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.
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