Welcome to Birkwood An #IncredibleCommunity

We wish you a very warm welcome to the Birkwood Primary School Newsletter.

31st January 2025

I write this newsletter hoping that today shall pass routinely and enable us to have completed a full week! We have certainly enjoyed a busy one at Birkwood – just how we like it. I again thank you very sincerely for your understanding last week, it was a surprise to us all. I hope that our families were able to stay safe and warm until the power returned.

Year 5 were lucky to have visited Castleton next week. This was a fantastic offer from the Youth Hostel Association, and I know they had a wonderful time. Spending time away with friends and schoolmates is a special experience, and the stunning Peak District countryside will be a memory they cherish forever.

Please enjoy the videos below.

I truly hope that we are lucky enough to secure something similar next year and in the future. However, this was an opportunity which could not be passed. Many thanks to the staff who gave their time to look after the children I have had nothing but positive feedback. A special thank you to Mr. Bean from Churchfield who gave me the nod to chase this offer! They are at the same hostel as I type.

Bikeability have been into school this week. They have been improving the children’s cycling skills and knowledge, ultimately boosting their safety. This is a fantastic initiative and well done to the children showing their cycling proficiency. Please see the photos below.

LUNG Theatre Company visited Year 6 where they presented an artistic Writing Workshop. This included drama games and enabled the creation of poetry and a short story. The children and stuff were hugely complementary towards this opportunity. Thank you to Mrs. Rennison bringing them to the Birkwood.

Miss Sabin and I reviewed our Early Reading offer again at Birkwood and in particular, the progress that the children are making. We work regularly with a Department for Education English hub. This was a very successful morning, and I am very proud of the reading offer that Birkwood provides. Our younger children make a fast start to their reading journey; we view reading as the key to acquiring knowledge across the whole breadth of the curriculum.

We also had a visit from the Government to inspect the condition of the school building and grounds. I again thank our team – especially Miss Cocking, Mr. Jones and Mr. Preece for helping us to keep school in such great condition. The visit came with high praise. I am ridiculously biased but I can assure you that not every school looks like ours.

Congratulations to this Year 3 superstar who won a competition run by @PrecisionTimber to design a mascot. 🏆We can’t wait to see ‘Max the Mascot’ in our school garden.

The fence around the school garden is decaying rapidly. To save money Miss Greenwood is using some reinforcing concrete mesh, which was left by the builders to repair it. Unfortunately, we've only got 3 pieces left and Miss Greenwood wondered if there are any building firms who could donate some of the concrete mesh. We also need some corrugated PVC roof sheets to collect rainwater for the garden. Knowing how generous our community I am sure there is some kind individual/company who will, hopefully help us.

Coming up - Non uniform Days

On Friday 7th February, as part of Children’s Mental health Week, children can wear non-uniform to ‘express themselves’ whether it’s their favourite outfit, a splash of colour, a traditional attire that celebrates their culture, or an ensemble that showcases their beloved hobby, we want everyone’s creativity to shine.

On Friday 28th February we will be ‘wearing red’ to support a charity that means a lot to us and our families, The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund. There will also be things for sale after school to help raise funds for this amazing cause. It is a charity that has benefitted children from Birkwood and as many charities do, it conducts some sterling work for those affected. A brilliant cause!

For both, a small cash donation would be appreciated

Grassroots after school care has begun and will shortly run until 6:00 PM. We had a visit from Ofsted to inspect the facilities at school. This was successful and we look forward to the full offer opening up to our families.

Grass Roots are also running a club in February Half Term. Please see the details and book using the link below.

Tickets for the upcoming Disco are available until 3.15pm Tuesday 11th February. The disco will be taking place on Thursday 13th February - 4.30pm to 6pm. Tickets are £3 each and include a bag of crisps and a drink. Please place the money in a sealed envelope, with your child's name on the front, and hand to their class teacher.

I wish everyone a lovely weekend. Take care and I hope you manage to enjoy some family time.

• Headteachers Superstar KS1 - AS Y1 Windsor
• Headteachers Superstar KS2 - LO Y4 Burrow
• Class Times Table Rockstars - Y5 Kane
• Music Maestro - RF Y4 Burrow
• PE Star - MC Y3/4 Armstrong

Half Term House Winners

• This week's winners - Air
• Current Half Term Leaders - Water
• Overall Leaders - Earth

• School attendance Target for the Year - 97.0%
• School attendance this week - 95.2%
• School attendance this year so far - 94.9%
• FS2 Donaldson - 96.0%
• FS2 Montessori -98.1%
• Y1 Potter - 91.9%
• Y1 Windsor - 95.6%
• Y2 Goodall - 97.2%
• Y2 Kahlo - 96.7%
• Y3 Hepworth - 90.9%
• Y3/4 Armstrong - 96.6%
• Y4 Burrow - 97.4%
• Y5 Kane - 95.6%
• Y 5/6 Sinfield - 97.3%
• Y6 Shelley - 94.5%

Well done to class Montessori who all have an excellent 98.1% attendance. Congratulations!!

Our suite of X (formerly Twitter) Handles is here for you. Below is a link for 'all things Birkwood.'

PE & Sport

Appropriate trainers must be worn. No crop tops – Sports t-shirts please and shorts. A tracksuit may be worn – please make a judgment on temperature.

Next Year's Term Dates Below

For current Year 6 children, their tests will be Monday 12th to Thursday 15th May 2025.

For current Year 5 children, their tests will be Monday 11th to Thursday 14th May 2026.