IN THIS ISSUE:
- IN THIS ISSUE:
- Uniform
- OPAL Play
- Small World Area
- Blocks Hut
- Small Building Area
- Digging Pit and Mud Kitchen
- Litter Picking Stations
- OPAL Play Donations
- Defibrillator Update
- Half Term Ideas
- Parent Support Groups
- If You Wish Upon a Star...
- Moving On Up
- Free School Meals
- New Year 3 Classes
- New Classes and New Teachers
- Sun-cream
- NSPCC
- Dates and Letters
- Water Safety Advice
- Staying Safe Around Water
Uniform
Please remember that full school uniform including plain, dark school shoes must be worn when it is not a PE day. Now it is summer, red gingham dresses can be worn too. On PE days, the school PE kit of plain royal blue shorts and a plain red t-shirt may be worn with a school jumper. Trainers may ONLY be worn on PE days and no other sports kit is appropriate for school. If you have an after-school PE club (and do not have PE that day), please come to school in uniform and change into school PE kit at the start of the club As it is the summer, plain blue, black, white or red sandals may be worn as long as:
- They are flat
- Fasten securely
- Are worn with socks to protect toes.
Crocs, flip flops, slip on and heels cannot be worn as they are not suitable for outdoor play at school -please keep these for the weekend fun and activities.
If children grow out of their school shoes in summer term 2, consider a pair of sandals for them to see them through until the end of term - NOT trainers. This will save buying new school shoes before September.
OPAL Play
Through this approach to play children are not only more active at lunch or break times, but they are also having the opportunity to further develop life skills such as cooperation, team work and problem solving. They are becoming motivated and enthusiastic builders, engineers, explorers and designers. We are currently refreshing and updating all of our OPAL play areas and equipment. Each week we are sharing the areas with the children and talking about the rules of play and how they can use each of these areas.
Watch this space for the new equipment and area updates!
Small World Area
This area has been recreated at the front of school. The children are able to get the toys out of the cupboard to use in this area - trucks, diggers, dinosaurs, small world characters. They CANNOT take or remove the wood, tyres, stones or bark. Tunnels will be added shortly. If your child comes home with a secret stash in their pocket, PLEASE return to school!
Blocks Hut
This hut stands within out games zone at the front of school. In the 'bin' there are wooden blocks for the children to use in their own imaginative way. We have spoken about creating towers, structures, domino runs. They are able to build on the hut or around the hut. The blocks must be returned to the bin at the end of every session and the children are asked to check that none are hidden under the structure. No blocks are to be removed from this area.
Small Building Area
The 6 red boxes contain Duplo, polygon and other creative building toys/equipment. The children are to get out a box of their choosing and they can then use this on either the low wooden table or get out one of the trays which should always be stored behind the cupboard.
The equipment must be returned to the correct red box at the end of every session and the children are asked to check that none are hidden under the structures. No equipment is to be removed from this area. If your child comes home with a secret stash in their pocket, PLEASE return to school!
Digging Pit and Mud Kitchen
These areas are located at the rear of school. Equipment is available to use and explore in the digging pit whilst there is an abundance of equipment for the mud kitchen too. The children MUST wear wellies when in either of these areas. They cannot take mud out of these areas including across the grass.
If you have any spare bags of compost or mud, we would be very grateful for this :)
OPAL Play Donations
We’re collecting pre-loved or new items to help enrich imaginative, hands-on learning experiences for our children. If you’re able to donate, we’d be super grateful! We’re currently looking for:
- toy cars, planes and trains
- craft paper
- stencils
- crayons
- chalk
- wooden jigsaws
- table top games such as Guess Who, Dominoes, Jenga, Connect 4
Thank you for continuing to help us create rich outdoor play opportunities that inspire creativity, confidence, and learning 🌿
P.S. Can you check out local charity shops for pre loved items in good condition? Can you ask relatives, friends and family? @outdoorplayandlearning #outdoorplay #play #AFScreative #playbasedlearning
Defibrillator Update
We are astounded to share that we have been gifted a new defibrillator for school. The money raised by everyone is going to be used to by the replacement adult and child pads which we will need to do every year, to replace the battery pack as required and we are also looking to purchase a locked cabinet for this to be kept in on the external wall of our school to enable it to be used by our local community should the need arise.
Beyond the purchase of the cabinet, we need to explore the need for electricity to the cabinet...
In recognition of this gift, we will be looking to say thank you by highlighting the work of North East Immediate Care | Pre-hospital care charity.
Half Term Ideas
Parent Support Groups
If You Wish Upon a Star...
We would LOVE a boat for our yard as a play feature... At a local school, a family was able to locate one and together a wider team of families transformed it into the gorgeous structure shown to the left.
We have looked on Market Place and found a couple but we really don;t have the skills or time to do this project.
Do any families know of a boat which could be donated? Could any of you transform a boat for our playground?
Moving On Up
From the second week of the summer term part 2, the children across the school will begin their transition process to their new classes with their new teacher.
Week 2 will begin with a visit to their current classroom by their new teacher followed by a reciprocal visit. Over the following 4 weeks, the visits will take place at least once a week building up for 1 hour to a full day before culminating in two days of transition on the 8th and 9th July when the year 4 children will also visit their new schools.
The staff are busy planning activities linked to two surprise texts and the aim is to create new displays in the classrooms ready for September. They will also be exploring the Zones of Regulation with the children so that these can be used together at the start of the new school year. Crucially, by the end of the transition project, the children and the staff will have developed their relationship together, the children will have familiarity with the staff with who they will be working and also feel comfortable in their new classroom.
Free School Meals
Did you know that from September 2026, free school meal eligibility in England will expand to all households receiving Universal Credit, removing the current £7,400 income cap. This change aims to provide over half a million more children with nutritious meals, saving families up to £495 per child annually, and takes effect for the 2026/27 school year
It is vital that your details are as up to date as possible on the schools application portal and it does not matter what year group your child is in as beyond the free school meal, funds can be allocated to the school to support your child.
Application Required: Parents will still need to apply for these meals under the new system.
School will be finding out more from the Local Authority and Government soon.
Apply for free school meals Apply for free school meals| Newcastle City Council (Current information)
New Year 3 Classes
The teachers are busy formulating the new Year 3 classes for September 2026 as the children head into Year 3 from Year 2. Every child in Year 2 has been asked about who they’d like to be with and every child will have at least one of their chosen friends. The staff work really hard putting a lot of time and effort into formulating the new classes. They know your children really well, look at friendships, working dynamics, the opportunity for children to thrive with different friends as well as creating balanced classes.
Please be reassured that it is not a random selection or a quick process to formulate these final class lists
New Classes and New Teachers
For the everyone in Reception to Year 3, your child's new class and their teacher will be revealed at the end of week 1 of the next half term.
Sun-cream
Sunscreen should be applied to areas of exposed skin that are not covered by clothing to protect it from Ultraviolet Radiation. Without adequate protection, a child’s delicate skin can easily burn, causing cumulative and irreparable damage. This can significantly increase their risk of developing skin cancer in later life.
Sunscreen must be provided by the parents/carers and should be:
- Labelled ‘Broad-Spectrum’ to provide protection against both UVA and UVB.
- A minimum Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30
- Checked to ensure it is still within its expiry date
- Applied liberally before school by parents/carers
As 12-hour sun-screen is now widely available on the market, school recommends that this is used by our families prior to the school day. Children can bring in their own sunscreen to reapply during the day. This should be a labelled bottle and kept in their bag. They must be able to apply this themselves and must not share their cream with other children.
If they have their own sun screen in school, this can be reapplied at the start of the lunch break only. Unfortunately, staff cannot apply children's sunscreen directly for any child.
NSPCC
The NSPCC is the UK's leading children’s charity. They’ve been working to stop child abuse and neglect for over 140 years. They’re the only UK children’s charity with statutory powers, which means we can take action to safeguard children at risk of abuse.
Please use the following link to visit the NSPCC website to find out more about what they do. NSPCC | The UK children's charity |