January 2009 Newsletter

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year to you all. We hope that you all had an enjoyable holiday and that everyone is feeling a lot healthier than was the case at the end of last term. Well done to all the children who managed to get through the week of the plays and perform so well for all the parents, despite the children & staff suffering an unprecedented amount of sickness.

We would like to welcome all the new children to the Nursery. They will be starting this week in the afternoon. We hope you and your parents enjoy being with us and that you settle in very quickly to the nursery routine.

The reception classes will be having open mornings this term to which Year R parents will be invited in due course. This is a good opportunity for you to come into school and work with your children in the classroom. You will find out for yourselves what school life is like and what you can do at home to support their education.

We have come back to a very cold spell of weather and we would just like to remind you that, on the very rare occasion of there being extreme weather conditions, it may be necessary to close the school. If this is the case, you will receive a text message, email or electronic landline message telling you that the school is closed, through the group call facility that Mrs Bailey has set up. (Please ensure that we have up to date mobile & landline phone numbers for you.)You can also listen to BBC radio Essex on 103.5 & 95.3.fm, who will be broadcasting the names of schools that are shut because of the weather.

In cold weather the school can be very hazardous to reach, as it was on the first day of term. We have contacted Harlow Highways about gritting Monkswood Avenue but we have been told that because it is not a main thoroughfare and is not on a bus route they will not include it in their gritting schedule, despite the fact that there is a school at the top of the hill. Therefore if you do drive to school please be aware that both Monkswood Avenue and Quendon Drive can be extremely dangerous with black ice and to drive with extra caution particularly at busy times.

On Thursday January 15th the school has to count the number of children who are entitled to have free school meals. This information is very important to the school as it affects both funding for next year and the interpretation of school data. Therefore we would ask that, if you are entitled to free school meals, that your child has one on the 15th January. If you are on the following benefits you are entitled to apply for free school meals
• Income Support
• Income based job seekers allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration & asylum Act 1999
• Child tax credit providing that you do not receive Working Tax credit and have an annual income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed £15,575 (new income threshold)
• Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
If you think you would qualify please come in to the school office and talk to Mrs Horncastle, our school secretary, who will be treat any information you share with her in the strictest confidence.

Mrs Kemp and our Eco warriors are working towards our Green Eco Flag award. One of the things that they would like to improve is the number of plants that we have in school. The committee have asked if parents have any spare plants or cuttings e.g. from spider plants, that we could have. Please contact Mrs Kemp or leave a message at the office if you have anything suitable to donate.

We do have a large collection of lost property in school. If your child has lost anything recently please come and check the box in the entrance hall before we send it all to a charity shop.

We are running two courses for parents this term, one to help develop your ICT skills and one to help you work with your children at home, particularly with reading. With the latter course your child will be invited to come along and work with you for the last half an hour of the session. Letters will be going out shortly inviting you to attend. We do hope that you will come along.

The ladies of the PTA worked very hard last term and are ready to organise new events for this term. If you are able to help, in any way at all, please come along to the next meeting on Thursday 8th January in the meetings room.

Thank you for all your help and support in 2008. We look forward to working with you in school during 2009.
With best wishes
Mrs. Mooney and all the staff

Diary dates

Please note that Gold Award assembly dates have been provisionally booked and may be subject to change. You will receive an invitation confirming these dates nearer the time.

January

5th - Mrs Bassi’s class parents invited in to lunch all week.
8th - PTA meeting 9.15am 9th - Mrs Bassi’s Gold Award assembly
12th - Miss Sullivan’s class parents invited in to lunch all week
16th - Miss Sullivan’s Gold Award assembly, Multiskills festival – 16 KS1 children to KHS sport centre
19th - Year R open mornings all week, Miss Hurry’s & Mrs Evans class parents invited in to lunch all week
22nd - (Thursday)Miss Hurry’s & Mrs Evans Gold Award assembly, Waste Bus in year 2
26th - Mrs Cuncarr’s class parents invited in to lunch all week
28th - Adult ICT course starts – 6 week session – ICT suite 1.30-3.00
30th - Mrs Cuncarr’s Gold Award assembly, Family Learning – Keeping up with the children – 6 week session, 9.15-11.15 – library


February
2nd - Mrs Mc Vie’s class parents invited in to lunch all week Chinese Lion day workshop – whole school
6th - Mrs McVie’s Gold Award assembly
12th - SATs Year 2 meeting with parents 6.00-6.30 – school hall Open Evening 3.10-5.00 6.30-8.00 - classrooms – all year groups
13th - Blunderbus Theatre company in all day Break up for half term
23rd - School Inset day
24th - School reopens after half term Mrs Huckett’s class parents invited in to lunch all week
27th - Festival Of Gym & Dance - 12 KS 1 children to attend Mrs Huckett’s Gold Award assembly

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