Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 6th May 2022
Date: 6th May 2022 @ 2:00pm
We have had a lovely, if short, week in school this week. It was fabulous to see the children on Tuesday smiling away for their photographs. As well as the formal class photo, there were also the informal small group photos that get collated into a class photo and they were such fun to see! Unfortunately the weather wasn’t kind to us and for the first time in many years we had to take the photos in the school hall, but the sun certainly shone from the children’s faces!
Good luck to the children in Year 6 as they are involved in the KS2 SATs tests next week, which make a return after two years without. I know how incredibly hard they have all worked and they have certainly been well prepared by Mrs M and Mrs Conlon – good luck!
Well done to our team of KS2 runners who headed off to Winsford Academy on Thursday for a cross country race against other Winsford schools. The children were a credit to the school and gave it everything they had – well done.
Mayor’s Visit
This afternoon we welcomed a very special visitor to school, Councillor Nathan Pardoe, the Mayor of Winsford. As a past pupil of Over St. John’s (and someone who I taught when he was in Year 6!), it was an absolute pleasure to welcome him to our lovely school to have a look around and meet some of our children. Cllr Pardoe was particularly interested in our Hatchmere class and our outdoor area following on from recent events with visitors. The children in Hatchmere had some tricky questions for Cllr Pardoe such as ‘How did you become Mayor?’ and ‘Where did you get your gold chain from?’ and he was very impressed with everyone at school. As he was leaving, I thanked him for coming and he said that coming to our school had been one of his favourite visits!
#WakeUpWednesday
Does a child you know ever feel lonely when they’re online? In a study by the UK’s Office for National Statistics, 14% of 10–12-year-olds said that they did often feel lonely – so any child experiencing those feelings is, sadly, far from unusual. To support Mental Health Awareness Week – which this year has the theme of ‘loneliness’ – National Online Safety spoke to a group of children and teenagers who told them some of the things that make them feel isolated when they’re online. They also suggested some ways they use technology to make themselves feel better when that happens, and National Online Safety have compiled their ideas into a loneliness-busting #WakeUpWednesday guide.
In the guide, you'll find tips such as taking breaks, playing single-player games and listening to your favourite audiobooks.
Scarlet Fever
School’s Public Health have informed us that there is a rise in cases of scarlet fever in the north west – although we have had no reported cases at our school – so please keep a lookout for symptoms and contact your GP if you suspect you or your child has the illness.
Symptoms include:
- a sore throat
- headache
- fever
- a characteristic fine, pinkish or red body rash with a sandpapery feel.
Children or adults diagnosed with scarlet fever are advised to stay at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.
Scarlet fever is highly contagious and spread by coughing and sneezing.
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.
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 9th May - Thursday 12th May: KS2 SATs Week
Tuesday 17th May: Pupil Consultation Evening 4pm – 6pm
Thursday 19th May: Pupil Consultation Evening 3.15pm – 5.15pm
Friday 27th May: Jubilee Celebrations Day – non uniform day – dress in red, white and blue.
Thursday 16th June: Year 5 Come and Play with the Halle at The Bridgewater Hall (details to follow)
Tuesday 19th July: School closes at 2pm
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon