Byfleet Primary Newsletter
Twitter: @Byfleetprimary
It's been lovely seeing our Reading Volunteers being who have started reading with our children in school - a big thank you to them for their time. It really makes a difference!
The teachers have taken time to introduce the new format of our homework matrices to the children and we're pleased to see children having a go at Reading Plus, Doodle and daily reading at home. Thank you for continuing to support your children with this.
With the launch of our new 3Ps curriculum, our teachers visited Brookland Museum this week and have plotted some exciting opportunities for their class to visit Brooklands Museum during this academic year, linked to our curriculum topics. We are delighted to have such a wonderful resource on our doorstep that will prove hugely beneficial to our children's learning and these visits will certainly enhance our BPS curriculum offer. Mr Bowman, our DHT, will be hosting our parent 3Ps Curriculum workshop on Friday 18th November so please come along to find out more.
Our Reading (comprehension) parent workshop is taking place next Tuesday 15th November from 8.50 in the hall. We look forward to sharing our reading approach with you then so that you can further support your child's learning at home.
It's Odd Socks Day on Monday 14th November. Please come into school wearing your funkiest odd socks to help us kick start our 'Anti-bullying Week'.
It's been great having our Safeguarding Governor and Attendance Governor visit us this week to find out more about the ongoing work we are doing to keep our school a safe place, and sharing ways in which we work with our families to help improve our children's attendance.
A huge thank you to our parents - this week has had the highest attendance levels. We aim to be above 96% and this week we've averaged 97.79%. A big well done to Year 3 for having the highest attendance for having the highest attendance since the start of this half term with 97.27%. The winning class each months gets to sit on the benches during Celebration Assembly. We wonder who the winner class will be for November?
We'll be sending out information next week about our Christmas arrangements and let you know about Christmas school dinners and our Christmas Carol Concert shows.
We have several old laptops going spare in the office - if you need a device for your child's Doodle, Spelling Shed or Reading Plus, please liaise with the office and we'll hand one over to you. They are very old but we're sure you will still be able to use them!
Pre-Ordering School Lunches via ScoPay - Great Response!!
The school office would like to thank parents for pre-ordering their child's school lunches via Scopay. By Thursday, this week we only had a couple of pupils where hot dinners were not pre-ordered.
The new process is working well and has helped the office with getting the lunch orders to the kitchen on a timely manner and also giving teachers and pupils more time in the morning.
If your child is absent, please report this on a timely manner (before 9am) so that you will not be charged for your child's school lunch on that day.
harvest Festival Contributions - Thank You
A big thank you to all parents, carers and pupils for your generous donation to the Woking Foodbank.
All donations were delivered by our lovely volunteer parents, Mr & Mrs Piper on Wednesday, 2nd November 2022.
St Peter's Children's ward gift Appeal
At Byfleet Primary, we think it is important to help the community, what better time than at Christmas. This year, we have chosen to help the children’s ward at St Peter’s hospital.
The team at St. Peter’s hospital have created a Wish List of toys that will distract and amuse children while they wait to get better and return home. The games, toys and crafts all help to make hospital stays more pleasant, especially longer stays away from family, friends and school.
If you would like to help, please do not feel that you have to stick to the wish list not forgetting the teens!
Please send your gifts into school by 1st December. Make sure you check the delivery address when ordering to make sure it doesn't go directly to the hospital as we hope to take some of the children to deliver the gifts directly.
If you would like to help, visit their Amazon Wish List page.
Stars of the Week
Well done to the following children for being recognised for doing something brilliant this fortnight......
Reception Rainbow Lilianna Juno
Year 1 Red Albert Casey
Year 2 Orange Roman Lula
Year 3 Yellow Jay Ivy
Year 4 Green Albie Ethan & Penelope
Year 5 Indigo Darcey Keke
Year 6 Blue Ella Lana
Year 6 Violet Maisie Mia
Linking parent accounts to doodle maths @ home
Parents of Year 2 - 6
We continue to work hard to encourage your children to use their Doodle Maths log on at home daily so they can stay in the 'green' zone by doing about 10 -20 minutes of maths each day.
We have noticed that fewer children are taking time to log on to Doodle at home and we'd like to reignite the children's excitement to log on and 'doodle' each day. Log on details can be found inside your child's reading diary. To download the Doodle app, find out more here.
By linking your child's school Doodle account to your personal email, you will be able to monitor how they use Doodle and will be able to add lessons that you wish your child to focus on more at home, if you spot any particular area of weakness.
Please click here to find the article on how you can 'link' your child's account to your email at home. This will transform how your child uses Doodle to its full capacity.
If you have any questions related to Doodle, please speak to your child's class teacher.
Happy doodling!
House Points
A big thank you to Mrs Cosentino who has worked with our House Captains and Vice House Captains to set up a system to track our children's weekly house points.
Each week children earn house points for a range of different things: demonstrating our values around school (good manners, collaborating, showing resilience, kindness and going above and beyond)
Children also earn house points for their learning as we are focusing on intrinsic motivation and growth mindset.
Each week, our captains and vice captains collate the house points earnt in their team, and announce the total scores in our Friday Celebration Assembly. The overall weekly winners have their colour ribbon tied to our house cup and we track the weekly scores to see which house has the overall highest score.
The overall house winners will winner a day of wearing their own mufti clothes to celebrate their hard work for the term! We will announce the Autumn House Cup winners on Friday 9th December and the winning house will be allowed to wear their own mufti on the last day of term on Friday 16th December.
Odd Socks Antibullying Week Info
ANTI-BULLYING WEEK 2022: REACH OUT
Anti-Bullying week 2022 takes place from the 14th to 18th of November 2022, and this year the theme is ‘Reach Out’. Over the week children will take part in activities to help them think about what bullying is and what they should do if they are worried about themselves or someone else being bullied. It is important all children know how to ‘reach out’ and talk to someone if they are worried about bullying.
On Monday the 14th of November we will start the week with an important assembly to introduce the week and Odd Socks Day.
WHAT IS ODD SOCKS DAY?
Odd socks day is part of Anti-Bullying week. To celebrate the fact that we are all unique, we ask that children wear odd socks to school on Monday the 14th of November with their usual school uniform. Last year over 13, 000 schools took part in Odd Socks Day. Andy Day (CBeebies/CBBC) and his band Andy and the Odd Socks have recorded a brilliant song for Anti-Bullying Week and Odd Socks Day called ‘Calling Out’ Please have a listen to it with your children - see below.
If you would like any more information please take a look at the parent information pack attached from the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
Year 1 DT Projects & Fairytales
We have been preparing to write our own version of the fairytale Cinderella. The class has been enjoying getting into the theme and there has been a lot of excitement around the ball next Thursday.
In DT we have been using mechanisms to make fairytale creatures appear from behind fairy doors. We will be following this with making our own wooden fairy doors. This week the class have been drawing their designs, some of which are very ambitious.
VID_20221104_130406.mp4VID_20221104_130941.mp4VID_20221104_131351.mp4VID_20221104_131631.mp4INCLUSION
This week we had our Inclusion Coffee Morning for parents to learn more about the different waves of provision we have in place to support all pupils at Byfleet. We discussed high quality teaching strategies, additional interventions that run at Byfleet and the specialists who come into school to support a few children.
We also shared information to parents about external agencies and charities that offer support in Surrey, and useful websites all parents can access to find additional suuport. Please see links to these sites below:
SEND Advice Surrey provides information, advice and support to parents, carers, children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years. The information, advice and support they provide is impartial, confidential, free and at ‘arms length’ to the Local Authority. Their experienced team will listen to your concerns and discuss any issues in confidence.
https://sendadvicesurrey.org.uk/
Learning Space is a children’s emotional well-being and mental health charity that provides individual and group support for 5 – 18 years olds in Surrey. They have support groups for children and courses parents can attend, along with lots of useful guidance on strategies to support your child. They support on a range of needs such as anxiety, anger, low levels of confidence and self-esteem, bereavement, bullying, friendships and family issues.
Mindworks is the emotional well-being and mental health sevice in Surrey. They use a THRIVE approach to support families and young people.
You can find out about the support they have available and find links to useful resources on their parents and carers page:
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/i-am-parentfamily-membercarer
People can contact Family lives about all aspects of family life, including all stages of a child’s development, issues with schools and parenting/relationship support. Family lives also respond when life becomes more complicated and provide support around family breakdown, aggression in the home, bullying, teenage risky behaviour and mental health concerns of both parents and their children. Family lives provide a helpline on 0808 800 2222 https://www.familylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/
The Surrey Local offer page also has information and resources for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).
Year 6 Learning
In Year 6 this week, we have been reading our class text - The War of the Worlds. In writing we have been focusing on our grammar and punctuation skills by using fronted adverbials, subordinating clauses and commas in a list. In History we have started our Edwardian era topic and we have been exploring and researching the social changes that occurred during 1900 to 1914. We have also started designing our DT project, which will be to create our own badges in support of the Suffragette movement in the early 20th Century.
Year 2 trip to windsor castle!
Year 2 had an exciting trip to Windsor Castle. We explored the chapel and paid our respects to Queen Elizabeth II; we experienced an interesting self-led tour around the castle's rooms where we saw lots of ancient paintings and relics.
We also enjoyed a thrilling workshop where we learned about Medieval castles and their features. All in all, it was a fantastic day out!
Little Wandle Phonics
Reception and Year 1 children will be coming home today with their login details to access the Collins Big Cat ebook library. Alongside the username and password, there is also information about resources and how to access audio. Once you have logged in, you will land in the library. Here you will see any books which have been assigned to your child by their teacher.
Changes to Year 1
Children in Year 1 will now be completing their reading practise sessions in school on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. They will bring their reading book home on a Friday and we ask for it to be returned by the following Tuesday.
Reception and Year 1 children continue to work hard in their daily phonic lessons. The link below takes you to the parent section on the Little Wandle website. The resources on this page will help you support your child to say their sounds and write their letters. There are also some useful videos so you can see how they are taught at school and feel confident about supporting their reading at home.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
A big thank you to Mrs Sherlock for working so hard behind the scenes on preparing our Phonics curriculum and reading books.
National Poetry Day Competition
National Poetry Day was Thursday 6th October but at BPS, and the children at BPS enjoyed celebrating POETRY all week between Monday 3rd - Friday 7th October.
We ended off that week with a wonderful poetry sharing assembly so don't forget to ask your child to perform their class poem at home to you and see if they can remember it.
As part of this week, we are encouraging our children to take part in a poetry writing competition for our children aged 7+.
If you care about nature or protecting the planet, we’ve got the competition for you.
Greenpeace’s first Poems for the Planet competition, in collaboration with National Poetry Day, invites you to put your poetry hat on. They'd like to read your lively limericks, heartful haikus and polished prose on the theme of hope and the environment.
For this year’s National Poetry competition, explore the beauty of the natural world around us and the need to protect the planet. We’d love to read about whatever inspires you to write a poem for the planet.
Click here to find out more about entering Greenpeace's poetry competition.
Competition closes on 1st December at midnight!
pARENT rEQUEST FORMS - NOW AVAILABLE IN the rECEPTION area
Please note that there is now a drawer box in the School Reception area where you can find parent requests forms (Special Leave of Absences Request Form, Pupil Medical Appointments Form , Pupil Medication Request Form and Chartwells Forms for Special Dietary Requirements.
If you need one, please help yourself and once completed return to the School Office via Reception or place the completed form in your child's book bag.
Pupil Special Leave of absence Requests
At time, parents may need to take their children out of school for exceptional circumstances. During term time, it is important that we are aware of the whereabouts of all of the children who are on roll with us, for safeguarding purposes.
Please could you help us monitor this by completing a 'Special Leave of Absence Request' form for all anticipated absences.
This is a reminder that all special leave of absence requests must be completed and returned to the school office no later that two full working days prior to the event. The form can be found on our website under Attendance and Absence: Application for Leave of Absence for Exceptional Circumstances
The Education (Pupil Registration)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2013, state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If you take your child out of school without the approval of the school, and the total amount of absence is 5 or more days, (including this absence) you will be liable to receive a Penalty Notice for failing to ensure your child’s regular school attendance.
Each parent will be liable to receive a Penalty Notice for each child who is absent.
The Penalty Notice is for £60 if paid within 21 days and £120 if paid after 21 days, but within 28 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in you being served with a summons to appear at the Magistrates Court.
Reading Awards
Daily Reading
We are proud to announce that our first BRONZE reading award was given to Penelope in Year 4! Well done for reading x5 per week!
Each child can earn Reading Awards for reading daily.
Bronze = 50 reads Silver = 100 reads Gold = 150 reads Platinum = 180 reads
We attend school for 190 days a year. We aim for children to read x5 per week to allow them to reach the 180 Platinum mark. This could include the weekend if they can't fit in 5 reads during the busy week.
We will only count one reading 'entry' per day in your child's reading to count towards their award but please feel free to record all the reads completed per day if you wish.
Our policy outlines that children read everyday so please help them achieve this by making time to record their reading in their diaries each night. Children from Year 3 upwards are independent enough to record this themselves so please continue to encourage them to do so!
For Autumn 1, here are our reading award results on track for their Bronze Reading Award:
Reception: 19% on track Year 1: 55% on track Year 2: 23% on track
Year 3: 14% on track Year 4: 31% on track Year 5: 18% on track
Year 6B: 27% on track Year 6V: 53% on track
Reading Volunteers
If you are keen to become a Reading Volunteer and offer up an hour or more a week in a dedicated slot to read with our children, please register your interest here and Mrs Sherlock, our phonics lead, will be in touch to arrange this.
All volunteers in school will require a DBS
If you previously worked as a reading volunteer at BPS, please reregister your interest and we'll be in touch
Voice in a million 2023
There are 10 spaces left for VIAM 2023 and they are filling up quickly! If you'd like your child to participate, please register through the website and let the office know.
Click on the links below to get an idea for what to expect!
ViamYear 3 GREEK Day
Year 3 had an exciting day dressing up as Greeks for the last day of term. The children all came to school dressed as Greek soldiers, Gods and Goddesses. During the day we were able to have a look at ancient artefacts that included a greek vases and coins. Learn the greek alphabet and had a go at writing their names using the greek alphabet and have a go at creating a clay tile inspired by the Greeks
To finish the day we had feast of different foods from the Ancient Greeks may have eaten. This included figs, honey, olive oil, bread, olives and dates all washed down with a glass of grape juice. A really lovely day and a great way to end our Greek topic.
Year 4 ROMAN Day
Just before we broke up for half term, Year 4 had an amazing Roman themed day. The children all came to school dressed as Roman soldiers, emperors and Gods and Goddesses. They all looked amazing! During the day the children learnt some Latin, had a go at designing their own mosaic, took part in a chariot racing game which tested their Roman numerals knowledge and explored different Roman artefacts. The day was wrapped up by a delicious feast of foods the Ancient Romans may have eaten. This included figs, honey, olive oil, bread, olives and dates all washed down with a glass of grape juice. A really lovely day and a great way to end our Roman topic.
Dog Safety TRAINING
The lovely Katie Brill and Nyala (see below) visited our School Assembly on Friday, 4th November where the children learnt all about how to approach a dog safely.
Top Doodler of the Week
Well done to these children for scoring the highest Doodle Stars in their class for the past two weeks!
Year 2 Orange Jackson 210 Ezra 237
Year 3 Yellow Andrew 498 Ottilie 464
Year 4 Green Zach 194
Year 5 Indigo Daniel 194 Mason 488
Year 6 Violet Sophia 272
Year 6 Blue William 241
Our top spot winner is Mason with 488 stars!
Class Assemblies
Class Assemblies for 22/23 will take place on the dates below from 8.55 - 9.20 in main hall. Please come along and see what your child has been learning about:
25th November - Year 6V 9th December - Year 4
27th January - Year 3 3rd March - Year 6B
17th March - Year 2 12th May - Year 1
9th June - Year 5 23rd June - Reception
Diary Dates
New dates in red
Monday 14th November - Anti-bullying 'Odd Socks' Day (start of Anti-bullying Week)
Tuesday 15th November - Reciprocal Reading (comprehension) parent workshop 8.50 - 9.30am - everyone welcome
Friday 18th November - BPS Bespoke 3Ps Curriculum parent workshop 8.50 - 9.30am (all year groups' parents welcome)
Xmas Carol Concert TBC
Friday 16th December - Last day of term - 1pm finish
Tuesday 17th January - Maths Calculations Policy parent workshop for all year groups 8.50 - 9.30am
Careers' Week - 23rd January - we will send out information shortly requesting parents who wish to share their careers with our children to come in and take part in our Careers' Week
Monday 6th February - Whole school Tray Day 2 - 3.05 - 4.30pm - come and visit your child's classroom
Friday 10th February - INSET Day 3
Monday 20th February - Safer Internet Day
Thursday 9th March - SEND Parent workshop 8.50 - 9.50am. Parents from all year groups are welcome.
Monday 13th March - British Science Week whole school event
Tuesday 21st March - Parents' Evening 2.30 - 5.30pm
Thursday 23rd March - Parents' Evening 3.05 - 6pm
Friday 31st March - Last day of term - 1pm finish
Monday 17th April - INSET 4
Thursday 18th May - SEND Parent Workshop 8.50 - 9.50. Parents from all year groups are welcome.
Thursday 25th May - Byfleet Annual Family Picnic on the field - everyone welcome.
Diversity Week - 25th May
Friday 26th May - INSET 5
Thursday 29th June - Reception and KS 1 Sports Day (contingency 6th July)
Friday 30th June - KS 2 Sports Day (contingency 7th July)
Friday 7th July - End of year pupil reports sent home
Monday 10th July - Whole School Tray Day 3 - 3.05 - 4.30pm
Friday 21st July - Last day of term 1pm finish
The same child in both photos. The only difference is how they're dressed.
As we approach shorter daylight hours, whether you walk, cycle, use public transport or drive, make sure you have been seen. Just remember the nights are drawing in.