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

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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