Dear Parents/Carers,

It is lovely to see our Reception children and Pre-School children settling into school life this week. I hope that they enjoy their experiences in Foundation Stage and make the most of the learning opportunities available to them, in this vital part of their education. A new term always brings changes, so please do keep reading the newsletters, as they will remind/inform parents & carers of these. As always, texts will be sent out as well throughout the term, so please make sure that we have your latest contact details to ensure that you receive these.

Many thanks, Jon Stevens.

Mr Fletcher, who teaches brass lessons from Dudley Performing Arts, also teaches small group tuition during the week. At the moment, there are a number of places available for children to start. Therefore, we are offering a free taster session for children who would be interested in learning to play a brass instrument. As there are a limited number of places available, it will be on a first come, first served basis. If you would like your child to have a free session, please let the school office know as soon as possible. Thank you.

Next week, children who have nominated themselves to be elected for the School Council will present their manifestoes during the assembly on Wednesday. Voting will take place the day after and we will then have our new School Council. Good luck to all of those who are putting themselves forward and we look forward to seeing who will be our new School Council representatives for 2018-2019. This is a very exciting opportunity for children to gain essential skills and have a great time in the process!

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of forms to be photocopied, there was a delay in sending out the new forms to be completed by all parents/carers. Therefore, they are being sent out today. Please can you return these forms by Friday 21st September, as it is essential to have the latest contact details in case of emergency. Also, due to the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), we are required to have signed permission from parents/carers. Please can you make sure that all boxes are ticked/crossed and that both sides of the form are completed.

All clubs will start week commencing Monday 17th September.

A reminder that all school lunches must be ordered, using the online payment system.

Attendance for this week is: 96%

Please can you make sure that your child attends school every day, unless they have been sick or have diarrhoea. A reminder that your child's absence will not be authorised if they are just feeling unwell. The advice is to bring them into school and if they remain unwell, they will be sent home.

A reminder that all medicines in school must be taken to the school office by an adult, in the original packaging with the pharmacist label on stating the child's name, date and dosage. No medicines will be accepted by the class teacher, or TA. Thank you.

Starting

Wednesday 19th September

9.00am - 10.30am

Please come along and join the fun!

Please can you make sure that all children follow the school policy, which states:

The only jewellery allowed to be worn in school is stud earrings. Other jewellery, including bracelets and necklaces, is not allowed as it is easily lost and can be dangerous. For safety reasons children are not allowed to wear jewellery in any form in PE and swimming lessons. Staff cannot remove any piercings prior to P.E and swimming lessons.

Thank you for your support.

Please can you make sure that all children follow the school policy, which states:

Children are not allowed to bring mobile phones to school. However, in Years 5 & 6, as children get older and start to walk to and from school, we give special consideration to this.

Therefore, if your child walks to and from school, their phones MUST be handed into the school office, where they will be kept securely and collected at the end of the day. Children must not leave phones in their school bags. Parents/Carers are asked to turn off their mobile phones whilst on the school premises. .

Thank you for your support.

Children in KS1 & KS2 have a new and exciting program that they will be using in school this year. It is called: TTRockStars and each child has a user name and password to access the site. It is aimed at improving their skills in a fun way, where children can practise the whole range of times tables. Children are also able to access this at home as well, so please allow your child to have access to this, as a daily practise will improve your child's knowledge of times tables greatly!

Children in KS1 & KS2 have new home reading records. These are designed to be used by the children so that they can record the pages that they have read at home. This is designed to encourage children to read for pleasure, so that they practise the skill of reading at home. Therefore, please do spend time listening to your child read, as daily practise will improve their skills in reading. Class teachers will monitor these but will not be making any comments in, as they are designed for home use. Teachers will continue to teach the skills of reading through guided reading sessions in school, which take place weekly.