September 2021

Please encourage your child to access TimesTables Rockstars at home to earn points for their classes. Below are the fixtures for next week.

Do you remember your favourite books as a child – you know, the ones you read time and time again and knew practically every word of? Maybe you were lucky enough to regularly read stories with your family and had someone to read you a bedtime story before you drifted off to sleep? You won’t have known at the time, but those experiences were building vital building blocks for your future.

Reading, being read to, and sharing books in the home helps to build a child’s vocabulary and understanding of the world. Research shows children who start school with good vocabulary and communication skills make friends more easily, have fewer behavioural issues and are more likely to do well academically. A strong, early foundation in language has even been linked to better mental health as children get older.

Reading with your child, or encouraging your child to read independently for just ten

minutes each day can make all the difference. For further tips and support check out:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbxby9q

At the end of the Autumn 1 half term, we will be rewarding all children from Years 1 to 6 who have 100% attendance with an amazing circus Skills Workshop. Make sure you come to school every day to be sure that you can take part.

Welcome back! I hope that you all had a great summer break. The term started for staff on Thursday 2 September where we spent two days focusing on curriculum development and looking back and celebrating our successes from the previous years. We also spent time focusing on safeguarding, personal development, behaviour and welfare. It was also a good opportunity during these two days to update staff on our safe return to school plans and risk assessments.

It was really fantastic to welcome children in Years 1 - 6 back to school on Monday morning. Seeing happy and excited parents and children walking through the gates from 8.45am was a wonderful experience. As I walked around school during the day, it was brilliant to see our children actively engaged in their learning and generally delighted to be back to business. Children always amaze me with their resilience and the way in which they adapt to situations. It was also lovely to see our children enjoying safe social time together at breaks and lunchtime. Everything felt ‘normal’ again. It also reminded me, being back amongst staff and children, what an amazing school I have the privilege to lead. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday our Early Years team were meeting with new parents and children and the whole of our school was complete on Thursday of this week when our Reception classes started. We have been so impressed with how well they have settled into school-life and we are excited to equip them all with the skills to be able to live remarkable lives.

As a reminder, here are our class names and staff team for this academic year:

NPH - Mr Haw (with Mrs Byrne)

RCG - Mrs Gonzales & Mr Taylor (with Miss Freeman)

RMH - Mrs Hicklin (with Miss Clarke)

RFH - Mrs Hartwell (with Miss Peachey am; Mrs Byrne pm)

1KR - Mrs Reed (with Ms Porter)

1SB - Mrs Bagagiolo (with Ms Hopkins)

1HM - Miss Magee (with Mrs Brindley)

2BE - Miss Evans (with Mrs Cowley)

2MC - Miss Collis (with Mrs Hudson)

2JH (Alternative Provision) - Mr Hastings

3MW - Mr White (with Miss Baker & Mrs Tilley)

3NN - Mrs Newbold & Mrs Morsely (with Miss Baker & Miss Tilley)

4CW - Mrs Cunningham & Ms Wale (with Mrs Brandist)

4SH - Mrs Hartles (with Mrs Brandist)

5BP - Ms Purcell (with Mrs Colloby)

5ST - Mrs Terry & Miss Ward (with Mrs Colloby)

6CF - Miss Francois (with Miss McLaughlin & Mrs Dixon)

6NW - Mrs Wood (with Miss McLaughlin & Mrs Dixon)

6BS - Mrs Seera (with Miss McLaughlin & Mrs Dixon)

Leadership Team:

HT - Mr Clarke

DHT - Mr Taylor

SENDCo - Miss Ward

AHT - Ms Wale

AHT - Miss Evans

AHT - Miss Gonzales

AHT - Mr White

AHT - Miss Francois

Manager - Mrs McCarthy

Specialist Areas:

EAL - Miss Jones

MFL - Mrs Morsely

IT - Mr Croxon

Pastoral Team:

Mr Wills

MrsTarrant

Mr Comrie

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!

Mr Clarke

Look out for our Lea Forest Full Five Challenge which starts next week! Children will be rewarded for 5 consecutive weeks of full attendance. Every class will have a half termly sticker chart to record attendance each week. Children will be congratulated for a full week in class and a text message will be sent home. For every 5 consecutive weeks in school, children will receive a certificate and prize. These awards have been chosen through our pupil and parent voice questionnaires.

We have our second attendance challenge to complete next week with any child that achieves two full weeks of 100% attendance being entered into a prize draw to win a family ticket that

admits four people to either Hatton Adventure World or West Midlands Safari Park. Make sure you are in school every day next week to be in with a chance of winning one of these amazing prizes!

“Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.

In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.” (Pearson 2021)

At Lea Forest, we place high importance on daily reading. Each child is provided with a reading record and books to take home. We ask that the reading records are signed daily and brought into school where they will be collected in, checked and signed by an adult. This is a non-negotiable expectation.

Each child will also receive 1:1 reading sessions, with an adult at school. Comments on your child’s progress will be recorded in red pen.