Autumn Term 1 - October 2021

• Covid-19 Testing Guidance for Parents
• Personal Development & Relationships and Health Education Curriculum Policy
• Behaviour Policy - Schools Rules & Value
• Dogs near school gates
• Advice for parents to help children sleep at night
• Harvest Festival
• MacMillan Coffee Morning
• Halloween Disco
• Inset Day Amendment & Updated Parent's School Calendar for events 2021-22
• School Lunch Menu Changes (Weeks 3 & 4)
• Class Twitter Pages
• Sports & After School Sports Section
• Breakfast Club
• Key Dates - Autumn Term

We have had a successful return to school and children are working hard. Homework is now set on Seesaw and consists of spellings - using spelling shed(ED shed)app and timetables using TT rockstars app. From Year 1 the children have weekly spelling tests as well as from Year 2 have weekly timetables tests as well as arithmetic. Reading is still a high priority for homework - we recommend 3 times a week for 10- 15 minutes. Reading is the key to access all other areas of teh curriculum.

Covid-19 Testing Guidance for Parents

Due to the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases increasing in Barnsley, please find below advice for the Local Authority with regards to the importance of Covid-19 PCR and LFD testing:

Personal Development & Relationships and Health Education Curriculum Policy

In 2019 we held a parent consultation around SRE - Sex, relationships education to inform parents around the content being taught in this area. This is now a statutory requirement in the primary curriculum and is called personal development, relationships and health education curriculum. Please see the policy attached which gives an insight into the areas covered in each year group. Please contact Mrs Binns if you would like more information.

Behaviour Policy - School Rules and Values

Consultation with WGPS School Council and staff have had input into creating our school rules. Our rules are based around being ready for learning, being safe and being respectful. These are displayed in the corridors, classrooms, and shared with children on a regular basis through assemblies and class circle times.

Dogs near School Gates

It is great to see parents walking their pet dogs. Please be aware that the friendliest dog can become anxious in crowds and very active children. Mrs Binns has had personal experience of a friendly dog severely biting a child at her previous school where she had to hold the child's leg together and the child then had prolonged hospital treatment for his injuries. To maintain safety therefore dogs are not allowed on the playgrounds.

Advice for parents to help children sleep at night

Sleep...the best medicine!

We guess that as adults we all value a good night's sleep! Not always easy when little ones are around is it? Quality sleep is essential for children's physical & mental health, growth & development. It helps them perform better at school, fight off minor ailments like coughs and colds and prevents increased hyperactivity and behavioural problems.

Check out these simple tips that, if stuck to consistently, can ensure children (and grown ups) get the all important rest they need:

• 1. Timing - children need 10-12 hours sleep each night to give their brains and bodies the rest they need so consider what time they need to settled in bed to achieve this. Start your bedtime routine a minimum of a hour before.
• 2. Technology - switch it ALL off at least one hour before bedtime (if possible remove it from the bedroom). Technology suppresses the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) making it more difficult to nod off. Introduce a Bedtime activity box instead filled with colouring books, jigsaws, threading all of which promote relaxation.
• 3. Supper - certain foods promote melatonin production. These include dairy products: yoghurt, milk and cheese, bananas, cereal (not the sugar-coated versions). Avoid sugar and caffeine at all costs!
• 4. Bathtime - a relaxing, warm (not hot) bath around 30 minutes before bed decreases body temperature which also promotes sleep.
• 5. Lights - Diming the lights an hour before bed encourages the production of melatonin and sets a calming environment.
• 6. Reading - story time is a wonderful way of spending quality time with your child and helping them settle before bedtime. It can also be a lovely way to discuss the events of the day and allay any worries children may have. Older children may prefer to read independently.

It can be tough, especially if you have more than one child to care for but remember.......... persistence pays off! It may be difficult at first but a good routine helps to set children's body clocks and aids relaxation.

To get your child on board with this, explain why sleep is important and this is how to do it............

Ask your child to imagine, that while they sleep, the Road Sweeper comes out of his garage and sweeps all the rubbish up that we've collected throughout the day from the pathways in our brain, and that because there are millions of pathways, we need to sleep for 10-12 hours just to give him the time he needs to do the job!

And finally.........

If you use reward charts for behaviour at home consider starting with a reward chart solely for good bedtime routines. Keep it simple and clear - such as 'Stay in my own bed' or 'Go to bed on time'. We are pretty certain that any issues you have with behaviour at home will subside once they're getting a good night's sleep and they'll also feel a sense of success for getting things right.

Harvest Festival

We are holding a Harvest Festival in school on MONDAY 4TH OCTOBER. If you have any tinned or dry foods (NOT FRESH) that you can donate, it would be very much appreciated. Any donations will need to be brought it to school on Monday morning. The food will be distributed to the Food Kitchen to help the community. Thank you.

MacMillian Coffee Morning

WGPS will be supporting the MacMillan Cancer Support Coffee Morning on Wednesday 13th October 2021 at 9am in the School Hall. We would really appreciate if parent/carers could bring in your baking (homemade or shop bought) for our coffee morning to help us raise lots of money for this charity. Parent/carers are invited to join us in the School Hall at 9am on Wednesday 13th October to sit and stay or takeaway purchases of cakes/buns and hot/cold refreshments. There will also be a raffle and auctioning of yummy cakes/buns too.

We currently have 2 members of staff who are really poorly with cancer so we would like to make this fundraiser a success this year.

Halloween School Disco

Halloween School Disco is on THURSDAY 21ST OCTOBER 2021. Details of the times for the Halloween Discos are below:

KS1 pupils (Year 1 & 2 classes) - have their Halloween Disco in school during 2-3pm.

KS2 pupils (Year 3, 4, 5 & 6) - have their Halloween Disco at school 4.30-5.30pm

Inset Day amendment & Updated Parent's School Calendar for Events in 2021-22

Please note below confirmation of the amended Inset Days in July 2022 which is shown on the Parent's School Calendar of Events below. The July 2022 Inset Day will now be on MONDAY 11TH JULY 2022. Also please find further events that have been added to the Parent's School Calendar of Events 2021-22 as well.

School Lunch Menu Changes (Weeks 3 & 4)

Please see the new 4 weekly School Lunch Menu below as there have been changes to Weeks 3 and 4 on some meal choices. Also below is the Allergy Details for the dishes on the School Lunch Menu which gives parent/carers information on the dishes and their allergen content.

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Class Twitter Pages

Please see below all the Class Twitter details for you to follow in order to keep posted with all the exciting learning and events that happen in school:

Year 6 Twitter link below:

Year 5 Twitter link below:

Year 4 Twitter link below:

Year 3 Twitter link below:

Year 2 Twitter link below:

Year 1 Twitter link below:

FS2/Reception Twitter link below:

FS1/Nursery Twitter link below:

Sports & After School Sports Section

Primary Sports Club

The After School Multi-sports Clubs run by Chris and Lee at Ward Green Primary School.

Children should be collected from the school reception at their pick up time and money should be paid on the day, directly to the sports coaches at pick up time.

Please remember, in order to book a place for your child, please contact Primary Sports Club directly either by Facebook (primary sports coaching), email (primarysportscoachinguk@gmail.com) or by phone (07842069109).

Proposed Sporting Calendar for 2021-22 – September

Children will be invited to attend a variety of sporting fixtures across the year involving Barnsley schools. The first fixtures are:

1st October 2021 - Year 1/2 Cross Country

8th October 2021 - Year 5/6 Netball

15th October 2021 - Year 3/4 Hockey

Breakfast Club

Our School Breakfast Club starts at 8am every morning Monday to Friday for children 7 years and older. It costs £3.00 every morning for a delicious, healthy breakfast and activities in the School Hall with Mrs Moody, Mrs Utley and Mrs Lockwood.

KEY DATES - AUTUMN TERM

Please find below the Key Date Events that we have planned so far and further will be added to keep you up to date over the weeks ahead for the Autumn Term 2021:

To Contact WGPS