Friday 11th October 2024

Dear Parents & Carers,

Thank you to all who attended parents evenings this week. If you were unable to see your child’s teacher this week, they will be following this up and offering you an alternative time. We strongly encourage you to meet with the teacher to discuss your child’s target’s for the year ahead.

Mental Health Day

National Mental Health Day took place on Thursday. Keeping healthy minds can be challenging. Please look on our school webpage – curriculum – mental health and well-being for a range of resources to support mental health. I particularly like the imagery within ‘The Worry Waterfall’.

At St Anne’s, as well as well-sequenced PSHE curriculum and worry boxes within classes we offer bespoke sessions with Mrs Pearson, our Elsa lead.  We also use a play therapy/counselling through 8-16 Counselling Service.

ELSAs are Emotional Literacy Support Assistants.

• They are a specialist teaching assistant with a wealth of experience of working with children.
• ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by the Educational Psychologists.
• ELSAs help children recognise, understand, and manage their emotions in order to enable them to engage with learning. Some individuals require more in-depth support to help them understand and manage their feelings.
• ELSAs plan and deliver bespoke individual (and small group) support programmes.

Family Hub

This week I met with two staff based at the Family Hub in Manton. Some of you may know it as the old ‘Sure Start/ Children’s Centre building’. There are changes taking place and the ‘hub’ which serves our school offers a wealth of services and support for families. The biggest change being that the support is not restricted to 0-5 year olds and now extends to 0-19 and 0-25 for children with SEND.  There are a plethora of agencies that visit the hub and I encourage you to look at all that they offer. You will have received a short questionnaire from them, seeking your views/needs, please return by next Friday.

Coffee Morning/Afternoon

Kerrie Macadam from ‘Bassetlaw Behaviour Partnership’ will be joining us after the half-term break running coffee mornings/afternoons for parents. Kerry offers a bespoke parenting support for families to best meet the needs that the family present with.  This can include (but not limited to) informing about relevant and appropriate services, delivering 1-1 parenting support within the home or school, liaising with outside agencies, supporting families with appointments, attending meetings, consulting with professionals, supporting families to complete relevant paperwork and so on. She is there to help – so come along to one of the sessions below:

• Tuesday 12^th November 2.45pm
• Tuesday 19^th November 2.45pm
• Thursday 21^st November 9.00am

Bikeability

Bikeability has been running all week with Year 6 taking part in Level 1, 2 & 3 training and Y3 taking part in Level 1 training.  The children have had a great time learning new skills.  We also ran a ‘Learn to Ride’ session, which has proved very popular across the year groups. A further ‘Learn to Ride’ date is being looked at for Year 3. It has been a pleasure to see their faces – the exhilaration, smiles and sheer determination shown has been wonderful to see as they ‘master’ an important life skill.

After School Club

The club runs every day until 5.30pm. Booking closes on a Thursday at 4pm for the following week. We ask that sessions are booked and paid for in advance.  This enables to ensure we have enough food prepared and that our adult/child ratios are correct.  We don’t like to see any parent/carer ‘stuck’ but please support us in enabling us to be as planned as possible. For those that use the ‘voucher’ scheme, we ask that you inform the office of the sessions you require for the following week, as there is a natural delay between the systems.

This week:

Activities

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Craft & Games	Target Skills	Connect & Games	Parachute	Playdough fun!

Do you have/know a child due to start school in September 2025?

Please be encouraged to telephone the office to make an appointment to have a visit around school. Spread the word!

Engineering club

Our moving vehicles are really taking shape. The children have now added a gear box, pulley system and axel to their cars and are ready to add their electronics in the coming sessions.

                                                   

Sporting news

On Tuesday, seven Class 5’s attended the ‘Bassetlaw School Games’ sports crew and mini medics training.  Here they learnt about the different skills needed to be a sports leader and some basic first aid skills. We can’t wait to see them leading activities out on the playground using their training.

          

Learning News from the Classes

Reception

This week Class Reception have been learning all about their feelings and emotions.  They have been thinking carefully about how their own and others facial expressions and body language can show someone how they are feeling.  They discussed the things that made them feel differently and talked about what they could do if they needed some help. 

Class One

In Class 1, they have been talking about all things ‘Autumn’. In Science, they have started looking at the changes in the environment due to Autumn and in English, they have been using their knowledge of Autumn to write ‘list poems’. They chose different things within the environment at Autumn time, and used adjectives to describe them. They enjoyed being creative with their adjectives, and have enjoyed exploring Autumn in the classroom through their continuous provision.

Class Two

Class 2 have thoroughly enjoyed finding out about their author of the month Anthony Browne.  They know he was born in Sheffield and was bitten by a gorilla whilst researching one of his books!  They have enjoyed sharing The Tunnel, Gorilla and Hansel and Gretel over the last couple of weeks.  This week, we have used Browne's version of Hansel and Gretel to become familiar with this traditional tale.  We have enjoyed exploring new words and phrases, noting exciting vocabulary and making predictions about the story at key points.

Class Three

It has been the start of Bikeability in Class 3 this week, the children have been very excited to join in and develop their skills. The other children are looking forward to their upcoming ‘learn to ride session’ (date to be confirmed). In Art this week, the children have been very busy creating a cave atmosphere and using the charcoal to create realistic designs. In English, the children have been writing some direct speech, ready to plan and write their narrative based on their class book, ‘The Stone Age Boy’.

Class Four

In science, this week things got messy with our immersive digestive system. The children worked to move food through a model digestive system to learn about the function of each part of the digestive system. In Geography, they continued their learning of physical geography by describing the climate zones of South America and comparing this to the climate of the UK.  In maths, the children have been tackling column addition and subtraction focusing on getting the method right, particularly when making exchanges. In French, Class 4 have been learning how to describe the four seasons and have been working on their pronunciation.

Class Five

It has been another exciting week in Class 5! 

Our young mathematicians have been delving into the mathematical language associated with addition and subtraction, tackling a variety of questions using different representations. It's wonderful to see them making connections and gaining confidence in their skills.

Linking beautifully to their topic and celebrating ‘Black History Month’, the children have shown great enthusiasm in learning about the remarkable Mary Jackson, the human computer. The sense of awe and wonder in the classroom when discussing key historical themes and NASA has been absolutely fantastic. They have really relished the opportunity to pose questions and share their understanding during English lessons. Their persuasive letters are developing nicely too, with plenty of editing and redrafting taking place. Mrs Camish can hardly wait to read their published pieces!

In science, the excitement continues as the children deepen their knowledge of space. They had a brilliant time using trundle wheels, metre sticks, and tape measures to position their planets in relation to the sun—all while drawing upon their mathematical knowledge. The laughter and engagement during these activities were infectious!

This week in art, they explored the incredible life and work of David Hockney. After examining many of his captivating pieces, the children were inspired to create their own landscapes. They experimented with various art media in their sketchbooks before deciding to use watercolour to craft an imaginary landscape. The results have been impressive!

They are all very excited for the upcoming residential trip on Monday, so do ensure you have a restful weekend before the fun begins!

Class Six

Class 6 have once again been out on bikes with some children being brave and having a go for the first time. Whilst others were invited to take part in the next level, each child achieved something amazing this week on their bikes and should be really proud.

In class they have been busy practising their sewing skills, choosing either back stitch, whip stitch or blanket stitch to make small stuffed toys out of left-over fabric, which immersed the children in the idea of 'Make Do and Mend' (a Government lead incentive, during WWII).

They have also explored how other religions in the world contribute to making the world a better place as we are all global citizens. In History, children found the main cities and towns in the UK that were impacted during the Blitz and began to draw conclusions about why those places were targeted. They are finishing the week with a visit from the National Holocaust Museum to have a better insight into what life was like for a young Jewish person during WWII.

Congratulations to our Stars of the Week this week

Class Reception – Phoebe & Milo

Class One – Oscar & Lilly S

Class Two – Teddy & Joshua

Class Three – George

Class Four – Alessia

Class Five – Ethan

Class Six – Olivia

Lunch time Stars: Anaika for the kindness she has displayed to others.

Tidiest Classroom Award:

Caretaker Adele has chosen Class 1 - Well done!

Church Services

Sunday 13^h October Harvest Festival Flag Service led by Claire

6.00pm Informal Service of Worship & Word led by

Wednesday 16^th October

3.20pm St Anne's Connect - Family Worship in the school hall with food, games and a time to worship together (Suggested donation to cover costs of £1-£2 per family)

Friday 18^th October

3.00pm -5.00pm St Anne's Drop In - in the church hall for Y4 upwards. Crafts, games, tuck and video games. A time to till out after school at the end of the week. All welcome.

2024 -2025 Attendance

Class	Attendance
R	89.4%
1	93.3%
2	98.1%
3	96.4%
4	100%
5	99.3%
6	100% YAY!

We are monitoring attendance very closely in line with government expectations. If you are struggling with attendance, please talk to us. There are services there to help. Please remember that we can administer over the counter medicine accompanied by a consent form.

Well done to Class 6 this week. We are wondering which class will win the attendance treat for this half term?

Prayer from Amelia (6) & Dayna (6)

Dear God

We ask you to forgive everyone for their sins and encourage others not to take you for granted. Amen

Dear God,

We ask you to send love and health on us all. Amen

With our best wishes,

Mrs Middleton & the St Anne’s Team

Diary Dates

INSET DAYS 2024- 25	Key Statutory Weeks (Assessment)
2nd September 2024 27th September 2024 20th January 2024 28th July 2024 29th July 2024	Year 6 SATS – 12th May -all week Class 1 Phonics - 9th June week Statutory Multiplication Check -2nd to 13th June – Year 4 Please ensure your children are in school during these times.

Looking Ahead
	13	Roald Dahl Day
	16	Governor’s Admission Meeting
	17	Accelerated Reader Meeting’ for Year 3 parents 2.45pm
	24	Height and Weight Measure – Reception and Year 6
	25	Flu Vaccinations
	26	McMillan Coffee Afternoon – School Hall 2pm Travelling Book Fair Arrives
	27	INSET
	30	Phonics Workshop for Reception Parents 2.45pm Meeting for Year 5 Parents re: Residential 3.30pm and 5pm
October	1	Individual photos 2pm Harvest Festival Service in Church 2pm – All welcome.
	4	Red card to Racism – Wear red day
	7	Year 6 - Level 2 Bikeability – more information to follow
	8-9	Parents Evenings
	11	Year 6 National Holocaust Centre visit to school
	14	Year 5 Residential to Hathersage
	15	Governor’s Strategic Development Meeting
	17	Balance bikes – reception Year 4 to Perlethorpe visit
	18	Last day before half term
	21-1	HALF TERM
November	4	Return to school FOSAS Annual General Meeting – Shireoaks Pub 7.30pm
	7	Year 1 Emergency Services Museum visit Year 2 Victorian Classroom visit
	11	Remembrance – service 10.45 tbc Anti-bullying Week Year 6 Residential
	12	Class 5 trip to Perlethorpe River
	14	Governor’s Finance Committee
	15	Children in Need Day
	18	Parent Workshop - Maths!
	20	Year 3 to Creswell Craggs 6pm Full governors
	21	Class 6 Class Assembly 2.45pm
	27	Reception & Year 1 to Perlethorpe Nativity visit
	28	Christmas Fair
December	5	Class 4 Assembly 2.45pm Year 3 Jingle Jog
	18	Christmas Dinner Day
	20	End of term Service 2pm

Keep checking the dates, as we will add to them as the term goes on and there will be more information to follow about certain events.