Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 9th September 2022
Date: 9th Sep 2022 @ 1:55pm
It has been a week of very mixed emotions which began with the excitement of our return to school and starting school for the first time for those in Reception and ending with yesterday’s deeply sad news of the peaceful passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. This morning, in Collective Worship, we celebrated her wonderful life and historic reign, finishing with the video clip of her with Paddington at the palace and her favourite hymn, The Lord’s Shepherd. Over the coming days, we will support children with any sensitive questions that they may have and consider ways in which we can pay tribute as a school.
Welcome back to our new school year! It has been a real pleasure to see all the smart children back in school and we are really looking forward to the journey ahead as we go through the school year. I hope that you all had a lovely break over the summer and I would like to thank everyone for all your kind thoughts, cards and gifts at the end of the last academic year.
A special welcome to all our new children this year as we welcome Frankie in Year 4 and Daneel, Charlie, Reuben, Thomas, Hollie, Eliza, Henry, Harry, Noah, Olen, Albie, Reggie, Bobby, Oliver, Kalvin, Esmae, Olivia, Theodore and Maxwell in to Reception. They have been busy getting stuck in to all that school life has to offer and have settled really well, as if they have always been here! We are sure that they will all be very happy.
Communication via School and Home
For those of you who are unfamiliar with my blog, this is something to keep your eye on every Friday (or the majority of Fridays, depending on my calendar!) This is my main form of communication with you all and I provide updates as to what has been going on in school, information about forthcoming events as well as other information that I think you may find useful. In terms of communication, please continue to keep your eye on our website as teachers update the class pages with information and blogs, generally on a weekly basis. Events happening in school can be found on the calendar also. If you click on the event when looking at it on the calendar, more information is provided, should it have been added. We also send texts home as quick updates and reminders of information that has generally already been shared with you via School Spider. If you think that you have not had the information in the message previously, please do check the website and letters that have been sent home.
Our ‘soft start’ routine at the beginning of the day from 8.35am continues to work well. The children are going straight to class really well, when the gate opens at 8.35am and getting on with the activities that are there for them. Please may I remind you all that the school day starts at 8.45am, so there is no rush to be in at 8.35am or no need to wait outside school by the busy road and car park. As you drop off and pick up, please be mindful of local businesses and pedestrians as you park your cars - pedestrians have priority on the footpath, particularly in front of the shops next to school.
If you need to pass a message on to a teacher, I am always available at the start of the day so you can do so via myself, an e mail or a phone call to the office and the class teacher will get back to you if needed.
Operation Encompass
As a school, we participate in a police-led initiative called Operation Encompass, a scheme which ensures that we can better support any child where a domestic incident has been reported to the police from their home.
Following a domestic incident, the police will make contact with the school via telephone and communicate relevant information to nominated, fully trained school staff. This will ensure that we are made aware early enough to support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe, supported and listen to.
Each school has a member of staff called a key adult who is trained to liaise with the police, when required, whilst ensuring support is available to the child.
The initiative is live in schools across the local authority areas of Halton, Warrington, Cheshire West & Chester and Cheshire East. You can find out more about Operation Encompass via the following site: http://www.operationencompass.org/
If you would like to speak to someone further about the initiative, or require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Mrs Bettley as the key adults for Over St. John’s.
We are committed to working in partnership with local relevant organisations to safeguard and protect children across Cheshire and provide the best possible care and support for our pupils.
Applying for Secondary School Places for September 2023
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 2022, 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 2023. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in on this link. Before making your application, it is important you view the Starting Secondary School booklet to help you with your choices.
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 Hartford CE High School – please see the attached letter below. I will include in future blogs, any information that we receive from The Winsford Academy.
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2023
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2023, 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 2023, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting Primary School booklet . Results are available from 17th April 2023. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in on this link. If you would like to visit Over St. John’s with a view to a Reception place next September or know of someone else who would, please do just ring the office and we will arrange a time to suit yourselves and us. We do not hold an open morning as I prefer people to see us as we are on a daily basis and have more personal time during a look around with me to ask any questions that they may have.
#WakeUpWednesday
National Online Safety believe that all parents, carers, teachers and trusted adults should be empowered with all the information needed to have informed and age-appropriate conversations about online safety with children and so, every Wednesday, they produce practical, easy to follow guides which focus on specific risks that they think adults and children need to be aware of. I share this information with you on a Friday.
Over the past decade, Roblox has become one of the world’s most popular platforms for young gamers. It’s certainly among the most commercially successful: during one three-month period in 2020, for example, players spent a staggering £200 million on in-game purchases. The possible financial costs, however, aren’t the only area to have caused concern. How are some sections of Roblox unsuitable for young players? Why aren’t private or VIP servers a water-tight defence against strangers? Who are ODers and why should children be wary of them? Why is it a good idea to disable the private messaging function? Updated for 2022, National Online Safety’s #WakeUpWednesday guide to Roblox has the answers.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £2.45 per day, £12.25 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 schools 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 2022
Friday 14th October: Individual photographs
Friday 21st October: School closes for half term at 3pm
Tuesday 1st November: School opens at 8:45am
Thursday 3rd November: Work begins on the redevelopment of the field
Tuesday 8th November: Pupil Consultation Evening 4pm – 6pm
Thursday 10th November: Pupil Consultation Evening 3.15pm – 5.15pm
Thursday 15th December: Whole School Pantomime trip to Northwich Memorial Court
Friday 16th December: School closes at 2pm
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon