Newsletters

Our Vision

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’.

New this week…
 
CHILDREN IN NEED FUN RUN
We are looking forward to supporting BBC Children in Need today through our fun run challenge.  Children can come to school wearing sporty gear with trainers, ready to take part.
Huge thanks to all those who have already donated – your support has already been phenomenal! If you would still like to donate, parents can sign up on our school landing page: https://www.runpudsey.co.uk/school/st-nicholas-church-of-england-primary-school-west-tanfield
Our school code is: CFE7
Signing up will enable your child to receive a medal for their efforts.
Friends and family can also donate using the link below:
Donate to BBC Children in Need
Many thanks to our wellbeing ambassadors who have worked hard to organise the event and let the children all about how their efforts will help children in need. Coming up…
 
FLU IMMUNISATION PROGRAMME
The NHS vaccination team will be in school on Wednesday 18 November for Reception - Year 6 pupils. Parents of nursery age children will need to contact their GP Practice to arrange an appointment for the flu immunisation.
 
CAN YOU HELP?
As you may already know, each month school lend a hand with the Sunday service down at St Nicholas Church.  There are always many children who volunteer to give up their time to represent school by reading or carrying out other jobs, such as welcoming the congregation, giving out hymn books, lighting the candles, etc.  The next service will be led by Mr and Mrs Arnold on Sunday 22^nd November at 9.15am.  The service usually lasts for about 45 minutes.  All welcome but Miss Mandelson is happy to supervise any children whose parents are unable to stay.  If your child(ren) would like to take part, please let Miss Mandelson know by catching her at the gate or emailing senco@west-tanfield.n-yorks.sch.uk
 
MUSICAL SHOWCASE
Mrs Harris is hoping that many friends and family will be free to join us for a Musical Showcase in the school hall on Friday 27^th November at 2.30pm.  Please do come along if you can to enjoy some very special performances.
 
PARENT CONSULTATIONS
…will take place on the afternoon of Wednesday 2^nd December.  More details on how to book an appointment to follow shortly.
 
JAM MESSY CHURCH
Our next JAM Messy Church session will be in the school hall on Monday 7^th December 3.30-5pm. More details will follow nearer the time with information on how to sign up.

Spotlights from Learning…

This week in Rocket Class, we have begun exploring our new Around the World topic. We have loved listening to different styles of music and thinking about what we liked and didn't like about them, including their tempo and timbre. I wonder if you could listen to some different types of music over the weekend and share some favourites with us next week.
We have also been celebrating National Nursery Rhyme Week. In EYFS we have loved sharing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive during Rhyme Time. We have also been singing Five Little Peas and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes to help us think about parts and wholes in our maths. See if you can spot any real-life examples of parts and wholes at home or when you're out and about.
Year 1 have been exploring shapes. We loved creating different repeating and radiating patterns using pattern blocks such as these ones... I wonder if you can teach your grown-ups how to make a repeating or radiating pattern using some objects you find at home?
 
In Comets, we have finally finished our diary extracts – it’s been a long process but we are so very proud of them!  We are now looking forward to getting them ready to display in the classroom and can’t wait to share them with you.
In Maths, we have been partitioning 2-digit (Y2) and 3-digit (Y3) numbers and representing them in all sorts of ways.  The Y2s did a great job of interpreting word problems and representing them as part-part-whole models and the Y3 children worked really hard to solve a tricky ‘dong nao jin’ problem, where they found that working systematically was the key to success! We managed to find 20 possible 3-digit numbers, noticing that we always had to have at least one hundred and that all the digits add up to six each time. Maybe you could set some similar problems for your family to try at home?
 
In Geography in Asteroid Class this week, we have enjoyed finding out about all the amenities in our local area – I wonder how many examples your family can think of?  Mrs Cornforth has been so proud of our art work as we have finished off our unit looking at the work of the amazing Stephen Wiltshire and we have been excited to start our Design & Technology unit making Christmas lanterns.  This will help us to apply all our knowledge and skills from our recent Science work on electricity.  The Y6 children also had a great afternoon at their Crucial Crew workshop with Mrs Johnson and Mrs Thorpe, alongside their friends from Kirkby Malzeard.  It was great to meet Mrs Bannard and we are really lookng forward to working with her next week...
 
Reminders…
FOREST SCHOOL
This term’s Forest School sessions will take place on Wednesday afternoons, alternating between Asteroid and Rocket classes.  The next session will be for Asteroids (including Y3) next Wednesday (18^th Nov).  Many thanks to our regular parent helper who has given up so much of her time to support so far this term.  Moving forward, if any other parent or carer would like to take a turn to help, please let us know.

Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing Updates
COMMUNITY PHARMACIES & WINTER HEALTH
As we move into the winter months, community pharmacies can provide fast and convenient access to healthcare advice and treatment, helping children get the support they need quickly and reducing time away from school.  Many parents are unaware of the range of NHS services available from their local pharmacy, including NHS Pharmacy First
Parents can take children aged at least 1 year and over directly to a participating pharmacy for assessment and treatment of common conditions without needing a GP appointment. This includes:

• Earache (ages 1-17)
• Sore throat (ages 5 years and over)
• Sinusitis (ages 12 years and over)
• Impetigo
• Infected insect bites
• Shingles
• Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women aged 16-64

Pharmacists can provide advice and, where appropriate, supply NHS-funded prescription medicines.
Minor Illness Advice Pharmacists can offer expert advice on managing:

• Coughs and colds
• Fever
• Chickenpox
• Hay fever and allergies
• Sickness and diarrhoea
• Head lice
• Mild skin conditions

Childhood Vaccinations While routine childhood vaccinations are delivered through GP practices, pharmacies can help families access information about seasonal vaccinations and signpost to local services.

Preventing Illness Over Winter Community pharmacy teams can provide advice on:

• Managing winter viruses
• Healthy eating and hydration
• Supporting children with asthma and other long-term conditions
• Appropriate use of medicines

Advice for the Whole Family Many pharmacies also provide services for adults, including flu vaccinations, blood pressure checks, contraception services, and NHS advice on staying well during winter. Most pharmacies offer walk-in consultations with no appointment required, making them an accessible first point of contact when a child becomes unwell.
Parents can find their nearest pharmacy and available services by visiting the NHS website at: www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy
Community pharmacies play an important role in supporting families and helping children stay healthy, reducing the need for GP appointments and helping children remain in school whenever possible. Further information is available at New patient-facing website to promote NHS pharmacy clinical services - Community Pharmacy England
 
News from the wider community
NEWS FROM THE BENEFICE
Please click below for more news from the Benefice:

  -Pew News 15 Nov 26.pdf-  

MESSAGES FROM…
 
PARENT CARER VOICE NORTH YORKSHIRE
Please see below for this month’s newsletter:

  -October 26 Newsletter.pdf-  
 
BRASS ROOTS
Following our very successful workshop in May, Ripon City Band is holding another open workshop in November.
 
The workshop is for absolute beginners, or those returning to playing a brass instrument. The day is absolutely free to attend and there will be instruments for everyone to try.
 
Those who would like to continue learning can then enrol for our Brass Roots group which offers free tuition and provision of an instrument on Tuesday evening during school term time.
 
We would love to give all children the opportunity to engage in music making.  Please see below for further details
   
RIPON COMMUNITY TOY LIBRARY
We know that some of our families use the toy library, which is held on Thursday mornings 10-12 at Community House in Ripon.  They offer a ‘stay and play’ session for babies and pre-school aged children as well as a toy loaning service.  This service is run entirely by volunteers and relies on charitable donations and grants to survive.  As Christmas approaches, they are planning to hold some fundraising events selling pre-loved toys that are no longer wanted.  If you are looking to get rid of any toys that are in good condition and heading to the charity shop, please consider passing them on to Miss Mandelson who will make sure that they go to a good home (whilst also raising funds to keep the toy library going). Many thanks.