Dear Parents/Carers,

We have reached the end of our first full week and the summer holidays now seem but a distant memory. The children have settled beautifully and it is already clear that there is a positive atmosphere to learning; classrooms are calm and the children are working hard.

This is the beginning of my first full year at Kingsholm school, and I am looking forward to ensuring the school moves forward and supports the children and staff to be the best they can be.

Our 'Everyone Matters' vision will be at the centre of our decision making and will help to be mindful of the wide variety of additional needs, cultures and religions that exist in our school when deciding on changes that we make.

SIAMs

Over the summer the school received its SIAMs report that is overwhelmingly positive.

Below is a summary of the main points (The full report can be accessed on our website)

• The deeply rooted Christian vision is at the heart of this welcoming and richly diverse school community.

• People are nurtured through a culture of love, compassion and hope.

• Leaders craft an inclusive curriculum, providing pupils with opportunities to consider self, relationships and community. Reflecting the vision, expertly managed tailored support cares for vulnerable pupils, enabling them to flourish.

• Strong partnerships with local clergy and the diocese enrich the reflective and joyful worship life of the school. Pupils and adults develop spiritually because worship deepens their understanding of the vision and values.

• Leaders ensure that the ambitious curriculum for religious education (RE) is prioritised and celebrated.

• Planning is carefully sequenced to present pupils with a breadth of religions and worldviews. 

A huge thank you and well done to the entire school team for all of their efforts in establishing the positive, caring culture and embedding our new vision so quickly.

Uniform Update

Our School Uniform Policy is on the website for reference. This year staff have been asked to enquire with children regarding uniform and support parents with understanding the expectations.

Two key amendments to help support families and recognise the ongoing financial challenges that are faced in present times:

School Footwear

Children are authorised to wear black trainers (These should be predominantly black and not include bright colours etc) or school shoes.

Whilst we recognise that school shoes are often more durable, support children's growth and are more suited to wet weather; we also understand that in some cases families will find it challenging to have more than one set of shoes.

Crocs/Flip-flops and coloured trainers are not suitable for school.

PE Kit

The PE kit remains largely unchanged.

Children are now expected to wear their blue school sweater/cardigan over their PE kit in colder weather. This will prevent the need to purchase additional clothing for this purpose.

Crisp Friday!!!

As shared in my previous letter this is an opportunity for children to have a treat for their breaktime snack on a Friday breaktime. Children are able, if they choose, to bring in a packet of crisps/popcorn to eat on a Friday. 

This does not include chocolate.

Please note that we still require healthy snacks to be brought on other days - Staff will ask children to eat snacks in the classroom before going to break should they bring non-healthy snacks on the wrong day and will speak to parents. 

Tony Larner

Joke of the week:

Did you hear about the explosion in the cheese factory?

All that was left was de-brie!

Hello Forest School families and friends,

We are so happy to have started our new Forest School year and firstly a huge thank you for sending your children with play clothes and wellingtons to get muddy or wet in and a bag of clean, dry school uniform and shoes for them to change into after Forest School.  This means they can play hard without worrying and even if wet or muddy at the end of the session they can change and be comfortable for the rest of their day at school.

So many exciting things have happened already - spotting frogs, ladybirds and their larva, snails (named Milky, Candy Floss) and slugs.  All have been studied and the children have been making bug hotels and Birthday parties.  We have looked at Field Guides to find out the names of creatures, made dog treats from mud.  Loads of fishing rods have been made to fish in the pond and to use as a jump bar.  Trees have been climbed, maps and nature observation sketches have been made and the weather has been sunny and rainy in turn.  The children have all agreed that they enjoyed their first week.

Have a lovely weekend,

Kind regards

Kate Shepherd (Forest School Leader)

Pupil Parliament: 

We are excited to be recruiting our School Councillors this week (Y2-Y5). The Ministers have been appointed and we will be going through an application process for the role of Prime Minister and Deputy. We look forward to sharing details of our new Pupil Parliament in the next newsletter, and resuming our Prime Minister and Deputy's bulletins.

We are sad to say the morning dance sessions on Friday are no longer taking place - sad news

However, we are replacing them with Music Monday - This way we wake everyone up and get them ready for the week ahead! Join me on the KS2 playground at 8:35am for the first dance of the year!

Please see the details of the weekly Community Cafe which is held next to our Nursery.

• Runs every Tuesday,  10:00-11:00am (Term Time Only)
• Always offers tea/coffee
• Has facilitators supporting financial and digital inclusion - once a month for each of these focus areas.
• Support for benefits
• Early advice around parenting
• Any other issues parents would like support with.

Kaleidoscope Children and Family Centre are hosting Community Get Togethers- This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with your neighbours, exchange ideas, and discover what’s happening in our local area, all in a welcoming and informal atmosphere. If you are interested in getting involved and shaping local service and activities, please email Craig.wheeler@ggtrust.org 

• Parking.  When dropping off and collecting the children, we ask our families to not park in the Kaleidoscope / Children's Centre.  We appreciate the limited parking areas however please do not use this provision.
• Cool Kids, Buffer and Breakfast Club - These provisions MUST be booked in advance using the link which is sent out weekly via SchoolPing.  ALL sessions need to be paid for in advance unless you pay monthly and already have this payment agreement set up and in place. If there is any outstanding debt, places will be refused until the account is cleared.
• Family Support. We appreciate for many these can be tricky times. Do get in touch if you have any worries about food, finances or housing and we will try and help. Please get in touch with the Virtual Office - virtualoffice@kingsholm.gloucs.sch.uk