Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Welcome back. I hope you had a brilliant summer. It is lovely to see all the children back. It is great to see them. I really enjoyed watching them saying hello to each other and they were so happy to see each other. It was a pleasure to watch. They have come back with big smiles and ready for the new academic year.

 

The solar panels are up. We have already started to use them and it will be great to see a difference in our electricity bills. Thank you to everyone who has helped fundraise for this project. This includes parents, carers, children and staff. By working together we were able to make this project happen really quickly and it will make a big difference to the school.

 

Year 5 and 6 can walk home from school on their own if we receive permission from you. You can also leave permission for year 5 and 6 children to walk home after clubs. Please ensure you give permission for these if this is okay as we cannot let a child walk home on their own without it.  The children can also bring in mobile phones but they must hand them in to the teacher straight away. We are going to encourage children to not have smartphones because of the following reasons –

• Sleep issues: Using smartphones before bed can disrupt sleep patterns because the bright light from the screen prevents the body from producing melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. 
• Mental health: Excessive use of smartphones can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. 
• Cyberbullying: Children are vulnerable to cyberbullying, which can cause psychological distress and mental health issues. 
• Social skills: Spending more time on a smartphone than interacting with people can impair social skills development. 
• Physical health: Excessive use of smartphones can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with physical health problems. 
• Access to unsuitable content: Smartphones provide unfettered access to the internet, which can expose children to unsuitable content. 
• Eye strain: Smartphones can cause eye strain. 
• Decreased attention span: Smartphones can lead to a decreased attention span. 
• Phone theft: Smartphones are at risk of being stolen. 
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I am aware that ultimately it is a parent and carer’s decision which phone their child has but I would really appreciate the above being thought about. Thank you for your support with this.

 

Please remember to walk around the school after drop off and when you collect. Please do not go back through the main gate. This avoids congestion. Key Stage 2 come in on their own at 8:50am and Key Stage 1, Reception and Nursery come in accompanied by an adult at 8:55am. The collection time for Key Stage 2 is 3:10pm and the collection time for Key Stage 1, Reception and Nursery is 3:15pm. Thank you.

 

Please remember to look at the website calendar for dates. There are meetings coming up which gives you the opportunity to meet the teacher and hear about what your child will be learning this year. We hope you can make these.

 

We have our International Food Welcome Event on Friday 20^th September at 3:30pm . I would really appreciate any dishes or food donations that you could make for this and we really hope you can come. It is a great opportunity to welcome new families.

We are really excited that Nursery and Reception start back on Monday and we cannot wait to see them.

 

Have a lovely weekend and it is so great to have you all back,

Jessica

Headteacher