Sidegate Primary - e-Newsletter 11th September 2015

Sidegate Primary School

Newsletter - 11th September 2015

Welcome back I do hope that you all had a wonderful summer break with your children and managed to do lots of exciting activities. The school year has started well. All teaching staff spent Wednesday 3rd September being trained in the new approach to the teaching and assessment of the National Curriculum; we will share more information regarding this with parents later this term. Our new teachers attended two full days of induction with us in July and so are already up to speed with many of our policies and procedures. ​ We have planned a number of exciting events for this academic year including our 75th Anniversary Stained Glass Window Project and a 2016 Rio Olympics Sports Day. We look forward to welcoming families into school for Share Sessions, Productions and Special Events.

I am very much aware that communication with families is an area we can improve on. Sidegate is a very large school with so much going on, that getting this right has proved to be very difficult for us and very frustrating for you. To resolve these issues, we have employed Toni Cornish, who will be responsible for improving and then maintaining good communications. Toni joined us last week and is already getting to grips with the requirements of her post. If you would like to make suggestions on what you would like improved in the way of communication, please contact her on toni.cornish@sidegate.net​ , she would also like to know what already works well so that she can build upon it.

Wendy James, Headteacher

New Staff

We welcome to the School the following new staff.

Carolyn Nelson - Year 1 Teacher Rebecca Roberts - Year 2 Teacher Becky Jones - Year 3 Teacher Bethany Heyburn - Graduate Intern Mr Sam Parry-Jones - Graduate Intern Claire Saunders - Graduate Intern Jasmine Shevlin - Graduate Intern Leanne Ward - Graduate Intern Aimee Xenakis - Graduate Intern Mrs Toni Cornish - Headteacher’s PA Natasha Steward - Librarian Natasha Frosdick - Student Teacher (Y4) Adam Pond - Student Teacher (Y3) Jackie Chandler - Cleaner

Library The library will be open from 8.30am to 8.50am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for parents and children to "drop-in". Please note these are slightly different days from last year.

GRAND OPENING new ‘Gym Trail’

OF the

During the last few years, Sidegate’s PTA have been raising funds to install a Gym Trail. This is now in place in the fenced area behind the kitchen and near the allotments. A grand opening ceremony will take place on Monday 14th September at 3.30pm. We will also be taking the opportunity to say thank you to Helen, Bev & Katie who have left the PTA. All three have worked tirelessly over many years to raise money for the pupils at Sidegate. All families are welcome to attend, please collect your children and then congregate on the field by the kitchen. Once the Gym Trail is open, the children who stay can have a quick go. The Gym Trail will be timetabled for use during the school day.

Please do not let your children use it outside of school hours.

Home School Agreement

The Home School Agreement is a statement explaining: the school's aims and values; the school’s responsibility towards its pupils; the responsibility of each pupil’s parent/carer; and what the school expects of its pupils. A copy of the Home School Agreement will be sent home with this newsletter. Please could parents/carers and pupils sign this agreement and return to class teachers as soon as possible.

Sidegate’s Allotments Mrs Morton is in charge of our allotment area. Last year she led a refurbishment programme and if you walk past them each day, then you will have seen the changes.

Our thanks go to Mr Minns, Mr Drummond and Mr Hayter for helping make this happen.

Just before the end of term, the beds were planted with a range of donated plants and during the summer holidays, these have flourished. Children from across the school will get the opportunity to work on the allotments during the year and sample the produce that they grow.

Catering Our catering contract with EATS finished at the end of the summer term. A tendering process was undertaken by Active Learning Trust in the summer term and the new contract was awarded to CaterLink. We are very pleased with what they have offered so far this term and we hope that your children have reported back favourably.

New Reception parents enjoyed school lunches last Friday and this Monday, their feedback was very positive.

KS1 Playground Etiquette Please be reminded that all YR,1&2 parents are expected to stand behind the red line that runs from the swimming pool door to the reception classroom wall in the mornings and at the end of the day and NOT with their child in the line. This is so that parents can see their children, teachers can see parents, and children can see parents.

If you need to speak to your child’s teacher, please do this at the end of the day when all of the children have been handed over safely to their parents. Please try to avoid morning conversations unless very urgent; messages can be passed to class teachers via the office.

Active Learning Trust News Nine members of staff undertook “Leading Active Learning” training during the last academic year, this was led by Marilyn Toft, advisor from ALT. They were joined by nine other teachers from the other Ipswich ALT schools (Gusford Primary and Hillside Primary). A celebration event was held on Monday evening to share the excellent projects that the staff had led during the year. Our projects included: Learning Behaviours, Outdoor Learning, Maths for the More Able, Developing Irlen’s Syndrome Screening, Pupil Voice & Learning Detectives, Arts Award and Artsmark, Science Development, Cross-curricular Writing. All of these projects have had an impact on children’s learning within the schoo​ l​ and will continue to be embedded and improved during this year. We have 5 more members of staff undertaking this training in 2015/16.

Two of our middle leaders will also be participating in the national “Teaching Leaders” programme, this year.

ALT have recently become the academy sponsor for what was Suffolk New Academy (formerly Chantry High School), the school will now be known as Chantry Academy. We wish Craig D'Cunha, the new Headteacher, and his team every success in their new venture.

Keeping up to date with Sidegate news and key dates ​ Mrs Toni Cornish has been appointed as PA to Mrs Wendy James, Headteacher. Part of her role is to provide support to Mrs James and the school, as a whole, to further strengthen collaboration between the school and families through effective and timely communication. There are many ways families can keep up to date with Sidegate news:

ParentMail2 ​ is software which lets parents allow the school to communicate with them electronically. This software is also the portal for parents to subscribe to cashless catering, which we will be introducing soon. The software can be accessed through a smartphone/tablet app or through the internet. An explanatory letter is being sent to all new Reception parents with a code to create a login. Parents from other year groups, if you do have access, please contact the school office.

School Website ​ is regularly updated with information and contains a very useful ​ Public Diary which lists key events throughout the academic year.

By signing up to the Announcements section (follow the easy to follow step by step instructions at the bottom of the homepage) families can receive timely email alerts on items published in this section. Year groups also have their own web pages where they upload useful information for parents. www.sidegate.net Pupils​ will regularly bring home letters. Remember to check book bags.

Swimming and PE Timetable Swimming Kit

PE Kit

Monday

Year 1 Squirrels & Rabbits

Reception, Year 4 & 5

Tuesday

Harriers, Sun Bears, Year 1 Hedgehogs, Year 4 Falcons

Year 2, 3, 5 & 6

Wednesday

All Year 2, Year 3 Magpies and Sparrows

Year 1 & 4

Thursday

Reception Grizzly Bears & Polar Bears, Year 4 Hawks & Owls

Year 1, 3 & 6

Friday

Honey Bears, Year 3 Robins

Harriers & Sun Bears Year 2 Year 5 Leopards ​ Games

Fore Street: Autumn Term: Year 6 Panthers & Lions Spring Term: Year 5 Cougars & Year 6 Tigers Summer Term: Year 5 Jaguars & Leopards

(every third Friday)

It is our aim to produce a regular newsletter to families and we would welcome views from children and their families on the effectiveness and content. Please do not hesitate to contact the school to provide constructive feedback.

Sidegate Primary School

Key dates published 11th September 2015

Key Diary Dates Autumn 2015 Year 5 “Play in a Day” - ​ 22nd, 23rd and 24th September 2015 School photographs - ​ 24th September 2015 Harvest Festiva​ l - 5th October 2015 Year 6 Grandparents’ Party ​ - Monday December 7th 2015 (1.30pm - 3pm) KS1 Disco - ​ 10th December 2015 KS2 Disco - ​ 10th December 2015 EYFS Christmas Presentation ​ - 14th December 2015 1.30pm - 3pm (dress rehearsal to KS1 9.30am) Carol Service - ​ 14th December 2015 (date to be confirmed) KS1 Nativity - ​ 17th December 9.30am - 10.30am, 2pm - 3pm and 3.30pm - 4.30pm (please note change of date) KS2 Nativity - ​ 16th December 3.30pm - 4.30pm and 17th 9.30am - 10.30am and 2pm - 3pm Christmas Dinner ​ - 16th December 2015

SHARE Sessions for Parents Year Year Year Year Year Year

1 2 3 4 5 6

-​ Grandparents’ Tea​ -​ 21st October 2015 (pm - timings to follow) -​ Tuesday 10th November 2015 (Evening 5pm -7pm) -​ Tuesday 10th November 2015 (9am - 10.25am) - This date will be confirmed in our next newsletter ​ - Thurs 3rd November (1.30pm - 3pm) ​ - Wednesday 11th November (1.30pm - 2.45pm) ​

Class Assembly Dates, 9am - 9.30am Leopards Jaguars Falcons Panthers Hawks Cougars Tigers Robins

22nd and 23rd September 2015 29th and 30th September 2015 6th and 7th October 2015 13th & 14th October 2015 20th and 21st October 2015 17th and 18th November 2015 24th & 25th November 2015 1st & 2nd December 2015

We do our best to work to these dates however, they can change from time to time. Please continue to look at our website.