Newsblog Term 4 Week 5

Hello All

What a lovely start to spring it is this weekend, following the rainy days of last week when the children went out on their Spring Walks with forest school - lots of happy, muddy children!  Thank you for your great support of Comic Relief Day - the children looked amazing - money update next week.   Happy Mothering Sunday to those of you who fulfil that role - hope your family waited on you hand and foot to thank you for all you do for them:)

In this weeks blog:

• Dates for your diary
  
  
• SIAMS Inspection
• Disabled Parking Permits
• Friends of Tadpole Farm Meeting
• Absences update
• Easter Experience
• Nursery Applications - September 2017 

Dates for your diary

Term 3 and 4  2016/17
Date	Time	Event
31/3	3:00 pm	Open invitation to all parents to join us for Friday Celebration Worship – there will be an opportunity to do this once a term in response to parental feedback
3/4 - 5/4		“Show me” sessions –  for children in YR/1/2 - Monday 3/4  classrooms open 3:30 – 5:30; Tuesday 4/4 and Wednesday 5/4 classrooms open 3:30 – 4:30 – please note for children in YN times are 11:10 for those in morning session and 2:50 for those in afternoon session Access to Tapestry and See-Saw opens Easter Experience is open for visiting after school between 3:30 and 4:30.
6/4	2:30 pm	All invited to join us for our Easter Service
7/4		Last day of term 4 – school finishes normal time

SIAMS Inspection

You will have seen, from the email sent out on Friday, that we have our SIAMS inspection on Wednesday 29th March - as a reminder, the email read
The date for our first SIAMS Inspection has been announced - it's next Wednesday 29th March. In addition to Ofsted inspections, Church schools are also inspected to determine their distinctiveness and effectiveness as Church schools. SIAMS inspections lead to a headline judgement in answer to the question, "How distinctive and effective is this school as a Church of England school?" To achieve this, the inspector will combine judgements from four ‘key questions’ which are - How well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners? What is the impact of collective worship on the school community? How effective is the religious education? How effective are the leadership and management of the school as a Church school? 

As part of the email, there is a link to an online parent questionnaire, which many of you have already completed - if you haven't yet responded then please complete by midday on Monday 27th March.  We really appreciate your comments and suggestions.

The inspector, Rev'd David Hatrey, would like to meet parents to gather your views and will be available at 8:45 am and 3:00 pm on Wednesday the 29th March.  Please come along to the Small Hall where Rev'd David will be available at those times.  


Tadpole Farm CE Primary Academy Disabled Parking Permits

We now have these available in the School Office, so please pop in if you are eligible to use a space and we can give you a permit.  This should make it easier for us all to know who has permission to park in the spaces.  Permits may be issued on a temporary basis and are not linked to Blue Badge holders only.  

Friends of Tadpole Farm Meeting


Come and join in the next meeting of our fabulous fundraising Friends group - Wednesday 5th April at The Jovial Monk 7:30 pm.  

Absences update

If you need to take you child out of school for a medical appointment we ask that you bring in a screen shot of the appointment text or show us the appointment card.  We have been advised to do this so that we can evidence that we are keeping an accurate track of medical absences.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Easter Experience

From Monday 3rd to Wednesday 5th April the children will be learning about the Easter Story through visiting interactive stations - these activities will be laid out in the 'Year 3/4 block' and you are invited to visit them  You are invited to look around and take part in the activities after school 3:30 - 4:30 on those days - this is also the time for the Show Me sessions.  

Nursery Applications - September 2017

Just a reminder, the deadline for Nursery applications for September 2017 starters is 30th April 2017.  

Newsblog Term 4 Week 4

Hello All

Just a short newsblog this week.  

In this week's blog

• Dates for your Diary - Term 3 and 4
• Book Fayre
• Red Nose Day
• Allotments and Play Park - advance notice of launch day
• Egg boxes for Forest Walks

Dates for your Diary - Term 3 and 4

Updates in red

Term 3 and 4  2016/17
Date	Time	Event
24/3		Red Nose Day – likely to be dressing up and donations involved – see below
31/3	3:00 pm	Open invitation to all parents to join us for Friday Celebration Worship – there will be an opportunity to do this once a term in response to parental feedback
3/4 - 5/4		“Show me” sessions –  for children in YR/1/2 - Monday 3/4  classrooms open 3:30 – 5:30; Tuesday 4/4 and Wednesday 5/4 classrooms open 3:30 – 4:30 – please note for children in YN times are 11:10 for those in morning session and 2:50 for those in afternoon session Access to Tapestry and See-Saw opens
6/4	2:30 pm	All invited to join us for our Easter Service
7/4		Last day of term 4 – school finishes normal time

Book Fayre

Last day for Book Fayre will be Monday 20th March after school.

Red Nose Day

Children are invited to come to school in something red or  Comic Relief attire - donations suggested of at least £1.  Also reminder of Toy Sale details below:-

Our School Council have begun to organise their first event and we very much hope you will support them in this.  

What do parents need to know?

• School Council are organising a toy sale to raise money for Comic Relief 24th March
• The toy sale will be held in the small hall after school- doors will be opened for nursery collection both morning and afternoon
• Children are invited to donate no more than 5 toys they no longer play with or items they are happy to purchase new and donate - we want children to feel that they are giving though so maybe if new purchases are made with pocket money that would help
• These toys must be: clean and in a good condition; suitable for the age range we have at Tadpole Farm; non- mains electrical devices (can be battery); something you are happy we sell for £1.

• All toys will be sold for £1

• All toys were due in school by 15/3 - any additional donations need to be in by Tuesday 20th March.

• Any toys left over will be donated to charity/women's refuge

Allotments and Play Park - advance notice of launch day

This is a Save the Date notice - the allotments and play park on the development are due to be officially opened on Saturday 22nd April - http://tadpolegardenvillage.com/village-news/save-the-date/ .  School will be having an allotment so donations of gardening equipment and offers of time on a regular basis all welcomed - please see Mrs Edwards in the School Office.

Egg boxes for Forest Walks

Could we have donations of clean egg boxes for Forest Walks this week?  Please hand in to Year 2 Miss Baker.  You may have read about egg boxes not being safe but this is an urban myth - see this link if you are concerned - http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/august.htm

Newsblog Term 4 Week 3

Hello All

Thank you to those of you that came along to the travel safety meeting with Crest and/or have been supplying us with details of traffic issues which concern you.  The meeting was very productive and measures are being put in place with the various uses of the site.  further details - see below.

In this week's blog

• Dates for your Diary - Term 3 and 4
• Travel Update
• Book Fayre
• Parents Workshop - E-safety and IT
• Does your job involve showing courage?
• Headlice

Dates for your Diary - Term 3 and 4

Updates in red

Term 3 and 4  2016/17
Date	Time	Event
15/3	6:00 – 7:30 pm	Parent/Carer Workshop Programme – 4 – E-Safety and IT Sign Up sheets available from Monday 6th March.
24/3		Red Nose Day – likely to be dressing up and donations involved – more details will follow
31/3	3:00 pm	Open invitation to all parents to join us for Friday Celebration Worship – there will be an opportunity to do this once a term in response to parental feedback
3/4 - 5/4		“Show me” sessions –  for children in YR/1/2 - Monday 3/4  classrooms open 3:30 – 5:30; Tuesday 4/4 and Wednesday 5/4 classrooms open 3:30 – 4:30 – please note for children in YN times are 11:10 for those in morning session and 2:50 for those in afternoon session Access to Tapestry and See-Saw opens
6/4	2:30 pm	All invited to join us for our Easter Service
7/4		Last day of term 4 – school finishes normal time

Travel Update

Mark Foyle, from Crest Nicholson Strategic (who oversee whole of Tadpole Garden Village development) held a drop-in session last week for parents to come and chat about concerns re contractor traffic.  Thank you to all who attended and/or sent in footage or photos.  The best route for concerns from our school community is via school - I know Mark's email has been shared on Facebook but I am unsure if this was done with his consent and I feel that, as a school community, we should follow a professional route for communications about the concerns of our school community - a collective approach such as this is often most efficient and effective.

Mark shared with us some of the actions that have been taken or are in the pipeline:-

1. re road sweepers:-    should now fill up in the north of the site, not on the corner by David Wilson Homes -  should not sweep the road in front of the school between 0815-0900 and 1515-1600.

2. Alternative construction route for development opposite school - this is currently being built behind the development opposite school - due for completion 1/4/17 so will reduce traffic then

3. David Wilson - have now employed traffic marshall to manage entrance to site next to school - they are working towards moving materials off that site into holding area and/or new site which will then reduce traffic movement between old David Wilson site and new one

4. Signs have been installed to say no contractor parking along the road leading to school and also saying no deliveries to be made to site from the road

Please pass any concerns to school and I will follow them up.  Mark will hold another drop in session on Friday 28th April at 9:00 am.

Book Fayre

The Book Fayre arrives this week and will be open from Wednesday 15th March until and including Monday 20th March from 3:30 - 4:30 pm.  If your child attends LilyPad then we can arrange for them to look around the book fayre after school - please send in any monies you wish them to spend in a sealed envelope with their name, the amount the envelope contains and their class.  All children will receive a £1 book token as part of the celebration of world Book Day event we held last week.  

Mrs Edwards would be very glad of parent helpers to run the book fair so please pop in to the office and offer your time to cover setting up and running the book fair - thank you.

Parents Workshop - E-safety and IT - Wednesday 15th March 6 - 7:30 pm Main Hall.

Many apologies as the sign up sheets for this workshop are only just available - they will be in the front entrance area from tomorrow morning or you can sign up by email School@tadpolefarmcepa.co.uk.  We will be covering aspects of e-safety that you may find useful and also looking at the IT curriculum that your children study in school and how this can be supported at home.  

 
Does your job involve showing courage?

We would appreciate some volunteers who work in roles that need courage, to come in to school and share their experiences with the children.  It would only take up to an hour of your time... and we offer refreshments too :)  If you can help please email school@tadpolefarmcepa.co.uk

Headlice

We have little visitors again - it's a common occurrence in primary school.  

Info below is from NHS website:-

Head lice are tiny insects that live in hair. Nits are the empty egg cases attached to hair that head lice hatch from.

Head lice are a common problem, particularly in school children aged 4-11.

They're largely harmless, but can live in the hair for a long time if not treated and can be irritating and frustrating to deal with.

How to spot head lice

Head lice can be difficult to spot, even when the head is closely inspected. 

They're very small whitish or grey-brown insects that range from the size of a pinhead to the size of a sesame seed.

The only way to be sure someone has head lice is to find a live louse by combing their hair with a special fine-toothed comb. This is called detection combing.

Less reliable signs of head lice include:

small white eggs or nits (egg cases) in the hair behind the ears or at back of the neck  see image above 

an itchy scalp 

a rash on the back of the neck 

feeling as though something is moving in the hair 

How to get rid of head lice and nits

Treatments to get rid of head lice are available to buy from pharmacies, supermarkets and online. You don't usually need to see your GP.

The main treatments are:

lotions or sprays that kill head lice  these can be very effective, but some aren't suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for children under two 

removing head lice with a specially designed comb  this is suitable for everyone and relatively inexpensive, but needs to be repeated several times and can take a long time to do thoroughly 

A pharmacist can advise you about the treatments available if you're not sure which is best for you or your child.

How you get head lice

Head lice are spread by direct head to head contact. They climb from one person's hair to another's.

Head lice:

can't fly, jump or swim 

are very unlikely to be spread by objects such as hats, combs and pillows 

don't have a preference for dirty, clean, short or long hair 

only affect people and can't be caught from animals 

Once detached from the hair, head lice will usually die within 12-24 hours.

Preventing head lice

It's very difficult to prevent head lice.

You may want to consider regular detection combing  for example, on a weekly basis  if you're concerned about your children or yourself.

Lotions and sprays don't prevent head lice and should only be used if a live louse has been found in your or your child's hair.

Staying off work or school and washing clothing and bedding on a hot wash is unnecessary, as it's unlikely to help prevent the spread of head lice.

Additional information

Useful organisations

Parentline Plus

520 Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, Kentish Town, London, NW5 1TL

Tel : 0808 800 2222

http://www.parentlineplus.org.uk/default.aspx

Newsblog Term 4 Week 2

Hello All

What a lovely array of outfits for World Book Day - thank you for supporting this annual event which was enjoyed by all.  The message of World Book Day - the right for everyone to be able to read - is fundamental to helping make our communities stronger, safer, more positive global communities who understand and appreciate each others creative abilities.  The Book Fayre arrives in school on the 14th March, until Tuesday 21st March, and you will be able to spend your £1 World Book Day tokens here - more details in next weeks blog.

In this week's blog

• Dates for your Diary - Term 3 and 4
• Handz and Feet Dance Workshop Update
• 40 Acts of Lent Update
• School Council and Toy Sale for Comic Relief
• Traffic Update

Dates for your Diary - Term 3 and 4

Updates in red

REMINDER - NO SCHOOL RUN CLUBS THIS WEEK DUE TO PARENTS MEETINGS - DOES NOT AFFECT NON-SCHOOL RUN EXTERNAL CLUBS SUCH AS BALLET OR WIMS11

Term 3 and 4  2016/17
Date	Time	Event
6/3	2:45 pm	Mark Foyle Crest Nicholson - drop in re traffic issues
7/3	2:30 – 6:45 pm	Parent/teacher/pupil meetings – 15 minute slots for YR/1/2 – YN slots will be 12:30 – 6:45
9/3	2:30 – 6:45 pm	Parent/teacher/pupil meetings – 15 minute slots for YR/1/2 – YN slots will be 12:30 – 6:45
15/3	6:00 – 7:30 pm	Parent/Carer Workshop Programme – 4 – E-Safety and IT Sign Up sheets available from Monday 6th March.
24/3		Red Nose Day – likely to be dressing up and donations involved – more details will follow
31/3	3:00 pm	Open invitation to all parents to join us for Friday Celebration Worship – there will be an opportunity to do this once a term in response to parental feedback
3/4 - 5/4		“Show me” sessions –  for children in YR/1/2 - Monday 3/4  classrooms open 3:30 – 5:30; Tuesday 4/4 and Wednesday 5/4 classrooms open 3:30 – 4:30 – please note for children in YN times are 11:10 for those in morning session and 2:50 for those in afternoon session Access to Tapestry and See-Saw opens
6/4	2:30 pm	All invited to join us for our Easter Service
7/4		Last day of term 4 – school finishes normal time

Handz and Feet Dance Workshop Update

How disappointed we all were that the dance workshop had to be cancelled but our dancer was sick and you know our rule for sickness in school! We will rebook when we can and let you know the new date.  Thank you for your understanding with this late event change.

40 Acts of Lent Update

Last week I said I would give you an update on what the children have been doing so far in Lent.  The idea of 40 Acts is, rather than giving up something, you take some action and give something instead.  For the first week, as a whole school, we focused on giving smiles more often - what a lovely response there was to that - the school became smile central last week!  Each of the classes also thought about a class challenge too - I went in to Badger class to give a message and came away feeling very appreciated by the lovely compliments I was given by the children who were working on living their challenge they had chosen.  Next week, as a whole school, we'll be thinking about being generous with the things we have - particularly suitable given Comic Relief and the Toy Sale being organised by the School Council - more details below.

School Council and Toy Sale for Comic Relief

Our School Council have begun to organise their first event and we very much hope you will support them in this.  They meet this week to finalise their idea to hold a Toy Sale for Comic Relief and they have asked that the following information be shared with you:

What do parents need to know?

• School Council are organising a toy sale to raise money for Comic Relief 24th March
• The toy sale will be held in the small hall after school- doors will be opened for nursery collection both morning and afternoon
• Children are invited to donate no more than 5 toys they no longer play with or items they are happy to purchase new and donate - we want children to feel that they are giving though so maybe if new purchases are made with pocket money that would help
• These toys must be: clean and in a good condition; suitable for the age range we have at Tadpole Farm; non- mains electrical devices (can be battery); something you are happy we sell for £1.

• All toys will be sold for £1

• All toys need to be in school by the 15/3 to allow enough time for School Council to sort them.  

• Any toys left over will be donated to charity/women's refuge

This is the first event they have arranged and I hope you will be able to support them in supporting this very worthy cause.

Traffic Update

I know that many of you have found the traffic situation worse lately and this is of concern to all of us in the community.  Crest Nicholson, who are the strategic overseers of the whole development, are taking your concerns very seriously and have put in place traffic marshals, conditions on the development site owners and are holding regular meetings and discussions to improve the situation.  I am aware that there have been discussions on social media and can understand why that is, but would urge you to bring your concerns to us as we are in regular/daily contact with Crest and can help resolve issues.   Some of the social media discussions are leading to some parents feeling upset about how their comments are responded to, with some opinions being stated as facts when, with fuller knowledge of the situation, the reality is not quite the same.  To give you another option to share your views I have asked Mark Foyle, who oversees the whole site from Crest Nicholson Strategic, to be in school from 2:45pm tomorrow Monday 6th March - you are welcome to come along and hear the actions that have been and are being taken to make things as safe as possible for our community.