23rd October 2009
Dear parents,
Shoe box appeal
Please find attached with this letter the leaflet containing information about this year’s shoebox appeal. We are hoping as many of you as possible will be able to support us again this year and I would be grateful if filled shoeboxes could be returned to school by Friday 11th November.
Communications
We are hoping to begin sending as many communications as possible via e-mail after half term and therefore, it is important that we have your current e-mail address. If you didn’t receive this letter via e-mail then please contact the office in order to update our records. Should you wish to receive paper copies of the newsletters, please also advise the school admin team.
Lunch money
At present, a large amount of money is owed to the school office and kitchen as a result of children losing, or forgetting, dinner money. If your child has borrowed money, please return this to the school office as soon as possible as we no longer have any left to lend others. It is really important that children bring their lunch money in a suitable purse or wallet and that this is clearly labelled with their name.
Building Update
I’m pleased to say we will be opening our new music room after half term as the building work has now been completed.
Focus Week
Our ‘Smart’ week will take place after half term. The aim of the week is to build on the learning blocks at Sarisbury Infant School (the ‘clevers’) and make links with the learning ‘smarts’ used at Brookfield to embed key learning skills. We have arranged for children in Years groups to learn together at various points during the week. The activities are intended to provide children with a variety of learning opportunities and encourage them to learn in new ways.
May I also take this opportunity to thank the many parents who have helped this half term in classrooms, on school visits and as part of our project themed days. Your support has been much appreciated and has helped to contribute to the high quality of learning opportunities offered to children at Sarisbury.
Finally, I wish you all a very enjoyable half term break and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 3rd November.
Yours sincerely,
Mr A. J. Stockton
Headteacher
Dear Parents
As we approach and of the half term, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and in particular the many parents who have volunteered their help in classrooms, with clubs and on school visits. The feedback we have received during Open Week and at Parents’ Evenings has been very positive and reflects parents’ appreciation of the many ‘extras’ that the staff at Sarisbury provide for the children.
Our Harvest assembly was a great success and the Basics Bank, part of the Homeless in Fareham Association, were very grateful for the Harvest gifts provided by our children. We are supporting Operation Christmas Child this year and you will receive a leaflet providing further information about the appeal. The children will be told in an assembly from our pupil VOICE team how to support the appeal and with your continued generosity with both ventures we will ensure that children at home and in the wider community, have a much happier Christmas. Thank you.
Please would parents note that the school photographer is due to take the children’s photographs on Tuesday 20th October. If you wish your child to be photographed with a younger brother / sister at the Infant School you will need to bring them to the school hall between 8:30am and 8:45am.
Focus Week
Our focus week will take place after half term and will follow the theme of the very successful ‘Smart Week’ we ran in the spring term of last year. The aim of the week is to build on the learning blocks at Sarisbury Infant School (the ‘clevers’) and make links with the learning ‘smarts’ used at Brookfield to embed key learning skills. We have arranged for children in Years groups to learn together at various points during the week. The activities are intended to provide children with a variety of learning opportunities and encourage them to learn in new ways. Children will be encouraged to reflect and assess their progress at the end of the week to key questions like:
· Are you number smart? Are you word smart?
· Are you music smart? Are you nature smart?
· Are you 2D / 3D / practical smart? Are you body, self and people smart?
Lunch money:
At present, a large amount of money is owed to the school office and kitchen as a result of children losing, or forgetting, dinner money. If your child has borrowed money, please return this to the school office as soon as possible as we no longer have any left to lend others. It is really important that children bring their lunch money in a suitable purse or wallet and that this is clearly labelled with their name.
Building Update
I am pleased to say that our music and drama room is progressing well and should be completed by the half term break. This will provide opportunities for children to learn music & drama in a purpose built space and ensures we are able to a high quality curriculum in these subjects.
New E-Mail Facility
Many of you will have received this newsletter by e-mail, if not, please will you ensure that the admin team have an up to date e-mail address in order to send communications electronically.
PFA Film Evening
Will parents please note the tickets for the PFA film evening have now sold out.
Finally, can I take this opportunity to remind you that the school is closed on Monday 2nd November and that the children return to school on Tuesday 3rd November.
Yours sincerely
A. J. Stockton
Headteacher
Dear Parents,
Firstly, may I take the opportunity to thank the many parents who visited the school during our ‘Open Days’ last week. We have had a very positive response and over the four days, over 250 parents have visited classrooms throughout the school. I am also grateful for the many positive comments left in our visitors’ book and I hope all who have visited over the past few days, found it valuable and informative to see the children and staff at Sarisbury ‘at work’.
I am sure you will appreciate that the staff at the school spend a great deal of time in preparation for our Open Days and I would like to thank them on your behalf for the planning and care that went into last week. Thank you for your continued support.
Our Harvest assembly will take place on Friday 9th October and as last year we will be supporting the ‘Basics Bank’ appeal organised by The Friends of the Homeless in Fareham and Gosport. We would be very grateful if the children could bring in items from the following list:
Non-Perishable Items e.g.: Sugar Tinned fish Tinned vegetables
Pasta Rice Tea Coffee Tinned fruit
Jam / Marmalade Biscuits Cereal Beans / Spaghetti
Soap Shampoo Toothpaste Toothbrush Baby products
This initiative is also being supported by our friends at St Paul’s. I am always keen for the children to have the opportunity to support those less fortunate than themselves and this seems a very worthy cause. Please would children bring items into school during the course of next week and by Thursday 8th October at the latest; once again your contribution is very much appreciated.
Traffic Congestion and Children’s Safety
At the start of the school year we often see an increasing number of cars parking in and around the school site. As part of our Travel Plan, we are actively seeking ways in which traffic congestion can be eased and parents encouraged to find alternative ways of getting to school. The bus service is a popular option with up to 80 children using this each week. We have also installed cycle storage to enable some parents and children to cycle to school. Car sharing, where possible, would also help to reduce the amount of traffic at Coldeast Close and St Paul’s Road. The school has a good relationship with its neighbours and I would ask you to consider this when parking close to the school grounds. Thank you for your cooperation and support with these initiatives. May I also remind you that the school playground is supervised for 15 minutes before school and at the end of the day. This should enable parents to stagger the times you drop children off and collect them at the end of the day, which should also help reduce the number of cars parking close to the school. Like many school’s, our travel plan initiatives will only result in a reduction in traffic if parents are willing to support them. To this end, I would ask you to be patient, watch your speed in and around our crossing points (20 is plenty!) and whilst the weather is so good, take the opportunity to walk if you live close to the school.
Thank you to the many parents who have returned updated data sheets. We are about to begin the trail of our e-mail service and therefore it is important that we hold the current e-mail address of all our parents in order that communication via e-mail is efficient and effective. Due to the limitations of the system, please can you ensure that the school is given one e-mail address only.
We are holding parent evenings to discuss your child’s progress on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th October between 4:00pm and 7:30pm. A reply slip is attached to this letter to return to school by Friday 2nd October. If you have more than one child at the school, we will do our best to arrange appointments so that they follow one another. If the times stated are not convenient please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. Mrs Gilbert and I will be available throughout the evening should you have queries or concerns. Teachers will be sharing your child’s targets with you during the consultation meetings and a copy of these will be provided for you to share with your child.
Yours sincerely
Mr A. J. Stockton
Headteacher
4th September 2009
Dear Parents,
On behalf of everyone here at Sarisbury Junior, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you all at the start of this new school year and hope you all had a relaxing summer break. The staff and I look forward to working with you, as we build on our achievements last year and make this another successful year for all at SJS; we are certainly looking forward to the challenges of the year ahead. I am delighted to say the school got off to a very smooth start today and already the children are working hard and becoming familiar with the routines of life at Sarisbury. May I also express my thanks to parents for your support with our school uniform policy; the children looked very smart as we began the new term.
The main playground improvements were completed over the summer holiday and thanks to efforts of all our staff, the school looks excellent as we begin the new school year.
During the week beginning 21st September, we will be holding a series of ‘open days’. These will give parents the opportunity to ‘pop in’ during the day and experience the ethos at Sarisbury and see first hand the school at work. Parents are welcome to join us between 9:30am and 10:30am, 11:00am and 12:00 and between 1:30pm and 2:30pm for the afternoon session. The dates for each year group’s open day are detailed overleaf. Our Open Days are always well supported and we look forward to seeing you again this term.
Our Autumn Term parents’ evenings will be held on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October and you will receive further details and appointment slips nearer the time.
Year 3 Parents – We are holding an information evening for all Year 3 parents on Thursday 10th September at 6:30pm. The purpose of the evening is to give a more detailed breakdown of routines and expectations once the children have settled into life in Year 3. It will also give us the opportunity to discuss the transfer arrangements that have taken place and make a note of any suggestions that parents may have to improve that process. A handbook that contains information about key events during the year, as well as a few reminders about routines and procedures at Sarisbury, will be given out on the evening. We hope you find this useful.
Year 5 Parents – The information evening for the residential visit to Avon Tyrrell will be held on Wednesday 30th September when we will be outlining the trip and providing details of approximate costing.
Year 6 Parents – The information evening for the residential visit to Stone Farm will be held on Thursday 1st October when we will be outlining the trip and providing details of approximate costing. The application form for secondary school admissions will be distributed to parents of children in Year 6 at the end of this week. A taster day at Brookfield School for Y6 pupils will take place on Wednesday 16th September.
Club Activities
We run a wind range of clubs at Sarisbury and are in the process of organising activities for the new school year. I will contact parents as soon as further details are available; children will be given information in assembly as well as via letters home.
We continue to enjoy tremendous support from parents at Sarisbury and are always very happy to see parents helping in classrooms or on school trips etc. If you have any time to spare then please contact your child’s teacher who will be delighted to hear from you.
Please remember that Mrs Gilbert and I are always happy to see parents about any concerns or problems, usually at the beginning or end of each day. If we are unavailable, then an appointment can be made through the school office.
Our Parents and Friends Association are always looking for new volunteers. If you feel you are able to help with fund raising events this year, or want to find out more about the PFA, please come to the AGM on Wednesday 23rd September at 6:30pm.
Children will need to bring water bottles into school each day. New bottles are now available from the school office at break times at a cost of 25p and for children who have forgotten bottles, the school has a number of water fountains available on site. As part of our ‘Enhanced Healthy Schools Standard’, we have a policy of fresh fruit and vegetables only for snacks at breaktime. This initiative has proved beneficial, not only in terms of children’s health but equally in the significant improvement to the school’s environment through the reduction in litter. Crisps and biscuits are still allowed as part of the children’s packed lunch, but we do ask for your support with our policy regarding snacks at breaktime.
School Meals & Packed Lunches
With the changes in school meals provision, an increasing number of children are bringing packed lunches to school. Please will you ensure that your child’s name and class are marked clearly on their lunch box. Similarly, in an effort to reduce lost property, please would you label all items of uniform etc. with your child’s name. We would also encourage parents to consider a health and balanced diet when providing a packed lunch for their child.
Hampshire Caterers provide a good range and standard of school meal for the children and regularly review their lunchtime menu. At £2.00, it still represents good value for money and we are keen to increase the number of children having hot school meals. A copy of this term’s menu is available from the school office if parents are interested.
Holiday Absence
Our leave of absence requests for holidays during the school term fell slightly last year and I am keen to improve this trend further. Due to new guidelines, I am unable to authorise holiday leave unless a reason has been given on the request form. I would also ask you to think carefully before requesting holiday leave during term time. As always, our aim is to further improve standards and I would hate to think that absence from school was having a detrimental effect. Your co-operation with this is appreciated.
May I take this opportunity to remind parents that all visitors to the school should report to reception when visiting the school premises. In addition, we would be grateful if parents who access the new gate to Cold East Close ensure they collect children from the main playground.
As you are aware, there is a great deal of congestion at the beginning and end of each school day and it is important for the children’s safety that drivers do not obstruct the crossing point or bus lanes. May I also advise parents that the council have installed a parking exclusion zone outside the school grounds which now extends to the entrance to Cold East. In line with our Travel Plan, we are also very keen to promote the bus service to and from school, or if the weather is good, why not enjoy a gentle stroll to school each morning. In the interests of everyone’s safety, your support with this initiative is appreciated.
Cycle permits are also available from the school office for those parents who wish to cycle to school with their child. If you currently hold a cycle pass, please will contact the school office so they can be renewed, or returned if no longer wanted. I would also ask that parents are vigilant when accessing the cycle racks as this passes through the staff car park; we do ask that parents and children dismount at the entrance to the school.
For your information, I have also attached the list of diary dates for this term.
Yours sincerely
Mr A. J. Stockton
Headteacher