Newsletter 9th October 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
Thank you for your ongoing support of all of our COVID safety measures before and after school. As you know, transmission rates are currently high in Smethwick and it is important that we all do our best to keep ourselves and those around us safe. With that in mind, please can I ask for your support with the following:
- We have to keep classroom doors and windows open so that classrooms are well ventilated. At times it will be cold for staff and children - please make sure your child is wearing warm layers of clothes (vest, jumper etc). Please also make sure that your child brings a coat into school every day, especially now the weather is becoming colder and wetter.
- Please stick to the right time slot for dropping off and collecting your child. This helps to reduce crowding and mixing between different families and bubbles. If you are collecting siblings, please stand back and wait away from other parents for your next time slot.
- Bring an umbrella and wear a coat when dropping off and collecting your child. We only have one small shelter on the playground and parents cannot crowd underneath it as it is not possible for you to social distance from each other.
- Don't let your children mix with other children before or after school - we keep them in strict bubbles that do not mix or interact with other bubbles in school. It is important that this does not then happen at the start or end of the day.
- Please label all clothing and equipment that your child brings into school. We do not have a lost property at the moment and need to return items to children immediately when they are found. Most items do not have names in them - please help us to help you find and keep all of your child's belongings. Put their name onto the inside labels - coats, jumpers, trousers, lunch boxes etc.
Please can I also thank the vast majority of parents for engaging with school in a positive way and raising any concerns in a respectful and appropriate manner. Unfortunately, over the past week a couple of parents have been abusive towards staff and I am sure you will agree that this is unacceptable - I have had to issue a temporary site ban to one parent for their behaviour. We will always do our best to listen and to help and support you and your children in any way we can. We value partnership working between home and school as we all want the very best for your children.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Dates of all events happening at Uplands Manor can be found on the calendar
Flu immunisations 15th December
On Tuesday 15th December, the School Nurses will be giving the nasal flu immunisation to any children who have parental consent. The forms will be sent to you as soon as we receive them.
Please note that your child will not be given the immunisation unless you have completed and signed the consent form.
Year 7 Secondary School Places 2021
Closing date for secondary school applications is Saturday 31 October 2020. Please follow the details on school website
Due to Covid-19 there will be no workshops in school this year. You will need a valid email address to complete the process online.
It's Good to be Green but it's Great to be Gold!
Pupils who show exceptional behaviour for the majority of the week can be chosen to receive a gold letter. Gold letters have been given to:
- Harper for always being well behaved and trying hard at school
- Ekamjot for always being well behaved and trying hard at school
- Calum B for being a great role model for the class
- Mahad for being so lovely and polite all of the time
- Ryan R for determination in tricky tasks
- Samir A for being such a good citizen by helping others
- Noel for great listening during adult led activities
- Casey-Ann for great listening during adult led activities
- Arandeep M for being kind to everyone
- Chloe D for always working hard
- Mohammed E for always working hard
Fundraising - thank you for your generosity
You have been very generous again. These are the most recent fundraising events you donated to:
- Sports Relief 2020 raised £225.80
- Kaycee had her hair cut for the Matt's Mission Children's Charity and raised £130.15
- Cancer Awareness Day 2020 raised £435.75
Uplands Harvest Food Bank Collection
Pupil information forms
If you have not returned the pupil information forms for your child that were sent by email, please return them as soon as possible. Please contact the school office if you need a paper copy of the forms.
Healthy lunchboxes
Struggling with healthy lunch box ideas?
The Change4life website has lots of ideas to help you out. https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes
Maths web page
We have recently updated the maths page on our school website to support our children with their maths learning at home. Here you can find links to websites that our children have accounts for, information about how we teach maths in school, help-sheets to support children with their half-termly maths homework and other useful links.
You can find this page on this link https://uplandsmanor.sch.life/page/detail/maths-2 or by visiting on our website and clicking on the following tabs > Curriculum > Maths
We hope you find this webpage useful in supporting your child/children to practise their maths skills at home, in order to become enthusiastic, life-long mathematicians with a limitless potential!
School Photographer
Unfortunately, we are unable to have the photographer in school this term to take the children's photos. We hope to have them in later in the year.
Home Time Story Time
Here you can find lots of lovely interactive books to read online or watch with signing.
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/storybooks-and-games/
Hello Yellow - World Mental Health Day 10th October 2020
Saturday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. Children in school have been learning about World Mental Health Day. Look out for the pictures of what they've been doing on Twitter and in next week's newsletter. Here are some websites you might find useful:
Every Mind Matters https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
Young Minds is another good one https://youngminds.org.uk/ - this is where the hello yellow comes from.
Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/ ( https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day/ )
Time to change https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day
COMMUNITY NEWS
The Dorothy Parkes Centre
The Dorothy Parkes Centre have sent us info about some fantastic new events coming up. Take a look at the adverts below.
