Weekly News For Families – 29.09.2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

Isn’t it amazing we are already past the half way point of this first half term of the school year?!

The week began with the children thinking about the second way to well-being: ‘ Be Active.’ Next week they will be considering the third which is ‘ Keep Learning.’ Attached are details of these different ways to well-being for you to talk about with your children at home.

Worship

During our Key Stage Worships this week, the children in Early Years and Years 1 and 2 listened to the story of the Go Away Bird and thought about how they can be kind to each other during the school day. The older children in Key Stage 2 spent some time delving into the question ‘How important is space exploration?’ There was a wide range of views shared. Some of the children thought it was a good idea, others not. Other children thought that although it wasn’t necessary, it is driven by the curiosity of people.

Our Learning

Curiosity is something we encourage the children to develop and it is always great to walk around the school and see so many children engaged in their learning. Following a quick tour of the school today, it is clear lots of the learning has been enjoyable. Here are some of the responses from children when asked ‘What have been your learning highlights this week…?’

  • Children in Camber Class have been enjoying learning about different kinds of sounds as they begin learning the first phonic sounds.

  • Children in Lewes Class have been busy enjoying sorting different objects according to their colours.

  • Amberley Class have had lots of fun writing their Magic Medicine recipes rising to the challenge of using different types of words like adverbs and time conjunctions.

  • In Hastings Class, the use of number lines in Maths has been really enjoyable.

  • Not surprisingly, the most enjoyable learning in Amberley Class has been whilst they have been in the Forest all day today. Mr Floyd was really proud that everyone was able to help lighting the fire which then meant lots of marshmallows were roasted to make some delicious smores to eat.

  • Children in Arundel Class have enjoyed learning how to write a diary entry. In Science they have been investigating the different properties, including the permeability, of rocks.

  • Starburst sweets were squashed together in Bodiam Class as the children learned about how layers of metamorphic rocks are formed over long periods of time.

  • Pevensey Class have enjoyed learning about how they can keep themselves safe online by not sharing any usernames and passwords. They were also amazed by how many people it took to move each of the stones at Stonehenge.

  • The children in Cowdray Class have enjoyed the freedom of not following any rules as they have been drafting, editing and publishing their free verse poems about Beowulf. They have also got their brains stuck into comparing the lifecycles of amphibians and insects.

  • In Portchester Class, there has been lots of fun in Maths through the discovery of prime numbers and as well using their previous learning to complete long multiplication calculations.

  • Southsea Class have enjoyed finding out about Anglo-Saxon settlements. They have been worried about oxen sharing the great hall and the use of a hole in the ground to act as their toilets. Wooden benches and splinters were a particular concern!

    Harvest Festival Services and Donations

    Don’t forget you are invited to join the children at our Harvest Festival Services on Monday 1st October at St. Mary’s Church. The EYFS and KS1 service is at 9:30am and the KS2 service begins at 10:30am. Thank you to those of you who have already made a donation to our collection for the Foodbank. It would be lovely if some more donations could be made during next week. I wonder how full, or even over-flowing, our box in the hall will be…?

    Parent Information Meetings

    Over the next couple of weeks, there are some important information meetings for parents and carers of children in particular year groups:

  • Wednesday 4th October – Phonics for EYFS and Year 1

  • Thursday 5th October – Multiplication Tables Check for Year 4

  • Tuesday 10th October – Key Stage 2 SATS and End of Year Expectations for Year 6

  • Thursday 12th October – Key Stage 1 Assessments and End of Year Expectations for Year 2

    Each of these meetings will be held twice: once at 2:45pm and then at 6:00pm. We hope you will be able to attend.

    Covid

    It is that time of year when the bugs and germs reappear. There has been a rising number in cases of Covid amongst the staff and the children. As a school community, we are keen to keep everyone as safe as we can. This means the reintroduction of increased hygiene measure in school – such as more ventilation in classrooms and more frequent hand washing during the day. As a staff, it has been agreed that following a positive test, a return to work will only happen when a further test proves negative. This may mean more flexible staffing arrangements may be needed in school.

    Parking outside the school

    Please can you be considerate to our neighbours during the busy drop off times at the beginning and the end of the school day. This includes not parking on the corner of Roemead Drive and North End Road.

    Parent-Teacher Meetings

    Our first meetings to discuss the progress of your children’s learning will be held in the week before the half term break. Look out for the opportunity to make an appointment though ParentMail next week.

    Whatever you are up to over the weekend, take care and keep safe.

    Mrs Huggett

Young Voices Information

Dear Parents and Carers,

The children in the Young Voices Choir are thoroughly enjoying getting to grips with the songs for the concert at the 02 Arena, in London. This letter provides a range of information regarding Young Voices.

The Concert

The concert itself will take place on Tuesday 16th January 2024, starting at 7pm.

Tickets

Tickets for the concert must be ordered through the school. The tickets are priced at £25 each (no concessions apart from children under the age of 2 years old) and orders for these will be through ParentMail from Monday 2nd October. The deadline for these orders will be Friday 13th October.

Travel Arrangements

The children will make their way to and from the 02 Arena by coach. Those of you with tickets need to make your own way to the venue. Miss Gemma Steel (a Mum of a Year 6 child) has offered to organise a coach for the journey there and back – thus avoiding train travel with all of the different pitfalls. To make this financially viable, at least 35 of the of 49 seats would need to be booked. The cost for the coach travel based on these numbers would be £25, which is less than a train ticket. If more than 35 seats were booked, the price would be cheaper. If you are interested in this option, please could you get in contact with Miss Steel through WhatsApp or Text Message on 07340 133081 by Friday 13th October. Thank you Miss Steel for this offer!

Learning The Lyrics And Choreography

A track list of all the songs the children are going to sing can be found on Spotify – search for Young Voices UK Music Pack 2024. The children can also have access to the rehearsal materials we use in school through a family/parent login to Young Voices. Using this link

will allow you to create an account which will enable the children to use the various videos to help them learn and remember the words and actions.

There is a lot of material to learn so the more the children practice, the more confident they will be. As well as using the online resources, it is vital the children continue to attend every rehearsal on the Monday and Thursday mornings. Full commitment is needed. We are at full capacity. If attendance starts to lessen, a place in the Young Voices Choir may be offered to another child. There is a waiting list of children wanting to join.

Funding

Last year, we were very fortunate to receive a grant from the Blue Sparks Foundation which covered the full cost of the Young Voices experience. This year, not unexpectedly, this grant hasn’t been offered to us. If you know of any businesses or organisations who may be willing to offer any financial assistance towards the cost of the coach for the children’s coach or their t-shirts, please could you let me know through the office2@yaptonschool.org email address or phoning the school on 01243 551246. Some form of in-house fundraising may be planned as well.

Christmas Concert

In addition to learning the Young Voices songs, we will also be starting to learning some festive songs to be sung at the Arundel Choral Society Christmas Carol Concert. This is an amazing event where children from local schools come together to sing in Arundel Cathedral. The date for this concert is on Saturday 9th December, when there will be an afternoon rehearsal before the hour-long concer t which will start at 4:45pm. There is a limit on the numbers of children from our school that can take part. The school office will send out a form to indicate interest in this soon. If there is a lot of interest – which I am sure there will be – priority will be given to the Year 5 and 6 children. Last year, we were given a few extra places, so hopefully this will be the case again this year. Look out for the ParentMail regarding this as well.

If you have any other questions about either the Young Voices or Christmas concerts, please come and ask.

There is so much evidence of the benefits of singing – especially with others – and it is great we have such a vibrant and enthusiastic group of children who love singing so much!

Thank you for all of your support.

Kind regards

Chris Hughes

Deputy Headteacher

Christmas card order deadline extension 02/10/2023

Good Afternoon Parents and Carers,

We have had a couple of questions regarding the deadline for Christmas card orders and end of the month pay days.

Therefore, we have extended the date to Monday 2nd October. This will be the final day forms can be handed in.

Please give them to your child’s teacher in the morning at drop off.

If they are not received by then, your order will not be processed.

If you have any questions please do ask.

Kind regards,

School Office.

Weekly News for Families 22.09.2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a third week of term we have had! This week has seen the launch of our Emerald Explorers, an exciting history workshop led by the Novium Museum, Christmas Card designs completed and our Summer Reading Challenge Champions celebrated as part of our Friday worship.

Christmas Card Designs

Today your child will come home with a beautiful Christmas design which can be made into cards, mugs and a range of other products. To order please follow the instructions on the form and please ensure it is then returned to their class teacher by Thursday 28th September. Each form has a unique number which will be linked to your child when ordering, if you have more than one child at the school please make sure you use the correct code when placing your order. Please try and keep the form flat and do not fold it as it will effect the outcome of the design when it is scanned for printing.

Harvest Festival

We will be celebrating Harvest Festival in St Mary’s Church, Yapton on Monday 2nd October 2023. Key Stage 1 and Early Years’ service will begin at 09:30am and Key Stage 2’s service will follow at 10:30am.

As in other years, we will be collecting donations for the Foodbank as part of our worship. Please send any donations of tinned food, breakfast cereals, tea, coffee, sugar or snacks to your child’s class anytime next week. As part of our daily worship we will add these to the worship table at the front of the hall.

Emerald Explorers

This week saw the exciting launch of our before and after school club (wrap around care) Emerald Explorers. The children have thoroughly enjoyed the range of activities offered and we are overwhelmed by the positive feedback we have received. One child told us that Wild Wood Wednesday’s Club was ‘ultimate fun’. While another left school with warrior face paint that they made themselves in the woods (giving their home grown ups step by step instructions so that they can do it at home!) Playing board games, completing art activities and having fun were also high on the list of why children want to come back every week.

If you would like more information about Emerald Explorers please visit our school website and look for the wrap around care tab along the top or previous letters in the recent posts section of the home page.

Tax Free Childcare for Parents

Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is a childcare top-up for working parents. It can be used to help pay for accredited holiday clubs, childminders, or sports activities. This enables parents and carers to access childcare during the school holidays, also saving them money. It is estimated that there are 1.3 million working families who are eligible for TFC in the UK however only a small percentage are making use of the scheme. Around 75% of families are losing out on this support.

TFC is available for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability. You can find out more about the scheme by visiting www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

.

TFC can be saved up on your accounts. Even if childcare is not required throughout the school terms, there is still the option to save up funds which could be used for holiday clubs or out of school care. As the new term commences, it is a good opportunity to plan for the upcoming half terms and holidays.

Useful links and additional information:
· [Tax Free Childcare can help towards the cost of children’s summer holiday activities | GOV.UK|https://schools.westsussex.gov.uk/Newsletter/ExternalLink/156178?source=newsletter&guid=21BD63BB-A08C-47C8-8298-635AEB1CC6B6]· [Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK|https://schools.westsussex.gov.uk/Newsletter/ExternalLink/156179?source=newsletter&guid=21BD63BB-A08C-47C8-8298-635AEB1CC6B6]· Get Tax-Free Childcare: step by step – GOV.UK· www.westsussex.gov.uk/FIS

Please come and talk to Mrs Barwick in the school office if you wish to use your Tax Free Childcare vouchers for Emerald Explorer sessions. Mrs Barwick will be able to enter your individual code to facilitate this.

A few reminders

If your child in Cowdray, Portchester or Southsea Class is walking to and from school by themselves, please make sure that you have completed the permission form which can be collected from the office. If your child is walking by themselves and you would like them to have a mobile, a form must be completed before they can bring it into school.

Please park considerately when dropping off or collecting your child from school. This allows everyone to arrive and leave safely.

On your child’s PE day, they should come to school in their PE kit. If your child has pierced ears, please remember to remove their earrings on these days.

If your child requires medication during the school day, this must be handed in to the school office and not delivered to your child’s classroom.

Our classroom doors open at 08:45am for morning activities. Registers are taken at 08:55am. If you arrive after this time, please bring your child to the office as they will NOT have been marked in the register.

We hope the weather stays fine over the weekend and look forward to seeing you all on Monday

Take Care

Kim Huggett

Weekly News For Families 15.09.2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

The second week of the term has flown by! During this afternoon’s THINK Worship, Mr Hughes and I enjoyed sharing certificates with the children. These certificates were awarded by the class teachers in recognition of one or more of the THINK values – Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary and Is it Kind? – being displayed by the children in their classes.

On Monday’s Worship, the children thought about the meaning of the word ‘masterpiece’ within the context of Paul’s words to the Ephesians: ‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ We linked our thoughts back to last week’s focus on the Parable of the Sower and what ‘soil’ the children are. This then led to thinking about if we are to grow into ‘masterpieces’ we also need to make sure our wellbeing in a good state.

Over the next few weeks, in their morning meetings, the children are going to begin explore the ‘ 5 Ways to Well Being‘:

  • connect

  • keep active

  • keep learning

  • give

  • take notice

    I have attached a poster which outlines these along with a little bit more information about the first way of ‘connect.’ Before the end of the half term, the children will bring all their ideas, thoughts and experiences around the 5 Ways to Well Being together. It will be exciting to see what they bring.

    Key Term Dates

    The forthcoming weeks of the Autumn Term are going to be very busy! Attached are the key dates for the term.

    Forest School

    Also attached are the dates for ‘Fridays in the Forest.’ Each class in Key Stages 1 and 2 will enjoy a day in our forest with Mr Floyd. When it is their day, the children will need to come to school in clothes that can get dirty. Wellies will be needed and depending on when in the term it is, they may also need hats, scarves and gloves. Children in the Early Years classes will be able to look forward to their Forest School days in the Spring Term.

    Mr Floyd is looking for a volunteer to join him in each of the Forest School sessions. If you are able to offer help, please let us know using the office@yaptonschool.org email address.

    Christmas Card Fundraiser

    Like last year, there is an fundraising opportunity coming up soon. Next Friday, the children will be designing a Christmas card which they will bring home. You will then have the chance to order Christmas cards and other products which will feature their design. Thank you to Mrs Sothcott for organising this.

    Enjoy the sunshine this weekend.

    Take care.

    Kim Huggett

Year 5 and 6 Residential Visit to the Adur Outdoor Activity Centre – 11th-13th September 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

Year 5 and 6 Residential Visit to Adur Outdoor Activity Centre, Shoreham-by-Sea

Wednesday 11th – Friday 13th September 2024

Thank you to those of you who were able to come along to either of the recent information meetings about this residential visit. I hope you found them informative and useful. For those who were not able to come, I can always go through what was detailed at a suitable time. The PowerPoint which was used in the meeting has been attached to this letter.

Starting the next school year with this amazing residential visit will provide the children with opportunities to be challenged, engaged and inspired through a wide range of Outdoor and Adventurous Activities such as kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, indoor climbing, bouldering, a low ropes course, archery, mountain biking , orienteering and problem solving.

The cost per child for the fully inclusive 2-night stay at the Adur Outdoor Activity Centre along with all the transport and activities is £220. The breakdown of this is as follows.

Board and lodging

Travel

All of the activities led by fully qualified and DBS checked staff

£40

£12

£168

Please note, this cost is based on all of the children in these year groups go on the trip. The centre charges per person. However, there is a set cost for the coaches. If there are fewer children going, this cost will increase slightly.

Parents/Carers are being asked to make a voluntary contribution of all or part of this amount.

Parents/Carers are not obliged to make a contribution, but it is probable that, if insufficient monies are received, the trip will have to be cancelled and any deposits paid will not be returned.

To secure a place for your child, we ask for a non-returnable deposit of £50 to be paid by Friday 29th September. The outstanding balance is to be paid before the end of the summer term 2024. You are most welcome to pay this in full or in installments if more convenient. A suggested payment plan is as follows:

September

£50 non-refundable deposit

October

£30

November

£30

January

£30

February

£30

March

£30

April

£20

Total

£220

Payments will need to be made through ParentMail. I will let you know when the this has been set-up.

If a family is receipt of specific benefits which means your child is entitled to Free School Meals, the school is obliged by law to waive the charge for board and lodging – leaving a request for contributions to cover the revised cost of £180. These benefits were listed at the meeting and are set out in the school’s charging policy as follows:

* Universal Credit

  • Income Support

  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

  • Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

  • Child Tax Credit (providing that they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income of no more than £16,190)

  • The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit

  • Working Tax Credit run-on

    Parent/carers are asked to make a voluntary contribution towards all or part of the total amount that is appropriate to their situation. If insufficient monies are received, the trip will have to be cancelled and paid deposits will not be refunded.

    Although it seems a very long way off, I am already looking forward to what promises to be an amazing start to the 2023-24 academic year.

    Further details about the trip, such as what to pack, will be sent out at a later date. However, if you have any questions or queries about the residential visit please do not hesitate to come and ask.

    Kind regards

    Chris Hughes

    Deputy Headteacher

EMERALD EXPLORERS DOCUMENTATION AND BOOKING INFORMATION

Dear Parents and Carers,

please find attached the required documentation for our Emerald Explorers Club.

The booking system will open at 9.30 am tomorrow in order to book initially for next week, beginning 18th September.

We would ask that bookings are made by the Thursday of the week before the requested week.

As we move forward, we will look to set up a booking system that allows half termly bookings.

For those who receive the Work/Childcare Vouchers, please come to the school office and speak to Mrs Barwick who will be able to process your designated code.

For any queries please ask us or email office2@yaptonschool.org.

We look forward to welcoming our Emerald Explorers.

Kind regards

Kim Huggett