Month: June 2020

Weekly Message to Families 26.06.2020

Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope that you have been enjoying the sunshine this week; it has certainly shone for our week’s focus on the Weather!
 
Useful Links
Thinking about the sunshine and warmer weather, we would like share some keeping safe advice with you in case you visit the beach. Please follow the link to the advice from the RNLI: https://rnli.org/youth-education/water-safety-from-home
The video which introduces next week’s learning theme is already on the school YouTube channel.  Don’t forget there are many other videos for the children to watch – including stories read by members of staff, Praise and Prayer, Feel Good Friday, the Monday Message as well as a weekly Worship lead by Rev. Richard.  The link to this channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGXZrKqe75evH5vgp-Jhp7w?safe=true
The government have also updated their list of online learning providers for home learning and advice on keeping safe online.  To find these updates, follow these links:
Free School Meal Vouchers
You may have heard that the vouchers for those families who are entitled to Free School Meals will continue during the summer holiday.  We will organise this before the end of term so that the vouchers will be available for you.
 
Share and Shine 
We are setting in place an opportunity for families who have not been in school with us during any of the lockdown period to come in after a school day to catch up with their current class teachers.  This will be organised in families so that you are able to come together.  We are calling this ‘Share and Shine’ because we would love to see some of your favourite activities and learning you have been busy with at home.  These would be held from 3:30pm-4pm at school on Tuesday 7th July, Wednesday 8th July, Thursday 9th July, Tuesday 14th July, Wednesday 15th July and Thursday 16th July. If you and your family would like to come to one of these Share and Shine sessions, please email the school using office2@yaptonschool.org your preferred two dates by the end of the day on Tuesday 30th June. We will then be able to organise safe numbers of families to visit.  We are looking forward to seeing you.

As always, we are here for you if you need anything.  Just phone the school office – 01243 551246 or email office@yaptonschool.org We hope you enjoy engaging in next week’s family learning and look forward to hearing from you in the usual ways.

Take care

Kim Huggett

Weekly Message to Families 19.06.2020

Dear Parents and Carers ,
I hope that you have enjoyed the ‘Olympic’ theme this week. The teachers have recorded their clues for you to see if you can work out next week’s theme. Please continue sending your work to the office@yaptonschool.org email  for us to see and then publish for you on our school website. You can also tweet your work directly to your teacher using the class twitter page and your teacher will respond to you.
TRANSITION
Looking ahead, we would normally have a transition day on the 1st July. As you know this year it will be a virtual one via a video from your child’s new class teacher. As this arrangement has been made in light of the current situation and guidelines, it does not allow the children to say goodbye to their current class teacher before meeting their new one. On Monday 7th September 2020 (if the guidance is that we all return to school together) we would like the children to go to their current class for the morning to catch up and say goodbye. After lunch, at the end of our whole school worship together, the children will transfer to their new classes. This will give them the opportunity to transition as we normally would have arranged.
We hope that you have a lovely weekend.
Take Care
Mrs Huggett

Weekly message to families

Dear Parents and Carers
It’s been another busy week here at school and we hope you have enjoyed the Family Learning based around the book ‘Flotsam’ as well.  Next week will have more of a sporty theme to it which we hope you will enjoy.  Look out for the videos the teachers have made to introduce the week. Also, don’t forget to keep up with the Times Times Rock Stars.  If your child needs any further time tables, please use the ttrs@yaptonschool.orgemail address.
As we look forward, there is quite a lot of information to share with you:
Annual reports to parents
The teachers are completing their reports on the children in their class at the moment.  This year, in light of the situation we are in, the reports will look a bit different but will still celebrate achievements made during the academic year prior to lock down.  The majority of our children remain at home, so this year the reports will be posted to you on Friday 10th July.
Transition into 2020-21
The class groupings for next year have been finalised. You will be informed of your child’s new class and school grown-ups on Friday 26th June in preparation for a virtual transition introduction via YouTube on Wednesday 1st July.
New EFYS children joining Lewes and Camber Classes
Invitations to a ‘Royal Garden Party’ on Saturday 11th July 2020 have been sent to our new children who will be joining us in September.  We look forward to seeing them.
Year 6
Thank you to those families who have already replied to the invitation to attend the Year 6 Leavers’ Celebration Breakfast on Monday 20th July.  We look forward to receiving all of your responses, votes for favourite worship songs and reflections and thoughts about moving on for their Year Book.  We are also arranging an opportunity for a Year 6 commemorative photo with Yellow (our school photographers).  More details on how to purchase this will follow soon.
We have been in touch with the secondary schools our Year 6 children are moving on to.  These schools will be in touch with families regarding their arrangements for their transition into Year 7.
INSET Days
Just to remind you that the school will be closed to everyone on Monday 6th July (this was the INSET we moved from 1st June).  Teaching staff and senior leaders will be meeting in school that day to continue with our curriculum development.  The INSET that was booked for the 20th July has been slightly altered to enable us to give our Year 6 children an opportunity to say goodbye.  Therefore, the school will be closed for all pupils, except Year 6.
You may have heard on the news the government’s ambition for schools to be open to all pupils in September 2020.  Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September 2020 have been allocated as INSET days and whilst we await confirmation of the plans, it is anticipated the Autumn Term will begin for our children in Years 1-6 on Monday 7th September. Starting arrangements for the children in EYFS have already been sent out to families.  Due to current circumstances, unfortunately we will not be able to carry out any home visits to our new starters this year.
Summer Holidays
Our school will be closed throughout the summer holidays as we are having extensive maintenance and re-decoration work carried out.  We have planned for the re-wiring of the school, the re-decoration of Bodiam and Hastings classrooms and the much-needed treatment of the log cabin.
 
Please continue to share any work your children are proud of with us, follow us on Twitter and phone or email us if you need us.
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care
Kim Huggett
 

Year 6 Leavers’ Celebration

Dear Parents and Carers
During these continued different times, we are fully aware the Year 6 children will be having different thoughts and feelings about what should have been a really positive end to their time in primary school.  During these last few weeks of the summer term, there would have normally been times to think about their transition into secondary school.
We know our Year 6 children need to opportunity to say goodbye to each other so we would like to invite them all back to school on Monday 20th July for a Leavers’ Celebration Breakfast!  The invitation is in a separate Parent Mail to the children.
This will be a fantastic opportunity for the Year 6 children to be together here at Yapton C. of E. Primary School and it will be great to see everyone there.  There will not be any other year groups in school and we will have to maintain appropriate social distancing rules.  There will be staggered drop off and pick up times:
Class
Drop off time
Pick up time
Arundel
9:00am
11:40am
Bodiam
9:10am
11:50am
Hastings
9:20am
12:00pm
 Following our current arrangements, we ask for one adult from each home to bring or collect their child.  Entrance to the school will be through the large car park gates. 
The children will be able to wear their own clothes (sensible choices please!).  During the morning, there will be a time for the traditional shirt signing.  Your child will need to bring in a clean white school shirt/t-shirt and their own pen (a Sharpie-pen would be the best!) as we will not be allowing any sharing of these.
Traditionally, the Year 6 children have contributed to a Leavers’ Year Book.  This would still be a lovely thing to do.  So please can you ask your child to have a think and jot down some reflections about their time at primary school and their thoughts and feelings about moving onto secondary school.  These could include:
·     memories of starting at our school (which ever year that was…)
·     favourite school trips
·     favourite topics and areas of learning
·     thoughts and hopes about starting secondary school – what are they expecting…?
It would also be lovely to include a photo of your child.  This would only be used in the Year Book and will not be shared on any online format. 
During the morning, Rev Richard will join us for a time of Worship.  The hymns and songs we sing need to be chosen by the Year 6 voice, so please can you also send in their top three suggestions.  These will then be collated so that the most popular ones are used.
Due to the current situation, this morning will be for the Year 6 children only.  Photos of the morning will be posted on the school website.
Please can you email the school using office2@yaptonschool.org to include:
·     your child’s reflections and thoughts
·     their photo
·     their top 3 hymns and songs
·     confirmation that they will be attending
by Friday 3rd July.
Thank you.
Take care
Mrs West            Mrs Green          Miss Hook           Mr Hughes

Update for families

Dear Parents and Carers,

as you will have heard today, the Governments ambition to get all children of primary school age back into school before the end of this term is now not going to be achieved. We said at the beginning of this half term, that we would review the situation within 3 weeks unless directed otherwise. The Governments announcement today means that we will continue with our current arrangements at this time. If the Government guidelines change regarding social distancing and other aspects of daily life, we will review our current risk assessments and inform you of any changes that we are able to make.We realise that this may be disappointing news for many of our families. We have been working on plans for how we can ensure that our Year 6 children can come together for a ‘socially distanced Leavers Celebration’  and will share these plans with you by the end of this week when we have finalised our arrangements.For our new EYFS children, we have plans in place in addition to our weekly messages and interactive challenges, for them to visit our EYFS classrooms and ‘safely’ meet the staff who will be with them in September. They will know who the teacher and teaching assistant are before they visit. We will let you know as soon as these plans are ready to share.In normal times, Wednesday 1st July would have been transition day. We have organised the classes for next year and will notify you before the 1st July so that you will be able to see a virtual video welcome to you and your child from your class-teacher for their next academic year.We have planned a supportive curriculum for the first two weeks when we return in September, if the Governments expectation announced today that all primary age children are to return fully in September. At our school we focus on the “stage” that the children are at in their learning as opposed to their “age”, When the children return, we will be able to see what ‘stage’ they are at , not only in their learning but in their socialisation, play and wellbeing. We will address any areas of development that need either support or indeed challenge and stretching.I hope that this update provides some reassurance for you in these unusual times.
Kind Regards
Kim Huggett

A message for the pupils in Year 3&4

We are really missing all of the children who are working at home with their families so this week, the teachers would like to introduce next week’s learning themselves.

A message for the pupils in Year 5&6

We are really missing all of the children who are working at home with their families so this week, the teachers would like to introduce next week’s learning themselves.

Weekly Message to Families

Dear All,

I have attached our school prayer for the month of June. If we were normally in school, we would be praying this together at our Worship time each day.As you know, this week we have opened to some more children as recommended by the Government. At the moment we are at capacity whilst we adhere to the recommended guidelines for social distancing. I know that this has been frustrating for some of you, but please continue to be patient as we await further direction as to the next steps. We will continue to keep you updated.Some of our families have told us that their children are missing seeing their teachers, so, by Monday you will be able to see your teachers on a video announcing the next weeks learning. These will be available on Twitter, You Tube and our school website. They will be for EYFS and Key Stage 1, Year 3 and Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6.Have a lovely weekend, don’t forget to contact us if you need us for anything, either by phone 01243 551246 or our office@yaptonschool.org email.

Take Care

Kim Huggett and everyone at Yapton C of E Primary School