Class Stars 🙂 Well done to…
Our Early Years… Mitzy-Rose
Class 2… Rory Brown
Class 3… Eli King
Class 4… Isla Barrow
This ½ term’s school value is…
We are Adventurous.
We give our children a loving, nurturing space in which to take risks, feel free and get a taste for a life full of adventures…
“Encourage one another, and build each other up.” 1 Thessalonians 5 v1
Attendance so far…
Yr6: 95.5% … Yr5: 96.2% … Yr4: 93.2% … Yr3: 95.9%
Yr2: 95.4% … Yr1: 93.6% … Rec: 92%
School average: 94.5%
It’s great that this has increased since last term… please see the section below, or our Attendance Policy
Welcome back everyone.
It already feels like we’ve done a term’s worth of work since Monday!
Monday’s assembly focused on our school value that We Are Adventurous. It’s not about learning to surf in the BIG waves or scrambling over the bigger rocks on Baggy, it’s about helping each other surmount life’s challenges and encouraging one another. So yes, encouraging people to surf and climb, but also to support others in life’s challenges or simply saying well done and boosting people’s confidence.
I found out this afternoon that, this week, Zephyr told Ernest that he’d done a good job, and Ernest felt really good about it. I also heard that Nicholas was told he was great at dribbling a basketball, which gave him a big smile. Encouraging one another – it happens lots in our school and it’s just delightful to see.
Upcoming dates…
Don’t forget that there’s a bank holiday Monday next week, we also have a Year 6 Parents’ meeting at 2.45 on Thursday 5th to talk about the London residential.
The week after is the SATs for year 6. We keep these low key and the children are quite used to the questions and the older papers by now. The children quite often say something along the lines of “That was easier than I thought,” after the testing week.
The week beginning 16th has two residentials in it – London for year 6 and St. George’s House for Class 3. Both start on the Monday and we’ll issue further details next week.
The week beginning 23rd May has a Parish Picnic on Wednesday after school at the village park. I haven’t got any further details, but it would be good to put that in your diaries for a summer fair style event laid on by the community.
We’ve been using the name “Miss Smale” far too often this week (she has too!) but of course we’re all tying to use “Mrs Parker” from now on.
Yes, Miss Summerville did leave us to concentrate on her other teaching job, but she also spent some time volunteering here this morning – I told you we wouldn’t lose her!
We also welcome Mrs Brook and Mrs Tanton to the team who are working in class 2 and in Preschool, respectively.
Regarding Attendance…
I’ve heard that there’s some confusion over holidays and I thought it best to help and explain school’s position – simply that schools aren’t permitted to authorise holidays. We can only authorise an absence in exceptional circumstances; and these are quite few.
But it’s not really about whether they’re authorised or not, taking a child out of school during term time disrupts learning sequences and staff have to adjust a lot of their planning for the child and the class when they return.
The bigger picture is that the Governors and I, the LEA and also Ofsted assess the effectiveness of the school, with the latter, Ofsted, having the ability to say that we’re an unsatisfactory school if we have poor attendance data. The only way to have good attendance in school is to be in school and once they’re enrolled, this is where they should be.
The policy explains this in far more detail but, regarding Penalty Notices, the Education Welfare Service (EWS) have asked us to pass on our data at set points through the year so that the LEA can process any if needed.
Please do refer to the policy if you’d like to read more.
COVID-19The NHS website seems to have been amended recently and now shows that main symptoms have been expanded from the three that we’ve been familiar with over the past two years. It now includes headaches and tiredness amongst several others. Here are the two links for children and adults.
If they have recognised symptoms (as per the web link above) then it’s possible they have Covid and they should try to avoid contact with others. A test would indicate whether they do or not, but these aren’t mandatory and only need to be taken if directed to do so.
If your child is well and doesn’t have a temperature, then they can return to school. We would prefer 1 day clear of the illness just to make sure nothing is passed on to others.
After a positive Covid test, a child under the age of 18 should stay at home and try to avoid contact with others for 3 days following the positive result. They could return to school as long as they feel well enough to and don’t have a temperature.
Our front doors are open between 8.45 and 8.55 with children doing learning activities as soon as they arrive. Sadly, the ones who arrive late at 9.00 am would have missed this, and the ones who are later can even miss the introduction to the next learning task.
Please aim to arrive for 8.45am
Please do look at the school menu before you leave home in the morning. Keri is unable to adjust the menu each day and it’s important that the children know what’s on offer and are happy to make choices in the morning.
“Encourage one another, and build each other up.”
1 Thessalonians 5 v1
Dates in the diary… bottom of the front page…
https://georgehamceps.wpengine.com/
Dinner Menu…
https://georgehamceps.wpengine.com/dinner-menu/
Our school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead is Julian Thomas
We have two Deputy Safeguarding Leads: Lucy Rinvolucri and Emma Hill.
You can contact us on dsl@georgeham-primary.devon.sch.uk
If you have any concerns that you’d like to discuss, please call through to Jo and ask for an appointment with one of us. You may also find some useful or helpful information on our Safeguarding webpage… https://georgehamceps.wpengine.com/staying-safe/
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