We know that having a clear line of communication to your child’s class teacher is something that many of you have asked for – for when you want to ask a question, give an update, or pass on some relevant information. We have decided to open this channel of communication via emails directly to your class teacher.

We want to allow parents and guardians to have an open, respectful, and collaborative communication channel, so have created a helpful set of guidelines that can support both you and the class teacher and clarify expectations.

Please have a read of the guidelines by following the link to our website here. 

If your child is attending Kaboom after school, particularly if they are in Reception or KS1, please let us know. We are finding that some of our younger children are getting upset when parents don't pick up, but if we know this is the case before the end of the day, we can manage this well and avoid children becoming unnecessarily upset. Thankyou for your support. 

On Tuesday we are looking forward to our annual Harvest Assembly at St. Francis Church. We'd love to see lots of parents and families there. 

On Tuesday, please drop your children at school as usual. We ask that parents/ Guardians arrive at St Francis Church at 9am. The Assembly will begin at as close to 9am as possible. We look forward to joining you as soon as everyone has arrived in school and registers have been completed.

Values of The Week 

Today, teachers have awarded certificates to the following children for demonstrating Respect.

October marks the start of Black History Month. A time to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of black people across the globe. Here at BVP we will be learning a range of gospel songs in assemblies and listening to a range of music reflecting the rich musical culture of black history month. There are also Black History events taking place across Birmingham over the next four weeks - you can check them out here.  

Esme's News!

We want to say a huge congratulations to our very own Esme for her recent outstanding gymnastic achievement. She qualified as one of the top two gymnasts in her age category for the West Midlands after competing at the Inter-Regional Challenge Cup Final. The competition was held at Birmingham's Utilita Arena last weekend. Esme came third, which means she is now third in the whole of the United Kingdom for her age group! This is a huge accomplishment, not only for Esme, but for the rest of the West Midlands who, as a team, came second. The BVP family are very proud of her and wish her all the luck for her future competitions. 

We have completed week 4 already and lots of our children have settled in well to their new classes. 

We know that for some of our children changes can be hard, cause worries, and can take time to get used to. We have successful introduced Worry Boxes into our classroom and the children have begun to use these to help manage their worries and communicate with their adults. 

There are lots of resources we can share with you to help support your child's worries at home too. Please see below for some guidance and an activity you can try at home. If you would like further support and resources to try, please contact the Pastoral Team by phone 0121 675 9098 or email [email protected] 

Guidance for parents: 

https://childmind.org/article/10-tips-for-parenting-anxious-kids/ 

Guidance for parents:

https://bwc.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n3335.pdf&ver=4955

Activity:

https://bwc.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n3748.pdf&ver=5502

It was wonderful to welcome back Max Walsh to our school last Friday. Max left BVPS in 2019 and had already shared with us his immense talent on the piano and composition.

Max along with 5 other musicians from King Edwards School performed for the whole of KS2 and under the leadership of Dr Martin Leigh (Director of Music), the children were introduced to solo piano and trumpet playing and a string quartet. Max played some jazz and also arranged a piece for the quartet which contained some very well-known pieces, which the children enjoyed tremendously. You know when a concert has gone well, when you have children coming and asking whether they can learn an instrument!

Thank you to Max and all the musicians for inspiring our young musicians with such amazing playing. We really hope you come back and visit us again soon.

We are also celebrating the amazing achievement of Rosa in Year 6, who has achieved a distinction (the highest award possible) in her grade 1 Tuned Percussion. We think Rosa is the only musician to have achieved this award at BVPS! What a fantastic achievement Rosa, we are really proud of you!

Thank you to all those parents who have returned their Young Voices forms. The deadline has now passed to order tickets and T-Shirts.

Thank you also to those parents who have responded confirming if their child can perform in the Town Hall on 10th December with Midland Hospital Choir. If you haven’t responded, could you please do so as soon as possible, as we have to apply for the children's performance licence.

We are very excited to be welcoming children’s author Frank Cotterell-Boyce to school next week! Frank will be meeting with our year 3-6 pupils in George Hall on Tuesday morning at 10.00 (just after the Harvest celebrations) to talk about his new book, The Wonder Brothers. He will be doing a 45 minute presentation plus Q&A sessions to give the children a chance to ask him any questions about his book and being a writer. 

You should have all received an email with a link to buy Frank's books. Any books purchased will be signed and if any children already have copies of these books at home, we are sure Frank would be happy to sign these too! To read more about Frank and his books, head over to his website. 

As we're still near the beginning of a new academic year, I thought I’d take the opportunity to highlight what attendance looks like at BVPS and why attendance matters!

At BVPS we believe that ‘Every School Day Counts’ and all children are expected to attend school unless they are too ill to do so.  Our attendance procedures are in place to safeguard children by ensuring that they attend school regularly. Regular school attendance is vital not only for children’s academic success but also for their personal, social, and emotional development. Research has shown that children with good school attendance build up stronger friendship groups and are happy learners and this is why attendance in school every day is our school priority. As a Rights Respecting School, the UN Convention on The Rights of the Child is fundamental to our effective practice. Implementation of this policy supports Article 28: Every child has the right to an education. Primary education must be free and different forms of secondary education must be available to every child.

Look out for weekly attendance news and messages from me!

Reception applications for the next academic year opens Monday 2nd October. If you would like your little ones to join the BVP family, you can apply online by filling out the form here.

We cannot wait to welcome more eager learners to our school. 

Please don't forget!

If your child requires medication, you must complete a medical form. This can be done at the school office (Woodbrooke Road entrance)

A set of keys was found on the playground yesterday morning. 

If you or someone you know has lost their keys recently, please come to the school office as this could be yours!

As you know we have been working hard to secure quality before and after school provision for our children. Many clubs are fully booked, but some of our providers have availability in Dance and Gymnastics Years 1 to 6, Lingotots KS1, Drama KS2.

Please click the link to see the before and afterschool club timetable

https://bournville-village.sch.life/Page/Detail/before-and-after-school-clubs-and-activities 

Please look out for the emails or contact Mr Evans for more information.

More information on after school sports clubs will follow soon.

We are very much looking forward to Year 4 joining us on Tuesday 3^rd October for your Harvest Festival!

This year we are collecting donations for the B30 & South Birmingham Foodbank, who are currently giving out far more food than they are receiving so donations are very much needed. If you’re able to, please make a donation, but no fresh food, thanks. Their website (b30.foodbank.org.uk) has a list of what’s needed most.

Also, can we ask that all donations are brought over on the day of your service. If there’s a problem with this, please let us know. Finally, help getting chairs out ready for the services and putting them away afterwards would be most appreciated!

Thank you.

As we coming up to annual harvest celebrations in school and in our community, we would like to remind you of our ongoing support for the B30 Food Bank. So whether you would like to donate at the Church with Year 4, or pop produce directly into school, any donation of any size will be hugely appreciated. 

Take care all and we hope you have a good weekend.