Year 1 Spring 2

Happy Half term!

We hope you have a wonderful week off to recharge your batteries ready for a new half term. We are looking forward to welcoming you back ready for our new topics and lots more of your amazing work. We are already so proud of your progress.

Reminders – for next half term.

Wednesday and Thursday – PE – please wear the correct PE uniform and footwear.

Friday Forest school – please wear appropriate forest school clothes and bring a change of sensible footwear (wellies) and waterproof coat/clothing named in a separate bag.

If you have a pet at home – please can you bring in a photo or send an email of you with your pet ready for next half term. Thank you.

See you back in school on Monday 23rd February.

Finance and Personnel Governor Involvement

The Finance and Personnel Governors met on 9th February. They listened to a data update from the assessment lead and then focused in particular on Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) eligible pupil data. They were reassured that PPG children have a strong focus this year through targeted interventions and pastoral support.

The Governors examined this year’s budget closely, along with the year‑end predictions for next year. They discussed the ongoing pressures created by the high number of pupils with complex needs and the impact this continues to have on the budget.

They also reviewed the proposed staffing structure for next year and were satisfied that it reflects what the school can afford while remaining aligned with the needs of the school.

Curriculum Governor Involvement

The Curriculum Governors met on 3rd February. The Child in Care Lead Teacher began by giving a detailed overview of the current situation in school and the extensive work taking place to support children who have experience of the care system. Governors then spoke sensitively with a child from this group and were pleased to hear that he feels safe and very well supported in school.

They also spoke with five other children and were reassured that they were receiving the support they needed to achieve and thrive.

The Governors received an update from a member of the Maths team and look forward to following up on several actions over the next few meetings.

Finally, the Governors reviewed performance data comparisons and were pleased to see that Newdale ranked highly in terms of the percentage of pupils achieving expected standards. Absence levels were also very favourable.

Red Nose Day – Friday 20th March 2026

Newdale will once again be taking part in Red Nose Day on Friday 20th March 2026.

Children are invited to dress down for the day and wear red if they wish.

Details on how to donate will be shared closer to the date.

Please see link below regarding how to purchase a red nose.

The Red Nose | Comic Relief

Please note that school will not be selling red noses.

 

Thank you

Monday 9th February

Hi just a little reminder we will be testing the children on these Jumping Orange Words on Monday 9th February. Many thank the Year 1 Team

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Year 1 Sculptures

This half term we have been learning about the artist Andy Goldsworthy. He is an outdoor artist who likes making sculptures using natural materials. A lot of his artwork is made up of spirals and circles. Today we made our own snail using clay which was inspired by his work.

Safeguarding, Health & Safety Governors Involvement

The Health and Safeguarding governors met last week and spent a lot of time looking at the important topic of E safety. They received an update from our E safety lead which included hearing about our filtering and monitoring systems, our E Safety risk assessment and AI usage. They then went onto to interview a group of Year 6 pupils. They were impressed with the knowledge these children had in how to stay safe online.

The Governors also looked at our first aid procedures and checked our staff Single Central Record (SCR). They concluded the meeting by feeding back from their previous parent voice session linked to safeguarding. They plan to repeat this session in order to gain more feedback.

Miss Lowe’s Class – Newdale Cup winners

Last Friday our class won the ‘Newdale Cup’ so we can have a treat this week.

On Friday 23rd January Miss Lowe’s class can bring in their slippers/sliders/crocs if they have to change into to wear in class. (this is optional please don’t go and buy new for tomorrow!)

The most important thing tomorrow is that the children can bring one toy/game/doll/card game/action figure (no electrical devices please) and we will have an afternoon to share and play with our favourite toys!

Miss Lowe