Reedley Primary School20/10 Newsletter
Friday, 20 October 2023
Dear Parents/Carers,
Punctuality
We had 5 hours 10 minutes of lates this week, meaning vital learning is still being missed by some children.
Please ensure that your child is in school before the gates closes at 8.50am each day.
Over the half term, the Squirrel Class Y1K, has won the attendance award. This class can have their non-uniform day on Thursday 2nd November.
Attendance
Our overall attendance for this week is 89.94%. This is very low with no classes achieving the 96%
Over the half term, the Kingfisher Class Y4R has won the punctuality award. This class can have their non-uniform day on Thursday 2nd November.
School Admissions
If your child is currently in Year 6, you have to apply for their high school place, no later than 31st October. If you do not state your preferences for a high school, the authority can place your child in any school they choose, and this might not be in the local area. Please see Mrs Iqbal if you need any help in making your application.
Events This Week
- Year 4 children went on a trip to Astley Hall on Tuesday.
- 10 children from Y5/6 attended a football match at Fisher More School on Monday
- Parents/carers were able to have meetings with their child’s classteacher. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend.
Mrs King’s meetings were postponed as Mrs King was poorly. We are going to reschedule the meetings for Wednesday 8th November either from 9-10am or 3.45 to 4.45pm
New appointments will be available to book from 6.00pm on Friday 20th October.
Upcoming Events
Art week – Parents/Carers are welcome to come into school after half-term to see what their child is learning in art and to maybe have a little go at some artwork themselves.
Please ensure that you are prompt for your session as it can be disruptive to the class to arrive late.
|
Monday 30th October |
Reception Class |
2.30pm – 3.15pm |
|
Tuesday 31st October |
Year 4 |
2.15pm – 2.45pm |
|
Tuesday 31st October |
Year 1 |
2.45pm – 3.15pm |
|
Wednesday 1st November |
Year 2 |
2.45pm – 3.15pm |
|
Thursday 2nd November |
Year 6 |
2.15pm – 2.45pm |
|
Thursday 2nd November |
Year 3 |
2.45pm – 3.15pm |
|
Friday 3rd November |
Year 5 |
2.15pm – 2.45pm |
Sue Dean Writing Award
Ayisha Ibrahim in Year 4 has won the Sue Dean Writing Award for developing sentence structure, spelling and creativity.
Reading For Pleasure
Lots of our children have started the Reading For Pleasure Scheme. All of the children who have achieved ‘Argentina’ have been entered into a draw. Kai Shepherd and Shahzaib Hussain have received a £10 book token. Another draw will be made at Christmas for children who are working through the different steps.
Clubs
All families have been informed if their child has been successful in getting a new club. These clubs start in the week after half term and run for 6 weeks. All sessions are from 3.30 – 4.15pm and children can be collected from the school hall after each session. The clubs will run for 6 weeks and the last session will be in the week beginning 4th December.
Conflict in the Gaza Trip
I discussed this issue with several parents/carers during the parent/teacher meetings this week. There is a range of views on this topic. Some families discuss this issue with their children, who have lots of knowledge about the issue and others want to protect their children from the full details as they feel it is too distressing.
As a school, we need to maintain a neutral position and can’t be seen to support any specific group of people.
However, I remain incredibly upset about this from a humanitarian point of view, especially when children have been affected.
My advice would be:
- Families to decide what they feel is an appropriate amount of information to share with their child. BBC Newsround is always a good starting point if families want their children to see age-appropriate content.
- We can support children with their emotions in school if they need someone to talk to. At home, encourage your child to be open about how they are feeling.
- We won’t be discussing the content in detail with the children and would ask that children keep their conversations about the issue at home, as not all children will be aware of the full details and not everyone may have the same viewpoint on the issue.
- Families could make a financial donation to a charity if they wish, to support victims
- Families could say prayers for people affected by the conflict
Peace Day
On Friday 3rd November, we are having a Peace Day in school.
We will not be going into details about the conflict, but will be discussing that some people around the world, including in the Gaza strip, are having a very difficult time. We will discuss things that we are grateful for (homes, families, food, clothing, a safe and stable home) and that some people do not have access to these basic essentials. All classes will have a reflection time and may do some age-appropriate work around the theme of peace.
The children will all be given a white ribbon to wear and can bring this home with them.
Reception Parents
The staff in Reception have requested that after half-term, parents/carers drop their children at the orange gate in a morning and do not come into school. The children have worked hard to settle in and now need to start bringing themselves into school.
A member of reception staff will be on the gate to take any messages that you may need to pass on.
Coffee and Chat
On Monday 6th November, we are having a ‘coffee and chat’ event in the school hall to raise money to buy basic school equipment. All of our resources have increased in cost and we are struggling to pay for paper, glue sticks and pencils.
Parents/carers can come into school to buy a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit or cake.
If parents/carers are present, children can come from their classes to join you for a cake or biscuit at the following times.
9.00 – 9.20am Rec and Year 1
9.20– 9.40 Year 2, 3 and 4
9.40 – 10.00 Year 5 and 6
You can support in a number of ways. You can bring donations of cakes or biscuits to school for the event. You can attend on the day, at the allocated time for your child’s class. Or you can do both, bring a donation and attend.
Key Dates
- School will be closed now for half term and will re-open on Monday 30th
- The next school closure will be from the 22nd December for the Christmas holidays.
Thank you for your support,
Mrs Sarah Bell
Headteacher
Please see the leaflet below with a Halloween event that families can attend together.