🌺 Newsletter 10.11.2023

Remember

With Armistice Day tomorrow and Remembrance Sunday this weekend, we have been reflecting on the suffering caused by war and the meaning of peace.

Our Pupil Chaplains have continued to be busy and have delivered collective worship in different classrooms.

I always think of my Great Uncle who was killed in 1942 at the age of 19, but as time passes, some people may not have close connections to people lost in war (and wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone was in that position?).

The images above show the names of our ex-pupils who lost their lives in WW2, and we carry their memories with us in school.

NEWS AND UPDATES

Every year the country comes together for Remembrance Sunday. A period of silence is held at 11am to remember the people who have died in wars around the world.

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

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🧸 Next Friday it is Children in Need and everyone can come in non-uniform and have 'CRAZY' hair.

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

🧸 Next Friday it is Children in Need and everyone can come in non-uniform and have 'CRAZY' hair. 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

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Good Attendance Draw!!

Don’t forget, for every week that your child has an attendance of 96%+, they are allocated a digital ticket for a draw that will take place every half term. The more weeks with an attendance of 96%+, the more chances to win!

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Services and Events

Parish Sung Eucharist Sundays 10am - 11am

Sermon, music and Holy Communion

Place of Welcome Thursdays 10am - 12pm

Time for a brew and a chat

More information from Father Andrew can be found here

Click here to visit the church website

Messy Church

It typically includes a welcome, a long creative time to explore the biblical theme through getting messy; a short celebration time involving story, prayer, song, games and similar; and a sit-down meal together at tables.

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Community News and Support

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Newton Heath Library

These are some free books that one of our families got from the library recently.

It can be easy to forget about some local services, and the library is probably one of them. If you haven’t been for a while, please drop in… there is loads on offer for everyone.

• Books to borrow,

• Internet access,

• Story sessions for tiny tots,

• Job advice for ambitious locals,

• Knitting groups for the creative and thrifty,

• Saturday Club, Code Club and Chatter books Reading Group for young people.

The library is situated in a lovely location next to the canal which attracts visitors who come to see the canal boats and resident Canada Geese.

Regular opening times

Monday - 9am to 8pm

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday - 9am to 5pm

Thursday - Closed

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World Festivals and Celebrations

Deepawali or Diwali, the Hindu new year’s day, is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights: deep means ‘light’ and ‘avali’ a row’, so divali is ‘a row of lights’. It coincides with the darkest night (15th) of the lunar month of Kartik, which usually falls in late October or early November.

Divali has a special significance for Jains, as on this day in 527 BCE Mahavira gave his last teachings and at midnight attained ultimate liberation. Today temples and shrines are decorated, often with toys and images of animals, and Jains meditate on the teaching he gave on this day. Many devout followers fast for the two days of Divali, following the example of Mahavira. Lamps are lit and children are given sweets by their parents, though the songs, dances and noise of Hindu celebrations are not common amongst the Jain communities. Jain business people traditionally start their accounting year from the day after Divali.

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Article 38: Protection in War

Article 38 of the UNCRC covers how the rights of children relate to the armed forces.

When people between 15 and 18 sign up to the armed forces, priority should be given to the oldest among them.

Children and young people should never be forced to fight in the armed forces or go to war. This right covers all jobs in a war, so doesn’t just apply to soldiers.

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Hall Ceiling Update

We should be back in next Friday!!

Our new hall ceiling is coming on really well and we are approaching the final stages now.

All the wooden supports will be completed by Monday and the painter is coming in over the weekend to paint all the timber. I do think it looks pretty impressive now, and that with a bit of a dark brown staining we could have our very own Tudor hall.

Next week the electrician will be fitting the new LED light fittings and then there is the process of tidying up, moving machinery offsite and putting everything back where we need it.

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Email Mr Sharp

I have a feeling that my local reputation is now as resident leaf blower rather than Head Teacher, and it is tough task at this time of year with all the lovely trees we have in our grounds. I was blown away (no pun intended) of the gift of a leaf sucking machine by one of our families this evening. Thank you again.

It was great to hear from Year 6 children returning from their Crucial Crew visit this morning. They had the opportunity to learn more about the importance of keeping themselves and others safe and healthy.

One of the children said on the playground today…”How is it Friday already?”. I know how they feel, but I take it as a real positive that the week is so fuil of experiences, challenges and successes that time passes without thinking about it.

Enjoy the weekend and see you all next week.

Thank you

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🗞 Newsletter 03.11.2023

Pupil Chaplains

Following on from their success at our recent Harvest service, our Pupil Chaplains have been busy again.

They have been decorating a corner of the KS2 playground and providing ideas for reflection, and on All Saints’ Day, the Pupil Chaplains visited all the classes from Year 1 to Year 6 and delivered a collective worship.

They talked about what saints, and what it might been for us to be saintly in the way we act towards each other.

As with all our collective worship, the Pupil Chaplains provided points for everyone to reflect upon and then invited people to join in with prayers if they wished to.

Thank you to Mrs Flatman for leading on our new Pupil Chaplains.

NEWS AND UPDATES

You might know the phrase remember, remember the 5th of November. But why do we remember it. And why do we set off fireworks? Watch to find out!

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

Click here to log in

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⛹🏽 🏊🏼 Please check our school uniform page for things such as P.E. kits, accessories and watches etc 🎀 ⏱

⛹🏽 🏊🏼 Please check our school uniform page for things such as P.E. kits, accessories and watches etc 🎀 ⏱

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Good Attendance Draw!!

Don’t forget, for every week that your child has an attendance of 96%+, they are allocated a digital ticket for a draw that will take place every half term. The more weeks with an attendance of 96%+, the more chances to win!

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Services and Events

Parish Sung Eucharist Sundays 10am - 11am

Sermon, music and Holy Communion

Place of Welcome Thursdays 10am - 12pm

Time for a brew and a chat

More information from Father Andrew can be found here

Click here to visit the church website

Messy Church

It typically includes a welcome, a long creative time to explore the biblical theme through getting messy; a short celebration time involving story, prayer, song, games and similar; and a sit-down meal together at tables.

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Community News and Support

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World Festivals and Celebrations

This day provides a chance to offer thanks for the work and witness of all Christian saints, recognising that not all are known or specially celebrated. Many churches stress this day rather than Hallowe’en, which falls the day before, by holding events especially designed for children.

On the 2nd November it is All Souls’ Day. This day in particular the departed are remembered and prayers on their behalf are offered. From earliest times Christians have prayed for the souls of the dead. In the year 998, All Souls, ‘the faithful departed’, began to be remembered in the Church calendar on this day.

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Article 9: Keeping Families Together

Article 9 of the UNCRC says that a child or young person shouldn’t be separated from their parents unless:

- staying with their parents could be harmful to them; or

- it’s impossible for them to stay with their parents.

A child or young person may be separated from a parent in a way that respects Article 9 if:

- that parent isn’t able to take care of them,

- that parent is acting in a way that’s not in that child or young person’s best interests, or

- that parent is unable to keep that child safe and happy.

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Hall Ceiling Update

After the unnecessary stresses before half term, the work on the hall ceiling is progressing really well so far.

Even though less work was completed in half term than planned, we are still on course for the hall reopening week beginning 13th November.

The timber joists are nearly all in place now, and therefore all the RAAC panels are now supported. The next steps will be the fitting of plywood to the joists, painting and then the fitting of new light fittings.

We really can’t wait to get back in for P.E., lunches, Breakfast Club and getting to and from the dining room/kitchen.

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Farewell to Mrs Phillipson

Sadly Mrs Phillipson is leaving us next week.

She has worked with us for some time and supported many, many children and staff members in that time. Mrs Phillipson will be missed and we wish all the very best for the future.

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Email Mr Sharp

Welcome back everyone!

It has been lovely to see everyone in school after the holidays, and already have so much to celebrate.

I was bowled over by the standard of the Mayan masks made by the Year 6 children at home. They are so creative and professionally made. It makes me so proud to see the children put so much effort and care into their learning, and in their own time too. Well done Year 6.

I am really pleased to see the improvements in punctuality this year, and to see the vast majority of the children in their classrooms on time. I am again concerned about attendance, with nearly 1 in 3 children persistently absent (less than 90% attendance). This will remain a huge priority for us all this year.

Every year is always very busy, and this year is going to be no exception. Improvements to the building and grounds will continue at a pace. As well as the current work on the hall ceiling, we will likely (or plan to) complete:

• Making safe the RAAC ceiling in the hall ✅

• Removal of asbestos from the boiler room ✅

• Making safe damaged trees ✅

• Clearing flooding around the boiler room ✅

• Upgrading some water heaters

• Upgrading to LED lighting

• Upgrading railings on KS2 playground

• Repairing hard surfaces damaged by tree roots

It can be frustrating spending money on things for the building and grounds, and I wish we received more funding from the government for these things. However, we are absolutely determined to have a safe, healthy and inspiring environment for the children and staff, and will continue to work hard on this current building for as long as we have it.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Thank you

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🍁 Newsletter 20.10.2023

Harvest

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Harvest collection. I know the donations of food will go to very good use at The Mustard Tree and for those in need.

In our lovely service in church led by our Pupil Chaplains, there were many points of reflection on being grateful for what we have, who helps us to have food to eat and also consideration for those who less fortunate than ourselves.

Obviously our lives today are much more removed from the sources of food than was the case in the past, but that means there are even more people to thank for getting it to us.

I am really enjoying the services led by the Pupil Chaplains and they lead them so well and with great thought and feeling.

Well done everyone.

NEWS AND UPDATES

We hear from British children who are affected by fighting in the Middle East | Newsround

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

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🚫 🚲 🛴 Bikes and scooters must be pushed on school grounds for safety reasons 🚲 🛴 🚫

School reopens on Monday 30th October at the usual times

🚫 🚲 🛴 Bikes and scooters must be pushed on school grounds for safety reasons 🚲 🛴 🚫 School reopens on Monday 30th October at the usual times

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Good Attendance Draw!!

Don’t forget, for every week that your child has an attendance of 96%+, they are allocated a digital ticket for a draw that will take place every half term. The more weeks with an attendance of 96%+, the more chances to win!

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Services and Events

Parish Sung Eucharist Sundays 10am - 11am

Sermon, music and Holy Communion

Place of Welcome Thursdays 10am - 12pm

Time for a brew and a chat

More information from Father Andrew can be found here

Click here to visit the church website

Messy Church

It typically includes a welcome, a long creative time to explore the biblical theme through getting messy; a short celebration time involving story, prayer, song, games and similar; and a sit-down meal together at tables.

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Click on the image for more info

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Article 8: Identity

Article 8 of the UNCRC is about a child or young person’s name, nationality and family relationships. It says that the government shouldn’t interfere with a child or young person’s right to any of these. It also says the government should be able to help if any of these things are taken from them illegally.

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Hall Ceiling Update

We have had a very busy and somewhat stressful week with regards to RAAC and our hall ceiling upgrade work.

I received an email on Tuesday telling me that the project was not going to start on time as the Department for Education was still not approving it yet, and they wanted some more information not previously asked for.

I must confess that I was extremely upset about this and felt I had to write a very strongly worded letter to the Department of Education telling them how outraged I was at this unnecessary delay.

Thankfully, they did then approve the project yesterday, but we won’t be having as much work done as planned in half term as the contractor had already moved some of their workers to another project.

However, we are still on course to have the most disruptive work completed in the half term holiday and to be back in within a number of weeks. I will keep you all updated.

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Email Mr Sharp

Well here we are at the end of the first half term of the year and nearly 1/5th of the school year behind us. I’m writing this with a very wet and windy playground outside my window and it certainly feels like we well within Autumn now. There have been many, many things to celebrate over the past few weeks, and I feel very proud of the children.

It is lovely to see so many children supporting Show Racism the Red Card by wearing something red today. At a time in the world where some people are sadly showing hatred towards others, treating each other with respect and love is so important for us in our school community. We are here to serve everyone. Thankfully, racist behaviour and language is extremely rare in our school, but we are always looking out for it, and spend a good deal of time teaching the children about the wider world in which we all live in.

When we return it will be All Saints’ Day on the Wednesday (the day after Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve) which is obviously special for our school given who we are dedicated to. It isn’t just a time for Christians to think of famous saints, but a time for reflection on our own beliefs and actions.

Who is a saint? You are. That is, if you’re a follower of Jesus. God calls a "saint" those who trust in Christ alone for salvation (see Acts 9:13, Acts 26:10, Romans 8:27, 1 Corinthians 1:2).

Given we aren’t as certain of the completion date for the hall ceiling now, things like dates and times for Parents’ Meetings will be updated when we come back. Watch this space…

I hope everyone has a safe, calm and enjoyable week, and thank you again to everyone for all the hard work, flexibility, patience, understanding and support this half term. I really appreciate it.

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🗞 Newsletter 13.10.2023

Value of Play

Before the world of games consoles, tablets, smartphones and multiple TVs in the house (yes when I was young), there was more time for real-world play. It was also the case that not as many parents worked and therefore more time for play was possible.

Matching games, turn-taking, puzzles, ball games all have huge benefits compared with digital devices. They help the children learn to consider others, they have to watch and listen, take turns, learn how to win and lose politely, learn words and phrase…the list goes on.

I remember a time where my dad turned the electricity off to force us all to forget about the TV and we played card games and quizzes. I did rumble him, but I also enjoyed the night socialising with everyone.

It isn’t obvious that children are learning when playing games with adults and other children, but they really are. Snakes and ladders, jigsaws, lego, bricks etc are just as important today than they were in the past…and they aren’t just for the young children either.

You can find some ideas on our Hobby Zone on our website.

NEWS AND UPDATES

Hear all about Chingford Church of England Primary School, and why they take part in #HelloYellow every year.

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

Click here to log in

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It is Show Racism the Red Card 🟥 next Friday

〰️ Children can come in wearing or accessorising in red colours 〰️

It is Show Racism the Red Card 🟥 next Friday 〰️ Children can come in wearing or accessorising in red colours 〰️

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Good Attendance Draw!!

Don’t forget, for every week that your child has an attendance of 96%+, they are allocated a digital ticket for a draw that will take place every half term. The more weeks with an attendance of 96%+, the more chances to win!

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Services and Events

Parish Sung Eucharist Sundays 10am - 11am

Sermon, music and Holy Communion

Place of Welcome Thursdays 10am - 12pm

Time for a brew and a chat

More information from Father Andrew can be found here

Click here to visit the church website

Messy Church

It typically includes a welcome, a long creative time to explore the biblical theme through getting messy; a short celebration time involving story, prayer, song, games and similar; and a sit-down meal together at tables.

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Article 7: Name and Nationality

Article 7 of the UNCRC says that all children and young people have the right to a name and nationality, which they should be granted at birth. It also says that they have a right to – as far as possible – know and be cared for by their parents.

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Email Mr Sharp

I hope this new format of newsletter isn’t too confusing. I wanted to develop the newsletter so that it could be more interactive, and also very importantly, able to be translated into different languages. Please feel free to pass on any comments and suggestions to me.

With #HelloYellow on Tuesday this week, we have reflected on mental health, both in terms of keeping healthy and knowing what to do if we are struggling. It would be nice to think the children will never have difficulties in the future, but we all go through difficult times, and we want to do all we can to prepare them.

We are coming up to half term, and there is only next week before our first holiday of the year. Details for Parents’ Meetings will be shared very soon, and I would ask every parent/carer to sign up on Arbor Parent Portal. The children make much better progress socially and academically when there is clear sharing of information between school and home.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Thank you

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