NewsletterFirbeck Times

Here are a few of the events and activities that have taken place in school this term...

We had a really successful parents evening at the beginning of March, with lots of positive feedback from families regarding the ongoing growth and development of Firbeck and it was lovely to be able to meet and speak with lots of our families, both new and old.

Work Book Day was a great success with the children really embracing the love of reading across the school, through a virtual author visit and sharing their own favourite stories.

Throughout British Science week the children took part in various hands on activities.

Year 4 took part in a visit to the Lenton University Campus, traveling via public transport and Year 3 had a wonderful day out to Creswell Craggs where they expanded on their learning about the Stone Age period.

Our catering provider came into school during March and provided some bread making workshops for Years 1, 2 and 4 and we have welcomed parents in for Early Years Stay and Play and Spring Crafts and Refreshments

Our fundraising drive has also started wonderfully with the Easter Raffle and the Movie Night and we are on our way to raising funds for the whole school pantomime trip in December.

We would like to pass on our thanks to the whole school community for your ongoing support as these events are only possible when everyone gets involved.

We would also like to acknowledge the funding contribution from the Samworth Foundation as the funds donated allow us to provide the engaging and exciting experiences for the children, reducing the costs significantly for parents and families.

Finally we would like to wish all our families a restful school holiday and we look forward to seeing you all on Monday 15th April.

The established staff structure that was communicated in our previous Newsletter will continue.

We will however be saying goodbye to Mrs Cheng, one of our Midday Supervisors as her contract comes to an end at Easter.

Miss Cao also remains absent for the foreseeable as she begins her maternity leave and we would like to wish her all the best as her family grows. 

We are also delighted that Miss Smith will be staying in post as Firbeck's Executive Headteacher permanently.

Thank you so much for all of your support with our recent fundraising efforts, this term we have raised the following:

£79.91 for Red Nose Day

£70.80 from the Easter Raffle

£187.65 from the Movie Night

The £258.45 raised from the Easter Raffle and Movie Night will be going towards the Pantomime Trip in December.

Gates open to families at 8.40am, please can we ask that you do not come onto site before this time.

Please can we also remind parents not park or wait in your vehicle in front of the main school gates as vehicle access is required at all times.  If you are dropping off or collecting, please park up safely and report to the school office as your child will need to be signed in/out by an adult.

When parking in the local area please be mindful of our local residents and park considerately.

Thank you for your support.

On Monday 15th April all children will be given a Firbeck water bottle that they will use during the school day.  These bottles will be cleaned in school and kept topped up with fresh water as we know how important it is for children to remain hydrated and have fresh water available to them throughout the day.

As of the 15th April children will not be able to use personal water bottles so we ask that you support us with this by making sure these remain at home.

If your child has a medical condition that would require them to use a personal water bottle rather than one provided by school please contact the school office to discuss.

If your child is going to be absent from school it is really important you contact the school office as soon as possible to make us aware.  Due to the absence procedures we have in place we will consider making home visits to any family are unable to make contact with as we have a safeguarding responsibility to all children and their families.  By keeping in contact with us we avoid having to make any unnecessary visits.

Please do not send absence messages to your child's class teacher via Class Dojo as we are unable to guarantee these messages will be seen prior to or during the school day when staff are teaching.

If you are planning on taking your child out of school for reasons other than sickness or medical appointments a formal request must be made to the school in advance.

All absence notifications must be communicated directly to the school office.

Year 6 SATS will be taking place from Monday 13th - Thursday 16th May.

It is really important all Year 6 children arrive on time and are in the best position possible to sit these tests.  To support with this we will be providing a free of charge breakfast session from 8.00am each morning during the SATS.  Children will be able to order a breakfast of choice (to include hot sandwiches, toast and cereal). 

Booster Sessions will also be offered after school by invitation, parents will be contacted directly regarding this.

More details will follow regarding the SATS Breakfast and Booster Sessions after the Easter break.

If you require Breakfast club sessions during the summer term, please ensure you book these in advance by completing the following online booking form:

Breakfast Club - Summer Term

This will help us to ensure we can meet all requests.

Don't forget if you or anyone who is part of the school community is in need of support the Fir Shop may be able to help.

Please come and see us at the school office to see what we can do to help and support our families.

 

On the week of the 26th February all children were sent home with a photo consent form and a copy of the data we currently hold on their school record.

If you have not yet checked and returned this information back to school please can we ask that you do this at your earliest convenience.

It is really important that we ensure that our school records are accurate, so we can ensure you receive important communications and so we can make contact effectively in the event of an emergency.

As we move towards implementing cashless and paperless systems and the introduction of a Parents App we will be utilising electronic forms of communication more and more and moving away from paper based systems.

In order to support our families with attendance we do have a policy that allows us to administer medicine in school.  However to ensure this is done within school policy please be reminded of the following:

• All medication must be dropped off and collected from the school office by an adult.  Please do not send medication in with your child or expect us to send it back home with a child.
• Any medication that needs to be administered in school must be in the original container, with a valid prescription label that details the child's information, dosage and frequency.
• A Parental Consent form must be completed and handed to the school office before any administration can take place.
• Where ever possible please time medication so it can be given at home and not in school.

We do not routinely administer medicine that is not prescribed by a doctor, however in certain circumstances a Senior Member of staff can agree to the administration of pain relief (excluding anything containing Aspirin).  In these cases a Parental Consent form must be completed and on each day the medication is needed Parents/Carers are required to confirm the time of the last dosage at home before we can administer this in school.

Staff are unable to agree anything outside of the above protocol so we would appreciate your support and understanding when you make these requests.

A wide range of financial support is available for families with children aged 0-5 years. All 3 and 4 year olds, and some 2 year olds, can access 15 hours a week of funded early education, worth up to £2,500 per year on average. Working parents of 3 and 4 year olds may also be eligible for an extra 15 hours per week of funded childcare, saving them up to £5,000 per year. And working parents may additionally be entitled to Tax Free Childcare, which can save them a further £2,000 per year (or up to £4,000 if their child is disabled).

For more information see the links below or visit: Childcare Choices

 

Free Education and Childcare for 2 Year Olds Free Education and Childcare for 2 Year Olds is a Government initiative that provides up to 15 hours funded childcare provision for eligible 2 year olds. For further information, including eligibility criteria and eligibility checking, click on the following link:

Go to Ask Lion

 

Universal Free Early Education and Childcare for 3 & 4 Year Olds Free Education and Childcare for 3 and Year Olds is a Government initiative that provides up to 15 hours funded childcare provision for all 3 and 4 year olds. For further information, including how to support parents to access their entitlement, click on the following link:

Ask Lion

 

30 hours Free Childcare for 3 and 4 year olds Eligible working families with 3 and 4 year olds can receive up to 30 hours of free childcare each week. To qualify for 30 hours of free childcare, each parent (or the sole parent in a single parent family) will need to earn on average, the equivalent of 16 hours on the national minimum wage per week and no more than £100,000 per year. For further information, including eligibility criteria and eligibility checking, click on the following link:

Go to Ask Lion

 

Tax Free childcare This is an online account for working parents to help pay for childcare, which is topped up by the Government. For every £8 parents put in, the Government will make a payment of £2 to a maximum of £2,000 per child, per year or £4,000 for disabled children.

Go to Tax Free Childcare

 

Tax credits and childcare Parents may be able to claim:

Child Tax Credit - you do not need to be working

Working Tax Credit - you may be able to claim extra amount to help cover the costs of https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs

 

Universal Credit and childcare Parents may be able to claim back up to 85% of childcare costs if eligible for Universal Credit Universal Credit

Parents can apply for Universal Credit online Universal Credit Application

If parents stop working they must report a change of circumstances in their Universal Credit account Universal Credit Sign In

 

Tax credits are ending and will be replaced by Universal Credit by 2024.

People on tax credits will be moved to Universal Credit by 2024. If parents choose to apply sooner, it’s important they get independent advice before doing so as they will not be able to go back to tax credits or any other benefits that Universal Credit replaces.

Understanding Universal Credit

Further information can be found on the Government website at:

Get Childcare webpage Get Childcare

 

Childcare Vouchers and other employer schemes Information about Childcare Vouchers can be found on the Government website at:

Childcare Vouchers webpage Childcare Vouchers

Thursday 28th March: School Closes for the Easter Holiday

Friday 29th March: Bank Holiday (School Closed)

Tuesday 2nd April - Friday 5th April: Rattle and Roll Holiday Club

Monday 15th April: School Reopens

Monday 15th April: Phonics Club Starts for Year 1 (by invitation only)

Tuesday 16th April: National Offer Day for Reception Class 2024

Tuesday 16th April: Year 2 Swimming Lessons Start

Thursday 18th April: Year 5 Library Visit

Monday 22nd April: Earth Day

Monday 22nd April: After School Clubs start this week

Tuesday 23rd - Thursday 25th April: Year 5 Bikeability Training

Thursday 25th April: Year 6 Library Visit

Monday 6th May: Bank Holiday (School Closed)

Monday 13th - Thursday 16th May: Year 6 SATS

Tuesday 14th May: EYFS Manor Farm Visit

Friday 17th May: Year 4 Yorkshire Sculpture Park Visit

Monday 20th May :Year 1 Toys in Our Past Workshop

Wednesday 22nd May: Year 3 Ancient Egyptian Day

Thursday 23rd May: 8.30 - 10.00am Early Years Stay and Play

Friday 24th May: School Closes for May Half Term

Monday 3rd June: School Reopens

Thursday 6June: Year 5 and 6 Space Center Trip

Monday 10th June: Year 5 and 6 Tennis Open Event

Friday 14th June: Year 6 Come and Sing Event

Wednesday 19th June: Houses of Parliament Visit

Thursday 27th June: Year 1 and 4 Liberal Synagogue Visit

Tuesday 2nd - Wednesday 3rd July: Nottingham City Schools Transition Days

Monday 15th July: Sports Day

Thursday 18th July: Year 6 Gulllivrs Trip

Thursday 18th July: Year 3 and 4 York Visit

Friday 19th July: After School Clubs End

Wednesday 24th July: School Closes for Summer

Monday 3rd September: School Reopens