4th February 2022

There has been such a lot going on in school this week, I think there has been something 'big' happening every day. These whole school events have shown us how good it is to be able to welcome parents into school and for all the classes to mix and do things together.

Number day today has been exciting as the children have been taking part in some additional maths activities and the non-uniform day to mark the occasion has allowed us to raise almost £300 for the NSPCC.

This morning, I was impressed to see how well Butterfly class explained the value of Forgiveness to us. They spoke clearly and confidently and shared some important lessons for us. I would like to thank Mr Creese and Mrs Higham for preparing the class so well for leading the worship.

Mrs Reynolds

Number Day

We have had some wonderful number activities going on in school with lots of number hats and number games. There are some photos here - /gallery/?pid=3&gcatid=11&albumid=66

If you haven't yet donated for the non-uniform day then the link is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sandygateschool or scan the QR code below

Next Week's 'Learning at a Glance'

Reception Curriculum Evening

Monday 7th February

This is the next in the series of Reception Curriculum sessions designed to help parents understand the curriculum and how it is taught and to give you tools to support your child at home. We will be looking at the expected end of Key Stage outcomes and also focussing on Phase 3 phonics.

 If you would like to attend the session we would be very grateful if you could register here so that we can prepare the correct number of resources for the evening.

We do need a minimum number of attendees to make this session work and so, if there are not enough parents registered by Monday morning we may have to postpone. 

For the session our COVID risk assessment applies and we would ask that:

• face coverings are worn at all times on school premises
• attendees take a lateral flow test before attending if possible
• you should not attend if you have any COVID symptoms

Children's Mental Health Week

7th - 13th February

Next week is Children's Mental Health Week and the theme is Growing Together. We will be encouraging children, and adults, to think about how they have grown and how they can continue to grow.

There will be a special assembly on Monday to talk about how we find ways to grow emotionally and how we can adapt and try new things. 

Safer Internet Day

Tuesday 8th February

Next Tuesday is Safer Internet Day and the them for this year is 'All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online'

We would like to take this opportunity to remind parents about the National Online Safety courses which are free for parents to use. These are a series of very short webinars which give advice on topics such as Online Gaming and Mental Health and Wellbeing. It also gives access to sign up for a free app which gives a weekly 'WakeupWednesday' update with tips on games and apps your child might be using and advice on managing their screen time. 

The link for the webinars is https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/marlow-c-of-e-infant-school and this can also be found on your child's class Homepages on the school website https://www.marlow-infant.bucks.sch.uk/class-home-pages

Parent Helper Training

15th February

We have a number of parents who come in to school to help on a regular basis and we would like to thank them for their help. If you are not currently helping but feel that you would like to come in to class regularly to assist with displays, mounting work or reading with children for example then we will be running an online briefing for Parent Helpers on 15th February at 9.30am. 

In order to help regularly in school we do require that you attend a briefing in line with our Safeguarding Policy. We also need you to read a number of policies and we will apply for a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check. 

If you would like to attend the briefing then please sign up here  we will then send a link for the Google Meet, a link to read some policies and a request for some additional information. 

World Book Day 3rd March

This year, we have lots of events planned around World Book Day, details of some of these are below and more will be given over the coming weeks.

World Book Day Dress-up

On World Book Day itself we would invite children to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. The costume does not have to be elaborate or expensive and there are ideas for simple homemade costumes here https://www.worldbookday.com/dressing-up-ideas/  We love seeing which books the children are enjoying, and it's a great way to get reading ideas from your friends by looking at their costumes. 

Mystery Reader

We usually finish our school day with a story read by the class teacher or teaching assistant. During the week of World Book Day we would like to surprise the children with some 'Mystery Readers'. If you would like to come into school for the last 10 - 15 minutes of the day to share your favourite story with your child's class then please sign up here to let us know.

https://forms.gle/hGiPg7GemVDmpSn39

We have a limited number of opportunities across the week for the Mystery Readers, so there is a chance that we will not be able to invite everybody in on this occasion. 

Story Potato Competition

We are also running a competition for any children that want a creative challenge. A 'story potato' is a potato decorated to represent a character from a story. The pictures below show some examples from a competition we ran a few years ago. If your child would like to take part in the competition then they should bring their potato to school on Wednesday 2nd March, please ensure that it is clearly marked with your child's full name and class.

Online Book Fair

We also have an online Book Club running with Scholastic Books here https://schools.scholastic.co.uk/marlow-ce/digital-book-club

All the books in the Book Club are discounted, some by as much as 50%. For every £1 you spend the school receives 20p to spend on books. You can see the leaflet for the Book Club here

School Travel Plan Success

We are very pleased to announce that we have achieved the Bronze Star Accreditation from Modeshift Stars for our school travel plan. The Travel Plan team have been working hard to ensure that as many journeys to school as possible are made sustainably. The team will be sharing the results of the Parent Survey with you soon and have more plans for Walk to School Weeks and other initiatives which they will announce this term.

Class Worship - Ladybird class sign up is currently live

We would ask that parents register if they would like to attend class worship using the links below. We also ask that you wear a mask when on school premises and if you are able to take a LFD test before attending that would be appreciated. 

The remaining Class Worship dates are as below and parent sign up will be communicated in the school Newsletter 2 weeks before each date. 

• Ladybird Class Friday 11th February register here  https://forms.gle/CQtWnbXLcR3BkbZ27
• Bee Class Friday 11th March
• Ant Class Friday 18th March
• Grasshopper Class Friday 25th Marc

For class worships our COVID risk assessment applies and we would ask that:

• face coverings are worn at all times on school premises
• attendees take a lateral flow test before attending if possible
• you should not attend if you have any COVID symptoms

Parent Consultations

1st and 2nd March

If you have not yet booked your Parent Consultation Appointment then please ensure that you do so by the end of next week. To book an appointment you should log in to the school website (this is the same log in for accessing Class Homepages) and the link to the Parents Evening Bookings will then appear at the top left of your screen.

Year 1 Java Performance

The Year 1 Java performance will take place on Wednesday 9th February from 2 - 3pm.

The Year 1 children are already enjoying working with Aris Daryono to create a traditional Javanese puppet show accompanied by Gamelan music and would love to invite their parents to watch.

As space in the hall is limited we can only offer 2 tickets per family for this event and these must be booked on Eventbrite. We will need to scan the Eventbrite QR code when you arrive at school so please have it printed or ready to show on your phone. The link for booking is  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/year-1-java-performance-tickets-255105887577

For the performance we would ask that:

• face coverings are worn at all times on school premises
• attendees take a lateral flow test before attending if possible
• you should not attend if you have any COVID symptoms

Primary Teaching - New Year, New Career?

Our school is part of a partnership of local schools, led by Chepping View Primary Academy SCITT, a specialist provider of personalised teacher training programmes to teach General Primary 3-7 years and General Primary 5-11 years, leading to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Chepping View Primary Academy SCITT offers graduate trainees the highest quality primary school-based teacher training experience.  There is also an option to study for a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) with Oxford Brookes University. 

Please get in touch with us, or a member of the Chepping View Primary Academy SCITT team, for an informal discussion about your interests and experience. Primary teacher training places are available to start in September 2022.

Monthly information sessions are held for you to find out more about the training programmes on offer.   

Our next information sessions takes place on 17 February 2022, 4-5 pm, and this is an online session. We have others planned:

• 17 March 2022, 4-5 pm (at Chepping View Primary Academy)
• 7 April 2022, 4-5 pm (online)

To attend, please email Katherine Harrison at kharrison@CVPA.school or for more information please visit www.cheppingviewscitt.com or tel: 01494 535564.

If you are a career changer, returning to work after a career break, a graduate working as a teaching assistant or coming to the end of your undergraduate degree, and have the desire, motivation and commitment to pursue a career in teaching, we would love to hear from you.

Quiz Night

Thank you to Nicky Thomas and Charlotte Poole for organising Quiz night 2022. Tickets can be purchased via parentpay. Quiz night takes place on the 2nd April with doors opening 19:30 and quiz starting 20:00.  Friends and family are welcome and you are able to buy multiple tickets. If you have put together a quiz team, please specify the participants in the comments section on parentpay.  We look forward to a fun night.

Fizz & First Aid

Fizz and First Aid has now sold out.  Thank you to those who have bought tickets for the event.  We will run a reserve list incase anyone should be unable to attend.  If you would like to go onto the wait list please email marlowcofepfa@gmail.com

Pre-loved Uniform

Many school families have asked about how to donate pre loved uniform to school.  If you could bag up items and leave them in the main reception area we will collect and add to the donations we have.  We aim to hold a preloved sale on the last Friday of each month at present.  Thank you to Claire Robinson for volunteering her time to take over the sale in the summer term.

Donut Day

Donut day will be held on the last day of half term, Friday 18th February.  Donuts will be available to purchase from 3pm.