Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 8th July 2022
Date: 8th Jul 2022 @ 4:32pm
Just over a week left to go and still so much to fit in!
You should have received you child’s annual report, which was sent home electronically this afternoon. If you have any questions with regards to the contents, please contact your child’s class teacher via the school office on admin@overstjohns.cheshire.sch.uk
PTA Events
More normality returned to school life this week with the disco yesterday and our Enterprise/ Summer Fair this afternoon.
The children have been so excited about the disco and have been talking about it and their outfits to me for quite a while! Much fun was had by all as they danced the night away with DJ Dave. Thank you to Dave Fowles for manning those decks for us free of charge and to the PTA, staff and volunteers for helping prepare and helping on the night.
This afternoon we held our first summer fair since 2019 and although it was a slimmed down version than usual, it was still a great success. Thank you to our team of three parents and a grandparent who put the fair together and for running this event. The PTA are always looking for more volunteers to help put on bigger events as we are very limited when we have so few volunteers. Thank you to you all for supporting us with the fair and when we know the total raised from these two events, we will share this with you.
I must take a moment to single out and thank somebody in particular from the PTA – Kath Crowder. Kath has been the driving force behind our PTA for many, many years and organised and run many events, which have raised a great deal of vital extra money for our children to buy resources and support trips. Sadly, Kath is stepping down from the PTA as her youngest child moves to secondary school and it is important that our school community acknowledges just how grateful we are to her for all that she has done, so, thank you Kath - you have been amazing!
Summer Holiday Events
We have been made aware of a couple of offers and events that families may find of interest to access over the summer holiday.
Brio are offering a Kids Swim Pass for £15 for 6 weeks for unlimited casual swimming – see attachment below.
New Images Youth Centre are offering a great programme of events for young people as well as their traditional canoeing programme at The Marina. Bookings are now live so visit their website for more information: Youth Summer Activities
Amongst the activities are their Playscheme, Art and Craft, Mini Makery and Wheels Extreme.
‘Funtopia’ are returning to Northwich on 23rd July and 3rd September. There will be lots of activities for children including unlimited play on inflatables, activity zones, role play areas, giant games, nerf wars and an ‘Under 5’ area. More details attached below.
#WakeUpWednesday
Steam came into being simply as a means for software developers Valve to distribute their own games (including the popular Counter-Strike, Half-Life and Dota series), but swiftly evolved to host third-party titles as well. These days, players can find A-list gaming franchises like PUBG, Apex Legends and Grand Theft Auto among the platform’s most-played games.
It’s a model that clearly works: in some recent years, as many of 15% of the total computer game purchases globally have been made through Steam. With a growing volume of users – the majority, by default, spending at least some money on the platform – it’s no surprise that scams are among Steam’s pitfalls. Trusted adults should check out this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide for the full story.
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.
We use an external company, Edsential, to provide our catering and from September, the cost of school dinners will rise to £2.45 per day, £12.25 per week
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 SummerTerm 2022 – new dates highlighted
Monday 11th July: School nurses to do height and weight checks with Reception and Year 6
Tuesday 12th July: Year 6 Leavers Service at Chester Cathedral
Wednesday 13th July: Common Wealth Games Baton relay
Monday 18th July: Leaver’s Play at The United Reformed Church at 4.15pm. Ticket only event for Year 6
Tuesday 19th July: Whole School Leaver’s Service in St. John’s church at 9.15am. All welcome
Tuesday 19th July: School closes at 2pm
Monday 5th September: School opens for the Autumn Term
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon