Communications

Sub Categories to extend communications beyond the website.

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4 years ago
Posted on 03rd Oct 2022 by

The Harvest GATEway Project

3.10.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

This year for Harvest, we are collecting as usual, but in the spirit of supporting our immediate community, we have decided that we want this to be even closer to home and support our own school community in these times of ever-increasing cost of living for everyone.

We will be collecting non-perishable donations (tins of food, toilet rolls, toiletries etc.) for a ‘give and take’ bank – hence the name GATEway (Give And TakE)!

With the contributions that are generously shared by parents, staff and governors, we will be setting up a regularly replenished box of non-perishable items – into which you can add items (box 1) if you can; or take items (box 2) should you need. These boxes will be outside the main office in the parent shelter.

If you can give something, please add it to the box. The box will be based on trust and not manned, and we are very much hoping that it may support those in need as we move into the winter months and while the cost of living is ever more.

Our project will launch during Harvest and we will notify you when the ‘Give and Take’ boxes are in place.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Miss Cook

Headteacher

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4 years ago
Posted on 30th Sep 2022 by

Attendance Letter from Miss Cook

Dear Parents/Carers

Attendance

As you know, being in school on time and every day is extremely important for all children in order that they receive the best possible start to their learning. We have recently sent out a one-page information sheet with lots of useful facts about attendance and what we do in our school.

We all know that good attendance is vital to a successful education, as this is the foundation for lifelong learning. We very much appreciate that sometimes children must miss school for a medical appointment that cannot be made out of school time. We also appreciate that sickness cannot be helped.

Please ensure that you make all reasonable efforts to send your child into school. Sometimes you might suspect that your child is slightly under the weather, but well enough to come to school. That is fine, as staff will monitor very carefully and if necessary, can administer medication and a call later on in the day. Sometimes a magic dose of Calpol is all that is needed. Clearly, there are some illnesses that mean there is no choice other than keeping them off for the day. The office staff are more than happy to discuss any queries you have.

Did you know that a child having 90% attendance is the same as having one day off every two weeks? If their attendance drops to 80%, that is the same as having a day off every week. Lessons are planned in sequences and if a child misses a part of this sequence, they are at a disadvantage when it comes to committing that learning to long term memory.

Mrs Powell, Mrs Millington and I, monitor the attendance figures every three weeks along with our Education Welfare Officer.  We discuss all attendance below 95% and put actions in place to support children and families where we notice patterns in absence.

Not only do we monitor individual children’s attendance, but we also look at the attendance of each class in our school. We are going to bring back more recognition for good attendance during our achievement assemblies now that we can be together in the hall again. The classes with the highest attendance will be announced in assembly every week.

Attendance Incentives

Cool Cat visits Newdale and greets the children arriving at school. He will visit again this year:

26th – 30th September 2022

23rd – 27th January 2023

24th – 28th April 2023

Children with 100% attendance will receive a treat.

 

The class with the best attendance each week will also receive a treat.

It is important to remind you the law states that: “The parent of every child of statutory school age is compelled by law to ensure such a child attends school unless there is a reasonable excuse for non-attendance.  Failure to do so may result in legal action being taken against you”.

Thank you in advance for your continued support in helping us do the best we can for your children.

Miss Cook

Headteacher

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4 years ago
Posted on 30th Sep 2022 by

Reception Star of the Week 💫

Our star today is Dola! She has worked hard in every lesson, every single day all week. She always follows our BSMART code. We love to see how enthusiastic you are to learn Dola. What a role model.

4 years ago
Posted on 29th Sep 2022 by

Grandparents

Next week the Mighty oaks children are focussing on the story “Little red riding hood”.  In the story the little girl visits her grandmother.  Linked to this, we are going to be talking about grandparents and would love to see your child’s grandparents.  Please could you send in a photograph, either a paper one or on evidence me, of the grandparents in your child’s life.  We will use these photo’s as a prompt for your child to share stories and memories about their nan’s and grandad’s.

In addition, please share “Little red riding hood” at home with your child to help familiarise them with the story.  You may have the story at home, be able to get it from the library or watch on youtube.  Please talk about the characters, settings and the order of the story to support your child’s vocabulary.

Thanks for your support

Mrs Lisa Curnow

4 years ago
Posted on 29th Sep 2022 by

Online Safety Parent Top Tip – JusTalk Kids app

It have been brought to our attention that some children in school have been using an app called ‘JusTalk Kids’. JusTalk Kids is a safe video calling and messaging app designed for kids.

In general, JusTalk Kids is a good app, it has safe communication functions: live videos, voice calls, photos, messaging and entertainment like doodling and gaming during conversations. A great mix of practical features and fun extras. You can use this app to chat with 16 people simultaneously in a video call.

However it does lack some basic parental controls that parents might expect, like the ability to link and manage a child’s account with an adult account to manage child’s contacts and other activity.

It is vital that you are monitoring chats that your children partake in and regularly check your child’s online activity.  It is also important for children and young people to be aware of what they are sharing online and who might see it. How often do you talk to your children about this? For more information about how to do this please see the NSPCC website link below.

Teaching Your Child about Internet & Online Safety | NSPCC

If you need more support or guidance with online safety please contact a staff member or send us an email newdale.primary@taw.org.uk