Trimley St. Martin Primary School - NEWSLETTER

1. Trimley St. Martin Primary School - NEWSLETTER September 2013 HEADLINES BUG CLUB & BUG CLUB DAY! Next Friday (October 4th) marks the launch of Bug Club. ‘Bug Club’ is an online interactive book bag which will contain books appropriate to your child’s reading level. The books are written by quality authors and all your child needs to do, is to log in to the Bug Club website and type in their log in details. Reading at home using Bug Club is an alternative (not a replacement) for physical books. It can count towards their 5x reading within the week. Parents will just be required to sign the diary to say they have been reading on Bug Club. In school, Teachers will be able to see how many time Bug Club has been accessed, update the books, as well as looking at valuable assessment information that will indicate the types of question your child may be struggling with. In school Pupils will be given their login details and be shown how to use Bug Club. Children who do not have computers at home, will benefit from the ICT suite being open at lunchtime for specific year groups. However, this club will be open to all children in the class, regardless of whether they have computers or not. Some children have asked if Bug Club is available on i-Pads. I am in the process of finding out if there is a way this can work and will inform you when I have a solution . On Friday 4th October, children will be invited to come to school dressed as Bugs, Insects or mini beasts or non uniform that is green! In order to raise some money for the (New and Improved) Library, we ask that children coming to school in non uniform make a donation of £1. STRIKE DAY – 1st OCTOBER You may be aware that the NUT and NASWT have proposed strike action over Teachers’ Pay and Conditions. The strike is due to take place on Tuesday 1st October. Officially, the Teachers have no duty to tell me their intentions for that day and so planning for this day is often quite difficult. Made more challenging by the ruling that remaining staff cannot do anything different than they would normally do in school. At present, there doesn’t seem to be anyone indicating that intend to strike and therefore I see it being fairly likely that school will remain open on Tuesday as normal. I will send a note out to Parents on Monday to let you know the situation. FLEXIBLE OPENING TIME TRIAL – ‘The Decision’ After running the ‘Flexible start time’ now for two weeks and the majority of responses still remaining overwhelmingly positive, we have decided to continue this for the foreseeable future. I feel it has made a massive difference outside the school in the morning and those of you I have spoken to have a similar feeling. Can I just remind Parents that children should not be on the school premises before 8:45am without being accompanied by an adult. The playground is supervised from 8.45am when a member of staff opens the doors to the school and then remains in the playground until 9:00am. No doubt there will still be a few more tweaks that we can make over the next couple of weeks to improve the situation further and so I will keep you informed. PARENT MEETING – ‘What is good progress & attainment in Key Stage 2?’ The school will be running two sessions for Parents which will be used to explain ‘What good progress and attainment is in Key Stage 2?’ as we feel that although in the Education world we are all clear on what NC levels mean and how they relate to schools Nationally, it is useful that the we give that message to Parents so you can feel that you are in a better place to judge how well your child is doing. October 17th 2:30pm or 7:00pm.

2. PARENT FORUM Notes and reminders The first Parent Forum meeting took place on Wednesday 25th September. Minutes were taken and will be uploaded onto the website soon. However, a lot of the information discussed appears in the newsletter. The idea of the Parent Forum is to give Parents a chance to discuss any matters which have arisen, over the half term, discuss issues / concerns brought to the Forum by Parents and to share any information about new initiative or developments happening within the school. Below is a list of Parents who form the Parent Forum and so, if you have a (non urgent) concern or something you want raised and considered please speak with these Parents who can bring your concerns to the meetings. Pupil Premium - FSM Please inform the school office if your child is entitled to Free School Meals and we are unaware. The school receives additional funding based on the number of children receiving Free School Meals. Dinner Money Please ensure all dinner monies are in the school office on a Monday please. Morrisons Morrison's vouchers being collected in school and a drop off box is outside the front office. Reporting Absence If your child is unwell please telephone in to school by 9.30 a.m. School Website Please continue to check the school website for latest information and forms. Data sheets Please ensure that Data sheets/Photo permission forms are returned to school so that the office can update your children's records. Coats Children are being dropped off with no coats on when being driven to school. The weather is now getting colder and pupils will need them for break times / lunchtimes. School Association The School Association are currently looking for more helpers who can support with their events that raise vital money for the school. Lost Property The lost property box is bursting with jumpers and other pieces of uniform. Please check there for lost property. School Car Park A reminder that the school car-park is for staff members only (or Parents who have specific arrangements with the Head). No turning around. Thank you for reading… And thank you for your support… Mr Stock Head teacher How well are we doing? READING 5x Weekly Week 1 51% Week 2 71% Hughes (52%) Armst (59%) Night (68%) Edis (63%) Pend (84%) Mandela (96%) ATTENDANCE Up to end of September 97% Key Dates Parent Session (1) What is good progress and attainment at KS1?’ THURSDAY 17th OCTOBER 2:30pm or 7:00pm Half Term 28th October – 1st November Parents Evening Visiting times for Classes vary NOVEMBER 4th – 6th