Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 15th October 2021
Date: 15th Oct 2021 @ 1:27pm
School photographs took place this morning, which was so lovely as we were unable to do them last year. Children were taken individually and with their siblings. A card with your child’s name on will have been brought home with them today with details of how to access their photograph and purchase if you wish to.
Parking
I have had a number of concerns raised with me recently with regards to how cars are parked at the start and end of the school day and there have been a few near misses. Please may I remind you that parking on the pavement in front of the shops should not happen as the priority is for pedestrians. Please do not park in the side road to the shops either as this leads to a service area where access is needed at all times for deliveries etc. There is plenty of parking available in nearby car parks for those who need to use the car to bring children to school.
I am sure that you understand that the safety of our children is paramount and as such, please may you also share this information with anyone that you may ask to drop off or collect children on your behalf who do not necessarily read this blog. Thank you in advance.
St. John’s Church Family Film Night
St. John’s Church are holding a Family Film Night on Saturday 23rd October – tickets are free and drinks and snacks will be available whilst you watch Disney’s ‘Soul.’ If you would like to attend this family event, please see the flyer below and scan the QR code for your free tickets!
Natasha’s Law
I think that I may have caused a little confusion with the information in last week’s blog on Natasha’s Law. I wrote that we are no longer able to accept donations to share out on birthday’s as the pre-packaged information is not available to the children and families after we hand them out. I realise that some things that adults have chosen to send in in the past do have the pre-packaging information on them, but to enable us to keep a track and to ensure that we are fair to all, we are choosing not to take any donations of any food kinds. Apologies if I caused some confusion with this and thank you for your support.
#WakeUpWednesday
The majority of parents and carers with an iPhone or iPad quite happily let their children borrow the device for some easy entertainment. Most digital devices, however, contain apps that adults would probably prefer that children weren’t let loose on. A few accidental presses in the Amazon app, for instance – or in iTunes or the App Store – could add up to a costly shopping disaster. Those worries can be avoided though, by setting up Apple’s handy Guided Access feature. It effectively keeps the phone or tablet locked on one app – so if you say ‘yes’ to a quick game of Angry Birds, for example, then that is all a child will be able to do on your device. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide explains how to enable this valuable safeguarding function.
Applying for Secondary School Places for September 2022
If you have a child in Year 6, the application round has now opened for you to apply for a secondary school place. It is very important that you do this before the deadline which is 31st October 2021, otherwise your application will be classed as a late application and could have a severe impact on your preferred school choice. Results are available from 12.30am on 1st March 2022. Before making your application, it is important you view the Starting Secondary School booklet. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in if you have an existing online account.
As a school, we are a partner primary with both The Winsford Academy and Hartford CE High School which means that applications for children from our school are considered above some other categories, should the school be oversubscribed, however, you have the option to apply for 3 secondary schools of your choice. Further details with regards to this can be found in the ‘Transferring to Secondary School’ information booklet in the link above.
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2022
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2022, 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 2022, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting School booklet. Results are available from 16th April 2022. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in if you have an existing online account.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £2.34 per day, £11.70 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 School Spider as we do not accept cash in school.
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 school 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 2021 – new dates highlighted
Tuesday 19th October: Annual flu vaccinations for Reception to Year 6
Tuesday 19th October: Pupil Consultation Evening from 3.15pm to 5.15pm
Thursday 21st October: Pupil Consultation Evening from 4pm to 6pm
Friday 22nd October: School closes for half term at 3pm
Tuesday 2nd November: School opens with registration at 8.45am
Sunday 7th November: All Age Service in St. John’s church hall with Blakemere at 10.30am
Friday 26th November: Blakemere to take part in the Winsford Lantern Parade (more details to follow)
Tuesday 14th December: Carol Service in St. John’s Church at 1.30pm – collection from church
Thursday 16th December: Pantomime Day (further details to follow)
Friday 17th December: School closes at 2pm
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon