Friday 18th October 2024
Welcome to ‘The Whispering Woodland’ Library!
Thank you to all our parents and carers who joined us last night after school for our termly Celebration of Learning event, where we officially opened our new library: The Whispering Woodland! We hope you enjoyed seeing the work your children have been doing so far this year and thank you for your support in the hall as we raised a wonderful £173.10, which will go towards opportunities for the children. Well done to the children who performed the superb ‘Woodland Dance’ routine – you were all excellent!
As a school community, we have been working incredibly hard to develop Reading across our school over the last few years. Not only is pupil’s reading ability improving, our pupils are developing a strong love of reading and the work to develop the library space has been a key part of our strategy for this. Last night, our Chair of Governors Mrs Kathryn Bratt thanked all of those who have been involved in this exciting project. We would particularly like to thank one of our parents Mr Joe Williamson, who gave his time to make the fantastic entrance, trees and benches! We are also indebted to John and Josie Stringer, who own the local Catalogue Store Outlet, for their donations to school to support us with fundraising, which has been coordinated by Mrs Hand – a MASSIVE THANK YOU everyone! Both John and Joe are pictured above opening the new library.
We are also very grateful to our English Leader, Miss Smyth, and Early Reading Leader, Miss Catterall for their creative vision and leadership. A big thanks to all our staff as well who helped them to put the library together. Lastly, I would like to thank you for your amazing support and generosity with fundraising for new books and resources. We value the partnership we have between school and home and look forward to continuing to work together to develop new provision for your children in the future.
In other news this week, the children in Esk and Nidd had a fantastic school trip to the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield. They loved exploring the different vehicles and learning new things! Also, 20 children from Team’s Aire and Ouse travelled to Selby to represent our school in the regional multi-skills event. All the children tried their best and represented the school exceptionally well! Well done!
In other news, a reminder that we are having our Black History week next week, which we are launching on Monday with a visit from Zamble to do African Dancing! Parents and carers are welcome to attend our showcase assembly at 14:30 for a taster of what the children have learned during their workshops throughout the day. On Wednesday we will be having a Harvest Assembly in school with the children. We will be collecting donations of canned or dry food items to send to the Foodbank in Knottingley. If you would like to make a donation, please send it to the school office by next Wednesday 23rd October.
We are also pleased to announce that we have a new club from ‘Perfect Pitch’ starting after half-term for children in Nidd, Aire and Ouse on a Wednesday after-school. The cost is £4 a week and the sessions will run for 6 weeks for children who would like to develop their skills in performing arts. Further information is available below.
Thank you for your continued support! Mr Greene
Attendance
Attendance Update
Our school target is 97%
This week our attendance was 94%
Nidd – 96%
Aire – 94%
Ouse – 94%
Derwent –99%
Foss – 92%
Calder – 93%
Humber – 87%
Safeguarding Thought of the Week
Online Safety
As the nights draw in more children will be taking more to their internet enabled devices and spending more time online. We understand the important role that technology plays in our lives and the connections it can bring. However, as a school we are also aware of the risks to children when going online. Below is some information about keeping your children safe online and where you can access further information;
Online Gaming – What are the risks? Cyber bullying, talking to unknown people, in-game purchases and trolling.
Social Media – What are the risks? Sharing their location or personal information, talking to people they don’t know, sending or receiving inappropriate content, unrealistic sense of body image and obsessing over likes and comments.
Accessing the internet – What are the risks? Viewing inappropriate and explicit material, talking to unknown people, sharing personal information
When talking to children about their online activity we recommend that you speak to them regularly and use a non-judgemental approach. For tips and advice on talking to your children about online safety and lots of other advice about how to keep your children safe online please visit;
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/#guides
Dates for your diary:
| Monday 21st October 2024 | Parent consultation meetings online all week – dates for each class teacher to follow. |
| Black History Week – Monday 21st-Friday 25th October 2024 | |
| Zamble Dance Workshops – each class to take part in African dance workshops throughout the day to celebrate Black History month. | |
| Parent Assembly – Zamble Dance – Parents and carers, please join us to see what your children have been learning with a performance at 14:30 in the hall | |
| Wednesday 23rd October 2024 | Balance Bike Day with Pro Ride – EYFS and Year 1 |
| Friday 25th October 2024 | Non-uniform day – please send in a donation for our Christmas Fundraising events. |
| 15:15 School closes for half-term break. | |
| Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November 2024 | Half-Term – School Closed |
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS September 2024
Please use the google forms communicated via Parenthub to sign up for the Clubs.
Young Voices Information has been sent for KS2 pupils on Parenthub
NEW AFTER SCHOOL CLUB – STARTS WEDNESDAY 6th November 2024
Sessions for Reception to Year 2 pupils
Sessions will be charged at £4 per week which is payable on Parentpay
Please ensure you pre-book school lunches and breakfast club on Parentpay 48 hours in advance of the day required
