STAYNOR HALL ACADEMY NEWSLETTER
Friday 19th December 2025
STAYNOR HALL ACADEMY NEWSLETTER
Friday 19th December 2025
Dear Families
I am so incredibly proud of all of our children in school, they have shone throughout the term and then finished the last couple of weeks with some wonderful Christmas performances, which we have enjoyed watching. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all as parents and carers for your ongoing support, for ensuring you children come to school everyday with everything that they need. I would also like to thank our staff team, they do a wonderful job ensuing the children have a safe and nurturing environment to come to school to filled with exciting learning opportunities.
As we continue to improve school attendance we are going to be sharing with you regular updates on your child's attendance. From January you will receive a weekly email sharing your child's attendance for the week, this will be to celebrate 100% attendance for the week and share where attendance might be a concern.
I wish all of our families a relaxing and peaceful holiday, spent with loved ones.
Mrs Winter
If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of a child in school please contact myself,
Mrs Cowling or Ms Steunou who are the safeguarding leads.
Apple AirTag and tracking children on school trips
it has been brought to our attention both locally and nationally that parents/carers are using devices such as the Apple AirTag to track children on school residentials/trips/visits/outings. Other devices can also include electronic watches that are essentially tracking devices with the capability of sending video footage from the device back to the person tracking i.e. parent. Such devices have the potential to post locations of children’s whereabouts on social media. We are therefore advising schools to include this in the consent slip which parents sign prior to taking part in a trip that such devices will not be allowed under any circumstances and must not be hidden in pockets/bags etc. If any tracking devices are found on pupils they will not be allowed on the trip and will be returned to school.
Apple have released the statement below which can be found on their website:
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products”
We are an allergy aware school.
Nuts are prohibited on school site, and should not be put in children's packed lunches or brought in as a playtime snack
Thank you
Please can we ask that your child does not ride their bikes or scooters on the school grounds.
Children are not play on the wooden trim trail before and after school.
Children are not play football on the field and playground before or after school.
As the school continues to grow the playground is getting busier and busier and it is important we keep everyone safe.
We would also like to encourage parents and children to not cross roads where visibility is reduced to ensure that roads are clear before crossing.
22nd December - 2nd January - Christmas Holidays (School closed to all)
January - March - Tesco Stronger Starts. Blue Token Voting.
5th January 2026 - School Reopens
15th January- Applications closes for Reception 2026 places https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/news/2025/primary-school-admissions-september-2026-are-now-open
5th February - No After School Club available.
16th - 20th February - Half Term (School closed to all)
6th March - Teacher Training (School closed to pupils)
What's Cooking?
I have continued working with Team Aire this week. They have been making Great Fire of London Cakes. Further to their learning in class, the children have learnt about ingredients that may have been used in the bakery in Pudding Lane in 1666. We have also looked at the Eat Well Guide and identified which category our ingredients would go in. The children enjoyed a discussion about where milk and eggs come from.
The children have used weighing and measuring skills and had the opportunity to crack an egg! They have also used mixing and stirring skills. Their enthusiasm in Cook School has been fantastic. Well done to all of you who have attended this week.
I have also spent time with other children, celebrating Christmas by making and decorating some Christmas cookies. Team Esk had a wonderful time decorating some cookies too and took them home to share with their families.
I am now going to hang up my apron for the festive season and would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Mrs Soper
Cook School Lead
As we come to the end of another busy and successful term, everyone at FOSHA would like to say a huge thank you to all our parents and carers for your incredible support.
Thanks to your generosity and enthusiasm, we have been able to hold a range of wonderful events this term, including the Halloween Disco, Christmas Disco, Christmas Raffle, refreshments at the Christmas performances, Elfridges, and our ever-popular Sweet Shop Fridays. These events not only brought lots of fun and festive cheer to the children, but also helped bring our school community together.
We are delighted to share that, through these activities, brought in a lot of income for the school with a profit of an amazing £1,899. This money goes straight back into the school to support resources and help reduce the cost for parents that benefit all our children—so every contribution truly makes a difference.
FOSHA is always grateful for any help, big or small. If you are able to donate some of your time to support future events, we would love to hear from you.
Thank you once again for your continued support. We wish you all a wonderful Christmas break and look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.
Contact
Please speak with our Chair Samantha Pickard or Co-Chair Hayley Mora by emailing fosh.chair@ebor.academy
Redeem your vouchers for free holiday activities with food this Christmas
We have issued FEAST vouchers to all families whose children receive benefits-related free school meals. These vouchers entitle your child to free places on FEAST activities this Christmas holiday, where they’ll also receive a free healthy meal. You should have received your voucher via email or text, from a platform called HolidayActivities.
If you haven’t yet redeemed your voucher, please do so as soon as possible to book your child’s place on the great activities happening locally.
If you believe your child is eligible and you have not yet received your voucher, or you have misplaced it, please contact the school office before the end of term.
To learn more about FEAST, including activities, eligibility and how to manage your bookings, visit the FEAST website.