This week Reverend Shipton delivered a whole school assembly to us all to mark the start of Advent. Our tree, kindly gifted by the PTFA, arrived in school making the hall feel festive and school continues to be filled with songs for our upcoming performances. December is a very busy time of year in school, but one that is full of excitement and spirit!
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Mandarin Club
- Tesco - Vote for Us!!!
- Traffic Message
- Just One Tree Day
- Hedgehog Home Competition
- Early Years Gallery
- #AFSCaring - Bird Feeders - Can you make some for school?
- Diarrhoea and Vomiting
- Heath - NHS Pharmacy First
- Reception School Places
- School Holiday Dates
- Support at Christmas
- Year 3 Learning Gallery
- Zones of Regulation
- Do Good December
- Private School Nurse
- Dates and Letters
- Wake Up Wednesday - Make the Most of the Online World at Christmas
MANDARIN CLUB
The children attending Mandarin Club have had a great first term. They have learnt how to say, write and read Chinese characters as well as learning about Chinese culture. This week they made some lovely Christmas cards for their families. This club is kindly taught by a teacher from the Newcastle University Confucius Institute. We now have several language clubs running in school including Mandarin, Spanish, French and Arabic. This will all be running next term too and letters have been sent via email to sign up if your child is interested in learning a new language or brushing up their language skills.
TESCO - REMEMBER TO VOTE FOR US
Archibald First School - Outdoor Play and Learning - Gosforth
We’re in the customer vote for a Tesco Stronger Starts. It’s a scheme which gives community projects like us grants of up to £1,500.
Help us enhance our outdoor space and equipment for our children so that they can learn, play, create, develop and have more fun together in our school environment.
From the start of October to mid January in the following Tesco stores, you can pop a token in the 'Archibald OPAL Play' box to cast vote for us. If we win, the school will be rewarded with £1500 which we plan to use toys and play equipment for our children.
- Newcastle Upon Tyne Benton Road Esso Express
- Jesmond Express
- Gosforth Newcastle Express
- Newcastle Chillingham Road Express
Please share this information with friends and family with a 'pretty please' to always vote for us each and every time they shop at one of the above stores.
#tescostrongerstarts @Tesco.news @GroundworkUK
TRAFFIC MESSAGE
This week, Mrs Turner and Mr Fryer (Headteacher at Gosforth Junior Academy) met with our local councillor, Peter Lovatt, and members of the LA traffic management team.
We met to discuss travel plans and safety concerns around Salters Road.
Driving and parking continues to be a negative issue around our school.
Please leave the cars at home or at least away from our school street. Instead of sitting in your car after bagging a space, walk from home and enjoy some fresh air. The walk home with your child/children is the perfect time to talk and to focus on each other as opposed to concentrating on driving.
You also cannot block driveways, park on the kerb or idle.
#AFSrespect
JUST ONE TREE DAY
HEDGEHOG HOME COMPETITION
Planet protectors have been busy tidying the school grounds and making sure we have a hedgehog friendly site. Following this, we've been listening to Spike's story and the whole school was invited to design a hedgehog for the schools' grounds. Entries are to be handed in by the 12th December...
Take at look at the photos from our Early Years Zoolab and Winter Wonderland forest school session. We have also shared photos of the children demonstrating our AFS courageous value.
#AFSCARING BIRD FEEDERS
Can you make a bird feeder to use in your garden over the colder months? Could anyone make extra bird feeders for our school?
We'd love to hang any bird feeders in our forest school area - please bring any that you can into school and hand them to your class teacher(s). They will then ensure these are hung up in our school grounds. #AFSCaring
https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-you-can-do/activities/feed-the-birds
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/crafts/how-to-make-a-bird-feeder
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/01/how-to-make-a-bird-feeder/
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/crafts/how-to-make-fat-cakes-for-birds
DIARRHOEA AND VOMITING
Diarrhoea and vomiting can spread easily. If your child has had sickness and / or diarrhoea, they must stay off school until they've not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days. If they have a high temperature and do not feel well enough to do their normal activities, they will need to be absent.
RECEPTION SCHOOL PLACES - SEPTEMBER 2026
Reception Applications for September 2026.
More information can be found on the Newcastle Local Authority Website via this link: https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/schools-learning-and-childcare/apply-school-place/applying-transfer-places
SUPPORT AT CHRISTMAS
With the festive season almost upon us, we know it’s not always the most wonderful time of the year for everyone. We know that Christmas and New Year can be a challenging time for many families for many different reasons. We have pulled together some resources on a range of different topics in one handy place for you to use or share with loved ones. The NHS - 999 and 111 services are available for emergency and urgent mental health matters, while the website also has details of care on offer
Hub of Hope - A searchable online resource which provides suggested services for a range of mental health and addiction issues based on location
Cruse Bereavement Care (CRUSE) is a national charity committed to promoting the well-being of bereaved people. Patients may contact the national Helpline seven days a week (various times) which is run by trained bereavement volunteers who offer emotional support to anyone affected by grief, calling free on 0808 808 1677.
The Samaritans - The long-running charity offers 24/7 support by phone, email or its Self-help app
NHS Support for Domestic Violence and Abuse
If U Care Share - The charity has a range of resources on its website, including a 24/7 confidential Crisis Messenger for anyone struggling
YEAR 3 LEARNING GALLERY
For History on our Doorstep, Year 3 have been learning about Pre-History. We kick started our topic by learning all about the three different eras of the Stone Age; Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic before moving onto the Bronze and Iron Age. We had a fabulous school trip to the Sill for two wonderful workshops. We got to handle and explore evidence from the Paleolithic era with Kevin, who was so knowledgeable and answered all of our questions before allowing us to create some charcoal cave paintings. We also completed an archaeology workshop where we completed a history mystery and worked as a team to look for clues about what the evidence provided us with. This has simply been a stone-tastic topic and we have learned so much about this period in history!
ZONES OF REGULATION
'Zones of Regulation' is an approach we use in school, linked to children's emotional literacy and wellbeing. ‘The Zones of Regulation’ is a consistent, evidence-based framework which supports our children’s emotional regulation and behavioural skills. This approach is designed to give our pupils a common language for navigating their emotions, as well as providing them with practical strategies for how these emotions can be managed in a constructive and healthy way. At Archibald, we believe that all feelings are valid – however, it is how we manage these feelings which is important. Having effective strategies to navigate our emotions will support our children to cope with all of the challenges which life can bring. If you would like more information on ‘The Zones of Regulation’ and how this works in our school, please don’t hesitate to ask a member of school staff and they will be happy to talk to you.
DO GOOD DECEMBER
PRIVATE SCHOOL NURSE
Here at Archibald, we work alongside a 'School Nursing Team'. This is a team of experienced and fully qualified nurses who have made the decision to set up their own business supporting schools across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Gateshead. One of the nurses - Ciara - comes into school to work with fortnightly. She works with our children and can work with our families too! The nurse team can support our children and families in a whole range of different areas, including: behaviour support and behaviour plans, diet, sleep, self esteem, anxiety, self confidence, autism spectrum disorder, relationships, keeping safe online, toileting, managing feelings of anger, parenting support, risk taking behaviours, obsessive compulsive behaviours and many more areas. If any of our parents and carers would be interested in working alongside this team, please do let us know by giving school a call to find out more or emailing the school office.