Keep up to date with all the news happening in school at the moment.

• Bank Holiday Weekend

  Fri 30 Apr 2021 Mr A

  Another week has shot by and we are now in full swing for the term.  Children are working hard and trying their best after being away from school for a long period of time.  Just to remind you that this is a bank holiday weekend and therefore, we are not back in school until Tuesday 4th May.  Although the weather is not looking great, I do hope that you have a wonderful long weekend.

   

  Just to remind parents, that the behaviour policy is in place and although we are trying to think about what the children have been through and how long they have been out of school, the policy is being followed.  If you do see a warning in your child's reading record, it would be good for you to follow this up with them and discuss how they can improve their behaviour.  We are going along the positive route of awarding housepoints to those that are following the school rules.  

   

  If you feel that your child is struggling with being back at school, and you are worried about their mental health, please contact the inclusion team using the email: senco@chiseldon.swindon.sch.uk and we will work with you to support them in any way that we can.  With recent changes to coronavirus restrictions, some young people may be struggling with their mental health.  The impact of these changes will vary for each family and young person, but it's important that no matter how a child or young person is feeling during this challenging time, support is available to help them cope with the transition.  We have pulled together some resources and services available locally and nationally to help young people acknowledge and recognise how they feel, learn where they can access support, and understand the importance of talking to someone and seeking help:

  NHS Guidance on Mental Health & Self-care for young people: NHS Guidance on Mental Health 

  The Swindon Local Offer Page with lots of resources: Swindon Local Offer for Mental Health

   

  I am pleased to say that we are working our way through children that may have fallen slightly behind due to the pandemic and have put interventions in place to support their learning.  The rapid recovery curriculum is helping all our pupils manage their learning and ensuring they are in-line with where they should be for their age.

   

  Have a great weekend, and we will see you on Tuesday.

  Mr A

   

  Reading & Homework

  I have included some quotes about reading in the pictures below and the importance of the children a range of books for at least 20 minutes per night.

   

  A little reminder that now that we are back to schooling, homework is back to how we were before the pandemic.  Every child should be reading for 20 minutes per night and this should be recorded in the children's reading record.  They should be practicing their weekly and termly spellings.  Depending on your child's year group, they should be doing number bonds, times tables, or arithmetic daily.

   

  Stars of the Week

  EYFS: Alex W, Arthur H, Junior T, Benjamin RP.

  Year 1: James W & Jude R

  Year 2: Aurora-Joan CM & Amelia H

  Year 3: Sidney R & Hannah LL

  Year 4: Jack T & Laila H

  Year 5: Thabo M & Elle W

  Year 6: Bethan C & Ethan O

   

  Well done to all our stars of the week - you truly are remarkable 

   

  Housepoint Weekly Winners

  EYFS: Jack Taylor

  KS1: Iyla Turay

  LKS2: Jamie Lawson

  UKS2: Beau Buckley, Bethan Clark, & Isla Vickers

   

  Fabulous!  You must have been working very hard!

  

• Welcome Back & Weekly News

  Fri 23 Apr 2021 Mr A

  Welcome Back

  Welcome everyone to Term 5 and the summer!  I have asked the staff this term to focus on the Royal Family and the death of HRH Prince Philip.  This is built around the history curriculum and how they Family are made up and our Constitutional Monarchy - this is around British Values that all schools need to teach their children.

   

  I hope that you have managed to have a relaxing Easter break and were able to enjoy the weather and the new freedoms that came with some aspects of lockdown coming to an end.

   

  You may have noticed that Mr Timlin has been busy with contractors over the Easter working on repairing the Year 3 classroom floor and a new carpet in place.  He has also made sure that we have adequate laptops and laptop trollies to help us meet and go beyond our duty with the computing curriculum - a big thank you to him for his continued hard work.

   

  Over the next few weeks, he will be working on completing our outdoor library area, which we now have the equipment to finish, and develop our mental health rooms that children can use if they feel the need during break and lunch times.

   

  We look forward to a great two summer terms with lots of learning, fun and time outdoors in the good weather.

   

  Please stay safe

  Mr A

   

  Stars of the Week

  Nursery: Charlie H & Savannah

  Reception: Louis & Jasper

  Year 1: Phoebe & Ryker

  Year 2: John & Willow

  Year 3: George & Kai

  Year 4: Castor & Rayyan

  Year 5: Ashton & Ethan

  Year 6: Daniel & Kara

   

  National Survey of Children, The Big Ask

  The new Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has today launched The Big Ask - the largest ever consultation with children aged 4 to 17 in England.  It aims to find out children's concerns and aspirations about the future, so that we can put children at the heart of our country's recovery from the coronavirus (COViD-19) outbreak.

   

  All schools are encouraged to support their pupils to complete the survey.  A range of teaching resources have also been produced, including lesson plans and activity packs, to help teachers incorporate this into their lessons.

   

  Parents, care leavers, and those working with children are also invited to complete the adult survey to share their views about the future for children and young people today, and what they think is holding young people back.

   

  The results of this survey will help the Children's Commissioner identify the barriers preventing children from reaching their potential, put forward solutions and set ambitious goals for the country to achieve. 

   

  Aiming High Consultation 2021

  Swindon Borough Council working with Swindon SEND Families Voice.

   

  The Aiming High Team provide opportunities for children and young people with disabilities to enjoy social and leisure activities outside of school hours, whilst giving parents and carers a short break from caring.  This is sometimes called 'short breaks.'  Aiming High is for children and young people with disabilities up to their 18th birthday.

   

  All local authorities must have a Short Breaks Statement to explain the range of short breaks services provided in the area, any criteria and how services are designed to meet the needs of carers.  Swindon's Short Break Statement is due for review.  We have been working with Swindon SEND Families Voice to review the Aiming High service.  Now we want to make sure you have the chance to give your views.

   

  We want to ensure this consultation is shared as widely as possible.  Please share this information with families, service providers and any other interested parties.

   

  Have your say: You can view and respond to the consultation here:

  Aiming High Survey

   

  If you require a paper copy of the consultation, please contact Aiming High.  You can also sign up for a virtual session - an informal opportunity to hear more about the proposals, ask questions and share your views:

  Monday 26th April 2021, 19:30 to 20:30

  Wednesday 28th April 2021, 10:00 to 11:00

  The consultation will run from Tuesday 13th April 2021 to Tuesday 11th May 2021.

  Tel: 01793 464080

  Email: aiminghigh@swindon.gov.uk 

   

  DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

  Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri
  			22	23 St. George's Day Celebration Assembly
  26	27	28	29	30 Celebration Assembly
  3 School Closed BANK HOLIDAY	4	5 Bike to school Day World Maths Day	6	7 Celebration Assembly VE Day
  10	11	12	13	14 Celebration Assembly Pyjamarama Day
  17	18	19	20	21 Celebration Assembly
  24	25	26	27	28 Celebration Assembly

   

  

• End of Term & World Book Day

  Thu 01 Apr 2021 Mr A

  Wow!  What an amazing start to the day, yesterday, seeing all the wonderful bright and sparkling costumes coming into school.  Well done to all those that have taken part.

   

  Well done to the parents who joined in and wore something sparkly; see our pictures below.

   

  Easter Break

  As we begin to move out of lockdown in the country, it is important to make sure that we maintain our space, keep our face covered, and stop the spread.  There are still lots of our staff that have not have the vaccination, so please remain safe over the Easter break.

   

  I have to be on duty until April 7th, so if anyone does test positive over the next few days, could you please notify me, using my email: head@chiseldon.swindon.sch.uk, so that I can notify everyone in the hub that there has been a positive case.

   

  See poster in pictures at the end of the article.

   

  Back to School

  We come back to school on Monday 19th April 2021.  The measures that are in place, will continue the first week back.  Face masks when you. come on to site, keeping 2 meters apart, hubs are the same EYFS, Y1/Y2, Y3/Y4, Y5/Y6.  

   

  I will then write the new roadmap that will come out during the first week as the country opens back up.  I am waiting until this point to make sure that we are still on track.  

   

  Hot Meals

  Our hot meals are changing after the Easter break.  I will send a letter out to you all, but this is a reminder that, to help us not waste food or money, we are asking that you book hot dinners a week in advance.  You will need to use ParentPay and order dinners by Wednesday each week, for the following week.  Please do not worry about the first few weeks back, you can book hot meals daily until Friday 30th April.  After this, you will need to make sure that you have booked your hot meals for the following week by Wednesday 28th April, via ParentPay.  If you are already in credit, Mrs Hughes will move this around once we are back.  

   

  Thank you for your help in reducing our waste.

   

  Behaviour Certificates

  Our certificates are out today, ranging from Bronze, Silver and Gold.  All children have done extremely well.  This term we have taken in to account online learning (the behaviour they showed there), homework, and how they have returned to school.

   

  Below are some pictures of our children who achieved Gold.

   

  I do hope that you have a wonderful Easter break, I know the staff, children and I are looking forward to some downtime and time to be with our families.  Thank you to all the staff here at Chiseldon, once again, they have shown their dedication and commitment to the children's learning and providing experiences that go above and beyond.

   

  I also want to thank the cleaners and site manager for all their extra hard work in keeping our school a safe environment for our children to learn.

   

  Please remember, if you do have a positive test before April 7th, please email me using: head@chiseldon.swindon.sch.uk as I have to notify each hub.