Good afternoon families and welcome to this week's newsletter. It's been a cold week outside but we've been busy as usual; read on for more information of what we've been up to this week including the names of the children who were celebrated in our Values Assemblies today. 

Over the week I have been talking to groups of children about what they have remembered from their learning before Christmas- they have impressed me with both their knowledge and understanding of the topics covered in classes and their recall of the the 'bigger' things we are teaching such as our school values- see how many of our six values your children can remember over the weekend!

We have now received the final version of the report from our Ofsted Inspection- we are sharing this with staff and Governors over the weekend and will share with families early next week. 

On Friday next week we are holding our first Parent Voice meeting- thankyou to the parents who said they would like to come along. If this is still something you'd like to be involved with then please look back at last week's newsletter for the link to the expression of interest form. As a reminder, you can look at all previous newsletters by going to our school website and clicking the Newsletters tab.

Thankyou also to all the parents who are using the class teacher emails as a form of communication- we hope you are finding this easy and effective. Please give us feedback if you are experiencing any issues with this. Also, please note that we are no longer using SeeSaw. 

You will notice in our look ahead to events coming up that we have our Parents' Evenings on the 7th and 8th of February. Bookings are now open via Arbor. If your child is in a class with teachers who 'job share', you will notice that both teachers' names are on the booking slots and your 'meeting' will be with both teachers. Any questions or worries, please ask. 

Values of The Week 

This week's quote is from the famous singer and actress Dolly Parton. 

Did you know, in 1988, Dolly set up the Dollywood Foundation. This was initially an education foundation to decrease the high school dropout rates in Tennessee. In 1995 the foundation set up Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that now distributes 1 million books a month to children worldwide.

It's the start of a new year and we want to encourage all families to access anything they might be eligible for, to benefit children. Click the link below to see if your child is eligible for Free School Meals. 

FSM Eligibility Checker

As we said last week, we are introducing the Attendance Armadillo in a bid to maximise attendance. Every week this will be awarded to the class with the best attendance.

To help get the children engaged in this new initiative, we are giving them the power to ‘Name the Armadillo’.

Your child/ren can submit their name suggestion via this form before next Friday, 26th January 2024.

The BVP team will then review all the submissions and announce the winning name, along with the pupil who suggested it, in our next newsletter.

Good luck and remember your name has got to be in it to win it! 

Our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors meet regularly throughout the year and this week they have been working on new posters to share across the school, which show how having fun can start to turn into harmful behaviour and bullying. This week's poster has been created by Beau in Year 6 and we thing you'll agree that he's done a super job.

Thank you to the children who shared their mindful moments over the week; it has been lovely to see so many children taking part and we have really enjoyed hearing all about them.

This week we are focusing on ‘Be active!’

We know that there’s a link between staying active and positive mental health and wellbeing.  The NHS guidance is for children to do 60 minutes of physical activity daily, use this link to have a look at their ideas and guidance.

Being Active improves our fitness, keeps our hearts healthy, builds strong bones and muscles and helps to reduces anxiety and supports a good sleep routine.  Doing a regular physical activity is a good way to release those feel-good hormones.

Why not keep warm in this icy weather by Keeping Active!

Try our weekly challenge….

• Get out into the world.
• Go to the park
• Participate in a sports activity, maybe try something new!
• Learn a new Dance or have a family Dance party.
• Cosmic Yoga for Kids.
• Go for a walk or explore somewhere new.

Come and show us or ask your grown ups to take a photo of you completing one of the activities below or why not think of your own which we can share in next week’s newsletter! You can send your photos to [email protected].

Have a lovely weekend and as always , Please don’t hesitate to contact us if needed , we are always here to support you and your children.

School Choir – Young Voices Reminder

All T shirts, tickets and a final letter were handed out at choir this week.

Children taking part in Young Voices should come to school on Friday 26^th January in their YV T-shirt or any white top. Bring their packed tea and any medication required. It may be best not to bring book bags that day, as we can’t get back into school when we return after the concert. More details can be found in the final letter.

School Orchestra

Thank you to those children who have returned their letter about our trip on Tuesday 6^th February. If you haven’t returned your letter yet, please could you do so asap.

Just a reminder that as long as you have set a collection password for your child/ren, you do not need to contact the school office to let them know your child will be collected by someone else.

It is as simple as giving your chosen family member or friend your child's password. They can then repeat this to your child's teacher on collection. This aims to make your life a little bit easier by taking one less job off your 'to-do' list. 

Reception were very lucky to have a visit from the CBSO on Thursday. They got to listen to someone playing the cello, violin and ukulele!

Afterwards, the children were asked to think about how listening to the live music made them feel.

Here are some of the things they said...

Classic texts provide timeless stories and valuable lessons that often explore universal themes. They can cultivate a love for literature, stimulate imagination, and offer moral insights, helping children develop critical thinking skills and a broader understanding of the world. Additionally, exposure to rich language and varied writing styles in classics contributes to language development and vocabulary expansion.

Can you match the character to the classic children’s book?

Hannah Fry is a British mathematician, author, radio and television presenter. She is a professor at University College London and is the President of the Institute of Mathematics. She received a PhD in Mathematics from UCL in 2011. Hannah has also made several television shows, such as Magic Numbers, where she looked at the origins of numbers and did lots of fun maths experiments, and The Secret Genius of Modern Life, where she explored the use of technology in our everyday lives. Hannah said she wants to change the stereotype that maths is ‘boring’, and although she says it can be difficult, it is very much worth studying. She also wants to encourage more girls and young women into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. Go Hannah – you are an inspiration!

Animals first coat is often a layer of fat hidden under the skin called “blubber. The next coat is often a dense layer of underfur or down feathers packed closely against the skin. Finally, to keep out moisture, there is often a layer of oily, water-repellent guard hairs or feathers.

Ready to feel the insulating capacities of these materials? Gather a few items and try it out!

Materials          

• Four zipper-lock sandwich bags
• Four small plates filled with ice cubes
• Small feathers (craft feathers are fine)
• Butter at room temperature

Preparation

1. Fill one sandwich bag with a layer of feathers about two centimetres thick and close the bag.
2. Fill another sandwich bag with a two-centimetre-thick layer of butter and close the bag.
3. Trap air into a third sandwich bag. As the air you trap this way is warmer than room temperature, it is best to leave the bag out for a while to adjust.
4. Leave a fourth sandwich bag empty.
5. Place a layer of ice cubes on four small plates.
6. Place one bag on top of the ice cubes on each plate.

Instructions

1. Let one hand rest on the empty bag, the other on the feathered bag. Avoid pressing down on the bags. Which one feels colder?
2. Remove your hands and wait until both hands feel warm again. Now, place one hand on the empty bag and the other on the bag filled with fat. Which one feels colder now?
3. Compare the layer of feathers, the layer of fat and the layer of air. Which one do you think will feel warmest and which one will feel coldest?

The one that feels warmest creates the best thermal barrier and thus, is the best thermal insulator. Scientists call materials that prevent heat transfer “thermal insulators.”

4. For a more detailed test, leave the bags on the ice cubes for 15 minutes and feel again. Are you able to detect the difference now?

Do you think that adding several layers will create a bigger thermal barrier? To test this, you first must let your bags warm up again, then place a stack of two bags on ice cubes and measure how long it takes before the top feels cold. Does it take longer than the single layers?

Try some other materials, like wool (from yarn), cotton, leather, fleece, paper, or aluminium foil. Which ones do you expect to be good insulators?

Next week will be Menu- Week 3

Fresh seasonal salad bar and fresh bread available daily as well as a daily selection of fresh fruit and fruit yoghurts.

The weeks are rushing by; just three more weeks before we have half term! Thankyou for your support in ensuring your children are here on time every day- we know every days counts in school, but with these very short terms, it's even more important that children don't miss out on their learning.

Have a good weekend folks, keep warm and stay safe if you are out and about! See you on Monday. 

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of everyone in our school and at all times we consider what is in our children’s best interests. We work to ensure our children our safe and cared for and by doing this we are protecting their health and development and preventing them from harm. If we are worried, we will raise concerns, share information, and take prompt action with the aim of ensuring families receive the right help at the right time.