Issue 29 - Friday 26th April 2024
Headteacher's Welcome
Dear Parkfield Families,
I wanted to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Parkfielders who participated in the Maths Passport Championship earlier this week. It was truly inspiring to see our students embodying the Parkfield values of positivity, ambition, and resilience. Each participant had 90 seconds to tackle as many mental maths questions as possible, and they all did remarkably well. Special congratulations to our three overall winners, who each received a special trophy for their outstanding performance.
Here at Parkfield, we strive to create memorable experiences for our students that they can cherish for years to come. One such experience took place this week for our Year 6 students, as they visited Stockport Air Raid Shelter as part of their studies on World War II. It was a day filled with learning and exploration, and all the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves. You can find photos of the trip on our ever-popular Photo Album website page.
A quick reminder that due to a part of the school being used as a polling station, children in Reception, Year 1, Year 2, and our Cherry Tree class will not be able to attend school on Thursday. However, school will remain open for KS2 children as usual.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead.
Mr Kemp
LATEST NEWS
POLLING DAY REMINDER - THURSDAY 2ND MAY - PARTIAL SCHOOL CLOSURE FOR RECEPTION, Y1, Y2 AND CHERRY TREE ROOM
Advanced warning that school will be partially closed on Thursday 2nd May due to a section of the school being used as a Polling Station. For health and safety reasons we can't accommodate children in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 or Cherry Tree Room users in the school on that day. All other children will be able to use the school facilities as normal. As always, we apologise for the inconvenience this causes to our families.
On Thursday all children are to come round to the KS2 playground, unless they are attending Early Birds. Whilst everyone is in school the large green gate at the back of school will remain locked for the day. This is because members of the public will have access to the KS1 playground and Cherry Tree room.
MRS PRICE PROMOTION
Unfortunately, Mrs Price will be leaving us at the end of the school year because she has secured a promotion as Deputy Head at a school in Bury. Mrs Price has been a wonderful member of staff at the school for the past five years and she will be missed by all. Recruitment for Mrs Price's replacement will take place over the coming weeks.
YEAR 5 FAMILY LEARNING
Family members of Y5 pupils are welcome to join us next Tuesday morning at 9am in the hall to join in an English lesson. You will be working alongside your child and we hope that it gives you a flavour of the expectations in the year group and the confidence to better support your child with their spelling, punctuation and grammar.
YEAR 3 FAMILY LEARNING
Family members of Y3 pupils are welcome to join us next Wednesday morning at 9am in the hall to join in a Reading lesson. You will be working alongside your child and we hope that it gives you a flavour of the expectations in the year group and the confidence to better support your child with their reading comprehension.
DINNER MENUS
New dinner menus for the summer start on Monday. You can view them all on the website by clicking here (we're starting on Week 1).
SEND COFFEE MORNING INVITATION
Thank you to those family memebrs that were able to attend the SEN coffee morning earlier today. We hope you found the event useful and look forward to seeing you in future.
POLITE REMINDER
For the safety for our students with nut allergies, please do not pack anything containing nuts into children’s lunch boxes. Thank you
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS CLUBS
MONDAY (29/04) - YEAR 3/4 Rounders and Cricket
TUESDAY (30/04) - YEAR 5/6 Rounders and Cricket
WEDNESDAY (01/05) - YEAR 5/6 Multi Sports - CANCELLED DUE TO STAFF TRAINING
THURSDAY (02/05) - YEAR 5/6 Athletics
As usual, if the school has a fixture on the evening of a club then the club will not be on. The newsletter and School calendar will be updated each week regarding this.
REMINDERS
SCHOOL UNIFORM - BROADBENTS
Good news. We found out this week that Broadbents is going to remain open and they will continue to supply our Parkfield school uniform.
WATER BOTTLES
Due to the increased costs of school water bottles we are going to allow children to bring their own water bottles into school and these can be taken home, washed and returned with fresh water each day. Please can you you send small water bottles because these will then fit under our water towers. Please be aware that water bottles may go missing at times and school aren't responsible for replacing these. As a result, please be mindful of the amount of money spent on a water bottle as we know there are some very expensive makes out there.
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.
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/
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!
Latest Class Updates
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