Milefield Primary School's Newsletter

Welcome to issue 2 of Milefield's newsletter. We hope you found our first newsletter both useful and informative. Thank you for the feedback and positive comments we received; as always it is much appreciated. We really value the support and feedback we receive from families and the local community so please make sure you get in touch and pop in and speak to us. Remember there are always staff out at the start and end of the school day who you can speak to. For those who have been asking, our newsletter will come out on a fortnightly basis to inform you about school life, learning and achievements. We are extremely proud of our pupils and school and are eager to share all our achievements, successes and progress with you! Mrs Trickett.

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Attendance Matters

Overall attendance for this half term remains just below target at around 95%. Thank you to all for your support and efforts to improve school attendance. I know if we continue to work in partnership we can hit our target of 96%+! I am pleased to say some classes are already achieving target and setting high a standard of attendance (Mrs Trickett).

A big well done to Class 3 whose attendance September to date is 97.7%. This is closely followed by Miss Harber's FS2 class at 97.5%.

Weekly Attendance- Autumn Term

• Week 1: 94.6%
• Week 2: 95.6%
• Week 3: 95.9%
• Week 4: 95.8%
• Week 5: 95.2%
• Week 6: 95.2%
• Week 7: 94.1%

Attendance at school greatly impacts on the progress and attainment children achieve. Being at school, on time, everyday is vital to support children to develop and progress. It ensures children don't miss learning and opportunities essential to their education. Please support us to ensure attendance is the best it can be so we can narrow the gap between actual attendance and target (Mrs Trickett).

Unfortunately, this week's attendance has dropped to 94.1%. With the help of parents and pupils, we know we can get this back up to nearer (or better than) 96%. Therefore next week will be an...

ATTENDANCE MATTERS WEEK!

All pupils who get attendance of 96%+ will receive a certificate and treat on Friday!

I know through working together we can make attendance GREAT! #attendance matters#96%+

Parent Open Days

Thank you to everyone who attended parent open days last week; we really appreciate all your support, interest and involvement in your child's learning. At the meetings, teaching staff shared vital information about children's progress, attitudes and targets. Feedback from parents...

Fab, even had longer than the time allocated. Very happy with the effort staff went to.

Teachers went into lots of detail.

We even had print outs!

Teachers went above and beyond.

I wouldn't change anything.

If you missed parent open days please don't worry. There is still opportunity to book an appointment to see your child's class teacher. Please come to the main reception if you would like to make an appointment!

Science Club

Miss Gillespie's Science club got off to a great start. It has been running now for 4 weeks and the children are really enthused. We have had fun exploring with magnets and had a go at making our own magnetic games. We made balloon rockets, which the children loved.

Alexia, said she thought 'the bigger the balloon, the more air it had to travel further'.

We explored this idea and it seemed like she was correct.

This week we had a go at making our own bouncy balls but unfortunately this did not work as the liquid latex didn't react correctly to the vinegar. It also smelt really bad and made our eyes water! Children learnt that it is ok to fail in Science, because you can learn from your mistakes.

Dearne FM Class of the Week!

Well done to pupils in Year 3 who have been nominated for Dearne FM's Class of the Week. Children had to answer questions about school and learning. They also got to tell their best jokes and play guess the song lyrics.

Tune in to Dearne FM every weekday from 21st October 2019 at 8:20am to hear what we had to say!

EYFS

The children were exploring outside jumping in puddles and talking about how it made them feel. They were using their prior knowledge to engage in activities that they were interested in. They were displaying Characteristics of Effective Learning in particular...

• Finding out and exploring
• Using senses to explore the world around them
• Engaging in open-ended activity
• Showing particular interests

Year 2

Pupils in Year 2 have used their creativity and resilience when designing and making their very own teddies.

They also participated in group work to follow instructions to make some delicious teddy bear biscuits.

Year 4

In Year 4, Learning Behaviours are a crucial part of our learning. The children are encouraged to be the best version of themselves. They are given the confidence to use these behaviours which help them to succeed with their learning. Children are becoming really tuned in to things like resilience, independence and positivity. They are beginning to motivate each other to use these behaviours in every day learning and very often we can hear great things being shared.

Leah's group discussed the fact that 'you never fail at something unless you give up.' We really liked this as a way to encourage perseverance.

In class we have been using our learning behaviours to create an IT project. The children have used iMovie to create a movie trailer for the story of Arthur and the Golden Rope which they have been writing the ending to. They have had great fun doing this and they look really professional. The children showed independence, creativity, and perseverance. They had to keep revisiting some of the images they had added to ensure the pages of the book weren't visible and images were clear. Even though they found it frustrating going over the same thing a few times, they kept a positive attitude and were driven to reaching their end goal.

Year 6

Year 6 have been showing resilience during Science lessons. We were studying the effects of air resistance on parachutes using clay and plastic bags. We discussed how we could do this with very basic materials: string, clay, plastic bags and rulers. We were then asked to feedback our ideas as a group. We took notes on what we thought would work best and decided on the best approach to test our hypothesis: The size of parachute area affects the duration of the drop. We measured and designed our own parachutes using old plastic bags and then decided on the best height to drop the clay and parachute from. We then timed three consecutive drops to gain valid results. We persevered when our results weren't always perfect; we changed designs where necessary and discussed our conclusions using scientific terminology.

PTFA

We would like to start by thanking you all for the valuable contributions you made last year towards fundraising at Milefield. Your donations are managed by the PTFA, who take the time to plan in fun events for you and your children. All money raised goes back to the children of Milefield and helps to support your child’s learning.

Last year your money helped pay for a new sound system for school which will be used by the children during concerts and shows. We helped towards the cost of trips and visitors to school; purchased the prizes for Milefield’s Got Talent Show and the 100% attendance awards and also helped with some items for the sensory room. Without your help, none of this would be possible so please accept our sincere thanks.

Our first fundraiser this year will tie in with Halloween.

Key stage 2 are invited to a Halloween Disco on Thursday the 24th October. This will run from 3.15-4.30pm. There will be games, dancing and competitions. Drinks and hot dogs will be provided. This will cost £3 per child. Please ensure you have returned your slips. If children are not attending the disco, normal home time procedures will apply. Children who attend the disco should be collected at 4.30pm at the old main entrance. Thank you.

Key stage 1 and the EYFS will be having a Halloween themed fun afternoon. They will be able to decorate their own biscuit and be given a Halloween toy. This will cost £2 per child.

All children are encouraged to wear a Halloween costume on this day. No clown costumes please.

Watch out for information regarding our Christmas Fair. This will take place on Thursday 21st November 2pm-4pm.