Dear Families,

 

Careers Related Learning (CRL)
We have had our Regional Director from the Trust in school this week.  As well as focusing on our teaching of English and the work in the children’s books, she has also looked at the CRL journals.

The CRL journals show your children’s aspirations, questions they have asked about various jobs and the range of careers which they have learnt about .  They are so lovely to read as they all show each and every child really is aiming high.

 

As part of our CRL curriculum, we would like to ask any ex-pupils if they would like to come into school to talk to the children (a class of their choice) about their education/career.  

It only needs to be 5/10 minutes (or longer if you choose).  The children love listening and learning about different careers.  They will no doubt want to ask about what you did at school, where you went when you left Friarswood and how you got the career you have chosen.

 

We would be really grateful if you could pass this to anyone you know who used to come to Friarswood.

 

What’s App class groups / Social Media
In response to the national news story about parent’s prosecution over comments made online and in Whatsapp groups:

We are aware that there are different Whatsapp groups across the classes designed to keep everyone informed and up to date with school events.  I am, however, aware that there is a minority of parents who can use this as a means of negative communication.  I would urge you to bring any concerns straight to school so that you have a clear understanding of what is taking place.  This will undoubtedly help to stop any unnecessary worries, which is the last thing we want.

 

Chocolate Bingo
Thank you to everyone who has donated chocolate ready for the bingo next Wednesday.  We hope you can all make it.

 

Office - next week
Mrs Kumar will be out of the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. There may be delays answering the phone and the gate, which we apologise for in advance.

 

Easter Celebrations
Don’t forget that next Friday we will be having our Easter celebrations, which you are welcome to join us for.  There will be an Easter bonnet parade by Early Years and KS1 (bonnets to be made at home) and the KS2 decorated egg competition (eggs to be decorated at home).  And of course - there will be some singing too.

 

Have a lovely weekend.  Enjoy the sunshine.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

Upcoming events

 

Chocolate Bingo	09.04.25 6pm	Please join us for our much-loved PTA event, Chocolate Bingo! The fun begins at 6 pm.
Easter Celebration	11.04.25	Parents are welcome to come and join us for songs, an Easter bonnet parade and decorated eggs competition. Starts at 1.30 pm
End of Term	11.04.25	We hope you all enjoy the Easter break.
Return to school	28.04.25	We are back to school on Monday 28th April 2025.
Bank holiday Monday	05.05.25	School closed

Dear Families,

It’s been lovely to see so many of you in school this week to discuss your child’s progress with the teachers.  If you didn’t get a chance to make an appointment, your teacher will be making contact with you to arrange a suitable time.

 

Sporting events
We’ve had two sporting events this week.

Football.  Our football team was amazing and won the Newcastle School’s League. 

Cross Country - A group of children took part in the Newcastle Cross-country , each child achieving their own super results.

We are so proud of these sporting children.  They have shown resilience and a real enthusiasm to achieve their very best.

Well done to all of you. 

 

Year 3 swimming
Next Friday (28th) is the last swimming session of this term.  It’s the first year ever that we have had every child swimming without any swimming aids from the deep end to the shallow end.  They have been amazing.  We can’t wait to see what they achieve next term.

The dates for next term will be a little sporadic due to taking the older children swimming ready for the Newcastle swimming gala.  We will let you know the dates as soon as we have them.

 

Years 5 & 6 swimmers
Next term, we will be looking for some children to take part in the Newcastle swimming gala.  The children need to be strong, fast swimmers.   We will ask the children who would like to take part, and then we’ll practice the races and pick the fastest swimmers for the girls and the boys' teams.

If your child hasn’t swam for a while, they may want a little practice over the Easter holidays before we do our practice sessions.

I will send out more information about this, when I receive it.  

 

Nursery
The numbers for nursery in September are looking very promising, with only a couple of places left.  If there are any siblings that should be joining our Nursery in the next academic year, please can you let me know so that we can ensure there is a place for them.

 

Have a lovely weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming events

PTA Mothers' Day Pop-up shop	24.3.25 - 28.3.25	£2.50 per gift
Mothers' Day Lunch	26.3.25	We look forward to welcoming our mum's to enjoy lunch with us. Last day to book in and pay is 14.3.25
Last Swim of the term for Year 3	28.03.25
PTA Recycle 4 School	31.3.25	Old clothing, bags, jewellery etc... To be dropped off at school to be recycled for school funds on this date.
Year 1 School Trip to Peake Wildlife Park	03.04.25
Easter Celebration	11.04.25	Parents are welcome to come and join us for songs, an Easter bonnet parade and decorated eggs competition. Starts at 1.30 pm

 

Dear Families,

 

What another lovely week we’ve had.  It certainly makes everyone feel much better with a bit of sunshine.

 

CEO visit
Yesterday, we had a visit from our CEO, Dr Chris Tomlinson.  He had a tour around the school and met with some staff as well as having a chat with some of our children.  It was lovely to show off Friarswood and the wonderful things we do.  He certainly appreciated all of the hard work and dedication that goes into making our school so great.

 

World Book Day
To celebrate World Book Day, we did something a little different this year and asked the children to choose a word that they could dress up like. We have had some amazing words today! The creativity and ideas were just amazing. There are a few pictures in the photo gallery on our website to see. Thank you for all your efforts to help make this day so enjoyable for everyone. 

 

Online Safety
Here is a link to information about making online viewing safer for children.  I hope you find it useful.

 

Orchestra Trip
Next Tuesday, some of our Year 3 and 4 children are going to Hanley to watch the Halle Orchestra.  We hope this will inspire the children, especially those children who already play instruments.

 

Asthma Academy
I have received this notice off the NHS.  Here is the referral link.

 

 

 

October half-term 2025
As you know, we have a two week half-term in October.  I have sent out a survey for anyone who may need childcare for the week beginning 20th October.  If there is enough interest, Bee Active will run a sport and activity club for the week.  Bee Active have been involved with Friarswood for over ten years and have a great team of staff who work for them.  If you do choose Bee Active for your childcare, I’m sure the children will have lots of fun.

Here is the link for the form.

 

Bags to School
The PTA have arranged a ‘Bags to School’ day on 31st March.  If you are having a sort out of unwanted clothes etc, please pop them into one of the bags that your child will bring home and return to school on either Friday 28th or Monday 31st (morning).  The collection will be at some point on Monday 31st March, so please do not bring them in after school on the Monday.

Bags to School pays the PTA for the items by weight, so the more bags we have, the more money raised.  Happy sorting everyone!

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

Upcoming dates

Year 3/4 Music Trip	11.3.25	Morning trip - Details to bear sent out.
Piano assembly	18.3.25	2 pm for the parents and families of those having lessons at school.
Parents’ evenings	19.3.25 20.3.25	3:30 - 6:30pm    3:30 - 6:30pm
Red Nose Day	21.03.25	Children can come to school wearing something red for a small donation for Red Nose Day.
Mothers' Day Lunch	26.3.25	Here is the booking form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dHl1aHAIs-gD_K2eO1VsCue_Hmo9lx69py77UKsCheA/edit
PTA Mothers' Day Pop-up shop	24.3.25 - 28.3.25	£2.50 per gift
Last Swim of the term for Year 3	28.03.25
PTA Recycle 4 School	31.3.25	Old clothing, bags, jewellery etc... To be dropped off at school to be recycled for school funds on this date.
Year 1 School Trip to Peake Wildlife park	03.04.25
Easter Celebration	11.04.25	Parents are welcome to come and join us for songs, an Easter bonnet parade and decorated eggs competition. Starts at 1.30 pm

Dear Families,

 

Year 5 Gymnastics
Five of our Year 5 girls took part in a gymnastics competition against some other Co-op Academy Trust primary schools.  After several weeks of practising, the girls finally got to show off their talents on the vault and by performing a floor routine.  They were amazing and won gold in the overall school competition.  A huge well done to Peggy, Marcie, Amelia, Sofia and Jessica.  An extra special well done goes to Peggy who won gold in the individual floor routine and silver place overall and to Emilia who won individual  bronze in the vault. 

 

Spelling Bee Competition
Today Stanley, Ines and Henry from Year 6 have travelled to Manchester to compete against other Co-op Schools in a Spelling Bee. They were brilliant throughout, and although they didn’t win this time, they can all be very proud of their superb efforts, because we certainly are! 

 

Bob Marley Singalong
It was lovely to see many of you yesterday at our singalong. It was such a joyous half an hour with everyone getting in the spirit! The children were fantastic, showing a real love of music and some great dance moves. Thank you to Mrs Elkin and the choir for leading us!

 

Time to Talk 
It was also lovely to see so many Mums, Dads, Grannies and Grandads at our Time to Talk coffee and cake event before the singalong. Thank you to Mrs Hughes for organising and running the afternoon - it was a super opportunity for new families to build connections and our existing families to have a catch-up. #FriarswoodFamily 

 

Time to Walk and Talk
For Time to Talk Week, Mr Linley-Simon, our Academy Community Pioneer, organised a Walk and Talk in our local area, looking for the signs of new life now that spring is approaching. Thank you to everyone who joined him, and we hope you had a good chat whilst seeing what the new season has in store for us. 
 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

Upcoming dates 

Safer Internet Day	11.2.25
Valentine’s Disco	13.2.25	EYrs & KS1 4:30 KS2 5:30
February Half Term	17.2.25 - 21.2.25	Back to school 24.2.25
World Book Day	7.3.25

Dear Families,

 

Year 6
As you will know, Year 6 went to Stanley Head Outdoor Education Centre at the beginning of the week.  We had such a fantastic time.  The children showed off their amazing talents, from archery and rifle shooting to walking across high ropes and weaselling.  Thank you to all of the children for challenging their fears and encouraging each other to take part in all the activities.  

Next week is a busy week in school, so please check out the events so you don’t miss anything.  Those children going to Young Voices in Birmingham, please make sure you have lots of food to get you through the day and evening!

Children’s Mental Health Week
The week beginning Monday 3rd February is Children’s Mental Health Week.  Throughout the week, the children will be taking part in a variety of activities to support their wellbeing.  This will be additional to the ongoing activities which we teach about throughout the whole year.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming events

Yr 5 Gymnastics	28.1.25	Group of Yr 5 children going to gymnastics
Yr 6 Manchester GoIT competition	29.1.25	Group of Year 6 children are going to Manchester for the GoIT competition.
Young Voices - Choir	30.1.25	Choir at the NEC Birmingham
Children's Mental Health Week	3.2.25
Reception trip	3.2.25	Reception class visiting Morrisons for Food around the world.
Walk and Talk 3.20 - 4.30 pm	5.2.25	Join our Academy Community Pioneer for a local walk in The Three Parks looking for the new growth of spring. Everyone welcome!
Time to Talk Day	6.2.25	Parents Coffee and Chat time 2–2.45 PM  (this will lead to the Young Voices Sing-along)
Young Voices Choir Singalong 2.45 PM	6.2.25	Come and join us for the Young Voices live sing-along  in the hall with our choir for 'Bob Marley Magic'
Yr 6 Manchester Spelling Bee	7.2.25	A group of Year 6 children are going to Manchester for a ‘Spelling Bee’ competition.
Safer Internet Day	11.2.25
Valentine’s Disco	13.2.25	EYrs & KS1 4:30 KS2 5:30
February Half Term	17.2.25 - 21.2.25	Back to school 24.2.25

Dear Families,

 

I hope you’ve all managed to stay safe in the snow and ice.  The children have had a great time playing out on the fields.

 

Lunchtimes
We have started a slightly different approach to lunchtimes due to a variety of reasons.  The main reason is that there are fewer children in the hall at one time.  The hall is very echoey and at times it can sound very loud in there.  By having a couple of classes at a time, the children have said it feels much calmer.  Children have less distractions now so they can focus on eating.   The new approach also allows for some time with the teacher before afternoon lessons get going to discuss anything they need to talk about.  So far, it seems to be working well. 

 

Swimming
Year 3 swimming starts on Friday 17th January.  It will run for 10 weeks with the last session for the term on Friday 28th March.  

Please can you ensure that the children bring woolly hats to wear after their lesson, as their cold hair will feel freezing in this weather.

 

Families in need of some support
Just a reminder that we have toiletries, hygiene products and cleaning products available for any families who you may know of that would like a bit of help or who may need help.  We also have pyjamas and socks (brand new) along with some bedding.

This support is for anyone you may know; yourselves, family members, neighbours or work colleagues.  Just pop in to see me or Mrs Hughes (or send a message).

 

Safeguarding Leads
Just a reminder that both myself and Mrs Hartley are the safeguarding leads in school.  If you have any concerns about a child, please let us know.  You can do this by talking to us, sending us a message or by using the ‘report a concern’ button on the school website.  If you need to speak directly to Staffordshire Children Safeguarding Service, the number is 0300 111 8007 (out of hours 0345 604 2886).  For emergencies, please contact the police straight away.

 

Have a lovely weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming events

Year 6 - Stanley Head residential	20.1.25	Monday to Wednesday
SEND Coffee morning - 9 AM	22.1.25	Come and join Mrs Dickens, our SENDCO and an advisor from Caudwell's Children to get advice and further information on any concerns you may have about your child.
Young Voices - Choir	30.1.25	Choir at the NEC Birmingham
Children's Mental Health Week	3.2.25
Time to Talk Day	6.2.25	Parents Coffee and Chat time 2–2.45 PM  (this will lead to the Young Voices Sing-along)
Young Voices Choir Singalong   2.45 PM	6.2.25	Come and join us for the Young Voices live sing-along  in the hall with our choir.
Safer Internet Day	11.2.25
Valentine’s Disco	13.2.25	EYrs & KS1 4:30 KS2 5:30
February Half Term	17.2.25 - 21.2.25	Back to school 24.2.25
World Book Day	7.3.25