Our School Motto
Dear Parents/guardians,
It has been a lovely start to the Autumn Term. Pupils have returned to school ready to learn and behaviour has been exemplary. We welcomed twelve new pupils this week and I hope that they are going to enjoy becoming a part of our Johnston family.
Staffing Update
Miss Pearce is going to be off work for the next few weeks after taking ill during the summer holidays. Everyone at Johnston C.P. is thinking of Miss Pearce and wishes her a speedy recovery. For the next few weeks, Mrs Gainfort is going to be working as part of the Early Years Team (Monday to Thursday) before returning to Year One on a Friday. Mrs Roach-John will be teaching Year One Monday to Thursday.
Curriculum Corner - How do we teach literacy?
We teach literacy using an approach called Talk for Writing. Pupils learn short texts using actions. This week, year two have been working hard to learn a non-fiction text about Jamaica. Look how much they have been able to internalise in just two days! Next week, they will start to use the language patterns independently to write a non-fiction text about another country. This is a highly effective approach to the teaching of writing. We use this across the school, although it looks slightly different in years five and six.
School Development Plan:
During the summer holidays I have been busy reviewing progress made last year and formulating our new school development plan.
Areas for development this year:
- Develop and refine teacher inputs and modelling. This target will continue to develop our 2023 -2024 work on Pace, Questioning and Independence.
- Develop and refine provision for independent learning across the school so that there is appropriate challenge for all pupils.
- Further develop the daily Welsh skills of all staff and pupils.
- To continue to improve and develop teaching and learning in reading in order to raise standards for all pupils.
If you would like to view these targets in more detail then please visit our school website.
We also have a number of long term targets on which work will continue:
- Pupil voice: (Pupil Voice Target) Continued focus on high levels of well-being across the school community.
- Further develop opportunities for non-competitive and competitive sport for all pupils.
- Continued focus on Retrieval Practise as a golden thread in teaching and learning, and curriculum planning.
- Continue to build our knowledge rich curriculum.
- Continue high quality outdoor learning opportunities for all.
Information from ASD Family Help
Information from Llangwm RFC
Music Service Information
Attendance
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, school attendance across Wales has been severely impacted. Our attendance last year finished at 91%. Our target is 95%.
We are under increasing pressure to improve our attendance. It became apparent last year that attendance on Fridays was significantly lower than attendance Monday to Thursday. We will continue to monitor attendance on Fridays separately with aim of improving this. We are going to be enhancing our attendance rewards and children with attendance over 95% at the end of the autumn term will receive a special treat.
Thank you for your continued support.
Inset days for 2024-2025
- Monday 2nd September 2024 - Focus: Direct Instruction and Teacher Modeling.
- Wednesday 9th October 2024 - Focus: Oracy, independence and continuous and enhanced provision.
- Monday 25th November - Focus: Cluster Working.
- Friday 10th January - Focus: Welsh Language.
- Friday 24th January - Focus: Phonics and Reading.
- Day Six will be taken as twilight sessions.
Mobile Phone Policy Update
During the summer term. the Local Authority contacted all schools and Governing bodies asking them to review their Mobile Telephone Policy. In recent years, internet enabled mobile devices have caused a significant increase in incidents of online bullying and inappropriate behaviour. Gradually, device usage has become more popular in younger year groups and whereas previously primary schools had very few serious incidents related to devices, this has changed in recent years.
There is broad consensus amongst experts that the use of mobile telephones can be detrimental to child development. At a time where children are particularly anxious and parts of their brains are still developing, mobile telephones can exasperate concerns and worries that pupils might have. Social Psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, say that the decline of free-play in childhood and the rise of smartphone usage among adolescents are the twin sources of increased mental distress among teenagers.
As such, we have taken the decision to become a smart phone free school. This is an approach promoted by the Local Authority.
From September, pupils will not be permitted to bring any smart phone/internet enabled device to school. This is a change to our current policy where pupils check in smart devices at the school office. Should parents feel that their child needs a mobile telephone to walk home with because they need to contact them, we will permit a non-internet enabled brick telephone which can be checked in at reception.
We recognise that this may result in additional costs for parents as pupils may already had a smart-device. As such, the governing body have agreed that we able to provide a limited number of brick telephones (non-internet enabled) for free which pupils are then able to check into the office at the beginning of the school day.
Thank you for your support and understanding with this issue.
Headteacher's Coffee Afternoon
On Monday 16th September I will hold a Headteacher's coffee session at 15:30. This will be an opportunity for an informal chat about anything that parents would like to discuss - be it something that you think we are doing well, something which you think I might have missed, or an area of concern. All parents are welcome.