We hope everyone has had a great Christmas break and we wish you all a happy and healthy new year. Hopefully everyone is feeling recharged and ready for a new term, which will seem a much shorter one with a 6-week and than a 5-week half term.
*** Monday 5th January - CLOSED ***
Remember that Monday is a teacher training day and the school and nursery will be closed. We open again on Tuesday 6th January.
Well done Hedgehogs who are showing a really strong attendance rate after the Autumn Term. Our aim is for every child to have an attendance rate above 97%. Of course there will always be illnesses and these can often spread around the school, but we ask that children do not stay off longer than necessary. There is no need to stay at home for coughs and colds and if in doubt, we would encourage you to bring your child to school and let an adult know if they may be feeling unwell. We can then let you know if they are not coping.
Reporting absences
Now that we have fully launched Bromcom, please report all absences through the MCAS app. If needed, you can also report absences by phoning the main school number or emailing the office. It is very important that you report any absence and please do so as early as possible. We have a responsibility to safeguard our children and when a child is not in school, we must be able to account for their absence. To avoid us chasing you, please let us know promptly.
Hopefully, you will now have registered and be accessing the My Child At School app that links with our new management system, Bromcom. The app not only allows you to report absences but gives you live access to information about your child including their attendance percentage. We are also uisng Bromcom for school trips and booking Before and After-School Club.
If you are having trouble accessing the app, please speak to the main office for support.
No dogs are allowed on site except for guide dogs or other medical support animals. This includes the area in front of the main school entrance and paths around the school. If you wish to bring a dog to collect your child, please arrange for another adult to either look after the dog outside the school or to collect your child and bring them to you.
The Christmas period is always a very busy one and this year was no exception. I just want to say thank you to the children, staff and parents who all contributed to lots of wonderful events for us.
The season started with the Christmas Carols and Torchlight Procession at the end of November and thank you to those children, staff and parents who gave up their evening to take part in a great community events.
We had the Early Years and KS1 nativities which always take a lot of work to learn lines, songs and actions and I am sure you felt as proud of the children as we all did when they performed so well on the stage.
From being on the stage, to sitting in the audience, we also went to see the Panto at The Grove Theatre. It was another great production from the team at the Grove and it seems to get better every year. Thank you to all the volunteers who accompanied us.
Christmas Dinner combined with our Christmas Jumper Day is another very busy day and I am always amazed by how well Lauren and Anita can prepare such an amazing meal for so many people. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our fundraising effort for Save the Children.
Finally, our newest event, the Christmas Fair, was beyond anything I could have expected. The Friends of Watling did an amazing job putting on such a great event with lots of stalls, games, food and Santa Clause himself. Thank you to the ladies for all of the hard work, which was immense on the day, but would be dwarved by the efforts put into planning and organising it all. It is the perfect example of how a great PTA, not only raise money for the school, but add value in the events that children can experience. I am sure they have big plans for 2026 so we can look forward to more great events.
A much quieter term ahead:
Monday 5th January - INSET day - school and nursery closed
Tuesday 6th January - school and nursery OPEN
Wednesday 4th February - Fire engine visiting Year 2 (subject to cancellation at short notice)
Friday 6th February - NSPCC Number Day
Wednesday 11th February - Parent Consultation Evening (Year R - 4)
Thursday 12th February - Parent Consultation Evening (Year R - 4)
Friday 13th February - Last day of half term (lucky for us)
Monday 23rd February - First day of 2nd Spring half term
Monday 9th March - International Women's Day - special curriculum day
Wednesday 11th March - Scholars Education Trust music concert
Friday 20th March - Red Nose Day non-uniform day
Monday 23rd March - Jewish Passover - special curriculum day
Thursday 26th March - Year 3 and 4 visit to Think Tank
Friday 27th March - last day of term
Monday 13th April - INSET day - school and nursery closed
Tuesday 14th April - school and nursery OPEN