Dear Parents/Carers,

New Start Time for Reception

Due to the excellent way in which most people are managing the new 5 minute staggered start time, Reception children are to start at 9am from Monday. For the start of the days to be even safer we just need to improve lateness...

Lateness

Although the start of days are generally being managed much better, our key problem is the significant number of children coming in late. This makes it very difficult to keep groups of children separate and so increases the risk of infection. Please help everybody in our community be safe by bringing your child to school on time.

Due to the need to supervise children as they walk into school safely, from Monday children who arrive late will need to wait in mini ‘bubbles’ until a member of staff can come back to collect them.

Nursery of Christ the King Vacancies

We are currently recruiting a Teacher and a Teaching Assistant for our new nursery opening in January. 

To find out more about these positions please visit: www.eteach.com and search: School of Christ the king of contact us in the school office by email: christ.the.king.p@bristol-schools.uk 

Primary School Applications for a New Reception Place for September 2021

If your child was born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017 you'll need to  apply for a new reception school place for September 2021.  You'll need to apply by Wednesday 15 January 2020.

Apply online for a reception place for Sept 2021 at:

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/primary-admissions

Please contact the school office if we can help in any way or if you would like to visit the school (in a COVID safe way). 

Parents Guide to Google Classroom

Now all children in Year 3-6 are using Google Classroom, it is a really good time for parents and carers to learn more about how it works. A very useful guide can be found on the school website or by following the following link:

ctk.education/www/home-learning/parents-guide-to-google-classroom

Information for all Parents

All parents who hold parental responsibility are entitled to receive information about their child. This includes parents who do not live with their children. If, as a parent, you do not currently receive appropriate texts, letters, reports and invites to parent’s evening, please contact the school office.

Chill Time Club

We can currently offer limited after school care for working parents. Activities are more limited than normal, as children cannot mix with those from other classes.

To book please call the school office by 12pm and pay on the school gateway app. 

A Reminder - Bringing Equipment into School

Firstly a big thank you for the big improvements in this area...

As you know, we are working hard to make classes COVID secure, but are struggling to manage children’s personal equipment in busy classrooms. Having additional belongings in the classroom increases the chance of infection at a time when COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the country. We are not trying to inconvenience parents, but make our school as safe as possible.

To help us make the school as safe as possible can we please request that:

• Children bring their packed lunch and water bottle in a plastic box or disposable bag.
• Children bring books into school in their book bags - not larger bags that we do not have space to safely store in classrooms.

Class teachers will be sending out polite reminders by text,  so that we can hopefully reduce the amount of personal equipment being brought into school.

Again, we thank you all for your support.

Class Emails - Keeping in Touch

We are reintroducing the class emails, so if there is a concern you can more easily contact the class teacher. The class emails are:

• reception@ctk.education
• year.1@ctk.education
• year.2@ctk.education
• year.3@ctk.education
• year.4@ctk.education
• year.5@ctk.education
• year.6@ctk.education
• LH.2@ctk.education (for Learning Hub)

Secondary School Applications

A reminder to all of our Year 6 parents - The closing date for Secondary school place applications is the 31st October. If you would like support to complete your application please contact the school office - Mrs Selway or Mrs Jordan would be happy to support you.

Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 6. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

Bad Weather and Start and End of Day Procedures

When weather is particularly bad we will allow parents of children in Reception who would have to wait 15 minutes between pickups to collect siblings early. Parents must phone us by 2.30pm at the latest we will arrange for children to leave early with their siblings.

Managing these groups, and maintaining the safety of the bubbles, does require a number of staff to ensure children are in the right place, at the right time, without mixing with children from other bubbles. Because of this, we can only manage children leaving early when the weather is very bad and parents arrange this in advance. 

When the weather is particularly bad we will open the small gate by the nursery class to allow parents to wait under the canopy. Unfortunately we have no such shelter at the rear of the school but all parents are welcome to use the shelter at the front.

Hot School Dinners

We are working with the kitchen team to provide hot school meals after the half term holiday. Whilst this may not at first be for all classes, we hope to offer hot meals for all children as soon as possible.

Update on INSET Days - School Closed

Our next INSET (staff training) day will be on Friday 20th November. There will be 4 more INSET days later this school year.

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School – Virtual Open Day

As the Catholic partner secondary school of Christ the King, St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, is hosting a Virtual Open Day, so that prospective pupils and parents can learn more about the school, which has been judged to be an ‘outstanding Catholic school’.

Please visit our school website https://www.stberns.bristol.sch.ukand click on Open Day, where you can watch films of the pupils and staff and access a range of information about our vibrant and ambitious school. Any enquiries can be directed to info@stberns.bristol.sch.uk.

Attendance

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

• Reception with 97% attendance.
• Year 3 with 99% attendance.
• Year 5 with 98% attendance.

New School Nursery Opening in January

Our new nursery is looking wonderful - we will be opening in January and still have places available for both 15 hour and 30 hour places. Please contact Mrs Jordan or Mrs Martin in the office for more information.

Headteacher’s Awards

Reception - 

• Lilanna for always participating in phonics and for always giving her letters and sounds 100% effort. 

Year 1 -  

• Daiquari - For having a great attitude to his learning and trying to work independently in class.
• Bella - For being a great team player and being so kind, caring and patient towards her friends.

Year 2 -

• Justin- For being very kind and caring towards another child in our class.
• Matty - For always being very helpful and considerate in the classroom and outside in the playground.

Year 3 -  

• Conrad- For persevering with his maths work and not giving up when he found it difficult. 
• Lexi- For always being ready to learn with a smile on her face. 

Year 4 -

• Tommy - For showing independence when solving questions on negative numbers
• Pamadou - For practising and improving his handwriting this week which has had a great impact on his work 

Year 5 - 

• Frankie - for independently solving problems in maths.
• Marley - for managing distractions for himself throughout the day.

Year 6 

• Mimi - for motivating and encouraging the class during Gonoodle.
• Finley - for an amazing speed tables time of 2:37!

Dates for Diaries

End of Term 1 - Friday 23 October 2020.

INSET (staff training) day - Friday 20th November.

Term 2    - Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020.

Term 3 - Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021.

Term 4 - Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021.

Term 5 - Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.

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

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Lots of reminders this week! Thank you all for helping us to make the school as safe as possible.

Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 6. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

Bad weather and start and end of day procedures

When weather is particularly bad we will allow parents of children in Reception who would have to wait 15 minutes between pickups to collect siblings early. Parents must phone us by 2.30pm at the latest we will arrange for children to leave early with their siblings.

Managing these groups, and maintaining the safety of the bubbles, does require a number of staff to ensure children are in the right place, at the right time, without mixing with children from other bubbles. Because of this, we can only manage children leaving early when the weather is very bad and parents arrange this in advance. 

When the weather is particularly bad we will open the small gate by the nursery class to allow parents to wait under the canopy. Unfortunately we have no such shelter at the rear of the school but all parents are welcome to use the shelter at the front.

Primary School Applications for a New Reception Place for September 2021

If your child was born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017 you'll need to  apply for a new reception school place for September 2021.  You'll need to apply by Wednesday 15 January 2020.

Apply online for a reception place for Sept 2021 at:

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/primary-admissions

Please contact the school office if we can help in any way or if you would like to visit the school (in a COVID safe way). 

Bringing Equipment into School

Currently we are working hard to make classes COVID secure, but are struggling to manage children’s personal equipment in busy classrooms. To help us make the school as safe as possible can I remind you all:

• Children must bring their packed lunch and water bottle in a plastic box or disposable bag.
• Children should bring books into school in their book bags - not larger bags that we do not have space to safely store in classrooms.

Again, we thank you all for your support. 

Hot School Dinners

We are working with the kitchen team to provide hot school meals after the half term holiday. Whilst this may not at first be for all classes, we hope to offer hot meals for all children as soon as possible.

Update on INSET Days - School Closed

Our next INSET (staff training) day will be on Friday 20th November. There will be 4 more INSET days later this school year.

IMPORTANT - Changes to End of Day Procedures

To address certain issues and to make the start of the day safe but quicker for everybody, the following changes will take effect from Monday:

• There is now a 5 minute gap between classes in the morning and the afternoon.
• At the end of the day, can parents collecting children from the car park exit not enter the drive until the previous class are leaving. 
• All children will line up before their teacher allows them to leave with a parent or carer. Please can we ask you not to encourage children to leave before their teachers, as this makes it more difficult to manage the end of day safely. 

Can everybody remember to use the one-way system! Thank you.

Children Going Home at Lunchtime

Due to managing a safe, COVID secure school, we will no longer be authorising children to go home for lunch. 

Punctuality

To help us keep bubbles of children apart it is very important that children arrive to school promptly at their allotted time. Where punctuality remains a concern we will be contacting parents directly. Thanks. 

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School – Virtual Open Day

As the Catholic partner secondary school of Christ the King, St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, is hosting a Virtual Open Day, so that prospective pupils and parents can learn more about the school, which has been judged to be an ‘outstanding Catholic school’.

Please visit our school website https://www.stberns.bristol.sch.ukand click on Open Day, where you can watch films of the pupils and staff and access a range of information about our vibrant and ambitious school. Any enquiries can be directed to info@stberns.bristol.sch.uk.

Attendance

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

• Reception with 98% attendance.
• Year 5 with 98% attendance. 

New school nursery opening in January

Our new nursery is looking wonderful - we will be opening in January and still have places available for both 15 hour and 30 hour places. Please contact Mrs Jordan or Mrs Martin in the office for more information.

Lantern Project

Year 3 are very excited to be taking part in the Lantern Project this year. This year’s theme is ‘The Walk of Hearts and Stars’. Alan, who is leading the project, has kindly gifted us 10 lantern kits. These lantern kits are free of charge and are for your child to make a lantern at home. All of the materials will be provided in the lantern kit. There are only 10 kits available. These will be given out on a first come first served basis. If you are interested and would like a lantern kit, please contact the school office. These will be given to your child to take home. 

For more information on the Lantern Project, please visit the Walk of Hearts and Stars Facebook page.

Headteacher’s Awards

Reception - 

• This week’s head teacher award goes to Kiki for being an independent learner during our numeracy lessons by always participating & giving it a go. 

Year 1 -  

• Phoebe- for working hard to think of similes in our English lesson and being brave when her packed lunch leaked so she tried a school packed lunch instead!

Year 2 -

• Leo - For showing initiative and trying out new skills within our football session.
• Angelica - For listening to instructions and trying her best to demonstrate new ball skills.  

Year 3 -  

• Wilfred- For pushing himself in maths and achieving top marks in our maths assessment.
• Tracy- For persevering with her Stone Age writing and always trying her best. 

Year 4 -

• Benji P - For thinking deeply when building an electrical circuit and finding all of the parts needed for the bulb to light up
• Lilianna - For settling perfectly into CTK and being a great member of Year 4

Year 5 - 

• Adi - for making connections and links in history.
• Justin - for finding innovative ways to improve his writing.

Year 6 

• Hollie P - for showing resilience and creativity when writing her diary entry.
• Ruby - for being an independent learner when planning and writing her diary entry.
• Kristen - for using her inference skills to support her explanations in her reading lessons.

Dates for Diaries

End of Term 1 - Friday 23 October 2020.

INSET (staff training) day - Friday 20th November.

Term 2    - Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020.

Term 3 - Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021.

Term 4 - Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021.

Term 5 - Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.

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

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Punctuality

To help us keep bubbles of children apart it is very important that children arrive to school promptly at their allotted time. Where punctuality remains a concern we will contacting parents directly. Thanks. 

Bad weather and start and end of day procedures

As the weather goes from sunshine to rain and wind, we understand how difficult it can be for parents who have to wait for an extended period for time for siblings. To address this we are trying a new system to help those who wait the longest:

When weather looks particularly bad we will text parents who would have to wait 15 minutes or more between pickups.

If parents phone us by 2.30pm at the latest we will arrange for children to leave early with their siblings.

Managing these groups, and maintaining the safety of the bubbles, does require a number of staff to ensure children are in the right place, at the right time, without mixing with children from other bubbles. Because of this, we can only manage children leaving early when the weather is very bad and parents arrange this in advance. 

COVID Symptoms

With winter approaching, the UK is entering the traditional seasons for colds and flu, with the additional complication this year that symptoms of those two illnesses can be broadly similar to those experienced by people who have caught the coronavirus and may be at risk of spreading it.

The NHS in England has produced a guide to differentiate between the three types of illnesses, which health experts hope will make it clearer to people whether they have an illness they would have most likely brushed aside last year, but which this year might lead them to think they need to self-isolate or seek to have a coronavirus test.

If you are in any doubt and are concerned about your wellbeing or the health of someone you are caring for, you should seek medical assistance in the UK by dialling 111 or by following the Covid-19 advice on the NHS website.

Birthday Parties and COVID 19

Recently we have been made aware of a number of children attending parties at other children’s houses, seemingly often in breach of the government's new guidelines around groups of 6. Whilst we obviously want everybody to celebrate such events as birthdays, the restrictions are designed to reduce transmission of COVID 19, enabling everybody to live their lives safely and services such as schools to remain open whilst protecting the NHS

The principal of the new guidelines are if you’re gathering socially, it’s no more than six, which if at a party would include birthday boy or girl as well as parents before including friends. 

We ask you all that you are mindful of these restrictions so we can keep each other safe.

St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School – Virtual Open Day

As the Catholic partner secondary school of Christ the King, St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, is hosting a Virtual Open Day, so that prospective pupils and parents can learn more about the school, which has been judged to be an ‘outstanding Catholic school’.

Please visit our school website https://www.stberns.bristol.sch.ukand click on Open Day, where you can watch films of the pupils and staff and access a range of information about our vibrant and ambitious school. Any enquiries can be directed to info@stberns.bristol.sch.uk.

Attendance

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

• Reception with 98% attendance.
• Year 1 almost made it with 96% attendance.
• Year 2 with 99% attendance.
• Year 3 with 97% attendance.
• Year 4 with 97% attendance.
• Year 5 with 99% attendance.
• Year 6 with 99% attendance.
• Medical needs and risk assessments 

We have been planning very carefully for the needs of individual pupils with COVID specific risk assessments. If your child has medical needs that you feel the school does not know about or may need an update on please contact the school office so that we can update risk assessment for your child. 

New school nursery opening in January

Our new nursery is looking wonderful - we will be opening in January and still have places available for both 15 hour and 30 hour places. Please contact Mrs Jordan or Mrs Martin in the office for more information.

Lantern Project

Year 3 are very excited to be taking part in the Lantern Project this year. This year’s theme is ‘The Walk of Hearts and Stars’. Alan, who is leading the project, has kindly gifted us 10 lantern kits. These lantern kits are free of charge and are for your child to make a lantern at home. All of the materials will be provided in the lantern kit. There are only 10 kits available. These will be given out on a first come first served basis. If you are interested and would like a lantern kit, please contact the school office. These will be given to your child to take home. 

For more information on the Lantern Project, please visit the Walk of Hearts and Stars Facebook page.

Headteacher’s Awards

Reception - 

• Emelia - for being a team player through her play with friends and for always helping the adults in the room to keep the classroom a safe and tidy place to be'

Year 1 -  

• Lily R - For working independently in maths to compare numbers using the correct symbols.

Year 2 - 

• Ralf - For great imagination and originality when drawing illustrations in his work.
• Kevin - For being resilient and moving up the levels when reading with Mrs Wakeford.

Year 3 -  

• Kaiden- For challenging himself in maths to complete problem solving questions. 
• Leighton- For making interesting predictions for our science experiment. 

Year 4 -

• Freddie- For being successful with his maths work this week and investigating four digit numbers independently as part of his ‘figure it out Friday’ challenge.

Year 5 - 

• Charlotte - for persevering with her shading techniques and being willing to try new things.
• Gracie - for working outside her comfort zone and showing steadfast resilience in her maths.

Year 6 - 

• Ellis - for resilience in his maths learning and for always being kind.
• Anya - Fantastic improvement in reading. 
• Olly - for being a great fun team player all week.

Dates for Diaries

End of Term 1- Friday 23 October 2020.

• Term 2 Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020.
• Term 3 Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021.
• Term 4 Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021.
• Term 5 Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.
• Term 6 - Monday 7 June 2021 to Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 4. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

IMPORTANT - Changes to Start of Day Procedures

To address certain issues and to make the start of the day safe but quicker for everybody, the following changes will take effect from Monday:

• There is now a 5 minute gap between classes in the morning.
• At the end of the day we are retaining a 10 minute gap for most classes. We hope to reduce this to 5 minutes ass oon as possible.
• At the end of the day, can parents collecting children from the car park exit not enter the drive until the previous class are leaving. 
• All children will line up before their teacher allows them to leave with a parent or carer. Please can we ask you not to encourage children to leave before their teachers, as this makes it more difficult to manage the end of day safely. 
• Can everybody remember to use the on-way system! Thank you.

Primary School Applications for a New Reception Place for September 2021

If your child was born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017 you'll need to  apply for a new reception school place for September 2021.  You'll need to apply by Wednesday 15 January 2020.

Apply online for a reception place for Sept 2021 at:

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/primary-admissions

Please contact the school office if we can help in any way. 

School Uniform

Can I remind you that all children should be wearing the following school uniform:

• PLAIN BLACK shoes or trainers
• grey / black trousers or skirts – no tracksuit bottoms, or leggings
• red sweatshirt or cardigan or fleece
• white / red polo shirts
• PE Kit (which is plain white t-shirt / plain black shorts and PE daps or trainers)

We continue to use S & H Workwear, 98 St Johns Lane, Bedminster.

New school nursery opening in January

Our new nursery is fully built and ready to be set up. We will be opening in January and still have places available for both 15 hour and 30 hour places. Please contact Mrs Jordan or Mrs Martin in the office for more information.

Government letter to share with parents on coronavirus (COVID-19) testing

Public Health England has produced a letter for schools and colleges to share with parents which explains when a child requires a coronavirus (COVID-19) test and what the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are.

Establishing Good Routines

As we all get back into the routine of regular school life it’s also important we all get enough sleep to be ready for the school day. In particular we are finding many children are unable to concentrate on a Monday due to late nights over the weekend. Please help us help our children by encouraging them to sleep well, especially before a day in school. Breakfast is very important and if your child is in KS2 we ask you to send them with a piece of fruit for tuck to keep them going.  Thanks. 

Attendance

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

• Year 2 - 98%
• Year 3 - 99%
• Year 5 - 97%
• Year 6 - 99%

Medical Needs and Risk Assessments 

We have been planning very carefully for the needs of individual pupils with COVID specific risk assessments. If your child has medical needs that you feel the school does not know about or may need an update on please contact the school office so that we can update risk assessment for your child. 

Headteacher’s Awards

Reception -

• Lily M -  for joining in enthusiastically during phonics and for independently choosing to practice letters during play. 

Year 1 -  

• Harper L - For having a great attitude towards school, working hard to manage her emotions and always trying her best.
• Lianater - for always thinking carefully and sharing her wonderful ideas linked to a story we read in class.

Year 2 - 

• Amber Lane - For trying so hard at the start of the school day.
• Brody - For trying hard to work independently in our numeracy lesson.  

Year 3 -  

• Reggie - Challenging himself to complete extra work at home. Reggie created a Stone Age booklet all about prehistoric homes and how they changed over time. 
• Zack - Working hard to retell our class story using paragraphs and joined handwriting. 

Year 4 -

• Cheyenne- for always being engaged in his learning and contributing to class discussions. His vocabulary choices this week for his descriptive writing were superb. His tray is always immaculately presented too! 

Year 5 - 

• Deniro - for smiling and using his resilience when learning about negative numbers.
• William - for collaborating with others through play at breaktimes.
• Omar - for showing empathy in the playground.

Year 6 - 

• Roxanne - for completing her work efficiently each day and finding her own solutions.
• Imogen - for supporting Dylan and encouraging him with his maths work - well done!
• Freddie - for using excellent vocabulary in his English work and taking risks - great job!

Dates for Diaries

• End of Term 1- Friday 23 October 2020.
• Term 2 Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020.
• Term 3 Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021.
• Term 4 Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021.
• Term 5 Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.
• Term 6 - Monday 7 June 2021 to Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 4. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

Reading Records and Spelling Books 

Thank you for the overwhelming response in returning our school books, class reading books and local library ones. They are now back on the shelves after quarantine.

Children are bringing their reading bags in daily and ready for more great learning in reading sessions in class..

New procedures regarding Covid guidance means that staff can no longer write in the Reading Record diary. In order to continue home and school communication, we request that parents/guardians support us by noting the books read at home, date and comment. Children can share their dairy with staff in their class.

At present:

KS2 books are changed when finished. New spelling books are being handed out in classes so that the children can write their weekly words in the book, and keep it at home to learn their new words. Teachers will inform their classes when spellings are being set.  

Year 2 children can change books on Fridays. Those reading with Mrs Wakeford, our Reading Support Teacher, will be changed more frequently. 

Reception and and Year 1 will send out a class text regarding phonic phases and reading books matched to these.

Top Tips for successful home reading:

Find a quiet time when the telly is off, younger siblings are asleep, sit side by side and let your child show off their increasing book knowledge and reading skills. Remember that hugs and praise alongside this goes a long way too. We look forward to reading your comments in school.

Attendance

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

Year 2 with  99 % attendance

Year 3 with  98 % attendance

A reminder of COVID 19 symptoms

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• 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

Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.

Change to start and end of day procedures - mainly affecting Year 2

From Monday we are trialling some changes to how we manage the start and end of day, to make things easier for parents and children in certain groups. To help this work safely:

• Only one class down the lane at a time.
• Y2 will now come in 5 minutes earlier at 9.00am and finish 5 minutes later at 3.00pm, hopefully this will make it easier for parents with siblings.
• We are planning to shift timings for other year groups as soon as possible. 
• Please arrive only at the time your child’s class has been given.
• Please do not stay in the drop off/pick up zones longer than needed. 

Headteacher’s Awards

Reception - 

• Korey-Lee - For showing initiative by inviting a friend to play with him through using toys. 

Year 1 -  

• Lily B - for showing care and empathy towards her classmate by helping her maneuver safely around the school.
• Megan - for making links between the characters in our class story and the qualities  that make her a good friend to others.

Year 2 - 

• Liliana - For making a fabulous start to year 2 by showing how much she has matured into an independent learner.
• David - For always working hard on each task and demonstrating how he is now confident to work more  independently.

Year 3 -  

• Preya- For challenging herself to join her handwriting. 
• Freya- For using interesting vocabulary in our science lessons. 

Year 4 -

• Angelina- For engaging and showing willingness to share her thoughts and ideas with the class during our reading comprehension lessons this week.

Year 5 - 

• Reggie - was voted for by the whole class for his dedication to his learning. A very independent thinker.
• Cody - being resilient especially in his writing.  Super independent learning.  
• Ian - for listening to and valuing others in all lessons.  A great team player.

Year 6 - 

• Emmanuel - for an excellent detailed description of the story of Moses and of how the Israelites were treated. He was able to explain his thinking to the class and justify his opinion. - well done.
• Jazleen - for setting the best example of independent learning.

New school nursery opening in January

Our new nursery is looking wonderful - we will be opening in January and still have places available for both 15 hour and 30 hour places. Please contact Mrs Jordan or Mrs Martin in the office for more information.

TikTok

Last week, we were made aware that there is a video uploaded on Tik Tok (and possibly now being shared on other social media platforms) that might expose children to extremely disturbing content.  Some of you, I am sure, are familiar with this app as it has become very popular in recent times. It is an age 13 rated app so if your child does have access to it please ensure you are supervising that use at the present time.  

Please can we encourage you to have regular conversations with your child about online safety, being aware of how you can build their resilience to online content, encouraging open conversations about online life and ensuring they know they can talk to you or anyone at school about it.

Please visit the UKSIC’s (UK Safer Internet Centre) advice for parents and carers page for lots of tips and advice to help with conversations: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers.  They also have helpful content to support children who have seen something upsetting online: 

www.saferinternet.org.uk/blog/advice-parents-what-do-if-your-child-sees-something-upsetting-online 

Dates for Diaries

• End of Term 1- Friday 23 October 2020.
• Term 2 Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020.
• Term 3 Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021.
• Term 4 Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021.
• Term 5 Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.
• Term 6 - Monday 7 June 2021 to Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

 Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you all for a wonderful start to the new school year!

All the classes have now settled in really well and it has been lovely welcoming a number of new pupils as well as our new Reception Class.

Amazing Attendance

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

• Reception with 100% attendance!!!
• Year 1 with 97% attendance
• Year 2 with 97% attendance
• Year 5 with 99% attendance
• Year 6 with 99% attendance

Overall we started term with a very positive 97.3% across the school.

Start and End of Day Procedures

As many of you will now know, due to some health and safety concerns, we have introduced a new 1 way system for parents to drop off and collect children from the school car park at the rear of the school. This system currently affects children in Years 2, 4 and 5.

Parking

As we are now using more than one entrance, at the start and end of the school day, it is even more important that we drive and park safely. Can we ask everybody to park on the road, not the pavement, even if it means parking a bit further down the road. Together we can make sure our children are safe.

Use of language outside school

You will have noticed the new fencing that we have, as part of our new nursery class that will open in January. Due to COVID, this space and class is currently being used by our Year 6 pupils, so they can have more space and open the doors for more ventilation.

However, our pupils have been hearing conversations at the beginning and end of the school day where parents are using more ‘colourful’ language. We would very much appreciate it if parents and carers are considerate with their choice of words whilst waiting outside the school.

Headteacher’s Awards

Well done to all the children who have achieved Headteacher’s Awards this week. I will be visiting classes next week to present the certificates.

Reception - We have had a fantastic start to our time, as a class in Reception. Every child has settled in well and we are really enjoying our time together - well done, Reception! 

• Jenson - For setting a good example during carpet times and showed initiative by making sure everything is tidied away at the end of each session.

Year 1 -  

• Matheo - For having a super first week back at school and trying his best to follow instructions.
• Zuzanna - for working independently to produce a lovely dream catcher.

Year 2 - 

• Alfie Ince- For a super first week back at school and for trying so hard to improve his creative skills.
• Summer - For a fantastic first week in Year 2.

Year 3 -  

• Ronnie- For producing fantastic writing this week. She has tried hard to join her writing and ensure her work is presented to a brilliant standard.
• Oscar- For challenging himself to work independently in maths lessons. 

Year 4 -

• Miley- For producing fantastic maths this week, presented to a high standard. Miley has settled into life in Year 4 and has contributed to all lessons this week!
• Merit- For being organised, polite and engaged in all lessons this week. Merit has been keen to share her ideas in Maths and English and has not stopped smiling!

Year 5 - 

We’ve already had a superb start and they have all earnt a mention as independent learners for trying out new things as we learn our new routines; as team players for taking on responsibility within the class for maintaining covid measures and as deep thinkers by imagining new ideas in our ‘Key’ descriptions.  Go Team 5!

• Alex for showing his independent learning by working outside his comfort zone in his writing.
• Miley for showing her independent learning by being completely absorbed in her work in all areas.

Year 6 - 

• Jayden - for being a team player and a good friend to his classmates. 
• Roxanne - for rocking her literacy this week with her deep thinking when improving the class’s sentences.
• Marta - for taking responsibility for our group by ensuring our bubble area is tidy, at the end break time.
• Layla - for being an excellent support to Astou, as she settles into Year 6. 

Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 4. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

New school nursery opening in January

Our new nursery is looking wonderful - we will be opening in January and still have places available for both 15 hour and 30 hour places. Please contact Mrs Jordan or Miss Roberts in the office for more information.

Census Day - Thursday 1st October

On Thursday 1st October, the Government will be running a Census day where we have to report on the number of children within the school.  As part of this Census, the Government likes to know the number of children who ate a hot school meal, as it contributes towards our funding budget.

THIS MEANS - THE MORE CHILDREN WHO HAVE SCHOOL DINNERS = MORE MONEY FOR THE SCHOOL!

We have therefore changed the hot menu choice for that day to the following, with the hope that you child will consume a hot lunch:-

• Fish fingers, baked beans, peas and chips with jelly and ice cream for dessert.

We will also be holding a lucky plate competition where your child might win a prize, if they have a school meal on this day.

TikTok

This week, we have been made aware that there is a video uploaded on Tik Tok (and possibly now being shared on other social media platforms) that might expose children to extremely disturbing content.  Some of you, I am sure, are familiar with this app as it has become very popular in recent times. It is an age 13 rated app so if your child does have access to it please ensure you are supervising that use at the present time.  

Please can we encourage you to have regular conversations with your child about online safety, being aware of how you can build their resilience to online content, encouraging open conversations about online life and ensuring they know they can talk to you or anyone at school about it.

Please visit the UKSIC’s (UK Safer Internet Centre) advice for parents and carers page for lots of tips and advice to help with conversations: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers.  They also have helpful content to support children who have seen something upsetting online: 

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/blog/advice-parents-what-do-if-your-child-sees-something-upsetting-online 

Dates for Diaries

• End of Term 1- Friday 23 October 2020.
• Term 2 - Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020.
• Term 3 - Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021.
• Term 4 - Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021.
• Term 5 - Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.
• Term 6 - Monday 7 June 2021 to Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you so much for your support and help in preparing your children to return this week. Most children in Years 2, 3, 5 and 6 are now in school and have settled in really well. As we move forward, we will continue to review our procedures to make school as safe as possible for everybody. We appreciate any feedback you can give to make everything even safer.

We look forward to seeing children in Years 1, 4 and our new Reception children on Monday.

Here are some clarifications:

Pick-up and drop off of children

This morning, we opened the front area of school. We did this so some groups could congregate before coming into school. The hope was that this would give more space for social distancing and enable parents and children to wait off the road. We also were concerned that parents and children lining up were blocking the pavement for those walking by and felt opening up this space would help.

However, we did find that waiting at distance in this way was very difficult to manage and from Monday we will be returning to the system where children and parents line up, at a social distance on the pavement. Can everybody line up in a single file, so that there is enough space for pedestrians to walk by.

This means that we will revert to the following, until further notice:

To ensure parents do not gather outside the school building and can follow social distancing guidelines, each group will have a different start and finish time. Please stick to the time your child is allocated, as groups of children are not to come into contact with each other:

• To make the start of the day as safe as possible, when children enter and leave the school, we will be using two entrances:
• The main entrance
• The black door next to the kitchen (near the school hall)
• 2 metre markings will be on the fences outside of school, for parents and children to wait by.
• If at all possible, just one parent/carer to drop and collect children.
• If possible, do not bring younger siblings in buggies.
• Children must not bring bags – just their packed lunch in a plastic box or disposable bag, water bottle, sunhat and suncream, if necessary.  We expect to have children bringing in bags for essentials like reading books soon - we will let you know when.
• Please stay outside the school gates and please pass on any concerns or queries via the office email address or phone.
• IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL CHILDREN ARRIVE ON TIME, AS WE HAVE PLANNED CAREFULLY TO ENABLE SOCIAL DISTANCING. 

Thank you very much for your support.

Pupil Places Available

The school is almost full but we do have some space available in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 4. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.

Food Allergies

WE HAVE CHILDREN STARTING OUR SCHOOL WITH FOOD ALLERGIES. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE FOOD CONTAINING NUTS IN THEIR PACKED LUNCHES. MANY THANKS.

Medication for Children 

Please ensure your child has any medication in school which they would usually take and that it has a label with their name printed on it and is in-date.

Returning reading books and bookbags

Once all of the children have settled back into school, we will be asking for all reading books to be brought back in. Therefore, from Wednesday 9th September, children will need to bring in their school reading books in their book bag so that we can start the process of changing them. 

Please can all books that have been borrowed from school be returned to the child’s class teacher. 

Dates for Diaries

• End of Term 1- Friday 23 October 2020.
• Term 2 Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020.
• Term 3 Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021.
• Term 4 Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021.
• Term 5 Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher