Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 27th May 2022
Date: 27th May 2022 @ 3:16pm
Platinum Jubilee Celebrations
We have had a fabulous day today celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in school. The children looked amazing all dressed in red, white and blue and they have carried out a whole variety of exciting activities in class during the day and also had a lovely brunch courtesy of our fab kitchen team. Shortly you will see our new art installation go up on a wall on the playground. All the children and staff have contributed to hand printing or finger printing a stunning Union Jack in commemoration of the Platinum Jubilee – keep your eyes peeled! This afternoon, all the school came together to sing ‘God Save the Queen’ which has been recorded for the #ChoirfortheQueen and will soon be uploaded to social media (thank you Mrs McLaughlin’s husband). The singing was a delight to listen to especially as it wasn’t an easy version to sing along with! We will see if we can also share it with you all somehow, but you will have to leave that technical side with me for a bit!
The children have all come home with a special book today, courtesy of the Department for Education, all about Queen Elizabeth. Do sit down and have a look through with your child as it is a beautiful book.
There will be many events to look forward to next week to help celebrate the Jubilee as a family and we have been asked to share some information about an event that is being held at the marina next Thursday 2nd June from 5pm til 10pm – see the poster below.
#WakeUpWednesday
Anyone can post anything online. It’s simultaneously one of the internet’s most joyous qualities and one of its greatest perils. For every upload that’s heart-warming, helpful or just plain hilarious, you’ll unfortunately find an equal amount of content that is shocking, frightening or upsetting, particularly to young eyes and ears.
Some of this material is placed deliberately, out of unfathomable malice. More commonly, though, it was created for mature viewers and ended up on a young person’s device by accident or oversight: seeping into child-friendly areas from more adult-oriented corners of the web. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide analyses the possible risks of cross-platform sharing.
COVID Vaccine Clinics
Pharmacy2U on Winsford Town Centre are running two walk in Covid vaccine clinics for 5-11 years old next week. They will be held on Tuesday 31st May from 9am – 5.30pm and Thursday 2nd June from 10am – 4pm. No appointments are necessary.
Carer’s Week 6th-12th June 2022
Carers Week is an annual campaign run by Carers UK that is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations coming together to provide support for carers, run activities, highlight the vital role carers play in communities and draw attention to just how important caring is.
An exciting schedule of events is planned across west Cheshire during Carers Week from 6 to 12 June to recognise the significant contribution unpaid carers make.
Find out more: Carer's Week 6th-12th June 2022
School Dinners
Please may I remind those taking school dinners that they must be paid for in advance? We recently had as much as £600 owing in dinner money and this has to be covered by the school, which takes vital money from the budget that can be spent on the children’s education. Thank you.
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.
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 Spring Term 2022 – new dates highlighted
Monday 6th June: School opens at the usual time
Tuesday 7th June: Blakemere Crucial Crew at Northwich Memorial Hall
Thursday 16th June: Year 5 Come and Play with the Halle at The Bridgewater Hall
Tuesday 21st June: Year 5 and 6 trip to Weaver Hall Museum
Friday 24th June: Year 3 and 4 trip to Weaver Hall Museum
Saturday 25th June: Delamere Street Festival – Hatchmere to perform (details to follow)
Thursday 30th June: Sports Day – weather dependent. Please note – pending some big plans, we may not be able to hold Sports Day, but I will share news as soon as I am able.
Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th July: Year 6 transition days at The Winsford Academy
Friday 8th July: Pupil Reports due out
Tuesday 19th July: School closes at 2pm
Monday 5th September: School opens for the Autumn Term
Have a lovely half term holiday.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon