HEADTEACHER’S MESSAGE Dear Parents, Carers and Friends

April 2019

Tel: 0121 707 3012

office@reynalds-cross.solihull.sch.uk

Reynalds Cross School, Kineton Green Road

Olton, Solihull B92 7ER

This has been a long half term during which our pupils and staff have been very busy with trips out and about to the park, the golf club, the airport and Touchwood, to name just a few. With Easter approaching, I have been looking back over the past term and looking forward to some sunny summer days next term. This half term has actually been spent planning for September and we have had lots of families looking round school hoping to join us after the summer. We were pleased to see so many mums at our Mother’s Day assembly; thank you for your continued support. The children at our Green Lane Nursery would also like to say a big thank you to Cala Homes for kindly donating them some Easter Eggs! As you will have heard in the news, school budgets are very stretched again this year and we are always trying to raise additional funds to put towards resources for our pupils. If you have any money-making ideas, please do let us know. Post OFSTED, the governors have made some changes to the school Attendance Policy. As a school, we had chosen to go against statutory guidance regarding pupils taking holidays during term time. The amended policy will now include that guidance and will be available to view early in the new term. In terms of staff news, Katie Tribe from Rockets Class will be leaving us at Easter. We hope that she will return to carry out support when we need her, as she will be missed. Katie Barker from Green Lane Nursery welcomed a lovely baby girl earlier in the term, Ruby Mae Barker. Congrats to the whole family. I conclude with a photo of Theresa Gray. All of Theresa’s friends and colleagues at school miss her greatly and I know that many of our families knew her and miss her as well. Thank you so much for your support at this sad time.

Theresa Gray: missed by us all as a colleague and a great friend.

Thank you to everyone that has supported us through a hard term.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2018/19 FULL TERMS AND HOLIDAY DATES

April Fri 12th April TERM ENDS—LAST DAY FOR PUPILS Mon 15th April—Fri 26th April SCHOOL CLOSED TO PUPILS Mon 29th April PUPILS RETURN TO SCHOOL May Sun 19th May FS PHYSICAL FUN DAY 2-4PM Fri 24th May SCHOOL CLOSED TO PUPILS Mon 27th May—Fri 31st May SCHOOL CLOSED TO PUPILS June Mon 3rd June PUPILS RETURN TO SCHOOL Sun 23rd June FS OPEN PLAYGROUND 2-4PM July Mon 8th July LOWER SCHOOL RE ROUNDABOUT Tues 9th July PARENTS EVENING Fri 12th July PROM Sun 14th July FS SUMMER FUN DAY 2-4PM

ALL DATES ALSO ON SCHOOL WEBSITE

CALENDAR—DOUBLE CLICK ON EVENTS TO

EXPAND INFO.

Letters for upcoming events will be sent out

separately prior to the event.

REYNALDS CROSS SCHOOL TERMS AND HOLIDAY DATES 2018/2019

Training days (pupils not in school) Friday 24th May 2019 Monday 22nd July 2019

Summer Term 2019

TERM STARTS Monday 29th April

HALF TERM Monday 27th May – Fri 31st May

TERM ENDS Monday 22nd July

Lateness Our registers are taken at 9:25am. If your child is not in by this time then they will receive a late mark. It can also be very disruptive to the class and the pupil as the day begins at a different time.

Is your child missing out on additional funding?

If your child is eligible for free school meals, the school is entitled to receive additional funding known as Pupil Premium of up to £1,200 per eligible pupil towards their education. Even if your child is in Reception to Year 2 and therefore receives a free meal as a matter of course, we would encourage you to visit the Solihull Council website at www.solihull.gov.uk/fsm and complete the Universal Infant Free School Meal application form as they may still be entitled to the additional funding. Please rest assured that all applications are entirely confidential and neither the school or council staff will see your details, simply a tick or a cross to show whether your child is eligible for pupil premium funding. If you have any questions about the application, please contact Sally O’Brien in the school office on 0121 707 3012

SCHOOL LUNCH PRICES

Infants (Reception to Year 2) – Universal Free School Meals

Juniors (Year 3 – Year 6) - £2.10 Secondary (Year 7 – Year 14) - £2.20

All payments should continue to be paid via our online payment system, ParentPay. If you have forgotten your login details, please contact Sally O’Brien in the school office on 0121 707 3012.

If you believe that your child may be eligible for Free School Meals, please apply online via the Solihull Council website www.solihull.gov.uk/fsm

We had a brilliant time on Sunday at our Easter Fun Afternoon, with lots of different activities available, including sticking Easter shapes, biscuit decorating (Yum!), colourful planting and even a bouncy castle!

Reminder—Clinics to come and chat to the Learning Disability Nurses are; 3rd May, 6th June and 7th July.

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Green Lane Nursery has been a very busy place this half term. Taking advantage of some wonderful weather, we have played outdoors with the sand and water. We even used playground chalk to practice our own mark making! Together we used our artistic skills to make our Mummies a lovely card for Mother’s Day. As a team, we played with the parachute for song time.

In the mornings, we have tried very hard to get our work done to prepare us for what it might be like when we go to big school and have also enjoyed sharing their new toys with each other.

This half term, Sunshines class have been exploring an animal themed TACPAC session. We listen to a variety of songs and use props that are linked to different animals. The items include soft fur, a roller, a soft mop, beads, a brush and massage cream. As each song is played, we explore the prop in time to the music.

This term in Moonbeams we have been exploring the topic of animals. Moonbeams have created a range of animals and have enjoyed listening to the sounds they make. We have really enjoyed getting messy with glue and Paint whilst designing our animals!

Lovely painting Francesca!

This half term, Rainbows have been using a range of fine motor activities in their art and writing lessons. The pupils have had lots of fun using a range of materials to create marks. We have been using some illuminated

boards with chalk pens that look really cool in the dark.

Rockets class have been enjoying rhyming and rhythmic activities this half term. We have explored Spike Milligan’s poem “On the Ning Nang Nong”. Pupils listened to the poem and used instruments to make some of the noises. The pupils have made the characters from the poem as part of Shared Attention activities. On the Ning Nang Nong Where the Cows go Bong! And the monkeys say BOO! There’s a Nong Nang Ning Where the trees go Ping! And the tea pots jibber jabber joo. On the Nong Ning Nang All the mice go Clang And you just can’t catch ‘em when they do! So it’s Ning Nang Nong Cows go Bong! Nong Nang Ning Trees go ping Nong Ning Nang The mice go clang What a noisy place to belong Is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!

This half term, we have continued on with our animal topic, and have learnt that some animals have lots of legs, including our very own Oscar the Octopus! We also had a very special visit from Sally Foo the tortoise! We have had some wonderful music sessions, both with the CBSO and making our very own instruments in DT

lessons! We have had lots of fun exploring what sounds different instruments make and playing the role of conductor! Galaxies have continued with their turn taking and sharing activities. They have worked together beautifully making playdough, slime and dog biscuits. We have also shared our sweets and chocolate between friends.

During this term, Planets have been using their weekly community visits to go shopping in Tesco. While shopping, the pupils carried out activities such as collecting trolleys, finding the items on our shopping list and helping to pack our bags at the checkout. We have learnt lots about our community and shopping.

In Humanities lessons, U1 have been finding out about Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. Pupils have made fossils to be discovered by archaeologist, gone on a mammoth hunt and built a model of an Iron Age House. U1 even built their own Stonehenge to celebrate the solstice.

WOW! It looks so similar! Well Done U1!!

During Science on a Wednesday morning U2 have been exploring looking after animals. They have been going out on the bus visiting different places where animals live such as Shirley Aquatics Sheldon Country Farm and Pets at home.

In Humanities we have been

learning about the seven continents. We looked at animals

from around the world. We met an African spur thigh tortoise and the school dogs visited us. All of U3 really liked meeting

the tortoise and gave him lots of hugs.

This term, Green class have continued to work hard towards their ASDAN qualifications. Some of the units we have been working towards are: Engaging in creative activities; Developing Communication Skills; Developing Early number skills; Engaging with the World around you: people and personal enrichment units for KS3 and KS4. Students have been communicating, problem solving, developing their independent living skills and being sensible citizens whilst out and about in the community. This work has been compiled ready to send to the qualification board, ASDAN to build up their unit credits which will go towards their qualification when they leave school. Green Class staff would like to say a big WELL DONE to our students on the wonderful work they have completed!

A fantastic term visiting and exploring a wide range of community facilities including parks, Shirley Golf Club, Touchwood, Morrisons and Solihull library.

Good Swing Vicki!!

Red class have been visiting local supermarkets on a weekly basis to purchase their cooking ingredients for their cooking sessions during the week. Students have taken their shopping lists and money and independently shopped to the

best of their abilities. All Red class students have been extremely sensible and shown a real maturity whilst out in the community. These visits give students the opportunity to think and practice how to be safe and take care of themselves. This includes travel training: crossing roads, catching a bus, stranger awareness and dealing with problems such as getting lost. This term, Red class were given the fantastic opportunity to join students at Solihull School for a D&T session. During the session students made various cakes and biscuits and then were fortunate enough to sample their cooking whilst spending their break time with them. A lovely time was had by all involved.

Hughie concentrating on mixing!

ASDAN Accreditation in 14-19 Stage

Pupils in the 14-19 stage have been working hard on a range of ASDAN modules over the year. This is what some of our students have had to say about it…

By the end of this academic year 27 pupils will have completed 127 modules between them. This is approxi-mately 1,270 hours of study.

Exploring job opportunities ASDAN Personal and Social Development

“Help you get a new job for work. Made phone call” – Akram (red class)

Engaging with the world around you: people ASDAN Personal Progress

Millie

(green class)

Being healthy ASDAN Personal and Social Development

“Had to write down what was healthy. Not get fat, get mus-cles. Clean gums when clean teeth” – Brad (red class)

Developing community participation skills: personal enrichment ASDAN Personal Progress

Arthur

(orange class)

Developing community participation skills: getting out and about ASDAN Personal Progress

“I like the aeroplanes” – Owain (orange class)

Engaging in new creative activities ASDAN Personal Progress

Kensia and Jakub

(orange class)

Senior Choir has been very busy, when we’ve been able to meet, choosing some new songs to learn. We have been very successful in acquiring new vocabulary and signs for songs such as George Ezra’s Shotgun and Paloma Faith’s Make Your Own Kind of Music which has become a real favourite of ours. We have performed this song in a whole school assembly and hope to sing it in public again. We have also revisited some of our old favourites, which we always enjoy performing.

Junior Choir has also been acquiring new language and signs singing lots of different songs from the Singing Hands Collection and also some more traditional school songs. We have performed in an assembly and hope to perform during the Easter assembly. Particular favourites have been: He’s got the Whole World in His Hands; The Spring Chicken Song; and Roar by Katy Perry. We hope to be learning a new song for the Summer Term.

Stay & Play Session at Scallywags 28th April 9:00am—11:00am For children with autism, their siblings and

parents/carers £3 per child Scallywags, 20B Fort Parkway, The Fort Shopping Park, Birmingham, B24 9FP

Eggstravaganza - Shropshire 26th April 10:00am-2:00pm Bring own lunch or use onsite café Relax Kids session, Lego Area, Chill out at

Movie Time, Sensory Play Free The Lantern, Meadow Farm Drive, Sundorne, Shrewsbury, SY1 4NG

Autism Advice Sessions—Chelmsely Wood Free 45 minute one to one advice and guidance session for parents/carers of individuals on the autism spectrum. Tuesday 30th April, Thursday 18th July,

Tuesday 30th April. 10:00-3:00pm Coleshill Heath Hub, Coleshill Heath School, Lime Grove, Chelmsley Wood B37 7PY