newsletters0708

Welcome Back

The children were wonderful in school yesterday and looked super too. A lovely start to the year – thank you.

Building work carried out in the summer holidays

As many of you have already seen we have had the entrance to school refurbished and it is now much more secure for the children.

The outside door will be open all of the time to allow access to the glass hatch were all enquiries will be dealt with. This is the only access into school now.

Lost property

Any jumpers etc. that have been found during the day will be put in a box in the entrance to school. If clothing, bottles, lunchboxes etc. are named we will endeavour to return them to the owner. Unnamed items will be kept in the box until the end of the week and then saved until the end of each half term. Permanent maker really is the best thing for writing names on clothing as pen and felt tip washes off easily. We still accumulate masses of unnamed clothing that is never claimed and has to be thrown away. This is a real waste.

Congratulations

We have just received a letter telling us that we have won the schools section of the Derby in Bloom competition. We are the first school to win for two years in a row. Well done to the twelve children who have a plot and also a big thank you to Ken, Maggie, Mrs Bint and Mrs Males who help the children with these. The children who currently look after the plots will continue to do so until the end of the growing season in October. We will then be asking another twelve year 5 children to put their names forward for the plots next year. Again a big well done.

Last year Miss Wood’s class grew potatoes and they have received a certificate from the Potato Growers Society for managing to grow so many in small pots. Well done.

Breakfast Club

School has taken on the responsibility for the provision of food for this. Mrs Heathcote and I will be meeting with some of the parents/carers who come regularly to breakfast club to discuss what can be provided to make the menu nourishing whilst at the same time more interesting. We are thinking of providing things such as crumpets, teacakes and fresh fruit instead of just cereal and toast. If you have any ideas please share them with us (Unfortunately a cooked breakfast is not possible).

Just a reminder that any child can come to Breakfast club and the only charge is for what the children eat.

Lunch times

We have had a couple of assemblies to explain to the children the activities that will be available to them at lunch times. This starts from Monday. Lunch times are now supervised by the teaching assistants. To begin with the children will be able to play indoor games such as Frustration, chess, Connect 4 and many others or use construction sets such as lego. This will be on a class rota basis so that all of the children can experience the new activities. By half term we hope to be able to develop this so that the children can make their own decisions about when to go and play indoors. From Monday the children will also be able to complete homework. This is not as a punishment but an opportunity to finish homework that hasn’t managed to be done at home because of busy lives. There will still be all of the equipment and football for use on the playground.

New rewards

You may have noticed the children coming home with smiley face stickers on their jumpers and cardigans. We have added these to our reward system and are using the older bronze star rewards primarily for curriculum activities.

Busy times

All of the staff in school spent a great deal of their holidays preparing for the children to come back to school. We are always looking at how we can improve our school to help the children achieve the very best in all areas of their lives. A great deal of thought has gone in to the changes that have been made at the beginning of this year and we want all of the children to benefit from this.

	July 2008 No.9 SPORTS! Mrs Merchant’s and Miss Wood’s classes at approximately 9.30 am in the morning followed by Mrs Kay’s, Mrs Moncaster’s and Mrs Blanchenot’s classes. Junior sports is all day on Wednesday. There will be a circuit of activities in the morning and the traditional ‘running races’ in the afternoon. Tea/coffee and cakes will be available each morning. Thank you. Reports These will be sent home with the children on Friday. We have used the lay out for the reports that was voted for by yourselves, so we hope they are informative for you. I must apologise for the yellow mark and unexpected dots on the reports. We have had unbelievable problems with computers and printers but didn’t want to delay the giving out of the reports whilst we waited for parts to arrive to mend them. Thank you for your understanding. Fundraising Thank you for all of your sponsorship money for the Three Peaks Challenge that staff completed in May. A total of £1,000 was raised. Unfortunately a climbing frame for the playground will cost a lot more than this so we are discussing a way forward on this. We have put bids in to people such as ‘Children in Need’ in the past but they are insistent that it has to be a community based project and have therefore had no luck. The summer fayre raised approximately £400. Thank you for your continued support. Dates for your diary We break up for the summer holidays next Wednesday (23^rd) and the children return to school on Friday 5^th September. Teachers will be in school during the holidays to prepare for next year and we have two days training on the 3^rd and 4^th September. Reception class equipment outside Miss Wood’s class. Unfortunately during the last few weeks some of this equipment has been broken by children playing on it before and after school. Please can you remind the children that it is learning equipment for the Reception class children to use during lesson time NOT a general play area. Bikes and scooters Another moan I’m afraid! The children must WALK with their bikes and scooters whilst in the school grounds. We have had several near misses but an accident is waiting to happen! Worms An increasing number of cases of worms have been reported to us recently. This is very common in children but can easily be eradicated. We are always reminding children to wash their hands after they have been to the toilet as it unfortunately isn’t the habit for some children to do this. Please ensure that you are giving the same message. It is a good idea to keep finer nails short too. Thank you. Behaviour We are quite rightly very proud of the general standard of behaviour in school and miss behaviour is not tolerated. I thought I would share with you the type of actions that we take. Thank you to everyone who was involved the other Friday morning with the incident regarding a Reception class child’s sandwich bag. The three children involved were severely reprimanded. They had to stay in at playtime and lunch time and write letters of apology to the child concerned and their parents. In addition to this they paid for a school lunch and a new school bag if that’s what was required. Their parents were also seen at the end of the school day. Thank you and have a good summer holiday.
	May 2008 No.8 Congratulations Mrs Kay has been appointed as our Deputy Head. Her substantive post will officially begin in September but she is already taking up the reins. Our heartfelt congratulations go to Mrs Kay who is more than ready for this challenging but rewarding position. Consultation Meadow Farm has been named as the school where one of the next Children’s centre in the city is to be placed. This will help families with children who are aged 0 – 5 years old access health, housing and social care without having to travel a long way to get it. The services being provided are to be consulted upon so it is your opportunity to say what you want. We have the consultation forms at the office so please call in and get one to fill in. Anyone in the community can fill one out, regardless of whether they have children under five or not. There isn’t any community buildings in this area so please have your say. Although the centre will be primarily for younger children we are pushing the city to provide for older children too e.g. youth clubs and out of school activities. Thank you. Relief kitchen staff The local authority have asked us to alert parents/carers and friends about the opportunity to be a relief kitchen assistant. If you are interested in this position please ring the catering department on 716440 and they will be happy to assist you. Class and group photographs These will be taken on June 16^th. Holiday forms Just a reminder that an official local authority holiday form has to be completed if you are taking your child/children out of school for a holiday and we then provide you with a ‘request approved’ form. The educational welfare officer looks at our attendance records each half term and checks these against our computer records. Thank you. SAT’s dates With the above in mind you must ensure your child is not out of school for their SAT’s in Year 6. If they are a prosecution by the city council will definitely occur (£50 per parent). Next year’s SAT’s are for the whole week Monday May 9^th to Friday May 13^th (inclusive). If these SAT’s are missed they can’t be taken at an alternative time. All of the children in school are assessed during this week. The Year 2 children have SAT’s which are taken over a longer period of time and they need to be in school after Easter until the end of May. Thank you. Picnic day (19^th June) There are Cheese, Tuna or egg sandwiches/cobs on offer again this year. All of the children take part in the Teddy Bear’s picnic and your favourite cuddly toy is more than welcome too. A list will go around to the classes asking which sandwich filling your child prefers, so you may want to discuss this with them. Children are welcome to have the school sandwiches supplied to them on that day BUT we must know by Friday 6^th June please so that the correct orders can be placed. Thank you. Sponsor money Thank you so much for the sponsor money that we have already received. Can we please have all remaining money in as soon as possible so that we can ascertain how much more money we need to raise to purchase a climbing frame for the children. Thank you. Summer Fayre – Friday July 4^th.
	April 2008 No.7 Congratulations Alan Wood in Year 6 has won a young writers competition. He has won tickets to go and see ‘Silly Billy’ at the Guildhall in May. Well done Alan, we are very proud of you. School Nurse Drop in sessions Our school nurse (Suzie Featherstone) will do drop - in sessions on the first and third Wednesdays each month, starting on 7^th May. Anyone can pop in between 8.30 am and 9.30 am to see her. Bike to school week 28^th April. It’s that time of year again! All of the children are encouraged to come to school on their bikes or scooters next week. If the children ride to school at least four times next week they will receive a ‘bike it’ badge and their names will go forward to the big summer draw where the first prize is a brand new bike. Our last two winners have been Christopher and Carmel. Pink cards – numbers We appreciate with the ever increasing use of mobile phones that it is difficult to keep track of whether or not you have informed us at school of your new number. Please, please, please make sure we have an emergency number for you. Many of the numbers we have tried to ring recently have been discontinued and it is only a matter of time before a child has to be taken to hospital and we are unable to contact you. If this situation did arise, then of course we would ensure your child was taken care of, BUT you, of course, need to know as soon as possible. Please keep us up to date. Thank you. Smoking in the school grounds (Reminder) It has been reported to us that parents/carers have been smoking on the school grounds and only extinguishing their cigarettes when they approach the playground. All of school, including the grounds is a smoking free zone so please extinguish your cigarettes outside of the school gates. Thank you. Lees Brook Community Sports College Lees Brook are holding family learning sessions from 9.15 – 12.15 on Saturday 26^th April, 17^th May and 5^th July. If you are interested in attending then please pick up a leaflet at the office. Holiday dates and INSET Our fourth INSET day for the year is on Friday 23^rd May. We therefore break up for half term on Thursday 22^nd May and return to school on Monday 2^nd June. Our final INSET of the year is on Friday 27^th June. This is not joined on to any holidays but it is the only day that the trainer could do. We break up for the Summer holidays on Wednesday 23^rd July. Sponsored Walk We hope the weather isn’t like it has been during the Easter break, but then again I don’t suppose we want it to be too hot either. Please think about us during the day. We are starting the challenge at about 6.00 am and some of us are getting up at 3.00 am and travelling to Horton – in – Ribblesdale that morning. The more sensible ones amongst us are staying the night before. At least we have the Bank Holiday Monday to recover! Tokens Thank you for all of the Supermarket tokens you have been collecting from your families and friends. We really appreciate it as we are able to exchange the tokens for the sports equipment that is used at lunch times. Lunch times Just to let you know that it is time to change the first and second sittings around. This will happen from next Monday. The children have exactly the same amount of time in the hall. Thank you.
	March 2008 No.6 Fair player award Congratulations to our 5 a side football team who have won the fair players award again this year. It’s great to win games but equally as important to do so fairly and have good grace when we loose too. Well done. Football kit The biggest of thank yous to Mr Hobday for providing us with fantastic new football kits for our teams. We will be the envy of Derby in our new bright orange and black kit. Mrs Hart Mrs Hart has been promoted and will be moving to a school in Derbyshire after Easter. A new Deputy Head will be appointed during the Summer term, in readiness for September. I am sure you will join with us in wishing Mrs Hart the very best of luck at her new school. Fund raising You and your children are very good at raising money for charity. As a school we raised a lot of money for many different children’s charities last year. We are very proud of the children and this is a practical example of the caring attitude we encourage them to have. We try to plan our fundraising over the year to spread the demand, but things seem to be coming along all at once at the moment. The children may have spoken to you about NSPCC coming to do an assembly last week. This had been booked for two years before Sports relief had been thought about. I would therefore like to suggest that if each child brings £1 on Friday we will do our ‘dancing’ marathon on the playground and give 50p to Sports relief and 50p to NSPCC. This will mean a donation of approximately £150 to each fund raising initiative. The children will be coming home with their NSPCC activity and envelopes but please let them use these as you wish. Thank you. The Yorkshire Three Peak Challenge for staff In the Autumn term the children normally do a sponsored walk around the edge of school to raise money for school funds. This year staff would like to do something and our new caretaker (Peter Phillips) has come up with a great idea. Staff will be hiking to the top of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough (in Yorkshire) a distance of 23 miles, hopefully in less than 12 hours. They will be doing this on Saturday May 3^rd (Bank holiday weekend). We are still deciding what we will spend the money that we raise on in school and if you have any ideas we would be more than happy to hear them. It would be good to have several ideas up our sleeve depending on how much we raise. We will send sponsor forms home for the children just before the April holidays. This is a difficult challenge but one that staff are really up for and we hope you like the different approach to raising money for all of the children in school to benefit from. Parent/Carer consultation evenings The Children’s books will be outside of the classrooms for you to look at during the parent/carer consultations evenings on Monday and Tuesday next week. If your child’s class is in the main school building then please use the main entrance to gain access as your child’s books will be in the shared areas outside the inside classroom doors. It’s warmer inside for you too. Thank you. Nurse Drop in The next drop in session with the school nurse is on Tuesday 25th March (9.00 pm). Susie is happy to give help and advice on a number of problems from bed wetting to head lice. Reminder We are not at school on Good Friday or Easter Monday.
	February 2008 No. 5 Wonderful news We have some excellent sports children in school but a couple deserve a special mention. Brett Dolan (Year 5) has been chosen to represent Derby boys in their forthcoming event in Germany. Very well done Brett – have a brilliant time – we are very proud of you. Jordan Thompson (the next Daley Thompson) has achieved the Derby record for high jump for his age group. His next quest is to compete for the National title. We’ve already booked his place in the 2020 Olympics. Keep it up Jordan. Stage success Emily Fletcher (Year 6) was in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Assembly rooms over the pantomime season. This is the second time Emily has been in the pantomime and this year she was promoted to a team leader. Good one Emily. Baby massage The baby massage classes that are taking place each Monday morning in school have been a real success. The first set of classes are full and people have already put their names down for next time. If you have family, friends or neighbours who have young children please let them know about the classes so that their babies can benefit from this very relaxing technique. Nursery Places Can you please remind anyone who has a young child (from birth to three) that they need to put their child’s name down for Nursery as soon as possible, in order to secure a place. Thank you. Holiday dates We break up on Friday 15^th February for half term and return to school on Monday 25^th February. We are not at school on Good Friday and Easter Monday (March 21^st and 24^th). We break up for the Easter holidays on Friday 4^th April and return to school on Monday 21^st April. Discos Valentine discos are as follows Tuesday 12^th February – Infant disco. Wednesday 13^th February – Junior disco. The older children will be going around the classes during the afternoon to sell tickets (£1 – this includes a drink and snack). Sports relief On Friday 14^th March all of the children will be taking part in a ‘keep kit’ session on the playground to raise money for this worthy cause. The children are being asked to make a donation of 50p. Thank you for your support. Breakfast club After half term I’m afraid we need to put each item sold at the breakfast club up by 10p. We haven’t increased the prices for the last three years and I’m sure you will appreciate that it is still very good value for money. New Save the Children shop in Derby We have been asked to bring this to your attention. The money raised at this charity shop pays for medication to prevent children dying from preventable diseases. If you could donate second hand items (in good condition) they would be very much appreciated. They are looking for – · All items purchased for hobbies e.g. Martial arts kit, Ballet dresses and shoes, Riding gear, Cricket kit and dressing up outfits. · Nursery items including bedding and soft furnishings. · Clothes from new born. · Children’s books and toys. *Save the Children Derby* 2 Osmaston Road Derby Derbyshire DE1 2HR Telephone: 01332 341699 Thank you.
	January 2008 No.4 A Happy New Year to everyone and we hope you had a good Christmas. Baby massage in school The local Child and Family Health Team will be in school each Monday morning (starting 14^th January). There will be a mini clinic from 9.00am – 9.30am for those people who find it difficult to get to the main clinic. 9.30am – 10.30am Baby massage and 10.30am – 11.30am Breastfeeding support. There is no charge for these. If you would like to book on the baby massage or have any questions then please ring 01332 525863 and they will be happy to help you. We have sent leaflets out with the Nursery and Reception class children but if you would like one, we have a few spare at the office. Family visitor Helen Hudson (family visitor) has joined our team. She will be working primarily with the Nursery and reception children. Car Parking Sadly, people are continuing to park illegally on the markings at the Albert Road entrance to school. It is very dangerous and only last year a child was bumped by a car (luckily they weren’t badly hurt). Holidays The local authority have made the Easter holidays static in order to make the Spring terms the same length each year. This will mean that Good Friday and Easter Monday will sometimes fall outside of the two week holiday. This is the case this year (the two days extra holiday are taken off elsewhere in the year). Good Friday is 21^st March and Easter Monday 24^th March. We break up for the two week holiday on Friday 4^th April and return to school on Monday 21^st April. Thank you. We haven’t got an INSET day now until Friday 23^rd May. The children therefore break up for May half term on Thursday 22^nd May and return to school on Monday 2^nd June. Our final INSET day this year is at the end of June (27^th). Puppy in school As you all know dogs are not allowed on the school grounds. However, we have a Grandparent who is training a puppy to work as a dog for the blind, so they will be seen on the school premises occasionally. Thank you. Sports success A team of our year 5 and year 6 pupils took part in a sports competition before Christmas and won. They are now going forward to the area finals. Well done and we wish you the very best of luck. Swearing Several parents/carers have been to speak to me about adults swearing on the playground when they are bringing their children to school or when picking them up at night. Please could you ensure that language is moderated as it isn’t pleasant for other adults to hear it let alone the children. Thank you. News! A group of year 6 children will be representing school at the assembly rooms on Sunday 20^th January. They are one of only a few schools in Derby and Derbyshire that have been invited to take part in a concert that is being held there. A music teacher has been working with the children each week and she is thrilled with the standard that the children have achieved. Well done.
	November 2007 No.3 School Closure We hope we don’t have an emergency like we did on Friday afternoon for a long time! The good thing was that it didn’t happen a few hours later when everyone had left for the weekend. If it had then the whole of the main building and most of its contents would have been ruined. A main water pipe had ruptured in the ceiling in the main entrance. This made the ceiling collapse and it brought the electricity cables down with it. Consequently the boiler was affected. Thank goodness no one was hurt, just rather wet staff who all rallied around to save as much stock as possible. The safety of the children is of paramount importance to us and everything was passed as safe for the children to return on Tuesday. Thank you to everyone for your understanding. Christmas appeal Thank you for all the produce we have received so far for the ‘Lions Christmas Appeal’. Just a reminder that they are coming to collect everything on Monday 3^rd December. Christmas dinnerThis is on Tuesday 11^th December. The children are more than welcome to have a dinner on this day but it must be ordered before hand in order for the kitchen staff to cater for the correct numbers. If your child normally brings sandwiches and they would like to have a Christmas dinner please can it be ordered and paid for by Tuesday 4^th December. Unfortunately we will not be able to provide a Christmas dinner to children who order a meal after this date. Thank you. Letters explaining absence At a meeting with the Educational Welfare Officer we were informed that a letter, explaining why a child has been absent from school, must be supplied by the parent/carer upon the child’s return to school. They are checking up on these and pressing us to give unauthorised absence if a letter isn’t forthcoming. We know lots of you already do this BUT can everyone do so in the future please. Educational visits Many schools do not go on educational visits any more because staff are not willing to take on the extra responsibilities that this involves. We believe that visits are an essential aid to children’s learning and really bring subjects alive. I’m sure you can still remember the trips you went on at school! Some visits are for longer than the school day and only approximate times for return can be given. As you all know, with the traffic as it is today, what will sometimes only take one hour can easily take two or more. We understand that this must be annoying but please be patient about this as we want to continue providing the children with these experiences and travel to the most appropriate places. A thank you at the end of a visit would be appreciated. Missing bike A bike went missing a couple of weeks ago on a Friday evening. If anyone has any information about this please come and tell us. Please ensure that bikes are locked as we can’t take responsibility for them. Barnaby If anyone wishes to take Barnaby Bear on holiday with them then please ask Mrs Marshall if he’s available. He loves travelling the world and having his photograph taken. Dinner money Just a reminder that dinner money went up to £1.55 per day (£7.75 per week) at the end of October. CHRISTMAS is NEARLY here! Christmas concerts It is the turn of the Juniors to stage a performance this year. Wednesday 12^th (pm) and Thursday 13^th (am) will be their performances. The Foundation stage/Infants will be performing a selection of Christmas songs on the morning of Wednesday 12^th December. There will be letters out shortly about these. Parties Monday 17^th December – Year 1/2 party. Tuesday 18^th December – Nursery and Reception class party. Wednesday 19^th December – Year 3/4 party. Thursday 20^th December – Year 5/6 party. Mrs Coleyshaw (nee Ganly) Will be leaving us at Christmas as she is taking early (very early!) retirement and is emigrating to Spain. Mrs Merchant will be teaching in the Nursery until next September. Christmas Fayre – Friday 7^th Look out for the posters! "………………………………………………………… CHRISTMAS DINNER ORDER FORM My child/ren …………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. normally bring sandwiches at lunchtime. I would like her / him / them to have a Christmas Dinner on Tuesday 11^th December. I enclose £1.55 per meal.
	October 2007 No.2 Assessment dates In order to ensure holidays are not booked during assessment time parents/carers have asked us for the 2009 dates in addition to the 2008 ones. 2008 - Monday 12^th May to Friday 16^th May (inclusive). 2009 - Monday 11^th May to Friday 15^th May (inclusive). All of the children, not just the Year 6 and Year 2, do their annual assessments during this time and it is very important for them to be in school. Thank you. Rise in the price of school meals Cabinet members of the city council have decided to increased the price of a school meal by 5p per day with effect from 29^th October. School meals will therefore be £1.55 per day (£7.75 per week). I would just like to thank everyone whose child has school meals for your understanding about us now being responsible for payments to the catering service, rather than the city. Your prompt payments have been very much appreciated. Breakfast club We have an increasing number of children coming to breakfast club, which is great to see. We appreciate that we are a very cheap form of child minding but enjoy seeing happy children starting the day with a healthy meal. Our fruit loaf is going down a treat and crumpets are making a come back too. A big thank you to Mrs Heathcote for making it such a success. Lunch times The new lunch time arrangements are proving to be a real success. We are introducing new things as ideas develop from staff and children. Mrs Mold had nearly forty children join her on the field for football the other day and she is sharing her skills with all of the children from the youngest to the oldest in school – fantastic. We showed things that had been made by the children in the construction room in Good work assembly the other Friday and the children are taking advantage of the homework /quiet room. Lunch time accidents are down dramatically and the children are returning to their classes after dinner much more calmly. A big well done to everyone, especially the children. Drainage pipe replacement The work to replace some of the drainage pipes is taking longer than anticipated as the ground is extremely hard to dig through. The company doing the work will continue all through half term, but it is anticipated that work will continue after this too. Please be prepared for the Albert Road entrance to school to still be closed when we return from the holidays. Dates for your diary Parent/Carer evenings are being held on Monday 12^th and Tuesday 13^th November. You will receive a letter about this straight after half term along with a questionnaire about ‘reports’. Disco tickets will be on sale from Monday 29^th October. The junior children will go around the classes selling these during the afternoons. Bonfire Infant disco – Tuesday 6^th November. Bonfire Junior disco – Thursday 8^th November. The children are more than welcome to wear fancy dress. Children in Need tuck shop – Friday 16^th November. Christmas Fayre – Friday 7^th December. Christmas dinner – Tuesday 11^th December. It is the turn of the Juniors to do a Christmas production this year. Their performances will be on the afternoon of Wednesday 12^th December and the morning of Thursday 13^th December. The infants will be performing a selection of Christmas songs on the morning of Wednesday 12^th December. Christmas parties will be held during the last week of term. INSET day - Monday January 7^th. Congratulations to Mrs Ganly and Steve who are getting married in the holidays. Mrs Ganly becomes Mrs Coleyshaw.
	September 2007 No.1 Welcome Back The children were wonderful in school yesterday and looked super too. A lovely start to the year – thank you. Building work carried out in the summer holidays As many of you have already seen we have had the entrance to school refurbished and it is now much more secure for the children. The outside door will be open all of the time to allow access to the glass hatch were all enquiries will be dealt with. This is the only access into school now. Lost property Any jumpers etc. that have been found during the day will be put in a box in the entrance to school. If clothing, bottles, lunchboxes etc. are named we will endeavour to return them to the owner. Unnamed items will be kept in the box until the end of the week and then saved until the end of each half term. Permanent maker really is the best thing for writing names on clothing as pen and felt tip washes off easily. We still accumulate masses of unnamed clothing that is never claimed and has to be thrown away. This is a real waste. Congratulations We have just received a letter telling us that we have won the schools section of the Derby in Bloom competition. We are the first school to win for two years in a row. Well done to the twelve children who have a plot and also a big thank you to Ken, Maggie, Mrs Bint and Mrs Males who help the children with these. The children who currently look after the plots will continue to do so until the end of the growing season in October. We will then be asking another twelve year 5 children to put their names forward for the plots next year. Again a big well done. Last year Miss Wood’s class grew potatoes and they have received a certificate from the Potato Growers Society for managing to grow so many in small pots. Well done. Breakfast Club School has taken on the responsibility for the provision of food for this. Mrs Heathcote and I will be meeting with some of the parents/carers who come regularly to breakfast club to discuss what can be provided to make the menu nourishing whilst at the same time more interesting. We are thinking of providing things such as crumpets, teacakes and fresh fruit instead of just cereal and toast. If you have any ideas please share them with us (Unfortunately a cooked breakfast is not possible). Just a reminder that any child can come to Breakfast club and the only charge is for what the children eat. Lunch times We have had a couple of assemblies to explain to the children the activities that will be available to them at lunch times. This starts from Monday. Lunch times are now supervised by the teaching assistants. To begin with the children will be able to play indoor games such as Frustration, chess, Connect 4 and many others or use construction sets such as lego. This will be on a class rota basis so that all of the children can experience the new activities. By half term we hope to be able to develop this so that the children can make their own decisions about when to go and play indoors. From Monday the children will also be able to complete homework. This is not as a punishment but an opportunity to finish homework that hasn’t managed to be done at home because of busy lives. There will still be all of the equipment and football for use on the playground. New rewards You may have noticed the children coming home with smiley face stickers on their jumpers and cardigans. We have added these to our reward system and are using the older bronze star rewards primarily for curriculum activities. Busy times All of the staff in school spent a great deal of their holidays preparing for the children to come back to school. We are always looking at how we can improve our school to help the children achieve the very best in all areas of their lives. A great deal of thought has gone in to the changes that have been made at the beginning of this year and we want all of the children to benefit from this.