Parkfield Newsletters - Issue 25

Issue 25 - Friday 15th March 2024

Headteacher's Welcome

Dear Parkfield Families,

It's been an exciting and enriching week at Parkfield!

Our KS2 students kicked off the week with a captivating visit from a Scientist. Our 'chemical engineer,' delved into discussions about biodiversity, delivered engaging lessons and an presented an inspiring assembly for our pupils.

In addition, Year 3 and 5 had a delightful experience visiting All Saints and Martyr's church, immersing themselves in interactive sessions to learn about Easter. As part of our commitment to understanding diverse cultures and religions, Year 5 also had the opportunity to explore the Ghita Bharvan Hindu Temple. You can catch glimpses of these memorable events and more on our popular X feed (formerly Twitter) or in online school photo album.

Our Parkfielders shone brightly in various sports events this week. Our girls' football team showcased exceptional skills on Tuesday night, securing a place in the finals next week after a commendable performance against Middleton schools. Additionally, our Year 3 and 4 students showcased their determination at the Middleton Schools Cross Country competition, held right here at our school. Mrs. Banks and Mrs. Clawson were brimming with pride as all participants displayed outstanding sportsmanship.

Looking ahead, we're excited about our Easter Bingo event next Friday evening. Keep an eye on emails for more details and I hope to see many of you attending!

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend ahead.

Mr Kemp

LATEST NEWS

RED NOSE DAY - THANK YOU

Thanks for your support in purchasing red noses this week and then supporting today's non-uniform day. All monies raised will be sent to Comic Relief and we will update you with our total once we have counted up the donations.

READING BOOKS

Please ensure that your child has their reading book available everyday in school along with their personal organiser. All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 and some children in Year 3 , that are working on our Read, Write Inc programme, should have two books with them each day as a minimum. Books need sending back into school as these are changed regularly.

NON-UNIFORM DAY - DONATE AN EASTER EGG / CHOCOLATE - FRIDAY 22ND MARCH

To support our Easter Bingo event, we would love our Parkfielders to bring along an Easter Egg or some chocolate next Friday 22nd March in exchange for the opportunity to wear non-uniform. Thanks in advance for your support.

EASTER BINGO - FRIDAY 22ND MARCH (6-9PM)

Easter Bingo is back and will be taking place next Friday 22nd March 2024 between 6 and 9pm. Tickets for this popular event cost £5. There are only 120 tickets so please purchase your tickets as soon as possible. An email has been sent out with more information. Funds raised go directly to the school and will be spent on improving the lunchtime experience for our Parkfielders.

YEAR 1 FAMILY LEARNING

We're inviting our year 1 families into school next Wednesday 20th between 9 and 10am in the school hall to come and join in a Reading lesson. You'll have the opportunity to work alongside your child during the session. We hope many of you can make it.

YEAR 4 CLASS ASSEMBLY

Families of our Y4 children are welcome to come and join us next Thursday 21st March at 9am for the Y4 class assembly. The children will be showcasing some of their learning from the past term about the Anglo-Saxons.

DECORATE AN EASTER EGG AND BONNET COMPETITION.

Advanced warning that it is that time of the year where we'll be asking for decorated Easter Eggs and Easter bonnets. This year's event will take place on Wednesday 27th March. We are sure there will be some incredibly creative and ambitious designs as always. The winners will be announced at the Easter Service on Thursday 28th March.

EASTER SERVICE INVITE

We're inviting our families to join us on Thursday 28th March at 9.30am at All Saints Martyr's church for our Easter Service.

SCHOOL AND ECO COUNCIL RAFFLE

Our School and Eco Councils have joined forces and decided to do an Easter raffle this year. All monies made will go towards buying a water butt and much needed renovations of the polytunnel.

Tickets are now on sale and they are £1 per strip. School and Eco Council members will sell these at break times each day. The draw will be made on the last day of term before the Easter holidays. Good Luck!

WE HAVE SOLD OVER 120 STRIPS SO FAR FOR THIS WHICH IS BRILLIANT!

AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS CLUBS

Please note that sometimes clubs will not be on due to fixtures versus other Middleton schools. This will be updated each week here on the newsletter and also on the school calendar.

Monday 18/03 - Year 3/4 Football - PRACTICE CANCELLED DUE TO THE YEAR 5/6 SWIMMING GALA

Tuesday 19/03 - Year 5/6 Football - PRACTICE CANCELLED DUE TO THE GIRLS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT @ ST MARYS

Wednesday 20/03 - Year 5/6 Multi Sports

Thursday 21/03 - Year 3/4 Cross Country (Mrs Banks) -PLUS THE YEAR 5/6 CROSS COUNTRY COMPETITION AT ST MICHAELS (Mrs Clawson)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WILL BE THE FINAL WEEK OF AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS CLUBS FOR THIS TERM.

NEW SIGN UP EMAILS WILL BE SENT OUT THE FIRST WEEK BACK AFTER THE EASTER HOLIDAYS.

REMINDERS

YEAR 3 STAFFING REMINDER

Mrs Gooding is currently off school due to family circumstances and whilst she is off we have supply teacher Ms Apperley teaching in Y3 alongside Mrs Bardsley.

RETURN OF THE 'SECRET READER'

To promote a love of reading we are re-launching our 'Secret Reader' initiative on Friday 8th March (World Book Day). This is where an adult comes into the class for the last 15-20 minutes of the day and reads to the children. However, the children won't know who is coming in and what is being read until the adult arrives. The secret reader may be a teacher, older pupil, ex-pupil or a family member. If you're interested please click here to suggest which days from 8th March onwards that would suit you best and the office will contact you. Thank you!

ATTENDANCE AWARDS

We have brought in a new initiative to drive up our attendance by rewarding classes when they have a weekly total of 96% or above. When a class has had five separate occasions where they have achieved 96% or above, they will be able to decide on a whole class reward.

SCHOOL DINNER PRICES

Unfortunately, we are having to increase the cost of our school dinners to £2.60 per day (£13 per week) from after Easter. This is a result of increased costs over the past 12 months. Changes will be made automatically on School Gateway.

CLASS DOJO

We have now over 170 parents signed up! Click this link to set up a parent account which we will then approve. This will provide you with the opportunity to see how many Dojo points your child has earnt and what for. Please note that we are only using the app for Dojo points, not messages or photos, therefore you do not need any of the subscription options you might be offered.

TIMESTABLE ROCKSTARS (TTRS)

The vast majority of Parkfielders are logging in on a weekly basis to TTRS to help develop their quick recall of multiplication facts. More information about this great resource can be found here: https://ttrockstars.com/parents/

Latest Class Updates

Photos on X

Reception

Newsletter Slides

SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION

Mr Kemp is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) supported by Mrs Clawson and Mrs Smith (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.

More information can be found on the school website here: https://www.parkfieldprimary.com/website/safeguarding-and-child-protection.html

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% this year and we need your continued support to ensure that we meet this mark.

ATTENDANCE - HOLIDAYS IN TERM TIME

Please note that, in line with the school policy, fines will be issued to families that go on a term time holiday where children miss 5 consecutive full days. Currently the fine is £60 per child per parent which equates to a £240 fine for a two parent family with two children. If you are going on holiday due to exceptional circumstances, please speak to the headteacher as a fine may not have to be issued. More information an be found on our attendance policy found here.

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

STAY SAFE EARLY BIRDS - REMINDER

If your child is attending Early Birds, please walk down the path and through the KS1 yard - it may take a few more seconds but it's much safer than walking through the busy car park. If the hall door is ever closed as we now get into the colder months, simply ring the bell for assistance.

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 lifestyle.

#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

📅 Calendar

Holiday Lists

🐦 Twitter

School Website

Google Sites

Report abuse