Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher's Blog: Friday 14th September 2022
Date: 13th Oct 2022 @ 2:10pm
#WakeUpWednesday
You don’t have to be football crazy or an avid gamer to have heard of the all-conquering FIFA franchise. What you might not know is that this latest edition will be the last release to bear that name, thanks to a parting of the ways between football’s governing body FIFA (that’s Federation Internationale de Football Association, acronym fans) and developers EA Sports.
There’s no disputing that the game’s been an immense success – but what’s less impressive is its tendency to look defensively shaky against some online threats. Young players aiming to recreate their football heroes’ exploits can be at risk from abusive opponents, expensive in-game purchases and the “just one more game” mentality. This week's #WakeUpWednesday guide tackles FIFA 23.
School Lunch Survey
You may know that our school meals are provided by our school catering company, Edsential. As an Edsential catered school, we are proud to say that we serve the most sustainable and ethical school meals in the UK.
Whether your child has a meal in school or brings a packed lunch, we are working alongside Edsential to find out more about your child’s lunch preferences and would like to ask all parents to complete a short survey.
The survey should take no more than 4 minutes to complete and as a thank you for your time Edsential have four £25 shopping vouchers up for grabs. Simply complete the survey to be entered.
Start the survey here: https://forms.office.com/r/NkYiUXYeS3
Natasha’s Law
From 1 October 2021, the requirements for prepacked food for direct sale (PPDS) labelling changed in Wales, England and Northern Ireland. The labelling is to help protect customers by providing potentially life-saving allergen information on the packaging. Any business that produces PPDS food will be required to label it with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with allergenic ingredients emphasised within the list.
This does not affect our day-to-day school lunches which are pre-ordered but if we go on trips and packed lunches are needed, these will have to be pre-ordered a week before the event to allow for enough supplies to be bought in. Please don’t worry – we will let you know beforehand on the occasions that this needs to be done.
However, as a result of Natasha’s Law, we are no longer able to accept donations to share out on birthday’s as treats as the pre-packaged information is not available to the children and families after we hand them out. I am sure that you can understand the importance of us complying with Natasha’s Law and I know that you will understand and support us with this. Thank you in advance.
Half Term Activities
There are lots of fun activities and events taking place at New Images Youth & Community Centre and down at The Marina during the October Half-Term Break. All of the activities are aimed at primary school aged children with the majority being completely free of charge (those that are chargeable cost £5 or less) so please do consider booking some
Below is a quick breakdown of what is being offered each day (where the information has been shared with me) but the attached posters do give more info including how to book your child's place.
|
Date and Time |
Activity |
Venue |
Age Range |
Cost |
Additions |
|
Monday 24th October 1pm – 5pm |
Play Day |
New Images |
8 - 11 |
£1 |
Tea included |
|
Monday 24th October 10am – 12pm |
Canoeing |
The Marina |
|
Free |
- |
|
Monday 24th October 1pm – 3pm |
Canoeing |
The Marina |
|
£5 |
Drink and snack |
|
Tuesday 25th October 3pm – 5pm |
Wheels Extreme |
The Marina |
8 - 16 |
Free |
- |
|
Wednesday 26th October 10am – 1pm |
Halloween Extravaganza (Pumpkin carving, party games, Halloween craft) |
|
Family Event – parents/ guardians to stay |
£4 per child Bookable on Eventbrite |
Food, dessert, drinks |
|
Wednesday 26th October 2pm – 5pm |
Halloween Extravaganza (Pumpkin carving, party games, Halloween craft) |
|
Family Event – parents/ guardians to stay |
£4 per child Bookable on Eventbrite |
Food, dessert, drinks |
|
Thursday 27th October 10am – 12pm |
Canoeing |
The Marina |
|
Free |
- |
|
Thursday 27th October 1pm – 3pm |
Canoeing |
The Marina |
|
£5 |
Drink and snack |
|
Friday 28th October 1pm – 3pm |
Mini Makery (Spooky food art) |
|
5 – 11 parents/ guardians to stay |
£2 per child |
Take home craft |
Fuel Poverty Consultation
The Council is asking residents and organisations across the borough to share their views on proposals to tackle fuel poverty in west Cheshire.
Fuel poverty covers the areas of energy costs and consumption, energy efficiency of properties, poverty and hardship, mental and physical health and climate change. With rising energy prices and current cost of living crisis stretching resident’s household budgets, the draft strategy aims to address these areas and support households who are classed as fuel poor.
The latest figures from 2020 estimated the fuel poverty level across the borough to be 11.9 per cent, the equivalent of 18,093 households.
The draft Fuel Poverty Strategy sets out actions to address five key themes around fuel poverty.
- Reducing debt and maximising household income
- Improving residents’ health and wellbeing by tackling cold-related illnesses
- Improving the energy efficiency of homes
- Increasing renewable and low carbon technology in domestic properties
- Encouraging behaviour change to reduce energy use
The Council would really value your views on the draft Fuel Poverty Strategy and would be grateful if you could take the time to complete the consultation.
To view the strategy and take part in the online consultation visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/fuelpovertyconsultation. The consultation closes on 23rd November 2022.
Hard copies and easy read versions of the consultation are available on request by emailing: climatechange@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk or by calling: 0300 123 8123. Hard copies will also be available in the borough’s libraries from early October.
Residents who are worried about the cost of living and rise of energy bills can find some useful information from the Council and other local organisations on the Council’s website and energy saving tips on the Council’s Climate Emergency Inspire hub.
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.
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.
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 – new dates highlighted
Friday 21st October: School closes for half term at 3pm
Monday 31st October: School closed – INSET day
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