The Carpenter's Tale

Spring 2013 - Number 1

Welcome back to Spring Term. I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas break with family and loved ones. We had a lot of illness in school before the holidays but hopefully the time gap and the expected cold weather will clear the air for us.

Please remember to contact school before 10.00am on the first day of your child’s absence, so that we can record correctly the reasons for it. The answer phone will always record the message if someone is unable to get to it. A written note to follow this up upon the child’s return would also be helpful.

Dates for your diary

Topics this term

FS - Winter

Y1 - Transport

Y2 - Circus

Cl 3 - Romans

Cl 4 - Chembakolli and Changing states of matter

Cl 5 - World War 2 and Forces

These are the main areas of study for the children but more details of each half term’s work can be found on the school website.

Head lice

I have been notified of cases of head lice already this week. Could all parents please check their child’s hair weekly to try and stop head lice spreading? Good brushing and careful combing through can really help with keeping head lice at bay but only if all families take responsibility for it. Please check your child this weekend.

Nursery age pupils

If your child is three before August 31^st this year please check that you have applied for a nursery place for September 2013. If you know of any other children in this age group, please remind them that the time to apply for Nursery is now. Parents can always call in the office to check their application is there. Parents of younger children are welcome to complete an expression of interest form available from the office and put names down for future years.

Levy money

Levy money is now due for those families that have not yet paid. The total amount for the year is £20 per child. If anyone has paid in installments the second installment of £10 is now due. The school has to pay the final invoice by the end of January, so your support in paying as soon as possible would be much appreciated.

Apply for Free School Meals

Applications for Free School Meals are now processed through the Benefit Office. Although the procedure has slightly changed, it is detailed in full through the school meals link on the Tameside Website. It is important that families apply in advance for this benefit. The phone number is also available in the office for anyone who needs it.

Can I encourage families to apply for this even if they do not wish to give their child school meals. Part of the school budget is now allocated according to number of pupils on free school meals. Similarly a sum of money is also allocated to providing children on free school meals with specific benefits in school. If you think you may be eligible please apply.

Attendance and Punctuality

The national attendance figure is 97%. We are aiming for 96% at St. Joseph’s. Letters have been sent to all children where attendance has fallen below 90% so that parents are aware of the number of sessions their child has lost each term. Obviously when a child is ill they cannot be in school but several parents are continuing to take children out of school for other reasons. To help improve attendance figures the governors have agreed to not authorise holidays in term time.

The whistle goes at 8.55am so that the children can begin their first lesson at 9.00am. Could all parents please ensure that the children are here in time for the whistle? It is very disruptive to the first lesson when several children arrive late and disturb the class. It also means that some children are missing important information on a daily basis. Y1 and Y2 finish at 3.10pm and KS2 at 3.15pm. It would also be helpful if parents could arrive at the correct time to take their child home. Some children find being late quite upsetting.

Governors

From time to time new Governors are required for the school. Father Lavin has the authority to approach and appoint new Governors. If you are interested in ever becoming a Governor, please speak to him after Mass and he will be able to keep a list for when such vacancies arise.

Bag collection

The Home School Association have organised a bag collection for January 30^th. A large bag is sent home and parents/carers are asked to place any unwanted textiles in this. The bag is then returned to school on January 29^th and collected by an agency. The contents are weighed and the Home School group are given a sum of money based on the overall weight. If you have any unwanted items i.e. clothes, curtains, bedding etc, please save them until this date. This is an easy way to recycle and benefit the children and you may also like to ask friends and family if they also have any items to add. Many thanks for your support.

After school clubs

This half term PE (Monday), Chess (Tuesday), Badminton (Wednesday), Netball (Thursday) and Dance (Friday) clubs are all running. Most of these are age-specific but please ask if your child is interested in attending. Finish time for all of these is 4.15pm.

Letter

The school received a letter last week from David Laws the Minister of State for Education congratulating the school on its performance in KS2 SATS. We have received several of these over the years and do not always publish the fact. However, I would like to publicly thank the staff and pupils for their ongoing hard word and attainment levels. T

ests results are not the full story of a school and there will always be children who find academic work difficult, so I would also like to thank the children and staff on all their achievements in many areas of school and home life and acknowledge the great support our parents/carers give the children.

Well done and thanks to all of you for your best efforts in helping St. Joseph’s succeed!