Sheldwich Primary School NEWSLETTER
Sheldwich Primary School NEWSLETTER No. 1
Website Address www.sheldwich.kent.sch.uk
E-Mail [email protected]
Pre-School News
Dear Parents, A huge welcome to all our new parents here at school and at our wonderful new Pre-School as well as everyone else! You will find a host of information in this newsletter and subsequent editions which are sent home fortnightly starting next Friday (16th) and posted on our website. Once we have Parentmail up and running again for this year, we will continue sending home information by e-mail but in the meantime please ensure you check your child’s bag for letters. The first important date for your diaries is Tuesday 13th September, the day of our transition meetings for parents of children in Classes 1 - 6. The purpose of these meetings is to give you an insight into your child’s daily routine and explain how he/she will be taught in his/her new class. You will also have the opportunity to ask the class teacher any questions you may have. There will be two time slots in each classroom, to enable you to visit more than one class/teacher as follows: • Meetings in Classes 1 – 6 will be at 3pm and 3.30pm Each meeting will last for approximately 20 minutes and your school age children will be supervised during this time. • Mrs Morrison will be offering a transition meeting at 12.45pm on Wednesday 14th September as this time will coincide with collection time. I hope as many parents as possible will be able to attend but we will send home information from the meetings to those unable to come. I look forward to seeing you all at the drop off point and at the various meetings coming up in the next few weeks but in the meantime enjoy the excitement of a new academic year! Mrs S Garrett Headteacher
Staff News By now most of you will have seen our new staff; Miss Wood, Mrs Hickmott and Mrs McCorriston, here at school and Mrs Ashmore, Miss Clark and Mrs Bryant at the Pre-School. I’m sure you will all make them feel welcome here at Sheldwich. Uniform The children have all returned to school looking so smart and as a result we have handed out lots of raffle tickets already. A reminder please that juniors should all be wearing ties and shirts now it is beginning to cool down.
It was wonderful to meet so many lovely children and families at the open day on Saturday and our little family is steadily growing. Thanks to all of the staff and Governors who came along to support us. The first week at Pre- School has been amazing and we have been working on settling the children in. Good News: This week Safiyya built the most amazingly tall tower: taller than Mrs Pugsley! Rhyme of the Week: please take a copy at the door to Pre-School Hey Diddle Diddle The Cat and the Fiddle. The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such fun. And the dish ran away with the spoon. Next week we will me making some ‘spoon friends’ to help us remember it. Picture of the Week: it was very difficult to choose as there were so many lovely ones; however, drum roll please: Violet painted a beautiful circle - Well done, we love how you expressed yourself. Shiny the Sheldwich Bear has had an amazing first week too, going home with Ethan and getting dressed up like a fairy with Mia and Joshua. He is now off having an adventure with Tommy and we cannot wait to hear all of his news when he gets back. Don’t forget: If you are out and about shopping at the weekend and haven’t already done so, please buy a pair of ‘indoor’ slipper/ shoes. Finally A BIG BIG THANKYOU to everyone who donated items to the Pre-School. The children love the mud kitchen and climbing on the huge tractor tyre. YOU know who you are; your kindness and generosity has made a lot of little people and a few big ones very happy. Please book in with the office if you would like a visit - we would love to see you. Kind regards Mrs Ashmore, Miss Clark, Mrs Bryant and Mrs Pugsley. Pencil Cases We supply all classes with everything they need in class; however, we encourage children in Classes 2 – 6 to bring a well- equipped pencil case to school with everything named as usual. These should include pencils and colour pencils, sharpener, eraser and a 30cm ruler. The juniors will continue writing with a pencil until they have been awarded their pen licence.
th
9 September 2016
Dinners School dinners cost £2.30 per day for junior children. Please ensure you pay in advance either weekly or termly. You can pay by cash, cheque or via the website: www.principalscatering.com. If payment is not received in advance our cook has no obligation to feed your child, but obviously this is not a rule we want to enforce!
Parking Please can we remind you of our dropping off and collection procedures for those of you who drive your children to school. The gravel car park is for the sole use of Class R and Pre-School parents, although it does still get crowded and you will need to park very carefully with due consideration for others. You may like to use the church car park instead and walk along the new footpath through the woods. You will find it much easier turning right onto the A251 from there. If you have blocked other cars in the gravel car park, please ensure you move your car as soon as you can to enable all parents to make a swift getaway! All other parents please follow these guidelines: • In the morning please drop your children in the lay-by at the front of the school where there will be a member of staff between 8.40am and 8.55am. • Please do not leave your car unattended in the lay-by as this causes traffic chaos as more parents try to pull into the school grounds. • If you feel it is necessary to bring your child onto the playground then please park either in the church car park or along Lees Court Road, beyond our ‘In gate’ and toward the Lees, paying particular attention to driveways. • Please do not park on the road down toward the A251 as this is hazardous to both other road users and pedestrians. • Please do not bump your car up on the path as this makes it very difficult and dangerous for parents with pushchairs. The safety of the children is paramount and by following these guidelines we can minimise any dangers. Thank you for your cooperation. Playground If you are on the playground in the morning when the whistle is blown, feel free to wave goodbye to your children but please remain on the edge of the playground so that pupils can line up easily and staff can have a clear view of their classes. Also, please ensure that younger siblings stay with you at all times and are not allowed to run around the playground or play on the school equipment.
Wet Weather If it is raining hard in the morning when you arrive at school, please send your child straight to the hall where they will be supervised by staff and directed to class. If it is raining at the end of the day, please walk around to the back doors of the classrooms to collect the children, but not before 3.25pm. September 2017 Admissions If you have a younger child due to start here in September 2017, please come to the office and complete our application form. Please note that this is just for our information; you will have to complete the official application online at the end of November. More information about this will be announced nearer the time. School Snacks We would like to remind you of our school policy regarding snacks brought into school. Our ‘Food and Drink Policy’ states that we encourage all children to eat a healthy snack of fruit or vegetable, either fresh or dried but this does not include fruit/cereal bars or cheese. All infant children receive a free snack during afternoon break but if you would like to provide a snack for morning break please follow the above guidelines. We have children with serious nut allergies so please do not send your child with food including nuts. If your child has a birthday and you would like to send in a treat for the whole class, please provide something easy for the class teacher to distribute e.g. 30 individual cakes or little bags of sweets. These will usually be given out at the end of the school day. If your child has a food allergy please provide us with a small named bag of treats which we can keep in the office to ensure yout child does not miss out! Parent Helpers/Reading Workshop We will be offering a parent helper and reading workshop on Friday 23rd September at 9.15am in the hall. This is an opportunity for you to get to grips with how we teach your children to read at school and also how you can help, either at home or at school. We will provide refreshments and a play area for your pre-schoolers so you can relax and chat with other parents (hopefully!). Before any parent starts helping in school it is essential to attend the workshop as we cover many important issues. If you are unable to make this day, please speak to the office staff. Medication If your child needs regular medication during school time e.g. asthma inhalers or piriton for allergies, please send medication clearly labelled with name and instructions to the office and we will keep it for the whole term. If your child goes on a school trip or out of school for any other reason, the medication will go with him or her. If your child is prescribed a short course of antibiotics or similar, we are willing to give a dose at 12pm IF the dosage is 4 times daily. If the dose is only 3 times daily, please dose your child directly before and after school.
Flu Vaccinations We have been informed by the NHS School Immunisation Team that all children in Classes 1, 2 and 3 will be offered the flu vaccination in the form of a nasal spray. These vaccinations are due to take place on Wednesday 19th October but you will receive letters regarding this a few weeks before. P.E. If you haven’t already, please bring your child’s P.E. kit to school on Monday and tell your child to keep it here all term. Trainers are essential for outdoor P.E. and as always, please make sure everything is named. If your child wears studs in their ears, please make sure you remove them before school on P.E. days. If you are thinking of having your child’s ears pierced please do not do this until the beginning of the summer holiday next year. Mrs R Fairs P.E. Coordinator Clubs A letter detailing clubs will go home soon. You will find there are not many club places for the Class R children as they tend to be quite tired at the end of the school day. Next term there will be more for them. Piano Lessons A piano teacher spends every Wednesday with us here at Sheldwich giving individual piano lessons. If you are interested in lessons for your child then please pop in the office or call us and we will give you her contact details.
Award System Every Friday we have a whole school celebration assembly when we look back over the week and award certificates and prizes for various good work, helpful deeds and smart appearance. We also send home bears which your child may keep for the weekend and return to school on Monday morning. If your child has received a certificate out of school e.g. piano or ballet exams, martial arts or swimming awards, please bring these certificates in for Fridays as then we can celebrate all achievements. All awards are announced on the newsletter so if you see your child’s name in this section, make sure he or she has shown you the certificate! Special Awards Well done to the following pupils who all received Headteacher awards: Friday 9th September Class 1 Adam and Hang Yee Class 2 Archie and Jessica Class 3 Poppy and Rafe Class 4 George M and Sadie Class 5 Archie and William Class 6 Oscar and Aoife Citizen of the Week was awarded to Annie in Class 4, Pupil of the Week to Amelia in Class 2 and Class of the Week to Class 5. The Lunchtime Award went to Bea in Class 1, Smart Pupil Award went to Clay in Class 4 and the Extended Schools Award to Camilo in Class 6. Classes 1, 3 & 6 all achieved the highest attendance this week with 100% - Take a look at the Lego Attendance display in the lobby to see how your class is doing.
Dates for your Diaries th
Tues 13 Sept Transition Mtgs for parents (1-6) th Wed 14 Sept Class R Transition meeting 12.45pm th Mon 19 Sept Clubs start rd Fri 23 Sept 9.10am Reading Workshop & Parent Helper Meeting with refreshments th Fri 30 Sept Harvest Festival rd th 3 – 6 Oct Book Week & Book Fair th Fri 7 Oct Dressing Up Day th Tues 11 Oct School Photographer th Thurs 13 Oct Kent Test results dispatched to parents
Attendance Awards Congratulations to the following families who won a £20 Toy voucher each for their outstanding attendance at school last year: Imogen – current Class 2 Henry H – Year 6 last year Jacob – current Class 6 These families were drawn from a hat of over 50 children who had achieved either 100% or 99.7% attendance; FANTASTIC! Wear your 100% badges with pride! .
Watch out for the next newsletter on Friday 16th September which will include much more specific information regarding classes, events, PTA and much more…
Website Address www.sheldwich.kent.sch.uk
E-Mail [email protected]
Pre-School News
Dear Parents, A huge welcome to all our new parents here at school and at our wonderful new Pre-School as well as everyone else! You will find a host of information in this newsletter and subsequent editions which are sent home fortnightly starting next Friday (16th) and posted on our website. Once we have Parentmail up and running again for this year, we will continue sending home information by e-mail but in the meantime please ensure you check your child’s bag for letters. The first important date for your diaries is Tuesday 13th September, the day of our transition meetings for parents of children in Classes 1 - 6. The purpose of these meetings is to give you an insight into your child’s daily routine and explain how he/she will be taught in his/her new class. You will also have the opportunity to ask the class teacher any questions you may have. There will be two time slots in each classroom, to enable you to visit more than one class/teacher as follows: • Meetings in Classes 1 – 6 will be at 3pm and 3.30pm Each meeting will last for approximately 20 minutes and your school age children will be supervised during this time. • Mrs Morrison will be offering a transition meeting at 12.45pm on Wednesday 14th September as this time will coincide with collection time. I hope as many parents as possible will be able to attend but we will send home information from the meetings to those unable to come. I look forward to seeing you all at the drop off point and at the various meetings coming up in the next few weeks but in the meantime enjoy the excitement of a new academic year! Mrs S Garrett Headteacher
Staff News By now most of you will have seen our new staff; Miss Wood, Mrs Hickmott and Mrs McCorriston, here at school and Mrs Ashmore, Miss Clark and Mrs Bryant at the Pre-School. I’m sure you will all make them feel welcome here at Sheldwich. Uniform The children have all returned to school looking so smart and as a result we have handed out lots of raffle tickets already. A reminder please that juniors should all be wearing ties and shirts now it is beginning to cool down.
It was wonderful to meet so many lovely children and families at the open day on Saturday and our little family is steadily growing. Thanks to all of the staff and Governors who came along to support us. The first week at Pre- School has been amazing and we have been working on settling the children in. Good News: This week Safiyya built the most amazingly tall tower: taller than Mrs Pugsley! Rhyme of the Week: please take a copy at the door to Pre-School Hey Diddle Diddle The Cat and the Fiddle. The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such fun. And the dish ran away with the spoon. Next week we will me making some ‘spoon friends’ to help us remember it. Picture of the Week: it was very difficult to choose as there were so many lovely ones; however, drum roll please: Violet painted a beautiful circle - Well done, we love how you expressed yourself. Shiny the Sheldwich Bear has had an amazing first week too, going home with Ethan and getting dressed up like a fairy with Mia and Joshua. He is now off having an adventure with Tommy and we cannot wait to hear all of his news when he gets back. Don’t forget: If you are out and about shopping at the weekend and haven’t already done so, please buy a pair of ‘indoor’ slipper/ shoes. Finally A BIG BIG THANKYOU to everyone who donated items to the Pre-School. The children love the mud kitchen and climbing on the huge tractor tyre. YOU know who you are; your kindness and generosity has made a lot of little people and a few big ones very happy. Please book in with the office if you would like a visit - we would love to see you. Kind regards Mrs Ashmore, Miss Clark, Mrs Bryant and Mrs Pugsley. Pencil Cases We supply all classes with everything they need in class; however, we encourage children in Classes 2 – 6 to bring a well- equipped pencil case to school with everything named as usual. These should include pencils and colour pencils, sharpener, eraser and a 30cm ruler. The juniors will continue writing with a pencil until they have been awarded their pen licence.
th
9 September 2016
Dinners School dinners cost £2.30 per day for junior children. Please ensure you pay in advance either weekly or termly. You can pay by cash, cheque or via the website: www.principalscatering.com. If payment is not received in advance our cook has no obligation to feed your child, but obviously this is not a rule we want to enforce!
Parking Please can we remind you of our dropping off and collection procedures for those of you who drive your children to school. The gravel car park is for the sole use of Class R and Pre-School parents, although it does still get crowded and you will need to park very carefully with due consideration for others. You may like to use the church car park instead and walk along the new footpath through the woods. You will find it much easier turning right onto the A251 from there. If you have blocked other cars in the gravel car park, please ensure you move your car as soon as you can to enable all parents to make a swift getaway! All other parents please follow these guidelines: • In the morning please drop your children in the lay-by at the front of the school where there will be a member of staff between 8.40am and 8.55am. • Please do not leave your car unattended in the lay-by as this causes traffic chaos as more parents try to pull into the school grounds. • If you feel it is necessary to bring your child onto the playground then please park either in the church car park or along Lees Court Road, beyond our ‘In gate’ and toward the Lees, paying particular attention to driveways. • Please do not park on the road down toward the A251 as this is hazardous to both other road users and pedestrians. • Please do not bump your car up on the path as this makes it very difficult and dangerous for parents with pushchairs. The safety of the children is paramount and by following these guidelines we can minimise any dangers. Thank you for your cooperation. Playground If you are on the playground in the morning when the whistle is blown, feel free to wave goodbye to your children but please remain on the edge of the playground so that pupils can line up easily and staff can have a clear view of their classes. Also, please ensure that younger siblings stay with you at all times and are not allowed to run around the playground or play on the school equipment.
Wet Weather If it is raining hard in the morning when you arrive at school, please send your child straight to the hall where they will be supervised by staff and directed to class. If it is raining at the end of the day, please walk around to the back doors of the classrooms to collect the children, but not before 3.25pm. September 2017 Admissions If you have a younger child due to start here in September 2017, please come to the office and complete our application form. Please note that this is just for our information; you will have to complete the official application online at the end of November. More information about this will be announced nearer the time. School Snacks We would like to remind you of our school policy regarding snacks brought into school. Our ‘Food and Drink Policy’ states that we encourage all children to eat a healthy snack of fruit or vegetable, either fresh or dried but this does not include fruit/cereal bars or cheese. All infant children receive a free snack during afternoon break but if you would like to provide a snack for morning break please follow the above guidelines. We have children with serious nut allergies so please do not send your child with food including nuts. If your child has a birthday and you would like to send in a treat for the whole class, please provide something easy for the class teacher to distribute e.g. 30 individual cakes or little bags of sweets. These will usually be given out at the end of the school day. If your child has a food allergy please provide us with a small named bag of treats which we can keep in the office to ensure yout child does not miss out! Parent Helpers/Reading Workshop We will be offering a parent helper and reading workshop on Friday 23rd September at 9.15am in the hall. This is an opportunity for you to get to grips with how we teach your children to read at school and also how you can help, either at home or at school. We will provide refreshments and a play area for your pre-schoolers so you can relax and chat with other parents (hopefully!). Before any parent starts helping in school it is essential to attend the workshop as we cover many important issues. If you are unable to make this day, please speak to the office staff. Medication If your child needs regular medication during school time e.g. asthma inhalers or piriton for allergies, please send medication clearly labelled with name and instructions to the office and we will keep it for the whole term. If your child goes on a school trip or out of school for any other reason, the medication will go with him or her. If your child is prescribed a short course of antibiotics or similar, we are willing to give a dose at 12pm IF the dosage is 4 times daily. If the dose is only 3 times daily, please dose your child directly before and after school.
Flu Vaccinations We have been informed by the NHS School Immunisation Team that all children in Classes 1, 2 and 3 will be offered the flu vaccination in the form of a nasal spray. These vaccinations are due to take place on Wednesday 19th October but you will receive letters regarding this a few weeks before. P.E. If you haven’t already, please bring your child’s P.E. kit to school on Monday and tell your child to keep it here all term. Trainers are essential for outdoor P.E. and as always, please make sure everything is named. If your child wears studs in their ears, please make sure you remove them before school on P.E. days. If you are thinking of having your child’s ears pierced please do not do this until the beginning of the summer holiday next year. Mrs R Fairs P.E. Coordinator Clubs A letter detailing clubs will go home soon. You will find there are not many club places for the Class R children as they tend to be quite tired at the end of the school day. Next term there will be more for them. Piano Lessons A piano teacher spends every Wednesday with us here at Sheldwich giving individual piano lessons. If you are interested in lessons for your child then please pop in the office or call us and we will give you her contact details.
Award System Every Friday we have a whole school celebration assembly when we look back over the week and award certificates and prizes for various good work, helpful deeds and smart appearance. We also send home bears which your child may keep for the weekend and return to school on Monday morning. If your child has received a certificate out of school e.g. piano or ballet exams, martial arts or swimming awards, please bring these certificates in for Fridays as then we can celebrate all achievements. All awards are announced on the newsletter so if you see your child’s name in this section, make sure he or she has shown you the certificate! Special Awards Well done to the following pupils who all received Headteacher awards: Friday 9th September Class 1 Adam and Hang Yee Class 2 Archie and Jessica Class 3 Poppy and Rafe Class 4 George M and Sadie Class 5 Archie and William Class 6 Oscar and Aoife Citizen of the Week was awarded to Annie in Class 4, Pupil of the Week to Amelia in Class 2 and Class of the Week to Class 5. The Lunchtime Award went to Bea in Class 1, Smart Pupil Award went to Clay in Class 4 and the Extended Schools Award to Camilo in Class 6. Classes 1, 3 & 6 all achieved the highest attendance this week with 100% - Take a look at the Lego Attendance display in the lobby to see how your class is doing.
Dates for your Diaries th
Tues 13 Sept Transition Mtgs for parents (1-6) th Wed 14 Sept Class R Transition meeting 12.45pm th Mon 19 Sept Clubs start rd Fri 23 Sept 9.10am Reading Workshop & Parent Helper Meeting with refreshments th Fri 30 Sept Harvest Festival rd th 3 – 6 Oct Book Week & Book Fair th Fri 7 Oct Dressing Up Day th Tues 11 Oct School Photographer th Thurs 13 Oct Kent Test results dispatched to parents
Attendance Awards Congratulations to the following families who won a £20 Toy voucher each for their outstanding attendance at school last year: Imogen – current Class 2 Henry H – Year 6 last year Jacob – current Class 6 These families were drawn from a hat of over 50 children who had achieved either 100% or 99.7% attendance; FANTASTIC! Wear your 100% badges with pride! .
Watch out for the next newsletter on Friday 16th September which will include much more specific information regarding classes, events, PTA and much more…
