Dear Parents and Carers,

"The magic of summer is in childhood memories and the excitement of creating new ones"

Everyone here at Woodside would like to wish all our families a Happy and Restful Summer Break. See you all in September for a New School Year!

From all the Staff here at Woodside

As parents and carers, there are lots of small things you can do over the summer to help them feel more confident:

Make time to chat – Ask your child how they're feeling about September. Try to listen without jumping straight in with solutions. Sometimes, simply talking things through can help ease worries.

Acknowledge their feelings – Let them know it's okay to feel nervous. Reassure them that lots of children (and even adults!) feel anxious before something new.

Remind them of past successes – Talk about other times they've faced a change, such as starting school or moving class, and how they managed it. This helps build confidence in their own resilience.

Focus on the positives – Chat about the exciting things ahead, such as making new friends, learning new topics or taking on new responsibilities.

Ease back into routines – During the last week of the holidays, gradually return to earlier bedtimes and morning routines. This can make those first few days back much less stressful.

Keep goodbyes positive – If your child is feeling anxious, try to keep conversations calm and optimistic. Your reassurance and confidence can help them feel safe.

Most children settle quickly once they're back at school, even if they've been feeling worried beforehand. If your child is still feeling particularly anxious as September approaches, please do get in touch. We're always happy to listen and work together to make their return to school as smooth and positive as possible.

Wishing all of our Woodside families a wonderful summer. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in September, ready for another fantastic year of learning! 

Mrs Georgiades

Safeguarding Over the Summer Holidays 

As we reach the end of another school year, we would like to wish all of our Woodside families a happy, safe and relaxing summer break.

While school is closed, we know that some families may need extra support. If you are worried about the safety or wellbeing of a child

during the holidays, please don't wait until school reopens.

Our safeguarding team will be regularly monitoring the school safeguarding email inbox at Safeguarding at Woodside Primary School throughout

the Summer holidays. Please be aware that, as school is closed, responses may take longer than usual. If your concern is urgent,

please use the contacts below rather than waiting for a response from school.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, always call 999.

If you have safeguarding concerns about a child who lives in Croydon, you can contact Croydon Children's Services on 020 8726 6400 (Monday to Friday, 9.00am–5.00pm). Outside of these hours, contact the Croydon Emergency Duty Team on 020 8726 6500.

If you need advice or support, you can also contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or visit the NSPCC website.

If a child or young person is struggling with their mental health, they can text YM to 85258 for free, 24/7 crisis support. Parents wanting advice can

also contact the YoungMinds Parents Helpline on 0808 802 5544.  

We hope you all have a wonderful summer, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in September.

AI is being used to turn ordinary photos of children into sexual abuse material.

The National Crime Agency and Internet Watch Foundation have issued new guidance to help parents make informed choices about sharing images of their children online. It covers reviewing privacy settings, revisiting consent with your child as they grow, and what to do if you're worried.

We strongly encourage all parents and carers to read the official guidance: https://www.iwf.org.uk/resources/ai-child-abuse-imagery-parent-guide/

We are using in-app messages to communicate with parents through the app - please could parents ensure they are able to log-in and Arbor is set up to accept these messages - they should be visible in the Communications section of the portal.

Parents who have the app should enable Push Notifications - this will alert you through the app that a message has arrived.

Over 90% of our parents have logged into Arbor - if you are having difficulty, please talk to the office who can help.

Check your Child's Data

Please log in to Arbor and check your child's/children's details are correct - and let us know if not. You can also request changes directly through the app which will take place once we have seen them - if we have questions, we will get in touch. Or you can let the office know directly. It is important we have the correct data for all our families.

Please remember to check Arbor - either the Parent Portal (at https://login.arbor.sc/) or the parent app (available from the App Store or Google Play).

Parents who log in can:

* see their child's attendance

* log consent for local trips and those further afield

* pay for trips and book and pay for clubs

* receive In-App messages - and message the school

* book parent consultations

* see their child's details and request changes to ensure they are completely up to date

If you have more than one child at the school, they should be visible via a drop-down so you only need to login once.

To set up your account, you need the email you use for school communications and the date of birth of one of your children. Follow the Forgotten Password link on either the app or the website.

If you need support with logging in, please talk to the office team who will be glad to help.