Each week teachers and pupils will be posting in the Tapestry and Seesaw accounts to share our learning. Please support your child to log on (Infants) or get your child to log on and show you (Juniors) this week’s learning which we will highlight through the newsletter.

In our learning this week…

Year R have their weekly phonics posted to help you to support your child at home. Miss Smith has also posted from their first French lessons and CMSports PE lessons.

Year 1 showed a classroom tour last week and they have worked hard to agree their Classroom charter to show you this week.

Year 2 posted their super counting to 20 in French. Tres bien Year 2!

Year 3 have shared their stories about Rama and Sit from their Hindu unit in RE.

Year 4 are sharing their e-safety posters.

Year 5 wanted to show you what a great time they had apple picking so log on to see the photos.

Year 6 have a short music performance piece with singing and accompanying percussion.

Mrs Pinchess, Headteacher

 

COVID UPDATES

In light of the government’s announcement earlier this week we would like to remind you of the rules we have put in place at school to keep our community safe;

• Wait in your class’s designated area before school in the morning.  Please remember to leave a 2m space between yourself and other adults.  Exit the playground through the car park gate.
• If using the car drop off please travel down school lane with the school on your left hand side.  Children should be dropped off at the large vehicle gate and should exit from the left hand side of the car.  Please then continue on down School Lane.
• All children must wash their hands before entering school and their classroom.
• Children bringing a packed lunch to school must bring it in a hard, plastic lunchbox.  This is so it can be easily stored and cleaned.
• At the end of the day please line up on the pavement opposite the school, remembering to keep a 2m distance between yourself and other adults.  Enter the playground through the car park gate and leave through the main gate.  Please do not cross the yellow line when picking up your child or stop to talk to staff or other parents.  It is important the line keeps moving so we can clear the site as quickly as possible. 
• Remember to inform the school if your child is unwell with COVID symptoms https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/

Thank you to the vast majority of parents who are keeping the rules put into place by our staff and governors.  We are doing our best to minimise opportunities for the virus to be transmitted and it is only through the support of everyone that we will be able to achieve this.

‘Should my child come to school’ flowchart, along with other COVID information can be found by clicking here.

 

Healthy Schools

A polite reminder that, as a healthy school, children are only allowed to eat fruit or vegetables at school during break time.  Dried fruit is allowed but no cereal bars or fruit winders and absolutely NO NUTS please.  If children are attending an afterschool teacher led club, and they wish to bring a snack, the same rules apply.  Water bottles should be in school every day and be filled with plain water only please.

 

STAFF UPDATE

We are very sad to announce Gillie Cox is leaving us at half-term.  Gillie joined us in 2017 and her patience, kindness and giving nature has been invaluable in our Breakfast and After School Clubs.  She has been a great supporter of our PTFA, always helping out at all our events and has inspired many children with their knitting and sewing, as well as supporting many parents during lockdown with her kind, calm advice. She will be missed by both children and staff, and we wish her lots of luck for her house move and new life in Wales.

We are currently recruiting for our Year R LSA and for Afterschool club.

 

THANK YOU TO…

… Vicki Coombs and Kathleen Proud for the super harvest display. We will be having our Harvest collection for the Alton Food Bank later this term.

 

PTFA NEWS

Thank you to everyone who attended our very first virtual AGM last night! 

We had a really good meeting and slides and minutes will be circulated through the PTFA website so please ensure that you have signed up (separate to school contacts). Kathleen Proud was elected as Chair, Georgina Barnes as Treasurer and Cat Ogden as Secretary for this year.

We have lots of great ideas for this year and, despite the restraints of the lockdown, we are determined to make some special memories for our children and support the school with much needed fundraising.

The class reps for this year are;

• Year R – Sarah Cordina & Amy Bingham
• Year 1 – Cat Ogden & Elise Cavanough
• Year 2 – Amy Wolfe & Sophie Ince
• Year 3 – Sarah Forbes & Lisa Prichard
• Year 4 – Cress Mizen & Sarah Stanley
• Year 5 – Sarah Forbes & Sophie Ince
• Year 6 – Lucy Catchpole & Alison Lopes

 

PTFA RECIPE BOOK

One of our super fundraising ideas for this term is to produce a recipe book which will go on sale prior to Christmas – a fantastic gift for friends and relatives!  Do you have a family recipe you would like to share?  It could be something you invented over lockdown, a recipe handed down from a cherished family member, your favourite mid-week tea, or a delicious pudding – anything you love to eat and would like to share.  It would be super to get all our families to get involved. 

All you need to do is send your recipe (typed, please), along with a picture (drawing or photo), to the school email address.  The picture can be of your child, the finished recipe or a picture of the family member who created the recipe.  The deadline to provide all the details is 6^th November.  All the money raised will go to the PTFA.

 

APPLE-TASTIC!

Years 1 and 5 were the super apple pickers this year and both classes really enjoyed their sessions. Cress Mizen has literally been dreaming about apples and continues to organise picks with COVID appropriate mini groups so do get in touch if you or a friend or neighbour has apples available. The juice is coming back next week.

We also got a mention in the Binsted Eco Network newsletter - click here to read all their news.  

 

SMALL PRICE INCREASE AGREED FOR HAMPSHIRE SCHOOL MEALS

School meals continue to be the best option at lunchtime for our pupils to help them flourish. They provide a nutritious balanced diet with plenty of choice from a range of menus to suit each school. HC3S school meals meet the Department for Education’s rules for healthy school lunches and the Soil Association Food for Life Served Here standards, which mean at least 75% of our meals are prepared from scratch.

Menus also adhere to the Hyperactive Children's Support Group's recommendations to remove over 70 additives and colourings that could affect children's behaviour.

As you will be aware, the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) programme has continued for the academic year 20-21. For older children and young people who pay for meals, we believe our lunches still represent excellent value for money for a two course, freshly cooked school meal. However, a small increase of 10 pence in the price of a school meal has been agreed by Hampshire County Council, to come into effect from November 2020. This increase is being introduced to meet the rising cost of providing school meals, which takes the price per meal to £2.50. In addition, children eligible for free school meals will continue to benefit.

The decision to increase the school meal price was taken at the Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services and Young People Decision Day (16 September 2020). Read the School Meals Decision Report online at www.hants.gov.uk/councilmeetings

Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services and Young People, Councillor Patricia Stallard said: “We’re very proud of the high standard of school meals that our catering service (HC3S) provides - using good quality British produce. A healthy lunch at school contributes significantly to a child’s wellbeing and their capacity to learn, through to the end of the school day.” She continued: “I am keen that school meals remain affordable, but we must balance this against the increasing cost of providing those meals. Mainly this comes from the ever-increasing cost of ingredients. In addition, HC3S is actively sourcing alternatives to single-use plastic across its operations, which is also projected to incur slightly higher costs, but is certainly the right thing to do in a climate emergency.”

More information about our meals and the Soil Association Food for Life standards can be found on our website www.hants.gov.uk

 

ECO-HERO COMPETITION

As you know Madame Jones has inspired us all with her passion for the planet. She launched a super competition last spring for an ECO-HERO and has now rescheduled the end date as it was paused for COVID. Click here for all the details.  Please hand in your entries via the Office box at the gate. Good luck! 

 

Click here to find out what's happening in school next week...