St Anne’s C of E (A) Primary News

“Developing the whole child, spiritually, mentally and physically in a caring Christian

Environment through close links to the Church and Community”

                                                                                                                 Friday 31st January 2025

Dear Parents & Carers,

It’s hard to believe we are at the end of January already! I had the pleasure of spending some time in Class Reception on Wednesday and they were immersed in their Chinese New Year learning. The children were keen to share their joining skills as they made their ‘snakes’ representing the ‘Year of the Snake’, shared their noodles in the role ‘play Chinese restaurant’ with me, as well as share the significance of giving ’red envelopes’ at this time of year.

You said, we did….

Following on from last year’s parental questionnaire, we wanted to share how we have responded to your feedback as we continually look to work in partnership with you as parents/carers.

 

Parental Feedback

You said …..	We did…….	With the result that….
Mornings are easier for me to attend workshops	Dependent on the workshop and audience we have offered two timings where possible.	Attendance at workshops increased.
You didn’t like the pedestrian gate into the main car park being a push through gate with no locking mechanism	Bid for external funding for a net 2 electronic gate system.	The Harrington pedestrian and car park gates are now electronically operated. We have written a further bid for the Devonshire & Church gates to be operated in the same manner.
We don’t always have cash	Full implementation of online ParentPay.com system	Easier and safer for parents.
Parents wanting as much notice of events in school	We have continued to produce a weekly newsletter outlining the dates in the school calendar for the term. Feedback to staff in relation to ‘notice’ to parents being a priority where humanly possible.	The school has an annual calendar with the majority of theme days and weeks planned and communicated for the term on the weekly newsletter and the school website.
Short notice of events, not always understanding text messages.	The website has been newly built with a simpler layout to support navigation and for parents to locate information in relation to the school/child’s class. Website has a ‘translate’ tab to support our parent community. Website calendar up to date We are in the process of migrating from one school ‘Management Information System’  to another to improve efficiencies.   Class email addresses in place for direct questions to class teacher.	Parents have shared that they have found information more easily on the class pages. Individual families have felt more at ease in reading school information in their home language.   It is anticipated that many communication tools will all be streamlined under one umbrella and we will share further information in the coming weeks. Class specific matters can be responded to by the teacher.
Lunchtime Menu  - more variety.	Liaison with NCC Catering and discussions with the school cook, with tasting opportunities for pupils and parents.	Changed menu options in line with NCC - tailored for our children.
More opportunities within year for children.	A greater increase of activities over lunchtimes have been provided by staff. Trips/in school visitors for each class on a termly basis.	Greater engagement of pupils with a choice of lunchtime clubs on a daily basis. Children are positive about the experiences they have encountered.
The playground floods	In previous years, paid for camera investigations to be told it is the silt and downward flow from the Church carpark. We have submitted a funding bid for further investigation to bring further improvement to the issue.	Short term gains are achieved however we await the outcome of our bid. Caretaker Adele has her leaf blower to hand to try to reduce the natural debris near the drain.
Greater adult presence (not Y5/6 students) needed at playtimes.	There has and continues to always be at least two adults at breaktimes with Y5/6 playground peacemakers as an additional resource to support interactions and develop their leadership skills. TA timetables adjusted so that they provide additional support to the midday team at lunchtime.	Visible adults for the children to come to and an increase in planned activities to keep the children busy and active.   Year 5/6 building and encouraging friendships within the St Anne’s family.

We always value the positive comments that are shared too and as I often share with the ‘staff team’ no one ever gets up in a morning to do a bad job. Here are a few of the positive comments that were shared………

‘St Anne’s is a nurturing environment where children can learn and grow’

‘I believe St Anne’s is a fantastic school; you support my child in so many ways’

‘I love the family feel of the school’

‘I can’t thank you enough for the immense support from the school to build up my daughter’s confidence’

‘The staff, especially the leadership team are approachable and clearly love the children and want the best for them’

Parents Evenings

These will take place on the 11^th and 12^th of February and as a parent you should have received a link to book a time slot.  If your child is part of the ‘structured conversation’ programme, these will be offered on an alternative day by the class teacher as they are longer in length. As always, in order for the class teacher to keep to time we ask that an additional time is agreed to discuss things further, should the need arise, so that other parents are not left waiting.

If your link to book has not come through, please give the office a call as we are migrating from one data management system to another and this may present a few glitches along the way, rest assured we are working very hard to minimise the impact to the parent community.  You will need to use the email address we have logged for you at school and reset your password.

Young Voices

I’m looking forward to taking the choir to the Young Voices concert on the 12^th February. It really is an experience to sing with thousands of other children with professional musicians and a renowned conductor in Sheffield Arena. We will have our school banner, so look out for us in case they are filming the concert for the local news!

Cookery club

This week in cookery club the children made their own pitta pizza, they needed to prepare the toppings of their choice before assembling their pizza. There were some five star reviews the next morning. We definitely have some future chefs.

 

 

Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair is back between Friday 7^th February to Friday 14^th February. There are lots of titles at great prices. Children should be receiving book vouchers over the next couple of weeks, worth £1 discount off a book (over £2.99 or more).

The Bookfair is cashless, but you can pay by – card or online PayPal.  Come and take a look.

As always, the ‘bookcase of books’ in the front entrance of school are there to freely take away and enjoy at home.

Breakfast Club

Please ensure you accompany your child to the hall door each morning and drop off at the doorway. A school staff member will see them into the hall with their bags and coats for the day.

After School Club

Activities w/c:  Monday 3^rd February 2025

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Ukele Day	Skipping Challenge	Connect	Craft Creations	Sports

Collection from the club remains through Harrington Street only and you will be notified of any changes.

Next Friday - Number Day

Children are encouraged to wear a top with a number on, or a pattern or something that can be counted as they get involved with activities promoting mathematical understanding! Please don’t buy anything new. They can wear their usual school trousers/skirt on their bottom half.

There is a separate letter, which was sent out today if the children want to get involved with the ‘bake off’.

News from the Classes

Class Reception

Class Reception have been very busy this week. They enjoyed a dragon themed ‘Forest school’ session where they made their own dragon using clay and forest floor materials.  They learnt about Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated.  They have also been busy using ‘talk 4 writing’ to learn to retell their new traditional tale ‘The Gingerbread Man’. 

Class One

This week has been all about instructions in Class 1. They have been looking at the features of instructions, making sure they list the equipment, have a clear title and correctly sequenced steps. They have followed a set of instructions, looking at the details to make sure the instructions are clear and make sense. They made a rocket which flies and are working on writing their own set of instructions so others can make the same rocket.

Class Two

This week in art, Class 2 have been learning all about Claude Monet. They read the book ‘Katie and the Waterlily Pond by James Mayhew’ which introduced the children to many of Monet's famous paintings.  They have discussed 'impressionism' and how it differs from other styles of painting.  In the coming weeks they will use their colour mixing skills in order to replicate one of Monet's paintings.  

Class Three

The children in Class 3 have been completing their independent piece of writing based on Romulus and Remus.  This myth is centred around their Roman topic. The children have developed their skills of using: verbs, adverbs, speech and figurative language within their writing. Their task has been to write the next part of the myth. All children have been great with generating ideas and using their knowledge to create some amazing myths.

In maths, the children have been working on multiplication and division of 2-digit numbers by 1 digit. This is a tricky skill to grasp in Class 3, but the children have shown perseverance and are improving daily. In science, the children took on the role of a scientist to see which rock would be best for a footpath, they had to think critically and use different resources to test. Once complete, the children then had to report their findings. In Art, the children have been sculpting their figures of a Roman as they have explored artists use of ‘exaggeration ‘within a story illustration.

Class Four

This week in Class 4, they have been focusing on deepening their knowledge and skills. In science, Class 4 were constructing series circuits using the electrical components they had studied. They needed to construct their circuit using wires, cells and bulbs. There were many excited children when the bulb lit. In history, Class 4 have been focusing on the cultural changes that occurred during the Anglo-Saxon times. They learnt about the change in Anglo-Saxon religion from pagan to Christian and how key monks converted the Anglo-Saxons. In English, they finished writing their own myth based on Norse mythology. They carefully crafted their writing using taught grammar and then redrafted in order to improve their writing. They are now very excited to be moving on to their poetry unit inspired by Beowulf. In maths, the children have been finding the perimeter of shapes and finding the value of missing lengths. The children are looking forward to their trip next week to Perlethorpe where they will be immersed in their learning on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings.

Class Five

It has been a busy week in Class 5. In Art, the pupils continued their investigation into typography, being inspired by a mixture of plants, twigs and items which can be found in a DIY shop! In English, the focus was on writing a quest narrative linked to the current topic of Ancient Egypt. Modal verbs were used to help debate with the characters possible consequences of their actions, with the words spoken by them revealing their character or moving the plot on. Ancient Egypt was also the focus of History, where the pupils created their own timelines to aid understanding of chronology in relation to other periods of history studied. As scientists, the pupils planned a fair test to investigate the effects of air resistance on parachutes. Could you predict whether tissue paper, plastic bag or cellophane would be the most effective?

   

  

Class Six

Class 6 have responded well to the change in adults in the class due to Miss McDonald’s absence.  It has not stopped their learning and they have had a busy week with a focus on Mayan’s, focussing on settlements and exploring their differences.  They looked at the Rainplayer which is a Mayan story about Mayan sports.  They have even challenged themselves with algebra!  Mrs Middleton was impressed by the way in which a small group created a Latin dance to perform in response to the collective worship music this week.

Congratulations to our Stars of the Week this week

Class Reception – Szymon and Florence H

Class One – James G & Alfie F

Class Two – Dominic and Leo

Class Three – Marcel & Charlie

Class Four – Evan & Brieaa                           

Class Five – Jensen

Class Six –  Olivia.

Lunch time Stars:

Olivia (6)  - for her mature attitude in the playground

Class Tidiness Award

Caretaker Adele has awarded Class 4 for their tidiness this week – well done!

Gymnastic Awards

Core Skills Level 1

Kaydence (1)

Out of School Achievements:

Well done to Georgiana and Emily (4) who competed at an ASA Swimming Gala at Hucknall Leisure Centre.

Daisy (3) awarded Gymnast of the Month at her local club.

Lucas (2) gained his Level 4 swimming.

Daniel (2) awarded Man of the Match for his team SJR.

Elsie(R) achieved her 5m swimming.

Malee (R) awarded her level 2 gym award.

Church Services

Sunday 2^nd February

9am Holy Communion with Rev Dave

10.15ish STA @10with Claire

6pm Informal worship, word and prayer with Rev Edith

Wednesday 5^th February

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 7^th February

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 chill out after school at the end of the week. All welcome.

Family Support

A reminder that Kerry Macadem ‘Bassetlaw Behaviour Support’ – Family Support Co-ordinator will be back in school on:

Drop-In Sessions

Monday 10 February 9.00-11.00am

Monday 10 March 9.00-11.00am

Monday 31 March 9.00-11.00am

Monday 28 April 9.00-11.00am

Monday 19 May 9.00-11.00am

Monday 16 June 9.00-11.00am

Monday 14 July 9.00-11.00am

She can help support with issues within the home such as behaviour, sleep patterns, resistance to change, establishing routines.

2024-2025 Attendance

Class	Attendance
R	90.5 %
1	92.8%
2	98.0%
3	94.3%
4	97.9%
5	98.8%
6	91.3%
All	94.94%

Prayers from Olivia (6) and Lewis K (6)

Dear Lord, Thank you for your protection, strength and reassurance. Thank you for keeping us safe. Amen

Dear Lord, Let us understand how you bring light in the dark and protection. We give thanks for the food, water and all that we have. Amen

Finally a message from School Council…they have decided that their charitable focus will continue to be ‘Bassetlaw Food Bank’ and donations of Chocolate /Easter Eggs would be welcomed ready for their next drop off.

With my best wishes

Mrs Middleton & the St Anne’s Team

INSET DAYS 2024- 25	Key Statutory Weeks (Assessment)
2nd September 2024 27th September 2024 20th January 2025 28th July 2025 29th July 2025	Year 6 SATS – 12th May 2025 - all week Class 1 Phonics - 9th June 2025 week Statutory Multiplication Check -2 nd to 13th June 2025 – Year 4 Please ensure your children are in school during these times.

Looking Ahead
February	3	Children’s Mental Health week – look on the school website for activities to support your child.
	4	Class 4 visit to Perlethorpe Anglo Saxons/Vikings
	5	Class 2 visit to National Coal Mining Museum
	7	Book Fair Arrives – Open before and after school each day NSPCC Number Day – separate letter
	10	Pupils & Strategic Committee Governors Meeting 4pm
	11	Safer Internet Day Parents’ Consultations – child’s progress – booking link sent
	12	School Choir goes to Young Voices – Sheffield Arena with Mrs M & Mrs Storrs Parents’ Consultations – child’s progress – booking link sent
	13	Class 3 Class Assembly 2.45pm – join us if you can.
	14	Break up for half term/ Non-Uniform Day
	24	Children return Admissions Committee 12.30pm
	26	Dr Bob Science Afternoon for Class 4&5
	27	Class 1 Assembly 2.45pm – join us if you can
	28	Swimming Gala 9.30am – named children will be notified.
March	3	World Book Week
	4	World Book Day – Character Dress Up Day
	5	Ash Wednesday Service 9am in Church – join us if you can
	6	Phonics Workshop for Class 1 Parents 2.45pm
	7	Tag Rugby Festival – Y3/4 – named children
	13	Governor’s Finance Committee 5.30pm
	17	Year 6 Parents SATS meeting
	20	Class 2 Class Assembly 2.45pm – join us if you can
	25	Full Governing Body Meeting 6pm
	27	Class 5 Class Assembly 2.45pm – join us if you can
April	4	Break up for Easter 2pm Easter Service in Church
May	16	Reception Class – Forest School – pond dipping