Weekly Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, 

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week and the theme is ‘This is my place’. During the week, the children will be exploring the idea of belonging and what this means to individual people. To celebrate our sense of belonging at Thorn Grove, we are hosting a  ‘COME AS YOURSELF’ day on Friday 13th February. We encourage everyone to wear an outfit which makes them feel most comfortable, confident, and like they truly belong — whether that’s cosy clothes, cultural dress, favourite colours, or something totally unique. Celebrate what makes you, you!

There are resources for families if you want to know more. The families pack includes top tips for families, parents and carers and a creative activity from Place2Be’s Art Room team. You can find this on the Place2Be website: Resources and activities for Children's Mental Health Week 

Safer Internet Day is tomorrow (Tuesday 10th February). The theme for this year is “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI”. This day serves as a reminder to promote a safer internet for everyone, especially for younger users. The children will have a heightened focus on online safety during this week, which is taught throughout the year. With increasing numbers of children having phones and gaming online at home, the importance of staying safe online is essential. We will be running a parent workshop over the coming months to ensure parents have the tools to support their child. 

Top Tips for parents and carers - UK Safer Internet Centre 

The Chinese New Year of 2026 falls on February 17th (Tuesday), and will last to February 21st. We would like to wish all our families a Happy Chinese New Year and best wishes for a prosperous Year of the Horse.

Class attendances last week (highest to lowest):

Year 4 - 96.3%

Reception - 94.9%

Year 3 - 94.8%

Year 2 - 94.1%

Year 1 - 93.6%

Year 6 - 91.5%

Year 5 - 88.7%

Don't forget that there will be open classes during the week of 23rd-27th February for parents/carers to come into school to see their child's learning. We appreciate that this may be short notice for some parents but there will be further opportunities later in the year. 

We have a few families whose children are late after the register has closed. Whilst we understand that the traffic in town can be very busy, please try and get your child in school on time, doors open at 8.45am and close at 9am. 

Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost each year which is 20 lessons missed.

Arriving 15 minutes late every day adds up to 2 weeks absence a year which is 55 lessons missed.

Arriving 30 minutes late every adds up to 19 days absence a year, which is 123 lessons missed.

It is International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Wednesday 11th February. This day highlights the critical role women and girls play in STEM (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the urgent need to address the gender gap in these fields. The 2025 theme, “Equity in Science for a Sustainable Future,” underscores the importance of creating inclusive opportunities for women and girls to actively contribute to solving pressing global challenges like climate change, health crises, and environmental sustainability.