Headteacher News 12-05-23

Y6 SATS WEEK

Well, there we go. My first Y6 SATS week as a Headteacher has been and gone and I couldn’t be prouder of our Y6 children. They faced the challenge with resilience, with perseverance and with a can-do attitude. Each of them trying their very best and being the best that they can be. Now we wait for the results, but it is a long wait with them not due until Tuesday 11th July.

Can you do this? (Example Y6 sats question)

(763 x 3) + (763 x 5) = 763 x ?

What next for assessments in school?

Now it is the turn of our Y2 children who will complete their National Standardised Assessments over the next few weeks, before our Y1 children complete their phonics screening check and our Y4 children complete their times tables check. Children in Y3,4,5 will then complete their own end of year assessments in reading, writing and maths. Please see your child’s class teacher for any further information on any of these assessments.

Positive Progress…

I’ve been visited by so many children over the past two weeks with many of them coming to show off their writing, their artwork and their maths work. Children are making some excellent progress across school in a whole range of subjects. The most pleasing aspect of this however is the excellent attitudes children are demonstrating towards learning. This will help them to continue to improve.

Please help to continue the positive progress by ensuring your child reads at home as often as possible and completes any home learning that is set. It makes a big difference to their knowledge and understanding in school.

Adventures in Neverland – The Musical

Thanks to the hard work of Miss Hatton and her pirate crew, our 2023 musical extravaganza is into the final stages of rehearsals.

A letter has been sent home with your children today regarding Peter Pan tickets.
The performance times are as follows:
Tuesday 23rd May 2023 at 1:30 pm and 6:00pm (Group 2)
Wednesday 24th May 2023 at 1:30 pm and 6:00pm (Group 1)
Thursday 25th May 2023 at 1:30 pm and 6:00pm (Group 3)

The children and staff have been working really hard, since October, and are really looking forward to performing the ‘Adventures in Neverland’. Due to fire restrictions we can only allow 72 adults in for the afternoon shows and 144 for the evening shows. Tickets will need to be purchased before the show, at a cost of £2 per ticket for the performance and refreshments. Please ensure you have written the name of the person attending the performance on the back of the ticket before arriving at school.

No ticket – No Entry

Please come along and enjoy the fantastic production!

Parent Governor

Are you interested in the role of Parent Governor? We will be sending information out about this role very soon. As a parent governor, your role is:

• To bring a parental perspective to the issues discussed – you’re not there to speak ‘on behalf’ of the parent body
• No different from other governors

It’s a fine line to tread, but remember that you’re not there to speak on behalf of parents.

Use your perspective to help the board understand a parent’s viewpoint. This will help the board make good decisions and maintain a link between governance and the parent community.

If you have any questions about this role, please see Mr Hopper (Headteacher) or arrange a time to meet with Mrs Jackie Laybourn (Chair of Governors). She is usually in school on a Thursday morning.

Quirky Container Appeal!!! (Year 2 children only)
As a final part of our ‘Young Gardeners’ Science topic we would love the children to think carefully about an unusual container they could grow a seed or bulb in. This could be something like a wellington boot, an old shoe, a teapot, a mug, a cut down milk carton or an empty tin can. These are just a few ideas, I’m sure the children will come up with many more ideas! This is recycling at it’s best! Please could your child try to bring something in to plant their seed in, by next Thursday, if possible. These will be sent back home for the children to nurture and grow!

FONS School Fair

This is now well into the planning phase. If you know of anyone or any business who can donate a prize for our summer raffle draw, please send any prizes for the attention of Mrs Karen Lambert (Finance officer) via the school office. Further details on non-uniform days etc to raise further money or prizes will be announced in due course. If you would like to become involved in our parent FONS (Friends of Northstead School). Please speak to a member of the team or ask to be put in touch with them. All help is appreciated.

Before School – Responsibility

We continue to have a number of older children arriving onto the school grounds way before the school gates open. Please remember that our gates open at 8:35am. Children do not need to arrive at school before this time.

DON’T PARK ON THE ZIGZAGS – They are there to keep our community safe. Community Responsibility

“Today after school, like everyday after school there was a blue car parked on the yellow zig zags outside the Key Stage two entrance, making it very difficult to see down the road for cars coming when I was crossing with my two young children. Exactly the reason for the yellow zig zags; to keep the entrance/exit of school clear, therefore, it is safer to cross at these extremely busy times. But the driver of this car clearly thinks the rules do not apply to them.”

“Today, my son almost stepped out in front of a car as he followed me as I had to step out into the road to look past this car to check the road was clear and safe to cross.”

Just two of the emails I have received into school recently. Do not park or wait on the zigzags. They are there to keep our community safe.  It is our community’s responsibility to keep everyone safe!

Bikes and Scooters – Community Responsibility

We are continuously reminding children and parents about the very clear school expectation of not riding bikes and scooters on our school grounds. This week we have had to administer first aid on a number of occasions because children have fallen off their bikes or scooters on the school grounds or have crashed into another child. All because they were not following our safety rules. Our safety rules designed to keep everyone in our community safe.

Unfortunately, should this continue we will close our bike and scooter sheds and we will no longer accept any bikes or scooters onto the school grounds.

We really do not want to take this action but unless everyone takes responsibility for the safety of everyone in the community, this will happen.

Mr Hopper

Headteacher