During February, we will be holding an Internet Safety Workshop for each class.  I would like to invite parents/carers to join their child(ren) for the relevant workshop. Please see timetable below, each workshop will start at 9am and finish at approximately 9.45am each day.

The workshop aims to:

·         Explain different aspects of ways to stay safe online

·         Help parents identify things they need to think about so that their children can use the Internet safely

·         Provide practical and relevant advice about Internet Safety and details of where to go for further information

·         Raise awareness about cyberbullying; how to prevent and respond to it.

January has been an exciting month for Angelfish class as we have started some great new topics.

In our geography lessons, we have been exploring the fascinating topic of volcanoes. I am delighted  that children created many home learning projects to decorate our classroom. The effort and creativity displayed in these projects is amazing1 thank you to all of the parents who helped at home!

In P.E,  we are focussing on space-themed dance routines. Through this engaging and energetic activity, students have been able to combine their love for dancing with their curiosity about the vastness of our universe. It has been great to see their improvement in coordination, rhythm, and teamwork.

As we get closer to the upcoming multiplication check in May, we are working hard to master our times tables. The students have been diligently practicing their multiplication skills, both in the classroom and at home. We would like to encourage parents to continue their support by regularly revising times tables with their children on TTRS. By doing so, students will be well-prepared for the multiplication check and will develop invaluable mathematical fluency that will benefit them in their future. We will be holding a parent meeting on Tuesday 30th January. Please join us!

In literacy, we have been exploring the captivating world of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Our students have been honing their writing skills by crafting stories based on characters with flaws, drawing inspiration from Dahl's rich storytelling. It has been incredibly rewarding to see the imagination and creativity our students have displayed while developing their characters.

In our literacy lessons, we have been delving into the captivating world of space through blog writing. To engage the children and cultivate their creativity, we began by exploring Tim Peake's incredible space mission. Sea Turtles then had the opportunity to craft their own remarkable blog posts. To enhance their communication skills further, the children recorded these as vlogs. It has been truly inspiring to witness their imaginations take flight!

With our science topic centered around space exploration, we kicked off our learning by blowing up inflatable planets, which brought the vastness of our solar system to life. Additionally, our budding scientists have been undertaking investigations and discussions to understand the distinction between orbiting and rotating in space. I'm delighted to see their enthusiasm for this subject and their impressive grasp of scientific concepts.

Turning to our topic lessons, our focus has been on the Tudor period. As part of this journey, the children have learned about the decisive Battle of Bosworth, a pivotal event in English history. In preparation for our class assembly on Monday 28th January, the students have been working hard to bring the Tudor era to life through their performances. We would be overjoyed if as many of you as possible can come and join us to celebrate their achievements.

Our art lessons have also been linked to the Tudors. We have been studying the works of Hans Holbein, a renowned portrait painter. By honing our sketching techniques, we have been able to create stunning half-portraits, enabling us to better understand the placement of key features. Our young artists have shown exceptional skill and creativity in this area, and I'm sure you will be impressed with the results.

This half term has been a busy start to 2024! We have jumped straight into some new and exciting topics. WW1 is the  theme of our History and Literacy lessons, with a focus on our class text of War Horse written by Michael Morpurgo.

In PE, we have started two new sports, tennis and dance. The children have shown great skill during our tennis lessons, so far we have practiced balance, coordination and returning the ball. We have also learnt the importance of the handshake grip and keeping a firm wrist! In our dance lessons, we are making links with music whilst focusing on rhythm and team work to learn Samba moves.

Dolphins have been fantastic Mathematicians this month, learning algebra. Children have enjoyed using function machines and substituting numbers in equations.

In Art,  we have been looking at street art and the famous artist Banksy. The children enjoyed looking at a range of his art works and debated whether they thought it was art or graffiti, it was a very interesting topic! The children have been learning how to create depth in their art work by looking at positive and negative space and creating these in their work. We had some great results!

We were lucky enough to take part in a First Aid workshop with a volunteer from the Red Cross. We learnt how we can use everyday items to help someone who has hurt themselves, role played emergency situations and practiced the recovery position and how to tell an adult how to do CPR. It was very informative and we learnt to always call for help from an adult or if there are none call 999!

Parents’ Evening appointments for the Spring Term will take place on Tuesday 20th February from 3:30pm until 4:30pm, Wednesday 21st February from 3:30pm until 7:30pm and Thursday 22nd February from 3:30pm – 4:30pm.  All appointments will be held in the school hall.

Please make your appointment(s) using our usual online booking system.  This will become available from 3:30pm on Friday 26th  January.  Please follow these simple steps to book your slot:

1.       Log into your Scopay account - https://www.scopay.com/login.html please note this is the same account that you use to make online payments for school dinners and trips.

2.       Select Parents’ evening from the toolbar.

3.       Select the meeting from the drop down menu.  This term’s meeting is listed as:

‘Parents’ Evening Spring 2024.

1.       You will see your child/children listed along with their class name.

2.       Listed underneath you will see any available slots to book in green.

3.       Simply select the time slot you require, to confirm select yes.

4.       You will then be advised that your booking has been successful, click ok.

5.       You will receive a confirmation email (please check spam/junk folder)

6.       If you need to make a booking for another child repeat steps 5 to 8.

Please remember to keep a note of your appointment. Please note the booking system will close on Monday 19th February at 10am. We look forward to welcoming you into school for these meetings.

Thank you for your continued support.  Please do contact the school office should you encounter any issues with our booking system.

Please can we remind parents that school dinners should be paid for in advance. Please ensure that payment for the week ahead is made by the Monday morning, the cost for one week is £14.50 (£2.90 per day). Please also note that it is also possible to pay for more than one week at a time.

Please click here to view the menus via our school website - School Meals

In addition to the above no extreme hairstyles are permitted including overly spiked, sculptured, shaved areas and razor lines/pictures. If in doubt, please ask before a visit to the hairdresser/barbers.  

All hair bands/ clips/ bows must be plain and in school colours only which are black, white, navy or sky blue, grey, or matching the school summer dresses.

As a reminder if children wish to wear a headscarf to school please ensure it is a short pullover plain navy blue or plain black scarf.

A gentle reminder earrings are not permitted.  

Lastly, a reminder that all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 should only have bookbags not rucksacks in school.

If your child has recently borrowed spare clothing from school, in particular children in Reception class, year 1 and year 2 please can we ask that these are returned.  We have a washing machine onsite so you can be assured that any items returned are washed as needed.  

We are also looking for donations of spare clothing such as underwear, leggings, jogging bottoms in small sizes such as ages 4 - 8.  Please either hand into the office or to the class teacher.  Thank you for your support. 

Measles is circulating in the UK and globally, with both adults and children infected this year

Recent figures show that measles is on the rise and not enough people in Surrey are protected against this infection. Parents and adults are urged to check their families Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) records as only 83.1% of residents have had both doses the MMR vaccine by age 5, far below the 95% needed to protect all of us from the disease.

It's never too late to protect adults and children from measles:

• Please ensure your children get both their MMR vaccines – just after their first birthday and then before they start school

• If you or your children missed the MMR vaccine, please ask for it from your GP practice, particularly before travelling abroad or attending festivals this summer where social mixing gives measles the chance to spread easily.

Having the MMR vaccine benefits everyone. If enough people are vaccinated, the disease cannot spread effectively to those who cannot be vaccinated such as immunosuppressed people and very young babies.

Measles infection

Measles is extremely infectious and is mainly spread by coughs and sneezes. It often starts with cough and cold like symptoms, high fever and red sore eyes. The rash starts a few days later and can be harder to see on brown or black skin than on pale skin. It is infectious to others for several days before rash onset, and very disruptive, as those infected must avoid contact with others for 4 days after the rash begins.

You may not know if someone has measles and even passing contact presents a high risk of spreading the infection.

Most people recover fully but it can make you feel very unwell. For some it causes serious illness requiring hospitalisation and (rarely) can be fatal. Measles in pregnancy increases the risk of complications.

If you think you may have measles, please do not attend your GP surgery or hospital without phoning first, so they can provide advice.

We are aware that the pandemic has had an effect on families, but the expectation is still that every child should now be attending school full time. If you consider that there are exceptional circumstances relating to your request, please let the school have full details. Each application for a leave of absence will be considered on a case by case basis.

Penalty Notices to Address Poor Attendance at School

A Penalty Notice may be issued as an alternative to the prosecution of a parent/carer for their child’s unauthorised absence from school (absence without the agreement of the school or not covered by a medical note) and will be used by Surrey County Council in the following circumstances :-

1. Pupils identified by police and Inclusion Officers (formerly Education Welfare Officers) engaged on Truancy Patrols and who have incurred unauthorised absences.

2. Leave of absence in term time (5 days or 10 sessions or more).

• Please be aware that The Education (Pupil Registration)(England)(Amendment)  Regulations 2013, which became law on 1st September 2013 state that Headteachers may  not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• The Headteacher is also required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.

• In such cases the Headteacher/Governing Body must decide whether there are exceptional circumstances.  They may request that the Local Authority issue Penalty Notices when the absence is not authorised.

Warnings will not be given where it can be shown that parents have been notified that such absences will not be authorised.

3. Finally, the issuing of a Penalty Notice will also be considered where it is judged that a parent is failing to ensure their child's regular school attendance.

This will be considered when a pupil has incurred 7 or more unauthorised sessions in the previous 6 school weeks, which may include a pupil arriving late after close of registration.

If you believe at any stage that your child’s absence from school may leave you liable to receive a Penalty Notice, it is extremely important that you act without delay to secure their regular attendance. 

If you have any questions or require further support to achieve an improvement in your child’s attendance, please contact your child’s school or the Inclusion Officer.

Penalty Notice relating to Exclusions

If a child is excluded from school, Section 103 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on parents/carers to ensure that their child is not in a public place without justifiable cause during school hours. 

This duty applies to the first five days of each exclusion.  Failure to do so will render the parent/carer liable to a Penalty Notice. (Alternative education provision will be made available from the sixth day of any exclusion.)

Amount Payable for a Penalty Notice

The amount payable for a Penalty Notice issued in any of the above circumstances is currently £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the Notice, rising to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.

If the Penalty Notice is not paid, the local Authority must consider a prosecution in the Magistrates Court for the offence for which the Notice was originally issued.

Please be aware that each parent is liable to receive a Penalty Notice for each child who incurs unauthorised absences, for example, if there are two parents and one child, each parent will receive one Penalty Notice.

If there are two parents, and two children incur unauthorised absences, each parent will receive two Penalty Notices, which in this case would amount to £120 each if paid within 21 days.

Advice and support is available from an Inclusion Officer by contacting your local Education Office as follows :-

North West    - Tel: 01483 518130 South West      -   Tel: 01483 517179

North East    - Tel: 01372 833588  South East   -       Tel: 01737 737777

Please see below for PE days for the Spring Term

The children will need to wear their correct PE kit on their PE day. Correct PE kit consists of:

·        Sky blue Maybury t-shirt

·        Navy blue or black hooded jacket

·        Navy blue or black jogging bottoms

Trainers (only lace up if your child can tie their own laces please) 

Please bear in mind that all of these dates are subject to change