Hello again everyone
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS- We are delighted that we have been able to welcome the photographer into school this week to begin taking class and individual photographs of the children. As I said last week, at one point we really didn’t think that this would be able to happen this year due to Covid restrictions and therefore watching the children all line up excitedly as they wait in line for their turn to have their photograph taken has been really very special indeed and another little sign that life continues to get back, step by step, to normal. I really do hope, and hope you agree too, that it will be so important going forwards that everyone continues to really appreciate the little things, like a simple photograph, that now seem so very important and special.
PTA SUMMER EVENTS- Please find attached a reminder poster from the PTA detailing lots of events that they have organised for Netherlee children and families. These events are all free to everyone to take part with the option of making a very small donation if you would like to and are able.
TRANSITION INFORMATION- As a staff team we had a very productive In-Service Day yesterday, In- Service Days are a very important opportunity for staff to share and discuss best practice with each other and also to receive training and professional development. Yesterday, many of our Pupil Support Assistants received further training on how best to support pupils with literacy and reading skills which they felt was very useful and helpful to them in their important role within the school. At the same time, teachers spent time looking in detail at all of the information (both learning and wellbeing) that they have gathered on their children throughout the whole session and in particular since returning to school after lockdown. They also looked at their curricular planning documentation to ensure that the children’s learning continues to be appropriately paced and that they have accurate transition information to pass on to the new class teacher towards the end of term, ready for the new session in August. Staff also spent time yesterday suggesting and considering priority areas which we feel should be included in our Improvement Plan for Session 2021-2022. This work carried out by staff yesterday will be carefully considered, alongside your own suggestions that you gave via the Parent Council recent survey, for inclusion in our new session’s improvement plan. I will of course share our plan with you at the start of the new session in August. Hopefully, (fingers and toes crossed) by that time we will be able to once again welcome parents back into the school and nursery and we will be very keen to utilise the many skills that you have as parents which could help us to achieve our priorities eg volunteering and helping in school, input into Community Learning, sharing family cultures and traditions, running after school clubs etc.
PARENT COUNCIL MEETING- Please find attached the Agenda for the PC Meeting on Wednesday. Please remember that every parent/ carer who has a child at Netherlee is welcome to attend our Parent Council Meetings and you don’t need to be a member of the council to come along (virtually at the moment). Information on how you can join the meeting is contained in the agenda and is also available on our website under the Parents then Parent Council Tab.
NUMERACY AND MATHEMATICS SWAY NEWSLETTER- Please click on the link to view the latest in the series of SWAYS which will give you an insight into what is, and has been, happening in Numeracy and Maths recently in Netherlee. We do hope you are enjoying these new Sway Digital Newsletters. These have been introduced to help keep you informed about various aspects of life in Netherlee as well as specific areas of the curriculum. https://sway.office.com/MDpBRvRrlUhVNpnj?ref=email
UNIFORM RECYCLING SYSTEM- We are delighted by the response to our uniform recycling initiative. We are very grateful to the many parents who have popped up to the front door of the school to drop off bags of uniform that they are finished with into the donation box. We even had to empty our box several times over the course of the week which is wonderful. Please remember to continue to do this at any time as this initiative is now part of our ongoing practice within the school and we hope that it will really help families as well as, of course, the environment. Next week, I will remind you of how you can pop up to school to have the opportunity to take away any items of recycled uniform that may be of use to your child.
HAPPY EID- On behalf of the school, nursery and Netherlee community, we would like to wish all families who celebrate Eid a very happy Eid Mubarak next week and hope that you enjoy celebrating this important festival, safely with your loved ones.
As always, please get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions that you would like to share or, of course, if you have any concerns or questions in relation to your own child. We are here and very much want to help in any way we can.
Enjoy the weekend.
Mrs Yvonne Donaldson
Head Teacher
