Welcome Back (School Newsletter)

This week has been wonderful having the children back in school, it is staring to feel normal again. The children have settled back into routines extremely well with outstanding behaviour and attitude.

On Tuesday when they returned, visiting each class was so heartwarming seeing how the children were working and eager to learn.

The past eighteen months have been so disrupted in many ways and the children have had to learn some things again. One particular routine has been the lunchtime organisation. We had all forgotten how to sort out dirty dishes at the end of eating lunch! This re-learning has meant timings have been a bit extended but all childrne have had the right attitude and positive outlook. I am sure they will be tired at the end of the week.

Thank you for your support throughout the week, I know that continued changes in organisation can sometimes put added pressure on home life.

As ever if you have any queries please do ask.

Therese Worrall

Today we shared Sunday’s Gospel message with the children. It is the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time this weekend and Mark’s Gospel tells us of the occasion when Jesus told his disciples that they must be prepared to give up luxuries to follow the message of God completely. This was a surprise to some and left them feeling unfcomfortable.

The simple message to share with the children is that we sometimes have to think of helping others before we help ourselves. If we are behaving like Jesus then putting others first is the best way to behave.

During staff prayer time this morning we explored how we can look around and choose who to help even if it doesn’t fit with our original plans for the day.

PE kits
For this half term the PE days for the school will be:

• Reception – Monday
• Year 1 – Friday
• Year 2 – Tuesday
• Year 3 – Tuesday
• Year 4 – Tuesday
• Year 5 – Tuesday
• Year 6 – Friday (swimming kit)

The whole school will be doing Commando Joes activities also but they will not need PE kits for this.

Children are to bring their PE kit into school on their day and the kits will return home again at the end of the day.

These days may alter after the October half term and we will update you then.

School Dog

This week, as many of you know, we have welcomed our school dog in. He is called Mac and is my family dog that has been with us since December 2020, he turns one year old on the 26th September. Mac is a cockapoo which is a breed that usually has a friendly temperament and has non-shedding hair, this is ideal for allergies. Mac was present throughout the camping weekend that the outgoing Year 6 children had in the summer term and this acted as a trial to assess how well he could mix with the children. Due to his brilliant behaviour then we decided that we would trial him being in school and therefore carried out a risk assessment of the possibility and have adopted a school dog policy. These are available if any parent wishes to read them.

So far Mac has settled extremely well at school and the children have been so caring and understanding with him. As he becomes more confident in the environment it is hoped that he can visit classrooms more often and also be used by Emily our school counsellor when she works with children.

We will keep you updated on his progress and how he is supporting us. Should you have any queries or concerns please do get in touch.

Information for Year 6 parents

I appreciate that your child’s final year at primary school has only just begun but it is time to think to next year. The Northumberland County Council school admission portal for secondary admissions is due to open on Sunday.

The Portal will open on Sunday 12th September for all Secondary, Middle and High Phase changes with the deadline for applications on the 31st of October.

Information can be found at https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Education/Schools/School-admissions-places-appeals-1/Yr-5-Middle-Yr-7-Secondary-Yr-9-High-entry-applica.aspx The admission policy for St Benet Biscop Academy can be accessed here https://www.st-benetbiscop.org.uk/admissions-consultation-2019-2020-2-2/ and there will information send out from St Benet Biscop in the near future with regard to next year. Please contact us if you have any queries about the application process.

The Reception application portal for nursery age children will open on 1st November and close on 15th January 2022. We will send information nearer the time with regard to this and also support any parents who wish to have the process explained.