This week has been filled with the sound of Christmas singing as each year group begins to practise for their Christmas performances. We have hosted two parent lunches which we hope those who were able to attend enjoyed! The Art Ambassadors have been busy on a project for our local shopping centre, and Year 4 and Year 3 have enjoyed visits to Beamish and The Sill for their 'History on our Doorstep' topics.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Just One Tree
- Year 4 Beamish
- Christmas at Archibald
- #AFSCaring Winter Gardening
- Goodbye Mrs Storey
- Students into School
- Reading Helpers Needed
- Free School Meals
- Art Ambassadors
- Opal
- Starting Nursery / School September 2026
- Attendance at School
- Year 1 Learning Gallery
- Road Safety
- EYFS Learning Gallery
- Dates and Letters
- Wake Up Wednesday - Screen Addiction
JUST ONE TREE DAY
Tuesday 25th November is Just One Tree Day at Archibald; children are invited to wear orange, brown, yellow or green representing autumn colours. This can be an item of clothing or an accessory or they are welcome to wear full uniform :) The donation for the day is £1. If you are able to spare more, that would be lovely. Our Archibald First School Forest now stands at 1217 trees and it will continue to grow with every £1 donated. Your tree purchase will be supporting a reforestation project in one of the following countries: Brazil Madagascar Mozambique Nepal Haiti Indonesia Kenya Zambia Did you know that our school's forest of 1217 trees will remove approximately 374.84 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next 25 years?
And, not only will more trees help our fight against global warming but they will also provide vital habitats for animals as well as help local villagers and farmers. And, by raising money to plant trees, we will help our children understand the importance of being responsible global citizens and making our planet a much better place to be in the future! More information can be found at https://www.justonetree.life/.
YEAR 4 - BEAMISH
Year 4 History – “The Tunnels Below” Our Year 4 historians have begun their exciting topic, The Tunnels Below, exploring how life in Gosforth might look today if mining were still part of our community. We launched the unit with an inspiring trip to Beamish Museum, bringing the past vividly to life. Back in class, the children have been investigating the pace of change through inventions, starting from the Stone Age and moving right through to the Victorian era. They tested the theory: “The longer the period of time, the more inventions were created” and discovered a fascinating boom in the 1800s—predicting that this trend would continue into modern times!
#AFSCARING WINTER GARDENING
Check out these websites for some great ideas to be caring to our gardens and outdoor environment:
GOODBYE MRS STOREY
After 24 years of working at Archibald, the time has come for Mrs Storey to hang up her staff lanyard by taking early retirement. Mrs Storey has had an amazing career at our school and having been based in Early Years for the last 20 years, we know that she has worked with nearly every child here at Archibald today (not to mention all those who have now left us). As a key staff member, she has been pivotal member of the EYFS team in providing care, support, play and education to the children at Archibald as well as being a key staff member to many of our families. We would like to say a huge thank you for the time, love and dedication Mrs Storey has shown to Archibald and our community. She has HUGE shoes to fill and she will be a big miss to us all. We would also like to wish her well and every bit of happiness and enjoyment for her early retirement plans! Mrs Storey’s last day will be 19th December.
STUDENTS INTO SCHOOL
At Archibald, we like to share our experience and knowledge of teaching with students who are training to become teachers and support assistants. We currently have 3 T-Level students with us, all two days a week, who are based in Nursery, Reception and Year 3. We have just hosted 4 teaching students from Northumbria University in EYFS for two weeks and on Monday, 5 students from Sunderland University will join us for two weeks before returning in the new year for a further two weeks. Classes 8 and 10 have also hosted trainee teachers throughout Autumn 2.
READING HELPERS NEEDED
We are keen to continue to work in collaboration with you throughout the school year.
We are looking for adults (parents, carers and grandparents) to support reading throughout our school. Any help would be much appreciated - this could be an hour a week or fortnightly, on any day and at any time. There are no criteria, rules or necessary skills required for reading with the children: simply your time to offer additional reading opportunities for our children.
In terms of time, if you could commit to a set time each week this would be great. Once we have your name and information, we will allocate each you a year group to work with. If you are unable to make a session all we ask is that you let the class teacher know either directly or via the office.
New Reading Helper 2025: https://forms.office.com/e/2L8idunvqV
FREE SCHOOL MEALS (DIFFERENT TO UNIVERSAL INFANT 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.
ART AMBASSADORS
More coming but art ambassadors have been helping with exciting project keep eyes peeled in local area...
OPAL
As the weather begins to change, we want to make sure that all children are well prepared to enjoy playtime and lunchtime comfortably, whatever the weather! All children also need to have a waterproof coat in school every day. The Opal Play approach means we go outside to play in all weathers - the weather doesn’t stop play, but not having the right clothing might! Thank you for your support in helping us ensure that playtime remains fun, active, and comfortable for everyone.
STARTING NURSERY / SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER 2026!
Nursery Application forms for places in September 2026 will be available on the school website and from the school office from 9th January 2026. The closing date for applications is 27th March 2026 at noon. Offer letters will be emailed out on Wednesday 1st April 2026 with the deadline for accepting places being Friday 24th April.
Reception Applications for September 2026: Applications are currently open with the closing date 15th January 2026.
ATTENDANCE UPDATES
Our current attendance data shows good attendance in most year groups and we know that children are usually only absent due to illness. However, we would like to remind everyone that good attendance is essential for learning and progress and children need to be in the habit of good attendance right from the start. It is a myth that Nursery and Reception are mostly play and therefore children can miss out. Every day in Reception, there are lessons such as phonics and maths as well as targeted teaching in other key areas of the curriculum. All of the play and learning opportunities in both Nursery and Reception are part of the planned continuous provision which lead to the best learning and development. If children miss out on these foundations in learning, there are very limited opportunities to catch up and progress is negatively impacted. Children who do not have good attendance also find it challenging to form and maintain strong friendships.
YEAR 1 LEARNING GALLERY
Y1 have began addition in maths and have been really confident with using manipulatives. They also had a fabulous castle afternoon to make up for their trip being postponed.
ROAD SAFETY AWARENESS
Next week is road safety awareness week led by the charity Brake. This year their focus is on “safe vehicles”, making accidents that occur as preventable as possible. Part of their message involves encouraging drivers to ensure their vehicles are fully road worthy and that newer technology in cars, which assist with road safety, are understood and used properly. The charity also provides a free, professional trauma informed service for victims of traffic accidents, including expert emotional and practical support. Find out more at Road Safety Week | Brake
EYFS LEARNING GALLERY
Just look at our Nursery superstar fine motor skills. Buttering their own toast, loose parts patterns and funky finger challenges. You are all amazing!
We are so proud of our Reception children this week. They have used their amazing phonic knowledge to write a list of CVC words for items we would need for a party. Well done!