Newsletters

We believe that our children should have the aspiration and opportunity to ‘Live life in all its fullness’ and ‘Shine like stars in the sky’.
 
Spotlights from Learning…
 
In Rocket Class this week, the EYFS children have been trying really hard with their new phonemes in Phonics.  They are a bit tricky to say so please could you practise at home?  We have learnt /th/ (voiced and unvoiced), /ng/ and /nk/.
The KS1 children have begun learning their lines for the Nativity.  Please could parents support at home and encourage their child to do a few minutes practice every day?  Many of the lines rhyme, so encourage your child to read them with prosody and if they hear the rhythm they might find them easier to remember.  Thank you for your support with this.
 
In Comet Class, we have been busy completing our assessments to show what we have learned so far this term.  Miss Mandelson has been bowled over by our enthusiasm for our work on our new writing unit ‘My Christmas Star’.  Having learned about alliteration during our first unit, she has seen lots of examples of it being used subsequently in this one (without prompting).  It is lovely to hear children asking questions, such as “Are we going to find out how Jasmine (main character) reacts in our English lesson today?”, as soon as they step through the door for Breakfast Club!  I wonder how Jasmine will get on in the Christmas Talent Show – can you predict what might happen next?
 
This week in Asteroid Class we have also been concentrating and working really hard with our assessments - you have all done really well and I am so proud of you all.  We finished off our additional plot points for The Snowman and also our frame structures in DT for our pavilions.  Next week we will be cladding them to make the aesthetically pleasing.  What does that phrase mean?  
 
Also, this week…
The ‘glitter and glue’ season began in earnest this week with our very popular JAM Messy Church session.  The children went home laden with Christmas crafts!  Many thanks to our wonderful JAM volunteers who give up their time to plan and support such lovely activities for our children.
 
Reminder
CLEVER NEVER GOES
Today, PCSOs Heather and Charlotte will be back in school to recap ‘Clever Never Goes’ with our children.  They will be around in the playground at the end of the school day if any parents would like to catch them for any information or support.  
FESTIVE FEAST
Just a reminder that Sharon will be serving Christmas lunch on Wednesday 17^th December.  All children are welcome to have the ‘festive feast’ regardless of whether they usually have a school dinner or not.  There will be no jacket potato or sandwich options on that day.  Please respond to the email sent out previously by Monday to indicate if you want to order a Christmas lunch for your child(ren) or provide them with a packed lunch.   
 
WORD OF THE WEEK
To help children develop their vocabulary and a love of words, a focus ‘word of the week’ is introduced each week for the children to investigate.  This week’s word is: The children are encouraged to find out what the word means and perhaps use it in a sentence or explore its etymology.  Their efforts are then displayed in the hall.  Although aimed more at the KS2 children, everyone is welcome to join in.
 
Coming Up
 
FOOTBALL FOR ALL
On Tuesday Sporting Influence will be in school to lead some football sessions.  Please ensure that all children have their PE kit in school on Tuesday.
 
ROCKETS’ NATIVITY
Rocket Class will soon be busy putting together their Nativity which they will perform for their families on Tuesday 16^th December.  This year, we realise that we will need to limit audience sizes. Due to growing numbers of children in school, we no longer have the capacity to fit all our families in the school hall!  With this in mind, we invite parents and family members of children in Rocket Class to join us for the Nativity performances. Parents and family members of children in Asteroid Class are warmly invited to join our Carols Around the Tree on Friday 19^th December at 1.30pm, when the KS2 children will lead our celebrations as we finish for the Christmas break.
 
THEATRE VISITS 
We have been lucky enough to reserve seats for a theatre trip for all children in school. We would like to take:
 
Reception, Year One and Year Two children to see ‘Stickman’ at Leeds Playhouse on Friday 12th December during the afternoon, arriving back to school at around 4pm.
The cost of the trip is £16.00 per child and we ask parents to support us by making a voluntary contribution of this amount.
 
Year Three, Four, Five and Six children to see ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Leeds Playhouse on Wednesday 7th January 2026 for an evening performance we will leave school at 3pm arriving back to school around 9.20pm.
The cost of the trip is also £16.00 per child and we ask parents to support us by making a voluntary contribution of this amount.  Payments can now be accepted via ParentPay accounts.
 
 
News from the wider community
A MESSAGE FROM THE FRIENDS OF ST NICHOLAS SCHOOL
The Friends have two Christmas events coming up:
Christmas coffee morning at the Village Hall on Sunday 14th December, 10am - 12 noon. Tea, cake and coffee will be available to purchase. There will be fair stalls, crafts and the opportunity for the children to meet Santa!  If anyone is able to donatea jar for the ‘jarbola’ for the Christmas coffee morning, please see below for more details… Christmas Disco in the school hall on Wednesday 17th December, 3:30pm until 5pm. The disco is free to attend, and a tuck shop will be available for children to purchase snacks. Nursery children must be accompanied by a parent or carer please, unless they are already signed up for after-school care that day. 
PATRONAL CELEBRATIONS
Hopefully everyone has spotted their invitation to celebrate St Nicholas’ Eve at Tanfield Lodge on Saturday 6^th December 6-9pm.  All our families are welcome.  Please RSVP to Daphne Bourne-Arton on 07703 262392 or email daphneba@aol.com

Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing Updates
This month we are revisiting the NSPCC PANTS rule in our PSHE lessons.  Please click on the link below to find out how you can support this work at home, including advice for parents and carers on how to start a PANTS conversation.
Talk PANTS: Conversation to help keep children safe | NSPCC