Newsletter November 2017

Dear parents/carers,

This half term is always very busy and as you will see reading through this newsletter, there are lots of special activities and events for you and your child to enjoy. The biggest event at St Edmund’s this term will be the retirement of Lindsay Mihailovic our Head of School. Lindsay and I have worked together since January 2004 so it will be very strange to come back in January without her being here. In order that you have the opportunity to say goodbye to Lindsay we are going to have tea and cakes in the studio to coincide with the children’s Christmas parties on Tuesday 12th December. Amanda is also organising a staff and parents meal at the Aagrah Midpoint on 14th December. Keep an eye open for more details. On a positive note, Lindsay retiring has created opportunities for some of our teachers to take on a new leadership role. Sian Young, Head of School at Lilycroft Nursery School (where I am Executive Headteacher) will be the Head of School for both St Edmund’s and Lilycroft. To support her in this role Ermina Kesedzic and Kimberley Merifield will become Assistant Heads of School at St Edmund’s. Change is never easy for any of us but the governors and I are confident that these new roles will ensure both St Edmund’s and Lilycroft will be able to work even more closely together and continue to go from strength to strength. Reminder Local residents have complained to the police about some of our parents double-parking and blocking their cars in. The residents are unable to get their cars out when they are trying to go to work. Please remember to park considerately when bringing your child to school Have a great half term.

Anne-Marie Merifield, Executive Headteacher

On time

every day!

One of the best things you can do for your children is to make

sure they attend nursery on time every day. Don’t forget to call

us on 01274 543282 before 9.00am (morning children) or

1.00pm (afternoon children) if your child can’t come to nursery.

Help to find work workshops

Come along on Wednesday 1st and

Wednesday 15th November 1.00 – 3.00pm

The workshop will cover:

Preparing for interviews

Telephone skills

Help with writing your CV

And much more…

Don’t be late! Please remember that our morning nursery

finishes between 11.40 and 11.45.

If you are on Facebook, why not

follow us? Search for “St Edmund’s

Nursery School”, and like the page.

Parents Together Why not come along

to our parents group on Tuesday 5th

December 9.00 – 11.00am. All welcome!

Save the date! Sharing Stories

2 – 3s: W/C Monday 27th November

3 – 4s: W/C Monday 13th,20thNovember

Christmas Fair

Saturday 9th December Santa will be joining us for lots of activities - a bouncy castle,

Santa’s grotto, pony rides, tombola, cafe, crafts, face

painting, book fair, cake stall and more.

Thursday 14th December Join us for a very special parent and

staff meal out at the Aagrah, more

information from Amanda.

Parental Involvement News – Amanda Jordan As Parental Involvement Worker I want to provide lots of ways for you to get involved

at St Edmund’s, in the life of the school and in the learning process of your children.

Being part of your child’s school day has a significant impact on your child’s

experience of education.

As usual there are lots of activities for families going on at St Edmund’s throughout the term that

you are welcome to join in with – story time on Mondays and Thursdays 8.45 to 9.15am and

12.45 to 1.15pm, and singing sessions on Wednesdays at 8.45am and 12.30pm. Please come

and join in!

Lending Library

The lending library is open during story

times (Mondays and Thursdays at 8.45

and 12.45). We have lots of lovely

resources available to borrow.

I am usually in the corridor to “meet and greet” you

from 8.45 to 9.15 am and 12.30 to 1.00 pm. I’ll be

able to tell you about any news, and about events

that are taking place. If you need help or

information I’ll do my best to assist you.

Singing – the Kodály approach

You might have heard that singing can really help children to do well in school. Every Wednesday

we have a singing session in the studio using the Kodály approach - a child-developmental

approach to music, introducing skills according to the capabilities of the child. Children are

introduced to musical concepts through experiences such as listening, singing, or movement.

Judith Brindle joins us every other week to lead the session. She told us:

I love seeing children and parents gain in confidence. Children often find their

voice in the session, they learn to communicate and take turns. They learn to

listen to other children, and respect their contribution. Parents are very supportive

of the children and of each other.

With young children, rhymes are really impor tant – and the actions that go with

them. We leave pauses for children to move or speak, the progress we see

through the year is phenomenal. One of our favourite rhymes at the moment is:

Two little apples hanging on the tree,

Two little apples smiling at me.

I shook the tree as hard as I could,

And DOWN came the apples…

We hope that you will join us at one of the sessions on Wednesdays at 8.45am and 12.30pm.

The Big Draw 2017

As you may well have seen from the September Newsletter, last term St Edmund’s won a Big Draw award. This year the theme is “Living Lines” which can be interpreted in any way people wish. Some children loved seeing the lines that they had drawn wriggling on their tummies! Others liked to hide behind the spiders web.

Lou Sumray, Artist in Residence, would like to invite parents and carers with their children to come along into the Studio at St Edmund’s, either morning or afternoon on Tuesday 21st November. Come play with drawings, overhead projectors, shadows and moving lines. I look forward to seeing you!

News from Birth to 2s

Welcome to Abdullah, Adam, Uzair, Maya and Hashim. Goodbye to Zaidan and Sarah who are

moving up to 2-3s. We have a new apprentice – Reedah, welcome to her too!

We recently visited the wetlands at Chellow Dene, to explore outdoors in a very different

environment.

Please don’t forget to check your child’s basket each day for any wet or dirty clothes, and

replenish nappies and spare clothes if they are running low.

News from Blue and Green Rooms (2 to 3s)

Before the half term holiday we had a visit from an

owl! We also celebrated Us, Our World, Our

Community week by having a special session with

Danuta, who taught us some songs in Polish.

Welcome to Zaidan who has joined Green Room from Birth -2s and

Sarah who has joined Blue Room from Birth-2s. Welcome also to our

new trainees Zarah and Haleema. Hiraa will be leaving soon to start a

new job. Welcome to our new students and volunteers.

We have been taking turns to visit Morrison’s to buy snack – the

children are enjoying choosing what to buy.

This term we are going to be watching the leaves changing colour and falling from

the trees. We have learnt a new rhyme about autumn:

Autumn leaves are turning yellow, red and brown.

Autumn leaves are twirling, falling to the ground.

Sharing books at home is really important.

Don’t forget to change your library books on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays!

News from Red and Yellow Classes (3 – 4s)

Just before the half term break all the children in Red

and Yellow class were given a special bag to take

home and fill with ‘Autumn Treasures’. We are excited

to see all the lovely things you find and bring in. We will

be discussing the changing seasons from autumn into

winter.

This half term we will be exploring ‘Light and Dark’. For Diwali

the children watched a show using shadow puppets to tell the

story Rama and Sita. The children will now be creating their own

stories using shadows. We will be watching some fireworks,

creating light and dark pictures and telling stories in the dark.

Our core-story this half term is ‘A Dark, Dark Tale’ by Ruth

Brown. This story builds suspense and anticipation about a

journey in the dark. This will also be our book for Sharing Stories

which you will be invited to in November. On 16th November you

will also be invited to join your child for a very exciting workshop

about nocturnal animals. Can you guess what animals they

might bring?

Centre of good practice for new arrivals

St Edmund’s is one of the Bradford schools chosen to be a centre of good

practice for families coming to the UK from other countries. This is because

of the work we do here to welcome and involve children and families,

particularly those coming from Eastern and Central Europe.

As part of this work, Ermina and Juraj have been talking to lots of other

schools, raising cultural awareness and sharing St Edmund’s good

practice.

Ermina and Juraj have been invited by the Czech Ministry of Education to join a round-table discussion in Prague on the issue of how to employ and use Teaching Assistants from Roma backgrounds in schools. Ermina will be visiting the Houses of Parliament in London on 13th

December 2017, to talk about the experiences of our Roma families in

accessing education.

We are delighted that families from Eastern and Central Europe are part of

our school community. These photos are from the Girlington Growers day

on Sunday 15th October, where families from the whole community came to

help tidy up and plant around the Girlington area.

News from the Children’s Centre

Over the half term we had two Stay and Play sessions - autumn crafts and Halloween. These were

busy sessions and very well attended by families. We are looking forward to more autumn

activities this half term, leading up to some special Christmas crafts in December.

Kerry Crawley from the Portage Team will be joining our

Friday Sharing Together group to talk to us about

Makaton, a language programme that uses signs and

symbols to promote communication.

English My Way! A 12 week course for parents and children under 5.

Mondays 1.00 - 3.00 at St Edmund’s Children’s Centre. Starts: Monday 30th October.

We are staring a new group for parents who want to improve their English. The group will help

parents learn what to say at the doctors, at the supermarket and at school. The level of English for

this course is pre-entry level basic language skills. Students will receive certificates that indicate

how many hours they have completed, which will provide a pathway for further entry level ESOL

classes. Crèche provided (places must be booked and settling in sessions are required prior to

start date).

Please can we remind families attending Stay and Play, Sharing Together and crèche sessions

that there is a 50p charge towards snack and resources..

M o nday T uesday Wednesday T hursday F riday

M orning

9.00 - 11.00

Outreach and

home visits

Stay & Play (0 - 4)

M idwife Clinic

Outreach and

home visits

Adult learning

course & crèche

Advice Clinic

9.30 - 11.00

Sharing Together

Portage Group

Afternoon

1.00 - 3.00

Adult learning

course with crèche

Course for parents

offsite

EU Advice Clinic

Baby Stay & Play

(under 2s)

Health Visitor Clinic

EU Advice Clinic

Outreach and

home visits

Stay & Play (0 - 4)

1.00 - 2.00

Baby M assage

Outreach and

home visits

St Edmund's Children's Centre

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook to keep up with the latest news. We are listed as “West

Bradford Cluster”. If you would like to talk to a member of the children’s centre team please ask

at reception or call Aaliyah on 01274 544922.

Dads’ Club with Qaiser and Hafeez

Development alert!

Did you know that children who spend time sharing stories with their dad, uncle, big

brother, grandad, step-dad or other male carer are more likely to do well in school?

Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) is a simple programme that will support you to

find the time and remember to share a story every day. For more information, contact Hafeez on 07484

056393, or pop into Stay and Play on a Thursday afternoon.

Saturday 25th November 11.00 - 1.00

Arts and Crafts

At Farnham Road Children’s Centre, Farnham Road BD7 3JE (in Farnham Road

Primary School). Painting, drawing, cutting, sticking, collaging…

All dads, uncles, grandads and male carers are welcome!

Stay and Plays

Qaiser or Hafeez will be at the St Edmund’s Children’s Centre Stay and Play

session every Thursday 1.00 - 3.00. Dads, uncles, grandads and male carers

are all welcome – bring your child along to join in the many activities on offer.

For more information, call Hafeez 07484 056393 or Qaiser 07483 974896

Train to be a teacher with the Bradford Birth

to 19 SCITT led by St Edmunds!

We aim to train the next generation of outstanding primary and secondary

Bradford teachers, would you like to be part of this? Our schools are committed to

providing the highest standard of education for the young people in the Bradford

District. We are keen to recruit trainee teachers who share the same commitment

and a real passion for working with children. We will provide training of the highest

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in a diverse and stimulating range of schools and settings.

We deliver a bespoke training package which will make the most of your knowledge and skills. After a

year’s successful training, you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status, and can work straight

away as a teacher.

Our training programmes are delivered in many great schools throughout the Bradford area. You will be

training by listening to and observing inspiring practitioners. What’s more, you’ll get the opportunity to

practise your skills in a safe and supportive classroom environment.

At Bradford Birth to 19 SCITT we understand how daunting it is to go into your placement school in the

first week of the course. We pride ourselves on the nurturing and supportive way we work together with

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Contact Bradford Birth to 19 on 01274 494898.

Apply now through UCAS: www.ucas.com/ucas/teacher-training/register