Dear Parents/Carers,
As we begin a new school year I would like to extend a warm welcome to all our parents, staff and children, particularly those who are new to our school. I was very impressed with how well all the pupils settled into their new classes and routines yesterday. My thanks to the staff who have worked so hard in the recent days to prepare the children and help them to settle in and to you the parents for getting your children to school on time, smartly dressed and ready to learn. Newsletters go out every week, normally on a Friday which will keep you fully informed about everything that is going on in school. At the end of every newsletter will be future dates for your diary which I would encourage you to make note of. I will be putting all the dates for this term in the next newsletter which goes out on Friday. This first newsletter contains lots of important information for new parents and reminders for returning families. I look forward to a very successful year at St. Joseph’s and to a good and positive partnership between school and you the parents.
Staff
As we begin a new school year, I would like to welcome four new class teachers to St Joseph’s. Miss Hoy (3H) and Miss Kamara (3K) will be in Year 3, Miss Osei (5O) will be in Year 5 and Mrs Christodoulou will be teaching 4RB on Thursdays and Fridays. All four teachers have already worked in school in the summer term and have been in over the summer break to get ready for the new term. Mrs Lock will remain on maternity leave this year and is due to return in 2020. Congratulations also to Ms Lenihan who got married over the summer and is now Mrs Mullen.
Masses and Assemblies
There will be a list of all the Masses and assemblies for this term in the list of dates at the end of the next newsletter which goes out on Friday. Class/Year group Masses are normally on Tuesdays at 9:00am in the school hall and assemblies are normally on Thursdays at 2:30pm also in the school hall but please check the weekly newsletters for dates and times. Parents and families are always welcome to join us for any of the Masses or assemblies that are held in school this term.
Home-School Communication
As returning parents will know, we have a system to allow us to send newsletters and information about trips etc. electronically and this will continue to be the case. Parents who are new to the school will also be able to access this facility very soon but meantime you will receive paper copies. We will also be sending home information to parents in due course to enable you to check that the contact details we hold are accurate and up to date.
Security and Safety
It was nice to see so many of you dropping off your children at the start of the new term yesterday morning and today. The first bell rings at 8:45am and pupils who have already arrived make their way to class. Another bell rings at 8:50am and this marks the official start of the school day. Pupils arriving after 8:50am will be recorded as late. At the end of the school day your child will meet you at the gate between 3:05 and 3:15pm. Pupils who are not picked up by 3:15pm and where we have received no message or communication from the parent/carer/child-minder will be placed in our After School Club until collected and a charge of £6 will be incurred. If you are running late or get stuck in traffic, please let us know.
The security and safety of all pupils is of paramount importance to us and we have security locks on the pedestrian gate and car park gate. The car park gate is locked all day, the pedestrian gate is open before school from 8:00 to 8:50am and after school from 3:00 to 3:15pm to allow the children to arrive and leave. At all other times the gate is locked and access will be by means of the buzzer and intercom to the school office. This also means that pupils who arrive after 8:50am will need to press the buzzer. All staff, volunteers and visitors to the school are required to wear an identity badge at all times while they are on school premises.
If you need to speak to any member of staff, please go firstly to the school office. Teachers are always happy to speak to you but it is difficult when they are supervising their classes.
Dinner Money
School dinners must be paid in advance using Atomwide Pay+ on the school web-site. We no longer accept cash or cheque payments for dinners. The present cost of a school meal is £2.20 per day (£11.00 per week).
After School Club
We are currently taking bookings for our After School Club which runs from 3:05 to 6:30pm each school day. Application forms are available from the school office or can be downloaded from the school website. Our prices remain unchanged for this year so the current cost is £14 per day or £50 for a full week. We also offer an occasional ad hoc service which costs £7 up till 4:30pm and £14 up till 6:30pm. In the past parents have found this useful if they know they are going to be late picking up their child or are attending a meeting after school. Ad hoc services can be booked over the phone or by coming to the school office to request a place. We sent home fliers to our existing parents at the end of last term and will send these to our new parents this week. Please note we are offering free taster sessions next week from 9th to 13th September when you can book your child in for one evening that week. I will be sending home forms to everyone this week to enable you to book a place.
Breakfast Club
Our Breakfast Club runs from 7:45 to 8:40am each school day, last entry being 8:25am. The cost is £3.00 per day and there is no need to book in advance. This offers a safe and warm environment for children who need to be dropped off before 8:30am, particularly as we move through autumn towards the darker winter mornings. Please note there should be no children in our playground before 8:25am as they cannot be supervised.
Uniform/PE Kits
It was lovely to see all the children looking very smart in their uniforms this week. We want the children to be proud to wear the St Joseph’s uniform and we hope they keep up the high standard. Uniform is on sale every day this week and then every second Wednesday from 8:50am in the dining hall. Please make sure all items of uniform are clearly named, this helps us return lost uniform to the correct child. All pupils should make sure they have a full PE kit in school this week, again clearly marked with their name and kept in a suitable bag. Can I remind parents that children should now be in full school uniform including white shirts with ties. The summer uniform does not apply from September even if we have warm weather.
Bicycles/Scooters
It is nice to see lots of children now coming to school on bicycles and scooters in the morning. We have a bicycle rack at the far end of the playground next to the Year 6 classes and I need to remind children not to ride their bicycles or scooters inside the school gate and to push them safely to the bicycle rack. This is a very healthy way to get to and from school but we don’t want any accidents on route or inside the school. The school cannot be responsible for any bikes or scooters left in school overnight.
Medicines/Inhalers
The school does not administer any medication except in special cases involving Epipens or pupils who are diabetic. Any medicines in school are kept securely in our medical room. Pupils who use inhalers need to always have sufficient quantities in school that are in date and clearly marked. If your child is taken ill or has an accident in school we will always endeavour to contact you or a named relative/family friend so it is vital that we hold up to date contact information for every child in school. We will have care plans in school for any child who has a medical condition and these are updated annually to reflect any changes.
First Holy Communion 2019
Application forms for First Holy Communion next year are available at the back of the Church. Children need to be in school Year 3 or above. Completed forms must be returned to the Parish Office (not the school) by Friday 6th September or your child will not be able to make their first communion in 2020.
Year Group Parent Meetings
We will be holding an information evening for parents of each year group during September. I will speak on general school matters and the class teachers will go over the curriculum and other classroom issues.
There will be a meeting for Year 6 parents on Wednesday 11th September at 7:00pm in the school hall and then a meeting for Year 3, 4 and 5 parents on Wednesday 25th September at 3:30pm also in the school hall. The Year 6 parents have an earlier and separate meeting because there are things I need to go over with them such as the residential trip to Buckden in October and particular Year 6 matters such as secondary school applications.
Please note that these are general year group meetings. If you wish to discuss something personal to your child you can make an appointment to see the class teacher. An individual consultation evening will be held later in the term and please remember that you can contact the school at any time if you have a particular worry or issue you wish to discuss.
Mobile Phones
An increasing number of our children bring mobile phones to school. While this is not something we encourage, we accept that in some circumstances there is a good reason such as a pupil travelling by public transport to and from school. The school policy is that only pupils in Years 5 and 6 can bring phones to school and they should only be used to contact parents. They must be handed into the school office on arrival and collected at the end of the day. Any pupil found using their phone in the playground or in class will have it taken away and parents will be contacted to come and collect it. No pupils in Years 3 and 4 should bring a phone to school. Please note the school cannot take responsibility for mobile phones being lost or damaged and you as parents have to ensure the children know how to keep themselves safe if they have a phone.
Travelling to school
While your children are travelling to and from school wearing their uniform, we expect the same level of behaviour as we would inside the school itself. This is particularly true if children are walking to school on their own or with other pupils. I do not want to hear about any pupil behaving inappropriately on the street or in local shops or behaving in a manner that could put themselves or others at risk of getting hurt. All the time they are in uniform they are representing St Joseph’s and should conduct themselves accordingly.
School Photographs
All the pupils will have their individual photographs taken in school this Thursday 5th September in the morning. You will then have an opportunity to view and buy the photographs of your child/children later in the month.
Lettings
The school is available to hire for events such as birthday parties, family events etc. We can offer facilities such as the hall, dining room and the playground at very competitive prices. I have hired the facilities myself on several occasions for family events and we already have some bookings for this term. If you would like to make enquiries or a booking, please come to the school office for a form.
“History Week”
We are beginning the new school year by holding “History Week”. Each year group has planned their curriculum around one of the topics they will be teaching this year so Y3 will be learning about the Stone Age, Y4 The Romans, Y5 The Victorians and Y6 The Mayans. Our aim is to get all the pupils fully engaged in their leaning and to ensure we are covering all the curriculum areas in the first week.
Non-Uniform Days
At various points during the school year we will hold non-uniform days when children can come to school in their own clothes in return for bringing in £1 or another item. We use these to raise money for various charities, to support fundraising days such as the Christmas Bazaar or Summer Fayre or to buy things for school. We will be holding 3 of these days on Fridays in September when children can bring £1 in return for wearing their own clothes. All the money raised on Friday will be for school funds to enable us to buy resources for the pupils this year. The non-uniform days in September will be: Friday 13th September, Friday 20th September and Friday 27th September. I will update you as we go through the term as to when non-uniform days will be and, what the children will need to bring.
Library
We have been busy with the refurbishment of our library over part of the summer break and a big thank you to the staff and parents who came in to help when the summer play scheme was running. Most of the library has been painted and decorated and we have bought new books and beanbags for the pupils to use when it is up and running which hopefully will be in a couple of weeks’ time.
Building Work
We were due to have quite a lot of work done on the school over the summer break including the Year 6 annexe block roof, replacement of all the skylights in the main part of the school and upgrading some of our lighting. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control some of the work wasn’t completed or even started. This time last week I was worried we wouldn’t be able to open on time on Tuesday but happily the work was halted and everything was tidied up ready to open for the pupils. The work will be completed over the October half term and on some Saturdays so it won’t interfere with the smooth running of the school.
After School Activities
As I have mentioned in my final newsletter in July, we are planning to run a series of After School Activities this term alongside our established after school club. We will charge for most of these activities, between £2.50 and £3.00 per session depending on who is running them. All the activities will run from 3:15-4:15pm except the Cooking Club which runs till 5:00pm and can be booked in advance and paid for in blocks of 6 weeks. Apart from the outside coaches, all the activities will be run by our own staff. At the moment these are the clubs we will be offering. We are looking to add other clubs as we go through the year.
- Monday – Computer Club (Years 3 and 4) 6 weeks = £15
- Monday – Basketball Club (Year 5 and 6) 6 weeks = £18
- Monday – E17 Gymnastics Club (all year groups) this will continue to be run by an external coach Tracey Morrison and you can book directly through her and pay at e17-gym-club.class4kids.co.uk.
- Tuesday – Football Club (Boys in Years 3 and 4) 6 weeks = £18
- Tuesday – Dance Stables Dance Club (all year groups) will continue to be run by an external teacher and you book directly at info@dancestables.co.uk.
- Wednesday – Football Club (Boys in Years 5 and 6) 6 weeks = £18
- Wednesday – Cooking Club (all year groups) 6 weeks = £24
- Thursday – Gardening Club (all year groups) 6 weeks = £15
- Thursday – Girls Football Club (Girls in Years 5 and 6) 6 weeks = £18
- Thursday – Basketball Club (Years 3 and 4) 6 weeks = £18
- Thursday – Choir (all year groups) free
- Friday – Art and Craft Club (all year groups) 6 weeks = £15
We will also run some lunchtime clubs for activities such as sewing, art and craft, chess and Lego but these will be by invitation only to support particular pupils and of course will be free. If you wish you can also book your child into the after school club once they have finished their activity and we will charge a different rate from the normal club. Our aim is to have as many pupils as possible taking part in after school activities.
I will be sending out a booking form tomorrow where you can choose which club you would like your child to attend and then return it to school with the payment. For the Monday Gymnastics Club and Tuesday Dance Club you will need to book directly with the teachers/coaches who run these clubs, for the other clubs you book through the school.
Apologies for putting a lot of information in this first newsletter but I think it is important to establish clear guidelines and expectations at the start of the new year.
Yours sincerely,
J Alexander (Head teacher)
