9-6-23
Dear Parents and Carers,
A sunny start to Summer term!
Summer has certainly arrived at St. Bridget’s this week with the completion of our Sports Days, opening of our school garden and introduction of Reading Dens at lunch times.
The children demonstrated wonderful teamwork and resilience during their sports days and we were so proud watching them give it their all across a range of events.
Our school garden has been completed and is now being tended to by a devoted and eager team of Year 5 gardeners. Their care and enthusiasm will help us begin to produce our own fruit and vegetables and provide all our children with the opportunity to care for and grow plants.
Finally, our Reading Dens have been a huge success at lunch times, providing a calm and quieter space for children to enjoy a good book. The response has been wonderful and we are glad so many children are taking the chance to further engage with reading.
Weather Precautions
As we are now enjoying some much warmer weather I would just like to take this opportunity to remind you that children should have sun cream applied before they come to school. They are also encouraged to bring a suitable sun hat and water to school to help deal with the heat.
Sporting Success
Congratulations to the Year 5 Girls Football team who represented us this week in a friendly competition. The girls played brilliantly, securing second place and most importantly, had lots of fun in doing so!
School Opening and Closing Times
Thank you to all the parents who have helped adjust to the new opening times (8.45 – 9.00am with gates being locked at 9.00am). We have also started to notice an improvement in parents and children leaving the school playground at the end of the day. This is greatly appreciated because it means our after-school clubs can begin on time. Thank you for your continued understanding.
Attendance
Our overall attendance this week has been 95.7%. We appreciate your support in prioritising attendance. Please note that term-time holidays are strongly discouraged and will only be considered under exceptional circumstances.
NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. programme
Over the next few weeks I am pleased to inform you that we are participating in the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. Programme this term. Speak out. Stay safe. is a programme for children aged 5-11 which aims to help children understand abuse in all its forms and to recognise the signs of abuse. Children are taught to speak out if they are worried, either to a safe adult or Childline.
This child friendly programme is aligned with the curriculum and consists of age appropriate virtual assemblies and supporting classroom based activities which we have reviewed. The content is delivered in an engaging and interactive way with the help of the NSPCC mascot Buddy. If you would like to know more about the Speak out. Stay safe. programme visit www.nspcc.org.uk/speakout.
Additional NSPCC resources for families to help keep children safe
The NSPCC have shared some important information below on wider NSPCC resources and support to help keep children safe.
Parent/Carer support
Take a look at information, support, advice and activities from NSPCC for parent and carers.
www.nspcc.org.uk/parents
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Activities to extend learning at home
Take part in games and activities at home to help children learn about speaking out and staying safe.
www.nspcc.org.uk/activities
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Online Safety Hub
For information on a range of different online safety topics including gaming, social media, sharing images, parental controls and more.
www.nspcc.org.uk/onlinesafety
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Childline – under 12’s
Childline have an accessible website with advice, support, games and activities. Children can change the language, enlarge text and also listen to the content.
www.childline.org.uk/buddy (5-7)
www.childline.org.uk/kids (7-11)
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Talk PANTS with your children
Talk PANTS is a simple conversation to help keep children safe from sexual abuse. From P through to S, each letter of PANTS provides simple but important messages. Download the free resources at www.nspcc.org.uk/pants.
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I hope you find this information about the NSPCC and the Speak out. Stay safe. programme helpful. Please do contact me if you have any further questions.
Inset Dates
Monday 17th July 2023 * Online Learning available
Tuesday 18th July 2023 * Online Learning available
Wednesday 19th July 2023
Thursday 20th July 2023
Inset Days for 2023 – 2024
Monday 4 September 2023
Friday 20 October 2023
Monday 8 January 2024
Monday 22 July 2024
Tuesday 23 July 2024
Thank you for your continued support,
Neil Le Feuvre