Metheringham Primary School
Welcome to issue 25 of our whole school Newsletter. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for regular updates on achievements, class news and whole school updates. Follow us @metheringhamp
Coming up in this issue:
Learning updates
Attendance and Lateness
Meet the team
This week's Tweets
TTRockstars
Upcoming Events
CGS Event
OFSTED
School Council and Green Ambassadors
Mental Health
Smart Devices and Mobile Phones
Website
Online Safety Alert
Learning Updates
Foundation Stage This week we visited Metheringham Library. We listened to the traditional tale 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' and then chose a book of our own to borrow. We have had great fun sharing these stories in class back at school! Mrs Duggin was surprised to see that a very long train and carriages had taken over the classroom on Wednesday. The children were heading off to Dubai and Barcelona...so much for sunny Skeg!
Key Stage One KS1 have been enjoying their science lessons this week. They have been learning about categorising different animals. Year 1 & 2 have been discussing the features of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. There have been lots of interesting facts to learn. Did you know that most snakes lay eggs but some give birth to live young?
Lower Key Stage Two LKS2 had the best 'Roots to Food' day. We hope the children all came home on Friday excited and ready to show off their new skills. As you can see from the pictures, we definitely have a few future chefs in the making. This week, we have been focusing on writing a persuasive letter to the headteachers. We hope that our amazing alliterations, extreme exaggeration and powerful persuasive devices convince them to support us in our endeavour to keep the school clean. In Geography, we explored OS maps and now know how to read an OS maps and understand their symbols. We hope the children come home full of enthusiasm for our Cinderella performance after our first rehearsal.
Upper Key Stage Two UKS2 have been really busy this week! In English, we have been learning about persuasive devices and how these can be used in a persuasive letter. The children have been really good at exaggerating, using emotive language and emphasising their main points. In Science, we have built on our previous learning about the digestive system, by understanding how nutrients are transported around the human body in the circulatory system. In PSHE, as part of our learning about 'Our World', we looked at the meaning of global citizenship and made a pledge about what we could do to help the planet. "You are never too small to make a difference" (Greta Thunburg).
attendance and Lateness
62 pupils have maintained 100% attendance so far this academic year.
Current whole school attendance is 95.16%.
Our attendance figures for week 1 of Term 3 were as follows. Well done to Miss Storr's Class for topping the charts!
During the last school week, we had 16_incidences of lateness. This is a decrease on the last weekly figure of 17.
Please be reminded that doors open at 8:45 and registration is at 9:00. This gives you 15 minutes to be early and have a calm start to the day.
Meet the team
Meet Miss Hawkins
Hi, I am Miss Hawkins. I have worked at Metheringham Primary School since May last year. I am a Teaching Assistant and work primarily in the Dragonfly Class. I enjoy supporting children with their learning and particularly like to use my sports knowledge to help children with their skills in PE.
Outside of school, I spend most of my time with my family. I have a cat called Sparky and he is a big part of our family. I recently bought a house, which is quite a project! I am enjoying ‘doing it up’ as it allows me to be creative and make it my own. I usually spend my Sunday’s with my family enjoying a roast dinner - the children hear much about this as my left overs make lunch on a Monday!
I love to meet up with my friends from University whenever we have chance. We always have a great time trying out new activities. Recently, we have tried archery, axe-throwing and tree top zip-lining which was great fun!
I also enjoy keeping fit and I exercise as much as possible. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and try to push myself whilst I am there. I believe exercise is good for the body and the mind so I like nothing more than taking a walk across the fields in our village at the weekend, making the most of the fresh air.
See you all around school!
This week's tweets!
TTRockstars
Every child from Year 3 upwards has a TTRockstars account which can be accessed in school or at home via the website TTRockstars
Each issue we will list the latest leader board for Times Tables Rockstars. To get on the leader board, you need to play 'studio' on TTRockstars and you need to play at least ten times.
Please find the current leader board and the class 'top rockers'. look at our Year 3 pupil storming his way up the leader board!
Upcoming events
Advanced Notice
Friday 3rd February- Maths Morning, 9:30-10:30. All parents welcome.
CGS Event
OFSTED
All parents and carers should have received a copy of our recent OFSTED report. Please contact the school office if you are yet to see this. We will publish the report on our school website, newsletter and on Twitter when the report goes live on the OFSTED website.
The inspectors have recognised the impact that the last few years have had and the recent challenges that the school has faced. They have acknowledged the recent staffing changes and the journey that the school is now on. The areas for development are already part of our school improvement plan for this academic year. We will continue to go above and beyond to address the goals that have been set. Thank you to the staffing team for their hard work and dedication and to parent and carers for your continued support. A huge shout out to the children of Metheringham Primary School who make the school the 'friendly and inclusive' school that it is!
School Council and Green Ambassadors
Mrs McMenemie and Mrs Duggin were interviewed by the School Council this week. They asked us all about the value of the School Council, it's purpose and the impact it has on the whole school. The School Council encapsulates the voice of the child and everything they do is valued, considered and enables us to respond to their needs, desires and interests. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their incredible support and contributions.
Mrs Duggin and Mrs Freeman had the pleasure of watching two presentations from the Green Ambassadors this week. They presented informative, passionate and informative ideas on how to make our school eco friendly. We agreed to them starting two projects and we can't wait to see how they get on. Well done Team Green Ambassadors!
Mental Health
Children's Mental Health Week is fast approaching. We would like to share a link to 'Tips for Parents and Carers' on the Children's Mental Health Week website. You will find ideas on how to support mental health at home.
Smart Devices and Mobile Phones
For safeguarding reasons, and inline with our school policies on GDPR, acceptable use and online safety, smart watches and smart devices of any kind are discouraged in school. Where there is a need to bring such device, the children will need to hand this into their class teacher where this will then be stored securely in the school office for the entirety of the school day, and returned to the child at home time. We do not accept any responsibility for the loss or damage of any devices. Thank you for your support and understanding with this.
Website
We are delighted to share the launch of our brand new website with you! We hope you find it useful and informative.
Online Safety Alert
We would like to alert parents to the dangers of an app that was been brought to our attention.
Online safety experts have been alerted to an extremely dangerous website and app called ‘Monkey Run’, which allows users to have video calls with strangers.
The platform markets itself as ‘an alternative to Omegle, with a TikTok vibe’. Online safety experts reviewed and tested this platform and have found that it contains large amounts of inappropriate, disturbing, and harmful content transmitted via web cameras.
