Dear Parent,
Parental Consultations were really well attended last week.
Thank you for respecting the ten minute time allocation which enabled everyone to have an equal appointment. Thank you also to staff who helped with the running of the DVD in the Nursery.
Year 6 pupils attended the annual Crucial Crew event today which is run by a number of agencies, including Gwent Police, and helps to prepare pupils for their move to high school.
Newport Live ran Tennis Taster sessions today for children from Reception to Year 3.
Parental Consultations this week will be for Nursery during the day on Tuesday and Wednesday and also for Miss Watkins, Miss Spearey and Mrs Dickenson’s classes on Wednesday from 3.34-5.30pm. Thank you for your understanding when two of these had be rearranged as a result of staff illness.
Reception children are having their Immersion Day on Tuesday and the theme is Hocus Pocus, based on a book they have been reading.
Also on Tuesday, children in Years 3-4 are having brief Rugby Taster Sessions which will be provided by Kirk Roberts, Owain Leonard and Matt Dowsell, who are coaches from Newport High School Old Boys’ Rugby Club. The club is always looking for new members.
The regular fortnightly Dragon Rugby training is also taking place this week.
The annual schools’ Chartist March is taking place on Wednesday and commemorates the Chartists who marched on Newport in 1839 in support of their Six Point Charter for democracy. It is their march that the Newport Rising Festival in November commemorates. We will be joining several local schools to retrace the last part of that march along Stow Hill, and into Westgate Square. Our Year 5 pupils will be taking part and then doing a small performance in Westgate Square.
The march will be leaving St Woolos Cathedral at approximately 1.30pm and children from the school will come out on to Stow Hill to cheer everyone as they go past. It would be lovely if you were able to come on to Stow Hill to see this or to join us with everyone in Westgate Square.
On Wednesday afternoon, as part of our transition process, a group of Year 6 pupils will be taking part in a Maths Masterclass at the John Frost School.
On Thursday its the turn of Year 1 pupils who have a visit to Little Oaks Play Park as part of their topic work. The Year 2s really enjoyed their visit last week.
Class 3/3B are doing the first of our Class Assemblies this Friday and they will be starting at 9.30am. I hope that you will be able to join us to see your child. You are welcome to bring grandparents with you if you’d like to. Seats will be available from when the doors open and you can come in and wait once your child is in, if you’d like to.
Attendance
There’s been a good improvement in attendance. Last week, our school total was 94.7%
and it’s very important that we maintain this improvement. The School Council are currently consulting with their classes to find out about how our rewards for everyone can help to improve attendance.
Future Dates
The next Family Learning Workshop will take place on Thursday 7th November from 9.00-10.30am and it will focus on Maths teaching in schools nowadays. We have called this session, “What’s Maths All About?” and is primarily aimed at Foundation Phase parents. it will give you the chance to ask any questions about how Maths is taught in schools nowadays. For the following workshops, we will tailor the sessions to meet the requests of parents attending and we also hope to run a Key Stage Two session.
Class 3/4B have their Class Assembly on Friday 25th October at 9.30am and I hope that parents and grandparents will be able to join us for that.
Friday is a Casual Day to raise funds for school and for a donation of £1.00 (or a reduced rate if you would like to), children can wear their own choice of casual clothes.
We break up on Friday for half term.
School resumes on Tuesday 5th November because we have an INSET Day on Monday 4th November.
Flu Immunisation
All pupils from Reception toYyear 6 should have brought home a flu immunization letter. Please complete and return the letter to school, even if you are not consenting to the vaccination for your child.
Breakfast Club Staff Vacancy
Please contact the office for an application form if you are interested in the temporary post of Breakfast Club Supervisor until Christmas.
Breakfast Club Times
As you are aware, we consulted on the timings of our Breakfast Club last summer when the funding available to schools to run Breakfast Clubs was reduced.
Last month, we began a trial of a £1.00 voluntary daily contribution to cover the cost of the twenty minutes childcare that is being provided from 8.00-8.20am. Unfortunately, we are only averaging between £2.00 and £7.00 per morning in total contributions, which is not sufficient to support this service. If you are able to make a voluntary contribution towards supporting this, I would ask you to do so please, so that the extended provision can continue. Thank you for helping with this.
The trial of contributions towards the cost of extra staffing will continue until our next Governors’ Finance Committee meeting after half term when it will be evaluated.
Yours sincerely,
H Vaughan
Headteacher