21st May 2021 Newsletter

21^st May 2021

Dear parents/ carers,

A happy start to the weekend with congratulations to the following children who received my Headteachers award this week:

Walk to School Week:  How fantastic it has been to see so many families embracing Walk to School Week.  Thank you so much for supporting the challenge, with many of you who are unable to walk the complete journey to school parking further away and walking, scootering and cycling the remainder of the journey into school.

Keep an eye out for more information coming out soon about how as a school we aim to encourage walking/ scootering/ cycling to school on a regular basis!

ESSEX ACTIVATE – FREE HALF TERM PLACES TO GET INVOLVED IN SUMMER PROGRAMME: Active Essex and Essex County Council are pleased to be offering FREE places on the Essex ActivAte half term holiday programme for young people who are eligible for benefits based free school meals and for those working families who could benefit from this additional holiday support. These clubs provide a range of fun activities and a healthy lunch for every child attending. All clubs offer at least 4 hours of fun each day. To find your nearest Essex ActivAte club and to book your FREE place please see our website ActivAte Your Half Term – Active Essex

Jewellery/ PE days:  Could I please ask that on the days your child comes into school in their PE kit, that no jewellery is worn, this includes stud earrings.  Thank you.

A worrying trend currently circulating – Cannabis Edibles / sweets: Last year, there was a surge in Fake Cannabis Sweets or “Edibles” being supplied to children & youths to try and get them hooked on cannabis.

Due to lockdown and schools being closed, the issue died off. Now that schools have re-started again, we have been advised that some areas have noted a sudden increase in the use and supply of these sweets.

These sweets have been known to cause panic attacks and hallucinations in children. The wrappers are designed to look like regular sweet brands but have their names varied slightly, i.e Sour Patch sweets become Stoney Patch.

If you have any concerns about your child being given these sweets, please let us know and also contact the police for more support and information.

Online safety:  There have been a number of concerns raised regarding the online platform Tik Tok.  Most recently is the worrying information that children are streaming whilst in their school uniforms, making them easier to identify and be placed at risk.  For more information on how to keep your child safe online, not just while using Tik Tok, please visit https://esafetytraining.org

EYFS – Talk, Listen and Cuddle: Talk, Listen and Cuddle (TLC) is an Essex campaign helping parents, carers and families give their young children the best start to life, developing their communication skills through playful learning at home. The website offers a wide range of information including downloadable resources and articles to help families understand how to support their child’s language and communication. More information can be found on the website and Facebook page.

Have a super weekend everyone, with my continued best wishes,

Kim

Kim Hall

Headteacher