26th January

Class Newsletters
Class newsletters are included in all Friday bags today, giving details of topics, staffing homework etc. for this term.

Lancaster Music Festival
The Junior Class will be taking part in the Lancaster Music Festival this year on the evening of Wednesday 21st March at Lancaster Town Hall. This exciting evening is the culmination of the terms work in music. Children from a number of local schools will be performing together to create a concert that starts at 7pm and would expect to be finished by 8:30pm. Please do try and keep the date free so that all children can attend, further details will follow shortly with ticket information.
To launch the event all junior pupils will be going to Westgate Primary School on Thursday 1st February for the morning. An information sheet is included in the bag today.

Reception Walk to Post Office
Reception children will be walking down to the Village Post Office on Thursday 1st February to buy a stamp. An information sheet is included in their Friday bag today.

Walk to School
We are planning a walk to school on Friday 9th February. Staff will meet children in the car park opposite the Institute at 8:20am and then everyone will walk up to school together. We will need a couple of parents to walk with them as well, more details will be in next week’s newsletter. Walkers will be rewarded with an extra breakfast, probably a pancake, when they arrive at school.

Music Assemblies
Mrs Barker has invited children to play their musical instruments in school assembly on Tuesdays. A rota has been made of all the volunteers and is included in their Friday bag today.

Virtues for My Soul
Our Christian Value has now moved on to Thankfulness. Included in the Friday bag today is a certificate for you to complete when your child/ren demonstrates this attribute at home. For our new families, the last school inspection noted that we should develop the school environment to reflect our Christian nature and with this in mind we now focus on a specific Christian value, as seen in our stained glass windows. Each week one child per class will receive a certificate during assembly for demonstrating the value in school and we ask for your help to recognise the value at home too.

Year 6 Health Needs Assessment Questionnaire
The school nursing team have asked us to participate in a Health Needs Assessment Questionnaire. The year 6 pupils will be asked to complete the questionnaire on a controlled, secure and protected web-platform. Information regarding this is included in all year 6 bags today, please do have a read. If you do not wish your child to take part please let school know by Friday 9th February at the very latest. We do have a copy of the questionnaire in school should you wish to view it.

Payment for Junior School Meals
We don’t appear to have had many parents pay for this half terms dinners online yet! Please would you have a look at the system using the login details sent earlier this term, if you are struggling contact Mrs Sharpe for help. Alternatively dinners are £2.20 per day and you are welcome to send in cash or cheques to cover the cost for this half term made payable to Lancashire County Council. Text reminders will be sent at the end of next week to remind people who have still not paid.

PTA News
Following yesterday’s PTA meeting, we have some fun events planned for the Spring and Summer terms. More details will follow later, with dates as soon as they are confirmed. But just to give you advance warning, we will be holding a Spring jumble sale in March (date tbc), so if you are having a spring clear out and have any old clothes you want to get rid of, we would really appreciate it if you could put them to one side for us for this fundraiser.
Due to difficulties with the supplier regarding prices and returns, the PTA have agreed with school that in future all school uniform purchases must be done individually by parents from the uniform shop in Lancaster. School will not be submitting a group order in the summer term as in previous years. Don’t forget the PTA have a large stock of pre-loved school uniform, so please let us know if there is something you need and we will see what we can do! School also has a limited stock of new uniform that we are keen to sell on.
Check out our Facebook page or the school website for the meeting minutes when available to find out more about what we have planned!”

Dates
• Thursday 1st Feb – Music Festival Launch at Westgate for Juniors
• Tuesday 6th Feb – KS2 Football Tournament at Arkholme
• Friday 9th Feb – Walk to School starting at Car park opposite the Institute at 8:20am
• Friday 9th Feb – Break Up at 3:30pm for Half Term
• Monday 19th Feb – Back to School for 2nd Half of Spring Term
• Wednesday 21st March – Lancaster Music Festival 7pm