Friday 13 January 2023
Headteacher's Update
Happy New Year to all of our children and families. It's been a busy start to 2023. The children returned to school and were very impressed with the new carpets that have been laid throughout the school. I'm sure you'll agree from these photos that they make the school look very smart. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Friends for their very generous donation that has made this possible.
Just before Christmas our children enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Watermill Theatre to see Rapunzel. The Friends kindly bought every child an ice-cream for the interval. I would like to thank the Friends for helping to make the trip so special.
For full details of the 'Friends' fund raising in 2022, check out their latest blog post.
Casa Club
Casa Clubs offer a Breakfast and After school club for all of our families, which will be switching to St Thomas' from 30 January 2023.
Both are open to all Infant and Junior school children, with a walking bus from the Infants to the Juniors in the morning and in reverse in the afternoon.
The booking process is simple and easy. Register at Casa's website www.casaclubs.co.uk
A Guide to Online Safety & Gaming
We understand that online gaming is increasingly popular amongst our pupils and we teach them to be safe when online. The South West Grid for Learning has published a pamphlet on how to best keep safe whilst using online software and games. With advice on reporting and blocking, online socialisation and the considerations on online gaming, the pamphlet can be a useful resource for parents.
Lunch Money
Recently we have had a number of families that have owed large amounts of dinner money to the school. We understand that these are challenging times for many and I would urge anyone who is struggling to pay for their child's meals to contact the school so we can look to see what support we can put in place.
We will contact families when more than £50 is owed on meals. When debts total more than £100 we will have a discussion with the family regarding them accessing the schools meals service moving forward.
An Evening of Star Gazing
Earlier this year we changed our Federation Houses to the names of constellations that can be seen in the night sky above Woolton Hill. On 1st Feb we invite children and parents to join us on the playground at Woolton Hill Junior School to gaze up at the night sky and see what they can spot.
The event will be supported by Newbury Astronomical Society. They will be bringing along some telescopes, but families are invited to bring their own equipment, if they have it, for their own use. Children must be supervised by an adult for the duration of the event.
To register your place, please click below:
Book Sale
On Thursday 19th January after school there will be a book sale on the playground (or in hall if wet). We have a large number of ex Library books which need a new home! We would like them to find new home and continue to be read. Please visit with your child and make a donation to take as many books away as you would like. All funds will go to the PTA and will come back to school to support your child(ren).
Attendance Autumn 2022
Here are our attendance figures for the Autumn term:
I would like to congratulate pupils in Year 2 for having the highest attendance. The Federation targets attendance of above 96%. The current national average is 93.3%.
High levels of attendance are an important ingredient in a child's success at school. We are committed to working in partnership with our families and a member of staff will make contact with you, if your child's attendance is causing a concern. They will talk about how we can support your family to increase a child's attendance at school.
Star Awards
The following children received Star Awards this week! They should all be really proud, well done!
6th January: Seb L, Lilliana F, Harper D, Isabelle G, Barnaby W, Lila R, Daniel B, Tilly C, William S and all of Ash class.
13th January: Ashley M, Josie F, Maddison S, Max N
Six Strands Awards
Focus
13th January: Ella W, Issy C, Emilia K
Find out more about our 'Six Strands Curriculum' here.
Hot Chocolate
6th January: Joel H, Martin M-B, Henry A, Sophia C and Alice S.
13th January: Nell W, William W, Jemima R
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