We are delighted to let you know that Mrs Lizzy Murphy has joined our staff team on a part-time basis as Caterpillar Class Teacher. Mrs Murphy is a very experienced Early Years teacher who brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise. We know that she will be a real asset, not only within Early Years, but the wider school also and hope that you will join us in making her feel welcome in her new role.

As new devices, such a tablets and games consoles, have been popular Christmas gifts for many, our children have had a timely reminder about how to keep safe online this week in assembly. We discussed the 4 key messages our children need to remember, as displayed on our Top Tips Posters throughout the school:

• Top Tip 1 : People online may not be who they say they are.

• Top Tip 2 : Be nice to people online.

• Top Tip 3 : Do not share private information.

• Top Tip 4 : If you are worried tell an adult

A guide to staying safe on new devices for children and parents can also be found below.

As VR headsets are becoming more widely used by our young children, you can find further details about other risks to be aware of here:

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/virtual-reality-headsets/

The NSPCC website has also has other useful information:

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

The online safety page on our school website also contains a wide number of helpful tips and resources to guide and support parents and families:

https://www.furzeplattinfantschool.co.uk/online-safety/

Safer Internet Day is on 7th February - more information to follow...

We have enjoyed welcoming back our Bumblebee, Caterpillar and Dragonfly children after the Christmas holidays! All of the children were very excited to share their busy holiday news with their friends and teachers. The children have settled back into the school routine brilliantly and have been busy exploring the season of Winter through an ice diary experiment, learning about hibernating animals and we have even been on a winter walk with a delicious hot chocolate to keep us warm!

We have been reading the story of Alfie's Weather. The children discussed the beautiful illustrations in the story and made links to their own experiences. Following their discussions, the children created their own winter scenes using watercolour paints. They designed their painting by observing our outdoor environment, looking at the shape of trees, clouds and the colour of the sky. We were extremely impressed with their focus, creative and artistic skills! 

In maths this week we have been continuing to practise our subitising skills. We used cards to play matching games and used our fast fingers and fast eyes to check we were right. The children also enjoyed helping Tiny the Tortoise (our maths mascot) to remember to go slow and keep trying even when he had made a mistake!

Today we had an artistic afternoon in Early Years. The children learnt about different artists and their methods and then were able to choose the tools and resources they wanted to use to create their own fantastic piece of art. Many of the children choose to display their creations on their 'Special Spaces' around the classroom. Please take a look if you join us on one of our open morning sessions next week when you can join your child in the classroom to share their super 'Me and My Family' project books.

Fieldfares are large, colourful birds that belong to the Thrush family. Sadly, Fieldfares are on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red List because they are in critical decline. 

Did you know? Fieldfares are very social birds, spending the winter in flocks of anything from a dozen or two to several hundred strong!

We are very excited to have some of the Year 6 librarians from FPJS helping us to look after our school library. The children will be visiting regularly to assist with managing the library system, sorting books and maintaining displays as well as making sure the library area itself is kept tidy and well-organised. Our thanks to Mrs Clark, Head of School at FPJS, for helping to organise this - and to our very first librarians, Zoe, Richard and Izzy who visited for the first time this week. 

• Tuesday 17th January - Happy School Bags

The FPSA will be collecting Happy School Bags from 8.35am until 9.05am on Tuesday 17th January.

Filled bags are to be dropped by the fence near the gates of the Infants School playground. Please do not leave them there the night before.

Your bags can be filled with: clean adults' and children's clothing, paired shoes and trainers, console games, souvenirs, handbags, belts, hats, accessories, jewellery, toiletries, perfumes, bed linen, towels and soft toys.

Happy School Bags can't take: bric-a-brac, single shoes, mats, carpets, pillows, blankets, curtains, books, school uniforms. dirty, damaged or wet clothes.

Please note all items must be clean especially clothing, bed linen, towels and footwear.

If you have more than one bag, you can use any large bag (e.g. bin bag or swing-bin bag) to fill more stuff. Thank you for your support.