Diary Dates

Term Dates

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a busy week of learning across the school with lots of discussions around celebrations which take place at this time of the year. The children listened to a story in assembly read by Miss Hazell titled Poppies, Poppies Everywhere by Denise Leduc in order to understand the meaning behind the poppy on Remembrance Day. Thank you Miss Hazell for sharing this with us today. Earlier in the week, the children have listened to a story in assembly linked to our focus value for this half term, 'cooperation'. I read the story 'Pumpkin Soup' to the children to help them understand how when cooperating everyone has a role to play and how to manage fallings out based on how the characters in the story felt. The children were encouraged to reflect on this and apply the thinking to their own peer groups.

We are delighted to have received two awards from Edurio who conduct national surveys across school teams. The first award is the Listening and Acting award for staff feedback. This recognition is a result of outstanding achievements and exceptional ranking among the top 10 schools in the country based on the 2024-2025 academic year. The other is the Career Development award. We are delighted to receive these awards! Lark Rise continues to be a very special place to work and we are proud of the culture that we create ensuring the children can thrive. These awards are recognition of the wonderful people that work at Lark Rise and their kind hearts.

Thank you to all the parents and carers that attended our phonics information sharing yesterday evening, it was lovely to have so many of you in attendance. Phonics is the building blocks of learning to read which is a key focus area for us at Lark Rise; it is so important to have your support with this at home so that you understand the basics of how this is taught to the children and our phonics approach. Thank you to Miss Slough, our Phonics lead and Miss Hazell for delivering this session.

There's lots to catch up on and celebrate in the rest of this newsletter! Please take the time to read it over.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing the children next week for another busy and fun week of learning.

Mrs Romina Lang

Headteacher

Attendopoly

Each week in our whole school assembly we celebrate children's attendance by playing a game of Attendopoly (based on Monopoly). The class with the highest attendance figure is rewarded with a class prize.

The winning class for the last three weeks was:

Week of 13th October : Robins class with 99.1% attendance

Whole school attendance : 96.8%

Week of 20th October : Macaws class with 99.3% attendance

Whole school attendance : 96.3%

Our whole school target attendance for this academic year across all classes is 97%.

Parent Questionnaire

We will shortly be sending out a parent questionnaire which we would be grateful if you complete at your earliest convenience. Thank you in advance for your continued support.

After School Clubs

There will be no after school clubs running in the last week of the Autumn term (week of 15th December) so all children will need to be collected at the end of the school day (3.30pm).

If you have absolutely no alternative childcare until 4.30pm on that week, please contact the school office and we will try and assist. There will be NO childcare available on Friday 19th December. Any requests for the last week of term need to be with us by Monday 1st December.

Children in Need

Next Friday (14th November) we will be supporting Children in Need. Children are invited to come into school in their own clothes with a spotty theme.

There will be a £1 donation towards Children In Need - donations can be brought into school in cash on the day.

House Captains

House Captains and Vice Captains have been appointed for the year and are :

Blue House
- Captains : Flynn Cruise & Hanna Kwiatkowska
- Vice-Captains : Niamh Baker & Hugo Ksiazek
Green House
- Captains : Nahul Satheeskumar & Ada Smith
- Vice-Captains : Neri Hughes & Daniel McCulloch
Red House
- Captains : Harleigh Flitton & Shreya Patel
- Vice-Captains : Arlo King & Ella Moneypenny
Yellow House
- Captains : Luke Taylor & Annabel Vickery
- Vice-Captains : Arianna Liscio & Liam Sworka

Roles and Responsibilities

Congratulations to all of those children who put themselves forward and have been given a role or responsibility in school. The following children all now have a role in school.

Eco-Reps :

Zachary Gore Charlie Fountain Reggie Turner

Isabella Slough Niamh Baker

Emily Horner Teddy Trinder Elsie Randall

Poppy Tebbutt Theo Patsalides Winter Hughes

Wren Hackett Sophia Paruit Maddison Edmonds

Willow Tennant Anastasia Costache Emma Anton

Reading Ambassadors :

Lydia Ross Katarina Abranches Haajer Sadiq

Oliver Prew Izabella Rooney Reina Skelton

Neri Hughes Theo Perkins Eloise Sawyer

Charlotte Soper-Bottom Zakariya Karim-Samad Sienna Howells

Ollie Tebbutt Lilly Dean Sara Bude

Stefan Bucur Isabella Villaneuva-Morley Ellie Mitchell

Arianna Liscio Alice Zhong George Vankov

Safety Squad :

Shreya Patel Poppy Bryson Alicja Sawa

Demi Rowe Yahya Chaudhry Haytham Sadiq

Karlok Aw Rosalie Trevor Precious Durojaye

Digital Leaders :

Felicia Chrisokere Alessia Dunca Arlo King

Felicity Chrisokere Carter Patsalides Daniel McCulloch

Elizabeth Bowles Daisy McCulloch Monika Njugunah

Luke Taylor Holly-Rose Marlow-Brooks Myra Pubreja

Nahul Satheeskumar Hugo Ksiazek Isla Kirwin

Jack Beddall Jackson Daulman Izzy Kirwin

Leo Palmer Otis Crook Ariana Nastasiuc

Aaryav Gour Oliver Cook Simra Sheraz

Eddie Hartley Annabelle Chidomere Annabelle Bowles

Isla Luck Kiaan Pubreja Gracjan Pieniazek

Damian Sawa Emily Cremin

George Maguire

Art Ambassadors :

Ada Smith Ilaria Talpan Emilly Brandusesc

Flynn Cruise Alexa Zagorianos Quinn Wilkinson

Mike Hamilton Thomas George Riley West

Anya Kryza Laila Perkins-Ossorio Hadassa Lozneanu

Bobby Bland Harleigh Flitton Malakai Young

Lucas Golding Saraya Casey-Muir Ella Moneypenny

Anti-Bullying Week

Next week is Anti-Bullying Week and this year’s theme is “Power for Good” - a theme that empowers children to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes.

We would also like to take part in 'Odd Socks Day' on Monday 10th November. There will be no charge for this event.

Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun! It is an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique! Children are invited to wear their odd socks with their normal school uniform for the day.

Christmas Performances

We are delighted to be able to hold our Christmas performances again this year and welcome parents/carers to attend them. Dates for your diaries are as follows:

Afternoon Nursery (Ducklings):

Tuesday 9th December 2.30pm

Morning Nursery (Ducks) & Reception (Owls & Robins):

Tuesday 9th December 9.00am

Thursday 11th December 10.30am

Key Stage One (Hummingbirds, Parrots & Penguins):

Tuesday 9th December 10.30am

Thursday 11th December 9.00am

Key Stage Two (Macaws, Peacocks, Red Kites, Eagles, Falcons & Hawks): Wednesday 10th December 6.30pm. The Key Stage Two Christmas performance will take place at Dunstable Conference Centre (opposite Peacocks on High Street South).

Information about tickets for the performances will be sent out in due course.

Sustainability Update

So far this year, our sustainability mission has continued to evolve. The teachers have been threading sustainability as a feature through our curriculum so that the children become confidently eco-conscious in their understanding of the world. Our Biology Week this year focused on 'Nature and Climate', which involved a zoo trip for Key Stage One and connecting to our schools grounds in Lower Key Stage Two. We have also recruited a number of new Eco-Reps to join the team this year.

My Child's Art

With Christmas rapidly approaching, we would like to let you know about an exciting project that we have been working on in school that will help you with your Christmas shopping.

The children have been creating their own Christmas picture and these individual pictures will be available for you to purchase on a variety of products from Christmas cards to candles, mugs to magnets; there are gifts suitable for all budgets. Not only will this help you with your Christmas shopping but it will also raise funds for the school as 20% of sales comes straight back to the school.

Watch this space for more information over the coming weeks.

Book Look

There will be an opportunity for parents/carers to come into school to look at the childrens' books on Thursday 20th November from 2.30pm - 3.30pm. Details of how to enter the school building for this event will be sent out nearer the time.

Maths Week

We will be celebrating Maths Week during week commencing Monday 17th November. We have many events that will be taking place in school during the childrens' maths lessons that week. To kick off the week, we would like to invite the children to come to school on Monday 17th November dressed as a rock star. There will also be TTRockstars and Numbots competitions organising the week - further details to follow.

Central Beds Council Admission Arrangements

Central Bedfordshire Council has launched its consultation on its admission arrangements for 2027/28.

We are consulting on the admission arrangements for three of our community and voluntary controlled schools, in summary:

Edward Peake CofE VC School – changes to the admissions oversubscription criteria.
St. Andrew’s CofE VC Primary School – changes to the admissions oversubscription criteria.
Shillington Lower School – proposed reduction to PAN from 30 to 15.

The consultation runs from Wednesday 22nd October to Wednesday 3rd December 2025.

Full details of the consultation and how to respond can be found at: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations

Chiltern Learning Trust Admission Arrangements

Chiltern Learning Trust is also consulting on their proposed Admissions Arrangements for the 2027–2028 academic year. The consultation will take place from Wednesday 5 November 2025 to Wednesday 17 December 2025. The proposed admissions arrangements can be viewed HERE

Request for wool

We would be really grateful for any donations of wool for the children to make pompoms in craft activities in school. Please drop any donations into the school office.

FALLS News

The FALLS (Friends at Lark Rise Academy) team will be sending out their own newsletter in the next few days which will give details of their upcoming events. In the meantime, please see the flier below with details of Elfridges, their Christmas shop.

Music Hero of the half term

Ludwig van Beethoven

Our musical hero of the half term is Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a revolutionary German composer and pianist from the classical period whose innovative music profoundly changed the world of music. We are studying him not only for his powerful compositions, but also as an inspiring example of perseverance, as he continued to create some of his greatest works even after going completely deaf. The children really enjoyed their first music assembly listening to Symphony Number 5 with the help of our Blob Orchestra and tapping out the beat to 'Ode to Joy.'

DT hero of the half term

Markus Persson, is the Swedish programmer and designer who created Minecraft, one of the best-selling video games in history. His journey began early, creating his first text-based adventure game at just eight years old. Inspired by other games, Persson developed Minecraft as a virtual world that prioritises player freedom to explore, build, and survive in a unique 3D, block-based environment. This simple yet revolutionary concept, first released in 2009, quickly captivated players, allowing them to construct anything from small houses to massive castles using its iconic graphics. The game's immense success allowed Persson to leave his job and co-found the company Mojang to focus solely on its development, demonstrating how passion and a simple, unique idea can lead to worldwide success.

Golden Ticket Winners Autumn 1

The following children have consistently demonstrated good behaviour choices during the first half of the Autumn term:

EYFS : Mia Sutton & Kian Ellis-Brown

KS1 : Eliana Liscio, Hanna-Khezia Danso & Sharleez Sheraz

LKS2 : Kiaan Pubreja, Archie Tebbutt & Reina Skelton

UKS2 : Annabel Vickery, Gabriela Tawurayi & Ayana Ahmed

Learning Superheroes - Resilient Roo Autumn 1

EYFS

Sharvini

Sharvini has always been shy, and it has been rare for us to hear her speaking. Recently she has been so brave and has begun to speak in class. With lots of encouragement Sharvini will say a few quiet words when talking with an adult. It has been wonderful to hear her much louder and confident voice as she has begun to talk to her friends and use talk in her play. Well done for being so brave we look forward to hearing your lovely voice as the school year continues!

Aleksander

Aleksander has always been a quieter member of the class, however during his time in the nursery he has begun to verbalise more frequently; trying so hard to use English words appropriately and correctly. It has been wonderful to see him grow in confidence and hear him talking to his friends and talking about the pictures when exploring books. Well done Aleksander!

Miles

At the start of term Miles found it tricky getting changed for PE, as well as taking his school jumper on and off. Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen a real change in Miles and his eagerness to do things ‘on his own’. With encouragement, he is now pretty much able to completely dress himself independently for PE . He has received lots of praise for this, and has inspired others with his ‘have a go’ attitude. Well done Miles!

April

In September April was brand new to Lark Rise. Initially she was a little nervous coming into a new classroom and meeting lots of children. However she has settled in really well, has made friends and is enjoying being at school. She comes into school every morning with a smile on her face and is eager to start the day with us. For this reason, we think she deserves to be our Resilient Roo. Well done April.

Penelope

Penelope began her learning journey at Lark Rise in September. Penelope came from her Nursery setting not knowing anyone in her new class. She came in and confidently started to talk to some of the other children in the class and has now built up some lovely friendships. Penelope has settled so well and we are so proud of her. Well done Penelope!

Leo

Leo started Lark Rise in September. Leo has not been to a Nursery or school setting before so coming to Lark Rise was a very big step for Leo. Leo settled into school life so quickly and has become a wonderful member of the Reception class. Leo comes into school every day with a smile, saying ‘good morning’ and has made some wonderful friends. Leo - we are so proud of you. Well done!

KS1

Gabriel

Gabriel I am so proud of how resilient you have been this term after an operation that meant you needed time off school just as you were about to start a new key stage. Coming back to school for the first time you had to be so brave and showed us all how amazing you are. I have loved the way you have shown not only resilience this half term but also supported another new child at Lark Rise and helped them to settle in too. What a brilliant role model and Resilient Roo!

Cassie

Cassie, you have made a fantastic start to your key stage One journey and we are so proud of you! Before you came up to Year 1 I know you were feeling a little unsure of all the changes that were about to happen, but I love the way you did something positive to help you manage those big feelings. Nearly everyday at the end of the Summer term, you found a moment to say hello, or made letters and pictures for your new teachers to help us get to know you and to help you feel safe. You have shown so much resilience and faced everything with a smile and pure determination embrace the changes. Well done Cassie; you did it!

Cole

Cole, your journey this term has been a fantastic example of perseverance. While you found the transition to a new key stage a little difficult at first, you faced the challenge with true determination. Day by day, you worked through any initial worries and showed us just how resilient you are. Now, it's wonderful to see you arriving at school each morning with a beaming smile, completely ready for the day ahead. You've shown that you can overcome any obstacle, and we are so proud of you.

Maria

Maria, you have navigated the move to Key Stage One with admirable strength and a positive spirit. While finding your feet in a new environment presented some initial challenges, your sheer determination has seen you flourish. It has been wonderful to see your confidence grow as you adapt to new routines and become a more independent learner who isn't afraid to tackle a tricky task. You are a valued member of the Parrots Class, and the energy you put into every aspect of your learning is fantastic to see. We are immensely proud of the resilience you have shown. We recognise the transition wasn't simple, but you are doing an amazing job! Keep up the fantastic work!

Max

Max has transitioned from a Year 1 to a Year 2 in a way that can be described as a flower blooming or a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. Max is incredibly kind, considerate and fair. His resilient nature truly shines through his positive outlook and attitude towards life. He is one of the first children to volunteer to help, or fulfil a role in school, but if he is unsuccessful or not chosen for something, all that shines from him is happiness for his peers and support for those around him. During the voting of our class reps, Max put himself forward but when he discovered someone else had been voted for the role his first words were: ‘I am so happy for you! What a brilliant choice!’ His smile is infectious and all those around him are truly lucky to know such an amazing soul! Max, thank you for being you and for always looking at life with such positivity! Well done - keep being the wonderful, magical you!

Maeve

Maeve is such a remarkably resilient child, with a heart of gold, full of kindness and consideration for others. She was very nervous transitioning into year 1 but instead of letting her worries silence her, she bravely seeks support from those around her, understanding that communication is key. Seeking this support has allowed her confidence to flourish and over the last few weeks it has been a privilege and a joy to see her use her strength to support others who also have worries. She has turned her nervousness into courage and uses this to help others, by listening to them and offering kind words of support. She truly shines with resilience - always looking to try her best and grow as a person. Well done Maeve, you are an absolute superstar, keep shining on!

LKS2

Albie

Year 3 can be a big step up in learning and expectations. Albie is in a maths class with other year 3 children and lots of year 4s too! At the beginning of term, Albie was unsure about some of the new maths learning we were doing and didn’t seem very confident. However, as the days and weeks have gone on, I can see Albie’s confidence grow with each lesson as he learns new skills with larger numbers and proves to himself what a fantastic mathematician he is. Well done Albie!

Benjamin

Benjamin was very nervous during our first swimming lesson. He didn’t want to put his face under the water at all - something that can be very scary for some children. As the weeks have progressed, Benjamin has been getting into the pool with ease and a big smile on his face. He has embraced the lessons each week, listening to the coaches and making fantastic progress. Watching him enjoying the swimming lessons he was so nervous about has been lovely to see; I am excited to see you continue to progress in this skill over the next half term.

Taya

Settling into a new year can be a big challenge, let alone starting a new school! Taya has shown fantastic courage and positivity since joining Lark Rise. She has quickly made new friends, settled into the routines and has shown a real enthusiasm towards her learning. Taya, I am so proud of how well you have adapted and I look forward to seeing and hearing about all the lovely things you will achieve throughout the year.

Sophie

What a fantastic transition it has been for Sophie! Sophie has settled in so well to Year 3, showing immense maturity in handling the big jump from KS1! Sophie brightens up Peacocks class with a big smile on her face and consistently tries so hard in all her lessons. I am incredibly proud of her effort and positive attitude. Well done Sophie, keep on smiling.

Holly-Rose

Holly-Rose felt worried about the prospect of going to swimming lessons with Lark Rise. However, Holly-Rose has not let this stop her from getting in the water every week and trying really hard to listen to the swim teacher. She has tackled any challenges she faced head on and it has been wonderful to watch her confidence grow throughout our first term of swimming. Holly-Rose comes out of the pool with a smile telling me how proud she is of herself. It has been wonderful to watch this resilience drive you through to success. Well done, Holly-Rose.

Emily

Emily can sometimes find new maths concepts tricky but when faced with these challenges Emily has shown how resilient she is. Emily’s resilience is the driving force that helps her to succeed as she never gives up and keeps going until she has understood the learning. It is clear that Emily can see the rewards of being so resilient. Well done, Emily - keep being a Resilient Roo!

UKS2

Sarah

You have started Year 6 with a real can-do and will-do attitude! You are engaged, enthused and you take feedback on board after each lesson. The result of this resilience and determination shines through in your work. You produce masterpiece after masterpiece and I genuinely look forward to marking (and showing my own children) your amazing work.

Teddie

Moving into UKS2 and being alongside year 6 children in English and Maths can feel like a big jump but Teddie’s resilience, hard work and dedication is already paying off. You should feel so proud of what you have achieved already Teddie - not only are you producing consistently excellent work, you have also created a fantastic impression of your wonderful self to all of the adults in the key stage.

Alfie

Alfie joined Lark Rise a few weeks into the Autumn Term and I have been so proud of him for how quickly he has settled in. In the short time he has been with us, he has developed some lovely friendships, produced some great work and picked up on our school routines. Alfie has shown such resilience as he has shown such a positive attitude towards his learning and completed his work. Very well done Alfie and I know that you are going to go on to have an amazing year in Year 5.

Poppy

Poppy has returned to school this year with such an incredibly positive attitude and has had such a great first half term in Year 6. She always wants to do her very best with all of her learning and I am so proud of the resilience that she shows to ensure that she completes her work to the best of her ability. Poppy will ask questions about how she can improve her work and will listen carefully to the advice that she is given. Well done Poppy on a fantastic start to the year. Keep being amazing and always trying your very best and you will go far.

Zayd

Zayd joined our school at the beginning of this academic year and has formed some firm friendships already. He is really trying hard to engage in all his lessons - he is particularly impressive in History when he has his hand up to answer many questions and to put forward his point of view. Zayd is beginning to understand how important it is to have resilience and to be brave to push through when the work is initially difficult for him. Keep up the positive attitude, Zayd, and I’m sure you will flourish at Lark Rise.

Thomas

Thomas has only been with us a few short weeks, but he has certainly made a big impact on us already. He has fitted right into life at Lark Rise, showing himself to be a great worker who is always engaged in his learning, keen to put his hand up and join in with class discussions. Within a week of him being at Lark Rise, he was already interested in the different roles and responsibilities available to him and confidently put himself forward for the role of Art Ambassador. You have made a great start to your learning journey at Lark Rise, Thomas - well done!

Writing to be proud of (Year 4)