Contents

• Acting Head update
• Staffing update
• Healthy eating and snacks in school
• Admin Update
• Education City - Home access
• Batten Disease Awareness Day
• Diary dates

The summer term continues at pace. We have already reached Spring Bank holiday and are preparing for an exciting half term on our return.

We begin the next term with parent / teacher meetings on the 7th June. We have successfully managed to utilise the booking system through the Arbor App for appointments to be made. Later on in the term, depending on the lifting of restrictions on the 21st June, we are hoping to return to some of our usual Summer term events – for example Sports day and after school clubs.

We are still waiting for the proofs of the recent class photos to arrive in school. We will let you know when we receive them.

With the weather looking promising this weekend, I hope that you have an enjoyable, happy and safe bank holiday.

Meet our Assistant Heads

We are delighted to confirm the appointment of two Assistant Headteachers who will take up their posts in September.

Mr Tasker, who has previously worked in the Rotherham and Barnsley area, is extremely excited to be joining the team and is looking forward to meeting all members of the community. We are hoping that his current school will be able to let him spend some time at SQP before September.

Mrs McArdle, who you know already, was also appointed as an Assistant Head and is delighted to take her next steps in her career at Swinton Queen Primary.

Thank you Mrs Ring

After working at Swinton Queen Primary from 2016 Mrs Ring has decided that now is the time for her to leave Swinton Queen Primary. She has asked that we delayed this announcement until now and we have respected her wishes with this. Mrs Ring joined the school to cover a maternity leave, and like most who work here didn't want to leave. Luckily school were able to offer her a contract and she has been a valued member of the school team ever since, teaching in all year groups to cover staff planning and management time.

I am positive that Mrs Ring will continue to come into school over the next half term, either as a visitor popping in to see us or to cover classes for any absences, so if anyone would like to bring her a card these will be passed on to her.

Can I take this opportunity on behalf of the staff, the governors and the White Woods Trust to thank Mrs Ring for the amazing work she has done across the school over the last 5 years and wish her all the best for the future.

As a school we like to encourage our children to adopt healthy lifestyles and the importance of a healthy and balanced diet.

Knowing what foods we should and shouldn’t be eating can be really confusing, especially when it feels like the advice changes regularly. However, evidence suggests that as well as affecting our physical health, what we eat may also affect the way we feel.

Improving your diet may help to:

• Improve your mood.
• Give you more energy.
• Help you think more clearly.

All schools are also bound by the healthy eating standards for school meals and we are not allowed to serve drinks with added sugar, crisps, chocolate or sweets in school meals. Clearly there are occasions where we use a more relaxed approach to some of these e.g. school parties. 

We have noticed that children are regularly bringing in snacks that go against the guidance and we would like to ask for your support with this. Below are some links and ideas for healthy snacks, we would ask that chocolate bars, tubs of pringles and sweets are not sent to school as a mid morning snack.

https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/food-facts/healthier-snacks-for-kids

School Uniform Provider

Please use the link below to access our online shop for school uniform. Please note that this will be delivered to school on a fortnightly basis. There is however the option for you to have this delivered directly to your door if you would prefer.

https://www.vortexschoolwear.co.uk/Primary-Schools/Swinton-Queen-Primary-School/

Arbor Parent Portal

As from 21st June the Arbor App will also be used for booking places for the Breakfast Club. Places will need to be pre-booked and paid for at the time of booking. Further information will be sent out shortly.

As you may know school have purchased Education City for our children to use at home. Individual log in details have been sent home with all children this week and this will mean that they have full access to this from home. When they log in this is the screen that they will see.

Staff will be using this platform more and more over the upcoming weeks and will be able to set homework on here that links to what is being taught in school. At this point we are not insisting that the work added is completed by children as we are aware not everyone has access to the internet on devices from home or have to juggle this with more than one child.

If you want to explore the site with your child / children the best way to do this is to click on the subjects section where you will be able to select English, Maths or Science and navigate to their year group. Here you will find various activities that you can complete as well as helpful videos and games.

We have been informed that a school in one of the White Woods Trust has two children from the same family who have been diagnosed with Battens Disease and all of the schools in the Trust have joined together to support the family and will be supporting them on the 9th June. This is the International Battens Disease Awareness day and we are asking children and staff to wear something orange and make a donation to the BDFA if you are able.

Sam's story (one of the children) can be found here - http://www.bdfa-uk.org.uk/sams-story/

If you are able to make a donation this can be done by visiting the following fund raiser page - Just Giving

Spring Bank – School closes on Friday, 28th May 2021 and re-opens on Tuesday, 8th June 2021. The 7th June is an INSET day.

7th June - Parents meetings. Staff will be doing an additional 'twilight' training session so they can use the afternoon to speak with parents.

9th June - Batten Disease Awareness Day. Wear it orange.

Summer – School closes on Tuesday, 20th July 2021.