Issue 15 - Friday 7th February 2020
Headteacher's Welcome
Dear Parents and Carers
I would like to start by saying well done to our footballers that competed in last night's 5-a-side tournament. The dedication and effort they demonstrated was fantastic and Mrs Banks was incredibly impressed with the whole team. Although they didn't win overall, they scored many goals along the way and showed great character.
It's wonderful to see the PTA putting on not one, but two Valentines events next week. This means that every child in the school will be able to attend one of the events. I do hope you purchase tickets for the events which I'm certain will be a great success. Please see the yellow section below for more information about PTA events.
Last week's Parents' Evening was a real success with 96% of parents/carers attending. Thanks to those that completed the online questionnaire which lets me know how we're doing as a school and how we can improve. Overall, the results were incredibly positive but do highlight some areas that we can improve in. The results can be seen on the website here.
Enjoy your weekend and thanks again for your support.
Mr Kemp
SAFER INTERNET DAY - INVITE FOR ALL PARENTS
This Monday 10th February at 9:10am, some members of the Technology Team are inviting you to their whole school assembly about how children can keep safe online. This will be followed by a presentation by Mr Haughton and Mr Kemp about how parents can continue these strategies at home.
NEW STYLE READING BOOKS
If your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2, you many notice over the next couple of weeks your child bringing home different styles of reading books. These are part of a new reading scheme we have recently purchased to further develop our teaching of reading and phonics at Parkfield. More information will follow as we fully implement the new scheme but for now you can have a look at the Read, Write, Inc website for more information. https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/
WEBSITE
Please visit our website regularly as it has lots of useful information about the school. It's also regularly updated and includes information about our curriculum, previous presentations for parents, e-safety information and links to school policies.
LOVE OF READING
Please continue to read the books brought home by your child so that they can complete their book marks! Some children have already moved onto bronze level by reading 8 books.
SCHOOL TRIPS
A number of trips have been planned over the coming months and there are some great opportunities for our Parkfielders. You may have recieved an email with payment information and trip details. Clicking on this link will send you to a page on our curriculum plan which details the experiences we have planned for all year groups. We understand that trips can be expensive, particularly for families with more than one child. However, we do try to spread out the trips for each class and give plenty of time for parents to pay.
MANCHESTER UNITED TOURNAMENT
Some of our Year 2 pupils have the amazing opportunity next week to play at Manchester United's training ground. Good luck to those that have been selected - it's going to be a memorable moment that they won't forget.
MUSIC FESTIVAL
Our choir will be performing at the Rochdale Town Hall next Tuesday, competing against other schools in the borough and singing infront of hundreds of people. Good Luck to all involved and a huge thanks to Mrs Astley who has been preparing the choir over the past couple of months.
SECRET READER - REMINDER
To promote a love of reading we are introducing an exciting new initiative called 'Secret Reader'. This is where an adult comes into the class for the last 15 minutes of the day and reads a book to the children. However, the children won't know who is coming in and what is being read until the adult arrives. The secret reader maybe a teacher, older pupil, ex-pupil or a family member from someone in that class. If you're interested please click here to suggest which days would suit you best and the class teacher or office will contact you.
Y6 DEDICATION REWARD
A number of Year 6 pupils will be treated to a special pizza dinner this Monday for their dedication in attending the morning SATS booster classes. Well done to those that have been attending - they have proven a great success.
LEARNING LOGS
A reminder that these need to brought in on Monday 17th February. Children will be sharing their work with others in their class and they will out on show for parents to look at too on Wednesday 19th in the hall. Resources to help children complete them can be found on the school website here.
⏰ Attendance and Punctuality
Arriving on time for school is important as late arrivals are disruptive for the class and can be a cause of distress for the child who is late.
Children can also miss important information during registration including the plan for the day.
- Doors open at 8.45am and close at 8.50am
At this time of year, thoughts may turn to booking a summer holiday. Absence during term time will not be authorised and it is very important that parents and carers understand that children with unauthorised absences, including holidays, and unexplained absences are at risk of receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice from Rochdale Council which would be a cost of £60 for each child's parent.
We need to work together to ensure that our children receive their educational entitlement that they deserve.
⚠️ Health and Safety
- Please do not park in front of the school gates at any time. This week we have a had a few complaints because people are parking and the road is being blocked. This is unsafe for both our children and parents.
PTA News
The PTA are working hard to organise events to raise funds for the pupils of Parkfield.
The up and coming events that need your support are:
- Reception and Year 1 Valentines Tea on Thursday 13th February 3.15 to 4.45pm. There will be fun games, music, food and refreshments provided. The cost is £5.00 per child. Children attending can come to school in their party clothes.
- Year 2, to Year 6 Valentines Disco on Friday 14th February 3.15 to 4.45pm. There will be a DJ and refreshments. The cost is £5.00 per child. Children attending can come to school in their party clothes.
- Forfeit Day (Donate an Easter Egg) Friday March 27th.
- Family Easter Bingo in the evening. The first session will be 3.30 to 5.30. There will be soft drinks and hot dogs available, fun family bingo and games. The cost is £5.00 for a family of 5. The second session will be at 6.30 to 8.30pm. There will be drinks and food available, fun family bingo and games. The cost again is £5.00 for a family of 5. We are trying to accommodate more families by having 2 sessions.
- This year we are going to try and have a Summer Family Fun Day on Saturday 4th July. This will be instead of our usual Summer fair after school. More details will follow.
- We would like to do a family sponsored '3 Park Challenge'. This will be held on Saturday 6th June. We are inviting the whole family to join us starting with a 1 mile walk at Heaton Park, moving on to Chadderton Park for another 1 mile walk and finishing at Queens Park for the final 1 mile walk. We would like your child to enter our create the poster competition to advertise this event in around the school. The closing date for the poster competition is Thursday 13th February and the winner's will be announced in assembly on Friday 1
Thank you for your continual support, we are promoting fun family events that will raise money for the pupils of Parkfield.
Our current balance is £3480.56.
🍴 School Dinners🍴
- Please let the school office know as soon as possible if your child is changing from school meals to packed lunches and vice versa.
- In line with local authority guidance, the price of school meals has increased to £2.20 each day, £11 per week for KS2 children. All monies will be collected using 'School Gateway'. Please note, if school meals are 2 weeks in arrears you will be asked to provide a packed lunch.
- The school provides healthy and nutritious school meals that are cooked onsite. The contents of each school meal is in line with Healthy Eating Guidelines which is a requirement for all schools.
- All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM), irrespective of family income and family circumstances. If your circumstances change in future and you then receive benefits, you will need to apply for a Free School Meal (FSM). The number of children entitled to a FSM affects the funding we receive as a school. Therefore, we kindly ask all parents that believe they may be entitled, to apply for FSM. These forms can be collected from the school office or downloaded online from http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/schools_and_children/free_school_meals.aspx
🔗 Useful Links 🔗
Find out about how our curriculum is structured and the objectives children learn in each year group and subject.
A range of activities are set each half term related to the learning taking place in the classroom.
Payments for dinners, trips and other activities can be made online using the School Gateway.
Would you like the opportunity to win £25,000 each week and support the school? If so, please join the Parkfield school lottery where one person from our school is guaranteed a prize each week. A percentage of the money raised goes towards school funds.
🔔 Reminders 🔔
✅ Please read as much as possible with your child. Just 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference.
✅ There is a spelling test each Friday for Y1-6 and new spellings to be learnt are also given out on a Friday.
✅ Library days: Mon – 5/6, Tues – 3/4, Weds – 1/2, Thurs – R.
✅ Mathletics tasks are set online each week to consolidate and extend learning.
✅ ‘Plain black’ shoes or trainers with no other colours on them
✅ Information about school uniform can be found on the school website here.
✅ All after school clubs finish at 4pm. Please let us know if your child doesn’t want to continue as we usually have long waiting lists.
✅ School water bottles are available for £1 from the school office. No other water bottle is allowed.
✅ All equipment is provided by school. Please don’t send pens, pencils, pencil cases…etc.
✅ Remember to check your emails, we like to send plenty!