It's been great to get out and about in classes and teaching small groups this week - the progress the children have already made this term is fabulous! It's been particularly wonderful to be involved with reading interventions and small group work, giving an extra boost to this important skill. 

Reading really does open up all other learning and it's the number 1 thing we can do with our child to help them succeed. From hearing children read their reading book to sharing a bedtime story and reading signposts when out and about to talking about stories and characters - every little helps. If you are looking for inspiration for recommended reads, please see information from Mrs Serby and the team below. 

Next week, we have lots to look forward to, starting the week with parent consultations and ending with - one of our favourite days in school - Ancient Civilisation Day in KS2! If you have any costumes from previous years, we encourage your child to reuse and adapt what they already have or share with others. You are welcome to bring costumes you would like to find a home for to the school office. 

Warmest regards,

Nicola O'Hare

Head of School

Today I had my first of many Milkshake and Cookie sessions with children selected from across school. Each day, I'm out and about around school and in the playground looking for children showing our core values and helping to make our school the best school it can be. A big thank you to my first visitors - Albert, Grayson, Selbie, Fadey and Olivia - you all help to make our school a happy and special place to be! 

Year 1

Gracie has been working diligently with her phonics and maths. She continued practising her part-whole cherry models in CHIL time with great success! 

Year 3

Lara is the Gold Book for her enthusiasm and engagement in class discussions - always the first to volunteer contributions. 

Year 4

Harry is in the Gold Book for his deep thinking in English - he made super observations and inferences about characters. 

Year 5

Rafi never fails to impress me with his positive attitude and creative ideas - he is a pleasure to teach!

Year 6

Riley is an incredibly polite, kind and hard working member of our class. From gardening to English lessons, he shares his ideas with enthusiasm and gives his all. 

Lunchtime Entry!

This week, Zoe has noticed the impeccable manners of Alfie in Year 1 - he never forgets his pleases and thank yous!

Ideas for books to read for children in KS2:

Note - these books get increasingly challenging 

All of these books are fiction (with the odd poetry book thrown in for good measure!) and I have read 99% of them. They are all of a good quality and will challenge your  child’s reading.  There are plenty of non fiction books out there for reading, too.  Please encourage all non fiction reading to children as this is equally as important to fictional reading. The list is also available on the English Curriculum Page of the Website. 

For further recommendations, visit:

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/

For young children, learning how to read can often be seen as an overwhelming task. We can help make the task easier by introducing children to "predictable text" or "repetitive text." Predictable texts contain phrases that appear in stories over and over again.

Reading aloud with children at a very early age will provide a foundation for helping them develop critical literacy skills and turn a seemingly overwhelming task into an enjoyable journey. Using books that contain predictable word patterns and simple sentence structure with familiar storylines are perfect for helping children learn how to read. Children are quick to hear and recognise repeated phrases and patterns in stories, and that's why they enjoy having the same stories read to them again and again. It allows them to anticipate words or phrases and say them aloud, giving them the excitement that accompanies learning how to read. 

As children progress into Year 1 and Year 2, books with repeating phrases and words in a text often simplify the decoding process for readers, making it easier for them to develop into fluent and confident readers - building rhythm and expression into their independent reading. 

Here are some recommendations:

Julia Donaldson books are great for encouraging participation with their use of pattern and rhyme. Books like, The Gruffalo, Room o the Broom, The Smartest Giant in Town and A Squash and a Squeeze to name a few.

Funny Bones Allan Ahlberg

Each, Peach, Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Peace at Last by Jill Murphy

Hairy Maclary Series by Lynley Dodd

Owl Babies by Main Waddell 

SPA Christmas Fair 

Friday 1st December 2023 3.30pm

Sarratt C of E Primary

The government has recently announced that they intend to expand the offer of free childcare for working parents to children aged from 9 months to 3 years old.

The rollout of the offer will be phased over the next couple of years as follows:

April 2024 – 15 hours free childcare will be available to eligible working parents of two year old children from April 2024

September 2024 – 15 hours of free childcare will be available to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months

September 2025 – 30 hours of free childcare will be available to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months

For more information please visit https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

To be eligible parents/carers must meet the following criteria:

Both parents/carers are working (or the sole parent/carer is working in a lone parent family), and each parent/carer earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent of 16 hours at National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (£167 per week) and less than £100,000 per year. Working includes both employed and self-employed.

Every Local Authority has a duty to ensure there is enough childcare in their area to meet parental demand. This consultation will provide vital information to ensure that Hertfordshire has sufficient childcare options in place to be able to deliver the additional free childcare from April 2024.

This survey is aimed for expectant parents and parents with children under 3. https://surveys.hertfordshire.gov.uk/s/DTDN3R/

We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Tesco Stronger Starts initiative. Tesco works with the community charity Groundworks to run its community funding scheme, which sees grants of up to £1,5000, £1000 and £500 awarded to local community projects, with a particular focus on children and young people.

Voting commences from the first week of October 2023 to Mid January 2024 in the following stores:

Rickmansworth Large Unit, WD3 1LX

Rickmansworth Express, WD3 4DF

Our project aims to create a community reading area, within which we can run reading clubs and our children can share stories with elderly members of their community. The funding will allow us to purchase seating and create a tranquil space that promotes wildlife and biodiversity.

We thank you in advance for you support with this project.

Make sure your child comes to school with a water bottle each day. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are provided with a snack in the morning. Children in KS2 can bring a fruit or vegetable snack to school for playtime. 

If your child needs additional medication, please  fill in this form and drop it into the school office. 

https://sarratt.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MED-1-Form.pdf

As autumn set in, please ensure your child has an outdoor jacket everyday. We always aim to have the children outside as much as possible during playtime and lunchtime.

The climbing frames are out of bounds before and after school. 

We have noticed an increase in children wearing smart watches in school.

We know that mobile phones/smart  watches are becoming more popular with our older children. These can be a valuable and important resource for our children; we frequently discuss safe use of these devices, both in general and as part of our online safety lessons.

Despite the obvious distraction that these devices can pose, smart watches are internet and camera enabled and therefore present the same concerns as mobile phones in terms of safeguarding.

Parents should not allow their children to wear a smart watch to school.

We thank you for your understanding and support with this matter.

The Parish Council have contacted the school to ask for everyone's support in tackling parking issues which occur at drop-off and pick-up times. 

Please help by ensuring you park considerately and do not block the turning circle and the grass verges near the Cricketers or surrounding roads. 

The car park at the KGV is a short walk away and is available to use at these times.

Signs will be positioned outside the gates as a reminder for everyone to park safely.

We thank you for you support. 

Good attendance starts at primary school - children who have attendance of 97% or above achieve better outcomes in school and have the best opportunities in their adult life.  

If you child misses school regularly, this will affect friendships as well as academic outcomes. It can be hard for a child who misses lots of school to form and maintain relationships with their classmates.

Being on time is also vital. Arriving late at school can be very disruptive for your child, their teacher and the other children in the class.

Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!