Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 13th November 2020
Date: 13th Nov 2020 @ 1:20pm
Remembrance
This week we have been thinking about Remembrance both in our Collective Worship and in our classes. The children have produced some beautiful work to help us remember the sacrifices that have been made by so many to keep us safe and in pursuit of peace. I know that there are some blogs on the class pages of things that the children have been up to – please do take a look. We also thought about this a lot in our Collective Worship and looked at the Bible passage from Isaiah 2:2-4 and thought about the last part; ‘They will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again.’ We know that we must always remember the past so that we don’t make the same mistakes again and use our actions to work towards peace in our schools, our homes and our communities.
Anti-Bullying Week
Next week is Anti-Bullying Week and the children will be doing lots of activities in class around this year’s theme of ‘We Are United.’ To help us celebrate, we are asking the children to come to school in Odd Socks on Monday 16th November with their normal school uniform. Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun and is an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique! There is no donation needed for this.
Hatchmere parents please note –you have previously had a letter from Mrs Kelly about wearing pyjamas to school on Monday 16th November. This is correct and the children can just wear odd socks with their pyjamas too.
#WakeUpWednesday
Tuesday marked the release of two brand new Xbox consoles just in time for Christmas: the Xbox Series S, described as providing next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever and the Xbox Series X, the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever. Both devices will be at the top of many children’s Christmas list, so it’s important to ensure parents set them up safely right from the start. That’s why National Online Safety have created this guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what the Xbox Series X|S is all about.
Applying for Reception Places for September 2021
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2020, or know of a child who is, then the application round is also open for them to apply for their Reception place. The timescale is slightly different for this and you have until 15th January 2021, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting School booklet. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in if you have an existing online account.
Reminders
School dinners cost £2.30 per day, £11.50 per week. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive free meals as part of the government’s Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme. Dinner money must be paid in advance via the School Money system as we do not accept cash in school anymore due to our COVID-19 Risk Assessment.
If you are in receipt of benefits and think that you may be entitled to free school meals, please click here for more information and support and how to apply. It is very important to apply for free schools meals whatever year your child is in, even if you receive the UIFSM in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, as the school receives a sum of extra money to further help support your child and their education.
Absence During Term Time
Please may I remind you that schools are not allowed to authorise pupil holidays in term time. Any child going on holiday in term time will receive an unauthorised absence. Our registers are regularly checked by the Education Welfare Service and parents may be issued with a fine from the Local Authority for unauthorised absence, which is currently £60 per child, per parent and this rises to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.
Confirmed Dates for the Autumn Term 2020 – new dates are highlighted
Monday 16th November: Odd Sock Day (school uniform as usual, with odd socks)
Wednesday 16th December: Christmas Dinner Day
Friday 18th December: Whole School Pantomime
Friday 18th December: Christmas Jumper Day
Friday 18th December: School closes for Christmas. Finishing times as follows:
Blakemere at 1:45pm
Linmere at 1:45pm
Oakmere at 1:50pm
Delamere at 1.55pm
Sandymere at 2pm
Hatchmere at 2.05pm
I hope that you all have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon