9 February 2018

Dear Parents

As ever it has been a very busy week at school. In KS2, Year 5 have been raising the rafters with their singing in preparation for next week's concert; football and netball practice is well underway for CTA sports competitions; Year 4 have been choreographing a dance to the Lion King music; Year 3 are preparing for their first Reconciliation shortly and Year 6 have been learning, in a very practical way, of the workings of the heart in a dissection lesson Wednesday afternoon. It was such an experience to listen to a ten year old child explain the workings of a heart while holding one in their hands! They were able to point out the heart chambers, differences in heart wall thickness (and why) and the role of the aorta and pulmonary artery. It was wonderful! Please look out for the photographs and videos which will appear on the website soon! KS1 have been just as busy with fabulous phonic and writing work, showing great progress just in the few weeks since Christmas. I am sure they will look forward to everyone seeing their work at Parents' Evening.

The long awaited and much prepared for 'School of Rock' Pyramid Concert has finally arrived! We look forward to a lovely day and evening with Year 5, starting with afternoon rehearsals before the evening concert. The children have worked exceptionally hard for this event under the guidance of Mr Mallinson, Miss Hill, Mrs Mallinson and Mrs Smith.Tickets are still available from our school office and are open to all parents, family and friends of the school. The staff are all attending and I am sure will be glowing with pride! Please contact Mrs Purcell if you would like to order tickets.

Thank you to the many parents who have already signed up to ParentPay and are using it to order and pay for your children's meals. Please ensure you register on the system, following the information sent out previously, as all class trips as well as school meals will now be paid via ParentPay. The final date for ordering meals with cheque or cash payments is Friday 16 February, after this date we will become a cashless school. If you are experiencing any difficulties registering please contact the school office and we will be happy to help.

Parents' Evening dates have been set for Wednesday 7 March and Thursday 8 March. Due to the positive uptake in people using our School Life app, sign-up sheets will no longer be displayed in the school foyer. Yesterday you will have received a notification that the new booking system via the School Life app is now available. Please sign up for your appointment and if you have any problems please contact the school office. Also dates for this term have been updated. Please see the calendar tab on our website for further important dates this term.

As we mentioned last week, Tuesday was 'Safer Internet Day' and every class focused on the importance of keeping themselves safe whilst using the internet. It became apparent through the teaching and discussions that some children are accessing inappropriate sites eg adult Youtube clips and social media sites. However, even more worrying was the trusting manner in which many children across the school felt it was safe to give personal details to people with whom they played group games online. They quite innocently believe that people must always be exactly who they say they are, that is, children like themselves, with little or no understanding of the well hidden dangers. There are many websites offering guidance for parents https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/ which you may find helpful. Thank you for your support in keeping your children safe.

This Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday and once again the PTA have kindly offered to sell pancakes at playtime. As usual there will be a variety of toppings available and the children can choose which they would like on the day. If you would like your child to have a pancake please send them with 50p on the day. My thanks once again to the ladies who organize the preparation and sale of these treats.

On Ash Wednesday (9.15am) we will be celebrating a whole school Mass and ashes will be distributed. Please join us for this Mass as we begin our journey through Lent. We will be encouraging the children to focus on doing something positive during this season of Lent as part of their preparation for Holy Week and Easter. In Assembly on Thursday morning we will be joined by Lucy from Fr Hudson's charity who will launch our Lenten Good Shepherd Appeal. I am sure your children will tell you more on Thursday evening.

If at any time you have a concern or need to speak to me or your class teacher please do not hesitate to contact us.

K E Savage