Hello families...well that wasn't the end to the week that we expected! Thankyou so much to you all for your understanding and support; we hope we have been able to accommodate everyone's preferences and situations. As always, please give us any feedback that will help us manage situations like this as well as possible for you all.

We are sending love and best wishes to all our poorly children and staff.

Values of the Week

Due to the suspected Norovirus outbreak in school this week, we postponed our Values assemblies. We will keep hold of certificates that were due to be presented today and let you know when we will be inviting families in.

Sickness Policy

Just a reminder that if your child has a bout of sickness or diarrhoea they must not return to school for 48hrs. If during this time they are sick or have diarrhoea again, then the 48hrs restarts from that point. This policy is in place to prevent the spread of any bugs or viruses in school. Thank you for your continued support. 

A reminder that next Thursday, 7th March, is World Book Day! We would love to see your child/ren dressed up as their favourite character from a book they love. Alternatively, they could just come in their pyjamas or just in their uniform if neither of those options are appealing! There is no pressure whatsoever. We do not want parents to go out and spend money on new, expensive, outfits. Instead, we are encouraging our pupils to be creative and make an outfit from things they already have at home.

Here are some cheap and easy homemade costume ideas you could create: https://www.madeformums.com/toddler-and-preschool/last-minute-easy-world-book-day-costumes/

Last week we were visited by a reporting team from ITV's Central News who are starting to think about Cadbury's 200th Anniversary. They met with staff and children and took some drone footage of our school. Watch out for the article on Monday at 6pm on ITV!

Attendance

The winners are:

* ASHA (Reception) - RGR (Again - AMAZING!)

* AXEL (KS1) - 2TJ

* ATTIE (KS2) - 3O

As you’re all aware, we have launched the new option to book your child’s meals through the Arbor app. There have been a couple of parents having trouble with this process and would like to answer some frequently asked questions:

1. Where are the meal options?

Unfortunately, the weekly menus are not on Arbor for you to view. You can find this on our weekly newsletters or on the school website here. The “options” you will see to book are School Dinners, Packed Lunch and School Dinners Halal.

1. I still can’t get into Arbor!

Contact the school office and we will try to help where we can! It could be as simple as resetting your credentials.

1. Do I have to pay for Packed Lunch?

No, the option for packed lunches does not pull through to your credits, it’s purely for report numbers so we know how many children are packed lunches as well as dinners.

1. I’ve been charged for a meal my child didn’t have!

In a bid to tackle these issues we are advising parents to prebook their child’s meal option on Arbor. This way any incorrect dinner marks the children complete in the morning will be overridden by your booking.

1. What’s the dinner booking process?

1. On Arbor, go to the Arbor menu and click Quick Actions and click meals.
2. You should then be taken to the Meal Choices page where you should see Spring Term Lunch
3. You should then see a drop down which should show the meal options School Dinners, Packed Lunch and School Dinners Halal. Once an option is selected, click confirm choice.

***If your child always has the same meal option every day or every other weekday you can tick Pick for all future available dates which will carry out this option till the end of the academic year***

We would like families to keep in mind that Arbor is just as new to us as it is to you so we’re going through this process together. Once everything falls into place and we all get familiar with it, its should be an easier way for parents to access everything they need from one place!

It has been a busy week here in The Cottage!

We thought it would be lovely to share with you some of the activities that the children have been enjoying and are incredibly proud of.

KS1 had a fantastic time with Mrs Ryan this week. They had fun making Rice Crispy cakes!

Ms Kovacs and Mr Purcell spent a wonderful afternoon sharing a beautiful story about self love and positive self image and then had great fun decorating biscuits,  and thinking about of the things that make each of us the special , unique and amazing individuals. Watch the video version here.

As we head into spring, Mr Carter’s gardening group have been busy weeding and getting the flower beds ready- so keep an eye out for the changes taking place around school!

*** Stopping Music Lessons ***

A gentle reminder that if your child wishes to stop having music lessons, this must be put in writing to Mrs Vaughan by March 15th at the very latest.

Last Sunday a number of families took advantage of the CBSO’s free offer for tickets to attend their Family Concert.

Thankyou to  A. in 5H who shared her thoughts about the concert:

School Orchestra - concerts galore!

The orchestra are sounding fantastic and are practising really hard for their concert at the Birmingham Conservatoire on Thursday 21st March.

The orchestra have also been invited to take part in the Youth Prom 8th - 11th July. As yet we don't know the exact date, but I’m hopeful that this will be on the same night as the choir. As such, if your child isn't in choir, they are more than welcome to join us on the coach but parents will also be able to take and collect them from the Symphony Hall themselves. Once we know the date and timings, I will email all details. Of course if your orchestra would like to join the choir for this project, they are more than welcome. I believe we are singing a Queen Medley this year!

Guitar and Ukulele Concert - Friday March 8th

Parents and carers of children in Years 3-6 who have been learning the  guitar and ukulele for more than a term with Mr Reed are invited to our annual concert in George Hall on Friday March 8th. Doors will open at 2pm for a 2.15pm start. Letters were emailed out today.

Science!

To celebrate Professor Brian Cox’s birthday on 3^rd March follow these instructions to create a bottle rocket!

Online Safety

Check out the below website for the latest online safety tips. It provides a vast amount of information on how to help your child keep safe online when using different messaging apps. 

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/social-media/chat-apps/

We know how dangerous unsupervised online access for children can be, so we will continue to find new tips to protect our pupils. 

School Dinner Weekly Menus

Next week we will be on Week 2. 

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

Quote of the Week

'Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.' - Dalai Lama

As one of BVP's core values is compassion, we thought it was only fitting we find a quote that stresses the importance of this. 

And finally...

It was really heartening to hear from a parent this afternoon, that their child was able to recite all six of our school values and use them to explain how they help us with our own conduct, our behaviour, our choices and the way they help us treat each other in the best way possible. BVP is not just about academic progress and achievement; we are here to ensure our children grow into the very best of human beings and if our children are using our values to do that, then we're on the right path!

We hope you have a peaceful weekend and we can't wait to see you all back 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.

Going On In Your Area

2024 dates announced for FREE holiday clubs in Birmingham!

As the spring holiday approaches, we want to highlight the FREE, engaging and fun-filled holiday clubs available across the city throughout 2024. Designed to provide a safe and stimulating environment for your child during the holidays, Bring it on Brum! holiday clubs guarantee your child an unforgettable experience packed with exciting activities and opportunities for learning and socializing.

Activities include sports and games, arts and crafts, cookery, dance and music. All clubs provide a nutritious and delicious meal too! Programmes vary depending on location.

Holiday Club Dates 2024*

*Excludes weekends and Bank Holidays.

Booking Information

You will need your Bring it on Brum! code to book your holiday activities through the Bring it on Brum! website or directly with the holiday club of your choice.

Your Bring it on Brum! (HAF/FSM) code is: 3303353 

Holiday clubs can be booked via the Bring it on Brum! website at www.bringitonbrum.co.uk.

Bookings for spring holiday clubs will open from Monday 4^th March 2024.

Last year, we had a significant number of young people booked onto holiday clubs and not attend. This takes spaces away from other children who would like to attend. If you book an activity for your child/ren and they can no longer attend, please contact the provider to cancel the spaces so these can be made available for other children.

Save yourself a trip to the tip, garden waste collections start in March. Book now for fortnightly collections through to December. We collect: grass, hedge clippings, plants, weeds and leaves.

Tax Free Childcare is here and you could be eligible for help towards your childcare costs for babies up to children 11 years old.