February 2020 Newsletter

 

 

Dear Parents, Carers and Children,

 

Happy New Year to you all once again!  We have been delighted with how the children have returned with their usual enthusiasm and effort!  It has been wonderful to witness such excellent attitudes and commitment to being the best you can be!

 

Diary Dates February/Early March 2020

 

• Monday 3rd February 2020 E-Safety Assembly  Years 2-6,  9.30am (parents welcome)
• Wednesday 5th February FHC Meeting 6 – 7pm in Church
• Friday 7th February Parental E-safety presentation, 8.40am and 2pm (all welcome)
• Sunday 9th February School Family Mass, 10.30am at St Bernadette’s (all welcome)
• Wednesday 12th February Year 3 Assembly, 9am School Hall
• Thursday 13th February Valentines Disco,  30pm (EYFS and KS1) ) & 5.30pm (KS2)
• Friday 14th February Clitherow House Day (children in Clitherow may wear blue)
• Friday 14th February KS2 Children in Clitherow to attend Mass, 12noon at Church (bring packed lunches)
• Friday 14th February Last Day of Term, break up 3pm
• Monday 24th February School re-opens, 8.40am
• Tuesday 25th February Y2 Sportshall Athletics (whole class)
• Wednesday 26th February Phonics Lotto’s session, Nurs-Y1 parents info session, 8.45am
• Friday 28th February Y5 Mass in Church, 12noon (packed lunches needed)
• W/C 2nd March Reception – Stay and Play (see timetable in EYFS cloakroom)
• Monday 2nd March Y1 Parents Phonics Information Session 2.30 – 3.30pm
• Wednesday 4th March Year 1 Assembly, 9am school Hall
• W/B 2nd March World Book Day celebrations (further details to follow)
• Thursday 5th March Year 3 Pedestrian Training

 

 

General information

Data

The 2019 data has now been validated and once again we are proud to inform you of highly successful outcomes in Year 6, Year 2, Year 1 Phonics and end of Reception. A breakdown of all the results are available to view on our website in Key information / Performance and Reports / In School Assessments or Gov.uk

Thank you to all the staff for their dedicated work to ensure all our children achieve their best. Thank you also for all the additional support you provide for the children at home.

 

Term dates

A reminder that we only have 3 separate week long holidays left this academic year – one week in February w/b 17.2.20; one week at Easter w/b 11.04.20 and one week at the end of May w/b 25.5.20.  There are also 3 PD days remaining this academic year: Friday 22^nd May 2020, Monday 1^st June 2020 and Monday 20^th July 2020.  There is one bank holiday: Friday 8^th May 2020.

 

We have communicated our Term dates several times for 2020-2021 (NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR).   Please note that next academic year (2020-21) our school will revert to a six week summer break, returning to school on Wednesday 2nd September 2020.

 

Details of both 2019-20 and 2020-21 dates are available for you to view/print from our website.

 

Please book holidays accordingly for this and next academic year.

 

Excellent attendance badges 

Every day in school is precious.  In House Meeting this month we gave 50 badges to Reception to Year 6 children for ‘Excellent Attendance’.  These new badges were awarded to children who had 100% attendance or less than 1 day off in the Autumn term.  Medical appointments were taken into consideration and children were rewarded accordingly also.

 

Attendance Policy
As you are aware, the Trust, in collaboration with the School Attendance Lead, monitors our school attendance and when attendance falls below national expectations the Trust notifies parents.  Where there is a continued decline in attendance we will hold an Attendance Case Conference with the parents to formulate a plan to work together to improve attendance.

In the absence which is causing concern, the Trust have also appointed attendance officers who may carry out home visits.

For any leave of absence in term time parents must make application to the Head Teacher.  Head Teachers will not grant leave of absence in term time unless they fall under exceptional circumstances.   Where leave is still taken, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.  Unauthorised absence can result in the local authority issuing penalty notices.

If leave is taken without any prior application, the matter will be referred directly to the Trust which may result in the local authority issuing a penalty notice.

Please remember that if your child is absent from school, it is the responsibility of the parent/carer to call school to advise.

Uniform

Please continue to support us with encouraging the children to have their full uniform and PE kits. Our uniform standards are consistently excellent however recently there has been several children without full PE kits.

We require that our pupils change for PE activities. They need an appropriately labelled PE kit consisting of the following: indoor black plimsolls; outdoor trainers; PE t-shirt in house colours (Red-Bede; Blue-Clitherow; Yellow-Postgate; Green-Hilda); navy blue shorts; PE bag; purple hoodie can be purchased for outdoor PE and appropriate tracksuit bottoms.

PE kit should be brought to school on Monday mornings and taken home on Fridays or at the end of half term. Parents will be informed of repeated incidents of no kit. Please note that branded sportswear is not permitted.

 

School Kitchen Commendation

Once again our school kitchen has been awarded with the highest rating for food hygiene following an on the spot check up this month.  Well done to our excellent kitchen team who serve our beautiful school lunches.  If you would like your child to have school dinners please inform the school office.

 

 

Packed lunches

In our school curriculum provision we often discuss the importance of healthy living and life style choices.  With this in mind please ensure you encourage your children to have a good balance of food choices should they be on packed lunches.  It has been noted that several children have several unhealthy choices in their packed lunches and this is not conducive to the message we provide in school.

 

School In/Out provision

As you may be aware we have recently slightly increased our charges for our wraparound service: School’s In and Out (£4 per hour and £2 per half hour).  This is a necessary change to cover staff costs; increases in utility costs; continue purchasing refreshments and provide additional resources for the children.  School’s In and School’s Out is staffed by a small group of St Bernadette’s staff and the primary reason for having the service is to support our families.  It can be used flexibly; by parents who need to use it regularly because of working commitments or occasionally according to family needs. Currently the club operates during term-time only from 8.00 a.m. until 8.40 a.m. and from 3.00 p.m. until 6.00 p.m. in the School hall.    I know the service is valuable and much appreciated and has always been well attended.  With this in mind I will be sending out a survey in the coming weeks and please could I ask those who use the service to complete it to indicate how we can continue to cater for the needs of your children and yourselves.

 

Smart watches

Please be aware that whilst we are happy for children to wear Smart/Sports watches in school for telling the time or counting their steps; for safeguarding reasons we will not allow children to wear watches which have camera; text or email apps.

 

Photos

Thank you to Dawn McNamara, one of our PTA supporters, who recently visited school to update our photos which are now displayed on the website; in the school office and in the Oratory (Prayer space).

 

January Events

Year of the Word

Miss Brady introduced the children to the ‘Year of the Word’ on Monday 20^th January.  The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales have designated 2020 as ‘The God Who Speaks’: A Year of the Word to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Verbum Domini – Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’, and the 1600th anniversary of death of St Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin.   Therefore, 2020 will be a year of celebrating, living and sharing God’s word, through simple class led activities and resources using Matthew’s Gospel as our stimulus.

 

Y4 Assembly

Our Y4 children presented an excellent and lively assembly on Wednesday 15th January summarising all their History knowledge on their Autumn term topic. We were delighted to be joined by so many friends and family.

 

 

Community Samaritans

On Monday 13^th January Mrs Pennick led our whole school assembly to launch our Community Good Samaritans. ‘Inspirational and humble’ people linked to our school were selected to share some of their good work.  Each class has been assigned a Good Samaritan who they will write about so they too can be inspired to carry out small acts of kindness too:

• Nursery/Reception – Carol Walton and Sandra Rowney are stalwarts of the St Bernadette’s parish and supporters of various school events throughout the year
• Year 1 – Pat Williams, a member of staff at St Bernadette’s for over 30 years until her recent retirement has taught 2-3 generations to read and write!  Pat still volunteers in Y1 each week.
• Year 2 Mr Townsend has spoken to the children on several occasions about his work in the armed forces
• Year 3 Mr Leyland, one of our ‘Grumpy Gardeners who works with our Y3 class each week – a gardening and environmental enthusiast who is passionate about his local area
• Year 4 Mrs Arnold who works with the charity Little Hearts Matter to fundraise and raise awareness for children living with half a working heart.
• Year 5 Mr Wren who has raised over £100,000 in memory of his daughter Charlotte Wren’s ‘Forget Me Not’ charity.
• Year 6 Mrs Margaret Fletcher, an active member of the parish SVP group and volunteer in other capacities in our locality including working with refugees.

 

Webwatchers

Our Year 5 Webwatchers have been very busy in school with Mr Lynn last term. Each week they update information about memorable class topics and events for each Year group. You can read about what’s been going on in all year groups through the voice of children in the Autumn term by visiting our school website: Parents and Students / Class pages section.

 

EYFS Quality mark

On Thursday 30th January Miss Brady requested an externally validated Quality Mark assessment for our Early Years provision.  The Quality Mark is a nationally accredited standard which assesses 10 areas across the setting.  It supports and celebrates high quality Early Years provisions.   We successfully achieved this award which demonstrates the commitment of the whole staff to continually improve standards and give parents confidence in the quality of the service offered to our youngest children.  It evidences rigorous self evaluation to identify strengths and prioritise key areas for development as well as identifying the impact of outstanding practice.  In gaining the standard this will help impact positively on future Ofsted discussions. The Quality Mark is valid for 3 years, at which time it can be reviews and reapplied for.  Well done Miss Brady and all the EYFS staff!  The Whole School will review our Basic Skills Quality Mark later in the year.

 

Sporting Events

 

KS2 Cross Country

Mrs Davies, who runs our twice weekly Cross country club, selected over 30 children to represent our school at the Trinity College Cross Country competition. In wet weather, they performed admirably. Particular well done to the following children: medal winners were brothers Jack and Will; Lilly, Ruby and Joseph R.  Y6 boys, Y5 girls and Y3/4 boys all received team awards for their performances.

 

 

Extended school provision 

Thank you for your feedback from our Autumn term PE survey.  Mr Bourner collated the information gathered from parents and children. We are delighted many of you recognise the time staff give to offering such a wide range of activities. As always we will take on board your feedback and endeavour to work on the areas you have identified as developments. The information from the surveys is presented on the school website: Parents and students / School clubs section.

 

Mrs Smith, our new PE lead, has planned a range of activities throughout the school day to try to capture the varying interests of large groups of children across the school.  The timetable is reviewed half termly and further details regarding future clubs will be provided in due course.  Should you wish further information on these clubs please contact Mrs Smith, the school office or Mr Conway.

 

	Morning  8.00-8.30am	Lunch Time 12:30-12.55pm	After School 3-4pm
Monday	Maths Club	KS2 Cross Country	Y6 SATS Booster Y3/4/5 Glee Club
Tuesday	Maths Club	French Club	Y3/4 Tennis All KS2 Yoga
Wednesday	Maths Club	Spanish Club Prayer group Y6 Science Club	Y2 Multisports
Thursday	Maths Club	KS2 Cross Country KS1 Art Club	Y5/6 Cricket
Friday	Maths Club	Web Watchers KS1 Trend Club KS2 TT RockStars Club	Y5/6 Football

 

 

Future events

 

Assembly swap

Please be reminded that the Year 1 and Year 3 Assembly have been swapped.  The Year 3 Assembly will now be Wednesday 12^th February and the Year 1 Assembly will be Wednesday 4^th March.

 

 

E safety

E-safety continues to be at the forefront of our minds as we prepare our school children for the online world of today and tomorrow. We aspire to take every opportunity to inform and support, not only our pupils, but also our parents, Governors and all other stakeholders at St Bernadette’s School.

We would like remind you that we have an e-safety week planned w/b 03.02.20.  You are all encouraged to a presentation for adults by Cleveland Police on Friday 8^th February: 8.40am or 2pm in school.  We would also like to invite you to a theatre production which will be performed for our Y2-6 children in the school hall on Monday 3^rd February at 9.30am.

 

PTA News

This term the PTA would love your support in organising the Valentine’s Disco and the Easter Egg Raffle. The PTA will be meeting in the coming weeks to discuss and plan the Easter Egg Raffle.

The disco will be on Wednesday 14^th February, 4.30pm for EYFS and KS1 children and 5.30-6.30pm for KS2 children. Tickets will be on sale from Monday 3^rd February costing £2 per ticket. Parents must accompany EYFS/KS1 children.  Schools Out will be open as normal and any children remaining in Schools Out at 4.30pm will be taken to the disco.

If you can support the disco please contact a member of the PTA, school office or email on [email protected]

 

Friday drop ins

During Lent, we would like to invite all parents/grandparents to come to class to support and witness some of the events in your child’s class.  Primarily we want you to know how important you all are in your child’s development and close partners with us!  On Friday’s in Lent, from Friday 28^th February to Friday 3^rd April we warmly encourage you to drop in for 45 minutes to join our morning routines of: register, prayer, support with reading, basic maths skills and handwriting development.  On some weeks there will also be some opportunities to join us for Class Collective Worships.  If you would like to pop in please just come into class from 8.30am on the given Fridays and the teacher will request your assistance with supporting your own child and others until 9.15am.

 

Lotto’s meeting

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 parents may be aware that we have just started sending home new key blending sounds and words so you can support your children develop their phonetic understanding.  To provide parents with further information Nursery, Reception and Year 1 parents are invited to a meeting lead by Miss Brady so you are fully informed on how to support your children.  It will also provide an opportunity to answer any queries you may have.

The date is as follows: Wednesday 26^th February, 8.45am-9.15am

 

Maths club

There are a limited number of spaces available for children in Year 2 – 6 to join Maths Club.  For those who are not currently aware, this is a daily club which runs from 8am – 8.30am. Following this the children can enjoy a 10 minute supervised break before registration. If you prefer that child remains in Maths Club rather than to go into the playground at this time, please advise the school office. The club is run by school staff and, has a number of benefits for children’s basic numeracy skills.  The cost of the club is £10 per week. Should you wish your child to join the club, please contact the school office.

 

SATs meetings (Phonics Year 1) 

Thank you to all the parents who came to the Year 2 and Year 6 SATs information presentations.  We have also facilitated a meeting a Year 1 meeting to support parents in helping their children with Phonics. In Year 1 children have a statutory test – the phonics screening in June.

The Year 1 Phonics information meeting is on Monday 2^nd March, 2.30-3pm

 

And finally,

 

Staffing news

I am delighted to formally announce that Mrs Mannion is returning to teach in Year 1 w/b 3^rd February following her maternity leave.  Mrs Mannion has had several ‘keeping in touch’ days.  She will return for 4 days a week and Miss Brady will teach Year 1 one day a week.

You will also be aware that our Reception teacher, Mrs Whitfield, is pregnant and her baby is due in May 2020.  Mrs Harris, currently teaching in Year 1, will assume class responsibility for Reception when Mrs Whitfield’s maternity leave begins around Easter 2020.

 

Mr. P. Conway

Head Teacher