It has been lovely to start the week with no snow and usual routines able to run as planned. I would take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience and understanding. Also, a well done to the fantastic staff team, who went days without proper breaks, as the children were not able to go out.
Weekly Newsletter I hope that you all received the first copy of the weekly newsletter, which came out last Wednesday. Please note that this will be sent out on green paper each Wednesday and posted onto the school website: http://www.cranbrookprimary.redbridge.sch.uk/. Please also note that if we have any more bad weather that prevents the school opening, information will be available on the website and updates will be posted.
Groupcall In order to further improve communication with parents and carers, I have also started exploring the possibility of introducing ‘Group call’ to the school, whereby parents can be quickly contacted via text messaging. More to follow…
Haiti Appeal I am sure you have all been touched with the plight of the people in Haiti, since the terrible earthquake. As a school we would very much like to raise money to support this very worthy cause and have invited all children, staff and parents to dress in shades of red on Friday, and bring a donation of £1 towards the appeal. The children and staff are already excited about supporting this. I hope that you all feel the same. Please send the money in a clearly labelled envelope.
PTA It was lovely to meet the parents, who were able to attend the meeting this morning. We shared some exciting ideas about raising funds for the children’s benefit and in using the existing money for buying in play equipment for children’s use at playtimes. Updates to follow…..
Attendance/Punctuality Last week I emphasised the importance of regular attendance and good punctuality and their relationship with progress and behaviour. I would like to stress this again, because I am seeing too many children arriving late, who are struggling in class. We really need to improve this situation, as they are missing too much teacher input. Parents, please work on this – you know who you are. Did you know that in a school inspection, poor attendance, which is a responsibility of parents, can have a very negative impact on the inspection outcome in terms of a n OFSTED grade?
I thank the large majority, who ensure their child attends regularly.
Timings In order to ensure that all classes begin and end at the agreed school session times, I am exploring the possibility of introducing a school buzzer to indicate the start and finish for the school day.
Parking Once again, I would urge everyone to be cautious when driving into and around the car park. Please also avoid the zig zag lines.
School Library I know that both parents and staff are very keen to get the school library up and running as soon as possible. We have begun organising this already, and would like to invite all our families to donate a book for the library as follows:
Nursery Books, DVDs or CDs on Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales
Reception Traditional Stories from Around the World or Dual Text Books
Year 1 Atlases, Information Books about Countries, Homes, Toys, World History,
Religions or Festivals
Year 2 Poetry for different age groups & from across the world
Year 3 Short Chaptered Books or Anthologies of Short Stories
Year 4 Stories set in school, forests and outer space for across the age range
Year 5 Information Books about the Body, Plants, Animals, Landscapes and Habitats
Year 6 Language dictionaries, particularly Polish, Lithuanian, Russian, Portugese, and other
Languages represented within the school
Friday 22 January 2010
Thursday 14 January 2010
Newsletter No:1 - 13th January 2010
Having spent a week and a half at the school, I would like to begin by congratulating you all on your delightful children, who are a real strength of the school. It has also been wonderful to meet so many of you in the mornings. If you haven’t spotted me yet, I am the lady who stands at the gate most mornings, greeting you and your children as you arrive.
Although, the snow didn’t lead to the best start for me here, I am thrilled to report that we now have a school website (hurray!) that you can access for updates on the snow situation, as well as finding out about other aspects of the school. The site address is: http://www.cranbrookprimary.sch.uk/. Therefore, I would ask that in future, if you are unsure whether the school is open or not, you look on this site for information. With this weekly newsletter, the website and the day to day contact in the playground, I hope to develop greater communication between the school and home, so that we can work in partnership for the good of all Cranbrook children.
PTA Meeting 9.15am 20th January
I am very keen to work with interested parents to discuss ways in which we could organise events to raise additional funds for the children, especially to develop the playground. A meeting has been arranged by the chair of the PTA for 9.15am on 20th January 2010. All parents are welcome to attend.
Uniform/Jewellery
It is lovely to see the majority of children coming to school in uniform. Please note that it is school policy that children should not wear jewellery except for religious observance. Please help us to ensure that this continues. N.B. In line with the uniform policy, only plain white headscarves should be worn to school.
Attendance/Punctuality
Having observed what happens in the mornings and at the end of the school day, I have serious concerns regarding the high percentage of absences for some children and the late arrival both in the morning and at the end of the day by some parents. Whilst I realise that not all our families live locally and that there are some genuine reasons for this, I would ask for your support in working towards an improvement in this area. Compared to other schools locally and nationally, our attendance figures are inadequate, and are having a negative impact on learning, as the children are missing too many lessons.
Parental Concerns
For a school this size there will inevitably be times when parents might be unhappy about something. I would ask that the concern is shared with the appropriate member of staff, so that we can work towards a solution. I am already aware that some parents are unhappy about some practical issues regarding the arrangements for how classes come in and are collected from the playground. I have already begun organising signage to support this, as well as to look at different routes in for different year groups etc. In addition, from Monday 18th January, we will open the small gate on the left hand side of the new office block at the beginning and end of the day, so that parents can take this short cut to the office.
However, I would ask that concerns are expressed in a calm manner without the aggression that I have seen some parents display. We all want the best for the children, and as role models, should be mindful of young children, who may be observing and should not be witnessing office or class based staff being spoken to rudely by any adult.
Home Access Grant
The government is launching an initiative this month, which allows some families to apply for a grant in order to be able to buy a laptop and have internet connection paid for the first year.
To check whether or not you are eligible for the grant, please go to the website http://www.homeaccess.org.uk/ You will then be able to ring 03332001004 to get an application form.
If you are unsure whether you are eligible or unable to access the website, please enquire at the school office for more information. The school will also offer support to complete the form if you need help.
Parking
Like many of you, I am seriously concerned about the car park, as it is very dangerous for both adults and the children. Please note, as the car park does not belong to the school, we are not able to control its usage. However, the school is in regular contact with the road safety team, traffic control and our local PCSO (Police Community Schools Officer) in order to get better controls over its usage. In the meantime, I would ask all parents who use it to ensure that they are very vigilant, drive slowly, park in designated spaces and take children’s safety into consideration.
School Library
We are very keen to open the school library as soon as possible and are very grateful to the parents, who have already stamped the books. We will require more support in setting things out – more to follow in next week’s letter.
Friday 15th January School Closure Please remember that the school will be closed this Friday because we have a staff training day.
Although, the snow didn’t lead to the best start for me here, I am thrilled to report that we now have a school website (hurray!) that you can access for updates on the snow situation, as well as finding out about other aspects of the school. The site address is: http://www.cranbrookprimary.sch.uk/. Therefore, I would ask that in future, if you are unsure whether the school is open or not, you look on this site for information. With this weekly newsletter, the website and the day to day contact in the playground, I hope to develop greater communication between the school and home, so that we can work in partnership for the good of all Cranbrook children.
PTA Meeting 9.15am 20th January
I am very keen to work with interested parents to discuss ways in which we could organise events to raise additional funds for the children, especially to develop the playground. A meeting has been arranged by the chair of the PTA for 9.15am on 20th January 2010. All parents are welcome to attend.
Uniform/Jewellery
It is lovely to see the majority of children coming to school in uniform. Please note that it is school policy that children should not wear jewellery except for religious observance. Please help us to ensure that this continues. N.B. In line with the uniform policy, only plain white headscarves should be worn to school.
Attendance/Punctuality
Having observed what happens in the mornings and at the end of the school day, I have serious concerns regarding the high percentage of absences for some children and the late arrival both in the morning and at the end of the day by some parents. Whilst I realise that not all our families live locally and that there are some genuine reasons for this, I would ask for your support in working towards an improvement in this area. Compared to other schools locally and nationally, our attendance figures are inadequate, and are having a negative impact on learning, as the children are missing too many lessons.
Parental Concerns
For a school this size there will inevitably be times when parents might be unhappy about something. I would ask that the concern is shared with the appropriate member of staff, so that we can work towards a solution. I am already aware that some parents are unhappy about some practical issues regarding the arrangements for how classes come in and are collected from the playground. I have already begun organising signage to support this, as well as to look at different routes in for different year groups etc. In addition, from Monday 18th January, we will open the small gate on the left hand side of the new office block at the beginning and end of the day, so that parents can take this short cut to the office.
However, I would ask that concerns are expressed in a calm manner without the aggression that I have seen some parents display. We all want the best for the children, and as role models, should be mindful of young children, who may be observing and should not be witnessing office or class based staff being spoken to rudely by any adult.
Home Access Grant
The government is launching an initiative this month, which allows some families to apply for a grant in order to be able to buy a laptop and have internet connection paid for the first year.
To check whether or not you are eligible for the grant, please go to the website http://www.homeaccess.org.uk/ You will then be able to ring 03332001004 to get an application form.
If you are unsure whether you are eligible or unable to access the website, please enquire at the school office for more information. The school will also offer support to complete the form if you need help.
Parking
Like many of you, I am seriously concerned about the car park, as it is very dangerous for both adults and the children. Please note, as the car park does not belong to the school, we are not able to control its usage. However, the school is in regular contact with the road safety team, traffic control and our local PCSO (Police Community Schools Officer) in order to get better controls over its usage. In the meantime, I would ask all parents who use it to ensure that they are very vigilant, drive slowly, park in designated spaces and take children’s safety into consideration.
School Library
We are very keen to open the school library as soon as possible and are very grateful to the parents, who have already stamped the books. We will require more support in setting things out – more to follow in next week’s letter.
Friday 15th January School Closure Please remember that the school will be closed this Friday because we have a staff training day.
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