Nash Mills CofE Primary School
School News
Friday 7th June 2024
Year 4 visit the court of Henry VIII
The sun shone brightly as Year 4 stepped back 500 years into the royal court of Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace this week.
The day started with a tour of the palace, in which the children learnt about the different jobs people had. They visited the main hall, where over 1,000 meals were served each day, although Henry preferred to eat alone in his room. They also looked at the enormous tapestries which line the walls of the hall and are one of the most expensive assets owned by the royal estate today.
We then met Bess, a Tudor peasant, who told the children all about how important trade was during Tudor times and how English nobleman became incredibly wealthy through the trade of certain foods, cotton and tobacco. The children finished the session by beating the adults at a trading game!
To finish the day, we spent time exploring the grounds and gardens, including the amazing play area!
"I enjoyed looking at the all of the decorations. On the ceilings there were lots of gold things which Mrs Jakeman told us all about!" Jeremiah
"I liked when we did the tour around the palace and Bess Barlow showed us where the people ate" Iris
"I like the fact that not only was there someone who's job it was to make sure everyone had a drink. There was a fountain that gave people wine! There were also amazing decorations and artistic drawings that told us all about life in Tudor times!" Amani
"I liked the kitchens and how they were set up in the same way as in Tudor times. There was a giant fire where they did their cooking and the food was then carried to the Great Hall". Eli
Year 6 Heritage Arts Fair
Year 6 had a great time at the Flamstead Art Festival. The festival offered an incredible range of hands-on activities like blacksmithing, pottery, hedge laying, straw hat making and flint and stone masonry; allowing the children to explore traditional crafts and skills, tying into the history learning from topics in Years 5 and 6. These trades are all still in existence today; I wonder if any of our children will have seen a future career...?
Swimming!
It has been brilliant to see our children throwing themselves into our swimming sessions this week and for such positive comments from so many.
Since last year, we have chosen the approach of all of the children in school swimming across the two weeks rather than just one class (as we used to in the past) as so many more can get a benefit from it. It also means that swimming is seen in the same way as all other aspects of learning in that we aim to build on what the children can do each year, rather than just stopping their lessons when they get to a certain standard. For our older children, some of whom haven't swum since this time last year, it is a good opportunity to refresh skills and learn some important life saving techniques. Living so close to the dangers of the canal, we believe it is really important that all of our children have an appreciation of this skill.
Times Tables Rockstars
This week our leader board reflects which children achieved the most correct answers in the last 7 days which is a real testament to the children who were still working on their times tables over the holidays! Well done to Year 3 who hold all 3 places on the leader board this week.
Well done to our top 3 Rock Stars this week!
Leader board this week
1st - Fred (Y3)
2nd - Amira (Y3)
3rd - Emel (Y3)
Star of the Week!
Nursery
Lily
For her enthusiasm for learning, particularly in phonics. Well done Lily, you have remembered so many sounds!
Reception
Raheem
For being incredibly brave about swimming. You took a deep breath and gave it a go - well done! We are really proud of you.
Year 1
Tommy P
For working hard to complete all of his work. You have been a star Tommy!
Year 2
Segun
For developing his organisational skills and being much more independent. Keep it up Segun!
Year 3
Josh
For taking a keen interest in the Romans and sharing his ideas and knowledge with the rest of the class!
Year 4
Reyansh
For his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, we love how much he wants to learn and understand regardless of the subject being taught or where that lesson is taking place. Never stop loving learning!
Year 5
Betsan
For her exemplary attitude to every aspect of school life, she is a ray of sunshine!
Year 6
Ruby
For approaching her school day with enthusiasm, cheerfulness and a willingness to do her best work.
Pupil Premium
Did you know that your child may be able to receive additional support in school in addition to free school meals, if you qualify for certain benefits?
If you receive any of the following, your child may well be eligible for the Pupil Premium. This provides them with free school meals throughout their time at school, but also a range of additional things in school to help with their learning and engagement. If your child might be eligible, please visit the following site (https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/ufs/HCWH.eb?ebd=0&ebz=1_1717745705707) or speak to the school office who will be happy to help.
Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don't get more than £16,190 a year)
Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).
The application process only takes a few minutes and we are more than happy to provide support if it is needed.
Uniform
Just a quick reminder, please, to make sure all uniform is clearly named. As the weather gets warmer, we find increasing numbers of jumpers and coats that have been taken off and subsequently lost. We will do our best to return lost uniform if we can see a name. Also, please ensure that any jumpers worn are plain navy blue ones from supermarkets or those purchased from our uniform suppliers. Other jumpers are not part of school uniform.
PE kits - where children are taking part in PE in the hall, we require them all to remove their shoes and socks for health and safety reasons.
Finally, if your child needs to bring sun-cream into school to reapply at break or lunchtime, please send it in a named bag and remind your child that it should only be used by them. Some of our children have allergies or intolerances so we discourage sharing sun-cream.
Upcoming Dates
11th June - Y2 Class Worship
14th June - PTA Thank You Sale
17th June - Governor Morning
18th June - Y3 Class Worship
19th June - Reception Coffee Morning
19th June - Y2 Trip to London
20th June - Nursery Coffee Morning
21st June - Reception Trip to Ruislip Lido
24th-28th June - Y6 Residential Trip
25th June - Y4 Class Worship
28th June - Y1 Trip to Chiltern Open Air Museum
1st July - Governors Meeting
2nd July - Y5 Trip to Bhaktivedantha
2nd July - Y1 Class Worship
3rd July - Nursery visit to Watermill Care Home
4th July - EYFS Learning Presentation
5th July - PTA Summer Disco
10th July - Sports Day
11th July - New Class Day
16th July - Y5/6 Production
17th July - Y5/6 Production
18th July - Y6 Leavers Party
18th July - Whole School Church Service
19th July - Y6 Leavers Assembly
19th July - School Closes at 1.30pm for Summer
Public Health Announcements
Please see below for some information from Public Health
Measles - Measles cases in the UK and in Hertfordshire are rising and we border other geographic regions that are also seeing a rise in measles cases. Further cases and outbreaks in Hertfordshire are likely as the uptake of the Measles Mumps Rubella Vaccination (MMR) in the county is lower than recommended.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences, with 1 in 5 cases being hospitalised and 1 in 15 suffering serious complications. Measles spreads quickly from person to person, especially in settings such as schools. Spending more than 15 minutes in direct contact with someone infected with measles is sufficient to transmit the virus. A child with measles will infect almost all unvaccinated children they have contact with.
Measles is spread through coughing and sneezing, close personal contact, or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions. For more information about measles and the symptoms, see Measles - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Whooping Cough- Whooping cough can affect people of all ages but particularly serious for young infants, those that attend nurseries and key stage 1. Vaccine uptake levels in pregnant women, babies and young children have fallen in recent years across England and as such we are seeing an increase in the number of cases of whooping cough. For signs and symptoms see here Whooping Cough - Signs and Symptoms Vaccination in pregnancy is key to passively protecting babies before they can be directly protected by the infant vaccine programme.
Getting the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy is a highly effective way to protect babies in the first few months following birth.
Given the drop in vaccination levels and the rise in cases, UKHSA is urging parents to check that their children are vaccinated against whooping cough, which is offered to all infants at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age (as part of the 6-in-1 combination vaccine) with an additional dose included in the pre-school booster vaccine. If there is any evidence that the Whooping Cough or the general childhood vaccination is incomplete, advise staff, parents/carers and anyone associated with the school community to consult their GP for catch up vaccines, which can be done at any age.
Farm Visits - If you plan to visit a farm during the summer, please see this webpage for information on associated risks and how to prevent them: Keeping You and Your Children Safe from Infection Visiting Farms & Petting Zoos (hertfordshire.gov.uk)
Good Shepherd Booking
Good Shepherd Club—to book spaces at Breakfast or After School Club, please visit
http://www.goodshepherdclubs.co.uk/
Final Thought
This week, we have started thinking about our new value of the term; honesty.
We have spent time thinking about the fact that things will go wrong, however it is much better to own up and be honest in these situations rather than trying to cover our tracks. We looked at the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and how, if they had been more honest, they might have been treated more favourably.
It is absolutely normal to make a mistake, the important part is to own the mistake and do our best to fix it in an honest way.
