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 enjoyed lots of water play, setting up the pipes and guttering outside and watching the water travel through.  They have shown great collaborative skills and demonstrated their problem-solving abilities.  Well done!
The Year One children have been working hard in Maths to understand the language of position, direction and turns.  Remembering left/right and clockwise/anticlockwise is still a bit tricky but we are getting there!  Good work Year One!

In Comet Class, we have decamped a number of times to the cooler side of school to continue with our assessments!  Miss Mandelson is very proud of everyone’s efforts.  Almost finished now…just a bit of ‘mopping up’ to do next week.
We have also continued our PSHE work on keeping safe - this time focusing on Water Safety.  I wonder if you can tell your grown-ups about the risks of going into open water and how to keep safe around water?
It was lovely to spend the morning working together on clipboards in the shade of some of the beautiful trees in our school grounds yesterday.  We also enjoyed lying on rugs on the grass listening to a more traditional version of Beauty and the Beast.  The children were surprised that there was no mention of talking candlesticks, plates or cutlery – in the words of one of the Comets, this story was more simple and made us really feel for the characters.
 
This week in Asteroid Class, we have continued to work hard on our Beauty and the Beast rehearsals, despite the very hot weather! The children have shown great enthusiasm and dedication as they practise their singing and acting, bringing the characters and story to life. Alongside rehearsing, they have also been busy designing and creating props to help make our performance even more special. We are very proud of their hard work and creativity and are looking forward to sharing the finished production with you at our performance on Thursday 2nd July at Masham Town Hall.

WIN £1000 FOR OUR SCHOOL LIBRARY
If you have a spare few moments, please do take a look at this competition from National Book Tokens:
Win £1,000 / €1,000 for your school’s library! | National Book Tokens
It is free to enter and only takes a few minutes.  It would be amazing to be able to add to our school library if we were to win such a generous prize!
 
WORD OF THE WEEK
Our next word to explore 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.
 
Reminders…
FOREST SCHOOL
Only the Nursery children will have forest school next Wednesday afternoon, as the rest of Rocket Class will be travelling over to see the dress rehearsal of Beauty and the Beast.  Children should come to school in their uniform with a change of clothes and waterproofs in a bag ready for the afternoon.  However, all children in Rockets (N-Y2) will have an additional Forest School session next Friday 3^rd July to explore this half-term’s ‘golden thread’.  On this occasion, children may come to school dressed in their forest school kit.

Coming up…
KS2 REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES
Rehearsals will continue for Asteroid Class each day next week until the performances on Thursday.  The Year 3 children will be joining them each day from Tuesday, with Rockets heading over on Wednesday to watch the dress rehearsal.
 
BREAKFAST CLUB
Just a polite reminder that any children requiring breakfast should arrive by 8.15 at the very latest so that they have time to eat it before the children clear away and have some time outside.
 
SEND DROP-IN FOR PARENTS
Our area Educational Psychologist, Shirley Gunthe, is offering a drop-in meeting for parents.  This was originally due to take place at Romanby Primary School but is now due to be on line via a Teams link.
The session will be an opportunity for parents to ask questions around EHCPs, support for their child and also any queries regarding the role of an Educational Psychologist in education. The meeting details are in person and as below:
 
Date: Tuesday 7^th July
Time: 15:45-16:15
 
If you would like to attend, please contact Miss Mandelson by email at senco@west-tanfield.n-yorks.sch.uk and she will forward the link to you.
 
 
News from the wider community
NEWS FROM THE BENEFICE
Many thanks to the children who have taken on the readings for this month’s family service at St Nicholas Church, which will take place at 9.15am this Sunday.  All welcome.  Please see below for all the latest from the parishes in our community:
Fully-funded summer holiday activities with FEAST
 
FEAST is back this summer, offering holiday activities with a healthy meal for young people aged 16 and under across North Yorkshire. Better yet, if you are eligible for benefits-related free school meals then your place is fully-funded
 
What’s happening when?

• From Monday 15th June – browse activities on the FEAST website or view the offline activity listings to see what’s on in your area.
• Midday, Monday 22nd June – vouchers go live. Eligible families will receive a text or email from HolidayActivities to redeem their voucher and request places.
• From Friday 24th June – activity providers begin allocating places.

Funded places are available for children who receive benefits-related Free School Meals (or who are eligible by exception – see the FEAST FAQs for details). Each activity you book includes a free healthy meal for your child.
 
If you believe your child is eligible and do not receive your voucher on 22nd June, please contact your school office.
 
Families who are not eligible for funded places may be able to book paid places directly with providers.
 
Visit the FEAST website from 15th June to explore what’s on this summer
 
Kind regards,
The Families Information Service
 
 
JUNIOR SQUASH CLUB   
SNAPE HOLIDAY CLUB  
FOREST SCHOOL HOLIDAY CLUB
Madeleine has sent through information about her ever popular, entirely outdoor, holiday club: We are running for the first 2 weeks and one day in Summer, and bookings fill up really quickly. We'd love to see some of the children from our in-school sessions at our gorgeous woodland holiday club.
The dates are on the flyer below. Please see the the booking form link on our Facebook page: Outdoor Adventures Forest School.  
 
Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing Updates
WATER SAFETY
We are so lucky to have the beautiful River Ure on our doorstep and the lovely Yorkshire coastline within easy reach.  We regularly remind the children about water safety but particularly when the weather is hot and the water seems so inviting.  Here are some useful resources for parents to review these safety tips  with the  children at home:
Swim Safe - Beach and Water Safety Sessions for Children
RoSPA- Water safety code | RoSPA’s essential guide for the public
Water safety tips for parents | Canal & River Trust
Parents Resources | Royal Life Saving Society UK ( RLSS UK )