Diary Dates

Term Dates

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you all had a lovely half term break with your families. The children have settled back into the last half term of the academic year and we are preparing for lots of exciting end of year events! Please check the diary here which is linked to our website diary containing all the up and coming events; and those detailed further on in this newsletter; there are lots of them so be sure to add them to your diaries. We are looking forward to celebrating and getting dressed up in 70s disco attire for our 50th Anniversary party. I know the children will be excited to see lots of you coming to celebrate with them in the afternoon; tickets are available for you to purchase on Parentmail and a Google form has been sent out so that we know which children we need to provide supervision for.

Our value this half term is 'understanding'. I enjoyed reading the book, 'The Invisible' by Tom Percival, to the children today to support their empathy skills and what it means to be understanding of one another and people's emotions and feelings. It is a great book for provoking these conversations with the children and I can highly recommend it if you have not already come across it with your child. The children will continue to reflect on this value with their teachers in their classes for the rest of the term.

Huge thanks to our FALLS parents team for organising and supporting with Father's day wrapping this week. Not only is this a nice event for the children to take part in but it also provides vital fundraising funds for us as a school. Thank you for supporting this event. If you have any ideas for fundraising events to support the school or are able to offer your services then please contact the school office as we are always looking for new parents and carers to support us with fundraising.

Today we welcomed back our Year 5s who have arrived home after a jam packed French adventure. I know lots of you have been following their travels on social media, please take a look if you have not already seen the photos, you will see from their faces how much fun they have had making memories that last a lifetime from fun at the theme park to croissant making! Thank you to all of our parents and carers that have supported this trip by sending your child. Our residentials are such a worthwhile experience for the children which support their confidence, resilience, independence and so much more; we absolutely love providing these opportunities for the children to thrive. Without the incredible staff team at Lark Rise we would of course not be able to offer such opportunities; huge thanks to Mrs Francis, Miss Hazell, Miss Spokes, Mrs Harling and Mrs Perkins for attending and providing all the care that the children needed whilst away. Thank you also to Mrs Hunt for her role in organising the trip and of course Mrs Gransby who was set to go this year but due to unforeseeable changes out of our control didn't attend. Both these ladies do such a fantastic job behind the scenes to ensure things run smoothly.

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 week was:

Week of 20th May: Falcons class with 99.3% attendance

Whole school attendance : 95.7%

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

Holidays in Term Time

A reminder that we are unable to authorise ANY holidays taken in term time. The Department for Education (DfE) has made a number of changes to legislation and guidance related to school attendance that are due to come into force on 19th August 2024.

Under the new national framework, all schools will be required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons.

From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.

This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012.

In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.

Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.

Further information can be found in the DFE Parent Hub at the following weblink.

Fines for parents for taking children out of school: What you need to know – The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

Sports Day

Sports Day will take place on on Thursday 27th June. Timings for the day will be :

EYFS (Ducks, Owls & Robins) : 9.10 - 9.40am
KS1 (Hummingbirds, Parrots & Penguins) : 10.00 - 11.00am
LKS2 (Macaws, Peacocks & Red Kites) : 11.15am - 12.15pm
UKS2 (Eagles, Falcons & Hawks) : 1.30 - 2.30pm
Afternoon Nursery (Ducklings) : 2.40 - 3.10pm.

Parents/carers are welcome to come and spectate at the specified times but you are politely requested to please leave the school site over the lunchtime period.

Please could the children wear an item of clothing to represent the colour of their house (eg children in red house wear a red hairband/t-shirt/socks) as part of their PE kit. All should come into school in their PE kit (and coloured clothing/accessory) on Sports Day.

FALLS Leavers Disco

The FALLS team will be organising and end of year Leavers Disco which will take place on Monday 15th July at the following times : 5.00 - 6.00pm : Reception (Owls & Robins) & KS1 (Hummingbirds, Parrots & Penguins)

6.15 - 7.15pm : KS2 (Macaws, Peacocks, Red Kites, Eagles, Falcons & Hawks).

Tickets (£4 per child) will be available to purchase on Parentmail from 24th June. Any children leaving Lark Rise at the end of term can attend free of charge.

Break the Rules Day

We will be holding a Break the Rules day on Friday 28th June when children will be able to pay a small charge (£1 per broken rule) to allow them to break the school rules for this day only.

Rules which can be broken will include :

wearing non uniform
wearing nail varnish
crazy hair
wearing tattoos
free choice lunchbox eg chocolate/sweets/fizzy drinks
bring in a snack

Water Safety

We have received the following communication from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service:

Water Safety - Quarries

As we are approaching the summer months following a particularly wet winter, I would like to provide some information and support in relation to water safety. Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service along with our partners including the Police and Local Authorities have recently been contacted by residents and business owners who are concerned for the safety of young people who are accessing quarries for leisure activities.

Unfortunately, accidental drownings happen all too frequently and even the strongest swimmers can find themselves in difficulties. There are also concerns for young and vulnerable people who may not be aware of the danger and risks that water poses.

Quarry water is normally far colder than river or sea water, and it can send your body into cold water shock or leave you too exhausted to swim within minutes of jumping in. The water is also often extremely deep, with steep drop offs, and shallow water can change to deep water quickly. Quarry water can also contain hazards such as entrapments, weeds, rubbish, drains, broken bottles and pollution.

The fire service is unable to stop people swimming outside or in open water, but if you have concerns of anti-social behavior, please report this to the Police non-emergency number on 101.

If someone is in trouble in the water and needs help in an emergency, please call 999.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Class photos

The rescheduled date for the school photographer to take whole class photographs is Wednesday 19th June. Children should wear their school uniform on this day including shirts and ties for children in Upper Key Stage 2. If your child has PE on this day, they should come into school in their uniform and bring their PE kit to change at school.

Transition Meetings

We will be sending out transition booklets for your child's new key stage shortly together with links for the virtual meetings which will take place as follows:

Monday 24th June 7.00pm: KS1 (current Year R & Year 1 children)
Tuesday 25th June 7.00pm : LKS2 (current Year 2 & 3 children)
Wednesday 26th June 7.00pm : UKS2 (current Year 4 & Year 5 children)

The meeting for parents/carers of children starting in the Reception class (current Ducks class) will take place in school on Friday 28th June at 9am.

All children will spend the morning in their new classes on Wednesday 3rd July when most of the Year 6 children will be visiting their new secondary schools. Annual reports will be sent home on Tuesday 9th July and there will be an opportunity for parents/carers to visit their child(ren)'s new classroom on Wednesday 17th July between 3.30pm and 3.45pm.

Staff News

We will be saying goodbye to Mrs Paruit (Teaching Assistant) on 21st June.

Mrs Paruit has been at Lark Rise for the last 18 months working closely with the children in the key stages in which she has worked. Mrs Paruit is leaving us for a role in a secondary school.

We wish Mrs Paruit every success in her new role and thank her for everything she has done during her time at Lark Rise.

Water Bottles

Now that the weather seems to be improving, it is vital that children have their water bottles in school. May we remind you that these should contain WATER only. We have noticed that some children have fruit juice or squash in their bottles containing high levels of sugar which is not ideal for the health of their teeth.

Music Hero of the half term

This half term in Music we will be listening to and singing along to music from the iconic English indie/rock band 'Oasis'. Oasis have sold over 110 million records worldwide and are among some of the most successful acts on the UK Singles and Albums Chart, with eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums. We will be focusing on their hit 'Wonderwall' and are excited to use this as a platform to support any talented children in Key Stage 2 that may like to form a band of their own. We will be offering a space to use in a suitable area of the school for this after school on a Friday (selected dates) or during lunch times. Any children that are interested in doing this should come and see Miss Slough to make further arrangements.

The L Factor

In other exciting news, it is time once again for our very special Lark Rise music event 'The L Factor.' This really is one of the highlights of our school year for the children and we would encourage all children to enter an act if they would like to as it is lots of fun. The children will be coming home with a slip to fill in if they have requested one from their teacher and will need to hand it back in as soon as they have decided on what they would like to perform. We usually have a range of singing solos, groups, dance acts and children playing musical instruments etc. We are looking forward to seeing what the children have prepared for this event; we are sure it will be another great musical success.

Design Technology Hero of the half term

Our Design Technology Hero for our final half term is the British chef, Jamie Oliver. The children were fascinated to hear about his life story and how, even though he did not find his time at school easy, he has gone on to achieve his dream of being a chef. We learnt how he showed determination and resilience to achieve his goals and also how he has gone on to use his fame to make changes that would benefit others. We loved that he chose to fight for school children to ensure that they are provided with healthy meals at school which is why we are now served such healthy and nutritious school dinners.

Taking inspiration from Jamie Oliver, the children have been challenged to see if they can get involved in preparing and cooking healthy food at home and I would really love to see any photographs of them doing this! Please send them to office@larkrise.com.

Lost Property

We have a huge amount of lost property in school. Unfortunately unless clothing is named, we are unable to return items to their rightful owners. What is of concern to us is that the vast majority of items (many of which are costly to replace) are completely unnamed. Please could you therefore ensure that all items belonging to your child(ren) are cleared named. The lost property is currently placed outside the main entrance so that you can check for any missing items.

Writing to be proud of (Year 5)

Bradley Chrisokere (Year 5)

Xavier Azevedo (Year 5)

Chloe Paruit (Year 5)

Athena Ashton (Year 5)

Emily Dyson (Year 5)

Oliver Mills (Year 5)

Golden Ticket Winners Summer 1

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

EYFS : Eliana Liscio & Bobby Bland

KS1 : Emily Cremin, Beau Patsalides & Sophia Paruit

LKS2 : Leo Palmer, Laila Perkins-Ossorio & Flynn Cruise

UKS2 : Jarek Bachora, Alexandra Bogdanovich & Jinuki Herath

Learning Superheroes - Resilient Roo Summer 1

EYFS

Charlie

Charlie is one of our younger members of the class and spends each day, all day with us. During this time we have seen Charlie develop and grow into a lovely, kind and sensible boy. He has also made all the adults who work in the nursery so proud of him for trying so hard to join in with whole class discussions and talking with adults about his learning and play; demonstrating his growing confidence. Well done Charlie for trying so hard every day!

Isla

Although a confident member of the class, Isla has shown a growing resilience when dealing with various matters in the classroom. We have been pleased to see her trying hard to sort problems out by talking and offering suggestions to her peers rather than become upset. Well done Isla for trying hard to act so sensibly to deal with different situations!

Frankie

Frankie moved into another ‘Read Write Inc’ group this term. Frankie has shown that he can recall the sounds and Fred talk the words well. Initially, when forming a sentence and writing it down, Frankie worried that he wasn’t writing it in the right place and he didn’t know what the letters looked like. Within a few days, Frankie’s confidence grew and he happily kept the sentence in his head to write it correctly and ever so neatly! I am so proud of you. Well done Frankie!

Maya

During this year Maya’s confidence in reading and writing has greatly improved. She can identify sounds and Fred talk words so well. Her ability to read words without Fred talk has also developed as has her fluency to read. Even if Maya mistakes a sound, she is able to correct herself. Maya now loves to read and is able to use this knowledge in her writing too. This has been great to see. Well done Maya! Keep up the hard work!

Alena

Alena is very happy in school and it’s so wonderful to see her beaming smile. Alena wasn’t always happy to come to school and would find it tricky to follow our classroom rules, make good behaviour choices and struggled to play with friends. She would also give up easily if a task became challenging. Now, Alena skips into school with a smile, greets all adults, plays nicely with the children and tries her very best in all aspects of school life. We are all extremely proud of Alena’s new, positive attitude. Well done Alena!

Pearl

I am exceptionally proud of Pearl. She is such a delight to teach due to her passion for learning. Pearl used to find participating in RWI sessions a little tricky but now it's a breeze and she completes speedy sounds, Fred talk, reading words and holding a sentence with great confidence! Her determination, focus and enthusiasm is incredible. Well done Pearl for being such a sweet, polite, bright and hardworking little girl.

KS1

Theo P

There has been a lot of change for Parrots Class this year, and although Theo has not always found this easy, he has shown real resilience in overcoming his uncertainties. He has successfully formed brilliant relationships with all of the adults in the key stage and is constantly looking for an opportunity to impress, be it by sharing his knowledge or showing kindness to his peers. Such an attitude does not come easily; it takes perseverance, adaptability and gumption, all of which Theo has demonstrated this half term. You truly are a learning superhero, Theo!

Winter

Winter has really found her voice in the last few months and it has been an absolute joy to hear it. She has become more confident in offering answers to questions and has taken any mistakes that she has made in her stride. She has also become more vocal in class discussions, presenting her ideas in a wonderfully articulate manner. Keep speaking out and sharing your thoughts, Winter; it’s like music to our ears!

Rayyan

Rayyan sometimes finds coming into school tricky in the mornings but we have been so proud of him for making it into school every day and taking himself to phonics to get better at learning his sounds. He has been trying really hard in Hummingbirds class to persevere and complete all of the learning tasks even when it hasn’t been easy. He has also been using all of his will to wait his turn when sharing ideas with his peers even though sometimes he is bursting to share his creativity with us all. We are so proud of your resilience this term and know you will continue to go from strength to strength with this lovely attitude to your learning; well done Rayyan!

Carter

Anyone who has taught Carter will tell you what a special child he is. Not only is he polite, kind and helpful but he is also the epitome of resilience. Carter does not stop striving to give his best in class even when that is tricky for him or he is finding some new learning difficult. Not only that but there have been days this term when he has not felt his best but he has been determined to be in school. We are so proud of you Carter and all of your efforts; keep it up!

Lucy

I am so unbelievably proud of the resilience and determination that Lucy has shown for her writing. She initially found the pacing really tricky and could become frustrated with herself if she was unable to finish a piece of work in the time given to her. Through her hard work and resilience, always taking anything with grace, she has built on her skills and her last piece of writing was amazing! I had to give it 3 stars! Lucy, you are always so lovely and kind to everyone and it is wonderful to see how brightly you shine, with your determination there is nothing you can’t do! Well done you!

Malcolm

This last half term has not been the easiest for you Malcolm but your resilience and perseverance has enabled you to really flourish! I have loved how you have come into school every morning with a smile on your face and a new addition of your ‘monster drawings’ to show me. It was been so lovely to see how helpful you are to others in the class, especially the year below you. It is amazing to see how well you bounce back from setbacks and are always ready to learn as much as you can! Amazing work Malcolm thank you for being incredible!

LKS2

Flynn

Flynn, I am so impressed with your positive attitude to learning. You approach all tasks with an air of confidence and continue to believe in yourself, which is fantastic to see! Faced with difficulties, Flynn will always rise to the challenge and strives to be his best. I am especially proud of the care you take with your presentation - your handwriting has come so far, and this is because of your patience, determination and resilience. Well done, you superstar!

Liam

Liam is an incredibly determined and confident boy within his learning. When he puts his mind to something, he will continually strive to achieve his goal, which is admirable. A particular strength that I love of Liam’s is that when he finds an area of his learning tricky, he will always seek out an adult or peer to discuss his ideas out loud. Verbalising his thoughts out loud has helped him solve his own questions independently. We are all so proud of you Liam!

Charlie

It has been amazing and a real privilege to be able to see Charlie develop over this year. He is an amazing boy who always works so hard but has not always had the confidence to share his ideas. Over the year, his self confidence and resilience has grown and he now regularly shares his wonderful ideas with the class or is happy to explain to everyone how he reached his answer to a tricky maths question. Well done Charlie, I am so proud of you!

Ella

Ella has had a wonderful year this year and has shown an impressive level of determination and resilience towards her learning. She really wants to do well with all her learning and will listen carefully to advice that is given to her and then make sure that she tries to apply what she has learnt in her work. Ella is gaining in confidence to seek out support when she needs it and this has resulted in her producing some lovely work that we are all really proud of. Well done Ella, you are a superstar!

Eva

I am very proud of Eva for so many reasons! She has really demonstrated resilience this term and it is great to see her start to believe in herself! This year, Eva has overcome worries to ensure that she is enjoying her learning in school. This has included resilience in learning her times tables facts and achieving very well in our MTC practice; this is an amazing achievement. Equally, in Maths lessons, Eva consistently challenges herself to answer challenging questions even when she finds new topics tricky. Well done on your hard work and positive mindset Eva, keep it up!

Riley

Riley has been extremely resilient in his learning this year. This is really starting to pay off this term and we have been amazed by his positive approach to his learning. He has worked very hard on his handwriting and is beginning to produce some wonderful pieces of work as a result. It has been lovely to see the pride he displays when he perseveres to complete a learning task. Recently, he persevered to build a working circuit in Science and he was so very proud of his achievements and recorded this well in his book. Super work and wonderful learning behaviours, Riley. You are a superstar

UKS2

Jenson

I have learnt so many crafting and art techniques from Jenson (as have many people in our key stage). While Jenson excels in these areas, he can find other areas difficult. However, Jenson, you are a true Resilient Roo. You take on work challenges with determination and you have even carried out your own research at home to think of ways to help you with your learning. You are amazing and it is a pleasure to be your teacher.

Myles

Using a new programme in computing can be daunting. Myles felt this when he first used Canva to create a scene from our class text, Holes. Within minutes though, Myles was creating animated hammocks, cleverly stacking backgrounds together and all while being with people he hadn’t worked with before. But he didn’t just show resilience here. Later on in the day, Myles was finding coding a Microbit tricky but kept on trying and was able to make a game! Well done Myles. Seeing your lovely smile when you have mastered a new skill is wonderful!

Ellie

Ellie approaches all learning with determination and focus and this has seen Ellie make wonderful progress throughout the year. When faced with difficulties, Ellie has shown a growing ability to stop, take a breath and try again. Her resilient nature has had such a positive impact on other people in the class too. Well done Ellie. You are brilliant

Oscar Lo

Oscar is well known across the key stage for his amazing artistic talents. Oscar has found computing tricky in the past but over the term, he has really come out of his comfort zone and has produced some wonderful work including an animated name badge, a micro-game and a data logging tool. Well done Oscar!

Tilly

Tilly is such a polite and determined young lady so when she was asked to represent Lark Rise at the Apps for Good competition recently, I knew she would be fantastic! She spent lots of her own time perfecting her app alongside her team and even when things did not quite go right, she kept on going! Tilly then had to speak in front of many people from different schools and not only that, she also had to speak to professionals about her group's app. This can be a daunting experience but Tilly was confident and articulated herself extremely well. Well done Tilly, we are so proud of you!

Claudia

Claudia, I have been so impressed with your resilience this half term in your swimming lessons. At first, Claudia was anxious about swimming but over the last few weeks we have watched her confidence grow and seen huge improvements! Claudia has been so determined that she has even started swimming lessons outside of school to keep improving her skills! Keep up the fantastic work Claudia- we are so proud of you!

Eliza

Eliza can sometimes be a more reserved member of the Lark Rise family but she can be a force to be reckoned with! This half term, Eliza proudly represented the school with a group of peers at a Climate Change conference. This took a lot of hard work, preparation and sacrificing of their own time to prepare. Throughout the planning stages, there were stumbling blocks to get over but the girls were not put off; they pushed on through and proudly presented to others at the conference. Public speaking is not Eliza’s favourite thing to do but she faced this challenge with pride. Well done Eliza - what a fantastic mountain to climb!

Isla T

Isla is a fiercely determined girl in everything she does and I could go on for days about how hard she tries at every opportunity to make the most of life. One thing that really stood out to me this half term, though, was Isla’s swimming. Isla is a confident and strong swimmer but during one lesson this half term, her foot got caught with the float while she was in the deep end of the pool. Isla remained calm and was able to fix the problem herself. Lots of people may have been put off getting back in the pool after such an experience but not Isla! She was straight back in with the next exercise and never missed a single stroke. Isla - you amaze me with the way you just keep going and get back up (or in) again!

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