Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 24th September 2021
Date: 24th Sep 2021 @ 11:45am
We have had another busy week in school with sports coaches, violin lessons, guitar and ukulele lessons and to top it all, we had a special visit from our governors on Wednesday of this week. The Governing Board visited school for a tour around, went in to classes to see what was happening in lessons and had afternoon tea with the School Council! The School Council tucked in to the lemon drizzle cakes made by our talented kitchen staff and enjoyed the juice and the chat! Due to COVID restrictions, it has been a long time since governors have been able to come in to school to see it in action and chat with the children and we were very pleased to be able to welcome them back this week.
Morning and Afternoon Routines
Please may I politely request that children do not play outside the front of school whilst waiting for the gate to open in the morning? The gate opens at 8.35am and the area in front of the gate is a road and car park which is needed for access, so for health and safety reasons, children need only arrive in time for 8.35am – 8.45am and go straight through the gate.
I would also like to reinstate the one way system that we had last year as a result of a few requests from parents who thought that it worked well. For those who are not familiar, we all enter school through the pedestrian gate from the pavement and the leave school via the large gates. This just helps to ease the flow of people.
Also, I know that people sometimes struggle to get on to the playground at collection time when children and adults have started to leave as everyone is coming in the opposite direction. Please may I ask that those people exiting the playground gate give way to those wanting to get into the playground so that they don’t end up being late for their child? I know how supportive everyone is and so I hope that these slight changes will make things easier for everybody. Thank you.
Morrison’s Good to Grow
Morrisons are running a new programme in stores for primary schools during September and October called ‘Good to Grow’ that enables schools to receive free gardening equipment ready for next Spring. Anyone can take part in collecting Grow Tokens for school between the 6th September and 24th October 2021, all you need to do is use your MyMorrisons card each time you shop in store or online. In doing so, you’ll get one Grow Token for every £10 spent and can donate these straight to Over St. John’s via the MyMorrisons app or website. After the collection period ends, we can redeem our Grow Tokens against a wide range of gardening equipment for the school. Examples only of the equipment include: spades, forks, children’s wheelbarrows, trowels, gloves, aprons, smocks, planters, grow bags, flower pots, mini greenhouse plus many more items. So please spread the word amongst family friends and start collecting. Thank you!
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.
We have received details of an open afternoon at The Winsford Academy – please see the letter attached below. Please note that this is for children in Year 6 only.
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.
#WakeUpWednesday
It’s a sad fact of life that where technology leads, crime usually follows. The printing press was eventually twisted to produce counterfeit money. The first car theft took place only three years after the vehicle’s invention. It was perhaps inevitable then, that social media, as the overwhelming fascination of the digital age, would soon become a conduit for criminal activity.
The risks usually associated with social media are personal in nature: abusive comments, distorted perceptions; cyber-bullying and so on. Increasingly, however, criminals are using networking platforms to snare potential victims. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide examines social media scams – outlining some common examples and providing ways to avoid them. Please click on the guide below.
Winsford Jobs Fair
Cheshire West & Chester Council, Winsford Work Zone in conjunction with Winsford Cross Shopping Centre and JCP are hosting a job fair on Thursday 30th Sept to support local employers with their recruitments – an opportunity to bring employers and jobseekers together to help fill local vacancies. This will take place on Thursday 30th September from 10am – 2pm at Winsford Cross Shopping Centre. Please see the flyer below for more details or contact Winsford Work Zone on 07766 205389 or email Stephen.smith@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Reminders:
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
Friday 15th October: Individual photographs
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
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