Autumn 2012 - 1

Dear Parents/Carers

Welcome back to the start of another school year. It is lovely to see everyone again and the children and staff looking so rested. Thank you to everyone for helping the children get ready. They look very smart in their uniforms and are ready to work hard.

Could I ask that parents please check all items of uniform have a name on them? One jumper went missing on Day 1 but happily was returned because the parent had put her child’s name inside. The children will need their PE kits in school for the half term also, so please send them in (also fully labelled).

Welcome

This term we welcome Miss Mulligan as Class 3’s teacher and Mrs Hirst as the new Office Manager. They have both started working hard already and I am sure will soon become familiar faces around school. We wish them both a happy and fulfilling working life at St. Joseph’s.

Thanks to Mr Alford our caretaker who has spent time in the summer bringing the school up to standard. We have completed more building maintenance jobs over the summer and hopefully only have a couple more known tasks to complete this year.

Dates for your diary

• 20 September              Class 4 visit to Daisy Nook
• 19/26 Sept /3 Oct        Cross country
• 4 October                    Class 5 Crucial Crew visit
• 15 October                  Fire Service talk with Y5/6
• 23 October                  Parent’s evening (Y1-Y6 only)
• 23/24/25 October        Open days for Foundation Stage
• 26 October                  School closes for half term holiday
• 5 November                 Inset day for staff
• 6 November                 School reopens for children   

Assembly Rota

• September 14              Class 5
• September 21              Class 4
• September 28              Year 2
• October 5                     Year 1
• October 12                   Class 3
• October 19                   Class services
• October 26                   Mass

Asthma

Does your child have asthma? If so we need an asthma medication form completing and an inhaler which can be kept in school all day with your child. Could all parents/carers of children with asthma please ensure their form is up to date and that the medical equipment and inhaler are still indate. Thank you

Sacramental Programme

Year 3 children join the sacramental programme and take part in celebrations of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Holy Communion during the school year. Times and dates for these meetings will be sent home once the timetable has been agreed by Father Lavin and the Catechists.

Dinner money

Dinner money is £1.85 per day or £9.25 per full week. Managing dinner money is a very time consuming matter if it is not paid on time. Parents are welcome to pay for dinner money in several ways. One method is online via the Tameside Council website. This is probably the quickest and easiest for most parents and the school who are notified via email once the payment is made. Another method is a half-termly cheque payable to Tameside MBC and sent into school in a named envelope at the start of the term. The other alternative is a weekly payment in cash or cheque in a named envelope sent into school on a Monday morning. If choosing this method please send in the correct amount of money needed. Any change due will now be credited against the following week. If dinner money is paid in later than Monday morning it will not be possible to process it until the following week.

Dinner money for the remainder of this half term

1 week          £9.25

7 weeks        £64.75

Communication

At the start of the year it is worthwhile reminding parents about communication. This is a two way process. The school sends out a newsletter like this at the end of the first week back to give an overview of the half term ahead. Any known dates and times are listed on the newsletter as well as other relevant information. The newsletter will also be posted on the school website www.st-josephs.tameside.sch.uk.

The website will also have copies of other letters sent home by class teachers and information relating to policies, holiday dates and school events. Individual letters needing responses, e.g. participation in an after school club, will be sent out as needed and will have times, dates etc on them. Any new event arranged will have its own letter sent out to parents/carers. Please check your child’s bag each day for letters and information. A newsletter update will be sent out at the end of each half term as a reminder for parents and to give an update on events happening in school.

Parents are asked to communicate with school in a number of ways. If your child is absent please telephone school before 10.00 am on the first day of absence and followed up by a written note about the absence. All absences have to be explained and recorded at school. Parents are asked to sign reading diaries and homework books (KS2) to show they are aware of the homework, are involved and can help identify any difficulties the child may have had completing the tasks.

More importantly, parents are asked to communicate either in writing or in person on any injuries a child may have received or if there have been changes in home circumstances for the child. This is to enable staff to ensure any child feeling worried or upset can receive support in school.

By communicating as fully as we can we can all work together for the benefit of the child. If you have any other ideas around communication please let me know. As yet we do not do text messages because of the cost in a small school but as technology changes this may become easier.

Jewellery

As most parents and carers are aware we have a no jewellery policy in school. Thank you to all those who have remembered it this term. However a few children have arrived with newly pierced ears.

I know the earrings have to be in place for a few weeks so we ask that parents stick plasters over the earrings on a daily basis to prevent accidents in school. Once the time period has passed please remove the earrings on a daily basis as the child comes to school.

Children without plasters over newly pierced ears or wearing earrings will not be able to take part in PE lessons.

Open door

The school tries to maintain an open door policy and we are always willing to meet with parents and discuss any concerns. All staff are usually available before and after school (before 8.50 am and after 3.20 pm) but not during the teaching day.

However there are times when staff have other commitments and in that case it may be necessary to make an appointment to come in and discuss your child. If this is the case please write in the reading diary or telephone to arrange this.

After school clubs

After school clubs have already begun. Cross country practise is currently taking place. Football training has begun. After school PE club for Y5/6 starts on Monday. A letter about Film club will be going out next week. All children need to bring a reply slip back before attending any club. It is important that children have clear arrangements for going home and are picked up on time. Letters about other clubs will be sent out as applicable.

We only run after school clubs for KS2 children as we find the younger children are tired by the end of the day.

Levy

At the start of the school year we have to remind parents about the Salford Diocese levy. To maintain the Catholic schools the Diocese has to pay 10% of all building costs. In former times this was collected through contributions in church for each school. However as congregations dwindled this was no longer possible. Instead the Diocese asks for a contribution of £20 per child per year in school. This equates to about 51p a week but obviously we cannot collect it in this way.

Parents are asked to send either £20 in one go in September or £10 in September and £10 in January. If your child is on free school meals, this sum will be paid for you for the current school year. Nursery children pay half this amount at £10 per year. Thank you for your help in meeting this bill.

New language

This year the school is starting to teach Spanish as its foreign language and children from Reception to Y6 will have a lesson on alternate Fridays from a visiting Spanish teacher.

This should be fun and hopefully will help them all succeed in the future, either when travelling or studying. If you are able to speak Spanish please help them practise. The staff are also going to try and learn Spanish as well but I suspect the children may be a little quicker than we are!

Packed lunches

Parents/Carers are asked to please think about the content of packed lunches. The school does not allow sweets and lollipops so please don’t put these into lunch boxes. We also ask that children bring a suitable drink that is not fizzy, in a can or a glass bottle.

A simple dessert, yoghurt or biscuit after a sandwich is usually enough for a child at lunch time. All left-overs and rubbish will be brought home so parents should be able to monitor what and how much the child is eating.

Topics this term

FS                   Ourselves

Y1                   Senses

Y2                   How are you? (Health)

Class 3           Healthy eating

Class 4           Map skills and Circuits

Class 5           Map skills, My body and Forces

Medicine Policy

A copy of the school medicine policy is included below to inform parents of our procedures

Holidays in term

Holidays in term time do not help the child, class or teacher and consequently we are no longer willing to authorise such holidays.

A copy of the holiday list is included here to remind parents of the dates of terms this year:

Website

Once the new website is fully working we hope to put a half-termly letter on each class page to highlight the main teaching points being covered. Parents will therefore be able to help their child and practise the more practical skills at home. Other information is also on the site and there are some fun educational activities in the Kids Zone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.

Please keep a copy of all the dates included.

St. Joseph’s RC Policy on Administering Medication to Children

Introduction:

Medicine is NOT generally given in school. If a child has a prescribed course of medicine it should be possible for the parent to administer the doses around the school day.

In cases of long-term medication such as asthma, diabetes or anaphylaxia the parent must comply with school policy. Written information and details will be given by parents and medical sources. The reasons and symptoms of the child’s illness will be explained. The smallest dose possible of any medicine will be brought to school. The pupil will be taught by parents as soon as possible how to administer the dose himself or herself. Parents will be asked to sign a consent form and written indemnity to safeguard staff from accusations of negligence.

At all times the aim is to prevent accidents and safeguard all parties involved.

Staff will only administer prescription medicine. Only medicine prescribed to be given 4 times a day will be given.

This will only be administered by a named person (Head, Deputy or named first aider).

Under no circumstances should staff administer off-the-shelf medicines or home remedies.

Any named child with a long term known medical condition will have a medical care plan and the detail of this will be followed by all concerned.

Procedure:

The medicine will be stored in the First Aid area. Access to this is limited to the people named above.

Should parents request that prescription medication is administered to a child or young person they will be requested to sign a form giving precise details about the medication. Only on receipt of the form will staff administer medicine.

If the school agrees to dispense the medication arrangements must be made with parents and the child/young person to pass the medication to a member of staff when the child/young person attends each day.

The staff member who is given the medication will need to ensure:

• the medicine is in its original container
• name of medicine
• means of administration
• the child’s name is clearly on the label of the container
• the dosage and frequency of dosage is marked on the label
• the medicine is not out of date

Should any of this information be unavailable the medicine should be returned to the parent.

If the information on the medicine is acceptable and parental consent in writing has been obtained the medicine should be locked in the medicine cabinet immediately. 

When it is time to administer the medication the member of staff will administer it either in the first aid room. The member of staff administering the medication will sign to say that the medication has been administered.

When the child is returned to the care of his or her parents the medication will also be returned to the parents.

Refusal to take medicine:

On occasions a child may refuse to take prescribed medicines. Staff must never force a child to take medicine. Staff may gently persuade the child to take the medicine according to the child's age and understanding. However this should not become oppressive and if the child continues to refuse the medication parents/carers should be informed as soon as possible.

The child must never be restrained in order to take medication.

Young people self-medicating:

As young people grow older or more mature they should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own medication. In the case of asthma inhalers this is acceptable but all other medicines will fall within the rules above at this school.

Training for staff:

Most medication does not require specific training but some may require training e.g. injections, invasive procedures etc. Staff must never administer medicines of this nature unless they have had specific training. If there is a child with such a need in the school the school nurse will be asked to