News Bulletin DecemberDear Parents, Your children having been concentrating well in lessons, having fun with their friends and are enjoying many aspects of the new curriculum we have introduced this year. I hope they are coming home with more stories and questions for you! Below is some important information, so please read this Bulletin carefully. It is really important that your child comes to school regularly and that they maintain an attendance rate over 95%, which means they have no more than 10 days absence per year. This is because, children that have more absences do not learn as much as they need to and this can cause a situation of constantly needing to catch up which is not an easy task for most children. Please send them to school if they are fit enough to attend, and avoid any absences for any other reasons. We are also excited by our new class for children with special educational needs which is opening in the new term and the launch of WeDuc as our new messaging sytem with you. A number of local schools use this. You can still translate all content if you would like to, and it also has the additional feature of being able to sign permission slips digitally which will help us to go 'paperless'. This will help us continue to do what we can to protect our environment by reducing our 'carbon footprint'. We are looking for more school Governors, and volunteers for school trips. Please email me if you think you can help. Lastly, I just wanted to remind you that we will be sending children home with 'winter presents' on the last day of term. These are for your child, whatever it is they celebrate, as a way of celebrating our wonderfully diverse school community. Our doors are open, so please ask if you think we may be able to help. If we can't help you we will find someone who can. Warm regards, Ms Gita
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TERM DATES 19th December - Foundation Stage Nativity to parents at 2.00pm 22nd December 2023 - School closes for Christmas holidays at 3.10pm 9th January 2024 - School opens to children 31st January and 1st February 2024 - Parents Evening 19th - 23rd February 2024 - Half Term 7th March 2024 - World Book Day 25th March - 5th April 2024 - Easter Holidays
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Attendance Is my child well enough to go to school?
Children who do not attend 95% or more sessions are more unlikely to meet end of year expectations and pass end of year tests.
It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell. There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't. If you do keep your child at home, it's important to phone the school or nursery on the first day. Let them know that your child won't be in and give them the reason. If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know. Other illnesses Follow this advice for other illnesses: Coughs and colds It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes. Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly. High temperature If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away. Chickenpox If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over. This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared. Conjunctivitis You don't need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis. Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly. Ear infection If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they're feeling better or their high temperature goes away. Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues straight away and to wash their hands regularly. Head lice and nits There's no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice. You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP. Ringworm If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it's on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP. It's fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment. Sore throat You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away. A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis. Vomiting and diarrhoea Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 1 day.
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Winter Presents Whether your child celebrates Eid, Diwali or Christmas, each child will receive a gift at the end of term. It is our way of showing respect for the diversity at Shenton that makes our school so special.
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School Governors Parent Governor Needed We are hoping to recruit a new Parent Governor to join our Governing Body. The governing body is responsible for both the overall strategic direction of the school and for promoting high standards. If you have an interest in the school and the welfare of our pupils & community, and have the time and willingness to get involved, you could just be the person we are looking for. You need to be able to commit to two termly meetings in the evening from 6pm. Governors are volunteers who give time to benefit the whole school community. Please show your interest by submitting a short letter about yourself and your experience to the head teacher.
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Bean Bag Challenge The children in 2 Pakistan had great fun taking part in the Bean Bag Challenge at Moat Community College. They played against other local primary schools and demonstrated good team spirit and the ability to play fairly. They were also able to show off their throwing and catching skills which they been practising in PE lessons.
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New 'Atlantis' Class Special Educational Needs Designated Special Provision We are delighted to be opening a new class for children with specific special educational needs in aspects of communication & interaction, from January 2024. Our new class is going to be called 'Atlantis'. Atlantis is a mythical island that was written about by the Ancient Greeks. An island with endless opportunities........ This class is filled by Leicester City Council Special Needs Services, with children from Year 1 to Year 6, all mixed, and has 10 spaces. This is exciting for our school and our local area. We will have a higher level of trained staff that will be teaching in this unit, staff who can also help us across the school with other children who may need specialist support. For the children there is that opportunity to develop friendships with others different to themselves, and to understand that our society is made of all sorts of different people. It will encourage a sense of social responsibility. For our community, this will mean children locally will not have to travel as far to get the specialist teaching they need, which for young children is very important.
Ms Gohil is taking a lead with setting up and supporting this unit. We are very excited and are looking forward to meeting our new children. |
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Staffing - 4 Slovakia / 'Atlantis' Congratulations go to Ms Abib and Ms Cosgrove, who will be moving to our new 'Atlantis' class and DSP unit from January 2024. We will be welcoming back, Ms Vantra as the teacher in 4 Slovakia. Ms Vantra is a very experienced teacher who has worked at Shenton before and will ensure the children in 4 Slovakia continue to make good progress. |
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Weduc Launch - Communication Platform We are always looking for new ways to improve communications with our parents and carers. In the next few weeks, we will be launching ‘Weduc’ - a new digital communications app, which will eventually replace our School Jotter app. Some of the key features of Weduc include:
Before the end of this term you will receive an enrolment message (via text/email), and both priority one and two contacts with parental responsibility will be provided with an enrolment code and further instructions. Please install the app and complete enrolment as soon as possible. If you have not provided your email address to the office, please ensure you do this as soon as possible. |
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Volunteers for school trips Would you be interested in volunteering to accompany children on school trips? You will have the opportunity to visit some exciting places. You will be supporting the children’s learning and keeping them safe under the direction of the teacher or the group leader. If you are interested and meet the following requirements please come and see Mrs Thakrar in the office:
We do have a small bank of parents at present and it would be great to add more people to this, if you have any questions please come and talk to us. |
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Nursery Places We have spare Nursery places at this time. Our sessions run every day during term time, from 8.40 am until 11.40 am. If your child has turned 3 years old, or will turn 3 years old over before April 1st 2024, then we may have a place for your child. Please come to the school office and complete an application form. |
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Community Cohesion in Year 3 For a number of years now we have been working with Ratby Primary School to bring children from different backgrounds and communities together. This partnerships allows all children to embrace their identity as well as celebrate their differences. We invited Ratby Primary School to watch our Diwali assembly and make some glittery decorations. All the children made friends and enjoyed a valuable learning experience. Year 3 are looking forward to visiting Ratby Primary School to see their Nativity performance later in the term. |
