being kind to his classmates and for getting straight down to his work in every lesson.
• Mrs Langmead - for: being kind, being generous and for explaining things well. 

Year 6 -

• Chanelle - Different members of staff have commented on how polite, helpful and kind Chanelle is. You set the best example - keep it up!

Dates for Diaries

School Photographs - Wednesday 30th June

Friday 2nd July - Winston’s Wish non uniform day

Sports Day - Monday 19th July

End of school year - Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Start of 2021-22 school year - Monday 6th September

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

Start and end of school day - COVID

This morning I had a really useful discussion with parents about staggered start and end of day times. I had explained that we had intended to revert to normal timings, however the recent increase in infections due to the Delta variant had made us rethink and keep the existing arrangements to avoid large groups congregating outside of school at the same time.

As soon as we can relax these restrictions - we will. 

Again, thanks to the parents for having this discussion with me this morning.

Dealing with Problems

If parents have any problems regarding their child, they are always advised to see the class teacher. Alternatively you can always speak to Mrs Selway or myself on the front gate, or speak to the team in the office who will find the right person to help.

Recently we have had problems being shared on Facebook that have not been shared with the school. If we are told what you are worried about, we will always do our best to address your concerns.

Safer Internet Use

We have recently had some issues in school with children viewing inappropriate materials online. Can I remind you all that the following materials can help parents and children use the internet safely at home:

Please visit the UK Safer Internet Centre for more information for parents and carers -

• www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers
• Also, just a reminder that the following information can be found via the school website (www.ctk.education):
• NSPCC - Speak out. Stay Safe.
• Think you know
• Childline
• Domestic abuse advice
• Internet safety
• First Response contact details 

A Reminder - COVID - A Message from Bristol City Council

We encourage families to make full use of facilities across Bristol to carry out twice weekly lateral flow (rapid) testing; parents, carers and guardians can collect tests from local pharmacies, Bristol collection sites or by ordering on GOV.UK.

If you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19 or get a positive lateral flow (rapid) test result, you must self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test.

Anyone who is self-isolating because they have been in close contact with someone who's tested positive, should also book a PCR test to check whether they were also infected – however, they will still have to self-isolate for the full 10 days if they have a negative result.

As always, if children are not feeling well, please consider carefully whether they need to be kept home, and if they or other family members develop COVID symptoms whilst at home, arrange a test.

The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Can we again ask all parents and carers to inform us if your child has these symptoms. 

About 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms but can still infect others. This is why lateral flow (rapid) testing is 

This form of testing is quick, free and helps to pick up positive cases of the virus where people have no symptoms and are highly infectious. By identifying these positive cases early on, we can quickly enable people to self-isolate and cut off the chain of transmission.

It is very important that everyone is extra vigilant in light of these rising infection rates. As ever, if children are not feeling well, please consider carefully whether they need to be kept at home.

For more information about how and where to get lateral flow (rapid) tests, visit the local authority website.

If you have symptoms and need to book a PCR test, visit GOV.UK.

Support is on offer through the We Are Bristol helpline for anyone who needs emergency assistance getting food, medicines or guidance about financial support to self-isolate. Call 0800 694 0184 for free if you need help.

Special Needs and Disabilities Information

There is information available on the school website regarding support for children with special needs and disabilities. Please click here to link to the information. 

Punctuality

We also have a number of children who are regularly collected late from school. Whilst we understand that parents and carers may be occasionally late collecting their child, it is unacceptable when this is a regular occurance. 

If you are late, due to unforeseen circumstances, please let the school office know.

Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in a number of year groups. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

WE DO HAVE PLACES AVAILABLE FOR RECEPTION 2021

Attendance

Well done to the following classes who had attendance at over 97% this week:

• Year 6 with 98% attendance.
• Year 2 with 99% attendance.

Headteacher’s Awards

The following children will receive an award in next week’s Celebration Assembly. Videos of Celebration Assemblies are now shared on our Facebook page. 

Reception - 

• Lilanna for writing over a page for the ‘Bog baby story’ thinking about the beginning, middle and end of the story.  
• Tad for blending using his known phonic sounds and reading sentences in his reading book. Tad has come on a long way with his reading. 

Year 1 -  

• Ryder - for his fantastic enthusiasm and participation in maths this week. You did so well with partitioning numbers - Well done!   You were also a fabulous helper on Friday morning.

Year 2 -

• Year two children - For working on a variety of skills in our PE session.  This included balancing on different parts of our body, passing the ball and beanbag using different body parts, communicating and working in a team.

Year 3 - 

• Bridie- For an incredible improvement in her reading since joining CTK at the start of the year. Bridie reads with great enthusiasm and expression and is always trying to challenge herself with tricky books. What a star! 
• Conrad- For working hard to build his resilience when things are difficult. Conrad has shown a brilliant, grown-up attitude to his learning this week. We are so proud! 

Year 4 -

• Jaiden- For working hard to build his resilience when faced with tricky situations. Jaiden also scored highly on his reading comprehension assessment which was very well deserved! 
• Cheyenne- For creating a fun rhyming poem inspired by Pelican Pelican. Cheyenne researched information about the snow leopard and used the facts to write an entertaining poem.

Year 5 -  

• Archie and Alexander - for taking their first attempts at a sketch, refining their technique and producing a great piece of art.

Year 6

• Marta - For supporting others to play nicely together. You helped Bernice and Chris to build a new playhouse and helped them work together.
• Jenson - For being our unsung hero during art this week. You were a fantastic helper for Miss Channing and the class. 

Dates for Diaries

End of school year - Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Start of 2021-22 school year - Monday 6th September

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

A reminder that we are closed on Monday 14th June for an INSET Day.

COVID - A Message from Bristol City Council

Dear families,

In light of an increased level of cases of COVID-19 in our schools, which includes a number of cases of the Delta variant first identified in India (VOC-21APR-02, lineage B.1617), we are taking great care to track, trace and contain infection in line with our Local Outbreak Management Plan and national public health guidance.

National Public Health guidance has not changed, however, we encourage families to be extra vigilant during this time. It is really important that we do everything we can to make sure there is no additional risk to the wider community. We are responding to an ever-evolving situation which means our Public Health teams must act quickly, effectively and flexibly.

It is so important at this time of gradual ‘unlocking’ and with a new variant in circulation, that we all follow these four key steps:

Secondary school students should continue to carry out twice weekly lateral flow (rapid) testing; this helps us to identify positive cases of the virus where people have no symptoms.

We encourage families to make full use of facilities across Bristol to carry out twice weekly lateral flow (rapid) testing; parents, carers and guardians can collect tests from local pharmacies, Bristol collection sites or by ordering on GOV.UK.

If you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19 or get a positive lateral flow (rapid) test result, you must self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test.

Anyone who is self-isolating because they have been in close contact with someone who's tested positive, should also book a PCR test to check whether they were also infected – however, they will still have to self-isolate for the full 10 days if they have a negative result.

As ever, if children are not feeling well, please consider carefully whether they need to kept home, and if they or other family members develop COVID symptoms whilst at home, arrange a test.

The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

About 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms but can still infect others. This is why lateral flow (rapid) testing is very important.

We have been encouraged by the uptake of lateral flow (rapid) testing by school children, families, parents, carers and guardians to date and want to thank everyone who continues to participate.

This form of testing is quick, free and helps to pick up positive cases of the virus where people have no symptoms and are highly infectious. By identifying these positive cases early on, we can quickly enable people to self-isolate and cut off the chain of transmission.

It is very important that everyone is extra vigilant in light of these rising infection rates. As ever, if children are not feeling well, please consider carefully whether they need to be kept at home.

Thank you once again for your patience, flexibility, and sacrifice during this challenging time.

For more information about how and where to get lateral flow (rapid) tests, visit the local authority website.

If you have symptoms and need to book a PCR test, visit GOV.UK.

Support is on offer through the We Are Bristol helpline for anyone who needs emergency assistance getting food, medicines or guidance about financial support to self-isolate. Call 0800 694 0184 for free if you need help.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school.

Chill Time Klub

At the moment because of Covid 19 restrictions we are only offering Chill Time Klub to parents that need it for work. We must limit the children, to keep the children and staff as safe as possible. Unfortunately this limits the freedom the children have had at Chill Time and restricts what they can do and play with. We hope to be back to normal as soon as it is safe to do so. 

ZigZags

Please can parents not park or pull up on the zigzag lines outside of school. They are there to keep our children safe. Thank you.

Breakfast Klub - some updates

We are pleased to announce that Breakfast Klub will start again, after the holiday, for children in Reception - Year 6.

However the way in which we are organising the club is changing as well as a moderate increase in costs:

The cost is now £1.50, which includes breakfast (please note that children will not be given breakfast if they arrive after 8.20am). We are aware that some parents are concerned about the increase in cost - we will review this and let you know if any changes can be made.

Parents and carers will need to pay using the School Gateway app - we cannot access cash payment.

Due to the new system, we are asking for parents and carers to make a minimum payment of £7.50 (covering 5 sessions) which will avoid the school paying additional fees.

To access the School Gateway App the office needs your email address on the system

All sessions must be booked online using the School Gateway app by 7.30am at the latest, for each day being booked.

If you have any difficulties accessing the School Gateway app, please contact Mrs Martin after 10am

Unfortunately we cannot yet offer Breakfast Klub for nursery children. This is because of the need for a higher level of staff supervision needed. We are planning to welcome nursery children to a breakfast club as soon as possible.

Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in a number of year groups. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

Faith Newsletters

From now on, we will be sharing a monthly faith newsletter that celebrates the Catholic ethos of the school. As we move through Lent towards the end of a very challenging but incredibly successful term, our eyes are fixed on the message of hope that Easter brings. Click on the link below.

Faith Newsletter

Medical Appointments

The start and end of the school day is very important and it has become noticeable that children are being collected early for different appointments. Please can you make these appointments for out of school hours.

When there is an unavoidable appointment, we will request evidence to authorise the absence.

Attendance

Well done to the following classes who had attendance at over 97% this week:

• Year 5 with 97% attendance

Headteacher’s Awards

The following children will receive an award in next week’s Celebration Assembly. Videos of Celebration Assemblies are now shared on our Facebook page. 

Reception - 

• Michelle - for showing determination in her PE lessons to move around the hall in various ways and participate alongside her peers. 
• Esme - for making a fantastic start to school by throwing herself into the adult led activities as well as playing alongside others during her own play. 
• Reggie for asking fantastic questions to others when talking about our holidays during carpet time. 

Year 1 -  

• Rocco - for his fantastic independent writing about what he did in the holidays. 
• Kamil - For working really hard in maths on fractions to find halves and quarters.  

Year 2 -  

• Ivan- For showing respect and understanding in our RE lesson and drawing a super picture of a Mosque.
• Toby- For achieving  100% in his Arithmetic test.  What a superstar!

Year 3 - 

• Kaiden- For always going above and beyond to help others. Kaiden is a fantastic role model to other children and is always the first to offer help to other children and adults (even helping his peers to tie their shoelaces). What a star!  
• Emily- For showing fantastic enthusiasm in maths to tell the time using both analogue and digital clocks. 

Year 4 -

• Harley - Harley responds to every challenge he faces with positivity and enthusiasm. He is the class cheerleader, always encouraging his classmates with words of motivation.  
• Freya - Freya has continued to impress us with her diligence and hardworking approach, not only in class, but also at home. She showed great kindness this week in our swimming lesson, helping her classmates and supporting them when they felt nervous or unsure.

Year 5 -  

• Emily W - for her considered use of new vocabulary which really brings her setting to life - painting a picture in the reader’s mind.

Year 6

• All of Year 6 - For a brilliant week! You’ve worked hard to find solutions to problems. You have supported each other and you have been fun to teach - well done!

Dates for Diaries

INSET - Monday 14th June.

Term 5 - Term 5 starts Tuesday 20th April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.

Term 6 - Monday 7 June 2021 to Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Start of 2021-22 school year - Monday 6th September

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher