IN THIS ISSUE
- IN THIS ISSUE
- Welcome to the Archibald Team
- Year 3 Theatre Visit
- Helping your child with anxiety and worries RISE Webinar
- Year 4 Careers Fair
- OPAL Updates
- Angels of the North
- Great North Hospital
- Signing Children Into School - The 'LATE' Book
- Summer Holiday Football Camps
- Saying Goodbye to Staff
- Wild Flowers
- Newcastle Music Service - Music Ensembles
- Headlice
- New Planting Area
- Allergies and Anaphylaxis
- Thank You for an Incredible Summer Fair
- Loose Parts Resources Needed
- Dates and Letters
- School Avoidance Information
- Influencers
Welcome to the Archibald Team
We are welcoming four new members of staff to our team in September... Mrs Lindsay will be based in Reception teaching Class 1 on a Thursday and both Class 1 and Class 2 on a Wednesday. Mrs Coates is joining our support team in Year 1; Miss Mattinson our support team in Year 2 and Mr Graham our support team in Year 3 (photo to follow). All will be joining us on our final two transition days (8th and 9th July) to meet the children and to spend time with them before they officially start in September.
Year 3 Theatre Visit
Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Northern Stage Theatre to watch Terrible Tudors as part of Horrible Histories. The children delved into the past and learned all about Henry VIII and what life was like during the Tudor period. It was a fantastic visit filled with fun, laughter and learning. The children gained lots of new knowledge about this fascinating period in history, with plenty of smiles and giggles along the way. It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday morning!
Year 4 Careers Fair
In Year 4 we had our first ever careers fair that was a huge success! 7 ex-Archibald pupils kindly gave up their time to speak to the children about their job, the skills they need and how they got to their chosen career. It was lovely that we had such a varied skill set and the children were truly inspired. We had a talent development coach from British Cycling, a journalist from the Northern Echo, a chief financial officer from the engineering company OpenWorks, 2 actors, a Marine Biologist and a Deputy Head Teacher. The children also enjoyed hearing about what Archibald was like when they came here and seeing their school photos.
A MASSIVE thank you to our volunteers and to Mrs Jones for organising the event for us.
We are planning on doing it again next year so if you attended Archibald and would like to take part please get in touch!
OPAL Updates
Water and Weed Wednesday
On a Wednesday, with adult supervision, the children are encouraged to water the plants and to weed the pots and planters. Hopefully, we can help them to identify which ones are the plants we want to keep :)
Water Area
This is being established at the rear of school. A chance to splash, make potions, create water channels and chat together.
The Sand Pit
Three large tyres act as our sand pit for the children to play in. Peel back the cover, grab a bucket and spade before digging in! The sand MUST stay in the sand pit and is NOT to be used in the mud kitchen or taken behind the bushes etc.
The Grass Zone
Our 'field' may be small but it is perfectly formed and exactly what our children need. There is space for games, cartwheels, tag, daisy chain making... Pallets, wooden pieces and tarpaulins provide a basis for den building. Watch out for the new den building stands once they are delivered... The climbing frame is a firm favourite for everyone whilst the roll over bars are never out of use either. It is a great space for energetic children, fun and open ended play.
Chalk Time
Our new boards have arrived! We are hoping to add more boards to the wall soon. Children are reminded not to waste the chalk by snapping it or leaving it on the ground. Staff bring the chalk out and it is collected in at the end of every break/lunch session.
Music and Games
The music wall has been refreshed. A great space to the rear of the yard for making music out of recycled equipment. We also include small musical instruments - if you have any that your children have out grown, please do send them in. At the front of school is our games area:
- Ten pin bowling
- Beanbag toss
- Snakes and Ladders
- Twister
- Noughts and Crosses
- Connect 4
A table will be added to table top games such as Guess Who, Jenga, Pop Up Pirate and Crocodile Dentist.
The children need to ensure they treat these respectfully and tidy them away properly after every break and lunchtime as we do not want the pieces going missing.
Angels of the North
We are incredibly proud of our school choir, who recently performed at the spectacular Angels of the North concert at The Glasshouse, in front of an audience of over 1,200 people.
The children dedicated five months to rehearsing the songs during singing club, showing outstanding commitment and enthusiasm throughout. Their performance was truly wonderful, with the whole choir singing with confidence, joy and professionalism. We were especially proud of our brave soloists, who demonstrated remarkable courage in performing in such a large and prestigious venue.
This experience perfectly reflects our school values of being creative and courageous, and the children were a credit to our school in every way. It was a memorable evening and a fantastic achievement for everyone involved.
Signing Children Into School - The 'LATE' Book
Being late happens to us all.
When it is occasional, then this is not a problem at all. However if you are always late, then this does become an issue...
Regardless of if the lateness is a one off or recurrent, parents and carers are reminded of the need to be honest about the time they sign their children into school.
Did you know that we have children arriving 'before' people who have signed in earlier than them?
We have to keep a correct register of all children, including lates and recording in the register how many minutes they are late. This is a legal document and can be used in court by the Attendance team at Newcastle City Council. It also builds a picture of attendance and lates for our attendance reports that go to Governors, DfE, Census and the Attendance team and dictates which families are written to about their attendance/lates.
The office team, will always record the correct time in the register and will amend incorrect times recorded.
Please be honest and accurate when signing the book - thank you.
Saying Goodbye to Staff
On our last day of term, we will be saying goodbye to two of our staff members... Miss Moffett joined our support team in 2021 after a wonderful teaching career. She has been an invaluable member of staff who we have loved having as a part of the Archibald Team. Sadly for us, but happily her her, she has made the decision to fully retire. As her partner is also retiring, they are planning adventures and new possibilities for the future, and we wish them all the very best. Miss Moffett, you will be a huge miss. Thank you for everything you have done with us and for all you brought to Archibald.
We also say goodbye to Miss Wheeler. Miss Wheeler joined us in the autumn term of 2025 and has made a great impact as a member of our support team. Our loss is Scotland's gain as she relocates to be with family and to embark on her teaching career. Miss Wheeler, thank you for the last year - we really do wish you the very best for you new adventures.
Wild Flowers
We have been cultivating this area on the grass for the last few years; wildflowers can take a coupe of years to embed and bloom so this year's display is simply wonderful.
We are going to continue to add to this area to attract nature to our site. We will be replanting in the 'patches'.
This area is marked by logs and the children know they are not to play or walk in this space to protect the flowers and wildlife.
#AFSCaring #AFSRespectful
Newcastle Music Service - Music Ensembles
Come and join our ensembles… It’s an excellent way of progressing further in music, enjoying making music with others and making new friends! We have a wide variety of ensembles to suit all ages, standards and styles of music. On the website, Ensembles — Newcastle Music Service click on each of the boxes to find out more or if you have any other questions, please email SISMusicHubAdmin@newcastle.gov.uk. All of our ensembles are provided free of charge!
Keep an eye on their webpage and on ours as the new ensembles for September 2026 will be shared asap.
Headlice
HEADLICE: Please continue to ‘take a peek, once a week and check your child’s hair.
Headlice are very common in children. If you know that your child has had or has headlice, please let us know so that we can also raise awareness within their class and let other grown-ups know that there are headlice in the year group. This means that everyone has the opportunity to check their own child’s hair. No child or family will ever be named regarding having headlice.
If your child does have headlice, and you would rather treat them straight away as opposed to waiting until that evening, we are very happy for you to do this and then bring your child into school. We would never want any of our children to be uncomfortable or itchy.
New Planting Area
These new planters are ready for the fruit, vegetable and herbs each year group has planted. We will be covering them with fine mesh to keep the insects away.
It is hoped that we will be able to harvest what we plant to use them in our DT Food Projects in the autumn term. EYFS - soup Year 1 - smoothies Year 2 - healthy salad wrap Year 3 - flans (Year 4 make biscuits... haha)
Please keep little fingers and feet out of these areas.
Thank You for an Incredible Summer Fair
The summer fair was a great day; a huge well done and thank you to the PTFA and all the helpers for their brilliant organisation. The weather gods were also very kind to us! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Loose Parts Resources Needed
Loose Parts Resources Needed! Do you work in a trade, have building work happening at home, or know someone who does? We are always on the lookout for loose parts to support our children’s creativity and problem‑solving on the Loose Parts Yard. Because so many children enjoy building, designing, and creating every day, our resources get lots of use and we would be very grateful for any donations of materials, including:
- Cable drums or reels
- Tubing, guttering, funnels
- Hosepipes, bore pipes, or any other types of pipes
- Wheelbarrows
- Tree trunks and tree slices (thick and thin)
- Any other interesting construction or industrial off‑cuts you may have!
If you or your workplace can help, please let us know. Your contributions make a huge difference to the children’s play and learning experiences.