Benhall Infant and Pre-School Parent Portal - 10th May 2024

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Friday Letter - 10th May 2024

Dear Parents,

Hooray, we have sunshine and it looks like it is set to stay a while! This means the children will be outside more over the coming weeks either learning in their outdoor classrooms, practising for Sports Day, using the Forest School and at playtimes. Please help us to keep them "sun safe" by applying long-lasting suncream before school and sending in a hat.

It was a pleasure to spend some quality time with our new Pre-School Manager, Miss Millward, and the Pre-School Team this week. The children were enjoying a new Sensory Room that the team have created in the snug as well as learning and playing inside and out.

We hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine this weekend.

Love from Miss Morris and the team.

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Pre-School News

Over the past weekend we have transformed our ‘Snug’ into a sensory room for the children to explore. The purpose of this transformation is to create a space where children are encouraged to learn through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It is a calm and comforting space to support focus and to self-regulate behaviours.

All the children have had an opportunity to explore our new sensory room by feeling the new textures, heading into the dark den, exploring the sensory lights, building with the loose parts and more. We are looking forward to all the opportunities that will come with this new space and the learning that the children will take part in.

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Year Group in Focus - Reception

The Reception Rescuers have been at it again! After our litter pick at Benhall park last week, the lovely Chris Hill (Benhall Park volunteer) gave us some sunflower seeds as a thank you. On Thursday morning, the sun shone gloriously as we planted away to our hearts' content! Instead of using ordinary plant pots, we repurposed items from home that we no longer needed, such as welly boots, tea pots and yoghurt pots. We cant wait to see how well our sunflowers grow!

We have also had two special visitors this week. Firstly, Miss Morris came to tell us about the parcel packaging that had ended up amongst her daffodils at home! We looked up the address on Google Maps and couldn't believe how far it had travelled in the wind from someone's overflowing bin! Next, Laura Stevenson, our chair of governors, popped in to tell us all about her job as an environmental lawyer and her fascinating adventures under the sea, rescuing a whale shark and searching for pieces of Lego that had spilled overboard from a container ship 28 years ago! What a fabulous week! Hope you all get to enjoy some more sunshine on the weekend!

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Important Menu Change

Fishy Friday is swapped to Thursday next week and Friday's choice will be the Thursday menu.

School meals on Census Day – Thursday 16th May

Thursday 16th May is School Census Day, the day when information is collected by the Education Department, from each individual school, to determine their school budget for the coming year. Funding for school is based on a number of factors, one being the uptake of hot school meals in Infant Schools. The more pupils who have a meal on Census Day, the more funding school will receive. As you will all be aware, school budgets are very tight so every little helps and the more funding we receive, means we can provide even more exciting resources in the classroom and extra support where appropriate. Also, if we do not reach at least 87% uptake on Census day, it will mean that school has to subsidise the contract.

For this reason all children in school will be ordered a hot school meal on Thursday 16th May.

Thank you for your support in this matter.

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Clubs in summer term

We have had a couple of queries about where to collect children from. Here is the list.

Photography - Monday, 6 sessions 10th, 17th, 24^th June, 1st, 8th, 15^th July. Pick up from main door at 4.00pm.

Gymnastics - Tuesday, 10 sessions from 16th April. Pick up from main door at 3.50pm

Tennis - Tuesday, 10 sessions from 16th April. Pick up from playground at 4.00pm

Football - Wednesday 10 sessions from 17th April. Pick up from ?playground at 4.05pm approx.

Street Dance - Thursday 10 sessions from 18th. Pick up from the main door at 3.45pm

Multiskills - Thursday 10 sessions from 18th April. Pick up from playground at 4.00pm

Athletics - Friday 5 sessions from 19th April & last session is 17th May. Pick up from playground at 4.00pm

For all clubs except photography children can come in school PE kit for the day. Football shirts and football boots can be brought to school to change into for the club - not worn all day.

Purple Learning

Our purple learner book is brimming with so many wonderful comments and pictures of what has been happening in school. If you pop into school, you can find our book next to the photocopier and the purple learning display.

Purple Learners

Darcy

Miller

Ellie

Elsie

Alfie

Jacob

Eleanor

Jack

Miss Mason

Mrs Evans

Lunchtimes

It has been so wonderful to see the children enjoying the field in the warmer weather, it gives us all so much more space. As the weather should start to get warmer, please do remember to label hats and water bottles. We have quite a few that have already had to go to lost property, so it would easily save that journey. It would be great if your child could still have a coat as you just never know when there suddenly will be a downpour and when the sunshine goes in, it can still be quite cool. We enjoy being in our outdoor areas too, so it would ensure the children can keep warm when learning.

School Council

School Council didn’t get a chance to meet last week, but this week they have been given a couple of VIP jobs. If you see one of our school council members (they should be wearing a badge!) then ask them, and they can explain what they have been asked to do.

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Sports Day - Wednesday 5^th June

Please save the date and time, so you can join in the fun with your child's year group.

9.00 - 10.30 – Reception

10.40 – 12.00 – Year 2

1.15 – 2.45 – Year 1

More information to follow nearer the time.

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Friday 14th June

3.15pm until 7pm

Summer Fair with St Marks

Safety before and after school

To help keep all our children safe, please can you make sure that no children use the climbing frame or other play equipment before or after school.

We have also had a few reports that children and parents are walking in the car park whilst staff are arriving. Please make sure that you use the footpaths to enter into school. Please also ensure that you have your child in sight and near to you there was a near miss this week when the child had gone ahead of the parents and cut across the car park. Thank you as always for keeping our children safe.

Children arriving late into School in the mornings.

We have noticed an increase in children arriving late into school in the morning.

Lateness not only disrupts the lesson in progress but can have an adverse effect on your child’s education. If your child misses the initial part of the lesson they often struggle to grasp the new concept being taught.

Children who arrive late for school are often upset and embarrassed by joining a lesson in progress and find it difficult to contribute.

Children should arrive at 8.45am for starting their learning at 8.50am. We will be monitoring and contacting parents if we have a concern.

If there is anything that you wish to discuss, please contact Miss Morris.

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We would like to wish members of our Benhall Family who have celebrated their birthday a really happy birthday. Happy birthday to:

Oli S
Harry B
Lilyana
Ivy
Arlo
Dexter
Miss Boakes
Mrs Russell
Miss Bilton

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Class Routines

PE Kit

What a great start to wearing school PE kit on PE days – thank you parents for your help with this.

PE Kit reminder:

Navy blue shorts or tracksuit bottoms
Plain white or purple T-shirt
Navy blue hoody or sweatshirt
Trainers

If your child has joined an after school sports club they can wear their school PE Kit on club days too (no football strips).

Orange Class
PE Days - Wednesday and Friday
Forest School Days - Every other Tuesday
Book Bags - Every day please
Book Changes - Bring in on Wednesday go home on Friday
Sound Books - Back in on Wednesday
PPA Day and Cover - Weds am by Miss Bilton

Yellow Class
PE Days - Wednesday and Friday
Forest School Days - Every other Tuesday
Book Bags - Every day please
Book Changes - Bring in on Wednesday go home on Friday
Sound Books - Back in on Wednesday
PPA Day and Cover - Weds am by Mrs Skelton

Green Class
PE Days - Tuesday and Thursday
Forest School Days - every other Thursday
Book Bags - Every day please
Book Changes - When 3 reads in class completed
Spelling Books - Thursday
PPA Day and Cover - Tuesday am by Mrs Selby

Blue Class
PE Days - Tuesday and Thursday
Forest School Days - every other Thursday
Book Bags - Every day please
Book Changes - When 3 reads in class completed
Spelling Books - Thursday
PPA Day and Cover - Tuesday am by Mrs Skelton

Indigo Class
PE Days - Monday and Thursday
Forest School Days - every other Wednesday
Book Bags - Every day please
Book Changes - Friday
Homework - Thursday (Tapestry)
PPA Day and Cover - Thursday am by Mrs Wisdom

Violet Class

PE Days - Monday and Friday
Forest School Days - every other Wednesday
Book Bags - Every day please
Book Changes - Friday
Homework - Thursday (Tapestry)
PPA Day and Cover - Thursday am by Mrs Skelton