10 Sep 2009 - September 2009
September 2009 Newsletter
Welcome back everyone; I hope you had a wonderful summer holiday! Welcome particularly to our new children and their parents.
New Members of Staff
I would like to welcome Miss Walker who will be Class 5’s teacher this year and Karen Gallagher who will be our new Cook in Charge in the school kitchen!
School Contact Forms
Attached is the information that the school holds to contact parents in case of emergency. It is extremely important that this is kept up to date so please check carefully, amend if necessary and return to school as soon as possible. If you change address / contact numbers during the year please remember to tell us so that we can contact you quickly if your child is ill etc. If you do not return the form we will assume there are no changes needed.
Attendance/ Lateness
We are continuing to work with the Education Welfare Officer monitoring attendance. It is very important that your child is at school as much as possible and tries to be in school on time. If they are off for any reason you must let us know before 10am on the first day of absence.
May I remind you that the school doors are opened at 8.50 am each morning in order that children can hang their coats etc and be ready to enter class when the bell goes at 9.00 a.m. The class registers are fed into a central data base which is regularly inspected by the EWO. Families with persistent absences or late arrivals will be contacted by her.
Holidays
School term holidays are becoming more frowned upon nationally. The maximum amount of time I can authorise for any holidays is 10 days in the school year, any time over that will have to be recorded as unauthorised absence and the EWO informed. The holiday list for 2009 - 10 is also attached.
School Dinners
If your child has school dinners then please ensure that £8.50 per week is brought on Monday mornings as that is the day that Mrs O’Gorman is employed to deal with it. Please send all money/ cheques in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and class on it. For those children who bring a packed lunch to school I would like to ask parents that you help us to ensure that those children also have a healthy midday meal. By avoiding foods with a high sugar, fat or salt content you can make a positive difference to the health of your children and I must remind you that as a Healthy School we cannot allow drinks, chocolate or sweets in lunch boxes.
Water in School.
All the children from Y1 upward can have a water bottle in class. These can be purchased from the office for 30p or you may provide your own (500ml sports cap please to prevent spillages!). Foundation stage children have their own cups.
Just to remind you that we provide drinks for the packed lunch children so you do not need to send a drink for dinner.
After School Activity Clubs
The daily activity club has started again for Y1- Y6 in the conference room from 3.30-5.30 at £1.50 per hour. Other after school clubs will be starting up in the next couple of weeks. A separate letter will be sent as soon as possible.
PFA
£1000 was raised at the Summer Fayre. Thank you to all those who helped organise and run the event. The PFA is always looking for new members. Their first meeting will be held in the next few weeks. A separate letter will be sent with dates and times.
Yellow Bus and Walking Bus
If anyone would like to send their children on the yellow bus they can register with Metro on 0113 348 1122. Unfortunately there will be no walking bus at present as we do not have anyone able to act as
co-ordinator.
Uniform
Our brand - new, high quality book bags are now available from the office for £3.50. If any one bought one before the holidays and it did not come with a strap, please inform the office and they will provide you with one!
Uniform order forms have already been sent out but extras are available from the office if needed. We also keep a small supply of uniform stocks in the office. Please ensure that all uniform is labelled with your child’s name to avoid confusion.
Can I also remind you to make sure your child has waterproof coats for playtimes and wears appropriate shoes to school. Good grips with no high heels or ‘crocs’ please, we have very smooth floors and we do not want any accidents!
NEXT INCREDIBLE EDIBLE PARENTS MEETING!
Wednesday 9th September at 4pm at the playground in Centre Vale Park or 72 Café if raining!
If you are keen to meet up and discuss ideas, your gardens and your children’s school garden please come along. We would like to put together a parents group to help us continue growing! We would like teachers, growers, parents and interested others to help plan some of the upcoming events and get involved in growing in schools. All welcome, bring the kids to play and we can chat!
Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it! (MEND)
MEND is a FREE, fun and friendly 10 week programme designed to help you get fit and feel better. It uses techniques developed by health experts to help 7 to 13 year old children who are above their ideal weight, and their parents learn about food and fun ways to get fit. For more information please contact Glen Charlesworth on 01422 281522 or glen.charlesworth@calderdale-pct.nhs.uk
Family Film Club@ Vale Baptist Church
Friday September 4th 7:30pm ‘Nim’s Island’ will be showing - Parents and children 7-11 welcome, free admission and refreshments for sale!
Diary Dates
8th September Y5/ Y6 Swimming/ PE Hall starts
10th Y4 Swimming starts
16th Cycling Proficiency Y6
23rd Cycling Proficiency Y6
24th Y5 Whitehough Trip
25th Macmillan Coffee Morning
28th European Day of Languages
30th Y2 Road Safety Training
7/8/9th October Y6 Residential
12th Individual Photos
13th Story Magic ‘Pinocchio’
Adam Sapey