Castle Hill Primary School

Mr Martin's Message

• Meal debts - We have updated our Debt Recovery Policy for parents. As part of this, we are encouraging parents to clear off any outstanding lunch balance on their ScoPay accounts by 1st June 2024. After this date, it will not be possible to order a lunch unless there is a credit balance on your child's account. To read our Debt Recovery policy visit our school policy page - Policies

• Registering for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme - For this summer, children entitled to benefit-related free school meals (FSM) will need to register with the council ahead of booking with one of the many providers delivering schemes. After the half-term break, we will receive information about the 150+ schemes that will be running across the county this summer that have funded places that mean those children can access fun activities and a meal for free. To register for their unique booking code in good time register by visiting: https://www.hants.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth/childrenandfamilies/connectforcommunities/holidayactivities/register

• HCC is recruiting to find a new crossing patrol at Rooksdown. The vacancy can be found via the following link and School Crossing Patrol - Park Prewett, Basingstoke
  For the current job vacancies visit - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/job-vacancies

• Change to the length of day - To ensure that we meet the Department of Education's new minimum expectation of a 32.5-hour school week from September 2024 the school day will end at 3:15 pm - Change to the length of the school day 

• Greenways Newsagent in Winklebury would like parents to know that all remaining school uniform stock is now for sale at cost price

• School Hardship Fund - We do understand that within our school community, some families are struggling financially. We would like to make you aware that we have access to some funding for certain situations to help those in need. We use the mufti-day donations and other school events to keep our school hardship fund topped up. If you would like to talk privately to a member of our team, please email admin@chjs.net. If you would still like to contribute you can make an online donation via ScoPay.

What has Been happening in School?

Year 5 Writing Competition

Earlier this term, some Greenbank year 5 pupils entered a voluntary, nationwide Young Writers competition, completing a 100-word story about a ‘crazy creature’ they had created. Out of the 20 children who entered, 19 have been chosen to have their work published in the company's ‘Authors of the Future’ book, which is really exciting! 😊 We are very much looking forward to seeing the finished publication when it is produced and sent to us in June.

Rooksdown Book Nook

The children have been enjoying using the Book Nook throughout the day. We have created a rota for break and lunch times so children can use it if they wish and enjoy some calm time reading a book or drawing. The cushions have been a great addition to the book nook, a big thanks to Jo Mcelroy who very kindly spent time making these personalised cushions to fit in.

Attendance Updates

Our target for this year is 96% or over, and last year’s attendance was 95.2%. 

Our current percentage is 95.2%. Well done!

The classes with the best attendance this half term are:

Rooksdown

KS1 – Year 1 Miss Gill  = 96.2%

KS2 – Year 3 Miss Reed = 96%

Greenbank

Year 5  Miss Jones  = 97.6%

Here is a useful link to the NHS website which might help you decide if your child is too ill for school - 

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Sports Reports & Team Photos

We are the Champions!

Congratulations to the Castle Hill boy's football team for winning the Basingstoke Schools Football League and overall competition.

After winning the semi-final vs Bishopswood, the boys were superb beating St Johns 4-1 in the final. The teamwork and togetherness are what really impressed me, so lovely to see.

Everyone contributed to our success throughout the year. Well done to George, Osborn, Callum, Findlay, Harvey, Kane, Harrison, Rudy, Luca and Leo T.

Go Castle Hill!

Holiday Camps / Clubs

MAGNA Holiday Camp - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/news/2024-04-23-magna-may-half-term-holiday-camp

SCL Holiday Club (use SSHols10 for 10% discount) - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/news/2024-03-05-scl-easter-camp-rooksdown

GOL! Holiday Club - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/news/2024-04-23-gol-may-half-term-holiday-camp

In other News.....

Fundraising Friends NEWS!

eSafety

More and more services are starting to integrate the use of artificial intelligence into their products, for example, "My AI" in Snapchat and FaceApp. 

When it comes to ensuring children’s safety while using artificial intelligence (AI), parents can take several important steps:

1. Educate Children About AI Limitations: Kids should understand that AI has limitations, which can lead to inaccurate or biased results. They need to recognize that AI lacks emotional understanding and cannot replace human relationships and connections. Encourage critical thinking and help them differentiate between AI-generated content and human input.

2. Set Up Parental Controls and Privacy Settings: Take advantage of parental controls and password protection. Set up controls on apps you don’t want your kids using, and secure websites with passwords to restrict access. Additionally, monitor screen time and be aware of what children are doing during that time. Remind them not to overshare personal information online.

3. Promote Responsible AI Use: Teach children to use AI in safe and supervised ways. Some AI systems collect personal information without kids realizing it, which can be unsafe. Encourage responsible behaviour, guide them on using AI tools effectively, and stay informed about AI developments. By fostering a balanced approach, we can harness AI’s potential while prioritising safety. 

Trips & Workshops

We have been planning some exciting trips and workshops across all year groups this academic year. These trips are planned to complement and reinforce learning on key curriculum topics. We are aware of the financial challenges that everyone is facing at the moment and so to help with budgeting have set an annual maximum figure of £40 per child, and where possible lower than this. 

Trip amounts are calculated assuming that every child takes part and makes a contribution to ensure we have raised sufficient funds. Please note, that should there be insufficient voluntary contributions the school reserves the right to cancel or postpone the trip or workshop. 

We hope that this is helpful for your financial planning. We are looking forward to some exciting experiences. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries. 

Year 5 sets sail for learning on the Titanic!

Year 5 recently set sail on a voyage of discovery to the fascinating SeaCity Museum in Southampton to learn about the RMS Titanic. Their day was a whirlwind of exciting activities. They popped on their detective hats in a workshop to answer a tough question: who was to blame for the tragic loss of so many lives on the Titanic? The lively debate continues even back in the classroom!

The children also embarked on an insightful tour, learning how this magnificent ship was built, the different social classes who travelled on board, and the dramatic stories of crew and passengers during the disaster. But this wasn't just a history lesson, the trip fueled their writing too. Inspired by what they learned, Year 5 crafted their balanced arguments in English!

Year R Wellington Country Park trip

Year R visited Wellington Country Park this half term. The children impressed us with their impeccable manners, kindness and teamwork as we moved around the park. We visited the farm to experience a 'Farm workshop' and we fed the pigs, goats and sheep. We also learnt the difference between an alpaca and a llama (it's the shape of the ears!).

We went to discover the dinosaurs and played on the pirate ship and the adventure playground.

The weather was very kind to us which contributed to a fun-filled experience.

Our School