Diary Dates

Term Dates

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have enjoyed some emersive 'Magic Moments' across the school during the last 2 weeks which have really brought the learning to life for the children and created meaningful learning experiences. KS1 have enjoyed a local walk to Dunstable Downs on a field trip to look at physical Geography. Lower Key Stage 2 have enjoyed a visit from Paul Hawkes, a local Geologist who came into school to discuss their Geography topic of rocks and brought with him lots of artefacts to explore. The children absolutely love this topic and there was a lot of excitement and interest after this visit had taken place. Last week Mrs White accompanied our KS2 Digital Leaders to The Bett Show where they hopped on the train to London for the day to explore the latest cutting edge technology. This was a fantastic opportunity for them to learn more about what is new across technology in education and industry. Not only was all the merchandise a big hit but the children had the opportunity to meet the one and only Michael Rosen (I am so very jealous) as well as an invite to Canva HQ which we are all beyond excited about! We are definitely cultivating some leaders in technology for the future! Huge thanks to Mrs White for organising this experience for the children.

Thank you for visiting school last week for a learning update across English and Maths; it was lovely to see so many of you. We hope that these meetings supported your understanding of where your child is currently working and their next steps. We will continue to send home written progress of how your child is performing in line with the document 'opportunities for parental involvement' that we shared at the start of the year. We hope that these meetings and the written feedback keep you fully informed but please get in touch if you have any questions or if there is anything that you are unsure of.

This week we were full of smiles to welcome Mrs Berry back into school. Mrs Berry is supporting a number of charities in her retirement but remains to be our link to the important work that she carries out in India. It was lovely to see our value this half term of 'happiness' in action as we listened and looked at the photos of the work that our money goes towards supporting. Thank you to Mrs Berry for sharing that happiness is something to be truly valued and appreciated and for working with us and taking the time to come in and deliver an assembly. We are looking forward to maintaining this support through Mrs Berry's incredible work when she visits India again next academic year.

Today saw Red Kites showcase their learning during their class assembly. Thank you to all of the parents and carers that came along to support. I have been informed by Mrs Waterman that it was another fantastic showcase of learning and the children should be really proud of their efforts - well done to everyone involved.

I hope you all have a great weekend with your families and look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

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 couple of weeks was:

Week of 13th January : Peacocks class with 99.3% attendance

Whole school attendance : 97.2%

Week of 20th January : Falcons class with 98.6% attendance

Whole school attendance : 94.9%

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

Children's Information

We have recently transferred to a new Information Management System which houses all of the children's personal information. We have had a few teething troubles and to ensure we have the correct information for your child (parents' contact details (email and telephone), doctor's surgery, medical conditions etc), we will be sending out data sheets next week for you to check. Please could you do this as a matter of urgency (but by Friday 7th February at the very latest) and return them to school if you have any changes. It is imperative that we have up to date details for all children. A reminder that we need at least 3 emergency contacts for your child(ren).

School Street Trial Approved

Starting 24 April

Due to concerns around child safety near the school gates, we are working with Central Bedfordshire Council to trial a ‘School Street’ for an expected period of at least six months. The School Street is intended to make the area outside the school gates a safer environment for children walking, scooting or cycling to school and a nicer environment for everyone.

From 24 April, vehicle access to Cartmel Drive will be restricted south-west of Ullswater Road from 8.15am to 9.00am and 3.00pm to 3.40pm on weekdays during term time. Please see the map above.

A stewarded barrier will be in place on Cartmel Drive. Parents and carers will not be able to drive into the School Street during these times (unless they are eligible for an exemption due to accessibility needs - see below criteria).

Exempted vehicles (such as those belonging to residents and people with accessibility needs) will continue to drive in the restricted area during School Street times. Please remind children about road safety and do not allow them to walk in the road.

Accessibility needs:

Parents or carers with accessibility needs, or whose child has accessibility needs, will be exempt from the closure. The steward will move the barrier aside for vehicles which are registered as exempt, allowing them to drive into the School Street during the closure times. If you require an exemption because of accessibility needs, please contact the school office. Once the School Street is in operation, there will be no access to the staff car park as there will be space outside the school.

Parking:

We strongly encourage families who are able to walk, scoot or cycle to school to do so. Walking to school helps children to keep active and can improve their mental wellbeing and readiness to learn.

For families who need to drive, please park a little further away from the gates and walk, scoot or cycle the last 5 or 10 minutes to school. Please see below maps of five-minute and ten-minute walking distances. We ask that parents and carers who drive to school park respectfully and safely, and do not block driveways or leave engines idling.

More information:

Find frequently asked questions by scanning the QR code below or by going to www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk and searching for ‘School drop-off and pick-up road closures’.

If you have any further questions, please email begreen@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.  

Change to Menu

As part of LKS2's Italy day on Tuesday 11th February, there will be change to the menu. Meatballs will be served on Tuesday 11th February and sausage casserole on Thursday 13th February. Parentmail has been updated to this effect, all meals previously booked will receive a notification via Parentmail in case you wish to make any changes.

FALLS Events

The FALLS team are organising the following events this half term :

Monday 10th February : Valentine's Disco

5.00 - 6.00pm : Reception & KS1

6.15 - 7.15pm : KS2

Tickets (£4) are available to purchase on Parentmail by Wednesday 5th February, after this point, payment will be on the door.

Friday 14th February 3.30pm : Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sale

12 doughnuts for £12 (boxed)

Individual doughnuts (bagged) £1 each.

All doughnuts will need to be pre-ordered on Parentmail by Monday 10th February. There will be NO doughnuts to purchase on the day.

Class Assemblies

The class assemblies to which parents/carers are invited have been added to the school calendar which can be accessed via the Diary Dates tab at the top of the newsletter.

The assemblies planned for the remainder of the year are:

Macaws : Friday 7th February

Hummingbirds : Friday 7th March

Parrots : Friday 21st March

Penguins : Friday 28th March

Owls & Robins : Friday 2nd May

Ducks : Friday 13th June

All assemblies start at 9am.

Shine Bright, Wear Bright

As part of our support for the CHUMS charity who are offering support for some children in school, we will be taking part in their 'Shine Bright Wear Bright’ event to raise money for CHUMS. We will be having a non uniform day on Friday 7th February 2025 which is during Children’s Mental Health Week.

There will be a £1 donation towards the charity - details of how to pay will be sent out nearer the time.

Writing to be proud of (Year 5)