AYIOS NIKOLAOS

PRIMARY SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER

Issue 1 Autumn Term 4th September 2020“Believe & Achieve”

Dear parents and carers,

Hello and welcome back!

Welcome back after the summer break and we hope you enjoyed the summer during these unprecedented times.

The children have made an excellent start to this new academic year and have responded really well to maintaining the additional Covid-19 routines/measures that are now part of our ‘New Norm’. Our new children have settled in really well to become part of our AyiosNikolaos family!

It has been great to have class ‘bubbles’ which has been the main change since we closed in July.

I have enjoyed my secondment but am really pleased to be back to lead the Ay Nik teaching team in continuing to develop our fantastic school! Miss Milner is continuing in her role as Acting Deputy Headteacher and Mr Chris Smith will be both the Acting KS2 Leader and SENDCofor the autumn term.

Best wishes,

Mrs Sarah BaillieHeadteacher

Quick to settle in FS1

What a fun filled first day back in FS1. Children have played with the trains, explored the curiosity corner, had fun in the sand pit, got wet in the water and finished the day with a story and some rhymes!

Once upon a time in the land of FS1, there was a group of potion makers that kept poisoning the lovely Mrs Telford.... she became a dragon and a frog. However an antidote was made and all returned to good in the world

FS1 children have been busy using all the outdoor equipment.

A busy start in FS2!

Boxes being made into lots of different things. Children drew windows and doors for a house, tracks for a roller coaster and even made lots of holes for the mice to sleep in! It’s a busy time in FS2

The new campsite is taking shape

Great teamwork

The children have been busy drawing self-portraits for their traffic light board

Getting off to a flying start in KS1

Year 1 have met their new classroom friends - Paddington and Peter Rabbit.

Year 2 have been working hard to find out more about their new class identity - Australia

Working hard on new class identities in LKS2

Year 3 have been researching different European countries as their class identity is Europe!

Year 4 have been creating willow patterns as part of their work on Asia. They still found time to celebrate Chloe’s birthday!

Finally …. It is Africa in UKS2

Year 5 and Year 6 have got off to a great start in ensuring they model our three core values of respect, responsibility and co-operation when working on their Africa art project.

Beginning of term reminders

School NewslettersThese are an important part of our communication to parents. At Ayios Nikolaos Primary School, our policy is to email newsletters to parents. We also upload a copy of the newsletter on to our website every Friday. Should parents not receive their emailed copy then they should make contact with Rena or India in the School Office.

Texting ParentsTexting is the most efficient way of contacting all parents very quickly should there be a need to close the School in the event of an emergency. We also text parents with reminders so please make sure that you let the school know if your mobile number changes so we can update our records.

Curriculum NewslettersAs part of our home learning policy we send home curriculum newsletters at the beginning of every half-term. Curriculum newsletters highlight the key aspects of learning for the next half-term and give parents lots of ideas for how they can support their children’s learning experiences. As part of our ‘New Norm’ we will continue to email newsletters to parents as well as sharing them on Seesaw. Hard copies can be printed off for parents if requested. The first newsletters will be sent out at the beginning of next week.

Breaktimes

KS1 and KS2 pupils will all have their morning playtime from 0930 -0950. This will include 10 minutes for fruit break (KS1) or snack (KS2) followed by 10 minutes of play.

KS1 and KS2 pupils will have brunch and playtime from 11:30 –12:00. This will include 15 minutes for children to eat their brunch, followed by 15 minutes of play.

Snacks – KS2 – Years 3, 4, 5 and 6We do ask that parents provide children with a small snack for the first break; a cereal bar, chopped vegetables; piece of fruit etc. The children then need to have something a bit more substantial for the ‘Brunch Break’. Children need to bring water bottles each day. These can be topped up at the water stations that we have around the School.

Nut free ZoneSchool is a ‘nut free’ zone and we do have children in school with nut allergies. We ask that parents do not send in nuts or any snacks containing nuts – these need to be enjoyed at home in order that we keep all our children safe.

Tuck ShopIn order that we don’t have any crossover in our ‘bubbles’, the Friday tuck shop will remain closed for the time being.

‘No hat, No play’ policyFrom May to October, the school runs a ‘No hat, No play’ policy to ensure that we keep children safe in the sun. There are also plenty of water stations around the school for children to top up their water bottles throughout the day.

KS2 ParentsChildren in KS2 are allowed to walk home with parental permission. As part of our safeguarding policy it is important that we have written consent as this lets us know that there will be adults at home ready to receive children. In the morning our safeguarding system is to make contact should children not be in school where we have not been informed that they are ill or have a medical appointment to check that although poorly, they are safe. As a school, we know that children have arrived home safely because on a day to day basis we don’t hear from parents. Should your child not arrive back within half an hour of the end of the school day, then parents should alert school to instigate appropriate checking mechanisms and action.

Y3 ParentsAlthough KS2 children are allowed to walk home with parental permission, we advise our Year 3 parents to continue to meet their children during this first half term in order that parents are fully confident that their children know the route well and have a good understanding of keeping themselves safe before they do this independently.

Start/End of School DayThis has worked really well this week and parental support with maintaining the social distancing has been really important so thank you. Just a reminder that the ball court must not be used at this time as it is part of the dedicated Year 3/4 play zone and each playtime ‘bubble’ have their own equipment.

School Bags/PE kits/water bottlesThe children are now able to bring their book bags to school each day. PE kits are still to be worn on the days the children have PE and will either be worn all day or will come back with the children depending on the year group they are in. Class teachers are using seesaw to let parents know the expectations for each year group. Children need to have their own water bottles in school that can be refilled regularly at the water stations.

Re-opening with Covid-19 measures

Safety First!Bikes and scooters should not be used on the school playground. Children need to get on and off them outside the school gate. Roller boots need to be put on/taken off at the roller boot stop which is the first pagoda as the children enter the school playground. This rule applies at the end of the school day too, so younger children should not use scooter, bikes or skates on the playground when they are waiting for their older siblings. Children should wear protective headgear when cycling, scootering, rollerblading or penny boarding to school. We encourage this for scooters as well as bicycles as children are often travelling just as fast as bicycles and often off and on of pavements. We have already had a concerned parent inform us about a child on a scooter coming off at speed on the way to school – luckily they were wearing a helmet! Your support with this is really appreciated and trust you as parents to support the school in helping keep all children safe.

Class Attendance Awards

Class Attendance AwardsThese will start again next week.We have got off to a great start with children arriving promptly and remembering to go straight into class.

Attendance At this time of year we like to remind parents of their responsibility to ensure that their children regularly attend school. All absences need to be authorised so please make sure that you contact the school if your child is not going to be in school due to illness.

Covid-19It is really important that children do not attend school if they are displaying symptoms and that they are sent home to self-isolate if they develop them in school. Parents should contact the Medical Centre should any member of the family display symptoms.