News sheet 5th January 2023
Happy New Year!
Welcome back to school after the Christmas break. We hope you all had an enjoyable two weeks at home and that your child is excited for the learning that they will encounter this term.
If you did find the break difficult, please remember that we are here for, not only your child, but also you. If you need to talk, we have staff available to listen and support you if necessary. If we cannot help you, we will direct you to agencies that will help. Please reach out if you need us.
Staff news
At the end of last term, we said ‘Goodbye’ to both Mrs Stickley and Mrs Hegarty. Both ladies wanted to thank all of the children for their hugs and kind words and to the parents who offered them thanks and gifts-they were much appreciated.
We are sad that we have lost two great members of staff, but we are excited to welcome Miss Moultrie to our Teaching Assistant Team. Miss Moultrie will be working in our Butterfly classroom until the end of the year.
Uniform
The children have returned to school looking really smart in their uniforms. A reminder, please, to ensure that all uniform is labelled with your child’s name and class so we can keep clothes and children together!
A reminder of our PE uniform:
White polo shirt or plain t-shirt
Navy shorts or joggers
Navy hoodie or sweatshirt (no logos please!)
Trainers or pumps
A gentle reminder to ensure that your child’s hair is tied up if long and that all nail varnish is removed.
Clubs
We have made the decision to reduce the number of clubs that staff offer after school. We are on a rapid journey of improvement and staff time is currently best spent on planning and preparing lessons. We understand that this may upset some parents who use these clubs regularly and we are sorry for this, but we must focus more time on Teaching and Learning at this present time.
There will be two Key Stage 1 clubs run by staff and two Key Stage 2 clubs. Kevin will continue to run his football clubs on a Monday and a Wednesday. Information about the clubs will be shared with you soon.
Volunteers
We are on the lookout for parents, carers, uncles, aunties or grandparents who, either at drop off, or before pick could spend some of their valuable time reading with some of our pupils. Reading is a priority at Hillbourne and some of our children don’t always have the opportunity to read to an adult every day. This is something we are trying hard to change. With the help of volunteers, we aim to listen to every child read each week. If you have the time and the desire to support some of our most vulnerable pupils, please contact Mr Claxton for further information. r.claxton@hillbourne.poole.sch.uk
Illness and Attendance
Last term we were hit hard with Chicken Pox, sickness and colds. As a result, our whole school attendance was very low. We must improve our whole school attendance as we move into the Spring Term. The expectation is that pupils come to school 100% of the time from now until the end of the school year in July. As a school, we understand that this is not always possible for all pupils. However, we are being ambitious and that is what we are aiming for.
To help you decide whether or not your child should come to school, we have attached a link to an NHS website which will offer you some guidance. If you are still unsure, or require more support, our office staff are always happy to direct you.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
It is staggering that only 10 days of absence throughout a whole year will give your child an overall attendance of 95%. Please remember we are aiming for your child to reach 100% from now until the end of the school year.
We wish you all well and look forward to welcoming you to Parents’ Evening at the end of this month, again further information will be shared with parents and carers in the coming weeks.