Whole School
Newsletters
Spring Term 1
Dear Parent and Carers,
A warm welcome back to the new school term and a very happy New Year to you all. I hope you have enjoyed a restful Christmas break. This term promises to be another very exciting and busy one for both pupils and staff.
Snow & Icy Weather: Thank you for everyone’s efforts getting pupils into school this week in the snowy and icy weather. A special thank you to Reception and KS1 parents/carers for your support and understanding during today’s emergency situation of no heating or hot water in the EY/ KS1 building. I am relieved to say the situation has been resolved and we will be open as usually on Monday morning to all pupils.
Please know that Newlaithes will always try to remain open for pupils during any periods of bad weather such as heavy falls of snow or extremely icy conditions, however, there may be occasions when school has to close for health and safety reasons. If this is the case, parents and carers will be notified through our emailing service and it will be reported on local radio stations (Radio Leeds, Radio Aire). In addition, you can visit Leeds City Council’s website where there will be an up-to-date list of closed schools.
When snow falls, please be reminded to supply your child with spare socks, wellingtons or walking boots, a coat, hat and gloves for school, all labelled. If pupils are properly equipped, it will increase the chance of them being able to go outside for fresh air during break times.
Schools are instructed not to authorise a pupil’s absence if the school remains open during spells of severe weather and if the child lives in the vicinity of the school. Arriving late is acceptable. This means that if school remains open and you live in the Horsforth area, your child is expected to attend school. Not attending under these circumstances will result in an unauthorised absence for your child.
Y1-Y6 Newsletters: These newsletters were emailed out before Christmas, containing important information regarding topics and timetables. Please check your inbox. Thank you. Reception newsletters continue to be emailed weekly and the first for this term will be sent out today.
Reception & KS1 Christmas Performances: Well done to the younger pupils in school who entertained their families with their Christmas performances at the end of last term. Everyone performed brilliantly and made us all so very proud. Thank you Reception and KS1 staff and pupils! And thank you parents and carers for the donations you were able to make. A fantastic £343.73 was donated. Half will go to Candlelighters, a charity that supports families whose children are facing cancer and the other half will buy much needed resources for Reception and KS1.
KS2 Carol Concert at St Margaret’s Church:
Similarly, KS2 pupils performed brilliantly and got us all into the Christmas spirit with their musical performances at St Margaret’s Church. Many thanks to school staff and St Margaret’s Church who worked hard to make the concert such a success. We received lots of positive feedback from families and friends of school about how great the pupils were, so well done KS2 pupils! Thank you for your donations, a fabulous £435.54 was raised! The money will be split between school’s chosen charity, Candlelighters and St Margaret’s Church’s chosen charity, Martin House.
PTA: A big thank you to the fantastic PTA for last term’s Christmas Fair. We held it on a Friday for the first time ever and while there were a couple of areas for improvement, we felt it was something we would like to continue with for subsequent fairs. The final amount raised was a fantastic £4200! We are really grateful to everyone who was able to attend, enjoy the events and stalls and help raise money for school. The focus for PTA funds this year is to purchase IT resources for pupils. PTA’s continued focus to raise money for school is so very much appreciated and vitally important in providing much needed resources to enhance the experience for our pupils. If you would like to find out more about the PTA and how you could become involved please email: hnpspta@gmail.com
Morrisons: Last term, some members of our School Council visited Morrisons in Horsforth to collect an £8,000 cheque from the Morrisons Foundation. We applied for the grant targeting our work towards therapeutic classrooms. School had to demonstrate how the funds would be spent on to benefit all pupils and to help make Newlaithes more inclusive. We are very grateful for their support and look forward to updating you in the coming months as our work continues.
Tapestry Learning Summaries in Reception
The teachers in Reception have written a learning summary linked to Independent Learning Time and the children’s learning skills. These were posted on Tapestry during the Christmas break. Please read them, share them with your child and then make a comment. For children to make the most progress, they need to feel a part of their education and so it is important that they engage with the feedback as well. Thanks in advance. We know how much you care about your child’s education so thanks for being so supportive and involved.
Goodbye and Good luck: We said goodbye to Roundabout Pre-school group at the end of last term, who have moved premises. Roundabout have been based at Newlaithes’ portacabin for such a long time, so we wish them luck as they embark on a new chapter in their new premises at the Scout Hut on New Road Side.
New Allergies or Intolerances: Please be reminded to update school as soon as possible if a pupil develops a new allergy or intolerance. You will need to provide school with an Allergy Plan so we can support appropriately. Thank you.
Punctuality: Despite the disruption to the start of the school day this week due to weather, it is always useful to be reminded about the importance of attendance and punctuality.
Being on time for school is vitally important for children’s education. Being frequently late adds up to lost learning:
- Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost a year.
- Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year.
- Arriving 30 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 19 days a year.
School doors are open to Reception and KS1 at 8.50am and for KS2 children, 8.45am. If your child arrives later than 5 minutes beyond these times, they will need to enter school via the front entrance instead of their classroom doors, where they will be asked to sign in at the office. Please remember that punctuality helps your child to feel secure when starting the school day and ensures that no vital learning is missed.
Driving & Parking Outside School: We have received a number of complaints from parents and carers about the speed at which some adults are driving up and down Victoria Crescent during the drop off and collection times. Please reduce your speed in the vicinity of school to avoid unnecessary accidents.
Parents and carers are also reminded to not park in the turning circle at the bottom of Victoria Crescent, or near the entrance to the staff car park. We have had numerous complaints from parents and carers that they are unable to safely turn around in this area and there have been instances where staff have been delayed coming into school because the entrance to the car park has been blocked. It is everybody’s priority to keep the area around school as safe as possible.
We have a PCSO who will routinely check parking at school drop off and collection times on Victoria Crescent and the nearby roads. Please be reminded that fines will be issued on the spot for inappropriate parking.
E-Safety: This year’s Safer Internet Day is scheduled for Tuesday 11th February when we will be reminding pupils of staying safe when using games and technology. As a society we increasingly rely on technology and the internet to live our lives and whilst there are many benefits to this, it can pose serious risks to children and young people.
Class Photographs: These will be taken on Monday 3rd March.
Reminders:
- Pupils should bring a water bottle to school. Being hydrated helps your child to concentrate, so please help by providing your child with a named plastic bottle for school. This needs to be returned home each day to be washed.
- Please clearly label uniforms and lunchboxes.
Breaktime Snacks: Please be reminded that KS2 children are permitted to bring in a piece of fruit or vegetable to eat during morning break, which is in line with what is provided for Reception and KS1 pupils. Sugary snacks, pastries, biscuits and crisps are not permitted.
PCEs: The next set of meetings will be held on 11th and 13th March to share progress and next steps. More information will follow.
Swimming: Y4 pupils (Willow) will restart their swimming sessions on Tuesday 14th January.
Parent/ Carer Survey: Thank you if you have already managed to submit your responses. The survey closes on 17th January so there is still time! We will share the results with you after this date. Please use the link to access the survey.
https://forms.office.com/e/pWdH7UWv8u
Urgent Request: We are desperate for volunteers to hear our pupils read. If you or anybody you know has spare time each week to come in and support us in this way, even if it was just for an hour a week, please contact the school office.
Yours sincerely,
Joanne Blacoe
Headteacher
Dates for Your Diary
Remaining Training Days - 2024 - 25:
- Fri 2nd June
- Mon 21st July
- Tues 22nd July
9 Jan Y5 & Y6 Athletics
13 Jan Karate for Y1 & Y5
14 Jan Y6 parents SATs & Whitby meeting 5.30pm / Y4 swimming restarts (Willow)
17 Jan Closing date for parent/ carer survey
20 Jan Parent forum on emotional regulation part 1
22 Jan National Holocaust Museum visit to Y6
27 Jan Churches Together assembly / Young Voices singing event for Y5 & Y6
28 Jan Nurse visit for Reception and Y6 pupils
30 Jan Y2 visit Armley Mills
10 Feb Safeguarding Me Week
11 Feb Safer Internet Day
14 Feb School closes for half term break / PTA non-uniform day
24 Feb School opens to pupils
25 Feb Parent forum on emotional regulation part 2
3 Mar Class photos
6 Mar World Book Day
11 Mar PCEs
13 Mar PCEs / Y5 visit Lotherton Hall
14 Mar PTA Discos
24 Mar World Maths Day
31 Mar Autism Awareness Week
2 Apr Swimming Gala for Y4 – Y6
4 Apr PTA non-uniform day / School closes for Easter break
22 Apr School opens to pupils
2 May Y3 visit Leeds Museum
5 May Bank holiday school closed
6 May School opens to pupils
12 May KS2 SATs Week
23 May PTA non-uniform / School closes for half term break
2 June Training Day – school closed to pupils
3 June School opens to pupils
4 June Police transition talk to Y6
9 July Y6 residential to Whitby
11 July Y6 return from Whitby
16 July PTA discos
18 July School closes for summer break
Other letters to parents
Curriculum drivers launch for parents
Whole school letter re chicken pox shingles and measles April 2022