Weekly update 10/03/2023
10 Mar 2023
Weekly Updates – 10/03/2023
Please click below for a version in Ukranian:
-Weekly Update 10.03.23 UKRAINE-
In school next week...
Swimming
Swimming lessons on Wednesday for
Rocket Class.
Children will need:
Swim cap (These can be bought from the swimming baths, please send £1.00 in an envelope labelled with your child’s name)
One-piece costume for girls and shorts for boys (no baggy board shorts please).
Towel
Goggles (optional)
Hair tied up
Forest School
Asteroid class continue forest school sessions each Wednesday until half term. Children should wear old, comfortable clothes and wellies or trainers for this along with waterproof trousers and coats.
Science Week - 13th March
This week across the Federation we are celebrating "Connections" in Science. In Key Stage 2, we have Specsavers coming into class to talk to us about how our eye works and how light enters it, this will support our current unit on Light. We also have each class doing a webinar with the Science Farm Live! KS1 are looking at "How are tractors connected to space?", Lower Key Stage 2 will be involved with "How are pigs connected to Jumbo Jets?" and finally Upper Key Stage 2 are thinking about "How are sheep connected to seaweed?". There are also going to be fun and investigatory sessions where the children make connections - using electricity or their investigating their fingerprints or seeing how colours could fizz...to name just a few.
A polite reminder
Please remember that children should not bring toys or teddies into school as they may got lost or damaged. Thank you for your support with this
Other information:
Stage
We are delighted to announce that Rev Gareth and West Tanfield Methodist Church and the church group have pledged £1800 towards us purchasing a stage that we can also store on their premises! The PTA are funding the rest of the cost – which means that we will finally have our very own stage that we can use for drama, CW, Sports Day presentations and performances etc!
Drama Club
Please see below schedule for the drama performance at Harrogate Theatre – a letter with all the information on will be sent home with all pupils who are taking part next week, this includes ticket request forms – tickets are free and will be given to children at the workshop on March 21st.
There will be a bus collecting the children from school at 13:15, parents will need to collect them from the theatre after the performance has finished at 18:00
Tuesday 28th March - Schedule
2.15 – 2.30 School arrives.
2.30 – 3.15 Theatre tour
3.15 - 4.15 Technical rehearsal
4.15 - 4.45 Break and get into costume.
4.45 – 5.15 Dress Rehearsal.
5.15 – 5.30 Break / warm up
5.30 – 5.45 Performance 1
5.45 – 6 Re-set.
6 – 6.15 Performance 2
6.15 – 6.30 Out of costume and pupils go home with parent / guardian.
Toddler Forest School
This begins again with Madeleine from 1
st march 2023. Please spread the word. All information can be found on ‘Outdoor Adventures Forest School’ Facebook page.
Winter outdoor clothing
Please can children all come to school in a warm and waterproof coat- we are outside in all weathers so children must be appropriately dressed.
Snow procedures
Full closure or late start
An email will be sent to all parents to advise them that the school will be closed or that a later start is needed. We shall aim to do this by 8am. Please be aware that it is difficult to let parents know any earlier than this as often staff are still trying to make their way to school in difficult conditions.
Breakfast Club.
Please contact school via phone before setting off to breakfast club. If there is no answer, please assume there are no staff on site and breakfast club is unavailable on this day.
Continued closure
The weather will be monitored on a daily basis and the above process repeated each morning if necessary.
We will not contact you if the school is open.
Parents Evening
You are warmly invited to meet with your child’s class teacher on the afternoon of
Wednesday 15th March to discuss his/her progress. Parent consultation meetings help both teachers and parents to have a good understanding of how we can all best support your child’s learning so we really hope you can make it. If you have not yet done so, please book your slot via the usual way on our website, or contact
admin@west-tanfield.n-yorks.sch.uk if you are struggling to make a booking.
Pre-loved uniform sale and tuckshop
Due to the school closing early today because of the weather, this has been rearranged and will be taking place on
Friday 17th March at
1530.
Safeguarding, health and Wellbeing Updates
Warning about Roblox
Due to the popularity of online gaming platform
Roblox with children and young people under the age of 16, online safety experts have released this Safeguarding Update about a collection of games trending within the platform. The games depict themes of isolation, cutting, and suicide with some including chatrooms where users engage in unmoderated discussions around hopelessness, depression, self-harm, and suicide.
Several of these depression room games on Roblox have up to 5.6 million visits and are advertised as being appropriate for ‘all ages’. Despite being explicitly against the platform’s Terms of Service, Roblox have failed to remove most of these harmful games from the platform at this time.
Please see below the link to this full article
https://ineqe.com/2023/02/22/roblox-depression-rooms/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=247593405&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_C3HeOiOGPFgbrcNaYJlXcEUqFwQYwE8qxUYEe4sn5yzfqWyrugP28PMljRMcRoLL6Lc4YNM8-gTr0g8GN0_CM_m_l5SrLdznu-xny4qHuCFHBUVo&utm_content=247593405&utm_source=hs_email
We recommend you monitor your child when they are playing online games with others to ensure that they are behaving respectfully.
Church News
Many thanks to all the children who have volunteered to help with this Sunday's family service at St Nicholas Church. The service starts at 9.30am but Miss Mandelson will be there from 9.15am if anyone wants a quick practice beforehand. All welcome whether reading or not.
Look out for invitations for the Mothering Sunday service coming out next week, along with details of our next JAM Messy Church session which will be on Monday 20
th March.