Dear Parents & Carers,
As we approach the end of another academic year, we said goodbye to our Year 6 on Friday and they are spending this week at their secondary schools in preparation for September. We are delighted with the success they have achieved in SATs, where everyone gave of their best and achieved remarkable results. However, for me, their greatest achievement was the resilience they have shown in transition to secondary and their fantastic end-of-primary celebrations – Snow White and the Seven Jockeys Performance as well as their ‘Personality’ Collective Worship – showing their very best and we have great expectations for each of them.
In our school the children spend today in their new classrooms and have a chance to think about their successes and where they want to go next with their learning. They set themselves targets and hear about the curriculum they will be following over the next academic year. It is an exciting time and all the children seem to have enjoyed their day.
Deployment of Teachers
Your children have been preparing for September with their teachers today. However, I’m sure you will be interested to know the arrangements. Many are moving up with their teachers, but we have a teacher starting with us in September, Mr. Stamford, who will be class teacher for Year 4. Everyone else is already known to the children and their classes are as follows:
Nursery Mrs Dixon & Miss Ryan
Reception Mrs Hutchinson
Year 1 Mrs Henry & Mrs Wright
Year 2 Miss McMorris
Year 3 Mrs Brookbanks & Mrs Wright
Year4 Mr Stamford
Year 5 Miss Wood
Year 6 Mrs Marshall & Mrs Lupton
Miss Crowe and Mr Boagey will continue to work with children and classes across the setting.
Finals Afternoon & Family at School Picnic
Many of you have enjoyed seeing your children sharing one of the games their class has learnt this year and competing in athletic heats. We hope this celebration of the wide sports and PE provision we offer, similar to the Art Gallery in Autumn and the Spring Music Ensemble, gives you a glimpse into the breadth of our curriculum. The Finals Afternoon, for those winning their heats, will take place on Wednesday, 19th July, from 1.30 pm.
Our traditional Summer picnic will be on our last day of term this year, Thursday, 20th July. We hope, weather permitting, to be able to share this on the school field, but have arrangements in place for inclement weather. Remember to prepare a picnic packed-lunch for your children, or if you need to access one prepared by the school kitchen, please let us know. (Some parents have already informed us – thank you!)
Fund Raising
Thank you very much to all who collected and supported fund raising through our sponsored practice. You raised an astonishing £787.74 to support our music provision across the setting, which I know is highly valued.
Uniform
As we turn our thoughts to the new academic year, please be conscious of our uniform requirements: our uniform is grey for trousers, skirts, shorts, pinafores etc. (NOT black or navy); white or jade for shirts, polo shirts etc; and, navy for jumpers, sweatshirts, cardigans and coats. Please note all children in school need two pairs of footwear: indoor footwear can be shoes or slippers, but not training shoes or slipper socks; outdoor shoes can be trainers or shoes for use at breaktimes. PE uniform consists of a T-shirt in a given house colour, with navy shorts and, for outdoor sessions, navy tracksuit. Please note that NO jewellery is allowed as part of our uniform policy. Piercings of any kind, including ear-rings must be removed before coming into school. (If you would like your child to have pierced ears, knowing that it takes 6 weeks before they can be removed, this Friday would be an ideal opportunity. However, please remember they cannot be worn in holiday care.)
Payment System
Our payment system is changing. We are moving from ‘SCOpay’ to ‘My Child At School’ (MCAS) for anyone paying for school meals, Out of School Hours Care (including Breakfast and After School Care as well as Holiday Care), residential visits etc. If you have any difficulties with the transfer of systems, please contact reception.
Recovery from the pandemic
I have noticed that the good behaviour of our children is slowly returning to that we enjoyed before the pandemic. As you know this alongside presentation was the last lingering remnant of the damage caused by the pandemic in school. We will continue to strive next year to surpass our targets and continue to see improvement in both learning and social behaviour.
We, also, need to be conscious of how adults behave. While, I recognise that the care of your child is your paramount concern and you want the best for them at all times, please remember we, each one of us individually as well as all of us communally, are doing the best we can to support the learning and care of each and every child, so they receive all they need from education. It would seem to me that the pandemic blurred the lines of what is and is not acceptable when dealing with public servants, but I would hope that schools will not become the A&E departments of the education world where police are on duty to ensure the safety of staff. We take a zero-tolerance attitude to the threatening and abuse of staff and will seek police and legal intervention as well as withdrawing services and making use of the employee protection register and procedures for any incident where staff feel threatened.
Our patronal feast for St. John Vianney takes place during the Summer break on Friday 4th August and is a time to especially celebrate our learning and worshipping communities. As ever, please remember in your prayers the children and families of our setting and all the staff that support them throughout the year.
As some of you know, my Mam died last week and as you can imagine, particularly at this time of year, it is very difficult. I am very grateful for the sympathy shown to me by our children and I ask that you keep me and my family in your prayers as we struggle through the next few days leading up to the funeral.
Yours sincerely,
John Hardy, Head Teacher