Byfleet Primary Newsletter
Twitter: @Byfleetprimary
Welcome back after the festive break. We hope you had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed spending time with loved ones and friends. Thank you for the generous cards and gifts at the end of term - our hard working staff are always appreciate of your thanks.
The children enjoyed singing Christmas Carols to our elderly neighbours from King's Lodge Nursing Home and Reception had a great carol concert for parents in the final week of term. A big thank you to Chartwells for cooking up a wonderful Christmas dinner for our children and it was great to see all staff serve, sing and enjoy our Christmas dinner with the children!
Thank you to our families who made a donation when booking our Christmas nativity show - we raised £233.75 which we've used to purchase our new home reading colour-banded books with.
Kestrels enjoyed wearing MUFTI on the last day of term for being the team with the highest house points for Autumn. It's great seeing our children work hard, being polite and caring and being role models to earn house points. We wonder who will be Spring term MUFTI winners?
It's great having the scaffolding down after our roof works; just a reminder that Year 5/6 children walk independently to their classroom via the classroom back doors. Parents are kindly asked to drop their Year 5/6 children off at the gate so that they can walk independently.
Please note, Friday 10th February is an INSET day so we break up on Thursday 9th February at 3.05 for February half term.
Please remember to send your child into school with a warm winter coat, in addition to their school jumper as we continue to see a handful of children only wearing a school jumper. Black school shoes and ties (for KS 2) to be worn on non-PE days please. Thank you for helping our children look smart in their school uniform.
Welcome to Mrs Fisher, who started with us this week as our School Business Manager and Admin Manager.
During the Christmas break, some building works took place and our new reading intervention room is underway to becoming a wonderful new learning space. We are delighted to have a dedicate space to organise and store our structured reading programme resources - no doubt our children will benefit immensely from this new additional learning space.
Reminder that dogs are not allowed on school premises at anytime, this also applies to collection from the After School Club.
Year 5/6 parents, please note the Parents' Evening date change, which is added to the calendar at the end of our newsletter.
Attendance
A huge well done to Year 5 for having the highest class attendance for December. They're on a winning streak as this is their second month of being top attenders!
Year 5 will be sat on the benches in the hall for January's assemblies each week! Great job!
Attendance Winners:
September: Year 5 97.41%
October: Year 3 96.81%
November: Year 1 98.12%
December: Year 5 95.17%
Our whole-school attendance target is 96%. So far we are at 94.89%. With all the usual winter coughs and colds, we've had many child absent with illness in the build up to Xmas.
Thank you for continuing to report your child's absence each day that they are away from school. We're hoping to see a reduced number of children being absent this term to see if we can reach our school target.
It is great to see that Year 1 and 5 are above our school target of 96%.
We are closely monitoring Reception, Year 2 and Year 4 to see how we can improve their overall attendance.
Reception Christmas sing-along
At the end of the Autumn term, Rainbows had been busy practising their Christmas songs for their festive sing-along show which they performed for their families and friends. Rainbows dressed up in their Christmas jumpers, made special hats, and learned festive songs.... even a song in Spanish!! The children did a brilliant job singing, and our guests did a good job at clapping... and eating mince pies!
Thank you to everyone who came along to support Rainbows class. We had a brilliant time and it was lovely to see so many people in our classroom!
Year 3 StoneHenge Trip
Year 3 had an amazing trip to Stonehenge. We were able to see how Stonehenge had change over the years, discussed and experimented how the stones were placed in the ground. We were also able to see what a stoneage hut looked like, and were able to go inside and experience how they slept, what they used to make food and how they stored their food.
Year 5 Spy Day
During Spy Day, Year 5 made spy posters, made photfits of criminals, used invisible inks, made gas, and went hunting for our fingerprints. They tested for acids and made explosions from cola and mentos. The day was finished off with eating too many biscuits and sweets while watching spy kids!
Stars of the Week
Well done to the following children for being recognised for doing something brilliant this fortnight......
Reception Rainbow Reuel
Year 1 Red Ralphie
Year 2 Orange Teddie
Year 3 Yellow Isabelle
Year 4 Green Leah
Year 5 Indigo Isabel Stanley
Year 6 Blue Tymofii
Year 6 Violet Tomasz
Spring Curriculum overviews and Homework Matrices
Since the launch of The 3Ps Curriculum, the children have shared some positive feedback. Classes will be starting on their new topics for this term. Spring Term Curriculum Overviews, homework menus and spelling lists will be uploaded to Google Classroom on Friday 6th January.
Protected Characteristics - Embracing our Differences
Our assemblies have been focussing on EQUALITY.
This week we looked at gender equality and what it means to treat everyone equally.
'It doesn't matter is you are a boy or a girl, we should all be treated in the same way. '
ADMISSION FOr REception & Junior SCHOOL Applications
The closing date for Reception and Junior applications for September 2023 entry is 15 January 2023.
Online applications must be made via https://www.eadmissions.org.uk/eAdmissions/app.
A paper application form or seek impartial help in completing an application via the Surrey Schools & Childcare Service (0300 200 1004, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). Full information is available on Surrey's website at www.surreycc.gov.uk/primaryadmissions.
Travelling BOOk FAIR From Tuesday, 17th January 2023
The Book Fair will be open to all parents/carers and pupils from 3pm - 3.30pm Tuesday to Thursday. Please come and find us in the Hall to choose your new books.
Prior to your visit, please have a look at the website to view the extensive range of books.
https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/
For further details click here
FOOD CHOICES - DISCUSS WITH YOUR CHILD
When ordering your child's school lunches, please discuss the choices with them as we have recently had instances where a child refuses to eat the meal you have chosen for them.
Glue StickS DONATIONS PLEASE
We still need Pritt glue sticks. If you are able to kindly send your child in with a glue stick as a contribution towards their class' stock, that would really help our school budget and we would be extremely grateful.
INCLUSION
Emotional Support - Spring Term:
ELSA: We have sent out letters to children who have been invited to have ELSA sessions this term. ELSA is Emotional literacy support and the sessions are run by our own Emotional Literacy Support Assistant Ms Wyatt. During ELSA sessions, pupils can think about tools and strategies to use to support them if they are feeling worried, anxious or angry. Sessions can also look at boosting self-esteem, explore relaxation techniques or explore friendship issues. These sessions take place a for a term, and then a review takes place - many children may just have one term of support while others may need sessions for slightly longer.
MATTHEW HACKNEY FOUNDATION: This term we have a counsellor form the Matthew Hackney Foundation attending to support a few pupils. Pupils particpating in this intervention will have been contacted by the school. The Matthew Hackney Foundation is a local charity in Byfleet who support us each year by providing a counseller for a term- we really appreciate their support! To find out more about the foundation please take a look at their website: https://www.thematthewhackneyfoundation.co.uk/
LUNCH-WELL BEING CLUB: Ms Wyatt our ELSA, also runs a lunchtime well-being club. She runs three sessions a week; a session for pupils from Y1&2, a session for pupils from Y3&4 and a session for pupils from Y5&6. Pupils get to take place in a range of fun activities such as baking, gardenening and arts and crafts. Selected pupils are invited and attend for a term.
ZONES OF REGULATION GROUP: Ms Wyatt also runs a zones of reguation group once a week. In Autumn term this was for selected pupils from Key Stage 1. For Spring term we have chosen some pupils from Key Stage 2 to particpate in the sessions. The zones of regulation is used to teach children to think about emotions and strategies for self-regulation. To find out more about the zones of regulation please look at the following website: https://zonesofregulation.com/learn-more-about-the-zones.html
INCLUSION COFFEE MORNING - March 9th 2023
Please save the date for our Spring Term Inclusion Coffee Morning:
DATE: Thursday 9th March 2023 TIME: 8.50am-9.50am WHERE: School Hall
This term we are inviting guests to come and share information with parents. Each guest will share a short five minute presentation and will then be available for parents to speak to if they would like to find out more.
We hope to have representatives from the following teams and organsiations:
-Primary Mental Helath Team
-Educational Psychologist
We are still recruiting more guests, and will keep updating you as they confirm their attendance. It will be a great chance for all parents to find out more about the support and services available in the local community.
CAREERS WEEK - January 2023
We are holding 'Careers Week' at Byfleet from Monday 23rd January to Friday the 27th of January 2023. Our aim is to provide a focus on careers to help support pupils to develop awareness and excitement about possible future pathways.
We have already had lots of volunteers - THANK YOU! I will be making contact with you all next week.
We have parents coming in from a range of fields, but currently no-one from healthcare - so if we have any dentists, doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, vets or veterinary nurses who could volunteer please complete the form below. We also do not currenlty have any representatives from the field of media - so any producers, journalists, editors, researchers or presenters please also get in touch!
We are looking forward to presenting children with a wide range of career pathways, so if you haven't had a chance to volunteer yet please complete the form below:
To volunteer please complete the google form via the link below:
Prescription MEdication
Any prescribed medication can be administered by the school and should be brought to the school office and a form completed.
Please see details regarding prescription medication under section 3 of the school's Byfleet First Aid Policy
Year 4 Multiplication Check & 144 CLUB
In Year 4, our children undertake an online multiplication test in June 2023. The children are expected to answer 25 multiplication and division questions related to all of their tables up to x12.
We hope that by the time our children reach the end of Year 4, they are fluent in recalling all of their multiplication tables up to x12. This will mean that they are working at Gold + in the 144 Club.
Is your child on track for 144 Club?
144 Club Expected level:
Year 2 = Bronze & Bronze+
Year 3 = Silver & Silver+
Year 4 = Gold & Gold+
Year 5/6 = Platinum to Diamond
There are a range of multiplication practice sheets to print off and rehearse at home here, if you wish.
For more information about the Year 4 Multiplication Check, please see the DfE guidance here.
Don't forget to encourage your child to do 20 minutes of Doodle tables every day to help them prepare.
There are also many Apps that can be downloaded specifically designed to help prepare your child for this Mutliplication Check.
Little Wandle Phonics
All things phonics!
Congratulations to all of the children in Reception and Year 1 for their hard work during the Autumn term. We are very proud of each and every one of them and all they are achieving with their reading this academic year.
Reminder: It is important for your child to read their decodable reading book at home. What a great opportunity for children to 'show off' what they have been learning during their decoding, prosody and comprehension reading sessions in school! Also, making time to share their reading for pleasure book is an excellent way to promote a love of reading.
Did you know? There can be few things as powerful as regularly reading to a young child. It has astonishing benefits for children: comfort and reassurance, confidence and security, relaxation, happiness and fun. It builds self-esteem, vocabulary and feeds their imagination. The earlier parents can start, the better, as it allows the maximum time for their child to grow up with reading and for the love to take root, grow and become part of their life. And what an enriched life that will be!
Don't forget to login to the Ecollins website to access your child's reading book online when the hard copy has been handed back into school!
Extended Day Club Vacancy
We have an exciting opportunity for 17.5 hours per week (Monday-Friday) in our Breakfast and After School Club provision.
Breakfast Club is 07:30 - 08:35 (1hr, 5min)
After School Club is 15:05 - 17:30 (2hrs, 25min)
If you are interested, you needn't have to do both Breakfast Club and ASC - these positions may be split.
Please click here for further details and the Job Description, Person Specification and Application Form.
St Peter's Children's ward gift Appeal
Just before the end of the Christmas Term, some of our pupils were present when a representative from St Peter's Children's Ward came to collect all the wonderful donations
Thanks again for all the donations!!
Family Learning - Free ONLINE COURsES FOR PARENTS AND CARErS
Surrey Education Services provided free family learning online courses for parents, carers and families:
Doodle Maths
Well done to these children for scoring the highest Doodle Stars in their class for the past two weeks!
Year 2 Orange Oscar 180
Year 3 Yellow Ana 542
Year 4 Green Connor 107
Year 5 Indigo Ella 142
Year 6 Violet William 231
Year 6 Blue Tymofii 132
Our top spot winner is William in Year 6V with 231 stars!
Chartwells COOK Vacancy
Spring Term Clubs Ultimate Coaching SPRING TERM
Ultimate Coaching bookings for Spring Term 2023:
Girls football: https://ultimate-coaching.class4kids.co.uk/term/230
Football Monday:
https://ultimate-coaching.class4kids.co.uk/term/223
Football Weds:
https://ultimate-coaching.class4kids.co.uk/term/228
Gymnastics:
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:
27th January - Year 3 Year 6B - To be confirmed
10th March - Year 4 17th March - Year 2
12th May - Year 1 9th June - Year 5
23rd June - Reception
Diary Dates
New dates in red
Sunday 15th January - Reception and Junior Surrey County Council Applications
From 17th January - Scholastic Travelling Book Fair
Tuesday 17th January - Maths Calculations Policy parent workshop for all year groups 8.50 - 9.30am
Monday 23rd January - Careers Week - 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
Between 30th January - 10th February - Spelling Bee Competition
Monday 6th February - Whole school Tray Day 2 - 3.05 - 4.30pm - come and visit your child's classroom
Tuesday 7th February - Year 5/6 Parents' Evening 3pm - 5.30pm
Thursday 9th February - Year 5/6 Parents' Evening 3pm - 6pm
Friday 10th February - INSET Day 3
Monday 20th February - Safer Internet Day
Friday 3rd March - World Book Day Dress up (as your favourite book character)
Thursday 9th March - SEND Parent workshop 8.50 - 9.50am. Parents from all year groups are welcome.
Friday 10th March - British Science Day whole school event
Friday 17th March - Red Nose Day (this is BPS's chosen charity of the year)
Tuesday 21st March - Parents' Evening 2.30 - 5.30pm (excluding Year 5/6)
Thursday 23rd March - Parents' Evening 3.05 - 6pm (excluding Year 5/6)
Friday 31st March - Last day of term - 1pm finish
Monday 8th May - Additional Bank Holiday
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.
Thursday 25th May - Diversity Week
Friday 26th May - INSET 5
Tuesday 26th June - Year 6 Transition Days at secondary schools
Wednesday 27th June - Year 6 Transition Days at secondary schools
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
