We have reached the end of a very busy Spring term which has been packed with exciting trips, school events and visitors. We hope you all have an enjoyable break and look forward to seeing everyone back in school for the Summer term.
EID-AL-FITR
We hope you can join us in our Eid Fair, after school on Thursday 21st March (EYFS/KS1). Children in KS2 will visit the fair during the afternoon in school hours.
Children who celebrate Eid are entitled to 2 days absence for religious observance.
If your are celebrating next month, we wish you a blessed Eid and hope you have a wonderful time with your friends and families. Eid Mubarak!
RAMADAN / FASTING
To ensure our children are safe and flourishing in school we only allow Year 6 children to fast and this is optional. Medical (including inhalers/medicine) will take priority and children will have to take medication. We have a duty of care to take make sure all our children are safe and well. Please see the policy on our website.
WORLD BOOK DAY
We celebrated our love for reading again this year in true Belgrave style! Costumes this year were exceptionally creative - well done everyone!
Our classroom windows were transformed into a 'world of pure imagination' by the children and staff - from the magic of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, to the jungles of Seeds of Change, to the Gruffalo's forest, Narnia and the scary world of Goosebumps, the judges had a tough job to choose the winners.
We launched the first Belgrave Book Bake Off and the standard of entrants was very high (and very tasty!). Well done to the winners and thanks to the entrants, our Fundraising team were able to make £154 that will be donated to a charity that works to bring the love of reading to children.
Children were visited by different teachers and also shared their books with children from different classes in our paired reading session.
Thank you to all parents who joined us for our first whole school Come and Read with us session - the children loved welcoming you and it was great to share our love of reading with you all!
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HOME READING
Congratulations to the 26 children who have read 100 (or more) times this year so far! They will be receiving an Amazon Voucher this week to spend how they wish!
It is an expectation that all children read at least 3 times per week and that this is logged on Boom Reader. This is not optional as evidence shows that regular home reading improves children's progress.
One of our children spoke to parents at the Come and Read with Us session and told them "You may not think that reading is important, but it is to us." This is a powerful comment and one that we share to encourage you to keep reading with your children.
‘Research shows that parental involvement is the most important factor in a student’s success in school’ (Christopher Michaels – Children’s Author)
If you need any support with Boom Reader, please contact your child's teacher and they will be happy to help.
EASTER
EASTER BONNET PARADE
On Monday, children in EYFS and KS1 had a fabulous afternoon at the Easter Bonnet Parade! We loved all of the creative and imaginative headwear!
EGG COMPETITION
Children also entered the Easter egg box competition with some egg-cellent creations! Congratulations to all of our winners who have been awarded a delicious chocolate egg to enjoy!
Thank you for supporting your child in making a bonnet or egg box at home – it is much appreciated!
SPORTS ROUND UP
Despite the weather, sport has continued as much as possible for our children...
PE DISTINCTION QUALITY MARK
We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a Distinction Quality Mark for the PE and Sport Provision we offer our children. This is a nationally recognised award, decided on by the Association for PE and is awarded for the breadth of PE we offer to our children.
Validators visited school, talked to our children, staff and members of SLT and concluded that PE is highly valued in our school and that we deliver a high quality provision to enable our children to lead physically active lives both inside and outside of school. Belgrave will now be listed with the Department for Education as an example of good practice! This is a fantastic achievement for our school and we are all committed to continuing to grow and develop our PE and Sport provision further for our children.
Our girls and boys football teams have continued to represent our school with excellent effort and enthusiasm in league matches. We are excited to have received a new football kit from the Premier League and can't wait to wear it when we complete the final matches of the season in the Summer term.
All children will be competing in our Teamwork focussed Intra-house Competition Day on Friday 22nd March - will Spode retain the trophy for this term, or will another team shine through...?
Well done to all sports teams! We are incredibly proud of your determination and resilience.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS
Look out for on ClassDojo for details of when you can book Summer term clubs on the Parent Portal. There will be lots of new clubs available! Clubs will start back week commencing 15th April.
TRIPS AND VISITS
THE HIVE
Children have started to use the amazing new apple classroom- the flexible, modern learning space is our vision for the future! Children have loved using the space for learning.
‘It's 100 times better because there is different stations so you can choose where you want to work. I prefer to work on the standing desk or the blue bean-bags. It is easier to concentrate because it is quieter.’ Rizwaan
‘The best classroom ever, every classroom should be like this!’ Ameera
‘It makes the lesson more fun because you can present your work to your friends.’ Farhan
‘It feels more calm and relaxing.’ Mehak
‘I like how the teacher can stand in the middle of the desks and support us all.’ Jack
ORCHARD COMMUNITY TRUST - VISIT
We recently hosted a local trust as a good practice visit. The Orchard Community Trust heads and CEO visited to see high quality teaching and the use of technology in the classroom. The feedback was phenomenal and showed the amazing learning happening in every classroom. Feedback shows the amazing work happening in our school:
- Very inspirational work and great to see this in a local school. It was so powerful to see the technology in the classroom.
- Everyone is totally buzzing following an inspirational morning. It was an absolute joy listening to your presentations followed by the lesson visits. All of your pupils are polite, confident and willing to talk about their learning - they are all so very proud of their learning, their achievements and their school!
- You have a very special school!
PARKING
We continue to receive complaints from parents and local resident/businesses regarding inconsiderate and unsafe parking. Please ensure you are parking in designated areas (not on double yellow lines) and are not blocking driveways or entrances to local businesses. Children have also been witnessed not wearing their seatbelts in a moving vehicle – we can not emphasise enough the importance of this for your child’s safety. We continue to work with the Local Authority and the police to ensure road safety is paramount around the school.
Thank you for your co-operation.
UNIFORM
Summer dresses (gold) and shorts (grey or black) can be worn in the Summer term as the weather improves.
We have noticed a wide array of PE kits, please make an effort to ensure you child’s PE kit meets the expected standard – in particular, plain black tracksuit bottoms and hoodies with no logos or branding .
The uniform expectations can be found here.
For further information please contact School’s In on 01782 310111 or visit their website.
PLAY EQUIPMENT
Children are not permitted to play on the outdoor play equipment before or after school. Please ensure your child is not using the equipment during drop off and collection times. Thank you for your support.
ATTENDANCE
A reminder that no extended leave of absence is authorised and that if it exceeds 5 school days, then a fixed penalty fine of £60 per pupil, per parent will be imposed.
Well done to all children whose attendance is 97% or above this half term - certificates will be awarded after the holiday.
Thank you for your ongoing support with attendance and ensuring your children are in school, ready to learn!
A MESSAGE FROM MR BARLOW:
Dear Parents,
There have been a couple of incidents where children have been sharing strong political views on the conflict in Palestine and Israel. Our message to the children has been clear and in line with our Christian Values as a school- we are praying for peace and an end to the conflict. We will all have differing political opinions and views based on experience, background and what we have read/seen on the news or social media. The one thing that will bring togetherness and respect is our view on peace. We will continue to share this message and hope for your continued support with this matter.
Thank you,
Mr Barlow
DATES FOR THE DIARY
- Thursday 21st March: Eid Fair Thursday - 3pm (Parents/Carers welcome)
- Friday 29th March: School Closes for Easter Holiday
- Monday 25th March – Friday 5th April: Easter Holiday
- Monday 8th April: INSET (School closed for pupils)
- Tuesday 9th April: School reopens for pupils
- Tuesday 16th April: Y1 Phonics Parent/Carer Workshop - 13:30 – 15:00 (Y1 parents/carers welcome)
- Monday 22nd April: Earth Day
- Thursday 25th April: Wheelchair Football Workshops (Whole School - PE kits to be worn)
EDUCATIONAL VISIT/VISITORS
- Monday 15th April: J5 Cinema Visit
- Tuesday 16th April: J6 Cinema Visit
- Wednesday 17th and Friday 19th April: Y3 Liverpool Museum Visit
- Wednesday 24th and Friday 26th April: Y5 Farm Visits
- Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th April: Y3 Farm Visits