Dear Parents and Carers,

Happy New Year to all of our school families!  It has been a chilly start to the new term but the children have returned to school in great spirits, working hard all week and enjoying the winter sunshine at playtimes.

We have a busy term ahead of us.  Please look out for the Termly Topic Information for Parents and the Calendar of Events which will be emailed to you next week.

This week in school

Y2 children delighted to receive a letter from the King!

Last term the children in Y2 wrote letters to King Charles addressing the issue of loneliness.  This followed their study of the story ‘The Lonely Beast’ by Chris Judd.  Today the children were thrilled to receive a reply from Buckingham Palace which said that King Charles ‘was touched to learn of their thoughtfulness and caring ideas for helping those who may be experiencing loneliness’ and he sent his warm wishes to them all.

Y6 Children excited to receive a handwritten invitation to the House of Lords!

Our Y6 children were also delighted to receive a letter today from Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath who is the Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.  The children had written to him regarding the possibility of installing solar panels on schools across the UK to reduce carbon emissions.  Baron Hunt sent a handwritten letter which said:

“I was so impressed by the letters, beautifully written with a very clear message.  It is really very important to have the views of your pupils and I will ensure they are considered by my officials.”

He then invited the children to meet with him in the House of Lords to attend an oral questions session in the Summer Term.  Watch this space for news about this visit!

Celebration of the Word Assembly – Matthew 2:1-12

In our assemblies this week, we have been learning about the Epiphany, when the wise men visited the baby Jesus.  The children learned that the Epiphany ‘revealed’ Jesus as the Son of God to the world and they looked at the meanings of the gifts given.  The children thought about the gifts that they could give such as kind words and actions and some of the children and school staff shared how the Epiphany is celebrated in their cultures.  We would also like to wish our Orthodox families who celebrated this week, a happy Christmas.

SEND Review Meetings next week

All parents whose children receive SEN support in school have been sent a link to book a review appointment with the class teacher and Mrs Compton (SENCo) via email.

Please contact Mrs Compton via the school office if you have not received a booking link.  The appointments can be booked up to one hour before the timeslot using the booking link.  Please then email the office FAO Mrs Compton to confirm whether you would prefer an online appointment or in-person.

If you would like to discuss your child with the SENCo and have not previously done so, please contact Mrs Compton via the school office who would be happy to meet with you.

School Clubs start on Monday 13^th January – forms need returning urgently

If you would like your child to take part in a club before or after school, please return the form sent out before Christmas by Monday 13^th January.  Full details of the clubs available are on the school website. If you would like assistance in booking or paying for clubs, please contact the school office.

Safe Parking

At the beginning of a new year, we would like to remind all parents and carers to park safely and considerately on the streets around the school.  We have received a number of reports this week of parents parking dangerously, near to both entrances to school. 

For clarification:

• Yellow zig zag lines - no car should stop or park on these during drop off and collection times. 
• White zig zag lines  - no car should ever stop or wait on the white zig zag lines by the pedestrian crossing.
• School gates on Queen’s Road and Lower Grove Road – no car should park, turn or wait in front of the gates at any time. 

The road markings have been painted by the council because vehicles in these zones pose a risk of harm to children’s lives.  Please therefore, think before you park and leave home earlier so that you have time to park safely. 

Baby News!

Congratulations to Mrs Chan, our Teaching Assistant, on the safe delivery of her baby girl over the Christmas holidays.  The children were delighted to see a picture of baby Ellie in assembly and we wish her every happiness at this special time.

Million Word Readers

Congratulations to Ian in Y4 and Dylan, Mateo and Sherwood in Y5 for reading a million words and Alexa in Y6 for reading 5 million words!  A fantastic achievement!

Values Awards this week

Congratulations to the following children for being noticed living our School Values this week:

Reception – Marley

Y1 – Lydia

Y2 – Tony

Y3 – Ximena

Y4 – Sebastian

Y5 – Peggy

Y6 – Lily

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Jane Hines and the staff of St Elizabeth’s