September- Also see the Diary
Welcome back. We hope that you had a restful and relaxing summer. The children are certainly very keen and eager to get on with their new learning and they are enjoying themselves in their new year groups.
Year Two
Year Two will be out and about with visits to Staunton Park and Emsworth to compare habitats and use their experiences to develop their science and literacy skills.
Year One
Year One have successfully made the transition from Year R to Key Stage One and they all assure me that they are having a wonderful time and they are learning lots of new things already! They will be going to SEARCH Museum in Gosport in October.
Year R
We would like to extend a warm welcome to the Year R children and their families. They have already started school and are clearly very keen and already beginning to familiarise themselves with the building and all of the exciting things they can do and learn at school.
Homework
Thank you to all of you for doing the homework over the summer with your children, be that Bidbury Bookworms, reading or practising words. Thanks again!
Illness
When your child is too unwell to come to school please telephone the school office in the morning – the reason for an absence is recorded on your child’s record. If no reason is given it will be recorded as ‘unauthorised absence’. If your child has a medical appointment please let the office staff know either the day before or on the day if it is an emergency appointment.
Handy hint: Registration takes place at 8.55 am and 1.00 pm so if possible bring your child into school for registration and wait until afterwards to take them for their appointment. They will then show as ‘present’ on the register and will just have to be signed out at the office. This will not then affect their attendance percentage.
Punctuality
School starts at 8.55 am but children are allowed into school from 8.45 am. Please ensure that your child is at school on time unless the circumstances are exceptional. Children who come into school after 8.55 am are marked as late on their attendance record. Using the new Attendance Policy persistent late marks may incur a penalty notice (fine).
Bumped heads/injuries
All injuries, however minor, must be reported to parents in Year R, usually on a blue slip. Head bumps for the whole school are reported on a white slip and a text sent to the first mobile number on our system. Obviously we would make a phone call for more concerning injuries or if your child was ill during the day.
Exceptional leave of absence
Holidays are not allowed to be taken during term time so please avoid taking your child out of school for holidays. Leave of absence will only be approved when the circumstances are exceptional. Requests must be made on a form which can be obtained from the school office. If you take your child on holiday during term time you will be subject to a penalty notice (fine). Please see the Attendance Policy for details.
Health & Safety – Gates– 10 am-11.45 am
The school vehicle gates will generally be closed. Please help us by only parking in the Rugby Club car park, not down the driveway.
It is very dangerous to park in the driveway leading from the Rugby Club to the school when children are arriving and leaving the school. There have been a number of near misses, particularly when cars are turning!
Only people with disabled badges issued by the council will be allowed to bring their car on site at the beginning and end of the day. They will need to make themselves known to the school office and will need to be ‘buzzed in’ by the office staff.
The only other occasion that you will be allowed on the school site during the day with your vehicle is when you have been asked to collect a sick child.
Although these restrictions are inconvenient for some people please remember that they are to ensure that your children are safe on the school site. The pedestrian gate will be open at most times of the day.
If you use a taxi to travel to or from school please ensure that you ask the driver to stop in the Rugby Club car park.
School Photographer
The school photographer will be visiting on Thursday 7th November to take individual photos of the children. If you have more than one child in school they will automatically be photographed together, younger or older siblings who are not at the infant school may be brought in first thing in the morning. Please see letter nearer the time for details.
Free School Meals
Free school meals are currently available for all of the children in the infant school. The menu is always displayed on the noticeboard near the main school entrance if you wish to help your child choose what meal they are having each morning. Menus are also available from the school office.
It is still very important to let us know if you or your partner are on income support or income based jobseekers allowance as this forms a considerable part of the school’s income to spend on the children. We stand to lose up to £40,000 a year so please let us know if you think you may qualify and we can easily check to see if your child can have additional funding at our school. They would also become eligible for free school milk.
PE Days
Year R – Monday and Wednesday
Year 1 – Monday and Tuesday
Year 2 – Thursday and Friday
Children should have PE kit in school and earrings and jewellery should be removed on these days.
INSET days for 2018/19
The school will be closed for staff training on the following days so children should not attend:
Monday 25th November 2019
Tuesday 26th November 2019
Monday 6th January 2020
Monday 22 June 2020
Please note: The first May Day Bank Holiday has been changed from Monday 4th May to Friday 8th May 2020 to celebrate VE Day
