Newsletters

Weekly Updates – 28/04/2023
 
Good morning,
Please see below for any updates for week ahead
 
In school next week…


Clubs
Tuesday – Martial Arts – (we need more pupils to sign up for this club to run)
Wednesday – Sports Cool – booked directly with Chris as normal.
Thursday – Dance Club with Mrs Staveley - please book via admin@west-tanfield.n-yorks.sch.uk



Forest School
Nursery pupils will be doing forest school sessions each Wednesday until half term. Children should wear old, comfortable clothes and wellies or trainers for this along with waterproof trousers and coats.
 
Bike ability – Thursday 4^th May
For Years R/1/2/3 only on Thursday 4^th May
Children will only need a helmet if they have one. If not, there are some available to use in school.
We are excited to welcome Dave from 'I want to ride my bike' to St Nicholas Primary School this term. He will be working with the children in small groups to get everyone riding a bike and to improve skills for children who can already ride. Our Year 6 will be working towards their Bikeability Certificate. It is our ambition as a school that everyone can ride a bike safely before they leave. 

Please ensure signed paper copies of the consent forms for your child are returned to school by Tuesday. Thank you for your help with this I am sure that the children will all have an amazing time, and it gets our Golden Thread for this half term off to a flying start! Our Golden thread to 'be spiritually, mentally and physically healthy'.

English Enrichment Event Day for Year 4.
 
We have been given the exciting opportunity by Bedale High School to attend their enrichment programmes.  We have the wonderful news that Year 4 are to attend an English Enrichment Day on Tuesday 9^th May, 9.30am to 2.30pm.  This will be a creative writing and poetry workshop based on “The Forests of the Night”.  It will ask the questions: What are the sights, sounds and smells of nature in the Woods?  How does it feel to walk among the trees in the dark?  Are there any creatures lurking in the shadows?   The children are asked to bring their creativity and imaginations as they read exciting stories and poems exploring the world of the forest before writing, performing and celebrating their own work based on their sensory experiences.  There will be an email requiring consent to follow. 
 
North Yorkshire Music Service
Earlier this term school was visited by the Instrumental Lead team from North Yorkshire Music Service and pupils kick-started their musical journey by participating in an instrumental demonstration and workshop. Following on from this demonstration, school has been offered a term of Wider Opportunities brass tuition which will begin on Friday 5^th May and run until Friday 7^th July. Within the sessions, students learn the basics of playing a brass instrument and will perform a variety of pieces in a whole class setting. Through these sessions pupils will develop their listening, rhythm, and music theory skills, as well as getting the opportunity to learn an instrument that they perhaps never thought of trying out. The whole class sessions are designed to offer a musically rich experience and provide an ideal gateway into pupils learning a musical instrument. Sessions will be led by Annie Wilkins, a fantastic brass player and teacher who currently performs with Rothwell Temperance Band – a highly regarded and successful Brass Band based in Leeds, conducts Otley Brass Band, and performs as a freelance musician in orchestras for theatre productions.
 
Friday 5^th May
Next week we shall be welcoming lambs into school to support our curriculum 'sheep tracking'.  Ryedale Animal Group will be delivering workshops to both KS1 and KS2 pupils in the morning.
Animal Therapy is widely recognised as being of huge help in the treatment of mental health issues and there is no better animal than a sheep, even better a flock!
KS1 will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the lambs and will have the opportunity to take part in bottle feeding them.
KS2 will also have an interactive session with the lambs with the opportunity to get up close and personal with them.
 
King Charles Coronation
The coronation of King Charles III is a cause for celebration. The term coronation simply means the act of placing a crown on a monarch's head, but is commonly used to describe the ceremony and all the celebrations surrounding it. Plans for King Charles III's coronation, known as Operation Golden Orb, have been under discussion for many years.
His Majesty will be the 40th sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.
On Thursday 4^th May we will be having a Coronation party lunch consisting of, a selection of homemade sandwiches, Home made sausage rolls, Homemade cheese straws, Vegetable sticks and Celebration cupcakes.
We are also inviting the children to wear red, white and blue on Friday 5^th May to celebrate going to the long bank holiday weekend!

Other information:

Nursery
If you have, or know somebody who has, a child that turns three before 31^st August and they might be interested in coming to our Nursery please email helen.clegg@west-tanfield.n-yorks.sch.uk so they can be added to our list for September as we are almost full!  Thank you to those who have already expressed their interest.  Mrs Clegg will be in touch in June to arrange some taster visits.
 
Message to the friends           
The school and pupils would like to thank you for your contribution towards the VR experience that was in school last week. The children thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
Toddler Forest School
This continues with Madeleine as normal. Please spread the word. All information can be found on ‘Outdoor Adventures Forest School’ Facebook page.

Bus Register
Please note we only need to know if there are any changes to the bus – we do not require a new form. For adhoc requests – please email admin@west-tanfield.n-yorks.sch.uk
 
Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing Updates
 
Social Media Safety
This recently published video by financial times films, gives an important insight to the impact of social media on our children and our family life. The video is well worth a watch. It has been used with parent groups, and they were shocked. The video led them to reconsider how they talk to their children about their social media use. You can find the video on YouTube by following the link below:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UY2HOpuTlk
 
 
For further tips, advice, guides and resources to help keep your child safe online please follow the link below:
 
https://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/parents-carers/online-safety/
 
Healthy pack ups
Whether squeezing it in before the school run in the morning, or before bed on busy midweek evenings, preparing your child’s lunchbox can seem like just another thing on the list.
Below is a link to some healthy lunch box ideas to try!
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/