November 2021 Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been lovely to see the children back in school after the half term break. We hope that you had the opportunity to spend some time together and that the children enjoyed the rest.

Half term school improvements

During half term the team have been busy with many improvements around the school. Our school library is once again fully operational. A big thank you to our TA team who worked hard to ensure that all our library books were back in their proper place after we relocated our library this summer.  New carpets have been fitted to three classrooms in the school and the new classroom furniture for 4 Pine has finally arrived.  Thank you also to our site team who have been busy moving furniture, painting, cleaning and tidying so that we have a lovely school building and grounds to enjoy.

New gym equipment

Next week work will commence in the playground to install some new gym equipment (much like the gym equipment available in some local parks). Once installed, the children will have access to the new equipment during playtime and lunchtime along with the existing trim trail which was serviced during half term. It is hoped that the equipment, along with the activities provided by our sports coach at lunchtime, will provide plenty of opportunities for the children to be physically active in the playground.

Blog

Some of you may be aware that we experienced some technical difficulties with our School Blog before half term. I am happy to report that this has now been resolved and the Blog is up and running again. Recently, we added some lovely photos from the workshops which took place before half term as well as photos of some of the work produced by pupils in our after school clubs. Do take some time to have a look.

Parent/Teacher consultations

If you have not booked your appointment for Parent/Teacher consultations yet, please ensure that you do so as soon as possible. Telephone consultations are taking place next week. These discussions with the class teacher are important to find out how your child is getting on in class and what they need to do to improve further.

Multiplication tables and home reading

We have noticed that there are a number of children who still struggle with the rapid recall of multiplication tables. By the end of Year 4, pupils should know all their tables up to and including 12 x 12. Often pupils struggle in Maths lesson because they do not know their tables well enough. Please ensure that your child practices these regularly at home. The more confident they are with their tables, the better they will do in Maths lessons! Using Times Table Rockstars is a great way for your child to practice. If you are not familiar with this resource, ask your child or your child’s class teacher about it. Just a few minutes a day makes a BIG difference!

We have also reminded pupils about the need to complete their home reading each week. It is a school expectation that each child reads at least three times a week at home to an adult. This not only helps with their reading fluency and comprehension but also helps to develop their vocabulary.  The ability to read and comprehend a piece of text is an essential part of each child’s education as so much of the curriculum is dependent on this skill. Also, don’t forget that pupils who read at least three times a week are entered into our vending machine draw!

Covid 19

There has been an increase in the number of Covid cases reported in our school community recently. If your child or another family member has any Covid related symptoms, we urge you to take a test. If the result is positive, please notify the school office who will provide you with further information and support.

Let’s hope for a fantastic half term ahead. As always if there is anything that the staff can help you with, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

With all good wishes,

 Mrs M Shipton

Headteacher

Dates For The Diary