Dear Parkfield Families,
What a lovely reminder this week has been of what makes Parkfield such a special school community! From generous donations and family learning to sporting achievements and exciting trips, our Parkfielders have once again been making us proud both in and out of the classroom.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to our Harvest collection on Monday. Your generosity was wonderful to see, and we were delighted to welcome The Lighthouse Project to collect the donations. These will now help support families in need across our local area. It is a fantastic example of our Parkfield value of Kindness in action and shows how even small contributions can make a big difference.
Thank you also to all our Year 4 families who joined us for Family Learning this week. We hope you found the session useful and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about your child's education. We look forward to welcoming our Year 3 families in a few weeks' time.
A big well done to our Y5 and Y6 basketball teams who competed against other Middleton schools earlier this week. You all performed brilliantly, showing great teamwork, determination and sportsmanship. Mrs Banks was incredibly proud of your performances. Thank you for representing Parkfield so positively.
It has also been a busy week of learning beyond the classroom. Year 6 visited St Anne's Academy, while Years 2 and 4 enjoyed visits to the church to learn more about Harvest. Meanwhile, Year 3 visited Middleton Library, another great opportunity to encourage a love of reading. These experiences are such an important part of our curriculum, helping children broaden their knowledge and make meaningful connections with the world around them.
Finally, a quick reminder that next Tuesday is school photograph day, so please make sure children arrive looking smart and ready for their individual and sibling photographs! School uniform or PE kit is absolutely fine.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Have a lovely weekend, and we look forward to another great week at Parkfield!
Mr Kemp
TUESDAY 13TH OCTOBER - SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH DAY - Photos of individual children and siblings will be taken during the morning.
WEDNESDAY 14TH OCTOBER - Y5 NORTHWEST DRAMA DAY A day of drama four our Y5 pupils to enjoy in school.
THURSDAY 15TH OCTOBER - M6 THEATRE VISIT - We have a theatre coming to perform to the whole school! The title of the show is 'All the Small Things' - a magical new spin on fairy tales.
TUESDAY 20TH OCTOBER - Y3 FAMILY LEARNING @ 9AM Familes of our Y3 pupils are welcome to join us in the school hall for a lesson focussed on reading.
WEDNESDAY 21ST OCTOBER - PARENTS' EVENING - 3.30 - 6.30PM You are now able to book a slot on Arbor for a meeting with your child's class teacher about how they have settled into their new class.
FRIDAY 23RD OCTOBER - SCHOOL FINISHES FOR HALF TERM
MONDAY 2ND NOVEMBER - SCHOOL RE-OPENS AFTER HALF TERM
SCHOOL COUNCIL - THANK YOU
Our wonderful School Council showed around prospective parents on Thursday morning and did a brilliant job talking about the school and answering a range of questions.
DONATIONS FOR EARLY BIRDS/BUSY BEES
We’re looking for any unwanted dolls or wooden food that you may have at home and would be happy to donate to our Breakfast and After School Club. The children love using these items in their imaginative play, and they would be a lovely addition to our resources. If you have anything suitable that you no longer need, we’d be very grateful for your donations. Please send them into school with your child or hand them to a member of staff.
POETRY COMPETITION
The children in Years 1-6 may have come home with a booklet with details of a poetry competition on the theme of 'This is Me' for Year 1 and 2 children and 'Wonder' for Years 3-6. The booklets will look like this:
This is an optional poetry competition for the children to take part in and it is not homework. We encourage your child to take part if they would like to. Please return the booklets to Mrs Clawson by Thursday 22nd October. Mrs Clawson will be sending the entries to Young Writers on Friday 23rd October. Happy poetry writing!
IS YOUR CHILD DUE TO START PRIMARY SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER 2027?
You can now apply for a primary school place through the Rochdale Admissions team here: https://www.rochdale.gov.uk/school-admissions-appeals/apply-primary-school-place
PARKING
A reminder to please be mindful of our neighbours when parking before and after school. We have a had a few complaints from residents that our Parkfield families are parking outside driveways. We always suggest parking either at Aldi or Parkfield flats and walking.
PREVIOUS NEWS AND REMINDERS
Please note that you can use the links on the left (if viewing on a computer) or the top of this page (if viewing on a phone/tablet) to look back at previous news and messages that have been shared in previous newsletters.
DINNER MENU NEXT WEEK - WEEK 2
If you'd like to know what is on next weeks menu, please click here: https://www.parkfieldprimary.com/families/dinner-menus
If your child has gained a place you will have received an email to confirm this.
Please always check the newsletter to make sure your child's club is on the following week as they are sometimes cancelled due to Middleton Schools Sports fixtures.
Monday - Year 3 & 4 Multi Sports - CANCELLED DUE TO CROSS COUNTRY EVENT
Tuesday - Year 5 & 5 Football CANCELLED DUE TO FOOTBALL MATCH
Tuesday 22nd September - Cookery Club
Wednesday - Year 5 & 6 Multi Sports
Wednesday - Karaoke Club
Thursday - Year 4, 5 & 6 Cross Country Club (Lunchtime)
Thursday - Year 4, 5 & 6 Netball Club CANCELLED DUE TO FOOTBALL MATCH
Miss McCall is a busy mum of three with a partner and a wonderfully huge family that keeps life full and lively. As the eldest of 19 grandchildren, she has grown up surrounded by cousins and family events and there always seems to be a new baby to welcome each year. Family time is at the heart of everything she does, whether it’s attending gatherings, celebrating milestones, enjoying camping trips or spending time with her mum and dad on trips to St Anne’s.
Weekends are rarely quiet and are usually filled with watching her children play football and netball or watching almost any sport—cricket being the one exception! She also enjoys little getaways with friends and camping adventures with family whenever she can, making the most of any chance to relax and recharge.
With a background that includes roles in banking, retail and working in a butchers, Miss McCall brings a strong work ethic and a wide range of life experience to everything she does. When she’s not busy, you’ll likely find her cooking for family and friends, cleaning, or trying out the latest cleaning gadget—her best friends are proudly her Kärcher and Shark hoover.
Reception: 95%
Year 1: 95%
Year 2: 96.3%
Year 3: 95.3%
Year 4: 93'6%
Year 5: 90.7%
Year 6: 94.8%
Whole School: 94.4%
Number of lates this week: 39
A reminder that classes that achieve at least 96% attendance (no more than 6 days of absence across a class) get a reward on their attendance ladder!
This year children can be awarded with either a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze certificate of attendance in recognition of meeting our school target of 96%. We will regularly update you on how well your child is doing.
Platinum: 100% attendance (0 days absent)
Gold: 98% attendance or above (3 days absent)
Silver: 97% attendance or above (5 days absent)
Bronze: 96% attendance or above (6 days absent)
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 £160 per child per parent which equates to a £640 fine for a two parent family with two children. This is reduced to £320 if paid within 21days. 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 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 and will certainly lead to them doing less well than their peers.
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.
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.
Arrivals after 8.50am are to sign in at the main office and anyone arriving after 9.15am are marked as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.
Our overall school attendance is steadily increasing and one reason is due to many of our families taking up the school offer of bringing a bottle of Calpol in for their child if they are feeling slightly under the weather. The medicine can then be administered by school staff if your child needs it throughout the day. We do find that many of our Parkfielders show that true resilience when they arrive in school and get through their day with very little support. However, if your child is too poorly to stay in school, we will contact home so that they can be collected.
Mrs Smith is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) supported by Mr Kemp, Mrs Clawson and Mrs Edyvean. 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
STAY SAFE REMINDERS
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, 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 possibility of any serious accidents.
Unfortunately, Parents and Carers are not allowed to drop off and pick up from the school car park between 8.30am and 4.00pm.
Children are not allowed on the play equipment before and after school. Please keep them off.
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
Latest Class Updates