This week has been our Art and DT week across school. In every year group, the classes have been focused on developing their art skills and undertaking DT projects. Check out our class posts @archibald_1st to see what we have been up to and to catch a glimpse of our very creative children.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Autumn Term 1 Topic NE3 and Our City
- Curriculum Information Booklets
- World No Car Day
- Courageous
- Helping in School
- Careers - Inspiring our Children
- Free School Meals
- Year 2 #AFSCreative
- Polite reminders
- Absence from School
- Punctuality
- Safeguarding - Operation Encompass
- Smoke Free, Vape Free Site
- Dates and Letters
- Wake Up Wednesday - How to clean devices
AUTUMN TERM 1 TOPIC
This term, we launch our exciting whole school curriculum topic: NE3 and our City. Across all year groups, children will be exploring the rich geography and history of our local area, deepening their understanding of the community we call home. As part of this journey, every child takes part in a ‘planning and decision making’ challenge—identifying a local issue or gap and proposing thoughtful solutions, whether imagined or actionable. Through this empowering task, we’re helping our young learners realise that although they may be small, their voices matter, their ideas count, and their opinions deserve to be heard.
World Car Free Day
COURAGEOUS
This half term our focus value is 'courageous'. So far we have spotted children making new friends, asking questions, trying new learning, having a go on new equipment, playing new games...
We are sure that the children are being courageous at home too. If you have any images or examples of the children being courageous, please do share these on Tapestry and Seesaw. We will share these with our classes and add images / notes to our display board in school as a celebration of our school value.
Helping in School
Are you interested in working in a school? Do you have experience of or would you like to gain experience of supporting in a classroom with groups of children and class admin (cutting and sticking)? Some of our classes would welcome additional adults during the week. We would be looking for a regular time slot of a morning or an afternoon over a half term in the first instance.
If this has grabbed your attention, reach out to us via office@archibaldfirstschool.co.uk to let us know, to ask any questions you have and to get a copy of the volunteering in school policy / application form.
We will not be able to facilitate places for everyone so please let us know what you would like to do and why you would like to help and support in school. Offers will be subject to safeguarding checks.
We are also still recruiting volunteers for reading helpers (See the letter on the website).
Careers - Inspiring Our Children
We want to inspire our children to find out more about the many career opportunities in adult life, linking it to our curriculum. We would love to involve parents talking to students about their jobs and skills.
Please complete the form below and we will be in touch at a later date.
FREE SCHOOL MEALS
Every child in Reception Year 1 and Year 2 is entitled to a free school meal but did you know… your child and their school may be able to get extra help if you receive one of the qualifying benefits below. We encourage all parents to apply for Free School Meals during their Reception Year, so Newcastle City Council can assess whether your child and their school can receive this extra help. Even if your child does not want to take up a cooked meal during the school day, your school can still receive this additional help.
We also actively encourage all parents of all children in every year group to ensure they have signed up; you never know when circumstances may change...
You can check out eligibility and apply here: https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/schools -learning-and-childcare/help-school-andlearning-costs/apply-free-school-meals
This can help to pay towards the cost of trips and a club for your child. If you are eligible for free school meals, vouchers are issued during holiday times for the supermarket of your choice!
Newcastle City Council operates an Apply Once process for Free School Meals. During your child's academic life you will only ever have to apply once for Free School Meals while they attend a Newcastle school. If your application is refused, they will continue to check your details on a weekly basis, unless you tell them to stop. This means we will know if you start to get a qualifying benefit. They will approve your child’s free school meals application and contact you. If you apply through the online portal, you will receive an immediate response to your application. School will be informed of your child's Free School Meal application on a weekly basis.
Year 2 #AFSCreative
Year 2 enjoyed their art workshop with Northeast artist Ben Holland this week. Ben uses the landmarks of the north of England as inspiration, and the children loved hearing about his life as an artist. They created beautiful drawings of the Angel of the North and St Mary's Lighthouse.
POLITE REMINDERS
MEDICATION IN SCHOOL: We can give children prescription medication in school if it is prescribed for four or more doses a day. We can also hold prescribed medication in school for allergies and chronic conditions. All medication requires paperwork and needs to handed to a member of staff. Contact us if you have any questions and we can advise you in more detail. Thank you.
FIRST AID AND BUMPED HEAD TEXTS: Children do sometimes fall, trip or collide with each other in school, particularly at playtimes. Trained first aid staff will treat any minor injuries in school and if we think that the injury is serious, we will treat it and contact you immediately. If children experience a minor head bump, we send you a standard text. This is because head injuries and symptoms can develop later and we want you to be aware that they have had a head bump at school. Do not panic if you receive one of these texts – if it is at all serious or concerning, we will ring you rather than text you.
INFORMATION AND CONTACT DETAILS: It is absolutely essential that all of the information we have about children is accurate and up to date. Please ensure that you inform us of any changes to medical information, addresses and contact numbers. We’d also appreciate it if you could keep us up to date with any changes to family circumstances or other changes at home as this helps us to support children in school.
TOYS: Children shouldn’t bring toys to school. This is because they often get broken or lost, we have nowhere to store them and they often distract children form learning. Sometimes staff might ask children to bring in interesting objects and things linked to learning, but otherwise, toys are not allowed in school.
ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL
Children should only be absent from school when they are unwell or need to attend medical or dental appointments at the hospital. If possible, we ask you to try and book appointments outside of school hours but we know that this is not always possible.
APPOINTMENTS: If your child needs to attend an appointment during school hours, you are requested to show school the text confirmation, email confirmation or appointment letter. This can be shown at the office or sent in via email to office@archibaldfirstschool.co.uk. This enables us to authorise the absence as a 'medical'.
ILLNESS: If your child is unwell, you need to let school know before 8.45am on the first day of the absence. If the absence is going to continue, please contact us again on the second day to update us. You can report an absence via office@archibaldfirstschool.co.uk, leave a message on the answerphone or you can speak to a member of staff in the office.
If you click on the NHS link below, you will find guidance about when to keep your child off school and for how long they should be absent for different illnesses. The 48 hour rule still applies for sickness and diarrhoea - this means that children should be absent from school for 48 hours after the last episode of either diarrhoea or sickness.
If you need to keep your child off school for any other reason, please ask for a form from the office. Holidays cannot be authorised and the new DfE guidance means that we will be issuing fixed penalties when children have 10 or more unauthorised sessions (5 days) in a 10 week period. There is more detail on Newcastle City Council Website. Our attendance officer works for NCC and visits school regularly to review data and issue fines.
PUNCTUALITY
OPERATION ENCOMPASS
We are an ‘Operation Encompass’ school. Operation Encompass operates in all police forces across England. It helps police and schools work together to provide emotional and practical help to children. The system ensures that when police are called to an incident of domestic abuse, where there are children in the household who have experienced the domestic incident, the police should inform the key adult (usually the designated safeguarding lead) in school before the child or children arrive at school the following day. This ensures that the school has up to date relevant information about the child’s circumstances and can enable immediate support to be put in place, according to the child’s needs.
DATES & LETTERS
- 19 Ways to Wellbeing 8.45-10.45am: What is Mental Health?
- 22 World No Car Day - Please walk, scoot or cycle to school
- 22 Post Adoption Coffee Morning 8.45-10
- 23 Gardening morning 9-11 - can you help us look after our planters? Bring secateurs, gardening gloves and a watering can...
- 24 Reception and Year 1 Reading and Phonics Meeting 5pm
- 26 Ways to Wellbeing 8.45-10.45am: Anxiety (See letter on the website)
- 26 European Day of Languages
- 29 Poetry Week - Play
- 01 SEND Support Coffee Morning 8.45-10am
- 01 Year 2 Quayside Visit (am only)
- Homework Letters
- Reading Newsletter
- Ways to Wellbeing