The Richmond Primary Academy November 2024 newsletter

Principal Update

Message from Vicky Ross, Principal

Parents, Friends and Carers

What a busy month November has been! Packed full of learning, with a healthy dose of fun and, in particular sports.

Since coming back after half-term, we have continued our relentless drive to improve standards, and our recent assessments are showing that this is bearing fruit. Children’s progress is accelerating, propelled by the combination of good teaching and supportive home partnership. It is evident that children are reading at home, engaging in Times Table Rockstars, completing their gap learning tasks, and in many cases going that extra mile: many children are coming to me to show the stories they have written at home or the maths that they have been practising.

Our parent workshops have been happening nearly every week with a small, but loyal following. We are really keen to increase the number of parents that can attend these, so will be moving the time in the new year - so they are run in the afternoon. Please let us know if there are any particular themes or subjects that you would like us to cover although, at the moment, our plan is to run simple coffee afternoons, inviting parents and younger children. This will provide our community with a chance to build friendships and tap into any support that we can share.

Importantly, in January, to bring us in line with the Trust, we will be moving away from Parentpay, to My Child at School (MCAS). Any parents with children at Skegness Grammar will already be using this system. We have already sent a dojo regarding this move,and further communications will be coming out in the next week or so. Please download the app onto your phone in preparation for this (available on the App store). Also, please ensure that the school holds up-to-date email addresses for parents and carers as both medical alerts and school messages will be sent to these.

With Christmas fast approaching, we are aware that this time is tough emotionally and financially for many. If you need any support, please let us know. We want to organise a toy swap session so if you have any toys in very good condition that you no longer need, please bring them into the office and we will start to run these sessions when we have a decent supply.

With lots of dressing up events, do not feel any pressure to spend lots on these – e.g a small piece of tinsel works just as well as a Christmas Jumper. If you do have any Christmas jumpers that are too small, we are happy to accept them to swap on our Christmas toys swap stall too.

Finally, we have a number of Christmas events coming up (the dates are listed below).

December Dates

• Friday 29th November – PFA KS1 Movie Night – 3.30 to 5.30pm

• Thursday 5th December – PFA Wreath Making and Festive Chocolate Bingo – from 3.30pm – flyer sent with details

• Friday 6th December – PFA KS2 Movie Night – 3.30 to 5.30pm

• Monday 9th December – Choir and Year 6 at Trust carol service in Boston – 11.00am to 4.00pm

• Thursday 12th December – Christmas Jumper Day – wear something Christmassy with your uniform for a suggested 50p-£1 donation for those who can afford to donate.

• Thursday 12th December – PFA Breakfast with Santa – information to follow

• Thursday 12th December and Friday 13th December – Christmas Production from 6.00pm – free to enter but we are asking for donations to fund future performances – Refreshments will be on sale from the PFA. Tickets will need to be ordered to ensure space limits are not exceeded.

• Monday 16th December – EYFS Nativity 2.00pm (2 parents per child due to space limits)

• Tuesday 17th December – KS1 Nativity 2.15pm – Year 1 Parents only (2 parents per child due to space limits)

• Wednesday 18th December – Santa and Reindeer Fun Run – AM – Children can dress as Santa, a reindeer or just something Christmassy – please ensure that footwear is adequate for running.

• Wednesday 18th December – Christmas Dinner Day – please order via Parent Pay.

• Wednesday 18th December – KS1 Nativity 2.15pm – Year 2 Parents only (2 parents per child due to space limits)

• Thursday 19th December – Christmas Party Day – Non-Uniform – party food provided by school to those who order dinner for that day via Parent Pay.

Communications

A reminder that we are communicating via:

X (Twitter)

Website

Email - enquiries@richmondprimary.co.uk

Staff Spotlight

Happy Retirement, Amber !!!!

Last week, we were very sad to say goodbye to Amber Cooper. Amber is retiring after many years as the most glamorous cleaner we have ever known. Amber will be remembered for her kindness, generosity and positivity. Every day, she swept into school, looking very stylish, and worked extremely hard to clean the school - to exceptionally high standards. The choir came to her leaving event and sang beautifully for her. We wish her the very best luck with her retirement. She has earned it!!!

You Said, We Did

Thanks to all the parents who filled in our November Parent Survey. Here are the responses we received...

You said....We love the school and the impact it has on the children attending. Staff go above and beyond to support where needed.

You said....I feel like the school is failing my child due to the lack of support for his behaviours in learning, outside the classroom and in the wider community. We said - please, please come and speak to us about this. We can offer a meeting anytime to put support in place.

You said...What happened to the school meal vouchers? During 6 weeks holiday or at Christmas we didn't receive them. We said...this is a government decision, not the academy's, however, if you qualify, there is a voucher coming your way soon.

You said...The online support/training sessions provided a few months ago via LCC was useful and would enjoy participating in more of those.

You said....A member of staff is needed on duty to watch the traffic in the morning and stop unsafe parking - the messages going out are being ignored - could potentially community support officers help? We did...We have added cones to reduce the number of parents stopping dangerously, and Mr Barker and Mrs Ross are now out the front in the mornings whenever possible. We have invited the traffic officers to visit regularly - hopefully you have seen them. We continue to ask parents not to turn around in the layby and on Richmond Drive. There has been a significant improvement but we will continue to make changes and raise the importance of safety when dropping off.

You said...I'm so impressed by the improvements so far.

You said...Holiday club during half terms / 6 weeks. We said...we will look at implementing this during the Summer. Please ask as we can signpost to local offers.

You said...Check ins with the children if they are happy with their learning partners. We did...we rotate learning partners every half-term at least and will always respond if a child is not getting on with their partner - please let us know.

You said...The children would like a wider selection of books and the chance to change them more often. We did...the PFA sent out a survey and spent a lot of money replenishing the library. We are always needing book donations to restock! Children on phonics books should have 2 books per week and all children have access to change their reading for pleasure/with a parent books daily. If your child hasn't changed their book recently, mention this to the teacher at the end of the day and they can come back to change it then

Remember, if you are concerned about anything, come and speak to us on the gates in the morning - or drop us a message on enquiries@richmondprimary.co.uk and we will get back to you.