07 April 2017

Bulletin Number 27

ST THOMAS MORE PARTNERSHIP OF SCHOOLS (07900532)

When we welcome the child, we welcome the family

Tel: 01207 270396 / Email: info@sacredheartgateshead.org / Website: www.sacredheartgateshead.org

Congratulations to Year 6 who had 100% attendance this week Well done to Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6 who achieved our 95% target

This week our overall attendance was 96.7% Please ensure you make every effort to ensure your child gets to school every day to help us achieve our target

Class Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Attendance 92.2% 94.8% 98.3% 99% 96.9% 99.4% 100%

Poor punctuality means your child misses valuable learning time and that lessons are disrupted for all other pupils. Please make sure that your children are in the yard by 8.45am every day.

Dear Parents, Grandparents & Parishioners

Easter already! Wow how time moves fast when you’re busy, and the children certainly have been. I am delighted with all the effort from children and staff this term. We have been particularly lucky to have visited London, attended sports competitions, dance festivals, Friends events, liturgies, Masses and watched the structure of our new classrooms go up! Don't forget all our brilliant sporting success and the hundreds of clubs that have taken place not forgetting all the Lenten Arms that has been raised this term for Zambia and CAFOD projects. Today was really special as we ended our term with a beautiful liturgy as we prepare for the Easter weekend. Our assembly also concluded with a fantastic prize giving. Thank you to all the parents from the Friends who organised this today. The children’s progress this year has been so pleasing. Again, strong partnerships with home make all the difference. When parents are able to help with homework it really does make a difference. Let’s keep this going next term please. If parents can help with Easter homework this really will help after the Easter break. Next term we look forward to our best term…more to follow in our first week back. Thank you to all parents for supporting our school this term with ensuring that homework is completed on time and children attend school punctually (not always easy I know!)

NEWS

Dance Festival: On Tuesday, 23 children from Y3 to Y6 performed ‘Footloose’ at The Sage Gateshead for the annual Dance

Festival. They have all worked very hard outside and inside of school time and we wish them the very best of luck for the day. St Georges Day: To celebrate St George’s Day, patron saint of England, the Friends have organised for the children to come into school dressed in red, white and/or blue for a £1 donation. Year 6 SATS: Tests will take place on Monday 8 May – Friday 11 May. Please can you ensure that children are in school every day this week. We will be organising a special breakfast club for Year 6 through SATs week. This would ensure that all children are in school on time and ready for the tests. Lenten Fun Run: What a fantastic morning on Tuesday seeing everyone take part in the run, everybody did a fantastic job! Any sponsorship money should be sent into school in a named sealed envelope. Thanks to all who donated. We will announce the total next term.

Taekwondo: Yesterday, children from Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6 had a lesson from a professional taekwondo instructor. They enjoyed shouting the chants and learning the different moves. The children who took part have all received flyers in case they would like to peruse this hobby further

Penny Challenge: It was a sea of copper pennies on the yard last Friday; the children have done a brilliant job collecting coins over the past few weeks. It is always a lovely spectacle of how kind our school community when we hold our annual competition to raise funds for Zambia. It was lovely to see some parents attend and support the children. All money will go to helping some of the poorest most needy children in the world have an education in Zambia. We have sponsored sixty children so far and I am just pleased that I am not counting those pennies because there is a lot!

Easter Egg Competition: What fantastic entries we’ve had for our annual Easter egg competition! The children always put so much effort in, and I think this year has seen the best yet. A huge thank you to our special guest judge, David from R C Dey & Son Upholsterers in Byermoor. The winners are…..

Kwik-Cricket: The children had a great time on Thursday when they had their first session of cricket outside! The weather was good enough to head out onto the playground and complete some warm-up drills before they competed against each other in a game of Kwik-Cricket.

MEMOS AND REMINDERS

Clubs: All clubs will start week beginning Monday 24 April. Children that have signed up to clubs will have brought a confirmation letter home with them or received a text message confirmation depending on the club. Swimming: Lessons will restart on Wednesday 26 April, this has been set up as a payment item on ParentPay Open day: On Tuesday 25 April from 10am we will be holding our annual Open Day! This is Gateshead’s best kept secret!

Come along and meet governors and staff, and see lessons take place. All classes will be doing literacy and numeracy in the mornings, toddlers are encouraged to visit Little Hearts and Reception. In the afternoon there will be creative lessons throughout school from 1pm and parents coffee and cake from the Friends at 2pm. The day closes at 6 pm. School Meals – April 2017: If your child will be in Reception, Year One or Year Two they are still entitled to receive a free school meal as part of the Universal Infant Free School Meal initiative. If your child is in Years 3-6 a school meal is available for your child at a cost of £2.00. Dinners can be paid for as follows via ParentPay:

termly in advance by cash or cheque, payable on the first day of school - £116.00

half termly in advance by cash or cheque, payable on the first day of school - £46.00

weekly, by cash or cheque, payable on the first day of the school week - £10.00

Please can I remind parents that we require that payment is made a minimum of one week in advance and a credit balance is maintained at all times. Parents can upload money into their child’s school meal ‘pot’ weekly, half-termly or termly in advance.

If paying weekly £10.00 must be uploaded into your child’s account in advance and no later than 9am on the Monday of that week. We no longer allow parents to pay in arrears. Children will not be provided with a school lunch unless it is paid for in advance (except for those children entitled to Free School Meals and/or Universal Free School Meals). If a parent/carer genuinely forgets to pay, the school may grant a debt allowance of one meal. However this debt must be paid next day and future meals must be paid for in advance before any more meals are provided.

Library Bus: Gateshead Council has been faced with some difficult financial decisions this year and unfortunately the Mobile Library service will be withdrawn after the end of April. The last visit to school from the Mobile Library will be Thursday 27 April, can parents ensure that all books are returned by this date. Summer Uniform: We expect all children to wear their school uniform every day. After the Easter Holidays children can come to school in our Summer Uniform. This comprises of short sleeved shirts, a banner skirt with white frilly socks/grey knee length socks for the girls and grey uniform shorts with grey socks for the boys (they must match the style in the photographs). Children will still be expected to come to school in their jumpers/cardigans, but can remove them on hot sunny days. Sorry to any parents that were hoping for a maroon gingham dress, unfortunately we were unable to source one for a reasonable price, however we will look into this again for next year.

Outgrown Uniform: To help parents with the cost of buying school uniform we would like to set up our own ‘Second Hand Uniform Shop’ which will offer current and new pupils a chance to buy second hand uniform at a reasonable price. If you have any uniform in good condition (and clean) that your children have now outgrown we would be delighted to have it. Donations can be brought to the office (please mark clearly that it is for the Uniform Shop). We will then run a stall once a term where parents can come in and take a look at the stock and purchase any items they need for a donation to the Friends Fund.

Sainsbury’s Vouchers: We are now collecting Sainsbury’s vouchers. Please send them into school with your child or pop them in the Sainsbury’s box which you’ll find in the main entrance. Thank you.

In our Prayers - Prayer booklet: If there is anyone you would like us to pray for in our school community please drop comments into the prayer box or email the school office and we will remember those intentions in our prayers.

Happy Birthday: Many happy returns to Logan (2/04), Ella (3/04),Shay (5/04), Millie (8/04),Owen (9/04),Finlay (14/04) and Erin (17/04)

Gold Book Assembly Spring Term Awards: Little Hearts Star of the Term – Lacey May Manners of the term – Ellie (Y3)

Mathematician of the Term – Hayden (Y2) & Samuel (Y1) Writer of the Term – Kayla (Y2) & Amelia (Y6)

Miss Richardson’s Award – Shay (Y6) Head Teacher’s Award – Jack (Y6)

Pupils of the Term: Reception: Amy, Y1: Jack, Y2: Austin, Y3: Alex, Y4: James, Y5: Bella and Y6: Jessica

Best Attended Class of Week –Y6 with 100% Best Attended Class of the Term – Y3 with 98%

FORTHCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Monday 24 April: School reopens Monday 24 April: Red, White and Blue Day. £1 donation Tuesday 25 April: Open Day 10-12pm and 1-6pm (ALL

PARENTS WELCOME) Monday 2 May: School closed for May Bank Holiday Thursday 25 May: School Closes for half term Friday 26 May: Teacher Training Day Monday 5 June: School reopens Wednesday 7 June: Y5 Liturgy @ 9am Thurs 8 – Fri 9 June: Y4 Gibside Residential Friday 9 June - Reception Assembly @ 9am Saturday 10 June: First Holy Communion Wednesday 14 June: Y4 Liturgy @ 9am

Friday 16 June: Y1 Assembly @ 9am Wednesday 21 June: Y3 Liturgy @ 9am Friday 23 June: Y2 Assembly @ 9am Wednesday 28 June: Y2 Liturgy @ 9am Friday 30 June: Y3 Assembly @ 9am Wednesday 5 July: Y1 Liturgy @ 9am Friday 7 July: Y4 Assembly @ 9am Wednesday 12 July: Reception Liturgy @ 9am Friday 14 July: Y5 Assembly @ 9am Wednesday 19 July: Y6 leavers mass (in church) Friday 21 July: Y6 Leavers Assembly @ 9am Saturday 15 July: Summer Fayre (DATE CHANGE)

SCHOOL CLOSES AT 3.00PM

SCHOOL RE-OPENS

HOLIDAY

TEACHER DAYS

Friday 7 April 2017 Monday 24 April 2017 Easter

Friday 28 April 2017 Tuesday 2 May 2017 May Day

Thursday 25 May 2017 Monday 5 June 2017 Summer Half Term Friday 26 May 2016

Friday 21 July 2017 Tuesday 5 September 2017 Summer Holidays Monday 4 September 2017

Friday 20 October 2017 Monday 30 October 2017 Autumn Half Term

Thursday 21 December 2017 Monday 8 January 2018 Christmas Friday 22 December 2017

Friday 9 February 2018 Monday 19 February 2018 Spring Half Term

Thursday 29 March 2018 Monday 16 April 2018 Easter

Friday 4 May 2018 Tuesday 8 May 2018 May Day

Thursday 24 May 2018 Monday 4 June 2018 Summer Half Term Friday 25 May 2018 (occasional Day which may be subject to change)

Friday 20 July 2018 TBA Summer Holidays