Issue 28 - Friday 19th April 2024
Headteacher's Welcome
Dear Parkfield Families,
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter break filled with cherished moments spent with loved ones.
In our recent Assembly, we had the opportunity to reflect on the significance of two significant religious celebrations: Easter and Eid. It was heartwarming to see the similarities between these festivals, and we were privileged to have one of our pupils share her beautiful Eid traditions with the entire school community.
Our students have been actively engaged in various exciting activities throughout the week. Year Two's Edventure day was a resounding success, delving into the fascinating geography of Scotland. Additionally, Year 3 and 4 had thrilling forest school lessons complete with campfires, while our Cherry Tree Room students enjoyed enriching trips to Middleton and the local farm.
For those families who recently received an email notifying them of their child's acceptance into Parkfield for September, we eagerly anticipate welcoming your child into our school community. Look out for further communication from us in the coming weeks.
As we approach the weekend, I encourage you all to relax and enjoy some well-deserved family time. Let's also extend our best wishes to both the red and blue sides of Manchester for success in this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals.
Mr Kemp
LATEST NEWS
MATHS PASSPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Good luck to the children across the school taking part in the annual Maths Passport Championships next week. Our finalists have demonstrating their resilience by practising over the past few weeks - ready for the main event. We look forward to seeing those invited family members who are able to make it. Dates of the finals are below:
Monday 22nd April 9am - Year 1/2
Tuesday 23rd April 9am - Year 3/4
Wednesday 24th April 9am - Year 5/6
SEND COFFEE MORNING INVITATION
We would like to invite family and friends of children with special educational needs to a coffee morning on Friday 26th April @ 9.00am. You will be able to network with other parents that have similar experiences. Although the focus will be SEND pupils all parents are welcome. We have also invited Ruth Kelsey from the RANS Team following a successful coffee morning in the Spring term. Ruth will be focusing on sensory needs amongst other areas. Mrs Clawson & Mrs Smith will also be available to answer any questions.
YEAR 6 AIR RAID SHELTER
Year 6 are looking forward to their trip to Stockport Air Raid shelter next week. More information about the trip and payments has been emailed out to families.
ST. GEORGE'S DAY
Tuesday 23rd April is St. George's day and in line with past traditions, any Parkfielders that are in the Beavers, Rainbows, Brownies, Cubs, Scouts (etc) are able to come to school in their uniforms. This is because Saint George is the patron saint of those organisations.
YEAR 6 FAMILY LEARNING
Thank you to those family members that were able to come and join in Tuesday's family learning session. We hope you found the session useful and are able to support a little better at home with puntuation and grammar.
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 accomodate 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.
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.
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS CLUBS
MONDAY - YEAR 3/4 Rounders and Cricket
TUESDAY - YEAR 5/6 Rounders and Cricket
WEDNESDAY - YEAR 5/6 Multi Sports
THURSDAY - YEAR 5/6 Athletics
If your child has gained a place in one or more of the above clubs then you will receive an email after 3pm today. Mrs Banks has tried hard to accommodate each child where possible but we do have limited places.
As usual, if the school has a fixture on the evening of a club then the club will not be on. The newsletter will be updated each week regarding this.
REMINDERS
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.
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 have had 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
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