Issue 1 - Thursday 1st September 2022
Headteacher's Welcome
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you have had a lovely summer and are ready for the return to school next week. The school staff have been working hard over the summer to ensure that the building and classrooms looks great for the new year. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Parkfield this Monday 5th September from 8.45am with Early Birds available from 7.30am.
Please take note of some important messages and reminders below and we look forward to seeing you next week. Have a lovely weekend.
Mr Kemp
LATEST NEWS
MORNING ROUTINE - SCHOOL STARTS AT 8.45am PROMPT.
We will be continuing the morning routine of lining up outside in the playground with a member of staff collecting the class at 8.45am. This ensures a timely and organised start to the day for pupils. Please note that the doors close at 8.50am. Arrivals after this time will have to enter through the main entrance. Pupils arriving after 9.00am will be recorded as late.
Please note that learning starts as soon as children enter the classroom so a child that is 15 minutes late every day will miss 1 hour and 15 minutes of learning per week - which is over 40 hours over the school year. This has a detrimental impact on learning so please ensure they arrive on time.
RECEPTION PUPIL TIMINGS FOR WEEK ONE
If your child is in the morning group (siblings of pupils already in school), they can come along to the Reception entrance and drop from 8.45am and 9.00am for the first week. They are to be picked up at 11.00am.
If your child is in the afternoon group, please drop off at 1.00pm and pick up at 3.15pm. When dropping off for this first week you will have to come through the main school gates as children will be in the playground at drop off time.
All reception children will be in full time (8.45am - 3.15pm) from Monday 12th September.
Y4 SWIMMING LESSONS
Y4 start their swimming lessons at Middleton Arena on Wednesday 14th September. More information will follow in a separate email but they will be having an hour swimming lesson every Wednesday up until February.
Y5 ROBINWOOD RESIDENTIAL
The Y5 residential takes place next Friday 9th - Sunday 11th September. Please keep an eye on your emails for any last minute information. We're certain it will be an amazing event for all and provide an unforgettable experience for all.
REMINDERS:
Uniform - Please visit our web page for a reminder about uniform. https://www.parkfieldprimary.com/website/uniform.html
Bags - Please note that children only need to bring small bags into school. Oversized rucksacks don't fit into the school lockers in KS2 and they take up too much space in KS1.
Pencil Cases - There is no need for children to bring in their own pencil cases. All stationary is provided by school.
Water Bottles - All children will be provided with a free water bottle on their first day back in September. Please do not send other water bottles into school. These will be taken home each day to be filled and washed. Please only send water in the water bottles - children are not permitted juice during class times.
School Dinner Cost Increase - School Dinners will be increasing in price next year to £2.50 per meal. This is an increase of 10p or 4.1% and is the recommended increase from the local authority. A copy of our new dinner menus from September can be found here.
Diary Dates - We like to give as much notice as possible and dates of events across the next school year and holiday dates can be found below or on our school website here: https://www.parkfieldprimary.com/website/calendar-inc-holiday-lists.html
PE Lessons - Starting from this Monday 5th September, each class is going to be having TWO PE lessons per week. As a result, children will be able to come to school in their PE kit for two days out of five. The days for each class are as follows:
Reception - Tuesday and Wednesday
Year 1 - Thursday and Friday
Year 2 - Thursday and Friday
Year 3 - Monday and Wednesday
Year 4 - Monday and Wednesday (Swimming)
Year 5 - Tuesday and Thursday
Year 6 - Tuesday and Friday
Building works - The main entrance look slightly different as renovations in the foyer area were completed over the summer so that we have additional office space. The 'resilience room' has also had a revamp and it's a much nicer working area for our pupils. Our KS2 climbing frame, which had been delayed from June, will hopefully start being built in the Autumn term.
CLASS TEACHING STAFF FOR SEPTEMBER 2022 - REMINDER
There are very few changes to staffing next year and the staffing will be as follows:
Reception: Miss Iqbal and Miss O'Connell (Mrs Price on maternity leave having given birth to Annabelle Monroe in August)
Year 1: Mrs Hartley and Mrs Gully
Year 2: Miss McCall and Mrs Mullane
Year 3: Mrs Gooding and Mrs Bardsley
Year 4: Miss Milovanovic and Mrs Naughton (Mrs Taylor on maternity leave)
Year 5: Mrs Acil and Miss Dippnall
Year 6: Miss Howard and Mrs Jeffrey
NON-UNIFORM DAY
All members of Bamford are able to come to school in non-uniform on Friday 9th September because they won the house point award at the end of the Summer term.
EARLY BIRDS AND BUSY BEES - PLACES AVAILABLE
A few spaces are available for both clubs. Please contact the office if you would like to book your child onto the sessions.
A reminder that the governors have agreed to simplify the pricing structure and reduce the cost of Early Birds to £1.50 per session for all pupils (7.30am - 8.45am). Busy Bees will continue to cost £8 per session (3.15 - 5.30pm). More information can be found here: https://www.parkfieldprimary.com/website/before-and-after-school-club.html
SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION
Mrs Whalen is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) supported by Mr Kemp and Miss Steele (Deputy DSL). If you have any concerns about the needs or welfare of a pupil, please don't hesitate to contact the school. We all share a responsibility to our pupils safety and wellbeing.
As a school our promise is: We will listen, we will support and we will take action.
ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY
As you are all aware, school attendance and punctuality is one of Parkfields priorities and I have been thrilled with the support that parents have been giving with regards to improving their children’s attendance.
Our school target is 96%. We are currently below this target and we need your continued support to ensure that we meet this mark.
Persistent Absence
Persistent absence is defined by the Government as attendance below 90%. This equates to 19 days or more of absence a year or 100+ lessons missed. If a child’s attendance drops below 90% this could lead to them becoming a safeguarding concern. This could also result in the authority taking legal action against parents, resulting in a fine or court appearance. Over the next few weeks I will be making contact by letter with the families of children whose attendance is below 90% to invite you into school for a discussion about how we can support you to improve your child’s attendance.
Thank you so much to all the families who have been working hard to ensure children’s attendance and punctuality is high. Establishing early good habits really will make a positive difference to their lives. The link between attendance and achievement cannot be over stated. Your child will achieve better if they are in school every day. Only in very exceptional circumstances should a child be absent from school. Please ring the school office no later than 8.30am to report an absence.
Punctuality
Please get your child to school on time. Poor punctuality can lead to your child…
Feeling embarrassed in front of their friends
Missing the beginning of vital lessons making them fall behind
Missing important instructions for the rest of the school day
At Parkfield children are to line up before school and doors open at 8.45am. They close at 8.50am.
If you arrive after 8.50am you will have to come through the school office.
HEALTH and SAFETY
Dogs are not permitted in the school playground.
If driving, park further away from the school and walk to reduce congestion and the possiblity of any serious accidents.
Unfortunately, Parents and Carers are not allowed to drop off and pick up from the school car park at any time.
Children are not allowed on the play equipment before and after school. Please keep them off.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
5 WAYS TO WELLBEING
At Parkfield we promote the 5 ways to Wellbeing which can help children and adults to achieve a more positive wellbeing.
#THRIVE offer a local service for children and young people aged up to 19 years who are experiencing health and wellbeing issues such as feeling stressed, worried or not enjoying things. #Thrive can also provide advice and support to parents, carers and anyone that works with a child or young person. You can find out more information about the service by clicking here: https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk/thrive
