September 2017

After school clubs have now started for this term. Please ensure that your child is collected promptly at 4:15pm from Door 2 on Hurstcroft Rd.

Please let the office staff know if you require a Pay Point card for parent pay as we hope to have the system live in the next few weeks. Parents can either pay with a bank card online or via PayPoint terminals located at local shops in the Lea Village area.

Please ensure that your child has their inhaler in school on a daily basis as they will not be able to participate in trips or sports events without it. As with all medication, we ask that it is clearly labelled with their name and class. Mr Wills and the Pastoral Team will be carrying out a review of asthma inhalers next half term.

Thank you to all the parents who are continuing to help keep our roads safe by parking away from the junctions and main gates. Birmingham City Council’s Traffic enforcement team will be patrolling the area this term and will be issuing tickets to drivers that are parked in a dangerous or illegal manner.

On Friday 29 September we are planning to hold a bring and buy sale for any old or unwanted children’s books to raise money for our school fund.

Please send in any old children’s books by Friday morning so that we can raise money for our school. We also have several copies of Alan Stotts and Dan Freedman’s book on sale as well.

6NO will be going on their adventure to forest school next Tuesday. Please ensure your child has a pair of old trainers or welly boots and old clothes to wear. Waterproofs will be provided.

Please ensure that your child is reading at home every night and that their reading diary and reading books are returned to school on a daily basis.

A big welcome to all our new families starting in Reception and Nursery this week. We look forward to you becoming fully involved in the Lea Forest Community.

We have had another lovely start to the new school year. All the pupils have come back to school remembering and demonstrating the school values of: High Aspirations, Respectful, Resilience, Independence and Innovative. Our foci this half term are based around being independent and being resilient and not giving up when we find something hard.

Our main focus for the term is Resilience. Being resilient is a very important skill and one of our 5 values. Please encourage and support your child with this at home especially when they are completing homework.

To develop our children’s independence please could we ask that all KS2 children take themselves across the playground to their year group door at the start of the day. Please say goodbye to them at the top of the playground by the climbing frame. If you need to speak to the class teacher please make an appointment for the end of the school day. Urgent messages can be given to the member of staff on the gate.

Another exciting, busy year began last week with the official opening of our new library on Friday with visits from Resilient Reader and two children’s authors: Dan Freedman, (author of the Jamie Johnson series featured on television) and Alan Stott, (author of ‘Those Kids Next Door’). We are very proud of our new library and plan to arrange times to invite you in to join a story time with your child over the next few weeks.

We have copies of Alan Stott’s and Dan Freedman’s books available to purchase in school at the reduced price of £4.00. Dan Freedman kindly signed some of the copies and these will be sold on a first come first served basis. Please send £4.00 in a named envelope into the office if you would like to purchase a copy of either of the books. We very much hope to continue working with Resilient Reader, Alan and Dan across the year, supporting our drive to raise standards in reading in 2018.

Our challenge this year is to achieve 97% attendance. All the children should be in school every day unless they are significantly unwell and not fit to be in school. A cough or cold is NOT a reason to keep your child away. Headaches and tummy aches in the morning are also NOT reasons to keep them at home. Please bring your child in unless they have been ill – we will monitor them for you and will always contact you if we are concerned that they are feeling unwell. Please support us in our drive to raise attendance. Your child’s progress and attainment will be seriously affected by repeated or continued absence. Learning starts in all classes at 8:50am. Please make sure your child(ren) arrive in school promptly at the start of the day.

The children all look really smart in their new school uniforms. Please can I remind you that all pupils should have a PE kit in school at all times. We do not have many spare kits in school and your child may not be able to take part in their PE lesson if they do not have the appropriate clothing and footwear. Can I remind you that children are NOT allowed to wear trainers to school. All children should have appropriate black school shoes. Boots can be worn to school in inclement weather but children must change into school shoes on arrival. To clarify, pupils should not be wearing boots during the school day.

If you would like to talk to us about anything, please feel free to talk to any member of the Lea Forest Staff. The teachers will be happy to talk to you after school once they have dismissed their classes. Members of Senior Leadership and other staff are available at the entrances before school to take messages and pass these on to the teachers.

Please remember to send your £10.00 school fund contribution for the Autumn Term into the office as soon as possible (maximum £20.00 for any family with more than 2 children). Without everyone paying this contribution we will be unable to provide experiences away from school or pay for visitors to come and work with your children in school. Please arrange an appointment with me if there are personal circumstances that make this payment difficult for you, so we can make special arrangements.