10th September 2021

Our first full week of the autumn term is already complete and everybody is already settling well into the new routines, adults and children alike. The Reception children are finding their feet and I have had so many positive comments about how much they are loving school so far. Year 1 have enjoyed exploring their new learning environment this week and have been having fun learning their Supertato story. The children in Year 2 are relishing in the fact that they are now the eldest in the school and are keen to share their knowledge with the younger children — they have been so helpful, particularly at lunchtime play!

The new drop off and pick up arrangements are, I know, very different to those that we have been used to over the last 18 months, but already things are running quicker and more smoothly. For the children and teachers in KS1, it is much easier when that adult picking up steps forward when their child reaches the front of the line and I sure that once the teachers get to know all the parents/carers for their class that will help the speed of pickup.

Have a restful weekend

Mrs Reynolds

KS1 Meet the Teacher

Tuesday 14th September 6 pm Google Meet

Meet the Teacher is held at the start of each new school year for parents in Years 1 and 2. It is a chance for the class teacher to introduce themselves to parents and tell you all about classroom expectations, the curriculum they will be teaching this year and some of the topics and activities the class will be doing. 

This year we are holding this meeting remotely using the Google Meet function within Google Classroom. We are sending home Google Classroom log-in details today, and you should have already received an email explaining how these are used.

Please check over the weekend to ensure that you can access your child's class. You will not see a Google Meet link currently but the class teachers will activate this on Tuesday evening and you will then see a link in the class picture banner across the top of the 'Stream' tab in the classroom.  When using Google Meet to access Meet the Teacher you must ensure that you are logged in as your child or you will not have access. When you are in the classroom you will see a round icon in the top right corner of the page, if you hover over this it will display which Google account is logged in. 

Parent Helper Training 19th & 21st October 

We are planning to welcome back parents to help out in school after the October half-term. We usually ask that parents commit to a regular day and time to come in and help for around an hour and a half and the tasks they undertake include listening to children read, preparing resources, working on classroom display boards or helping with art activities.

If you wish to come into school to help on a regular basis then you will need to attend a parent helper training session and we will be holding two of these on Tuesday 19th and Thursday 21st October at 9.30 am. The meetings will be online and we would ask that you register here

 https://forms.gle/mrjZAaJ8ffCVKB167 

and we will send you a link for the meeting nearer the date.

Home Learning 

Every parent should have received an email today regarding Home Learning with details of Google Classroom for KS1 and Tapestry for Reception. All children in KS1 will have brought home a letter with details of how to access Google Classroom. 

Our Home Learning Policy can be found on the school website under Our School/School Policies and 

Online Safety

This year we have signed up with National Online Safety (NOS) to become an accredited school. We will be delivering lessons on online safety with the children and this week the children in Year 2 had their first lesson.

There was a lot of discussion about online games and the sort of mean messages that are sent in these. We wanted to remind parents to be aware of the games their children are playing and that they are age appropriate. There was some specific discussion around Minecraft and parents should check that children stick to creative mode and do not play this on survival mode. There is a very good parent tutorial for Minecraft here https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/parents-ultimate-guide-to-minecraft

Teachers will be talking about NOS at the Meet the Teacher meeting and then we will be sharing some further information with you. 

Help Needed - Travel Plan Committee

We are working with the Governors on our school travel plan and would like to recruit some parents to help with this.

We are following the Modeshift STARS accreditation programme. Modeshift is a national membership organisation that specialises in sustainable and active travel, and provides behaviour change support. Modeshift STARS (Sustainable Travel Accreditation and Recognition for Schools) provides a framework for the implementation of sustainable and active school travel activities.

We are looking for some parents to help devise and implement strategies to encourage more sustainable school journeys. We do not envisage that this will involve a large commitment of time.  If this is something that you feel you would like to be involved with then please email the school office office@marlow-infant.bucks.sch.uk

Clubs

All clubs start back this week and the final timetable is show below. Many still have spaces available so please contact the club provider for details.

KS1 Reading Books

Year 2 children have already started bringing home reading books this week and Year 1 will be bringing theirs home next week. Reading books and Reading Records should be brought into school every day and children can change them as often as they need to. Please remember to read at home with your child every day and record this in their Reading Record

Wanted - Pebbles

We would like to create a cobbled path near our new Reflection area and need some pebbles to do this. If anyone has any large pebbles left over from a gardening project please email us to let us know. 

Pen Recycling

We have been collecting old pens to be recycled in school since the summer term. So far we have saved 3.2kg of pens from landfill and sent them off to be recycled. All the money generated from the recycled pens will be used to train medics in Africa.

Wasps

Please be aware when walking along the footpath from Sandygate Road to Sandygate Close, near the play area, that there are a lot of wasps there at the moment. There have been two children stung this week so take care along the path. 

Welcome

A very big PFA welcome to all Sandygate Families.  We look forward to meeting everyone over the next few weeks.  Currently, we are busy organising the school's first family event of the year, Happy's Circus, which takes place on the 2nd October.  It would be wonderful to see lots of you at the circus and it's a great opportunity to meet some other school families.  Tickets remain available to purchase on ParentPay or contact marlowcofepfa@gmail.com

The next PFA meeting is Tuesday 14th September at 8pm.  Meetings are face to face at school, but we do also have a zoom meet running simultaneously so if you can’t join in person please do dial in.  We welcome everyone who would like to attend. The meeting details are:

Meeting ID: 833 1856 9068

Passcode:  640328

We hope all the children have enjoyed their first full week of school, and we look forward to sharing lots of fundraising fun with you soon.

Prizes wanted

If anyone has any unwanted gifts or good quality items we can use as prizes for children stalls at the circus please bring them in to school next week and there will be a box at the front of school near the front door. 

Pre-loved Uniform

The PFA will be holding regular sales of Pre-loved uniform at pick-up on the following Fridays:

24th September

22nd October

26th November

17th December