13 June 2014
Newsletter
13 June 2014 Dear Parents and Carers
The term is gathering momentum as we are trying to fit lots of events and visits in! I’m afraid that this newsletter will contain a lot of information – so you will need your diaries handy.
Student Teachers
New teaching assistant for Owls
The staff and children were sad to see Miss Wallace, Miss Dormund and Miss Marshall leave. All the student teachers had extremely successful placements and 2 of them had secured teaching positions prior to leaving us.
I am pleased to inform you that Viv Strachan will be joining us in September as a Teaching Assistant for 4 mornings a week. We are pleased to welcome her to the staff and look forward to working with her next year.
Lost property We have had quite a few parents at the office recently concerned that their children have lost quite expensive coats/trainers and they are not in school. Please will you check at home to make sure that you don’t have any clothing/equipment belonging to anyone else. Please ensure that all equipment and clothing coming into school is clearly labelled and that your child knows there their name is on the clothing. If your child is too young to recognise their name, a piece of coloured ribbon sewn into clothes would help us to help them find their things.
PTA
World cup
The PTA have had an extremely successful year – it started with the auction which raised £1752.64 and ended with the summer fair which raised a grand total of £1832.88. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to raise these amazing amounts. A contribution of £3000 has been made by the Committee to the Activity & Community Room.
World Cup fever has hit Stannington! Over the next few weeks there will be lots of learning and activities based around the World Cup. Mr T and Mr D are very excited!
Cycling Challenge Week Next week it is national school cycle week. We will be entering a competition and there will be individual prizes for children who bike to school regularly.
Community & Activity Room The order for the building has now been placed! It will be delivered early in September so that the children can watch the delivery and construction. They will be so excited to see it arrive! We have been successful with a bid to Community Chest - £3000 and hopefully we have more donations coming over the next few weeks. Thanks to the team of Dad’s who cycled from Stannington to Edinburgh to raise both their fitness levels and our appeal total – I am not sure of the total amount, but I believe it is in the region of £1000.
Story Writing Competition
Governor vacancy
Some of you may remember the story writing competition that we held a few years ago, which was a great success with both children and parents. We have decided to hold another competition between now and the end of term. Stories need to be up to 500 words long and based around Stannington. It is open to all the children in the school and will be judged in year group categories. Parents/grandparents/carers will be in a category of their own. The closing date will be 4th July. We will have an author to judge the stories and the winners will be announced before the end of term. I look forward to receiving lots and lots of stories – happy writing!
Please see the attached letter regarding new governors – we have a vacancy for a new parent governor.
Environment Day – 15th July The whole school (and any available parents) will be involved in a day working in the outside environment, building the tree house, moving and rebuilding the fire pit, building the bottle greenhouse, plus other exciting projects. It will be a fun day – if you are interested please let me know.
Sunshine and water
Children rule – 16th July th
We have decided that 16 July is the day that Year 4 can take control of the school! They can take on roles of the teachers, cook, secretary and Head Teacher (if they would like to). Mr D will talk to the children about this nearer the time … it should be an extremely interesting day !!
Please remember to apply sun cream to your child when the weather is warm. Could you also ensure that your child has a water bottle in school, in addition to any drink they may have in their packed lunch.
Safeguarding Please see the attached letter from Dave Hepton, Chair of Governors, regarding our recent Safeguarding Inspection.
Questionnaires
New clerical assistant
Hard copy questionnaires have been handed to all children today. Please complete and return them by Friday 20th June.
I am pleased to announce that we have appointed Mrs Kerrie Gresham to assist Mrs Harker in the office from September.
Universal Free School Meals From September 2014 the Government will be introducing “free” school meals for all reception, year 1 and year 2 children. In order for us to prepare for an increase in numbers, I would be grateful if you could complete the attached reply slip as soon as possible.
Forthcoming dates: June 19th – Year 4’s to Chantry for mini-Olympics competition June 20th – Owls to orienteering competition at Wallington Hall June 25th – Owls to Brinkburn Priory June 27th – Teacher Training day June 30th – transfer day July 2nd – Reception and Year 1 parent welcome meetings (more details to follow) July 10th – Sports day July 11th – School reports issued July 15th – Environment Day July 16th – Children rule day! July 17th – Leavers lunch and assembly July 18th – Last day of term -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REPLY SLIP Free School meals for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Pupil name : My child will be having the “free” school meals from September (please tick) My child will be bringing a packed lunch from September
Bootcamp One of our nursery mums, Laura Nicholson, is running an exercise Bootcamp. She is offering 4 sessions per week with a charge of £2.50 per class. Sessions will be held outside in ALL weathers. Everyone is welcome, all levels of fitness will be catered for and there will be having a lot of fun! So, whether you’re a Hard Core Helen or Newbie Nelly there is no excuse! The location will be around the Stannington/Blagdon area. If you are interested please speak to Laura or pass your name to Mrs Harker. Finally, 50p from each attendee’s payment will be donated to the Community & Activity Room.
Kind regards Helen Stokoe Head Teacher
Dear Parent Parent Governor Vacancy Do you want to be involved in shaping the direction of Stannington First School? If so, why not consider becoming a school governor. There is currently one vacancy for a parent governor at this school. What do school governors do?
Set the strategic direction for the school
Agree appropriate targets for the performance of students at the school
Monitor the performance of the school
Advise on school policies and procedures, e.g. in behaviour, attendance, pupil welfare, curriculum development
Provide a vital means for parents and the community to get their views heard by the governing body as a whole
Take overall responsibility for the school's budget, the school’s site and staffing structure
Are you interested? If you are interested in becoming a parent governor but feel a little daunted by the responsibility you may be taking on, remember that full training is available, and you will always act as part of a team. No particular experience or qualifications are required. As well as the above mentioned, your role would be as a typical parent bringing a parent's perspective to the running of the governing body and the school. Your commitment If you become a governor, you will be taking on the following commitments to help assist the Head Teacher and make sure the school is well managed;
Attend and participate in governors meetings on a regular basis – the governors generally meet every half term
Be a member of one of the 2 committees that support the governing body to fulfil its functions – committees generally meet three times a year and currently cover: Health and Safety, Finance and Staffing, and Curriculum and Policy
Undergo appropriate training
You may also be invited to sit on new staff appointment panels
What do you need to do next? Read the section at the end of this letter that explains the process for appointing parent governors. A nomination form is attached. If you would like to know more about the role of parent governor or the appointment process you are welcome to contact the Headteacher or the current Chair of Governors, David Hepton (via the school office).
Yours sincerely
David Hepton Chair of Governors
_________________________________________________________________________ Process for Selection and Appointment of Parent Governors
As the parent, carer or other person with parental responsibility for a pupil at this school you have the right to both propose candidates and stand as a candidate yourself.
If you decide to put yourself forward for a parent governor vacancy you will need to find two other parents willing to propose and second your nomination. You will need to ask them to complete and sign section A of the enclosed form.
If more parents want to become governors than there are vacancies, a ballot will be held. Ballot papers and details of the election process will be sent to all parents and carers eligible to vote.
If you put yourself forward and no ballot is necessary you will be elected unopposed from the day after the deadline for nominations passes.
You are invited to provide a short statement to support your nomination as a parent governor (see section B of the enclosed nomination form). If a ballot is held this statement will be included on the ballot paper to help other parents decide who to vote for.
If you are elected as a governor your term of office will normally be three years. You can resign at any time. If your child leaves the school you can continue as a governor until the end of your term of office.
The enclosed nomination form must be returned to the Headteacher by Friday 20 June.
If you are elected you will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure check.
th
PARENT GOVERNOR NOMINATION FORM
School Governing Body
Candidate:
Address:
Proposed by:
Address:
Seconded by:
Address:
Signature of Candidate:
Date:
NOTE: The candidate, proposer and seconder must be parents or carers of children on the school roll.
Dear Parents and Carers Following a recent safeguarding inspection from Northumberland County, a visit triggered by a parental concern, I am delighted to inform you that the school was found to be complying with the required safeguarding procedures and actions as required by both Northumberland County Council and Ofsted. During the inspection, the school was subjected to a thorough 50 point itemised inspection, including interviews with members of staff to ensure they were aware of, and carrying out safeguarding to the required standards. They also interviewed pupils themselves to get the perspective of the people who really matter within the school. After these interviews, the inspector found that staff were fully up to speed with the current practices and all aspects of safeguarding. As with all organisations there were minor areas that we agreed that could be improved (for example there will be a new signing in sheet), but we see this feedback as a valuable tool to enable us to continually improve. The governors feel that we do provide the best environment for the development of our young people, one that is not only enjoyable for their learning but also safe for their personal development. An ethos which is best captured by the following comment, taken from the report: “One of the things which impressed me most on my visit was the enthusiasm and passion with which the young people spoke about their school. They were articulate, open and honest. They acknowledged the school was not perfect (but nearly), they were able to give me specific examples of how they felt listened to, how they were valued within the school community and most of all how they felt safe.” The Governing Body and I would like to congratulate and thank all the staff for their continued efforts to work for the benefit of our pupils, the school, and parents.
Kind regards, David Hepton Chair of Governors
13 June 2014 Dear Parents and Carers
The term is gathering momentum as we are trying to fit lots of events and visits in! I’m afraid that this newsletter will contain a lot of information – so you will need your diaries handy.
Student Teachers
New teaching assistant for Owls
The staff and children were sad to see Miss Wallace, Miss Dormund and Miss Marshall leave. All the student teachers had extremely successful placements and 2 of them had secured teaching positions prior to leaving us.
I am pleased to inform you that Viv Strachan will be joining us in September as a Teaching Assistant for 4 mornings a week. We are pleased to welcome her to the staff and look forward to working with her next year.
Lost property We have had quite a few parents at the office recently concerned that their children have lost quite expensive coats/trainers and they are not in school. Please will you check at home to make sure that you don’t have any clothing/equipment belonging to anyone else. Please ensure that all equipment and clothing coming into school is clearly labelled and that your child knows there their name is on the clothing. If your child is too young to recognise their name, a piece of coloured ribbon sewn into clothes would help us to help them find their things.
PTA
World cup
The PTA have had an extremely successful year – it started with the auction which raised £1752.64 and ended with the summer fair which raised a grand total of £1832.88. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to raise these amazing amounts. A contribution of £3000 has been made by the Committee to the Activity & Community Room.
World Cup fever has hit Stannington! Over the next few weeks there will be lots of learning and activities based around the World Cup. Mr T and Mr D are very excited!
Cycling Challenge Week Next week it is national school cycle week. We will be entering a competition and there will be individual prizes for children who bike to school regularly.
Community & Activity Room The order for the building has now been placed! It will be delivered early in September so that the children can watch the delivery and construction. They will be so excited to see it arrive! We have been successful with a bid to Community Chest - £3000 and hopefully we have more donations coming over the next few weeks. Thanks to the team of Dad’s who cycled from Stannington to Edinburgh to raise both their fitness levels and our appeal total – I am not sure of the total amount, but I believe it is in the region of £1000.
Story Writing Competition
Governor vacancy
Some of you may remember the story writing competition that we held a few years ago, which was a great success with both children and parents. We have decided to hold another competition between now and the end of term. Stories need to be up to 500 words long and based around Stannington. It is open to all the children in the school and will be judged in year group categories. Parents/grandparents/carers will be in a category of their own. The closing date will be 4th July. We will have an author to judge the stories and the winners will be announced before the end of term. I look forward to receiving lots and lots of stories – happy writing!
Please see the attached letter regarding new governors – we have a vacancy for a new parent governor.
Environment Day – 15th July The whole school (and any available parents) will be involved in a day working in the outside environment, building the tree house, moving and rebuilding the fire pit, building the bottle greenhouse, plus other exciting projects. It will be a fun day – if you are interested please let me know.
Sunshine and water
Children rule – 16th July th
We have decided that 16 July is the day that Year 4 can take control of the school! They can take on roles of the teachers, cook, secretary and Head Teacher (if they would like to). Mr D will talk to the children about this nearer the time … it should be an extremely interesting day !!
Please remember to apply sun cream to your child when the weather is warm. Could you also ensure that your child has a water bottle in school, in addition to any drink they may have in their packed lunch.
Safeguarding Please see the attached letter from Dave Hepton, Chair of Governors, regarding our recent Safeguarding Inspection.
Questionnaires
New clerical assistant
Hard copy questionnaires have been handed to all children today. Please complete and return them by Friday 20th June.
I am pleased to announce that we have appointed Mrs Kerrie Gresham to assist Mrs Harker in the office from September.
Universal Free School Meals From September 2014 the Government will be introducing “free” school meals for all reception, year 1 and year 2 children. In order for us to prepare for an increase in numbers, I would be grateful if you could complete the attached reply slip as soon as possible.
Forthcoming dates: June 19th – Year 4’s to Chantry for mini-Olympics competition June 20th – Owls to orienteering competition at Wallington Hall June 25th – Owls to Brinkburn Priory June 27th – Teacher Training day June 30th – transfer day July 2nd – Reception and Year 1 parent welcome meetings (more details to follow) July 10th – Sports day July 11th – School reports issued July 15th – Environment Day July 16th – Children rule day! July 17th – Leavers lunch and assembly July 18th – Last day of term -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REPLY SLIP Free School meals for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Pupil name : My child will be having the “free” school meals from September (please tick) My child will be bringing a packed lunch from September
Bootcamp One of our nursery mums, Laura Nicholson, is running an exercise Bootcamp. She is offering 4 sessions per week with a charge of £2.50 per class. Sessions will be held outside in ALL weathers. Everyone is welcome, all levels of fitness will be catered for and there will be having a lot of fun! So, whether you’re a Hard Core Helen or Newbie Nelly there is no excuse! The location will be around the Stannington/Blagdon area. If you are interested please speak to Laura or pass your name to Mrs Harker. Finally, 50p from each attendee’s payment will be donated to the Community & Activity Room.
Kind regards Helen Stokoe Head Teacher
Dear Parent Parent Governor Vacancy Do you want to be involved in shaping the direction of Stannington First School? If so, why not consider becoming a school governor. There is currently one vacancy for a parent governor at this school. What do school governors do?
Set the strategic direction for the school
Agree appropriate targets for the performance of students at the school
Monitor the performance of the school
Advise on school policies and procedures, e.g. in behaviour, attendance, pupil welfare, curriculum development
Provide a vital means for parents and the community to get their views heard by the governing body as a whole
Take overall responsibility for the school's budget, the school’s site and staffing structure
Are you interested? If you are interested in becoming a parent governor but feel a little daunted by the responsibility you may be taking on, remember that full training is available, and you will always act as part of a team. No particular experience or qualifications are required. As well as the above mentioned, your role would be as a typical parent bringing a parent's perspective to the running of the governing body and the school. Your commitment If you become a governor, you will be taking on the following commitments to help assist the Head Teacher and make sure the school is well managed;
Attend and participate in governors meetings on a regular basis – the governors generally meet every half term
Be a member of one of the 2 committees that support the governing body to fulfil its functions – committees generally meet three times a year and currently cover: Health and Safety, Finance and Staffing, and Curriculum and Policy
Undergo appropriate training
You may also be invited to sit on new staff appointment panels
What do you need to do next? Read the section at the end of this letter that explains the process for appointing parent governors. A nomination form is attached. If you would like to know more about the role of parent governor or the appointment process you are welcome to contact the Headteacher or the current Chair of Governors, David Hepton (via the school office).
Yours sincerely
David Hepton Chair of Governors
_________________________________________________________________________ Process for Selection and Appointment of Parent Governors
As the parent, carer or other person with parental responsibility for a pupil at this school you have the right to both propose candidates and stand as a candidate yourself.
If you decide to put yourself forward for a parent governor vacancy you will need to find two other parents willing to propose and second your nomination. You will need to ask them to complete and sign section A of the enclosed form.
If more parents want to become governors than there are vacancies, a ballot will be held. Ballot papers and details of the election process will be sent to all parents and carers eligible to vote.
If you put yourself forward and no ballot is necessary you will be elected unopposed from the day after the deadline for nominations passes.
You are invited to provide a short statement to support your nomination as a parent governor (see section B of the enclosed nomination form). If a ballot is held this statement will be included on the ballot paper to help other parents decide who to vote for.
If you are elected as a governor your term of office will normally be three years. You can resign at any time. If your child leaves the school you can continue as a governor until the end of your term of office.
The enclosed nomination form must be returned to the Headteacher by Friday 20 June.
If you are elected you will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure check.
th
PARENT GOVERNOR NOMINATION FORM
School Governing Body
Candidate:
Address:
Proposed by:
Address:
Seconded by:
Address:
Signature of Candidate:
Date:
NOTE: The candidate, proposer and seconder must be parents or carers of children on the school roll.
Dear Parents and Carers Following a recent safeguarding inspection from Northumberland County, a visit triggered by a parental concern, I am delighted to inform you that the school was found to be complying with the required safeguarding procedures and actions as required by both Northumberland County Council and Ofsted. During the inspection, the school was subjected to a thorough 50 point itemised inspection, including interviews with members of staff to ensure they were aware of, and carrying out safeguarding to the required standards. They also interviewed pupils themselves to get the perspective of the people who really matter within the school. After these interviews, the inspector found that staff were fully up to speed with the current practices and all aspects of safeguarding. As with all organisations there were minor areas that we agreed that could be improved (for example there will be a new signing in sheet), but we see this feedback as a valuable tool to enable us to continually improve. The governors feel that we do provide the best environment for the development of our young people, one that is not only enjoyable for their learning but also safe for their personal development. An ethos which is best captured by the following comment, taken from the report: “One of the things which impressed me most on my visit was the enthusiasm and passion with which the young people spoke about their school. They were articulate, open and honest. They acknowledged the school was not perfect (but nearly), they were able to give me specific examples of how they felt listened to, how they were valued within the school community and most of all how they felt safe.” The Governing Body and I would like to congratulate and thank all the staff for their continued efforts to work for the benefit of our pupils, the school, and parents.
Kind regards, David Hepton Chair of Governors
