Dear Families,

 

We’ve reached the end of our first half term of the year and it’s been very successful. We’ve had lots of visitors coming in to either look around the school or to look at the children’s work, all have been very positive.

 

Harvest Festival
Thank you to everyone who supported the donations to Alice Charity.  We had an abundance of donations, which was fantastic.  These will be gratefully received by people who are really struggling.  Thank you so much for your kindness.

 

Hallowe’en Disco
What a spooktacular evening!  The children had lots of fun and the pumpkins were amazing.  There were some amazing creations.  Thank you to everyone who took part in the pumpkin carving competition and to everyone who helped out on the night.  All of the funds raised go directly to the children to support with the extras in school.  One of the biggest PTA expenses is helping to fund transport for the trips in order to help parents financially.  So thank you.

 

Hallowe’en and Firework Safety Talks
We’ve had a firefighter in school to talk to the children about being safe when in their Hallowe’en costumes and when the children are near pumpkins with a lit candle in.  He also spoke about being safe with fireworks and sparklers.  The children have been taught about STOP, DROP and ROLL.  In fact the early years children were very good at shouting this rule.

 

Free School Meal checking service
The following link allows anyone to check and find out if they’re eligible for free school meals for their child.  If a child is eligible, the school receives extra funding.  Please take a moment to see if you are eligible by using this link https://pps.lgfl.org.uk/ .  It will let you and us know straight away if you qualify for Free School Meals.

 

Have a wonderful half term everyone.  I hope you enjoy some ‘time off’.  We look forward to seeing you back in school on Tuesday 5th November.  Monday 4th November is a staff training day so school and Small & Tall are closed.

 

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

 

 

Upcoming events

October half term	28.10.24 - 01.11.24
INSET - school and S&T closed	04.11.24
School immunisations - flu (Rec-Year 6)	6.11.24	All morning/day
Children in Need	15.11.24	All day
Learning with your child - parents get the chance to take part in a learning activity with their child.  This will be organised by the class teacher.	Week beginning 18.11.24	TBC by class teacher
World of Work Week for Yr 6	25.11.24	All week
Parents’ evenings	26.11.24 27.11.24	3:30 - 6:30pm 3:30 - 6:30pm
Non-uniform for chocolate bingo	29.11.24	All day
Early Years Christmas Play	10.12.24	9:15
Chocolate Bingo	4.12.24	6pm
Church visit - Christmas	9.12.24	9:30am
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	11.12.24	am
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	17.12.24 18.12.24	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	17.12.24 - Yr 1 18.12.24 - Yr 2	9:15 9:15
Christmas holidays	23.12.24 - 3.01.25	Back to school 7.01.25
INSET - school and S&T closed	6.1.25

 

Dear Families,

What a busy week it’s been. Next week will be busy too, so please keep an eye on your Dojo messages.

 

Early Years Nativity
This was brilliant.  The children sang and acted beautifully. It takes a lot of courage to stand on the stage in front of so many adults. Lots of happy faces and a few tears were shed too.  It was great to see so many adults who came to watch.  Thank you.

 

Carol Concert

What a lovely event to help get everyone in the Christmas spirit.  The musicians were enthusiastic and the choir was amazing.  A special well done to Nora, who played the piano and sang on her own.  What amazing talent this young lady has.

Thank you to Mrs Elkin and Mrs Harris for arranging this.

 

KS2 Theatre trip
We had such a lovely time at the theatre on Wednesday watching The Three Musketeers.  The children loved it.  Lots of laughing and guessing where the actors were going to come from.  The sword fights were brilliant and the dancing got us all clapping. 

 

EYs and KS1 Visit from Arty-Fact Theatre Company
On Thursday, Arty-Fact Theatre Company visited us to perform their Christmas production of Oliver Twist. The children were enthralled with the humour, interaction, acting, puppetry, singing and dancing. We all had a lovely morning and the actors commented on what a perfect audience the children were!

 

Bikeability for Years 3 & 4
The children had a very exciting time riding their bikes.  Some children showed off their super bike riding skills whilst some built up their confidence.  The instructors were really impressed with all of the children and how much progress they made in the training session. 

 

Autism Workshop for parents
It was lovely to see some parents at the workshop.  Lots of support and advice was given, which I hope helps you.

 

Grandparent’s Christmas Dinners
You will have been sent a Dojo message from your teachers about the time and day.  If you have not heard anything, please get in touch.

 

Gifts for families in need
You will have seen this week that we have had lots of gifts donated for children in need.  If you know anyone who may benefit from this generosity, please get in touch.

 

October half-term 2025
Some of you may remember that we sent a survey out to families to gather views about having a 2 week October half-term.  We also sent this survey to the staff.

Having discussed the results with the CEO and the Regional Director of the Trust as well as with the Governors, we have decided to trial the 2 week October half-term next academic year. The dates for next year will be as follows (there will be 4 more INSET to be included in this) :

Autumn Term 2025
Inset day: Monday 1 September
Term Starts: Tuesday 2 September
Holiday: Monday 20 October – Friday 31 October
Term Ends: Friday 19 December
Holiday: Monday 22 December – Friday 2 January

Spring Term 2026
Term Starts: Monday 5 January
Holiday: Monday 16 February – Friday 20 February
Term Ends: Friday 27 March
Holiday: Monday 30 March – Friday 10 April

Summer Term 2026
Term Starts: Monday 13 April
May Day: Monday 4 May
Holiday: Monday 25 May – Friday 29 May
Term Ends: Monday 27 July
Holiday: Tuesday 28 July  – Monday 31 August

We hope that by sending the dates now you will be able to think about childcare for those of you who may need it.  For the many of you who asked about holidays, now that it’s official, holidays taken in this time won’t impact on school, therefore won’t be classed as unauthorised. 

Next year, we will send another survey to find out how the new dates went for you and whether this is something we do as a permanent way forward.

 

Have a lovely weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

 

Upcoming Events

Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	17.12.24 18.12.24	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	17.12.24 - Yr 1 18.12.24 - Yr 2	9:15 9:15
Christmas holidays	23.12.24 - 3.01.25	Back to school 7.01.25
INSET - school and S&T closed	6.1.25
Year 6 - Stanley Head residential	20.1.25	Mon - Wed
Young Voices - Choir	30.1.25

 

Dear Families,

It’s been a very exciting week for the children playing in the snow.  Lots of fun and happy faces although it’s been so cold.  We’ve had lots of stray gloves which have hopefully all found their way back to their owner.  Some children have borrowed clothes from the uniform swap shop so that they could play outside.  Due to the very cold temperatures, some children have stayed inside if they haven’t had appropriate footwear or clothing.  Please do make sure that children are dressed ready for the freezing weather. 

 

New Parents open mornings
We have so many parents attending these mornings.  Many have said that our families have pointed them in our direction - so thank you to everyone for passing on our details.

 

Roblox
I know many of your children play on Roblox.  I have been sent this information through which I thought you may find useful.

 

Roblox Tightens Safety Measures

 

Roblox, one of the most popular games around the world, has been under a lot of fire lately for a whole host of reasons, such as highly inappropriate games accessible to young children, questionable moderation, significant grooming concerns and more.

 

At its most basic, Roblox is a platform where any user can create games and one of the biggest concerns is that none of these user-generated games have required an age rating system. That's about to change, from mid-December creators will have to content-rate their games. Whilst a positive step it still raises lots of questions, such as:

• Is anyone checking these ratings?

• What about games prior to mid-December?

• Will there be enhanced moderation?

• and more.

It's a positive step forward but much more needs to be done by Roblox and other platforms to help parents with keeping their children safe. You can read more about the concerns and the steps which Roblox are taking HERE.

 

Recognition Evening
Every year, Co-op Academies Trust asks all colleagues to vote for other colleagues who have gone the extra mile, above and beyond their job role.  Over the years we have had several staff nominated and shortlisted for various awards.  Mrs Rafferty has been nominated for her ongoing development of English across the school and Mrs Dean has been nominated for her support with our families.  Mrs Elkin won an award last year for her continual dedication and passion to music, helping to inspire lots of children.  The previous two years, Mrs Bebbington has won the community award for all of her hard work and dedication in supporting our families and the community.  

This year, our early years team has been nominated and earlier this week we found out that they have been shortlisted.  On Friday 29th November we get to find out the reasons for the shortlisting and to find out if they’ve won an award.  Whatever the reason, we are so extremely proud of the Early Years team as they have worked so hard to ensure that the learning and environment is outstanding for our younger children.  I’ll keep you posted. 

 

Grandparent’s Christmas Dinner
Just a reminder that if Grandparents wish to join us for the Christmas lunch, please complete the form and payment.  Last day to do this is Friday 29th November.

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

 

 

Upcoming events

World of Work Week for Yr 6	25.11.24	All week
Parents’ evenings	26.11.24 27.11.24	3:30 - 6:30pm 3:30 - 6:30pm
Non-uniform for chocolate bingo	29.11.24	All day
Early Years Christmas Play	10.12.24	9:15
Chocolate Bingo	4.12.24	6pm
Church visit - Christmas	9.12.24	9:30am
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	11.12.24	am
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	17.12.24 18.12.24	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	17.12.24 - Yr 1 18.12.24 - Yr 2	9:15 9:15
Christmas holidays	23.12.24 - 3.01.25	Back to school 7.01.25
INSET - school and S&T closed	6.1.25

Dear Families,

Lots of Christmas trees will be going up this weekend and lots of Christmas shopping will be going on too.  I read this article and thought it might be really useful.

 

For Parents - Second-Hand Devices Guide

Often, when children get their first or subsequent devices, particularly mobile phones, it's a hand-me-down, for example, when a parent gets a new device on contract. This can be a real positive, mobile devices are very expensive and the latest/greatest devices often have very limited additional functionality over older devices.

But it's really important these devices are configured correctly for younger users. Thankfully, Internet Matters have a full guide to help parents navigate all the different features and settings, plus how to choose the right second-hand device, safety concerns and much more.

All information and guidance can be found HERE.

Thank you for the chocolate donations ready for Chocolate Bingo, which is on Wednesday 4th December at 6pm.  Get ready for a fun night and lots of chocolate prizes.

 

Parent’s Meetings
Thank you to everyone who came to the parent’s meetings.  I know there’s been a lot of positivity due to so many great things happening and children doing so well in school.  If you didn’t attend, please do get in touch with your teacher so you can catch up about your child’s progress and learning.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming Events

Chocolate Bingo	4.12.24	6pm
Church visit - Christmas	9.12.24	9:30am
Early Years Christmas Play	10.12.24	9:15
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	11.12.24	am
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	17.12.24 18.12.24	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	17.12.24 - Yr 1 18.12.24 - Yr 2	9:15 9:15
Christmas holidays	23.12.24 - 3.01.25	Back to school 7.01.25
INSET - school and S&T closed	6.1.25

Dear Families,

 

This week, we had a visit from Mrs Clark who is the Headteacher at Co-op Academy Woodlands.  She came to look at the work we do in our school and to chat to the children about their learning at Friarswood.  She thoroughly enjoyed her visit.  The children were eager to tell her about what they love about Friarswood.  It was good to hear that many of the children were talking about how they enjoy the CRL (career related learning) lessons.  She was very impressed with the standards of work with both writing and phonics.  

Next week, we are having visits from some of the Co-op Academy Trust Board members.  I really enjoy showing visitors around our school and showing them exactly why Friarswood is such a great place to learn.

 

Cyber Security
With the ongoing rise in scams and internet fraud, I thought you would appreciate this following information.

For Parents - Cyber Security

From financial scams, identity theft, using public WiFi and much more, cyber security is fundamental to all of our lives. Internet Matters have put together a number of articles and resources for parents and their children which go into these topics including:

•  Creating secure accounts.

• Phishing and ransomware.

• Digital piracy,

• and much more.

You can find all the resources HERE.

 

Payments
Please can you ensure your Small & Tall payments and school lunch payments are up to date on Parentpay by half term.  Thank you.

 

Alice Assembly
This week the children have had an assembly from two members of Alice Charity.  They learnt about how Alice Charity helps families in need.  The children were also thanked for the forthcoming Harvest festival where we’ll be collecting donations for them.

The Harvest Festival is on Wednesday 23rd at 2:15pm.  Please join us with your singing voices ready!  We’re collecting tinned/packet food products and baby products as well as hygiene and sanitary products.  Thank you in advance for your support with this.

 

Dougie Mac Cake & Coffee morning
Yesterday, we had our annual cake and coffee morning.  Thank you to everyone who donated and supported.  Over the day we had more money donated and we are now up to £366.  Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness.

 

Operation Encompass
Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces.

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse.

 As a school, we have ensured that a members of our staff, (Ms Hartley the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Mrs Wilmer the Headteacher) known as Key Adults, have been trained in the Operation Encompass procedures allowing us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care. 

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.

On 24 May 2024 Royal Assent was granted to The Victims and Prisoners Act. The Act placed Operation Encompass into Law. 

This places a statutory obligation on police forces to share Operation Encompass notifications with schools/educational settings.

We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and through Operation Encompass we will be able to provide the best possible support to our children.
 

Small & Tall
Don’t forget that Small & Tall is closed on Friday 25th October after school due to staff training.

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

 

Upcoming events

Harvest Festival - items for Alice charity (tinned good, nappies, wipes, sanitary products, hygiene - toothbrush / paste, shower gel etc)	23.10.24	2:15pm
Hallowe’en Disco	24.10.24	4:30 - KS1 & early years 5:30 - KS2
October half term	28.10.24 - 01.11.24
INSET - school and S&T closed	04.11.24
School immunisations - flu (Rec-Year 6)	6.11.24	All morning/day
Children in Need	15.11.24	All day
Learning with your child - parents get the chance to take part in a learning activity with their child.  This will be organised by the class teacher.	Week beginning 18.11.24	TBC by class teacher
World of Work Week for Yr 6	25.11.24	All week
Parents’ evenings	26.11.24 27.11.24	3:30 - 6:30pm 3:30 - 6:30pm
Non-uniform for chocolate bingo	29.11.24	All day
Early Years Christmas Play	10.12.24	9:15
Chocolate Bingo	4.12.24	6pm
Church visit - Christmas	9.12.24	9:30am
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	11.12.24	am
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	17.12.24 18.12.24	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	17.12.24 - Yr 1 18.12.24 - Yr 2	9:15 9:15
Christmas holidays	23.12.24 - 3.01.25	Back to school 7.01.25
INSET - school and S&T closed	6.1.25